Skip Phantasy Star and Play PS2?

[Nz17]

So I have a dilemma: do I skip playing through the rest of Phantasy Star I and just jump to Phantasy Star II?

You see, I've gotten past the first few dungeons of PSI and I just don't want to deal with the random battles any more. The graphics, sound, music, characters, story, and world are all really great, but the gameplay is unforgiving. It is like a player has to level up for a large amount of time just to make it through one dungeon, and then when he moves on to the next area/dungeon all that work seems for naught because all the enemies are just as strong as if he were back at the beginning of the previous dungeon without all those new levels for the characters. I know leveling up is part and parcel of RPGs, but sometimes it is too much when it feels you aren't making any progress by doing so.

But I have Phantasy Star II, and I hear it is even better than the first. So do I stay forever unwilling to move forward with the series because of PSI's gameplay, or should I just skip it and start playing II? And if I do, is there somewhere one can read the plot of Phantasy Star I so I don't feel like I'm missing out?

[Aussie2B]

If you're sick of random battles and unforgiving gameplay, I don't think you're going to find much relief in PSII.

[c0ldb33r]

I've often wondered this myself, but for PSIV. I really want to play it and the screenshots look amazing, but I don't really want to have to go through 1,2 & 3. Do you need to?

[maxlords]

You can play all the PS games as standalones but there's a lot of little stuff in em that really adds to the experience if you've played em all. Play the ones you like for sure though...

[Xexyz]

I skipped straight to IV and don't regret it. I really want to enjoy the first two, but the dungeons and random battles just got aggravating quickly. They're just too old-school for me I guess. I never played III. All I know about it is that its the black sheep in the original series.

[Kitsune Sniper]

PS1: Fun but unforgiving.
PS2: Difficult as hell, slow, boring, and FLASHING ALL THE TIME DURING BATTLES WHENEVER SOMETHING HAPPENS OH GOD I'M GOING INTO SEIZURES
PS3: Very difficult and not worth it.
PS4: The best one out of the series.

[Cryomancer]

See, I've played the first three now and I feel like I liked the first one the best. 2 has what feel ultimately like some serious design flaws (so many long, long walks on the ice planet), and an overall slow as a shit pace. 3 is pretty unique and intersting, although also a bit bland sometimes, and you can use saves/save states to play through all the branches semi-quickly (although some of them are fairly redundant). I've started 4, and I can see the appeal, but I just have yet to really get into it seriously thus far.

[YoshiM]

As others have said, you can just jump right into any of the games. It's just nice to know some of the story or locations to get that feeling of continuity between the games.

As for the battles, I thought all the PS games were like that. Heck weren't all RPGs of that type like that back then (Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Ultima, etc.)? At least that's the impression I got when I played them.

Personally the concept of going into more dangerous territory was always more of a thrill. Trudge into the more difficult areas, try your luck at fighting the more powerful monsters then quick escape to lick your wounds. I typically fought the lesser enemies to build up Meseta to buy healing items so I could forge ahead to go for higher experience.

Give PS a try. Don't read the story online as there are some neat twists. PS2 was a neat game but it is brutally long with just as many random battles (to the point where back in the day there were suggestions to pop up the menu screen every few steps to try and get through a station as it was very tough). PS3 took a neat turn with the concept of different generations that I almost finished but had to get it back to the video store. PS4 is the crown jewel of the whole series.

[maxlords]

I love the first one but it IS tough as nails. Even WITH maps.

The 2nd one is slow but the story when it's there is great.

Third one I've never played.

4th one is awesome and paced the best. But it's almost TOO polished.

[kupomogli]

The first one to me has a much better storyline and better designed world than the second, but the fourth game in the series is by far the best. One of the best 16bit RPGs. Even has a really good plot twist you'd never expect.

[Graham Mitchell]

I'd play through the first one. It's doable with maps. It's a pretty high-quality game, and probably the best thing ever produced for the master system.

2 is horrible. Not worth the headache.

I will defend 3, though it's not really a canonical phantasy star game. (it was developed by a different team) But i think it's cool, and it's got some beautiful music. Try it, you may like it.

4 is the best in the series, as everyone has already pointed out.

[Black_Tiger]

From what you described, you are better off trying to play through PSIV first and if you can't handle that, then maybe skip random battle RPGs until you've played enough non-random battle games.

[Blitzwing256]

4 was the most generic "look i'm trying to be final fantasy!" game that I have ever played. I bought it on release for 89.99 and finished it in one day. very unmemorable and boring espeically compared to just about anything else that came out around the same time.

if random battles are giving you a headache you might just want to stick to non-rpgs, no matter what ps game you play they are filled with them. (i might recomend those ps1 remakes of the lunar games as the random encounters aren't quite as random) or maybe chrono trigger.

[kupomogli]

4 was the most generic "look i'm trying to be final fantasy!" game that I have ever played.

