wispy voice: Remember......how it all began........

[Saner]

this is a quote I discovered in the Normal My Room description section.

Mirei says that quote or something similiar. Hmm this makes the offline story more interesting.

How it all began....and where it leads to......

Sonic Team's story telling aside, they never really told a story of this magnitude before. and of course PSO can't be compared to this since this clearly has a bigger budget and seems to have a more powerful history and worlds and cast of characters never experienced and presented before in a Phantasy Star game since the classic PS games were released and cherished! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif


I mean of course we shouldn't expect something apocalyptically-deep like Xenogears or too cliche like Zelda, but ya sometimes you can sense the quality of its soul based on even what little we know so far. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif



I mean the offline story can be experienced anytime, so some might saved for after they have their 200+ hour filling of online.

But ya I was considering doing the offline story first, since I'm confident in my RPG skills as I have completed RPGs in less than a week! but ya this game might be more difficult depending on some things.

but ya then I consider online and I'm like, "well the first days of online will be like the first days of PSO, yet even better." and even with or without a online story, these games are really about the online play.

but PSU changes that partially, because the offline story is every bit as important as the online experience.

but ya anyways there's no such thing as 'falling behind' online, since there are always newcomers and you can solo all the way if need be anyways http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif
But ya, I mean online is really what I'm playing this for, but the offline story is a great and valuable treasure too!

but let's set aside Sonic Team's history and reputation for storytelling. this is what this topic is really about. This will definitely earn its share of fans and speculators that will discuss the story and people even long after they completed it. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Sonic Team is just a brand name, its really the writers and stuff that forge a story's foundation. and as we have seen in many RPGs, different writers and even the same writers can strike gold with an award winning formula, even if its something simple yet warm and lovable.


take for instance in the trailers, we have seen some things, pieces of a grand tale. I noticed there is a scene that takes place in a ship when Ethan and Karen appear to be arriving at Parum or something.

normally such a scene may have nothing related to the main driving force of the story, but these moments are more valuable than some realize.

every bit of character interaction can tell more about a person, more of their life, and I'm just a fan of cutscenes and character interaction that tries to give us as much opportunities to witness these moments of these characters as much as possible. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

so ya, gameplay keeps us connected, but so do certain cutscenes as well, well ya they said there is about a few hours worth of dialogue and stuff like that, and the rest of it is presented in the real-time text format online uses to communicate, which is fine,

it's looking like PSU is using a fine style of progressing the story and stuff in ways we might not see as much while playing online, which is a different style altogether. so both will be great in their own way! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

and of course story length is not that important if they use that time to tell the story they want to show us. regardless it looks to be a fun and memorable adventure. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif


so yeah what are your feelings regarding the main story that takes place before online? http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/burger.gif

and what are you speculations about online's 'story', which takes place about 3 years after the offline story, and is centered around ourselves instead of pre-made characters? http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/cone.gif





<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Saner on 2006-07-10 15:19 ]</font>

[MAGNUShunter]

Wow. A few HOURS of cut-scenes?
Cool.
As far as the three year gap...Im thinking Ethan will end up sacrificing himself and become missing or something. Maybe the goal of online will be to discover what happend?

[Sev]

Ok...

For one... Please... No more "buts" haha.

And two, don't call Zelda cliche... I don't wanna talk about cliche anymore and you'll probably upset alotta fans with that kinda remark. Really if you think about it, it's not cliche at all. But I'm nto gonna force anyone to think, becauase I myself don't do it often.

Most of the speculating will be people trying their hardest to link this to PSO or PS1-4 in some way. The games stoy itself should be a great stand-alone though. It's just that most people might pass up that fact and see it as nothing more then either Online or a connection to older games. It'll be kinda sad if people don't see the game for what it is, but that's up to them. I think I'll start offline first then get online. I can probably finish the game in a weekend minus the whole sleeping thing.

[TheGreyCliche]

On 2006-07-10 18:11, Sev wrote:
I don't wanna talk about cliche anymore and you'll probably upset alotta fans with that kinda remark...



What? you guys are talking about me? and i have fans?!

[EnixBelmont]

Zelda is totally cliche -_-. It may be one of the best series ever, but by no means does it have a great story. It doesn't have to; it isn't an RPG. Not that it matters much. But whatever.

Offline story looks OK. I'll probably play through it eventually. But unlike other people, I CAN fall behind.I am going to be playing with 3-4 friends getting the game, and it really makes the game less fun when we had to wait until one of us got to level 40 before we could all do very hard...And by the time they did get to 40, we wouldn't want to be doing forest runs. Which is why I dont really have time to do story mode, since it has no effect on the online. I can't play this game 24/7, anyway, and the free time I do get that my friend's arent getting too far ahead of me in, I'd much rather be outside doing something else.

