Phantasy Star Thread

[Stookymalarkey]

Final Fantasy VI cost me 79.99 and Chrono Trigger cost 89.99 from Toys R Us in 1995. The only way I convinced my parents to get me those is by getting good grades and staying out of trouble, lol. But with those prices I was only getting one game a year. I had to make due with borrowing games from friends and rentals.

It looks like Final Fantasy VI was even more expensive at launch! (99.99):

View attachment 84346

Is this an American or Canadian flyer? Even back then, the Canadian price was always higher to compensate for the weaker dollar value.

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

The thing young people don't realize is how much CD-Roms lowered the prices of games. SNES cartridges with extra ROM memory were more expensive than usual. Most JRPGs required larger ROM chips to fit all of the graphics and text. Once CD-Roms came around, the prices lowered to 50-60 on the top end, but you could get greatest hits releases for 19.99-24.99. The PS1 era was great. Which is why the N64 was a huge mistake for Nintendo. N64 games were still priced at 70+ on the high end while PS1 games were much cheaper.

Post automatically merged: Jun 26, 2025

Is this an American or Canadian flyer? Even back then, the Canadian price was always higher to compensate for the weaker dollar value.

Ah that might be it, it could be Canadian prices. That would explain why the prices seem to be off by about 10 dollars.

 

[secreto7]

I just found out Phantasy Star 4 cost like a hundred bucks on release. Imagine this guys. Any of you owned it or bought it new back then?

https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/126ossn/til_when_phantasy_star_iv_released_for_the_sega/

Post automatically merged: Jun 26, 2025

Imagine being the kid whose parents bought it back then in school the bragging rights...

Post automatically merged: Jun 26, 2025

I was born in 1984 and came to California in like 93 or so when I was 9 and got deported like seven years ago back to Poland. but I dont dont remember a game costing 100 bucks. I only got into console gaming and not just arcades tho around 96. I do remember getting doom 64 for like 70 bucks.

At least such a great game was worth it, I imagine.

@Strategist
And bootlegs reduced the prices even more.

 

[prnzoDraGoonZweiOrta]

me mvm paid $80 or 90 for Phantasy Star for the SMS. paid less than that I think for Phantasy Star II but don't remember. rented Phantasy Star III... was intriguing n I loved how the Moos wait a sec, then pounce to the screen - almost made me n my friend JUMP the 1st time encountering them lol. never bought it though....

Phantasy Star IV was one of my most amazing vidgame experiences ever but don't remember at aLL wut it cost. I only remember the price of OG PS cuz I fought entitled tooth n bratty naiL in the Depford maLL persuading meh mom to buy it xD

 

[Wariat]

would you guys say phantasy 4 or final antsy 6 was or would be in your world more worth such a price?

 

[CaineRand]

Inflation and economy getting crazy, too, nowadays.

 

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

People forgot that 100 could also completely fill your cart back then too

 

[Bonkers225]

It wasn't just $100. It was $100 in 1994 money. That would be around $200+ today.

Post automatically merged: Jun 27, 2025

People forgot that 100 could also completely fill your cart back then too

You can as well in 2025. Where are you grocery shopping. Whole Foods, Organic stores? They're a scam.

 

[Ferik]

would you guys say phantasy 4 or final antsy 6 was or would be in your world more worth such a price?

FF6 easy. PS4 is a great game, perhaps even a better game in hindsight given that FF6 has an awful lot of bugs when you actually start digging into it, but FF6 sure as heck was a lot more impressive in 1995. It moves faster both mechanically and narratively, and each character feels distinct with a wholly unique ability mechanic. PS4 did add a few things like combo moves, but it overall felt a few years behind the curve.

 

[secreto7]

FF6 easy. PS4 is a great game, perhaps even a better game in hindsight given that FF6 has an awful lot of bugs when you actually start digging into it, but FF6 sure as heck was a lot more impressive in 1995. It moves faster both mechanically and narratively, and each character feels distinct with a wholly unique ability mechanic. PS4 did add a few things like combo moves, but it overall felt a few years behind the curve.

I didn't play FF6 and PS4 is a good game, but at a quick glance Final Fantasy seems on another level, budget and other things.

 

[NotReallyHere]

Holy cow, talk about individual pricing! I now understand why blockbuster was such a huge thing. You're paying an arm & a leg for this stuff, you better god darn know what you're getting.
Like, I'd really like to know the reasoning on 90$ for NBA Jam, Acclaim trying to swindle you with that one.

