PSO (Any Version/System): Still a Great Game

[Shade_Koopa]

For those of you that play PSO (offline/online and DC/GC/PC/BB in some way), is it still a great game to play? What about comparing it to games of today, still a great game to play?

[Necha54]

Hells yes, although i love the Final Fantasy games. Nothing tops PSO

[GCoffee]

Might be those pink nostalgia goggles, but PSO still rocks whenever it is played. Naturally, multiplayer-sessions are preferred.

[blace]

It is one of those games that have an impact no matter when you pick it up and play.

[Broken_L_button]

Like they say, "you don't leave PSO, you only take breaks".

[Mike]

Is it fun to play? Yes. Is it as fun to play as it was 10 years ago? No. The offline experience hasn't changed and is fun if not a bit lonely. The remaining online versions feels like TTF spam and when I go on I'm not trying to power level or anything, I'm trying to relive the experience that PSO provided years ago and TTF doesn't help.

[AlexCraig]

Is it fun to play? Yes. Is it as fun to play as it was 10 years ago? No. The offline experience hasn't changed and is fun if not a bit lonely. The remaining online versions feels like TTF spam and when I go on I'm not trying to power level or anything, I'm trying to relive the experience that PSO provided years ago and TTF doesn't help.

That depends on the server you play on. On the main one, yeah, it can be like that. On the one I play on, it is more quiet, but we do more than just TTF.

[Neirene]

I've been playing it non-stop since i heard about the series in 2003 and then jumped online for the first time with PSOBB in the open beta of 2004 until the servers shutdown the last year, and even so, i'm still playing it now again in the private server and by myself in the gamecube offline again ^^ the whole trilogy episode 1,2 and 3 and 4 in BB.

This game has a spirit that never gets old, however only certain people from a certain generation can actually appretiate and love it so much, not even my boyfriend can understand how I can still love a game that it's so old looking with not so great graphics or gameplay for todays standards but that's the way it is, and I tried PSU and even PSO2 but although those are good games nothing compares to PSO because it was unique and it's impossible to copy it at all.

[Krank32oz]

Dude Ive been playing BB a bunch still. I'm getting back into it before PSO2 comes out which I cant wait for. Even the GameCube version is fun to play. PSO is always better with other people tho!

[Crazyleo]

Like they say, "you don't leave PSO, you only take breaks".

You took the words out of my mouth. :-P

Still, I have to agree with you on that statement. (Wishes to be playing PSO instead of PS0 ^^;)

[Krank32oz]

You took the words out of my mouth. :-P

Still, I have to agree with you on that statement. (Wishes to be playing PSO instead of PS0 ^^;)

DUDE! check your PM's!!!

[Capn_Nostrus]

Man, I'd love to find a good server that isn't the main one. I dunno who all still plays on Gamecube though, not a BB fan.

[Shade_Koopa]

Dude Ive been playing BB a bunch still. I'm getting back into it before PSO2 comes out which I cant wait for. Even the GameCube version is fun to play. PSO is always better with other people tho!

Agreed, the game is always fun with more players; specially with friends.


You took the words out of my mouth. :-P

Still, I have to agree with you on that statement. (Wishes to be playing PSO instead of PS0 ^^;)

PSZ still shines as it a more of sequel of PSO then PSU was. Granted PSZ doesn't have alot of content like PSO was but it has it Ups too. ^^


Man, I'd love to find a good server that isn't the main one. I dunno who all still plays on Gamecube though, not a BB fan.

Well, there are still some PSO fans out their that still play the Gamecube one, even online. The only thing it PSO:BB is for PC and easy to aquire. Unless you already have a GC, the Game, and adapter, it better to play PSO:BB since it's the same anyways.

