PSO is now an MMO and it sucks

[SELENNA]

After playing more than 15 hours of PSO2' closed beta test, I can definately say the good old Phantasy Star Online has been lost. Even though I enjoy the combat system and map randomness, I feel this game is only the shadow of what it could have been. Being F2P, it's more like an MMO than its predecessors. Let me explain why this sucks :

- One of the worst quest systems with repetitive tasks (kill X monsters, bring me that, etc.). We didn't need that with PSO, we already have WOW, Tera, Guild Wars 2, etc.

- Few weapons choices, you'll use a weapon for so long it gets boring. I thought they'd add more weapon types, but it seems not.

- No challenge. The entire game feels like a cakewalk, except maybe some bosses. The A.I. isn't aggressive enough.

- Level design is average. I know maps are semi-random but they only take like 10min max to explore and clear. I miss PSO days when caves could take 30min+ to explore because there were a lot of different routes. Now it just feels empty and boring.

- At first I thought being F2P would be great but seeing how they implemented Ark Cash it is just bad. My Room? Pay. Another character slot? Pay. I think they should have made PSO2 a paid game, something like $49.99 and give us all the features.

- Boost monsters aren't fun. Why are there no rare mobs?! That's what made hunting fun in the PSO days.

- Feels more like PSU than PSO. Thank god mags are back and not Partner Machinery though. On the topic of mags, I think it's stupid to have to complete a client order to have one. I also miss being able to just warp into a zone without completing dozens of quests.

Overall I think PSO 2 is boring, but it has an excellent combat system and cool visuals. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure I'll invest money once the full game is out unless there are signifiant changes to the game flow, which I don't see happening anytime soon. Being closer to an MMO is disgusting and kinda makes it a deal breaker for me, and I've been playing PSO since the Dreamcast days. Feel free to rant or argue.

[Sonic646]

*shrug* I'm enjoying it. Could be more difficult though...

[Randomness]

There is a rare mob in the beta, actually. It's just not crazy rare, and isn't dropping OMG RED BOX AWESOME. It's a chibi rappy variant that likes to sing.

[SELENNA]

There is a rare mob in the beta, actually. It's just not crazy rare, and isn't dropping OMG RED BOX AWESOME. It's a chibi rappy variant that likes to sing.

I saw it but since it doesn't drop anything valuable I forgot about it.

[Triple_S]

I definitely disagree. I can't exactly bring to words why, but a lot of your points are highly exaggerated and do not take into account the fact that this is a closed beta test which is lacking a LOT of content.

Wait for the full game to judge it, and stop expecting PSO1 with better graphics because that's not going to happen. Gameplay is too dated. PSU went in the wrong direction with updating it, but PSO2 is going the right way.

[Ceresa]

- One of the worst quest systems with repetitive tasks (kill X monsters, bring me that, etc.). We didn't need that with PSO, we already have WOW, Tera, Guild Wars 2, etc.


So don't do them? Elimination codes are where the exp is. The progression quests from Kofi are things you'd do anyways, you know actually running the mission and not sucking. The other quests are just bonus exp that you get from running the missions you already were going to run, with an npc to talk too when you go back to the ship while waiting on someone else to spend skill points or something.

I rather like steamrolling volcano on a capped force and finishing all the repeatable quests, swapping to ranger and getting the exp there and skipping being a low level bitch.



- Few weapons choices, you'll use a weapon for so long it gets boring. I thought they'd add more weapon types, but it seems not.


There's like 5 PAs per weapon, that you can mix and match. 5-6 elements for forces that all behave differently...



- No challenge. The entire game feels like a cakewalk, except maybe some bosses. The A.I. isn't aggressive enough.


Because it's Normal mode yes. Who are these mythical peons that had trouble with PSO or PSU on the first difficulty? And how do I unlock the entire game?



- Level design is average. I know maps are semi-random but they only take like 10min max to explore and clear. I miss PSO days when caves could take 30min+ to explore because there were a lot of different routes. Now it just feels empty and boring.


My maps are frequently quite full with Dark Ragne invasions, perhaps I just attract misfortune... It's not like they can't save larger maps for higher difficulty modes. Diablo 2 does that and as we all know, it's the finest pc game ever made.



