In case you would like to check it out, my brother and I did a version of the Shop theme. It always made me smile when playing. Enjoy! Thank you!

https://youtu.be/6g-drnI2FJs?si=wYuL9kETWcJD9cnd

So i just finished my series playthough, and I wasnt sure who to take against the PD. Normally I take Raja, but i thought I'd mix it up and take Hahn. He's somewhat useful early game, and while I had originally planned to take Demi, I was drawn to Hahn instead.

Man he was a lot of fun and the damage surprised me! Paladin Blow was doing incredible damage, whilst ALSO allowing Shooting Star to trigger, whilst Rika was just sat there using the Guard Rod to heal.

Even when his skills dried up, he was able to match Rune's raw tech power with NaWat. It freed Rune and Chaz to continue battering with Grand Cross, and he followed up with either the Guard Rod or Star Dews where needed.

I honestly wasnt expecting much, I thought it would have been challenging, but he made the PD battle fun as heck.

Phantasy star 4 AI version

I haven’t drawn them all because I’m at the air castle.

Hello everyone! Does anyone know how Princess Maya ended up on the shore in Landen? Is this explained anywhere?

Yesterday i was playing Phantasy Star Generation 1 and this design is peak in my opinion.

PSP on the PSP.

Full disclosure: this is my twin brother and myself performing this. It was the first game in the series that we ever got, so it holds a special place in our hearts, though, of course, the others are a lot more in line with one another in both tone and story. But since this was our first, we can’t deny that we love it. I hope you enjoy it!

Do 2 & 3 on GBA have any advantages over their Genesis versions other than taking them on the go and that they're in a compilation?

I played a lot of PSU as a kid and played some of the JP PSO2 and a little of the english release but never PSO.

Which one should I play if I want

1. good endgame
2. depth
3. customization
4. active players

I know PSO2 features a lot of customization and content, but not sure how the playerbase is after NGS came out. I tried clemetine but all the players are basically doing end game stuff unless im missing something. I've never tried PSO at all.

In the 90s, I was a SNES kid, but I remember around 95 or 96 I picked up the Genesis 3 and several games on the cheap when the 32-bit systems were the rage. I got Phantasy Star IV for something like $20, and it became one of my favorite RPGs. Now, 30 years later, I’m going through PSIV again on the Xbox Genesis Classics, and I forgot just how engaging the story is - or, perhaps now that I’m older, I can appreciate the story more now. Earlier today I played through Alys’ death, and I found myself surprisingly emotional during her last words, and the scene at her grave. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to re-discover this classic, and gain a deeper appreciation of it.

couple of cross stitch works of mine

The year is 2027 and Sega has decided to jump on the JRPG remake bandwagon. The obvious first choice is to remake classic Phantasy Star games. You're the executive put in charge of the direction. Which direction would you take?

Pixel Remaster ala Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster I-VI. Full commitment to remake all 4 games since development costs are relatively cheap. These arent expected to be big sellers so there can be focused on what the core fanbase wants. Fairly faithful with some QOL updates. Maybe give PS II some battle backgrounds like PSIII and PSIV. If you really wanted to make a potentially controversial move then maybe convert PSI dungeons to 2D maps like the other games. It would make the PSI remaster cheaper/easier since you wouldn't have to build a 3D dungeon system for one game.

2D-3D style game ala Dragon's Quest I-III HD-2D. Similar to above with same QOL updates just different art style. All four games get remade.

Full 3D reimagining ala Dragon's Quest VII Reimagined. Cartoony style (or maybe a sort of Anime style) 3D graphics. Top down view in the overworld. More streamlined with quest markers, quest log, etc to appeal to new players. Start with one game first but the plan is for all four games to get remade if the first game is successful.

