Here's the one thing that PSO2 has to nail to interest me, and (probably) you.
I'm not writing this game off based on Sonic Teams past failures, be they many, and I'm not here to start that argument either, I'm posting for the first time outside of the "Off Topic" forum just to point out one thing that I think is incredibly important.
While the rest of you are discussing balance, character customization, mag inclusion, item synthesis, and etc, and while all of those things ARE very important, they are not, to me at least, the most important aspect of giving PSO a proper sequel. The lack of proper implementation of those systems is also not the biggest thing that drove me away from PSU, or PSP, or that makes me so disinterested in PSP2.
The single, greatest thing in PSO, the one thing that so few games, and even less JRPG's get right?
Mood and Setting.
It took me a long time to actually realize that that was what turned me off to PSU after trying to convince myself I liked it for two years. Sure, PSU has a LOT of problems, and so do its offshoots, but the fact is, its combat is nearly so clunky as PSO's, and it has a lot of cool ideas (Job systems for instance).
So why was it that I couldn't enjoy PSU? Why was it, that even Phantasy Star Zero, a game that was a barely updated version of the original PSO, was so much more fun (discounting the comparatively small amount of replay value) than PSU, when I readily stated its many age-related problems?
The answer finally hit me eventually, its all about the mood, and setting of the original game.
Now, lets get one thing straight, PSO had a barebones story, that much is true. There was some hidden depth in the sidequests, and I actually really liked that system (for those that have played it, Demon's Souls pulls the same thing) because it appeals to people like myself, that are interested in the crafted universe, and to people that only play games for the game part.
But their was one part of that story that every player of PSO, no matter how well learned they were on the backstory of the game, came away with.
You are a lone Hunter (possibly with 3 friends), and you are investigating a hostile alien planet where a mysterious incident occurred that wiped out thousands of colonists in a single fell swoop. Investigate.
Now lets compare that to what the player is made aware of in a short amount of playtime in PSU:
You are one of a large group of glorified bounty hunters that are (generally) sent into situations too small for the military to bother with. You will be policing 3 planets with active civilizations, being bombarded by an alien lifeform that can be easily eradicated with simple tools.
Which of those basic plot's interest you more? The one where you are all alone, investigating a mysterious incident, or the one where you're really just another soldier in an effort to contain a simple alien outbreak, that was thwarted already by a lone human male with virtually no combat training?
I think it's pretty obvious. I am much more motivated in the scenario that pits me against unknown odds in a hostile environment than I am in the latter.
But that's really not the only part of setting a mood or personality to your game, theres a lot more to it than that obviously. I think next on our list is a big one.
Music.
How many of you still listen to PSO's soundtrack? I wish I could say I was lying, but truth be told, I'm listening to a playlist on grooveshark of Ep.1-4 right now, as I type this. Strong, ambient tracks that sunk you into the world you were in, but didn't bore you, because they changed to fit the situation. Probably everyone that's played PSO can recognize an area on tune alone. It's really some great stuff.
By comparison, lets take PSU's soundtrack. I preordered PSU at a Gamestop, which gave me a soundtrack CD when I picked it up. I threw that CD away a month or two later, I don't think I even ripped the music to my PC. It was completely forgettable. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever heard (that title goes to PSU's theme song) but it wasn't interesting, or compelling really either.
I even know of a large group of people that switched the sound files on there PC version of PSU to play PSO's music! These were folks that played PSU long after I did, and genuinely liked it, but they still admitted to PSO having a much stronger soundtrack.
I can name a lot of the PSO BGM by title off the top of my head, but I couldn't give you the name of a single track in PSU.
Art and Design.
This one right here is the most important in my mind. Admittedly, I'm a bit biased, being a working illustrator (in game art nonetheless) but I think it's the one everybody can appreciate.
I'll give some screenshot examples:
http://www.rpgamer.com/games/ps/pso/screens/pso014.jpg
http://www.rpgamer.com/games/ps/pso/screens/pso001.jpg
Now those are two screenshots of the same area, good ol' Forest 1 and 2. But lets see the variety there, we've got one, that takes place during midday, taking you through a babbling stream and some small valley area's, and upon entering Forest 2, we now have a rainy, darker area with swamps that eventually breaks way into the outer edges of the dome.
Thats just the forest, the very first area you play in when you boot up the game. Now lets compare and contrast that too Linear Line, the very first area in PSU:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...120211_054.jpg
That's....it. Really, I could post more pics, but it would waste both our time, even if you go into the later missions of that area, its still the same generic, large spaces that really don't have any personality. Nothing unique about them. In fact, the most interesting rooms in the game are oftentimes the lobbies that break up missions, and theres no point to exploring them, and you arent fighting in them. They're glorified rest stops.
And thats not just the case for the first area of either game. Which is more compelling, the Ruins of PSO, or the Hive of PSU? In Ruins, we have several unique room types, and we get these massive views of the outside of this alien spaceship. In Hive, we get the same vaginal walls and ceilings for the entirety of the area. Meat curtains as far as the eye can see.
Now you can argue that PSO had less areas, and therefore more detail can be put into them. I have one simple response: Thats not an excuse. Quality over quantity, by far. I would rather play Mines a hundred times over than play one more run of ANY of the badly reskinned "Relics" sites in PSU. You know how I know that to be true? I still play PSO's Mines from time to time! But since giving up on PSU 2 years ago, I havent even felt a single need to touch any of the bland areas of PSU.
Another thing that fits into this category of art and design, is character design. I noticed the thread in which a lot of people are arguing over character customization and wether it should be more PSO or PSU based, honestly, I think the more customization, the better, but the fact is, the characters in PSO, looked like people that would do the job they were assigned to do. They looked like tough, almost western designed characters (with the exception of the FOnewm and FOnewhearl) that put a solid footing in the fantasy-sci-fi design of PSO. They had anime influences, sure, but they were utilitarian first and foremost.
PSU's character designs look decidedly more cliche anime, in fact, I could see virtually everyone of them fitting right in with the majority of the futuristic anime out there, and that is bad. I don't play games to see the same thing I saw last week on TV, I play games like PSO to be, and excuse the corniness of this, transported to a different place.
That's what PSO2 has to get right.
