NeoZeedeater
03-27-2005, 12:02 AM
With the buzz surrounding Phantasy Star Universe lately I figure it's a good time to take a look back at this great franchise.
December 20th, 1987. This was the day the first Phantasy Star game was released in Japan for the Mark III/Master System. I find the date significant because that was only two days after the first Final Fantasy game debuted on the Famicom and five days after Nintendo released their first RPG, Ginga no Sannin.
While Japanese RPGs had already become popular by this time in their homeland thanks mostly to Dragon Quest, they were still non-existant in the West. In 1988, Phantasy Star was the first Japanese RPG(not including Action/RPGs) localized. It also began the trend of pricing RPGs higher than other console games as it was the most expensive console game of the time(I remember it being around $100 Canadian, I think the US price was around $70).
The game itself was unlike anything I had ever seen. Graphically it was the most advanced game on console with its fluid 3d dungeons and huge detailed enemies. Its unique sci-fi/fantasy hybrid world was very different than the Ultima and D&D style RPGs I had previously been exposed to and it drew me in.
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1341/55.gif
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1341/82.gif
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1341/120.gif
While not a Phantasy Star game, Sega's 1988 Mark III adventure game Hoshi wo Sagashite - The Story of Mio is worth noting because its world relates to Phantasy Star by having the same planets in it.
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1354/68.gif
Phantasy Star II for the Genesis was the first big RPG of the 16-bit era. It was released in Japan in early 1989 and in the West near the end of the year. PSII had a darker look than the original and the 3d dungeons were gone. The game was brutal in difficulty though so the frustation factor was high. Overall, I'm a bigger fan of the first game but PSII was veryimpressive for its time and a great start for the new console.
http://www.vgfreak.com/images/screens/PStar2_screen.gif
http://www.monmouth.com/~colonel/videogames/phantasystar2/vanleadr.png
http://www.workingdesigns.com/rpg_critic/reader_reviews/genesis/graphics/phantasy_star_ii-05.gif
Phantasy Star III(1990 in Japan, 1991 in the West) on Genesis is the black sheep of the series. It was designed by a different Sega team and thus has a different look. The structure is similar to the past games though. I still enjoyed it and liked the "Generations" concept, i.e. your character can choose who to marry. This results in different children which then become the main character. It was a small bit of open-endedness that I wished future RPGs would have.
http://www.segalife.com/images/screens/ps34.gif
http://www.smbhq.com/users/snss/Reviews/PhantasyStarIII/PSIIIshot02.gif
http://www.openget.net/ps3/beachmaia.gif
The Game Gear in Japan received a couple side-stories to the series in 1992. Phantasy Star Adventure was a graphic adventure and was simplistic as Japanese ones tend to be compared to their more puzzle based Western counterparts. I tried a translated rom and I wasn't impressed.
http://www.tonbomag.com/tonbo/emugamegear/images_gamegear/phantasy_star_adventure%5Btb%5D(0000).GIF
http://www.phantasy-star.net/art/psa/psa1.gif
Phantasy Star Gaiden was an RPG. I haven't put much time into it.
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_alis2.jpg
http://koti.mbnet.fi/ktalo/kapseli/pelit/2000--3/phanstar/psg.gif
In 1993 Phantasy Star 1 was re-released in very limited quantities on the Mega Drive. It was not upgraded from the Master System version as far as I know.
http://media.gamespy.com/columns/image/December02_grail_6_1093386532.jpg
Game no Kanzume Volume 1 and 2 were 1994 Mega CD collections of small games previous released via the Mega Drive modem. Each has a few Phantasy Star II text adventure games.
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_text3.gif
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_text.jpg
Phantasy Star IV had a lot to live up to when it was released for the Genesis in 1994(it came out at the end of 1993 in Japan). I say this because during the time between PSIII and PSIV, JRPGs had evolved. Square had released two SNES Final Fantasy games(one domestically) in this period with one soon to come out and Game Arts had Lunar. These games were big on presentation. FF used the impressive color palette and Mode 7 of the SNES and Lunar used the storage and audio capabilities of the Sega CD to make a more cinematic experience. These games took JRPGs in a more story oriented direction.