[EnixBelmont]

XD

[Ikubi]

On 2006-07-10 18:37, TheGreyCliche wrote:


On 2006-07-10 18:11, Sev wrote:
I don't wanna talk about cliche anymore and you'll probably upset alotta fans with that kinda remark...



What? you guys are talking about me? and i have fans?!



lmao

And Xenogears/saga was "apocolyptically deep?" i thought they were talking about the bible. xD

[EnixBelmont]

Never played Xenogears long enough to comment.....

[Pyronin]

From what I have seen in trailers and some gameplay videos, I think the story will be great. I'm anxious to learn more about the PS world and master the game. I'm just glad the cutscenes are going to be better than episode III, and thats good enough for me pretty much.

[DizzyDi]

On 2006-07-10 18:46, Ikubi wrote:

lmao

And Xenogears/saga was "apocolyptically deep?" i thought they were talking about the bible. xD



it has refrences to bible, but its much deeper than that.

[Pyronin]

I checked out the my room section and it means that normal is what you begin with. I wonder if Saner realizes that. I don't remember anyone in the PSU trailers saying that. Unless I missed something I'd say Saner is thinking too hard.

[Ikubi]

To me i think PSU had a decent story. A traditional story, rather. I think a game that qualifies having a great story, must make you think outside of your box. about other matters that are important, but something that you wouldn't think about too often. PSU, doesn't do it(IMO), but i still think its a different story, something that we are used to.

;p to me, Xenogears/saga didnt do that either. XD

[EnixBelmont]

I thought Xenosaga sucked.....Xenogears was suppose to be much better though. But I dont know, I always prefer an active battle system like star ocean or the tales games. Tales of The Abyss FTW.

[Ikubi]

WOOOT!!!!!! SO and Tales series are da bomb!!

[MAGNUShunter]

Anyone who would put Zelda down...I just have to wonder about thier overall credability.
And, wait. Just ONE second!

ROFL!
Did someone just say the Xenosaga is "much deeper than the Bible"?!?!?!?!
My God! (No pun intended!)

[Saner]

What? you guys are talking about me? and i have fans?!


http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif



Most of the speculating will be people trying their hardest to link this to PSO or PS1-4 in some way.

ya some will unfairly expect this to be "Phantasy Star V", when instead they should realize this will be EVEN BETTER than a sequel to PSIV.

They should give that story legacy a rest and let Algo exist in peace. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif



Wow. A few HOURS of cut-scenes?
Cool.

ya, maybe that counts voiced dialogue. Yet from the looks of it, voice overs are only used during cutscenes so they are basically one and the same. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime2.gif



You know, I also think about it because if I decide to do the offline story first, I don't wanna go through offline then online then some more offline, etc. That would be like time travel and would really mess up the flow of experiencing the events from past to present.

http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/cone.gif so if I decide online first all the way and maybe offline story sometime in the future, then back to offline, the offline story will feel like a 'prequel'.


http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/cone.gif But if I go through the whole offline story first, then the online will feel like a continuation/sequel. which feels better.


http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/burger.gif the offline story is going to probably be an average of maybe 30+ hours anyways (not counting sidequests),
and I completed Suikoden III (100% in about 60+ hours) edit: wait a minute, I did complete Suiko3 in less than a week)
So if I play PSU almost nonstop, I might complete it in 3-4 days. of course this is an estimate)

so ya I wouldn't miss out on anything online will I? http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime2.gif



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Saner on 2006-07-10 20:04 ]</font>

[Ikubi]

On 2006-07-10 20:00, MAGNUShunter wrote:
Anyone who would put Zelda down...I just have to wonder about thier overall credability.
And, wait. Just ONE second!

ROFL!
Did someone just say the Xenosaga is "much deeper than the Bible"?!?!?!?!
My God! (No pun intended!)




LMAO, you're right!! omg, i didn't catch that. xD

[Sevenfold]

Grief....back on topic. Ill be one those who plays the offline after 200+ hours of online. If legions of people start telling me the offline story is epic in nature, then I might reconsider. For me, PSO/PSU was never about the story, I could care less. I played PSO for the people (when it was legit anyways) and the online experience (to include MAGs, rares, and lvling). I have my own list of personal story driven games that are my favorites of all time, but, Phantasy Star, online or not, was never one of them.