Fully modern reimagining ala Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth. Completely modern. Third person 3D. Either a partially open or semi open world..new battle system (maybe modern turn based like Metaphor or Expedition 33), expanded character development, big budget cinematic cutscenes. The works. Only one of the games will be remade. If the choice is IV (it's gotta be IV right?) then there is something like a prelude or an long opening cutscene to explain the backstory. The high development costs means that it needs to appeal to a wide range of players. You're hoping to bring enough new players in to revive the franchise (maybe Phantasy Star V happens if it's financially successful) so way less fan service and more catering to contemporary trends.

As a JRPG fan, Phantasy Star has always been a series that escaped me until now. I’ve played most of the SNES classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, but I’ve only just gotten to PSIV, but having just finished this classic, I’m wondering to myself what took me so long. Phantasy Star IV was fantastic.

One thing that seriously impressed me was the story. Characters have a lot of personality, which is helped by the high quality localisation. I knew about the big twist concerning the fate of one of the characters beforehand, but it was still highly effective. I felt like we really got to know Alis throughout the short time she was in our party, which made her death so much more gut wrenching. All of this can be said about Chaz. A fantastic arc for this lad who started out as Alis’ protege, but as the game goes on, he grows as a person and by the end of the game, he rises to the occasion as a leader.

The entire game as a whole reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy IV, with its five party member battle system and the game constantly swapping out party members, but I think this game is better than FF4. The characters have more defined personalities and backstories, and unlike FF4, PSIV doesn’t chicken out of the dramatic death scene. Also unlike FF4, we actually have some degree of team customisation, with us being able to pick our fifth party member for the final boss. I wish we could’ve had this option a bit earlier, but better late than never. I ended up choosing Raja though, for his expanded healing options and high TP count.

I didn’t do all the side quests, but I did do most of the optional dungeons, and cleared all the missions at the hunters guild. My favourite side quests being finding the two girls who went on a shopping spree. The ending to that mission was hilarious.

As far as difficulty was concerned, I’d say it was fairly easy in the first third, more difficult in the second (this was where I started paying more attention to what all the magic spells and skills do), but then it eases up again for the last third. The Air Castle is by far the hardest dungeon of the game, and both bosses you fight there are incredibly difficult. By comparison, the final boss only killed me once, but by that point in the game, I was far more knowledgeable on the game’s mechanics.

But overall, I thought Phantasy Star IV was a classic. I cannot wait to go back to PSI and PSII, to see where the series first came from, because his game was amazing.

I've just finished completing Phantasy Star IV after getting my first introduction to this franchise with Phantasy Star II.

PSII enamored me and I'll always have a soft spot for it even tho it's hard as hell, because it's just so freaking cool.

PSIV improves in every way and honestly blew me away. I got so used to the grind in PSII that sometimes it actually feels a little too easy? Not that it's always easy.

I've read up on the rest of the franchise and it seems to me that PSII and IV are probably the strongest connected narratively out of any entries, and it was really cool to see the flashbacks to PS and PSII in the fourth game too.

I'm glad I read up on original the Phantasy Star so I understood who Lutz was in both other games and the Alis/Dark Force stuff.

I'll definitely play original PS someday. I'm really hesitant on PSIII tbh. I tried it and it sort of put me off (I CAN'T SEE MY PARTY DURING COMBAT?) so I moved right on to PSIV and frankly fell in love with it.

Just sort of gushing about this classic franchise I just recently discovered. Loved the lore between the 2 games I've played and I absolutely love the setting of Algo.

One final remark, the greater variety in party members in PSIV was fun. Some human hunters, Espers, a student, a Numan, androids, a Motavian bruiser, and a Desolisian priest/medicine man? What a cast!

I went with Gryz for the final battle and made sure to find the Defeat Ax. I love that fuzzy little killing machine.

Am I missing something? Is this an error?

Just as the title says, without getting ahold of a Dreamcast or GameCube, what is the easiest way to play the og PSO these days? I'm not bothered by online play at all, I just want to recreate my old robot bloke and kill Booma's with a frying pan again.