Because of Final Fantasy's advancements I found PSIV's battle graphic detail, color and sound a little lacking but its classic Phantasy Star style was still one of the best RPG worlds around and I find it has aged as well as the best SNES RPGs anyway. Sega followed the trend of making the genre less difficult as PSIV is much easier than its predecessors.
http://www.xml-biotop.de/hadie/grafik/Phstar.gif
http://www.mondemul.be/screen/roms/md/Phantasy%20Star%204%20-%20The%20End%20of%20The%20Millenium%20(4)%20%5B!%5 D.gif
http://www.rpgrealm.com/reviews/genesis/PhantasyStar4CircuitBreaker.gif
PSIV also appeared in pirated Taiwanese NES form as Wang Xin Zhan Shi.
Phantasy Star Collection was released for the Japanese Saturn in 1998. It consisted of the four main games. It also had other extras like art galleries. The 32-bit era passed with no new Phantasy Star games.
http://www.estarland.com/images/products/65/17065/22871.jpg
Also from 1998 was Sega Smash Pack for PC which included Phantasy Star II emulated alongside other Sega games. This was released in Japan as Sega Archives From U.S.A. Vol. 1.
http://www.algol-star-system.net/climatrol/sega-archive-usa1.jpg
The franchise was resurrected in 2000 with Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast. Instead of a turn-based, party-based RPG PSO was an online ARPG where you controlled a single character and could join three other players online. Although already popular on PC with games like Diablo, PSO was the first online game of its kind on console.
Opinions seem pretty mixed on PSO from old-school Phantasy Star fans. Before it was released I feared it would be Phantasy Star in name only but after playing it I could rest easy. It was a beautiful modernization of the old look and while a simple dungeon crawler at heart, there's something special about it that's hard to pinpoint. I was addicted to the game for a few months(until the cheaters ruined it).
http://www.gamecritics.com/review/pso/screen01.jpg
http://www.segaforever.de/games/dreamcast/reviews/phantasystaronline/phantasystaronline_pic_06.jpg
http://www.segaforever.de/games/dreamcast/reviews/phantasystaronline/phantasystaronline_pic_02.jpg
Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 was released for the Dreamcast later in 2001 with new items and modes. What pissed me off was how they added a monthly fee. I never tried this version.
PSO was also ported to PC.
The Dreamcast also had a Sega Smash Pack with Phantasy Star II. Most of them games were different than the PC one.
Published by THQ, developed by Digital Eclipse, and supervised by Sega's Overworks team was Phantasy Star Collection for Game Boy Advance. This included the first three Phantasy Star games. Overall it's a great deal although the emulation is certainly not perfect as there are resolution and sound issues. I'm sure it's as good as they could have done with the hardware though... well aside from the occasional crashing which shouldn't be there.
Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II was released for Gamecube in 2002 and Xbox in 2003. This was a port of the Dreamcast game combined with an extra episode with new areas. I haven't played this myself as I didn't want to pay the monthly fee and I was burnt out on the first game.
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/reviews/gamecube/phantasy_star_online/phantasy_star_online_4.jpg
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/reviews/gamecube/phantasy_star_online/phantasy_star_online_2.jpg
A second version appeared on Gamecube called Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II Plus.
A simplified version of Phantasy Star 1 was released for Japanese cell phones in 2003.