- At first I thought being F2P would be great but seeing how they implemented Ark Cash it is just bad. My Room? Pay. Another character slot? Pay. I think they should have made PSO2 a paid game, something like $49.99 and give us all the features.


For 50$ you will most assuredly be able to buy 4 char slots and probably +50 inventory spaces for at least a couple of them. For 10$ or less a month you'll be covered on your room and shop, and there's a chance of 3 day room rentals from goodjob points for the stingy.



- Boost monsters aren't fun. Why are there no rare mobs?! That's what made hunting fun in the PSO days.


The Rappy seems quite rare to me...there's also only two areas present out of seven in a beta.



- Feels more like PSU than PSO. Thank god mags are back and not Partner Machinery though. On the topic of mags, I think it's stupid to have to complete a client order to have one. I also miss being able to just warp into a zone without completing dozens of quests.


That client order to get your mag takes 10-20 minutes if you beeline for the boss. Out of hundreds of hours of gameplay, think it'll be ok.

[Shadownami92]

I for one prefer having smaller areas, well overall that is. Am I the only guy that remembers skipping the Caves during level runs in PSO?

And I'm pretty sure they are still adding more weapon types, they are just spending time making each weapon more interesting. Just look at the difference between cards from PSO and PSO2, they are much more useful and fit to create a Force playstyle.

And to be honest PSO's quests weren't exactly that fancy either, weren't they all pretty much...

kill enemies in rooms->move forward->npc talks a bit->repeat

And since there seems to be story quests with npcs I don't see too much of a problem, and there are hologram things that say stuff. But honestly I can't read Japanese so I can't say much about how interesting the dialogue all is.

I find the AI to be a lot more aggressive than most other games in general, maybe not as aggressive as the big monsters in Monster Hunter but I think that's a given since those are basically bosses.

I personally prefer the cash system I think. I was never the biggest fan of monthly fees, and since I'm not really interested in the My Room feature and I like playing the game at my own pace I'll end up spending a ton less money on the game. Furthermore when this game gets localized I feel like updates will be required in order for Sega to make money, so it shouldn't be like PSO or PSU where english players got no updates really at all.

Overall I'll probably just buy a trading ticket and be good to go.

As for mags I get the idea of doing a quest first to get a mag. I had friends who played you didn't know what mags did and just dropped it or sold it, and then when they found out what they did they either had to make a new character or go without it until they were lucky and found one in the Mines or something. So an intro quest that explains it first can help a bit I think.

And knowing the developers I think the rares will probably work similar to PSZ, a mix of the harder versions of the same enemies, as well as rare enemies.

And who knows, maybe the whole thing about buying Scape Dolls through cash shop will make those who don't pay for that to be more reliant on Forces for casting Reverser, I play Force so being more useful is always great.

[Triple_S]

Also, boosted monsters -are- fun. More challenge, better EXP and drop potential, etc..

Also I wouldn't consider the Rappy to be rare. I run into them very often.

EDIT:


I for one refer having smaller areas, well overall that is. Am I the only guy that remembers skipping the Caves during level runs in PSO?

This.

[Ryudo]

- No challenge. The entire game feels like a cakewalk, except maybe some bosses. The A.I. isn't aggressive enough.

You've played the entire game? Holy shit, where?

[Dokudoku]

I do agree with it being a cakewalk – the early levels in PSO (at least online) were a struggle, and the AI were definitely prone to attacking more often. But what can you expect with a F2P title? I hope there's an ultimate difficulty with different monsters though (like in PSO).

Boost monsters seem extremely easy to me – almost no difficulty difference between regular ones. Maybe it's because I'm only level 10 and haven't experienced higher level ones, but still..

Edit: I'm also disappointed with the shorter areas, as well as being forced to be doing a quest to go to any area. Maybe they should make so quest areas are shorter (at least lower level ones), and you can go to the area freely to experience the "full length" one.

[Raikoification]

After playing more than 15 hours of PSO2' closed beta test, I can definately say the good old Phantasy Star Online has been lost. Even though I enjoy the combat system and map randomness, I feel this game is only the shadow of what it could have been. Being F2P, it's more like an MMO than its predecessors. Let me explain why this sucks :

- One of the worst quest systems with repetitive tasks (kill X monsters, bring me that, etc.). We didn't need that with PSO, we already have WOW, Tera, Guild Wars 2, etc.