[TrueChaos]

That depends on the server you play on. On the main one, yeah, it can be like that. On the one I play on, it is more quiet, but we do more than just TTF.

i'm on the same server and, though it's really quiet, when we do get to go for runs it's great fun. even go alone is still fun. was on that OTHER server for a while but they kinda ruined it by changing things too much. plus doing runs with random people was annoying so i tended to run on my own until a friend like Alex turns up. even though i've been playing the game for many years, i've still got a list of things i'd like to do/get

[MoonlightMyau]

I think I'm probably enjoying it more now than I did "back in the day". I've found myself doing things that I didn't have a chance to do first time around & most people on both servers I've played on have been very nice indeed.

So to answer the OP, yes still a very enjoyable game & in my opinion it does stand up to current games (maybe not graphics-wise), I stopped playing Skyrim to jump back in to PSO.

[MAD1b]

Like they say, "you don't leave PSO, you only take breaks".

Too true!

[vagabondkitten]

I've been obsessively playing PSO on the GameCube lately and I still find it to be my favorite game of all time. I wish I could get one of my friends to play some split screen with me but alas I don't really have any nerd friends. :-?

[Neirene]

Lately I've been playing a lot on the gamecube also not even PSOBB as much although i would love to have the possibility to play PSOBB in a server that don't "mod" the game too much I just want to play PSO as it is without any extras and since online it's hard to find something like that I'm sticking with the GC plus version

[Dragwind]

I still have unfinished hunts that I attempt to work on today. The saying is right. You never leave PSO, you just take breaks. Just a part of the reason PSO is branded on my arm.

[Krank32oz]

I still have unfinished hunts that I attempt to work on today. The saying is right. You never leave PSO, you just take breaks. Just a part of the reason PSO is branded on my arm.

Dude i bet there are some really sweet pso tattoo's. The game has some awesome artwork that could be used very well. And for playing pso still. I would much rather play GC version over BB but playing online is what makes this game great and you cant do that with GameCube anymore.

[BWS-1]

PSZ still shines as it a more of sequel of PSO then PSU was. Granted PSZ doesn't have alot of content like PSO was but it has it Ups too. ^^

Too true. To me, it feels like a ''blast from the past'' time-paradox-of-a-prequel. Almost the way it would look like if a PSO game had ever been released on the Sega Saturn... a HANDHELD Sega Saturn! Ah, how that would be nice... drifting off-topic.

My only problem with PSZ is the console it's on. My love for PSZ is there, no doubt, but if I was to describe my experience in one line it would be "you don't leave PSZ, PSZ leaves you with broken L and R buttons after a mere 200 hours (if you're lucky)."

And of all buttons, those were the ones I was the most careful given how feeble I thought they were the moment I tried them out on day 1. I guess the DSi turned out to be the worst version of DS to grab for PSZ.

They are such a bitch to repair too. I'll probably have to open my DSi AGAIN, this time to struggle with the R button. And the only way I found to ''fix'' them isn't even that great. Makes them work 7 out of 10 times... well... I guess that's better than 1 out of 20 attempts/never.

[Abrogan]

I have just ordered a game cube and all i need to get back into it because i love the game so much! Canny wait to get back on it :) :) x

[Cranberry]

For the main one, the rules are a lot more relaxed on Gamecube. If you're worried about the harsh BB rules, that won't be a concern if you're on Gamecube.

The person that said BB is just like Gamecube is quite incorrect. A lot of modifications have been made to BB, so much so that you can hardly call it PSO anymore. BB there is now basically a different game that kind of looks like PSO, but isn't.


Man, I'd love to find a good server that isn't the main one. I dunno who all still plays on Gamecube though, not a BB fan.




Gamecube is still able to go online via private servers. So if you're itching to take your Gamecube character for a spin in an online enviornment that option still exists.


Dude i bet there are some really sweet pso tattoo's. The game has some awesome artwork that could be used very well. And for playing pso still. I would much rather play GC version over BB but playing online is what makes this game great and you cant do that with GameCube anymore.

[9898]

is obama a great president

*asks on a pro obama forum*


For the main one, the rules are a lot more relaxed on Gamecube. If you're worried about the harsh BB rules, that won't be a concern if you're on Gamecube.