When you and your buds were regularly plunking $10 each into a NBA Jam arcade machine per session, spending $90 to play it as much as you want doesn't really sound so bad! Remember: the arcade game charged you PER QUARTER to play. So if you wanted to play a full game, you had to "Insert Coin" four times - usually at $1 or so per pop

Really, this is part of why arcade ports were so popular. It helped that, during the 16-Bit days, the quality of the home ports was on-par with the arcade more than ever before. The Genesis and SNES ports of NBA Jam were much more arcade-accurate than, say, Pac-Man for the Atari 2600.

With Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Street Fighter II, yeah, I would easily spend $15 or $20 in quarters every time I went to my local arcade. Getting the home versions wasn't cheap, but if you could get a few of those same friends to go in together with you to get a copy you could all share and play together at home, it was totally worth the asking price

 

[Adrastia]

Ah yes. The price of Phantasy Star 4. I remember this very clearly. I went into Game Gallery and the guy said he was thinking of lowering the price because no one was buying it. I later got it used in November for $40 at another Game Gallery. It was a resold rental copy and still had the sticker. I think it was for West Coast Video.

When you and your buds were regularly plunking $10 each into a NBA Jam arcade machine per session, spending $90 to play it as much as you want doesn't really sound so bad! Remember: the arcade game charged you PER QUARTER to play. So if you wanted to play a full game, you had to "Insert Coin" four times - usually at $1 or so per pop

I remember the security guard at the super market would give me quarters for the arcade machines if I picked up his lunch from the deli. But it really was cheaper over all to just buy the home version of a game. If it had one. I don't think we got a X-Men Arcade port for a long time did we? That's the main arcade game I played.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Huge Phantasy Star drama
The Phantasy Star drama got WORSE

 

[Shad79]

It can be anything. From what games you liked what got you into the series what games you played maybe invested time into maybe a memory you have with it maybe just something very specific about the games themselves if you loved og PS RPG systems and story or the world feel and gameplay of the online games
also don't talk smack about where the series currently is or NGS as I strictly want this to be as positive as possible!

Personally? There's too much I love about the series as a whole to say, but I really love the characters of phantasy star 4, I love the atmosphere, world and OST of PSO ep1-4 when you explore everything about it that you have to go out of your way to find like the story pieces, almost everything about portable 2 lol and just the cool factor of pso2 original and its characters
Of course PSO ep1-2 is an irreplaceable online experience for me as it was one of my first online games I played so just playing with other people and talking with them was so cool to me too

 

[MemeAlert]

Phantasy Star Portable has a better mission structure than Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII...also it plays better.

 

[moonbits]

sci fi elf girls

 

[UnDubious]

I got into the original series via Phantasy Star IV. I loved the sci-fi aspect, which was rare at the time in Japanese RPGs (especially in English), I liked that it had all this backstory and lore to the Algo star system, the characters, the various races. Most RPGs have an independent story from game to game, but this one referred to events from the first three games, spanning two thousand years, with characters from past games having become legends. I also loved the stylishness of the manga cutscenes and the speed of the battles.

Post-OG series, Portable has a solid battle system and it's just a fun action game with light RPG elements.

 

[bigstinkie]

phantasy star online's music, art direction, group play, kissing hugging friends love happiness
i still play the game today

there is a lot of love to be found in the game even now
if you ever see me in game you will be showered in the rains of a million sweet little lives that once inhabited, inhabit, and will always inhabit the game
you have been virtually smooched by me by existing in the same universe as me

 

[JackNoir413]

i like the sci fi girls

 

[bigstinkie]

the friend i am dancing with
i do miss him
oooooooOOOOoooooooo cheeseburger

 

[Shad79]

phantasy star online's music, art direction, group play, kissing hugging friends love happiness
i still play the game today

there is a lot of love to be found in the game even now
if you ever see me in game you will be showered in the rains of a million sweet little lives that once inhabited, inhabit, and will always inhabit the game
you have been virtually smooched by me by existing in the same universe as me

"i still play the game today" yeah me too on ephinea
its incredible how much fun this game is so many years later

 

[bigstinkie]

"i still play the game today" yeah me too on ephinea
its incredible how much fun this game is so many years later

i am also doing the playing on the ephinea
if we ever meet in the world of phantasy star online
i will give you a swagburger

 

[csanjuro]

my favorites are Phantasy Star IV and PSO ep 1 & 2 on gamecube

 

[χKai]

It can be anything.

The fact I don't play it.

 

[nobitakun]

I recently played Phantasy Star and I am dreaming with this song:

It has something that sucks you in and you can't escape listening to it over and over.