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Well before I go on to my main piece, I need to mention this:
Ontamarama
What the hell is this!? Haha. This came into the store today out of nowhere and I had no clue what in the world it is. But a few things caught my eye... First, Atlus published it. Second, it's from Noise Factory (Rage of the Dragons, Metal Slug 4... Ok yeah not a hot lineup), and finally, it looks extremely wacky jappy! Is that reason enough to check it out? It's only 29.99 too! Well, I'm certainly going to check it out, but what is this really strange looking title? Apparently, it's a super complicated rhythm game for the Nintendo DS. In other words, it's right up my alley! Here's a clip.
Pictured above
First Row: Sil'fer (Phantasy Star Online - Episode 3: C.A.R.D. Revolution), Ash (Phantasy Star Online Episode 1/2)
Second Row: Wren (Phantasy Star 3), Mieu (Phantasy Star 3)
Third Row: Rika (Phantasy Star 4), Ethan (Phantasy Star Universe), Laia (Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus), Chaz (Phantasy Star 4)
Center: Alis (Phantasy Star 1)
Fourth Row: Nei (Phantasy Star 2), Rolf (Phantasy Star 2)
Bottom: Myau (Phantasy Star 1)
The Phantasy Star series has been around for almost 20 years now. This December will mark it's 20th anniversary. The image above was done in commemoration for the occasion, along with an illustration contest for the recent online entries. Seeing this image this morning definitely invoked a lot of nostalgia. I actually went on to post it on a forum I regular and got a pretty expected response. And what was that? A lot of bitter tears for what the series has become today. Well, I love what it's and overall love the series. So it's been a long fight for me to defend Online and Universe. In fact, I'm always in the face of adversity with my passions. Anywho...
So to those that are new, what is Phantasy Star? It was Sega's answer to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Here's a brief look at the different entries:
Phantasy Star - Released in 1988 for the Sega Master System, this was the first cinematic sci-fi JRPG featuring a prominent female lead and innovative 3-D dungeons. You started off the adventure by seeing a young girl witnessing her brother's death at the hands of the government, and with his last words, he tells her to stop the tyranny. Thus began Alis' adventure and the saga of the Algol solar system. This massive journey took place across 3 planets: Palma (lush and green planet similar to that of Earth), Motavia (A hot desert-like planet), and Dezoris (An artic wasteland). In the very end of all this, you'll finally get to face Dark Force (Falz), the real menace behind everything and what will be known as the series main antagonist. Now it must be noted that Phantasy Star 1 actually was the humble beginning of what would be some of today's big names in gaming. Rieko "Phoenix" Kodama (Renown for the Phantasy Star series itself, and Skies of Arcadia) and Yuji Naka (Mr. Sonic himself)
Phantasy Star 2 - This time the introduction has a young man dreaming of a young lady fighting an ominous evil being. (The final battle in Phantasy Star 1) But he couldn't make any sense of it, but of what relevances was it to him? He was her descendant. This man is Rolf, the lead to this entry. Once again, another big adventure awaits in the Algol system, but this was the entry that started some major trends for JRPGs today. Phantasy Star 2 is most renown for it's difficult stratgeic battles and also having the very first tragic character death in RPG history. (I bet a majority of today thought Final Fantasy VII's Aeris was it) Even the ending itself was a bit of a surprise.
Phantasy Star 3 - The dark horse of the series. Phantasy Star 3 had nothing to do with the previous titles and was even helmed by completely new people. It's usually the most hated in the series, but it's still pretty playable by itself. The big feature here was a generation system where the decisions you made on who you married would affect later generations and eventually, the ending. Overall though, it was a big disappointment: the visual style was completely different from the previous titles, no real character development, and a completely simplistic/toned down battle system.
Phantasy Star 4 : The end of the Millennium - The conclusion of Algol series today, and what's heralded as the best of the 4 main entries. Things start off with Chaz, a young apprentice of famous hunter, Alys. They get sent on a mission to investigate the mysterious happenings as to why monsters have started to appear at the local academy. This eventually leads to the epic finale against the true evil of the universe, The Profound Darkness. Phantasy Star 4, similar to that of 1, was really ahead of it's time. Featuring beautiful cinematics, in-depth character interactions, and a new macro system for the battles. It actually still holds up extremely well today. This game debuted on the Sega Genesis at a whopping $80 or so. Insane isn't it?
Phantasy Star Online: It's been many years since Phantasy Star was ever mentioned, but it finally rose again. It came in a revival as the first console online RPG. Released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, Phantasy Star evolved from a turn-based RPG to an Action RPG similar to that of PC RPG, Diablo. Featuring 9 different classes that represented the different races and genders available, you could create your own character then play it offline to enjoy it's segmented story. But the real deal here was to take it online and play with others in groups up to 4 people at a time. The story involved you following the message of a hunter that was investigating a mystery blast that occured on the planet Ragol. It was an adventure that started in it's lush green forests into the deep caverns, then a secret laboratory and finally some mystery ancient ruins. The atmosphere was great and companied by a soundtrack composed by the New Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. It was truly an interesting revival to the Phantasy Star series. This would all last in good harmony for a good year.