I stopped caring after i read that

[cloudzer00]

Guys, guess what. It is a closed beta.
Not all weapons, maps, monsters, classes are build in yet.
Forest on Normal with a level 1 character was not hard.
Take a ranger and kill everything . Take hunter, get a gun and kill everything. Find fluids as a mage and kill everything. Dragon too hard? Run through forest again and kill him on your second run.
And the game is easier now because you can dodge , block attacks and cancel your attacks.

Quests that are kill monster xxxx xxx times? PSO was all about "Run through a dungeon and kill all monsters, repeat for better items". The only difference here is that they give you bonus exp for every 50 monsters, thats pretty much it.

[Anon_Fire]

if you guys don't like what you've seen in the Closed Beta, make your reports then.

[foreignreign]

Anyone who complains about the difficulty is full of themselves.

Of course it's going to be easy. Mostly all of us have played PSO. And PSO2 isn't so entirely different that the basic concepts of the game are beyond us.

[Griffin]

It's not an MMO. It's still a CORPG like GW1 was.

[Triple_S]

Anyone who complains about the difficulty is full of themselves.

Of course it's going to be easy. Mostly all of us have played PSO. And PSO2 isn't so entirely different that the basic concepts of the game are beyond us.

Actually this is a good point. When I first started playing PSO, yeah, I thought it was difficult. But going back to it now, it's really easy to start out. Game doesn't really get hard until Ultimate.

[Randomness]

Actually this is a good point. When I first started playing PSO, yeah, I thought it was difficult. But going back to it now, it's really easy to start out. Game doesn't really get hard until Ultimate.

I would say Falz on hard mode is a rude awakening the first time - he just hits SO much harder in his final form. You can reach him easily well before you can survive his Grants. Ultimate is difficult for the same reason, massive stat spikes. Of course, the altered bosses are rough too - Sil Dragon is FAR deadlier than the regular one. Freeze is a NASTY status, and his spiral digging pattern is much more difficult to avoid.

[Nanotae]

I agree with one or two points, Alternate routes through some maps would be nice, especially on the exploration missions which to me feel more like the old PSO-style of levels.
Then again I don't mind that they are shorter, God forbid how long caves and ruins use to take, especially on higher difficulties if you wasn't high-leveled and had awesome rares everywhere, I know I took nearly 2 hours the first time I did caves on hard on the original...

As said, it's only beta with a level cap of 20, they HAVE announced a hard setting to be out on release, hopefully an ultimate is down the line with re-modeled mobs like in the original. I won't lose sleep if they don't, even though getting to ultimate and getting your ass handed to you in forest 1 really made you feel you had a long way to go.

I will agree though, it does kind of feel more like PSU at some points, but it's not the same...
I'm unsure that's a "bad" thing though.

Overall everything else I see as a problem (outside the way they are doing the cash shop anyway) are things that are expected of the beta, limited weapons? why show everything at once, all classes got a new one between the alpha and beta so I'm sure we'll see more next build.
Difficulty? It was considered TOO hard last build and that's why things are easier to kill now.
Boost monsters aren't fun? They don't replace rare mobs completely so we'll still see them, it just adds to the variety, if they had different drop tables it'd be much more fun though.

[Xenobia]

50$ a month? Seriously, some people should spend some cash to others, would help a lot to clear theyr view considering the value of bucks (because its the only situation they may consider it to valuable). Usualy its those people who wouldnt pay for others finally implementing such ideas. Some people do not share that view because of economical or political motivations. They dont like to share the cost with others equally who apparently got to much left, or its simply not worth it. A even more huge amount simply cant afford over a longer period without sacrificing other stuff they could buy for.

F2P is not the ape donkey or grape, its not responsible regarding the stuff which have been written down. It all comes down to the implemention.

[therealAERO]

Ok so quests/sub quests/story quests etc.