Phantasy Star 4 is like the original Phantasy Star over a Final Fantasy game. Both Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy were released same year and month. Are you honestly going to say that Phantasy Star 4 is a copy? If anything it's a copy of the original Phantasy Star being so similar to it. Sure it's not as good as some of the FF titles but it's better than most. Phantasy Star 4 is a great game and as an RPG fan that's really all that matters.

(i might recomend those ps1 remakes of the lunar games as the random encounters aren't quite as random) or maybe chrono trigger.

Maybe because they're not random? The Sega CD versions on the other hand are.

[Kitsune Sniper]

4 was the most generic "look i'm trying to be final fantasy!" game that I have ever played. I bought it on release for 89.99 and finished it in one day. very unmemorable and boring espeically compared to just about anything else that came out around the same time.

if random battles are giving you a headache you might just want to stick to non-rpgs, no matter what ps game you play they are filled with them. (i might recomend those ps1 remakes of the lunar games as the random encounters aren't quite as random) or maybe chrono trigger.

Interesting, I played IV and thought it was completely different from FF II / IV and III / VI. And after playing V, I STILL see no resemblance.

And I don't even like the FF games that much.

The problem with PS 1 / 2 / 3 's random battles aren't that they're random, but that they're TOO COMMON. They happen too often. It makes the game feel much slower and boring.

[Blitzwing256]

I never felt they were too common at all (except in the morgue in ps1 fuck that place) most rpgs of that time frame had the same encounter rate overall. 4 was just such a horrible let down after all the hype the magazines were feeding us for over 2 years (to give the game a little credit it came out two years late in the us) i've tried to go back to it several times and just find its an awfull game overall, yet I can still go back to 2 and 3 and enjoy them.

plus the little fact you can't max your charecters out at the end of the game due to a retarded glitch, makes me hate it even more ;-)

[Blitzwing256]

I never felt they were too common at all (except in the morgue in ps1 fuck that place) most rpgs of that time frame had the same encounter rate overall. 4 was just such a horrible let down after all the hype the magazines were feeding us for over 2 years (to give the game a little credit it came out two years late in the us) i've tried to go back to it several times and just find its an awfull game overall, yet I can still go back to 2 and 3 and enjoy them.

plus the little fact you can't max your charecters out at the end of the game due to a retarded glitch, makes me hate it even more ;-)

[Kitsune Sniper]

I never felt they were too common at all (except in the morgue in ps1 fuck that place) most rpgs of that time frame had the same encounter rate overall. 4 was just such a horrible let down after all the hype the magazines were feeding us for over 2 years (to give the game a little credit it came out two years late in the us) i've tried to go back to it several times and just find its an awfull game overall, yet I can still go back to 2 and 3 and enjoy them.

plus the little fact you can't max your charecters out at the end of the game due to a retarded glitch, makes me hate it even more ;-)

Ah, there's the difference. You were expecting something that you were waiting for for a few years. Me? I only saw a new game at the rental shop and got it there. I had no preconceptions of the game, other than the experience (mostly horrible, at that) I had with the previous three games in the series. Even after that, I still gave 4 a chance and loved it.

[Blitzwing256]

you're probably right, I loved the series as it progressed up till 4 where it felt like it decided to jump back to 2 (not that 2 was bad but I already played 2) 2 was so differnt than 1 and 3 was very differnt than 2 but 4 was....not awfull but it was just a rehash of 2. proably awesome if you were looking for a megamanish sequel, but definately not what i was looking for (and definately not for 90$ )

[Rolf&Nei]

The continuity is negligible throughout the series and #2 is by far the best. It is not difficult, especially by period standards--or at least it's much more fun than its contemporaries, which were mostly on the SNES...and if you want to talk too many encounters think Tales of Phantasia. By the way, I'm speaking of the real Genesis, not an emulator. Furthermore there are multiple possible groupings, so it can be played more than once, or at least differently from a deep save point. There is also the hidapipe to avoid encounters, besides some interesting secrets that ease gameplay (and should be avoided the first play through). Only strictly beating it--the final boss--is hard; enjoying everything that leads to it is not. I beat this game without a lot of fuss at 12, and it was only the 3rd rpg I'd played; Dezo (the ice-world somebody complained about in response) is not aimless, and the to-and-froing will be nothing if you can survive its mazes (and don't ryuka on Dezo). Nota bene: when searching for the underwater entrance--after getting the maruera gum--you must circumnavigate the globe northwards about 1 and a quarter times; do not go round once and give up. Also, there's no great shame (there is a bit) to using the strat guide, because that was simply the booklet that came with the standard version of the game. You really shouldn't need it. The music is the best vg soundtrack ever.
As for the others in the series, I hated 1: its encounter rate may be 4 times that of 2's. The 4th is disappointing, but also the easiest if you do have trouble with the others. 3 is a bitch...you get no leads from the story, and there are 5 planets to traipse about; its battle graphics are garbage, and its battle music aggressively repetitive; lastly it gives only 2 save slots, making it the most deserving to be emulated. If you can follow the non-story it isn't terribly difficult.
Enjoy 2, there's only one of it.