Sega Ages Phantasy Star Generation: 1 was a 2003 budget game for Playstation 2 by D3. It was a remake of the first Phantasy Star.
http://www.consoles-games.com/media/images/segaages_180603_05.jpg
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_rem2.gif
In 2004, Phantasy Star Online: Episode III C.A.R.D. Revolution was released for Gamecube. Unlike the previous games this was a turn-based strategy game. A lot of people bash this game because it isn't the genre they wanted but I think it's quite good. The new artist they got and the handdrawn cinemas are nice too. They were lazy on the engine though as it's not really upgraded from the Dreamcast original.
http://www.armchairempire.com/images/previews/gamecube/phantasy-star-online-iii/phantasy-star-online-iii-1.jpg
Phantasy Star 1 was also remade for cell phone in 2004. I hope someone emulates and translates this version some day.
http://www.sonicteam.com/cafe/ps/06d.gif
http://www.sonicteam.com/cafe/ps/03d.gif
http://www.sonicteam.com/cafe/ps/04d.gif
Phantasy Star: End of the Millenium(PSIV) was re-released in Japan for PC in 2004.
http://www.algol-star-system.net/library/encyclopedia/ps4pc1.jpg
Phantasy Star: Blue Burst is a recent PC update to Episode I & II with new quests. It stores data on servers that can't be accessed by simple cheat devices which was a problem with the past versions.
Sega Ages Phantasy Star Generation: 2 came out just over a month ago in Japan. Who knows if we'll get these PS2 games here. They're supposed to come out as Phantasy Star Trilogy once PSIV is remade.
http://ages.sega.jp/ps2/img/buttle/sys_1.gif
And now we come to the newest game, Phantasy Star Universe for Playstation 2 and PC. With independent offline and online game modes, I'm really excited.
EGM scans -
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/testscan_193.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page2_718.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page3_340.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page4_886.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page5_179.jpg
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/swf/screen/universe_00.jpg
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/swf/screen/universe_01.jpg
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/swf/screen/universe_02.jpg
Some Phantasy Star fan sites to check out -
http://www.phantasy-star.net/
http://www.phantasystar.org/
http://www.algol-star-system.net/index.shtml
http://www.camineet.net/
http://www.pscave.com/
http://www.sega-16.com/Feature-%20Phantasy%20Star%20History.htm
Interviews with creators -
http://www.video-fenky.com/features/kodama/kodama1.html
http://www.got-next.com/features_read.php?id=73
http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/090/090986p1.html
Your thoughts, additions, etc.?
December 20th, 1987. This was the day the first Phantasy Star game was released in Japan for the Mark III/Master System. I find the date significant because that was only two days after the first Final Fantasy game debuted on the Famicom and five days after Nintendo released their first RPG, Ginga no Sannin.
While Japanese RPGs had already become popular by this time in their homeland thanks mostly to Dragon Quest, they were still non-existant in the West. In 1988, Phantasy Star was the first Japanese RPG(not including Action/RPGs) localized. It also began the trend of pricing RPGs higher than other console games as it was the most expensive console game of the time(I remember it being around $100 Canadian, I think the US price was around $70).
The game itself was unlike anything I had ever seen. Graphically it was the most advanced game on console with its fluid 3d dungeons and huge detailed enemies. Its unique sci-fi/fantasy hybrid world was very different than the Ultima and D&D style RPGs I had previously been exposed to and it drew me in.
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1341/55.gif
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1341/82.gif
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1341/120.gif
While not a Phantasy Star game, Sega's 1988 Mark III adventure game Hoshi wo Sagashite - The Story of Mio is worth noting because its world relates to Phantasy Star by having the same planets in it.
http://bto8.smspower.org/segapower/1354/68.gif
Phantasy Star II for the Genesis was the first big RPG of the 16-bit era. It was released in Japan in early 1989 and in the West near the end of the year. PSII had a darker look than the original and the 3d dungeons were gone. The game was brutal in difficulty though so the frustation factor was high. Overall, I'm a bigger fan of the first game but PSII was veryimpressive for its time and a great start for the new console.
http://www.vgfreak.com/images/screens/PStar2_screen.gif
http://www.monmouth.com/~colonel/videogames/phantasystar2/vanleadr.png
http://www.workingdesigns.com/rpg_critic/reader_reviews/genesis/graphics/phantasy_star_ii-05.gif
Phantasy Star III(1990 in Japan, 1991 in the West) on Genesis is the black sheep of the series. It was designed by a different Sega team and thus has a different look. The structure is similar to the past games though. I still enjoyed it and liked the "Generations" concept, i.e. your character can choose who to marry. This results in different children which then become the main character. It was a small bit of open-endedness that I wished future RPGs would have.