Why aren't they optional? Why can't we just go through Forest, to caves, to whatever to etc In PSO you specifically have to go out of your way to play the story mode. You gotta want it, unlike PSO2 where it's shoved down your goddamn throat.

There is too much freaking exposition in this game. I loved how carefully the plot was inserted while playing PSO. You got it in bits and pieces. You gradually figured out what was going on. It's all there for you to find it if you want and out of your damn way if you don't.

It can be compared to someone who is an archaeologist or a geologist. There is so many hints and clues to the earths beginnings but only those who look for them will ever truly understand. In PSO there were different types of hunters based on the type of person that was playing. If you were just in it for the fun multiplayer online experience you could just play the game over and over level up get weapons/armor/mags and be completely content. On the other hand their were some players who were enthralled by the amount of mystery to the game world.

Hang on...there's a ship Pioneer 1 that was sent from a dying planet to this one so they could continue their species existence but wait a minute there was another ship Pioneer 2 sent after that because contact with the first ship is lost??? Whaaaa... They've been sent to find out what happened to Pioneer 1 as well as scavenge the planet for resources.

This is an amazing setup for a story. Not only are you humanity's last hope you are Plan B for what would've been humanity's last hope. It's incredible. There is so much content that can be taken from this setup. It's not only a quest to find out what happened to Pioneer 1 but it's also a quest to find out what happened to the hero's of Pioneer 1.

Compared to PSO, PSO2 is a lifeless MMO shell that has no idea what made the first game so appealing likely because Yuji Naka is no longer apart of Sega.

The games atmosphere is not one of desperation/fear/mystery or any of that. It's an atmosphere where you everyone is a pro and they already have all this planet terraforming and exploring already figured out.

It's all a complete anime cliche. You may chalk this up to the fact I can't understand what they are saying but it doesn't matter. The reason being the way it is presented is entirely cliche and like every shonen anime I've ever seen.

Honestly how could they F*** it up again?

I haven't even gotten into the game mechanics...not sure if i want to.

[Xenobia]

Wont comment on dead horse stuff because it will be deleted soon (according to old experience). Its thrown into a trash container.

[Lady Nadia]

best pso2 beta report = we get it already... ep3 sequel please!

[kyuuketsuki]

- One of the worst quest systems with repetitive tasks (kill X monsters, bring me that, etc.). We didn't need that with PSO, we already have WOW, Tera, Guild Wars 2, etc.
Only thing I can agree with here is possibly the Matter Board forcing repeat runs through early missions to find some drop (though at least the drop is a weapon/unit you get to keep as the reward) or randomly-spawned cutscene tablet. Otherwise, as already pointed out, all of Coffee's quests are things you'd be doing anyways and the other client orders are just additional, optional rewards you can get for doing what you'd be doing anyway.
- Few weapons choices, you'll use a weapon for so long it gets boring. I thought they'd add more weapon types, but it seems not.
I have a feeling I'm going to be repeating this a lot addressing your points, but: This. Is. A. Beta. All the weapon types that will be in the final game are not here. There are already 3-5 PAs for every weapon and there will likely be more in the final game. More of both will be released as the game goes on.
- No challenge. The entire game feels like a cakewalk, except maybe some bosses. The A.I. isn't aggressive enough.
This. Is. A. Beta. Not only that, but it's the first two areas of the game. And they were nerfed due to complaints of it being too tough in the alpha. Difficulty will most likely ramp up as you progress. You know, like pretty much every game ever. Not to mention, PSO was never terribly difficult until you got to Hard, and even then, once you were decent and had the mechanics down, even that wasn't too much of a challenge. Ultimate was deliberately brutal, but it wasn't introduced when the game was first released, and certainly not during a beta stage.

