why play PSU so much?

[AOI_Tifa_Lockhart]

Heya all,

I've been pondering this for a while now, and my friends have asked me several times as well, why do I play PSU so much. Compared to other games I got on my PC PSU isn't obviously the newest or best graphics, as an RPG I thik the narrative is rathrr lacking in comparison to say the epic movie-like narratives of final fantasy, or the huge free-roaming elements of fallout 3 or oblivion.

Yet all of those games i've completed and haven't wante to re-play them for a year or so, yet PSU I can play and play and play and never get bored. For instance last night I created a new character, a human ranger Deunan Knute (from appleseed). Spent all last night on her after I got home from work and got to level 20 in 6 hours. I told my friends at work and they said well you must be sick of that now, can't imagine you'd play it for a good long while.

But its the total opposite, I wanna play more tonight, just wish I was at home now. So why is it that PSU is so addictive? What do you guys think makes this stand out and seem alot more playable and re-playable than other RPG's and MMORPG's?

Tifa

[Smidge204]

For one, there's no real closure. Many other games (even RPGs) have a definitive ending, so you reach that point and say "huh, well that's that..."

Then, unless there are multiple endings, you have no powerful reason to go and do it all again.

Since PSU has no real ending, there's never a real sense that you're "done." This makes it easier to just keep going, which is what a good MMORPG needs to do to stay in business!
=Smidge=

[AOI_Tifa_Lockhart]

Thats a very good point Smidge thanks, I think thats very true actually, rather than an ending its more about personnal goals to achieve for speicific characters, I felt the need to start a new character because i'd got everything i'd wanted to from S2 GBR runs with ym main character Tifa, and just wnated a change of class and race type, because i'm not one to max out every guardian type on one character, I prefer to have each of my characters dedicated in one field of combat ^^

Tifa

[Arryn]

while im at uni i cant get on so over the christmas holiday we had i wanted
to get on as much as possible but when i did it was not very often
occassionly bc of certain incedents like the flooding kitchen.
and at times when no-one i knew was on
and now i been back at uni i found an old fav youtube vid with my char in it
*is wierd seeing my pa's at a low lv*
and remberded why i play and now i want to play again but im stuk at uni >.<
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NNsNLkoSxg8

[darkante]

Let´s see here...

The combat is not automatic. The customize function is very good.
Don´t have to have top gear to survive the best mission difficulty.

Don´t have too play by the typical fighter-mage rule, (Beast-Fortefighter, Newman-Fortecher exampel)which allows for even more variety and challenges.

Easy to get into the battlefield and easy to get out.
(Most MMORPG has the habit of making missions and such take hours to complete.
And the actual gathering of people to run with takes it time as well.
And i wouldn´t call this MMORPG, but you get my drift.)

[rayner]

It's all about having that "perfect" character. I mean my definition of perfect will differ from someone else, and probably why I play mostly Gunners / Techers :-) I want all my PA's at MAX level... I want a pallet of all 10/10 S-rank weapons. My main is a Guntecher so it's a little bit easier to get my "perfect" Pallet at the moment. Tesbra / Cubo Tuma / Hyper Viper ( I like the bullet animation ) I also want to get some Techs to lv 30. I don't mind the randomness of item-drops, but I really don't like the "luck" involved in Synthesis & Grinding. In PSO if you had enough PD's you could make your own percents.

[Gobolino]

The real ending of this game is finish all your levels of the characters, skills, class and hv every weapon for your class...........Then, do it again whit another different character.

FUN FOR FOREVER!!!! LONG LIVE TO PSU!!!!!!!!!

[Seira7]

Well, I took a huge break but now that I've fixed the graphics to where they are nice n purty,
I'd have to say its just nice playing an online game on my big ol leather couch w/surround sound and what not. Its relaxing. (my hubby got some high end HDMI cables and when I played PSU in 1080p whoa nelly - huge extreme difference)

And I like the game design/graphics - its not all clunky and ugh like WOW. It has an asian finesse. And its an action game, not point n click...umm...not sure why else I play it a lot. I know there are other online console action games but this one is more feminine (Im not into military FPS crap) also Maybe I play it a lot because after a huge hiatus it actually seems fun again (lol)

And, the huge variety of clothing. Im loving the clothier, gives me something to do.
I loveee collecting clothes in RL so I guess this game appeals to the barbie in me, lmao.

[Kylie]

I feel like I've been playing forever. :-P I can't say I haven't taken long breaks now, but the game always manages to pull me back in. I just like online games, and there hasn't been one that's caught my interest elsewhere yet. I mean, there are tons of MMORPG's out there (and I do play Perfect World some), but I prefer games that aren't so "point and click." I also have friends on PSU and continue to make them. That really helps too.

[autumn]

I love the way PSU looks (lots of bright colors, a sci-fi look, anime looking characters and the photon weapons) I adore the fact that it isn't sit and watch yourself attack after clicking battle. The customization options rock, most of my 4 characters have a different look every week. I never was all too interested in online gaming until I tried PSU and now I can't seem to quit xD

[OldCoot]

What started me off was you could play online and team up with others. One of the few games where you are not trying to kill the other players, but work with them toward a goal. You can solo and do parties, make things.

Now, I think I stay because of friends I have met and I look for them when I go online. SO much more fun to team up with them for runs, chatting about whatever on the way.

