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Maou
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"Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 05:53post reply

Unlike the first Sega Ages Phantasy Star I remake, II sounds to be a far better version...so the question is, just how good is Phantasy Star II to start with? I've heard legends about it having a wonderful story that was years and years ahead of its time, and I'm curious. Lunar being my favorite series, hyper graphics won't matter as much as charming characters and a brilliant story (though the remake looks pretty), which is what I've heard PSII had, setting archtypes before they were made... Anyone experienced it?





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Nate
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"Re(1):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 07:22:post reply

quote:
Unlike the first Sega Ages Phantasy Star I remake, II sounds to be a far better version...so the question is, just how good is Phantasy Star II to start with? I've heard legends about it having a wonderful story that was years and years ahead of its time, and I'm curious. Lunar being my favorite series, hyper graphics won't matter as much as charming characters and a brilliant story (though the remake looks pretty), which is what I've heard PSII had, setting archtypes before they were made... Anyone experienced it?


PSII has a surprisingly downbeat story, which is even more interesting considering when it was released. The bright 80s colors and cheery music belie a dark undercurrent. The game tackled issues like the environment before probably any other did, and without doing so in the heavy-handed way most games try to present themes today (if they try at all). Even the comments from random townspeople, as badly translated as they sometimes are, help to paint a picture of a fairly messed-up futuristic society.

Since the story's not going to be altered much (I hope), you should probably be able to experience the same thing in the remake.

The only thing I hope they rework are the characters. I for one rather liked Shilka/Shir (somehow her translated name works better for me), but being a thief, she had an annoying habit of stealing from stores and having to be picked up from the first town in the game to get her back into your group. EVEN ON OTHER PLANETS. WTF.

That and some characters were definitely more useful in most situations than others. Huey/Hugh the biologist and his biomonster-affecting technique didn't see much use from people while Ann/Amy the doctor was the only dedicated healer and ALWAYS made it into groups It'd be nice if the characters were a little more balanced.

I don't know if there's a ton of character development for the playable characters, but there's enough that it makes the game enjoyable. The story's compelling enough that it makes up for any lack of development in characters.





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[this message was edited by Nate on Mon 11 Apr 07:24]

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"Re(2):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 07:29:post reply

Nate pretty much hit it on the head; it's a wonderful game to this day, but I wouldn't complain if some of the characters were given a bit more personality and background... I hope the fights remain relatively difficult and they DON'T alter the high encounter rate, heh heh. >: D They allegedly aren't making any major changes, are they?

Edit: as in, storyline wise...





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[this message was edited by Red Falcon on Mon 11 Apr 07:29]

Variable Savior
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"Re(3):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 08:14:post reply

I liked PSII back in the day (so so much better than PSIII...) but I can't say as I recall there being any real character development outside of the main character and Nei. I just recall it seeming like new characters showed up and said "I'm Kain - I like fighting machines" and that was it. Was there really that much more development of the individual characters? If so my memory's going...

Mind you, I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from playing PSII. It was a great game and surprisely challenging (good lord, I had trouble with the final boss).

So what exactly was wrong with the remake of the original Phantasy Star? I never got to finish it back in the day and always wanted another shot.





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[this message was edited by Variable Savior on Mon 11 Apr 08:15]

CHAZumaru
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"Re(2):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 08:27post reply

quote:

Since the story's not going to be altered much (I hope), you should probably be able to experience the same thing in the remake.


*Cough* *COUGH*



Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Apparently, Rei doesn't (permanently) die in the remake.

End of Spoiler



I'm not kidding.





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"Re(3):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 08:46post reply

quote:

Since the story's not going to be altered much (I hope), you should probably be able to experience the same thing in the remake.

*Cough* *COUGH*



I'm not kidding.





Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
So does this mean that we'll soon see the FF7 remake where you can resurrect Aeris?

End of Spoiler







Black_Hayato
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"Re(1):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Mon 11 Apr 10:28post reply

I loved the story, world and characters but absolutely hated the dungeons. The random battle rate was horrible imo. At that time I didn't have the patience to invest in the game when I had the much more gratifying Beyond Oasis and Crusader of Centy sitting next to it.

Now years later having finally beaten it. I don't think it has aged well. I would love more characterization and a better balance to the battle system. As far as gameplay its 4 being the best towards 1 being the worst. But I hold 2 and 4's stories in the highest esteem.





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"Re(2):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Tue 12 Apr 01:39post reply

Thanks for the feedback so far, this is just what I was hoping to hear about...I remember reading some impassioned reviews about how far advanced the original PSII story was, and apparently the remake's characters have been developed a bit more per your hopes, which is good...along with some new system stuff. Judging by 1up's preview and the Amazon.co.jp reviews, it's not changed that incredibly much overall, which should be a good thing so I can finally see this story. Plus the original's included, too...

Variable Savior: I've never played PS before so I can't say, but the vibe I got about the PSI remake that dissuaded me was that they got the atmosphere wrong...the original apparently had a fairly downbeat feel to the story and music too, but the remake made everything look too shiny and plasticy while ruining the original music and making it too saccharine and cheerful. So I hear, anyway.





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mr boo
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"Re(1):Phantasy Star II fans?" , posted Tue 12 Apr 01:50post reply

Ahh...the very first RPG I ever played so long ago. What I enjoyed most were the characters and the gameplay, but keep in mind that gameplay might seem very bland compared to some of the action RPGs now (I don't know what the gameplay for the new one will be like). Anywayz, it was one of my favorite RPGs ever, so I'll definitely be looking forward to this.

Oh..and I agree with some of the others that PSIII was crap.