Also, have you done the city mission? It's not a cake-walk, from my experience, although it definitely does need to show up more often than twice a day for 20 minutes at a time.
- Level design is average. I know maps are semi-random but they only take like 10min max to explore and clear. I miss PSO days when caves could take 30min+ to explore because there were a lot of different routes. Now it just feels empty and boring.
Well, mixed opinions on this. Some people prefer the shorter missions, some people liked exploring the caves/ruins for 30-90 minutes at a time. I belong in the latter group, actually, but if I want to play some more I can just... start another mission. I'm going to submit feedback that there need to be some longer missions, though, myself. Plus, multiple routes and more "landmarks" would be nice.
- At first I thought being F2P would be great but seeing how they implemented Ark Cash it is just bad. My Room? Pay. Another character slot? Pay. I think they should have made PSO2 a paid game, something like $49.99 and give us all the features.
Except that never was going to happen. I, too, would have preferred to pay upfront for the game and then like $10/mo instead of the F2P model. However, without knowing final pricing on anything, it's impossible to know if it's going to work out to more or less or about the same. If it works out to the same or less in practice then... what's to complain about, really?
- Boost monsters aren't fun. Why are there no rare mobs?! That's what made hunting fun in the PSO days.
This. Is. A. Beta. Boost monsters are a supplement to rare monsters, not a replacement. There is zero reason to think that rare monsters are out just because we haven't seen any in a beta.

Also, if rare monsters are the only thing that made playing the game fun for you, then, I dunno what to tell you. It seems silly for that to be the only thing, but to each their own I guess.
- Feels more like PSU than PSO.
As one who loved PSO and never really got into PSU (quit after a few months), I can't really say I agree. It feels like neither, but definitely errs more toward PSO than PSU, IMO.
On the topic of mags, I think it's stupid to have to complete a client order to have one.
Can't argue with irrefutable logic like that.
I also miss being able to just warp into a zone without completing dozens of quests.
Dozens my ass. I'm aware you were probably using hyperbole, but there's what... 3 missions you have to complete, then you get Coffee's client order and have to do 2 more and you unlock caves. Not even half a dozen.
Overall I think PSO 2 is boring[...]
Well, I disagree. I don't think most will disagree that the Matter Board shit is out-of-place, but as far as I can tell that seems to be completely optional anyway.

[Xenobia]

That client order to get your mag takes 10-20 minutes if you beeline for the boss. Out of hundreds of hours of gameplay, think it'll be ok.
i played 20h and still no mag for me... out of dumbness im aware of.

[Drinkmaster]

..... disagree

its a beta....

bad quest? dunno... you even played aion lineage or wow?

the rest its up to you... but i disagree 100% in your points

[NoiseHERO]

All of the weapons have like 7 PAs on them and they all play so differently and unique that it's really hard to get tired of them after it's only been 3 and a half days. You know they're going to add MORE weapons... let alone MORE of everything else right?

Sounds like you're TRYING not to have fun.

I still find it amusing that some people can still look for petty reasons that make this game "not as good as PSO though." Some Phantasy Star "fans" ARE starting to get as bad as certain Sonic fans...

[Griffin]

Sorry. The points seem pretty biased.

[Sayara]

Sega fans. Thats the general expression for anything Sega.

[condiments]

My only two legitimate concerns with the game are mentioned by the OP, that will hopefully be talked about by the developers soon enough.

-Lack of challenge is pretty big for me. I attempted a full episode 1 run from scratch with some co op friends on the gamecube of PSO recently, and it was actually quite difficult at times. Bosses were fully capable of one-shotting if you mistimed a move. Mistakes were only made more costly due to scarcity of resources(everyone shares item drops, therefore less meseta. My force was bled dry of money when we started up ruins). This for me, was FUN. Coordinating with your friends to overcome difficult challenges in games provides some experiences unraveled in all of videogames. Plus, the action gameplay looks great, and it would be mightily disappointing if I wasn't served up some good devil may cry difficulty to test my reflexes.
-Lack of content. Obviously this is beta, so its hard to make judgement calls, but I hope we don't have another PSU situation. I hate when content is slowly added that can easily be completed within a few hours. I remember reading a post where a developer said that there will only be 3 planets at launch?

[Nitro Vordex]

Oh my god, it's like you people are playing a game still in fucking development or something. Just chill out, when the game's released there will be more content. God.

[Jewcrush]

Oh boy! Guild Wars 2 is going to make me wet and PSO2 is going to let me reach that point where I can no longer feel my toes. (>^_^)>* GETSUM!

[Griffin]

Oh boy! Guild Wars 2 is going to make me wet and PSO2 is going to let me reach that point where I can no longer feel my toes. (>^_^)>* GETSUM!