The person that said BB is just like Gamecube is quite incorrect. A lot of modifications have been made to BB, so much so that you can hardly call it PSO anymore. BB there is now basically a different game that kind of looks like PSO, but isn't.
no... it is very much still pso. if an epv was released by your logic it would not be pso? pso plays exactly the same on bb with a few items added. if you play pso like most people for all intents and purposes it is the same thing. by the way, it's a logical extension of pso gc, so i'll point out that bb is gc w/ items and another area

[Cranberry]

I'm more talking about the custom patches and modifications that have been added on the private server. It's been modified so much from how Sega designed it, that it's not really Blue Burst anymore.

It's sort of like if you take Super Mario Brothers, do a bunch of ROM hacks to change how things work, and then put it out. It kind of looks like Mario Brothers, but it's not the same game.

[9898]

the base gameplay is still identical, i really fail to see why it matters to %99 of players. and the game balance is still pretty much identical to the original version, with hunters still ahead of rangers, then forces. even the gameplay flow with what weapons you use is identical, only the names have change. still very much pso. i think a critical difference you fail to mention with rom hacks is that the base gameplay has not changed. by your logic the version of gc you play with custom quests is not the same game. i choose not to care about a slippery slope like this (this is the same thing that leads to dreaded legit / illegit ridiculousness) and look at the basic gameplay.

[Cranberry]

My biggest complaint is they've changed so much of how things work. Things like releasing the lock on things that aren't supposed to be comboing, increasing the technique boosts by drastic amounts, changing how many materials characters are able to use, changing the statistics of many items, or adding entirely new ones in that are quite overpowered. I feel that this has gone too far, and it really has changed the very way the game is played. I feel that is quite a difference to the core gameplay.

To go with my rom hack example, it would sort of be like adding a machine gun into Mario Brothers that lets you blow away anything in front of you. Such a thing changes the very way the game plays.

While I know that online games get updates and such, I feel the private server has gone too far.

The difference with Gamecube and custom quests is that it's adding new content without changing the very core of the game. (I wasn't in favor of the custom quests that handed out things like Red ring and level 30 techs and stuff like that). But I don't feel new content such as new quests (that don't hand you the games rarest items on a silver platter) breaks tradition or signifies a drastic change.

[9898]

My biggest complaint is they've changed so much of how things work. Things like releasing the lock on things that aren't supposed to be comboing, increasing the technique boosts by drastic amounts, changing how many materials characters are able to use, changing the statistics of many items, or adding entirely new ones in that are quite overpowered. I feel that this has gone too far, and it really has changed the very way the game is played. I feel that is quite a difference to the core gameplay, simply what you do with these core options / character roles has expanded, but has not encroached on others.

To go with my rom hack example, it would sort of be like adding a machine gun into Mario Brothers that lets you blow away anything in front of you. Such a thing changes the very way the game plays.

While I know that online games get updates and such, I feel the private server has gone too far.

The difference with Gamecube and custom quests is that it's adding new content without changing the very core of the game. (I wasn't in favor of the custom quests that handed out things like Red ring and level 30 techs and stuff like that). But I don't feel new content such as new quests (that don't hand you the games rarest items on a silver platter) breaks tradition or signifies a drastic change.
combo unlocks have added a significant amount of depth to the choice pool of what to use in what situation, while in gc there are comparatively few relevant options in a similar situation. you still use vulcs / lk etc for single dps, you still use arms etc for multi target and you still use a weapon for cleanup, and forces still have their basic gameplay flow retained. nothing has been disrupted in terms of core gameplay.

see my above example as a rebuttle to your second point.

while these may be your personal feelings ( nothing wrong with this), objectively the game is still pso in the most abstract and practical senses

[Cranberry]

I'm acknowledging your post.

I just don't agree with the statement. I do think the changes have significantly affected the game so much that it's not Sega's PSOBB anymore, its now some fan-hack PSOBB Special Private Server edition.