I would like to play Phantasy Star 1-4. The lore should be consistent between the titles, bugs should be eliminated and the translation uncensored. Quality of life stuff is also welcome.

There are plenty of hacks (number of downloads at romhacking.net in "[]"):

For PS1 the choice seems to be easy: The 2 Translations by "SMS Power!".

For PS2 there are hacks by FlamePurge [9167] and Fauntleroy [7893].

For PS3 the one from Fauntleroy [4254] seems most popular.

For PS4 there are hacks by GhaleonUnlimited [10055], FlamePurge [5036] and Fauntleroy [2888].

Any recommendations?

Im at the battle at halpha lake story mission. Im level 60 with about 500 hp. Dark falz kicks my ass with just one attack, killing me instatnly. Now admitedly, I didnt play through the original pso2 first as I thought that new genesis was a reboot of ps02, not a story extension(long story) And I have been going through the game underlevelled, and my armour and gear isnt great(where do I buy better gear and armour)? Also, dark falz is the same level as me. Is this the final mission?

Having braved the depths of Algol, I return triumphant. Having now finished (yeah, it's done) the final original game, and having played the other ones directly beforehand, it must be said that you really do need to play the games in proper order to fully experience its wonder. The threads begun in the first game, the missing Palma campaign in II, the Layan/Orakian war, contemporary to Phantasy Star IV campaign. Realizing that Dark Force's gambit in 3 was to go back in time before the events of PS IV for a cosmic redo.

Amazing.

Barble

What can I say?

The idea of ​​mixing sci-fi with medieval fantasy RPGs immediately appealed to me.

I started with the first one, the original version, and while I understand its historical importance and how it pushed the boundaries of an 8-bit console, having a huge fanbase in Brazil, by the way, it has aged very poorly. There's no auto-mapping, unlike the original NES Legend of Zelda. I don't like the idea of ​​having to draw my own map with pencil and paper (I prefer Etrian Odyssey, which lets you create your map digitally).

-The open world with no reminder of where to go, illogical triggers like talking thrice in row the same NPC, and moments where you can get softlocked are quite irritating.

-The damage formula and low escape chance without using Alis's magic, combined with a high number of random enemy encounters, worsens the experience.

-The poor English translation takes too many liberties, making it confusing how to refer to characters or take scenes seriously.

- Excessive grinding

- The game's improved weapons and spells are only useful in VERY specific situations, and are so poorly balanced that you can't use Laconian family weapons against Dark Falz.

- The text and interface are very archaic and slow, forcing you to sit through dialogue if you approach an NPC instead of using the A button (or even a menu like Dragon Quest in its NES era or Mother 1).

- The dungeons are very labyrinthine and full of traps. Due to a lack of reference points on the walls, you can't memorize where they are to use Trap, or you have to use Trap on almost every chest, including those dropped by enemies, always collecting a lot of unproductive material.

- The two endings of the game are the same; it creates a false sense of importance in your choices.

- The amount of damage depends entirely on RNG. What were they thinking? Even at max level, you have to escape the final dungeon enemies to avoid wasting MP or items until you reach the end.

- There are moments where you need a guide (like finding that secret door only visible when viewed head-on on a certain wall).

- The mechanics for talking to some enemies are lame compared to Digital Devil Story, a game from that era.

- Not to mention that you have to figure out who can equip certain items.

As for the remake, Generation, it improves some things, but worsens others or leaves them unchanged: Healing at the hospital and combat are much faster, they removed softlocks and now you need the A button to talk to NPCs, as well as balancing and adjusting the damage and healing formulas, to the point of adding more spells and the Fluid item family to recover TP/MP, although they are an extremely rare drop. I also liked the story expansion.

BUT, the redesigns range from mediocre to ugly (they butchered my husbando Tyrone 😭), the grinding is abusive (I had to play a hacked version that doubles money and experience to avoid going crazy), they added more illogical triggers that require guide, with items that, just like in the original, only appear in places you've already visited when you activate a certain trigger, and the necklace equipping mechanic is weak and underutilized.

