Only played one Phantasy Star game, do I need to know about the others?

[Ciciro]

I've only ever played one Phantasy Star game, and that was Zero on the Nintendo DS. Will I be completely lost if I just jump right into PSO2 without having played any of the other ones?

[Dammy]

you should be fine i think

[wefwq]

Should be fine, the plot in this game are mostly stand-alone.
Playing the other can help you understand few terms more quickly, but that's it.

Gameplay wise, there's also not much to learn from the older title.

[Lumpen Thingy]

well PSO1,PSP2,PSP2i PS zero and Phantasy star 4 are worth a look at if you want to play the other good games in the series

[SilkaN]

^ Although those aren't directly connected to PSO2.

[RibbonSoft]

PSO2 has nothing to do with the other games. Actually, all Phantasy Star games after the original four have nothing to do with each other with a few exceptions. In addition, while enjoyable, the story for PSO2 is rather clichéd and bland. If you want good Phantasy Star stories, stick to the original games: Pantasy Star I, II, and IV. Phantasy Star III is not necessary so you can skip that one.

[Neith]

For story, definitely stick to the retro games (PS1-4, although I've heard PS3 isn't as good?).

PSO's story was extremely minimalist; you were left to discover it for yourself through Rico/Flowen's message capsules. I personally liked this approach but it's not a typical RPG where the story is clearly laid out.

PSO2 follows a more typical approach with set Story Missions but it can get extremely confusing as you keep changing history and jumping backwards and forwards. Thankfully there's an Event Chronicle where you can see things in chronological order. The story itself (as mentioned) is fairly generic and not really that inspiring but it isn't terrible.

There are one or two recurring things in the franchise (mainly Dark Falz/Profound Darkness) but nothing is directly connected to other games in the series as far as I know, despite some similarities.

[Punisher106]

Looks at it this way, at least the story of PSO2 is much better than PSU. That was all about EATAN WAFERRRRRRRR who always had to look edgy and shit.

[silo1991]

thats right , they even missed a big chance there making YOU the protagonist of PSU and ethan could be your best friend :P

[Punisher106]

Yeah, but they decided to make it where you don't exist, proven by a side quest of PSP2, where Ethan is called the hero, and your character in PSU is never mentioned.

Hey, I DID like 2-5 in this game, though. That was something else. But I feel they're trying to make Zeno into another Ethan.

[Nitro Vordex]

You're gonna be lost when you get to this story.