EP3: i just got ep3 in the mail this morning.....

[vegeta000110]

I like ep.3 from what I seen. However, I think the key to why card games are fads in certain areas is those people are bored of the repeditive gameplay of them almost always winning/losing and lack of change. I know I sometimes get bored of a card game because I don't buy enough of the cards to win. That's the key point to why games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh are fads. Once one rich SOB buys like 5 of every good card out there, there is no doubt, he will win. Anyway, as long as Ep.3 is like ep.1&2 with the great replay value (especially offline because I swear I can't find anyone in my area who carries the modems), then I don't mind it being a completely different game compared to ep.1&2. Before PSO I favored Turn-Based anyway.

[Rain_1]

I say ditch all this yu-gi-oh crap (or magic, if you're into the "omfg it can't be a yu-gi-oh ripoff since card games existed since forever!" defense) and create a new MMORPG based on PSO, with 1000 people walking and partying around on huge maps...

And for the love of good, make the rare drops better, dammit.. no wonder everybody cheats their head offs... 50 hours on pso pc and only 2 rare drops.. and they weren't even directed to me.. some other dude got them online (yeah, i know it's old.. i hope it's better on Ep. I+II, since i haven't had the chance to play that yet...)...

[LollipopLolita]

poeple you can't compare this new ep 3 to the old ones. it's a completely new game. and hell i'm enjoying the damn game and having fun with it, since i can keep an open mind and have a fair perspective.

[Nai_Calus]

I'm not really excited at all about the game, and it's not because I have an 'OMFG card games are teh suck lame!' mindset, either.

First of all, a lot of what I enjoy about PSO is creating a new character that I like the looks of, playing that character, and using my overactive imagination to give him/her a personality and/or backstory, which is a marvellous way to get attached to your characters and keep playing them long after you've reached the point of 'Why the hell am I still doing this? Anything I want this character actually finds, I've gotten elsewhere already or could easily get it, and this class sucks balls for most things anyways'. I still play my poor ORAN HUmar because I like him. Ep3 has taken character creation and made it pointless. You'll never actually really -use- that character, apparently, just the NPCs. Set non-created characters are fine, I do like standard RPGs like FF and Chrono Trigger after all, but I want them in an actual honest to god RPG. PSO is not known for it's entralling plot and character interaction, and if I'm using characters I didn't create, I kind of like being able to get to know them, y'know? It's just the way I am.

Secondly, the reason I depend on liking my characters to keep me going is the fact that I can't get online. Can't get a job, literally have no way to get to it, I have a problem with my eyes that would make me an extreme danger to myself and others on the road and for that reason I'm exceedingl hesitant to learn, and I live in a nearly rural mountain area with extremely poor public transportation that cannot be relied on, and walking/biking is not an option, as the nearest civilization where one could actually obtain one is a good 10 miles from my house, and my mother is an insurance auditor and does not keep regular hours as her job consists of driving to people's businesses and checking their records there. So I have no money to even get a modem/BBA, and since I don't and have no way of paying for the internet connection, I use AOL dialup which wouldn't work anyways AFAIK. We have DSL, but it's for her work laptop and isn't run to any of the other computers in the house. Obviously, I can't afford a HL either. So online is pretty much completely and utterly out. This isn't too bad of a problem with ep1&2, where I can keep myself amused, keep looking for that one monster that has that weapon I want, keep working towards that next level, figure out better strategies for fighting x boss or monster... Card games, especially ones where luck seems to be a large determining factor, really need to be played with other people to keep any sort of interest. You -can- get out a deck of playing cards and play War or Poker or something with yourself, or get out some Pokemon or MTG or whatever cards and play with yourself, but that gets boring extremely quickly, especially since you know what you're going to do... And from what people have said, unless they -really- fix the AI for the final version, playing against that isn't going to be much more of a challenge than playing against yourself. O_o;

Who knows, maybe the final version will fix this, and have an incredibly interesting and fascinating single-player offline mode that will utterly blow me away(I'll probably find some way to get it even despite my doubts, unless it's like the xbox version of ep1&2 and makes you have a connection to play at all, just to try it, for all I know I might actually like it once I play it myself), but for now I'm extremely skeptical, as from what I've heard and seen so far, ep3 eliminates entirely the things that intrested me in PSO in the first place... But I'm not bashing it, or saying it sucks, it just doesn't seem to be my cup of tea, y'know? And I do plan to try it out if I can, it might surprise me and be as addicting as the original style... But as things stand, right now, I'm not really excited or looking foward to it, just curious. *shrug* My two cents. The old-fashioned kind that are bigger than silver dollars. >_>;

[LollipopLolita]

see now, if ian-kunx can do it in a good fair and mature way, i'm sure other people can too

[Rain_1]

don't get me wrong.. card games are nice....

it's not like "omfg ít'll be teh sux cuz it's a card game"... it'll be "teh sux" because it's not a adventure game... a kind of game which i enjoy much, much more than a regular card game...

which i like, btw.. i don't play it 24/7 like i used to play pso, but they're nice.... i'd love if it was a add-on to a new phantasy star game (like the lobby soccer was a addon to ver2)... but as a stand alone game... meh, i'll pass it...