[Pyronin]

You know, I also think about it because if I decide to do the offline story first, I don't wanna go through offline then online then some more offline, etc. That would be like time travel and would really mess up the flow of experiencing the events from past to present.

You have created a paradox, you lose...
MGS, how funny.

[Pure-chan]

On 2006-07-10 20:03, Ikubi wrote:


On 2006-07-10 20:00, MAGNUShunter wrote:
Anyone who would put Zelda down...I just have to wonder about thier overall credability.
And, wait. Just ONE second!

ROFL!
Did someone just say the Xenosaga is "much deeper than the Bible"?!?!?!?!
My God! (No pun intended!)




LMAO, you're right!! omg, i didn't catch that. xD



They must mean the 'sad, glassy-eyed droidgirl running around in her underwear' kind of deeper.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Pure-chan on 2006-07-10 20:25 ]</font>

[Sinue_v2]

Most of the speculating will be people trying their hardest to link this to PSO or PS1-4 in some way.

I hope there's a bit more to it than that...

I mean, while frustrating, I dunno if it would really have that "Phantasy Star" feel if the storyline didn't have a least a few plotholes and non-sensical events/dialouges. How long have we been arguing the minuite and fine points of PS chronology... and we still do (bitterly sometimes) to this day.

It just... wouldn't feel right somehow.

[Ryudo]

Everything is cliched, if you think something isnt, then you havent seen enough stuff.

I'm really sick to death of the postr-FF7 generation of RPG players who say anything traditional fantasy based is cliched and anything with robots and clones and bible references is super cool and original ¬_¬

[Oji_Retta]

On 2006-07-11 06:24, Ryudo wrote:
Everything is cliched, if you think something isnt, then you havent seen enough stuff.

I'm really sick to death of the postr-FF7 generation of RPG players who say anything traditional fantasy based is cliched and anything with robots and clones and bible references is super cool and original ¬_¬



I'm pre-FF7 and still say most of that type are cliche. Its rare to find one that isn't. Its rare to find any RPG that isn't cliche period.

[Ikubi]

Yes, i am too. >_> Final fantasy isn't the only RPG, and even all of them aren't that good. XD And most of them are quite cliched.

And while everything might be a cliche, there are a lot more of some and too few of others. Personally, i'm sick of the whole "the princess is in another castle" deal. rawr!

[PrinceBrightstar]

What do you mean never had a story this big before?

Play the classics. PS1,2 and 4 were all huge games for their time. Oh and *points bottom line of his sig*

[Saner]

On 2006-07-11 08:04, Jonathan_F wrote:
What do you mean never had a story this big before?

Play the classics. PS1,2 and 4 were all huge games for their time. Oh and *points bottom line of his sig*



I played them all.

Im just saying in comparison to PSO, its great they finally worked 200% on a character driven story this time for offline that may match the epic nature of the classic PS games as well as other RPGs.

PSO had a story but it felt pretty hollow the way it was presented. PSU looks to be more cinematic and stuff like the voice overs and more detailed history and characters will really bring PSU to life and provide a foundation for the online mode, with a greater sense of depth and soul to the solar system and its people. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

[Garroway]

I almost want to curse myself for saying this, but I really don't care too much for the more recent kind of story driven game. In the old days (between Dragon Warrior I and FF IV) the story was there little more than enough to keep the game moving forward. Much of the game was merely implied and it left a lot of things up to my own imagination. The game was more of an outline and I filled in the details myself. In a way it was as if the game universe was partialy my own and it had a deeper sense of enjoyment playing the game.

The newer more story intensive games are someone elses fabrication so completely it's as if I was watching a movie and no longer part of the story (anybody else play the Bouncer?). It's not all bad, and I would certainly still play them, but I still like the more ambiguous themes that let me 'fill in the blanks' so to speak.

What I am hoping for is the offline PSU to give enough of the story to set the flavor for the universe, while leaving the greater story ambiguous enough that we as players can create what we will in our own minds.

[Saner]

well online takes place 3 years after, so your personal story with it won;t conflict with what happened in the offline story.

it works out. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif

[Sev]

By not calling Zelda cliche... I'm just putting it kinda like this...

Zelda was almost always about the same thing... That's not cliche, that's constant. That's like saying "Oh My God, another Phantasy Star game that has space involved. So cliche." I mean... What the hell? "Another Street Fighter fighting game? Why can't they come up with something more origional?" Again... What the hell? I just don't like the word cliche, my art teacher used it too much and everytime I think about it I feel like ramming a pencil through my skull. Not really, but something close to that.