This guy knows where it's at. :D

[krux]

Only one thing to complain about the stages. Look at the jungle and forest 2 from PSO detail! Lots of plants and tree's, birds and bugs out and about in the jungle. The forest had an amazing sky and modest rain fall

The caves 2 so pretty and mysterious, haunting!

The forest on pso2 is all the same little to no atmosphere and same with the caves, Needs more background stuff like little animals and more crazy looking plants and the caves need more creepy weird stuff

[xBladeM6x]

Ceresa ended this topic Just sayin'.

[BIG OLAF]

Ok so quests/sub quests/story quests etc.

Why aren't they optional? Why can't we just go through Forest, to caves, to whatever to etc In PSO you specifically have to go out of your way to play the story mode. You gotta want it, unlike PSO2 where it's shoved down your goddamn throat.

There is too much freaking exposition in this game. I loved how carefully the plot was inserted while playing PSO. You got it in bits and pieces. You gradually figured out what was going on. It's all there for you to find it if you want and out of your damn way if you don't.

It can be compared to someone who is an archaeologist or a geologist. There is so many hints and clues to the earths beginnings but only those who look for them will ever truly understand. In PSO there were different types of hunters based on the type of person that was playing. If you were just in it for the fun multiplayer online experience you could just play the game over and over level up get weapons/armor/mags and be completely content. On the other hand their were some players who were enthralled by the amount of mystery to the game world.

Hang on...there's a ship Pioneer 1 that was sent from a dying planet to this one so they could continue their species existence but wait a minute there was another ship Pioneer 2 sent after that because contact with the first ship is lost??? Whaaaa... They've been sent to find out what happened to Pioneer 1 as well as scavenge the planet for resources.

This is an amazing setup for a story. Not only are you humanity's last hope you are Plan B for what would've been humanity's last hope. It's incredible. There is so much content that can be taken from this setup. It's not only a quest to find out what happened to Pioneer 1 but it's also a quest to find out what happened to the hero's of Pioneer 1.

Compared to PSO, PSO2 is a lifeless MMO shell that has no idea what made the first game so appealing likely because Yuji Naka is no longer apart of Sega.

The games atmosphere is not one of desperation/fear/mystery or any of that. It's an atmosphere where you everyone is a pro and they already have all this planet terraforming and exploring already figured out.

It's all a complete anime cliche. You may chalk this up to the fact I can't understand what they are saying but it doesn't matter. The reason being the way it is presented is entirely cliche and like every shonen anime I've ever seen.

Honestly how could they F*** it up again?

I haven't even gotten into the game mechanics...not sure if i want to.

This post reeks of nostalgia-induced fanboyism. Like, a lot.

This thread is full of fuck. Full of it. To the brim.

[Powder Keg]

Yeah let's just wait til the full game is released. I'm not so sure the AI and battle system will keep the game fun for a long period of time, but we haven't seen very much of the game, it's a demo.

The only thing we can probably be certain of is that the music will be just as bland as ever. Lots of recycled sounds too, which I don't have much of a problem with being part of the same series. 'Cept that level up noise....

[hbmizzle10]

i think the best way we can get the most out of the game is stop comparing the game to its first predecessor and just think of it as a whole different game entirely. as we all know it makes striking resemblance to pso psu and even psz but it blends them together to make its own separate game. so far(to me) its ok. not game revolutionary good but ok. my only problem is the cash shops(it can make or break the game for me).

[EvilMag]

Some people have their nostalgia goggles on too tight...

[Nitro Vordex]

I think they've got it installed in their retinas now.

[Randomness]

I think they've got it installed in their retinas now.

No, I'm fairly sure its deeper than that.

[DreXxiN]

Hi, PSO veteran since 2000 here.

Just wanted to say that it's never taken me 30 minutes to clear Caves after I turned 12.

You're nostalgia goes hard, bro.

PSO was great, PSO2 is an improvement of PSO but without the fond memories and whatnot. Try to have fun with the game instead of seeking what you felt in your childhood..if a game will produce memories it'll be easy to tell early on.

[CupOfCoffee]

Some people have their nostalgia goggles on too tight...