http://www.segalife.com/images/screens/ps34.gif
http://www.smbhq.com/users/snss/Reviews/PhantasyStarIII/PSIIIshot02.gif
http://www.openget.net/ps3/beachmaia.gif
The Game Gear in Japan received a couple side-stories to the series in 1992. Phantasy Star Adventure was a graphic adventure and was simplistic as Japanese ones tend to be compared to their more puzzle based Western counterparts. I tried a translated rom and I wasn't impressed.
http://www.tonbomag.com/tonbo/emugamegear/images_gamegear/phantasy_star_adventure%5Btb%5D(0000).GIF
http://www.phantasy-star.net/art/psa/psa1.gif
Phantasy Star Gaiden was an RPG. I haven't put much time into it.
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_alis2.jpg
http://koti.mbnet.fi/ktalo/kapseli/pelit/2000--3/phanstar/psg.gif
In 1993 Phantasy Star 1 was re-released in very limited quantities on the Mega Drive. It was not upgraded from the Master System version as far as I know.
http://media.gamespy.com/columns/image/December02_grail_6_1093386532.jpg
Game no Kanzume Volume 1 and 2 were 1994 Mega CD collections of small games previous released via the Mega Drive modem. Each has a few Phantasy Star II text adventure games.
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_text3.gif
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_text.jpg
Phantasy Star IV had a lot to live up to when it was released for the Genesis in 1994(it came out at the end of 1993 in Japan). I say this because during the time between PSIII and PSIV, JRPGs had evolved. Square had released two SNES Final Fantasy games(one domestically) in this period with one soon to come out and Game Arts had Lunar. These games were big on presentation. FF used the impressive color palette and Mode 7 of the SNES and Lunar used the storage and audio capabilities of the Sega CD to make a more cinematic experience. These games took JRPGs in a more story oriented direction.
Because of Final Fantasy's advancements I found PSIV's battle graphic detail, color and sound a little lacking but its classic Phantasy Star style was still one of the best RPG worlds around and I find it has aged as well as the best SNES RPGs anyway. Sega followed the trend of making the genre less difficult as PSIV is much easier than its predecessors.
http://www.xml-biotop.de/hadie/grafik/Phstar.gif
http://www.mondemul.be/screen/roms/md/Phantasy%20Star%204%20-%20The%20End%20of%20The%20Millenium%20(4)%20%5B!%5 D.gif
http://www.rpgrealm.com/reviews/genesis/PhantasyStar4CircuitBreaker.gif
PSIV also appeared in pirated Taiwanese NES form as Wang Xin Zhan Shi.
Phantasy Star Collection was released for the Japanese Saturn in 1998. It consisted of the four main games. It also had other extras like art galleries. The 32-bit era passed with no new Phantasy Star games.
http://www.estarland.com/images/products/65/17065/22871.jpg
Also from 1998 was Sega Smash Pack for PC which included Phantasy Star II emulated alongside other Sega games. This was released in Japan as Sega Archives From U.S.A. Vol. 1.
http://www.algol-star-system.net/climatrol/sega-archive-usa1.jpg
The franchise was resurrected in 2000 with Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast. Instead of a turn-based, party-based RPG PSO was an online ARPG where you controlled a single character and could join three other players online. Although already popular on PC with games like Diablo, PSO was the first online game of its kind on console.
Opinions seem pretty mixed on PSO from old-school Phantasy Star fans. Before it was released I feared it would be Phantasy Star in name only but after playing it I could rest easy. It was a beautiful modernization of the old look and while a simple dungeon crawler at heart, there's something special about it that's hard to pinpoint. I was addicted to the game for a few months(until the cheaters ruined it).
http://www.gamecritics.com/review/pso/screen01.jpg
http://www.segaforever.de/games/dreamcast/reviews/phantasystaronline/phantasystaronline_pic_06.jpg
http://www.segaforever.de/games/dreamcast/reviews/phantasystaronline/phantasystaronline_pic_02.jpg
Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 was released for the Dreamcast later in 2001 with new items and modes. What pissed me off was how they added a monthly fee. I never tried this version.