However, later on in the game's life cycle though, Sonic Team would release a version 2 featuring another difficulty, more items and more modes. But this time, there was a fee involved, and thus begun the downfall with the pay to play mentality. After the Dreamcast was abandoned, Sonic Team decided to focus their efforts on the Nintendo Gamecube and rereleased Phantasy Star Online in the form of Episode 1/2. An Xbox version was also released a bit later but had a huge lack of support on the developers side of things and fell out of favor with players in the long run. The final release was on PC in the form of Blue Burst, featuring Episode 4 of the Online series.
Phantasy Star Online - Episode 3: C.A.R.D. Revolution: In this weird turn of things, Phantasy Star once again evolved into another form, that of a card game. Still featured in the same universe as that of the Online series, this was the third episode and overall finale of the Ragol Saga. (Episode 4 takes place before 3 apparently) This was an unfortunate big mistake however solid the game was, as no one really wants to play a card game. The game features what's probably the best soundtrack in the entire Phantasy Star series, once again composed by the New Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. I loved CARD a lot personally, but it was never meant to be in the end.
Phantasy Star Universe: This was essentially the Phantasy Star Online 2 everyone waited for. But with the similar pay to play mentality and big changes it made that blurred the line between online rpg and MMORPG, most folks were really disappointed by it. Released for the Playstation 2/PC/Xbox360, it had an actual story mode to it that played off in a episodic fashion similar to that of a serial, with opening and ending credits. You'd play as Ethan Waber, a young guardian that'll come to fight the enigmatic SEED threat. This was meant to appease the folks that wanted a Phantasy Star 5, but it was a giant insult in the end. But like Phantasy Star Online, the real fun is to take it online, and this time they featured adjustable classes and genders for over 16 different choices right off the bat. An expansion also just recently released that seems to play on the nostalgia of older places by offering areas from the original Phantasy Star Online and even similar weapons/items. Also includes the next episode in the series in full voice glory.
Now if you never have experienced Phantasy Star and consider yourself an avid RPG player, you really should check it out! Phantasy Star II and IV are available in the form of the Sega Genesis Collection on the Playstation 2 and PSP. You can get Phantasy Star I, II, and III on the GBA in the Phantasy Star Collection. Now I don't expect anyone to play the online ones unfortunately, but it's still worth a mention and as I said earlier, I love what the series has become thus far. This is the end of my little nostalgia run and it's really late now. I hate writing late in the night, but it's the only time I ever get around to it. But also the hardest time to come up with anything >_< Well I hope you all enjoyed it.
Ontamarama
What the hell is this!? Haha. This came into the store today out of nowhere and I had no clue what in the world it is. But a few things caught my eye... First, Atlus published it. Second, it's from Noise Factory (Rage of the Dragons, Metal Slug 4... Ok yeah not a hot lineup), and finally, it looks extremely wacky jappy! Is that reason enough to check it out? It's only 29.99 too! Well, I'm certainly going to check it out, but what is this really strange looking title? Apparently, it's a super complicated rhythm game for the Nintendo DS. In other words, it's right up my alley! Here's a clip.
Pictured above
First Row: Sil'fer (Phantasy Star Online - Episode 3: C.A.R.D. Revolution), Ash (Phantasy Star Online Episode 1/2)
Second Row: Wren (Phantasy Star 3), Mieu (Phantasy Star 3)
Third Row: Rika (Phantasy Star 4), Ethan (Phantasy Star Universe), Laia (Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus), Chaz (Phantasy Star 4)
Center: Alis (Phantasy Star 1)
Fourth Row: Nei (Phantasy Star 2), Rolf (Phantasy Star 2)
Bottom: Myau (Phantasy Star 1)
The Phantasy Star series has been around for almost 20 years now. This December will mark it's 20th anniversary. The image above was done in commemoration for the occasion, along with an illustration contest for the recent online entries. Seeing this image this morning definitely invoked a lot of nostalgia. I actually went on to post it on a forum I regular and got a pretty expected response. And what was that? A lot of bitter tears for what the series has become today. Well, I love what it's and overall love the series. So it's been a long fight for me to defend Online and Universe. In fact, I'm always in the face of adversity with my passions. Anywho...
So to those that are new, what is Phantasy Star? It was Sega's answer to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Here's a brief look at the different entries:
Phantasy Star - Released in 1988 for the Sega Master System, this was the first cinematic sci-fi JRPG featuring a prominent female lead and innovative 3-D dungeons. You started off the adventure by seeing a young girl witnessing her brother's death at the hands of the government, and with his last words, he tells her to stop the tyranny. Thus began Alis' adventure and the saga of the Algol solar system. This massive journey took place across 3 planets: Palma (lush and green planet similar to that of Earth), Motavia (A hot desert-like planet), and Dezoris (An artic wasteland). In the very end of all this, you'll finally get to face Dark Force (Falz), the real menace behind everything and what will be known as the series main antagonist. Now it must be noted that Phantasy Star 1 actually was the humble beginning of what would be some of today's big names in gaming. Rieko "Phoenix" Kodama (Renown for the Phantasy Star series itself, and Skies of Arcadia) and Yuji Naka (Mr. Sonic himself)
Phantasy Star 2 - This time the introduction has a young man dreaming of a young lady fighting an ominous evil being. (The final battle in Phantasy Star 1) But he couldn't make any sense of it, but of what relevances was it to him? He was her descendant. This man is Rolf, the lead to this entry. Once again, another big adventure awaits in the Algol system, but this was the entry that started some major trends for JRPGs today. Phantasy Star 2 is most renown for it's difficult stratgeic battles and also having the very first tragic character death in RPG history. (I bet a majority of today thought Final Fantasy VII's Aeris was it) Even the ending itself was a bit of a surprise.