I think this is the general problem with trying to sell sequels to a game like PSO. The reason a market for said sequels exists at all is because people still have really fond memories of the original PSO blowing their minds as children/teenagers. They keep trying to impress us all over again, and that trick doesn't work twice because now we're all adults and we can't see through that lens of childhood anymore.

Playing a hack n' slash RPG online with random people from all over the globe isn't inherently impressive anymore, like it was when PSO first came out, and they don't seem to get that. Even if the new PSO-styled games they make are great, they're still always going to be polarizing because a lot of their potential customers, maybe subconsciously, don't want a new game at all and really just want to go back to PSO's Antares-8 and Deneb-9 heyday.

I'm guilty of it myself. I still play Blue Burst on weekends sometimes.

[Powder Keg]

A lot of the nostalgia is not just related to this game, but any game as we get older--when we were younger we didn't pick apart aspects of the games we now go back to every now and then and love.

Think about some of your favorite titles and picture yourself playing them for the first time right now, you may not have liked them at all or had the patience to learn them.

[krux]

Hi hey there im another pso vet and i just wanna say this game got boring. I can tell you what it is missing ATMOSPHERE! the forest looks a lot like neudaiz boring and ugly. almost no trees or plants and little grass...really in a forest? Okay i can admit i love pso a lot but its because it had feeling

Look, take the jungle form pso boost the graphics and thats what they should call the forest or at lest something like it and compare the Ul/zol Gibbon's to the monkeys in pso2' The Gibbon's were way more crazy and frantic.
The game is great don't get me wrong, they just need to add more stuff to go "ooh and aah" at

[BIG OLAF]

Hi hey there im another pso vet and i just wanna say this game got boring. I can tell you what it is missing ATMOSPHERE! the forest looks a lot like neudaiz boring and ugly. almost no trees or plants and little grass...really in a forest? Okay i can admit i love pso a lot but its because it had feeling

Look, take the jungle form pso boost the graphics and thats what they should call the forest or at lest something like it and compare the Ul/zol Gibbon's to the monkeys in pso2' The Gibbon's were way more crazy and frantic.
The game is great don't get me wrong, they just need to add more stuff to go "ooh and aah" at

I was waiting for this one to show up.

[NoiseHERO]

If this game doesn't have atmosphere...

Then you "PSO fans" are pretty screwed for the next... decade and a half? That's like... till you're 50? and you'll still be looking for the nostalgia enhanced "atmosphere."?

[krux]

Why is a little atmosphere to much to ask for? am i being unreasonable?

[darkante]

Wow, i like to get a hold on the beta just so i can see what the fuss is about.

As much as i like good atmosphereric feeling, i can live without as long as the other categories are good enough.
But i defintively wouldn´t mind a creepy place equal to Ruins or better.

Anyway..
Better combat system and more customization freedom.
Less reskinned enemies with the same attack patterns would be a nice touch too.
More balanced mission reward system (So less TTF/WB spamming would be nice).
Also, less pathetic bosses please.

Those are my bigger concerns

[Dre_o]

It isn't 2001. This won't be PSO 1.5 Super HD Remix Turbo. Deal with it.

If you're looking for PSO1.5SHDRT there is a solution: The server that must not be named and texture packs.

[Sayara]

Honestly I've watched some gameplay of the forestplains area, its alot LESS linear looking than PSU's missions, theres stuff to roam about in every "miniarea" i guess?

its a step in the right direction i think

[goldwing]

After playing more than 15 hours of PSO2' closed beta test, I can definately say the good old Pha

Thats about all i could get through. Tho im sure you mean well i have to dissagree with you here. Tho it is not 100% like the old pso i have to ask you this. Would it really b pso2 if it werent diffrent? Many people can agree with you and many more will dissagree with you. So far the games pretty good.

[condiments]

Wow, i like to get a hold on the beta just so i can see what the fuss is about.

As much as i like good atmosphereric feeling, i can live without as long as the other categories are good enough.
But i defintively wouldn´t mind a creepy place equal to Ruins or better.

Anyway..
Better combat system and more customization freedom.
Less reskinned enemies with the same attack patterns would be a nice touch too.
More balanced mission reward system (So less TTF/WB spamming would be nice).
Also, less pathetic bosses please.