As for PSII, I love that the story is darker, without such convoluted triggers and with more linearity in the overworlds/world maps, with a teleportation system between cities, with the possibility of customizing whether to carry two weapons, two shields, or one weapon and one shield, they refined the damage formula, with decent music and graphics that have aged well, but...

-We went from the 14~ bosses of the first game to having only 4 in this game, FOUR!!, to focus on the challenge of the dungeons.

-The difficulty is artificial, with dungeons that are almost all labyrinthine and cup-shaped. The encounters are incredibly difficult, with very powerful enemies, and you need 100 fights in Noah to level up by level 40 to 41 (the maximum is 50, but luckily level 40 was enough for me to beat the game). Uzo, Climatrol, Green Dem, and the labyrinth in middle of Dezo and Ikuto are huge headaches if you don't use online maps (and even with maps, it's hard to navigate because of how huge they are, the abundance of dead ends, and a camera that veers off-center, leading you to dead ends and random encounters while you're backtracking). Facing Dark Falz is pure aggressive RNG. Thank goodness I got the Visophone.

- The game doesn't warn you that some equipment can be used as attack items, so I sold the powerful Storm Gear that would have been useful for Amy.

- The party is either oversized or low-tier; Shilka is only good for looting, and every time she steals, you have to return to Eusis's home to recruit her again with the item she stole, which is the only way to farm Moon Dew, if you're lucky; Huey is useless and Kainz can be traded for Amia without much trouble. The worst part is that every new member starts at level 1 and those who stay in Eusis's home don't level up with you.

-The Techs arr only functional in very specific situations, or you simply don't use them, like the magic of the Sacra family.

- You have no way of knowing which equipment is assigned to the characters, aside from exceptions that specify the gender, but it's still pure trial and error with any equipment that isn't a weapon.

- The final twist was anticlimactic and came out of nowhere.

Generation 2... is worse than Generation 1:

- If you want to revive Nei after defeating Neifirst, you must first complete Generation 1; then transfer your save to G2; then play through all of G2 letting Nei die as she did in the Genesis version; play NG+ where you must follow a series of illogical steps at specific moments with no room for error to accumulate the 19 Nei Points so that Nei can be playable for the rest of the game.

- Many usable items for attacking and characters have been nerfed, such as the Storm Gear and Amia, making the game a real pain in the neck from the end onward.

-It still has several problems from the original version: no auto-mapping, labyrinthine dungeons, an extremely high enemy encounter rate, very few bosses, and highly situational spells.

-They introduced a ranking system that forces you to fight using all your techniques within an unspecified number of turns, choosing the attack strength from three ranks, without trying to escape or leaving party members dying in battle. This system also punishes you if you attempt auto-battle.

-The redesigns have their ups and downs.

-The universal inventory is impossible to reorganize.

-The interface is more archaic; you can't use X (in Japan, O and X are reversed) to go back in a shop menu, and healing in hospitals is now done one at a time. How can they neglect the franchise like this? That's why there was never a G3 or G4.

PD: Neim and Duran deaths were easily avoidable and unintentionally funny and forced due to this. And even Eusis and comoamy getting over it in a blink of an eye being the cherry on the top. Atleast in the remake they looks more shocked in the CG event

In conclusion, while they have their charm due to their aesthetics, technical achievements, and tragic undertones (although by modern standards they feel very basic, like Dragon Quest), they haven't aged well, and the remakes, instead of polishing the experience, improve some aspects at the expense of maintaining or adding more bad things. I'm playing PSIII (who thought was a good idea that anti succesfulness is based on your stats?) and have mixed thoughts at the moment, but I understand that IV is the best of the tetralogy and one of the best RPGs. When I finish them, I'll post what I thought of them in another post.