I've already explained my view, and I really don't have more that I wish to add. Thank you for arguing respectfully. It's refreshing to see someone post their disagreement with me without resorting to flames and insults.

[9898]

you may have not more to add, but i'm curious: how do you feel not having an ultimate character adds/ subtracts to the accuracy of these opinions. this isn't intended as a veiled ad hominem assault, but an inquiry regarding the degree to which you can accurately asses game changes that a player has not had first hand experience with.

[DC_PLAYER]

I still like the v2 game, ppl can still build the chars without any concerns about mags, mat plans and even ids, there is more problems when playing pso gc or bb, in wich case ppl often stress about good mags to combine with mat plans and ids play a large role.
On v2 everything is more relaxed, a tad more challenging due to ultimate enemies beeing a pain, especially online.
I enjoy the game, i don't play as much as i used to, but, i sometimes create skins or try and take some good screenshots, as there are few screenshots around with good quality.

I still prefer the default pso and not the modded versions as they not apeal to me.
Yes, for me PSO is still a good game, despite beeing old it's still fun to play.

[Cranberry]

Having been involved in PSO since 2003 I have a lot of experience on PSO and I have not ignored the other versions. Having watched the changes to the game, and having experienced them to a larger degree than you might realize, I do feel I can make an accurate assesment.

[9898]

Having been involved in PSO since 2003 I have a lot of experience on PSO and I have not ignored the other versions. Having watched the changes to the game, and having experienced them to a larger degree than you might realize, I do feel I can make an accurate assesment.
i'd like your opinion on a recent item then. how do you feel about Dark Flow's role in the current HU gameplay and why do you think the rainbow change is a bad idea? i think every notable player can agree that the game is less homogeneous than before, and choosing whether to use rainbow / df on a single target (yes, single targets) or multi target is often a more complex choice than meets the eye. do you think this is a bad change, especially given how simple hunter is in terms of weapons choice? i dont think once playing hunter i ever experienced the choice paralysis i did when playing RA (particularly fleshie), but i think surely this is a step in the right direction for a more complicated class.
this brings me to my next point, being that hunter still plays exactly the same as on v1. verbatim. idt a single weapon, let alone the slew of changes that have happened over the years can prevent the game from being "pso". i feel as though in this case having not played the changes / had to experience them first hand is definitely something that could possibly disqualify an opinion such as "x server's psobb is not pso anymore". i think that would be a very fair criticism that you could level at some of the other servers, but not this one. if you want to discuss this point further i'd be glad to, but i'd rather not post away unless i have an audience. something tells me that when we are playing the exact same thing we are seeing two very different worlds.
i'm agreeing to disagree in the end and i much appreciate you entertaining a little lively discussion ;) the perspective from a different version of the game is interesting.

[Cranberry]

The reason I don't like Dark Flow and Rainbow is because they are very unbalanced. Both of them are custom modifications, and both immediately became the most sought after items, and replaced everything else in their weapon category.

[9898]

The reason I don't like Dark Flow and Rainbow is because they are very unbalanced. Both of them are custom modifications, and both immediately became the most sought after items, and replaced everything else in their weapon category.
this kind of slippery slope in logic is unhealthy, because then what happens when they are nerfed and the next thing below them is deemed "too broken"? there's always going to be a good answer and a best answer to any given situation, whether in real life or in game. that doesn't make the game easier by any means, it is only artificially difficult in other's eyes. the most difficult things to accomplish in life and in games will require all of your resources to accomplish. i wrote a blueprint in my previous post as to how rainbow has actually "balanced" (brought more variety i think is the definition of balance you are trying to use) the game more. gamecube is a much less "balanced" game in your definition than bb at the moment, so i guess i wouldn't mind if you elaborated more. in the end games really don't need balance, just enough variation / relevant options in any given situation to keep things interesting. i think if anything discovery is fun, and whatever tweaks can be done in order to keep the game fresh / fun that is reasonable and doesn't upset the existing variety to the point of stagnation / elimination of relevant options is good. just some thoughts off the top of my head.