[DEM_CIG]

I just enjoy psu, just for the fact that I can do whatever I want... I don't have to worry about getting to the level cap, or getting rares, I can go at my own pace. I enjoy running missions with my friends. I don't have to focus on doing stuff. I can play the way I want to play.

[GreenArcher]

It's just like any MMO. You're gonna keep playing, and playing, and playing, and then you're gonna hit a brick wall and either a) take a break and come back or b) quit

[XxAntMan215xX]

Yes i think taking a break keeps this game fresh after capping all characters and arts etc on pc im taking many breaks and slowing down on the 360 server side.



PSU Character Information
DivineTenken"Sojiro" 150 beast FF(20)-Fg(20)-WT(20)-FM(8)
Dark Hadou "Sakura" 106 Cast FT(20)-AT(20)-WT(20)-MF(20)
BoogiePop Phantom 22 Cast Protranser 3
Hikikomori-Neet 35 beast FG(20)-GT(20)-GM(2)

Find me AFK on neudaiz bridge.

[Noblewine]

I find the game fun when I want to play something after I get home from work. The gameplay is fun and simple. Theirs alot to do and seeing all the lobbies and mission will probably make you wanna rerun some because you feel attached to them or like what drops.

I guess what keeps me playing is soloing to conquering missions.

[xBladeM6x]

I am just addicted to the world, and feel from the game. I love the gameplay, friends, and the knowledge of knowing that its a never ending game. There is always more to do regardless of if you want to or not. Also, the fact that there is something always promised to come out later/at some point. Keeps me hyped to play it. For some reason I also am madly addicted to leveling PA's. O.O

[darkante]

addicted to leveling PA's. O.O

You are not alone my friend, that is probably the biggest reason i´m staying.
It feels like a huge accomplishment to see one of the P.A get maxed.

[DreXxiN]

Well, I took a huge break but now that I've fixed the graphics to where they are nice n purty,
I'd have to say its just nice playing an online game on my big ol leather couch w/surround sound and what not. Its relaxing. (my hubby got some high end HDMI cables and when I played PSU in 1080p whoa nelly - huge extreme difference)

And I like the game design/graphics - its not all clunky and ugh like WOW. It has an asian finesse. And its an action game, not point n click...umm...not sure why else I play it a lot. I know there are other online console action games but this one is more feminine (Im not into military FPS crap) also Maybe I play it a lot because after a huge hiatus it actually seems fun again (lol)

And, the huge variety of clothing. Im loving the clothier, gives me something to do.
I loveee collecting clothes in RL so I guess this game appeals to the barbie in me, lmao.

Sorry to go off topic, but may I ask how you got PSU to display in 1080p? As far as I know this is impossible, being that the max resolution and image quality you can get is 1280x720 with all high settings on a computer (You could do 1280x1024, but that is a 4:3 aspect ratio and would either cause black bars on the sides or stretching of the image, eww..), and the 360 only displays AotI at a max resolution of 720p.

If you could reply, it'd be appreciated. Perhaps you may have just meant you are seeing it on a 1980 x 1080 progressive-scan resolution television than actually displaying it in that resolution.

[stukasa]

What makes PSU stand out? I think it's partly the game world (not many online RPGs have a sci-fi feel), partly the combat system (you feel like part of the action instead of just point-and-clicking all the time), and partly the customization. I love being able to decorate my room however I want and I love being able to pick whatever outfit I want! There are SO many clothes and room decos to choose from. You can get really attached to your characters and your rooms because you can make them however you want. And even though the overall graphics may not be as good as some other games out there, I really like the character models in this game. People can make really good-looking characters if they want to and there are so many options in the character creator that each character really seems unique.

I also like the casual nature of the game. You don't have to camp out for hours at a time. In fact, most runs only take a few minutes. The game is easy enough that you don't need to worry about having the best gear or being in the "best" team. Any class can solo any mission if they wanted to. On top of that, you can change classes whenever you like. If you get bored of one class, just switch to another.

This game also feeds people with addictive personalities. You have to level your character, your class, your PAs, your PM's B-stat (if you want)... There are always new items coming out for people to hunt, and even when you find them, you can work on getting a better elemental % and grind.

Despite its flaws I really love this game. There's nothing else out there quite like it.

[DreXxiN]

What makes PSU stand out? I think it's partly the game world (not many online RPGs have a sci-fi feel), partly the combat system (you feel like part of the action instead of just point-and-clicking all the time), and partly the customization. I love being able to decorate my room however I want and I love being able to pick whatever outfit I want! There are SO many clothes and room decos to choose from. You can get really attached to your characters and your rooms because you can make them however you want. And even though the overall graphics may not be as good as some other games out there, I really like the character models in this game. People can make really good-looking characters if they want to and there are so many options in the character creator that each character really seems unique.

I also like the casual nature of the game. You don't have to camp out for hours at a time. In fact, most runs only take a few minutes. The game is easy enough that you don't need to worry about having the best gear or being in the "best" team. Any class can solo any mission if they wanted to. On top of that, you can change classes whenever you like. If you get bored of one class, just switch to another.

This game also feeds people with addictive personalities. You have to level your character, your class, your PAs, your PM's B-stat (if you want)... There are always new items coming out for people to hunt, and even when you find them, you can work on getting a better elemental % and grind.

Despite its flaws I really love this game. There's nothing else out there quite like it.


I agree with the addictive personalities statement, this game is good OCD treatment, man!