[Kezay]

My opinion might be biased but oh well.

Actually I look forward to Ep.3. My brother and I were avid PTCG fans and I to me the new PSO will be a welcome addition. Besides although it's a bad thing that it goes from the fast paced antics of Ep 1 and 2 to the seemingly slow Ep 3, TCG's, Card games and the sort in general are slow because it's a game involving strategy. Do you go in making full out a assaults? Or do you take the time to plan ahead to not only take down your enemy but defend against their attacks? Sounds like my kind of game.

[TheTrueJanus]

Now when I heard that Episode 3 was going to be a card game, I was shocked and interested at the same time. I'm looking forward to seeing how the game is played, because I'm not all that sure how you control things (my first idea of it came out like Lost Kingdoms, which I like very much). This is like the same situation with people and the Legend of Zelda series. They all knew and loved Ocarina of Time, because of how the graphics were (at the time). Then Majora's Mask came out, people still liked that (to an extent). But then people saw the graphics of Wind Waker and immediately rejected it, because of how it looked. 'That game sucks' was the generic opinion of it, but I bought and played it and the only difference between it and the past Zelda's are the graphics. The gameplay is actually way better. So people, don't judge this game by how it looks or sounds until you have played it. It really does look like it will be interesting, and I know for a fact I'm going to buy it when it comes out to see how it is. And by the way, there will be no PSO4 or Episode 4, Sonic Team is creating a new storyline for the next PSO, so it will be something like PSO2 or a new title, but the Red Ring Rico and Flowen storylines are done after this (I know this site mentioned it a while ago or something like that, so this is just reminding people of it). That is all

[AUTO_]

Let's all bash a game we haven't played.

While we're at it, let's make assumptions HOW the game is played when we have no fucking clue.

Most people who HAVE (have) played it seem to like it-perhaps we should be a little more open minded?

[AngelAlys]

Right, can I clear a few things up please... Regarding my comments on Ep 3 and certain responses too... I am not in any way, shape or form knocking the gameplay elements or rules etc of Ep 3.

My arguement is based on the CONCEPTUAL idea of Ep 3 regardless of whether or not the game is fantastic or a pile of poo. I PERSONALLY feel that this is not the right way forward for the Phantasy Star francise, because what started off as a simple RPG on the master system to a larger better looking RPG on the Mega Drive, to a ground breaking move to play 3 generations of characters in Phantasy Star 3, to an explosive Heart wrenching climatic story in Phantasy Star 4

Then the evolution began with online play becoming tangable PSO exploded onto the scene and boy, was it a beauty, there was so much to hook us all in and look at this WEBSITE... whole communities have sprouted up because of it, and here PSO is 3 years after release and going strong on the latest consols have to offer


I love Phantasy Star, so much so I play the game how god [Sega Team] intended, 100% no cheating whatsoever. I genuinely want what's best for the title and because they have shown such strength with the evolution of the previous titles, I feel I am more than justified to voice my concerns over what I PERSONALLY feel is a FAD idea with very little to offer. Because hand on heart people can you really see yourselfs playing the same card game even 6 months later nevermind 3 years like we are all playing PSO

Look at the consequences too, if Ep 3 bombs then will another Phanatsy Star title be created??? I hope so because I want to be playing Phantasy Star for many, mahy years to come, but I dont want to be playing the latest FAD every year

Games of this ilk do so well because of characterisation, the strength of the characters make you come back for more, they draw you in to the story, they make you feel part of it, hense the popularity of the Final Fantasy series too. Can you feel that way about a bunch of cards???? That's why Yu-Gi and Pokes and Digi have all fallen by the wayside. If this was a downloadable game in the Warehouse... great... it would pass the time for a bit, but as the next evolution and direction for PSO, conceptually that is not how I feel it should go

I am not a Phantasy Star "basher" nor I feel my points are invalid. I love Phanatsy Star with great passion as the mail shows, but we dont always agree with the ones we love now do we and I am strong enough of character not to be led on to the latest bandwagon either

I hope people take on board what's been said here