[DC_PLAYER]

All of the above = the reasons i don't play BB.

[Cranberry]

I disagree pretty strongly with most of that. I'm very much with DC_PLAYER on this. When you take a game, and start drastically changing it, it's not the same game anymore. I see this a lot like baseball vs softball. Softball is similar to baseball. Softball kind of looks like baseball, and it kind of plays like baseball, but it is not baseball and there are some very significant differences (though rules can vary between leagues).

Call us purists if you must, but both DC_PLAYER and I want to play the true game, not an alternate version that has changed the rules.

To elaborate on my softball vs baseball example, here are the rules my area had.

Softball: The ball is larger (obviously), You're not allowed to bunt. You're not allowed to "lead off" of bases. You're not allowed to try and steal until the ball has passed the plate (typically means you can't start running until the catcher already has the ball), you had to pitch underhand, and the ball had to rise at least 6 feet before reaching the plate. If one team pulled 9 runs head of the other team, they automatically won.

The baseball league had traditional MLB rules (more specifically, national league rules, where the pitcher got a turn to bat). Back when I played, I surprised my parents by signing up for baseball instead of softball (I was one of the very few women that did true baseball and not softball. I think there were 3 or 4 women in the entire league, myself included). I wanted to play true baseball, not a modified and altered version of it, that is softball. The rule chanages to softball have a very significant affect on the very way you play the game.

I see the modifications to BB the same way. When you start significantly changing the rules, it's not the same game anymore, even if parts of it still look and play similarly.

Simply put, DC_PLAYER and I are purists. We want the traditional game for our respective versions, not a modified one. That's why he has stuck to V2, and I have stuck to Gamecube. Our respective versions have remained in their pure form, and have not been changed and modified like BB has been. Similarly, I don't say that Version 2 and Gamecube are the same kind of PSO either, as they are very different.

[DC_PLAYER]

well yes, but the main problem for me is that other ppl decide how i should play (meaning they change the rules left and right) and the data becomes stored elsewhere.

I like games where i can play anytime i want (pso bb isn't it), for as long as i want and the way i want, stuff like no steam skyrim, no origin/EA mass effect,.....

PSO v1&v2 and PSO GC are the only ones that fit into that category, despite PSO BB beeing a PSO game that uses the same areas and stuff, the core of the game is not apealing to me, i only use it to take screenshots to be exact.

[9898]

I disagree pretty strongly with most of that. I'm very much with DC_PLAYER on this. When you take a game, and start drastically changing it, it's not the same game anymore. I see this a lot like baseball vs softball. Softball is similar to baseball. Softball kind of looks like baseball, and it kind of plays like baseball, but it is not baseball and there are some very significant differences (though rules can vary between leagues).

Call us purists if you must, but both DC_PLAYER and I want to play the true game, not an alternate version that has changed the rules.

To elaborate on my softball vs baseball example, here are the rules my area had.

Softball: The ball is larger (obviously), You're not allowed to bunt. You're not allowed to "lead off" of bases. You're not allowed to try and steal until the ball has passed the plate (typically means you can't start running until the catcher already has the ball), you had to pitch underhand, and the ball had to rise at least 6 feet before reaching the plate. If one team pulled 9 runs head of the other team, they automatically won.

The baseball league had traditional MLB rules (more specifically, national league rules, where the pitcher got a turn to bat). Back when I played, I surprised my parents by signing up for baseball instead of softball (I was one of the very few women that did true baseball and not softball. I think there were 3 or 4 women in the entire league, myself included). I wanted to play true baseball, not a modified and altered version of it, that is softball. The rule chanages to softball have a very significant affect on the very way you play the game.

I see the modifications to BB the same way. When you start significantly changing the rules, it's not the same game anymore, even if parts of it still look and play similarly.