Phantasy Star 3 - The dark horse of the series. Phantasy Star 3 had nothing to do with the previous titles and was even helmed by completely new people. It's usually the most hated in the series, but it's still pretty playable by itself. The big feature here was a generation system where the decisions you made on who you married would affect later generations and eventually, the ending. Overall though, it was a big disappointment: the visual style was completely different from the previous titles, no real character development, and a completely simplistic/toned down battle system.
Phantasy Star 4 : The end of the Millennium - The conclusion of Algol series today, and what's heralded as the best of the 4 main entries. Things start off with Chaz, a young apprentice of famous hunter, Alys. They get sent on a mission to investigate the mysterious happenings as to why monsters have started to appear at the local academy. This eventually leads to the epic finale against the true evil of the universe, The Profound Darkness. Phantasy Star 4, similar to that of 1, was really ahead of it's time. Featuring beautiful cinematics, in-depth character interactions, and a new macro system for the battles. It actually still holds up extremely well today. This game debuted on the Sega Genesis at a whopping $80 or so. Insane isn't it?
Phantasy Star Online: It's been many years since Phantasy Star was ever mentioned, but it finally rose again. It came in a revival as the first console online RPG. Released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, Phantasy Star evolved from a turn-based RPG to an Action RPG similar to that of PC RPG, Diablo. Featuring 9 different classes that represented the different races and genders available, you could create your own character then play it offline to enjoy it's segmented story. But the real deal here was to take it online and play with others in groups up to 4 people at a time. The story involved you following the message of a hunter that was investigating a mystery blast that occured on the planet Ragol. It was an adventure that started in it's lush green forests into the deep caverns, then a secret laboratory and finally some mystery ancient ruins. The atmosphere was great and companied by a soundtrack composed by the New Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. It was truly an interesting revival to the Phantasy Star series. This would all last in good harmony for a good year.
However, later on in the game's life cycle though, Sonic Team would release a version 2 featuring another difficulty, more items and more modes. But this time, there was a fee involved, and thus begun the downfall with the pay to play mentality. After the Dreamcast was abandoned, Sonic Team decided to focus their efforts on the Nintendo Gamecube and rereleased Phantasy Star Online in the form of Episode 1/2. An Xbox version was also released a bit later but had a huge lack of support on the developers side of things and fell out of favor with players in the long run. The final release was on PC in the form of Blue Burst, featuring Episode 4 of the Online series.
Phantasy Star Online - Episode 3: C.A.R.D. Revolution: In this weird turn of things, Phantasy Star once again evolved into another form, that of a card game. Still featured in the same universe as that of the Online series, this was the third episode and overall finale of the Ragol Saga. (Episode 4 takes place before 3 apparently) This was an unfortunate big mistake however solid the game was, as no one really wants to play a card game. The game features what's probably the best soundtrack in the entire Phantasy Star series, once again composed by the New Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. I loved CARD a lot personally, but it was never meant to be in the end.
Phantasy Star Universe: This was essentially the Phantasy Star Online 2 everyone waited for. But with the similar pay to play mentality and big changes it made that blurred the line between online rpg and MMORPG, most folks were really disappointed by it. Released for the Playstation 2/PC/Xbox360, it had an actual story mode to it that played off in a episodic fashion similar to that of a serial, with opening and ending credits. You'd play as Ethan Waber, a young guardian that'll come to fight the enigmatic SEED threat. This was meant to appease the folks that wanted a Phantasy Star 5, but it was a giant insult in the end. But like Phantasy Star Online, the real fun is to take it online, and this time they featured adjustable classes and genders for over 16 different choices right off the bat. An expansion also just recently released that seems to play on the nostalgia of older places by offering areas from the original Phantasy Star Online and even similar weapons/items. Also includes the next episode in the series in full voice glory.
Now if you never have experienced Phantasy Star and consider yourself an avid RPG player, you really should check it out! Phantasy Star II and IV are available in the form of the Sega Genesis Collection on the Playstation 2 and PSP. You can get Phantasy Star I, II, and III on the GBA in the Phantasy Star Collection. Now I don't expect anyone to play the online ones unfortunately, but it's still worth a mention and as I said earlier, I love what the series has become thus far. This is the end of my little nostalgia run and it's really late now. I hate writing late in the night, but it's the only time I ever get around to it. But also the hardest time to come up with anything >_< Well I hope you all enjoyed it.
tired