Those are my bigger concerns

I agree that this game looks like an overall improvement. I do however think they did drop the ball in the atmosphere department from what I've seen so far. The couple of streams I've watched of forest do give of that similar 'serene' feel that the original had(the rain is a nice touch), but the over the top action, and generic anime aesthetic kind of take away from what is there.

Can't have everything I guess.

[darkante]

No, that would be asking for too much..(just kidding).
But i don´t wanna say too much yet before i tried it.

[Anna_Wren]

"Hang on...there's a ship Pioneer 1 that was sent from a dying planet to this one so they could continue their species existence but wait a minute there was another ship Pioneer 2 sent after that because contact with the first ship is lost??? Whaaaa... They've been sent to find out what happened to Pioneer 1 as well as scavenge the planet for resources.

This is an amazing setup for a story. Not only are you humanity's last hope you are Plan B for what would've been humanity's last hope. It's incredible. There is so much content that can be taken from this setup. It's not only a quest to find out what happened to Pioneer 1 but it's also a quest to find out what happened to the hero's of Pioneer 1."


This shows you didn't even read the story of the game you love so much.
Pioneer Project itself was launched at Ragol as a military project to create DFactor-Lifeforms to make the ultimate super soldiers as well as attain immortality. In point of fact, your beloved MAGS are made of DFactor biological material, which is why photon blasts look like dark monsters.

This trend has been a key factor in ALL the Phantasy Star games. Especially the Online ones.
PSO 1, 2 and 4. Need I remind you of Rupika, Flowen or even Osto?
PSO 3. The Cards are ALL Dfactor and an attempt at proto subspace control. Also Castor and Pollox.
PSU. Nagisa, Hyuga, Howser. Really, the series has trended this way and PSO 2 will have the same thread. PSU eternal Planets natually led into PSO2 and we will soon find out exactly who has sent the Ark(z)(s) (A PSO 3 term as it is) on their way. But I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they originated from PSU.

I do wish people who jag the story of PSU/PSO2 would realize that its a continuation of PSO and PSO didn't have much ACTUAL story to begin with.

[~Inu~]

I still feel funny calling PSO2 an "MMO" although technically, it IS an "MMO" and technically correct is the best kind of correct.
PSO's game system still uses lobbies and dungeons that allow you to talk or play with other players, the same format of its predecessors and not all that open world stuff that today's general idea of the sandbox MMO has. I kind of like it, takes away from all the pointless crap and just features the stuff that matters.

In the end, I hear you with the lack of content and weapons but it's a beta.
Sega improved the Alpha beautifully and I'm sure they will even all of that out in the actual game, heck the Test Report had a strong Echo of those exact complaints.
I'm sure Sega knows the content we've seen so far is no Episode 4 and if they hear you, they'll give you a brutal level...

[Omega-z]

I would agree that the Matter Board can be a little repetitive, But you can skip it to progress if you knew how to do it. Everything else is just what it was in "BETA" being fit in to test. Any thing else then the obvious, is just an excuse to not like the game for what it really is.

You doubting 6.6% haters.lol just JK.:)

The graphic's are close to the same to make the argument for it moot. Some added details in both balance each other, Where one didn't have the other has.

That type of atmosphere PSO had was based on it's story not the game play. And was soly all in Ep.1 and the very end of Ep.2 had that type of feeling base on the little bit's of story that you would get in the game. In fact some Metriod game's have that same feeling. But for a Phantasy Star Game the story can't stay still and shouldn't repeat the same thing, It's to complex for that and moves on from PSO's task of finding the truth while going through Hell to find it aspect of it. Everything else is the continuation of that journey and the result's of that period of time and /or also the one's before it.

From what I can see there are many who did not want the game to be enjoyable at all from the beginning before they even played it. And saw that it was not a remake of PSO and deem it Trash. They fail to understand that it's a "Child's Fantasy" of that time that they were/still are drawn toward's PSO, just like other's are to the classic's,PSU and the handheld's. It will be the same with PSO2.

We need to look at this not as one focal point of Phantasy Star but all of Phantasy Star. "Sega is moving on it's time for all of US to do so too".