Simply put, DC_PLAYER and I are purists. We want the traditional game for our respective versions, not a modified one. That's why he has stuck to V2, and I have stuck to Gamecube. Our respective versions have remained in their pure form, and have not been changed and modified like BB has been. Similarly, I don't say that Version 2 and Gamecube are the same kind of PSO either, as they are very different.
the analogy you provide is in depth, but it invalid considering that the rules governing sega bb, this bb and gc are exactly the same, they come from the same source and use the same underlying mechanics. v2 to any other version i think is an exception, v2's handling of damage (%s and ATP in particular) and weapons (eg frozen shooter spec being an ata check w/o damage, stats being different than bb and gc counterparts) are DRASTICALLY different than gc.

i guess if in the end you want something unmodified that's fine, and we really have nothing more to discuss. i think no matter what version of the game we play, we are playing a very different game, and that has nothing to do with the gameplay itself

[AlexCraig]

That's why I like the BB server I play on. We didn't change that much from how BB initially was. Granted it, as BB, is different from how DC and GC were, but it is still BB as it was originally intended to be played.

[Neirene]

I still don't understand why most people like to mod a game that it's already perfect as it is in any of it's version DC, GC or BB I really dislike that and it's one of the reasons of why I'm not playing PSOBB as much anymore but PSO GC the problem is I cannot go online with that one yet but i don't care as much as I can enjoy the game in its true shape without any weird modding.

I'm not familiar of PSOBB private servers as i recently joined that community after the closure of the official servers on december 2010 and since then i've been trying to repeat the same experiences i've been living since the psobb open beta in 2004 until the end but most servers i find are always modded in some way so that's why I completely agree with AlexCraig, Cramberry and DC_PLAYER this game lived for 10 years in a official way and it didn't needed to change at all with absurd mods.

I really would love to find a PSOBB server just like the official ones with same features and that's it no more nor less!

[MysticBruin]

I've had it since the DC days, and I keep coming back to it. Usually go on a 3-4 month tear where I play it every year.

Nostalgia? Perhaps. There's just something about it...

[Deepest Blue]

I still play this game off and on, mainly the GC version but I have the DC and Xbox versions too. However, I'd play it a lot more if it by chance they either allowed the backwards compatible to work on the 360 or release it on Arcade, something I really wished happened. I don't understand why such a great game like this has been left to die a death... And also I'd only be interested in a version that would have a game save locally and not on a server which is why I would never play PSOBB, PSU and even PSO2 (if there's no offline mode)...

[DreXxiN]

I have to agree with Mike on Page 1 on how TTF kind of kills the spirit of the game...

It sucks that it's so efficient...Even knowing that I try to avoid it like the plague now.

[16085k]

PSOBB is still fun, it's just overflowing with casuals

[DC_PLAYER]

I'm a casual and i can pretty much beat any pro :P

[Pballer42]

I still have fond memories of PSO on DC, Xbox, and BB.

[TheMagickHat77]

I missed out on the prime days of PSO, though I have friends who played it a lot back then. I get jealous when listening to them, though.

I have the DC version of PSO v1 & v2, but is it worth getting into considering that I can never seem to find a GC version of it and thus am missing out on content? I mean, I've played the offline mode a few times but have yet to really put in a dedicated playthrough, regardless of how much I've enjoyed it.

[megamegabuster]

PSO is a great game to this day, it gives me a charming enthusiasm that seems to attract my impulses. Yes, I will agree from a realistic perspective the game is obviously not as fresh as it was 10 years ago, but it has aged well like wine. It has that something that lasts like an old painting or piece of artwork. I'm just speaking from my pov. However, I'm obviously not alone or dellusional, since there are so many others who feel the same way so it must be true...that the game is still good.

[spade88]

PSO is a great game to this day, it gives me a charming enthusiasm that seems to attract my impulses. Yes, I will agree from a realistic perspective the game is obviously not as fresh as it was 10 years ago, but it has aged well like wine. It has that something that lasts like an old painting or piece of artwork. I'm just speaking from my pov. However, I'm obviously not alone or dellusional, since there are so many others who feel the same way so it must be true...that the game is still good.

Your right, and I share the same emotions as you do for PSO....