PSO was also ported to PC.
The Dreamcast also had a Sega Smash Pack with Phantasy Star II. Most of them games were different than the PC one.
Published by THQ, developed by Digital Eclipse, and supervised by Sega's Overworks team was Phantasy Star Collection for Game Boy Advance. This included the first three Phantasy Star games. Overall it's a great deal although the emulation is certainly not perfect as there are resolution and sound issues. I'm sure it's as good as they could have done with the hardware though... well aside from the occasional crashing which shouldn't be there.
Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II was released for Gamecube in 2002 and Xbox in 2003. This was a port of the Dreamcast game combined with an extra episode with new areas. I haven't played this myself as I didn't want to pay the monthly fee and I was burnt out on the first game.
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/reviews/gamecube/phantasy_star_online/phantasy_star_online_4.jpg
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/reviews/gamecube/phantasy_star_online/phantasy_star_online_2.jpg
A second version appeared on Gamecube called Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II Plus.
A simplified version of Phantasy Star 1 was released for Japanese cell phones in 2003.
Sega Ages Phantasy Star Generation: 1 was a 2003 budget game for Playstation 2 by D3. It was a remake of the first Phantasy Star.
http://www.consoles-games.com/media/images/segaages_180603_05.jpg
http://www.efkm.com/dezoris/ps_rem2.gif
In 2004, Phantasy Star Online: Episode III C.A.R.D. Revolution was released for Gamecube. Unlike the previous games this was a turn-based strategy game. A lot of people bash this game because it isn't the genre they wanted but I think it's quite good. The new artist they got and the handdrawn cinemas are nice too. They were lazy on the engine though as it's not really upgraded from the Dreamcast original.
http://www.armchairempire.com/images/previews/gamecube/phantasy-star-online-iii/phantasy-star-online-iii-1.jpg
Phantasy Star 1 was also remade for cell phone in 2004. I hope someone emulates and translates this version some day.
http://www.sonicteam.com/cafe/ps/06d.gif
http://www.sonicteam.com/cafe/ps/03d.gif
http://www.sonicteam.com/cafe/ps/04d.gif
Phantasy Star: End of the Millenium(PSIV) was re-released in Japan for PC in 2004.
http://www.algol-star-system.net/library/encyclopedia/ps4pc1.jpg
Phantasy Star: Blue Burst is a recent PC update to Episode I & II with new quests. It stores data on servers that can't be accessed by simple cheat devices which was a problem with the past versions.
Sega Ages Phantasy Star Generation: 2 came out just over a month ago in Japan. Who knows if we'll get these PS2 games here. They're supposed to come out as Phantasy Star Trilogy once PSIV is remade.
http://ages.sega.jp/ps2/img/buttle/sys_1.gif
And now we come to the newest game, Phantasy Star Universe for Playstation 2 and PC. With independent offline and online game modes, I'm really excited.
EGM scans -
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/testscan_193.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page2_718.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page3_340.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page4_886.jpg
http://www.gameraddicts.com/forums/files/page5_179.jpg
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/swf/screen/universe_00.jpg
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/swf/screen/universe_01.jpg
http://phantasystaruniverse.com/swf/screen/universe_02.jpg
Some Phantasy Star fan sites to check out -
http://www.phantasy-star.net/
http://www.phantasystar.org/
http://www.algol-star-system.net/index.shtml
http://www.camineet.net/
http://www.pscave.com/
http://www.sega-16.com/Feature-%20Phantasy%20Star%20History.htm
Interviews with creators -
http://www.video-fenky.com/features/kodama/kodama1.html
http://www.got-next.com/features_read.php?id=73
http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/090/090986p1.html
Your thoughts, additions, etc.?