PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Phantasy Star Online 2

[jooozek]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/09...star-online-2/
Positive reception it seems

[Lostbob117]

This image is awesome.

[pikachief]

I think if more video game sites give it positive previews and reviews the US version might actually have a good sized population going on

at least I would hope so! It would be nice to see the US version doing great! (even if JP will probably have at least lvl 70, 9-10 missions, very hard, 8 story missions, Falz, 6 classes, subclasses, and a ton more weapons and clothes)

I'm sure they'll do fine but I want them to flourish to show SEGA that there still is a good fanbase waiting for them to release good games to the public and we're still worth the effort!

[Vintasticvin]

Im happy to see our version being well spoken unlike the reception its been getting in this forums and for sure we will get everything up to killing falz after that is said and done new weapons and armor and all the things the people who rage and have egos bigger than their genitals bitch and whine about so feel free to sneak on back to jp for your precious cont


Have fun spending weeks and months trying to get your game working again after every update xD

[Chacron]

Im happy to see our version being well spoken unlike the reception its been getting in this forums and for sure we will get everything up to killing falz after that is said and done new weapons and armor and all the things the people who rage and have egos bigger than their genitals bitch and whine about so feel free to sneak on back to jp for your precious cont


Have fun spending weeks and months trying to get your game working again after every update xD

What? I understood only the first line of your post...

No idea what you're talking about for the rest of it.

[Angelo]

What? I understood only the first line of your post...

No idea what you're talking about for the rest of it.

Let me take a whack at this...

"I'm happy to see the western version being spoken of in high regard as opposed to the way it's usually spoken of here at PSO-World.

I'm sure that by the time it's released overseas there will be content all the way up to fighting Dark Falz. After that, I'm sure we'll still get an influx of new content like weapons and units.

As for all the egotistical whiners here at PSO-World and other gaming communities, feel free to break the ToS and continue to play on the Japanese servers just so that you can have content before the rest of us who will play the localized version, and good luck having to deal with the frustrations of updating your mods (English patch) every time they patch the game."

[Lostbob117]

Let me take a whack at this...

"I'm happy to see the western version being spoken of in high regard as opposed to the way it's usually spoken of here at PSO-World.

I'm sure that by the time it's released overseas there will be content all the way up to fighting Dark Falz. After that, I'm sure we'll still get an influx of new content like weapons and units.

As for all the egotistical whiners here at PSO-World and other gaming communities, feel free to break the ToS and continue to play on the Japanese servers just so that you can have content before the rest of us who will play the localized version, and good luck having to deal with the frustrations of updating your mods (English patch) every time they patch the game."

Nice translating.

[Sizustar]

As for all egotistical whiners here at PSO-World and other gaming communities, feel free to break the ToS and continue to play on the Japanese servers just so that you can have content before the rest of us who will play the localized version, and good luck having to deal with the frustrations of updating your mods (English patch) every time they patch the game."

Sakai already addressed the TOS change, and explained he welcome foreign players, as was the majority of Japanese player who responded to his blog.
And the TOS change is to address RMT and malicious user, not the normal day to day player, so bringing that up is moot.

I've never understood the don't complain stance.
Sega wants to make the game better, which is why they just did a 1st player survey, so players can let Sega know of their grievance, and Sega can make a better game.

And it's not just English/foreign player that feels the game can't be better.

Here's a game review by a Japanese player.

Spoiler!

[TaigaUC]

I was initially impressed with PSO2's gameplay, but I came to realize that, although it is better than previous games I've tried, there are stil a lot of serious flaws with the game. In relying on progression and systems commonly seen in RPGs and other online games, such as focus on levelling, equipment and stats, it falls into the same traps as other online games and doesn't hold up in the long run.

As one example, I can't stand that the difficulty and fun factor of the game relies so heavily on whether you have the right gear, level and stats. Regardless of skill, if you're below par, combat is tedious and boring. If you're at par, combat is just right and fun. If you're above par, combat's a joke. You can't even play with your friends if everyone doesn't keep up with the levels required to play specific areas. I've always hated that in these kinds of games.

PSO2 also relies heavily on random number generators behind almost every aspect of its gameplay. I won't go into the stupid upgrading systems, but a more important example is how completing a quest on time (or even at all) relies heavily on if the game decides to spawn the enemies or events you need, and if the game decides to completely screw you with a combination of events that waste your time. Systems using random number generators are nothing but monkey wrenches that force you to replay old content. They often conflict with the goals set by the game, and often make the game less fun. Thus, they should be removed or replaced entirely.

The games I've played for decades and STILL play don't rely on progression, randomness or RPG systems at all. They focus on making the main gameplay fun and deep to the point that, even if I've already played the game to death, I can still pick up the game at any time, without having to grind up to level requirements or obtain rare gear. I can engage in any battle, in any area, with any enemy, using any setup I like. And I will still have a fresh, unique and fun experience, where there is always room for more experimentation and improvement of my own personal ability and playstyle.

I've been thinking that PSO2 would probably be a lot more fun if it was nothing but huge bosses with lots of interesting patterns to learn and master, and without all of the level and equipment nonsense. The upcoming update claims to have many new bosses, so we'll see how that goes.

I've never understood the don't complain stance.
Sega wants to make the game better, which is why they just did a 1st player survey, so players can let Sega know of their grievance, and Sega can make a better game.

And it's not just English/foreign player that feels the game can't be better.

Here's a game review by a Japanese player.

Haha. That's a long list of bad points. I absolutely agree with you that the "don't complain" stance is nonsensical. I'm glad that other people are pointing out the flaws in this game. After all, how can one improve on something if they don't know what problems it has, or that it's even problematic at all? People nowadays just want to accept everything as is. Nobody wants to try and improve anything. They want to believe that everything's as good as it can be, because it makes them feel more safe, secure and content. It's a cesspool of laziness, apathy and ignorance.

Personally, I have a habit of focusing on the negatives, so that I can improve upon them. However, when it comes to feedback, creators need to filter through everyone's concerns on an equal level, because they don't know who is full of it and who isn't. They have no idea if the feedback they receive is from someone with experience who has serious concerns. Fact is, most people don't know what they are talking about. They complain about things that aren't actually issues, are extremely subjective, and only complain in favor of their personal cause. Positive feedback also suffers from these same problems. Many people only focus on the positives and don't want to see the negatives. With all this in mind, you can imagine how ridiculously difficult to obtain valid feedback for anything. I only listen to feedback from people I can trust.

Here's another example that I think results from the "don't complain" culture: Amongst art-related communities, people who can't draw at all are always showered with encouragement and compliments. This makes them believe they they are the best, and never improve. They use the positive feedback as a defense to justify that they are already perfect. They even gang up on, discredit and ridicule anyone who points out that they have room for improvement. Meanwhile, artists who have real talent tend to not receive feedback at all. It's really very sad and makes no sense. It encourages everyone to focus on ego-stroking and discourages quality and skill. I often feel like everything around us is heading in that direction.

[Vintasticvin]

Let me take a whack at this...

"I'm happy to see the western version being spoken of in high regard as opposed to the way it's usually spoken of here at PSO-World.

I'm sure that by the time it's released overseas there will be content all the way up to fighting Dark Falz. After that, I'm sure we'll still get an influx of new content like weapons and units.

As for all the egotistical whiners here at PSO-World and other gaming communities, feel free to break the ToS and continue to play on the Japanese servers just so that you can have content before the rest of us who will play the localized version, and good luck having to deal with the frustrations of updating your mods (English patch) every time they patch the game."

Pretty much what I meant Angelo thanks a bunch for making my thought understandable and less vulgar sounding.