PSO2 has gone too far off the rails.

[sai_kanzen]

It's a game anyone outside Japan is not supposed to be playing anyway. One less gaijin to take into account is a load off the servers.

Besides, what other reason would SEGA have to keep this game running if not for money? They are a game company after all.

[isCasted]

What baffles me the most is really 2 things: you have to run in MPAs to get any decent gear, and you can't find MPAs for anything that you might want unless it was just released. PSO2 has multitude of problems (excessive focus on MPAs, EQs, block system etc), which really boil down to same conclusion: there's 30 GB of content, yet there's nearly nothing to do.

I used to think that content release cycle is too slow, but now I'd rather prefer old content to become more accessible. Also, I find balance changes more interesting than new areas or quest types. That way (frequently changing between classes too) I still have some fun doing even mundane stuff like dailies or XQ.

Also, PSO1? Never got into it. Heck, it literally doesn't evolve, which was the primary point of your rant. I'll give it props for being best of a kind back when it was popular, but it didn't age well at all. If you like feeling of nostalgia, props to you, but your entitlement shows off too much.

[RageousGray]

see ya and have fun in the wilderness

[Nilkemios]

Sega went off the rails long ago.

[CocoCrispy]

An Episode that takes place on actual Earth that acknowledges the PSO universe is a video game and invalidates the entire PS Storyline back to PS1? Just to make a few bucks off of high school girls who like to play dress-up?

This point right here. I feel like spewing some words.

Taken at face value it may seem like pso2 has been turned into a plaything for earthlings, but I like to think of earth and oracle being 2 separate dimensions. And they kind of are.

Earth channels the power of ether (earth photons) in order to be able to make contact with Oracle. I haven't played the story enough to know for sure, but I feel like they might treat it like a game because they don't understand it. If you think about it, by being able to channel an avatar across dimensions and do crazy things without the consequences of actually dying for reals, who wouldn't treat that like a game? In a way, it kind of makes me think of PSO2 as Ender's Game.

We saw glimpses of this in the animu, which spoilers, Casra reveals to Itsuki that they are not actually NPCs. They are living, breathing people just like earthlings. To the people of Oracle, the battle against darkers isn't a game, but a war for their lives. The people of earth don't understand that, and since they can't die there (unless they're godmode like Itsuki and somehow boop their physical bodies through the ether), they don't fear darkers.

This reminds me of Aron's ending in Phantasy Star 3, which had a similarish dilemma. Alisa III got transported across time and space when the ship went headfirst into a black hole. When they popped out, what did they see? Earth. They were even contacted by the London communication center. Of course, by this point, Algo already dealt with earthlings, with their building Mother Brain for no reason besides wanting to destroy lives, but still.

And yes. PSO2 is space barbies. And we all look fabulous.

tl;dr Earth in PSO2 doesn't mean PSO2 is a game. It just means 2 dimensions have come in contact with each other.

[steeltamashii]

Oooo... the nostalgia is strong with this one. Every game has its pros and its cons, even the holy grail PSO1. I remember very clearly playing PSO on Dreamcast back in the early '00s. Rampant cheaters, losing all your meseta and your weapon when you died in battle (and then people you thought were on your side proceed to steal it), slow dial-up connection, etc etc etc... Don't get me wrong, I treasure the times I spent playing that game back then, but to say that since PSO2 has flaws, PSO1 is exempt from its own shortcomings isn't sensible.

Enjoy replaying PSO, hope the Caves don't put you to sleep.

And yes. PSO2 is space barbies. And we all look fabulous.

Couldn't have said it better myself. PSO2's character creation is superb, even if you have to shell out a couple extra bucks for some stuff.

[Caetho]

How can we go off-track with a boss like Train Ghidoran? His final attack can't derail, he is a train that spawns tracks after all, there's no way that they derail that easily amirite?


Kill me