I think the whole problem with me is I don't like the idea of looking at someones work and saying "Wow... Not very origional." when I don't know the whole process behind it. And just because your playing a game as a Knight trying to save a Princess from a castle, doesn't mean that it can't be a damn good game. If it's a good game, I really don't care what anyone calls it. You can be as origional as you want, if your game makes me wanna slaughter countless small animals, then it ain't that great too be origional.

And oh yeah... I'm not talking about TheGreyCliche...

This time.

[MAGNUShunter]

On 2006-07-11 14:58, Garroway wrote:
I almost want to curse myself for saying this, but I really don't care too much for the more recent kind of story driven game. In the old days (between Dragon Warrior I and FF IV) the story was there little more than enough to keep the game moving forward. Much of the game was merely implied and it left a lot of things up to my own imagination. The game was more of an outline and I filled in the details myself. In a way it was as if the game universe was partialy my own and it had a deeper sense of enjoyment playing the game.

The newer more story intensive games are someone elses fabrication so completely it's as if I was watching a movie and no longer part of the story (anybody else play the Bouncer?). It's not all bad, and I would certainly still play them, but I still like the more ambiguous themes that let me 'fill in the blanks' so to speak.

What I am hoping for is the offline PSU to give enough of the story to set the flavor for the universe, while leaving the greater story ambiguous enough that we as players can create what we will in our own minds.




I think you hit it right on the head for me. This is why I've said that PSO has been my favoite rpg so far. I know I go against the popular opinon in this regard, and that because of my age-being over 60-I dont fit into the FF7/ps generation such. Also, maybe it's just my over active imagination to be able to fill in the blanks maybe (as I am an artist/musician also).
But I do think that "meat" of a game should be the gameplay and skill element (add the play with friends element for mmos). People complain so much about the story. Read a book! (i recommend "Shadow and Claw" by Gene Wolfe/ best sci-fi EVER. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif)
By the way, I was joking about the over 60. Just want to see who is actually reading peoples posts vs. blindly responding. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif *tee hee*

[The-King]

I think the only reason people will play story mode is so they can unlock Extra mode so they can sit back, relax and play the game so they can level up their online character, but thats my theory

[EnixBelmont]

What? You can't level up your online character in Extra mode, King.

Anyway, saving a princess has never been original. Not for hundreds of years. Zelda is constant, yes, but it was cliche when the first one came out. It's one of the best series ever, but by no means is it because of the story. Its not an RPG, so it doesnt need a good story.

[Saner]

On 2006-07-11 18:51, The-King wrote:
I think the only reason people will play story mode is so they can unlock Extra mode so they can sit back, relax and play the game so they can level up their online character, but thats my theory



not everyone will be like that, many people also want a great cinematic story with voice overs and character driven plots.

and that's what Story mode will provide.

[TheyCallMeJoe]

On 2006-07-11 19:21, Saner wrote:
not everyone will be like that, many people also want a great cinematic story with voice overs and character driven plots.

and that's what Story mode will provide.


I've always been a big fan of intricate/epic plotlines. If it feels like the developers are throwing together a rag-tag story simply to justify why you're playing the game, I don't really get much of a kick out of it. However, I'd rather experience the online community for the first time as opposed to playing it out offline. I can always find the story out later...online time is a one-time thing. If you miss it, it's gone.

[Earthsunderer]

Saving the princess out of the clutches of the evil overlord is only the plot.

The story itself can be quite original and surprising. Even the Zelda series did have some revelations. For example, in Zelda Windwaker, you will get to know the secret behind Zelda, and what happened to the Land of Hyrule. Of course, there are even more Zelda-Games with quite a plot twist that makes it interesting. And this of course does not restrict itself to the Zelda-series.

[MAGNUShunter]

Please confirm. You cant level your online char offline, right???

[Ikubi]

I've played and beaten all the zelda games(excluding the CDi ones), played mario since i was 5(i'm 21), and played all the final fantasy games released here so far. I played the first couple of Dragon quest games, but i wasn't too fond of them. But anyway, they have great enough stories, but when they start using the same formulas and i can predict whats going to take place in every event, you might wanna use some new elements. -_-;; I love the cliched games, its just that i stop playing for the story after a while. the only reason i play RPGs now is for the battle system. ;x

Of course i was pleasantly surprised in FFX that the ending deviated from the usual formula(excluding FF7). ;D Then again, FFX-2 kinda voided that. ;-;

[Earthsunderer]

On 2006-07-12 05:51, MAGNUShunter wrote:
Please confirm. You cant level your online char offline, right???

Yes. In a dozen threads and links from this site itself it's stated that you can't level your online character offline. King didn't know this appearantly.