Phantasy Star Collections
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Sega Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: RPG
Graphics & Sound: In the late 1980's and early 1990's while the majority of America's youth played the hit RPGs (Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, etc...) on their Nintendo systems, an RPG series of a different sort slipped past most gamers' eyes on Sega's Master System and Genesis. This series was called Phantasy Star. While most other RPGs were firmly rooted in their fantasy settings, Phantasy Star was firmly planted in Science Fiction. The few who played these games when they were younger still love them to this day, while most others still don't give them a second look. Sega has now re-released their first three Phantasy Star games on one cartridge for the Game Boy Advance, called, Phantasy Star Collection. If you've never played these games before, it's not very hard to imagine what each looks and plays like. Each is a very typical Japanese RPG for the time it was released and you've doubtlessly played other games like them. If you were to pick up the original Phantasy Star and begin playing it with no idea of its background except that it was a Sega game, you are very likely to assume the game was for the Sega Genesis. Well, you would be wrong. This game was original for the Sega Master System. For a game on an 8-bit system, the original Phantasy Star's graphics are extremely impressive. However, 8-bit graphics they remain and so this game is, of course, the least impressive visually of the three. Since it is nearly 10 years old, it looks just downright horrible if you compare it to current games, but that wouldn't be fair now, would it? While the graphics are very impressive for such an old game, its sound isn't going to fool anyone. The sound definitely doesn't match the quality of the graphics. Now that's not to say that the sound isn't good, but none of the music or sound effects are as good as its contemporaries, namely the first four Dragon Warrior games and the original Final Fantasy. While the original Phantasy Star was ahead graphically of its Nintendo counterparts, Phantasy Star 2 only just matches the visuals of its brethren. This was an early Genesis Game, and for the most part has the same level of detail in its graphics as early Super Nintendo RPGs like Final Fantasy IV, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom, and Breath of Fire. You can still see the tiles, the characters are smallish, and colors aren't as varied as they could (and eventually would) be. Phantasy Star 2 continues the trend of its audio staying one step behind its contemporaries. Again, it's not bad, but it sounds like what should have been in the original Phantasy Star. After seeing what could be done graphically on a 16-bit system at the end of its era with games like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, and the Donkey Kong Country games, it's really a shame to see Phantasy Star 3 fall flat on it's face graphically. It really doesn't look that much better than Phantasy Star 2. It's quite possible that you just couldn't do with the Genesis what developers managed to do with the Super Nintendo, but the fact remains that the graphics in Phantasy Star 3 just don't live up to what was being done during its time. But, if all these years later the graphics from one and two don't bother you, it's doubtful you'll find three unattractive either. The audio goes forward a little more than the graphics did from two to three, but still remains sub-par.
Gameplay: The Phantasy Star series has its fans and they are extremely loyal. The gameplay isn't bad in any of the games but it's nothing new or original either. Each game is also terribly long and, despite the cult following they have, these games get stale pretty quickly. Simply put, the original Phantasy Star plays just like the original Dragon Warrior, except with a 1st person perspective in dungeons and more than one character. It feels more open ended than many console RPGs. The menus are cumbersome and uninformative. If it wasn't for the chart that comes with the game, you'd have to use trial and error to figure out just how effective each piece of equipment is and who can use it. Figuring out what to do next usually requires a lot of backtracking and retalking to people unless you wrote everything down. It will also take you a LONG time to power up to actually accomplish that next step. You'll also simply 'have' to draw maps in those last few dungeons, something I've never found really flattering about a video game. But, like all really old games that seem horribly dull now, it has something of a charm buried in there somewhere. If you can find that, you'll like it. If you can't, the game will just be a chore for you. The main character 'is' a girl, however, if that is a big deal to you. Phantasy Star 2 and 3, while not as cumbersome or irritating as the original, don't do too much to improve upon the first one. Each has progressively larger casts, worlds, and plots. Three even throws in the obligatory 'secondary ability' points (skill points, tech points, etc..) seen in many games. If you're new to the 2-D RPG scene, these games may interest you. But, if you're an old school veteran, these games will likely bore you to tears if you don't find the nostalgia enough to be entertaining. Aside from the fact that it's set in a sci-fi environment, the game just doesn't offer anything 'fresh'. The standard: complete a dungeon, go to the next town, complete a dungeon formula is used almost exclusively.
Difficulty: In a standard console RPG like these, difficulty can be divided into two parts, how hard it is to figure out what to do next and then how hard it is to do it. Now a good RPG finds's creative ways to do these things. Perhaps you have to piece together information in an interesting way to figure out where to go next, or use your abilities in a creative way to defeat a boss. Most mediocre RPGs that don't rise above the rest fail to do these in a fun way. The Phantasy Star games are guilty of this. Where to go next is usually just to move 'forward' on the map once that 'obstacle' is moved after completing the nearby dungeon or in the case of the original, to find 'just' the right person to talk to in the entire world. As for battles, there is rarely anything interesting about them; you simply have to be strong enough. Much of this was fine for these games when they were first released. However, it kills them being fun years later in a re-release.
Game Mechanics: The mechanics are exactly what you would expect of menu-based games from these systems. The digital pad moves you around while one button serves as a 'confirm' and the other a 'cancel'. You have your standard: Talk, search, magic, status, etc... menus. Battles are all done from a first person perspective using good ole' turn based mechanics. Battles are started at random, just like most of these games. There's 'really' not much to these games, for good or bad. These were alright games when they were first released. However, these games just don't seem to have the depth required to be interesting all these years later. But heck, it's three games for only 30 dollars so it still may be worth it. Even if it's just to see what all the fuss 'was' about.
-Alucard, GameVortex Communications AKA Stephen Triche
Mistmare: In Tenebris Erroris Sonic Heroes