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Gigantic Waste of Time TURD

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: March 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After playing Phantasy Star Online (PSO) Episode III for 12 hours between 3/3 and 3/4, I have concluded that Episode III is meant for the die-hard players and not casual players. I'm one of the casual players who formerly owned a Gamecube copy of PSO Episode I&II and enjoyed that game immensely.

Card "chess" game engine is not the factor why I don't like about it. It's the length of time in the battles and it takes hours to sort, edit, plan, play battles and win or lose according to strategy. They say it's better than mindlessly hacking and slashing while adventuring freely. I say Episode I&II is much better in terms of fun factor.

After having to hear about the newbies whine in Episode III lobbies about this game being a waste of time and money, I must concur after having spent hours of time playing it.

For all the hype crowing about Episode III being the best, gameplay-wise and community-wise, it isn't worth wasting time playing long battles either to win or lose, increase rank and collect cards like it's Yu Gi Oh or Pokemon as bragging rights.

I have better things to do like modeling hobby and solving algebra problems with my time rather than p**s away my life on Episode III. I called Gamestop for the possibility of a refund and they can only give credit for another game. So I returned the game promptly and got the credit on gift card.

Maybe less-than-expected sales in North America will show Sega that Episode 3 is catered strictly to die-hard fans and video game addicts who like to spend 8+ hours a day playing a freakin' card game like D&D geeks.

Phantasy Star Online Episode III is a stepback for Sonic Team, who pioneered the fun of net-playing on consoles beginning with Dreamcast in 2001. I must warn against buying children this horrid time-sucking game unless they're fans of Yu Gi Oh and don't mind the turn-based strategy if they have the brains, patience and willingness to spend ungodly amount of time for less fun. As a matter of opinion, Episode III may incite anti-social aggression. This game takes the cake as the worst time-sucker since EverQuest.

Sonic Team, you lost my trust. Poor sales in Asia is evident of the experimental failure. Shame on you!!!!!

This game is really boring!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: March 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I find this 3rd installment of PSO to be an extreme disappointment. My biggest gripe about this game is not being able to play as the character that you create during battle. You can only use your character to run around the lobby. All the battles are fought using pre-made characters. The card battles are dreadfully long and tedious. Creating personal decks for battle becomes a bore after the novelty wears off. Definitely not my cup of tea, but I suppose it could provide hours of entertainment for others.

What's going on?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: February 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The game wins the award for "WORST INSTRUCTION MANUAL EVER". I can't figure out what the rules are to this game. I've played other strategy trading card games, and enjoyed them very much. But in this game, I can't figure out what's going on. In order to play a strategy game, you really need to know what the rules are.

I'm afraid I'll never know how much fun this game may have been.

Ruined a perfectly good game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm a big fan of Phantasy Star 1 and 2 (despite number 2's incredibly short story), so I was excited for a number three, but also hesitant about it being a card RPG. I heard that it was a huge hit in Japan and decided to give it a shot. The first two were good games, I admit not great, but they kept me entertained and constantly working for cool new weapons. Number 3 however is a completely different story. Fans of the hack and slash nature of the first two might as well not even bother with this installment since it's a turn based card battle system based on dice rolls and cards in your hand. You roll the dice and divide up your dice roll between moving your character, using/equipping cards, and actions, which all cost dice rolls. Thus, you get a big roll you can do a lot in your turn, you get a small roll your SOL, hope for a better roll next turn if you survive. Now I'm not hating on card RPG's here, I have nothing against them, but fans of the previous two games may be sadly dissapointed. There's also no exploring levels like in the first two. You chose a mission and it throws you right into the one battle for that mission, just one. However, in my case, the game overall was just plain boring. I foung myself falling asleep right in the middle of a battle after only two or three battles. I continued to try and force my way through about 15-20 hours of gameplay hoping the game would livenup... it didn't. Overall, if you liked exploring levels and hacking up hords of monsters with cool new weapons (basically the entire concept of the first two), I wouldn't bother with this third installment, sorry to dissapoint.

Not a bad game, but online players bring the experience down

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: April 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well, after fiddling around with this game for a few days, I can definitely say, it's a mixed bag. To understand the game, you must fist understand the mechanics. The game is divided into 5 rounds (Dice, Set, Move, Action, Draw) which alternate between one player/team or the next. All of this game play is imbedded into a storyline that you must complete to unlock better characters and cards. Destroying cards/creatures earns you experience that levels up your character and give you access to progressively better cards. Players receive new cards at the end of each match, but how many you receive is based on an evaluation of your previous match.

I do have a few complaints however. First, each character has their own storyline, but you can follow only one at a time. This means to get the stories from all the characters you will have to play the game over and over from the beginning. Each time you start over, you basically have to start collecting your cards all over again, as your previous progress is whipped out. Given the game's rather redundant nature, this can get old very quickly as there are usually 3-5 battles in-between each story "blurb". Story moments are delivered in a series of still images and scrolling text, much like they were in the heyday of 8-Bit gaming, no voices, no animation. While I can appreciate the retro feel that gives, some people might not like it. Secondly, there is a great power disparity between the "Hero" and the "Dark" characters. Hero characters can equip "equipment" cards for extra attacks and defense. They can only be killed when all their cards are destroyed, meaning that even a 1st level character can easily become a well-neigh indestructible whirling dervish. Dark characters have no such luxury. They attack by summoning creatures that are, on the whole, very weak. A moderately equipped hero can dispatch up to three creatures in a single attack, and well equipped hero is even stronger. Dark characters may not equip items and their creatures do very little damage meaning that unless you can bombard your opponent with a literally never ending stream of monsters, you're toast. Also, since you have to divide your action points among all your creatures, moving any number of summoned beasts is basically impossible. Fundamentally, everything works in favor of "Hero" characters. Anyone who chooses to play the "Dark" side must either have a grasp of subtle strategy that eludes me, or have a taste for defeat. You'll probably find yourself playing the same battle over and over again until you win by random chance or the AI doing something insanely stupid, which thankfully it does with some regularity.

The online component is definitely a mixed bag. Matching up with real human players is always more fun than the AI, but you have no control over the level of player that joins your match. Of course, all that means is that they're likely to have better cards than you, but one bad roll will still ruin their day. As a nice twist, if a lower level player defeats a higher level player, they actually loose EXP, meaning that standards are higher as you progress. Also, is a player chooses to drop off mid-match, the AI takes over their character and continues play. It's pretty neat actually. Also, online and offline exp are separate. Meaning you can't play the game endlessly offline and then come online as a high ranking character. Not that your level really has much bearing on anything. You can use the same decks online/offline so your level is little more than a matter of prestige. On the downside, much like PSO I&II, the world is full of immature and juvenile players who have nothing better to do than spam your screen with obscenities. Also, another issue is that you can select from little sound bites to play during the game. These can be fun, until somebody decides that it's cool to endlessly play the same sound over and over though the entire match. And yes, people do this. Much like any game, you will group with some very cool people, and you will group with some real losers. I'd give a lot of money if there was an easy way to report these types of things, but there isn't and most people behave like jerks with no fear of being caught. Also, it's only a matter of time until someone figures out how to "dupe" (aka copy) cards through hacking or some other trick, and then, much like PSO I&II the online game will effectively be ruined pretty much forever.

All in all, PSO 3 is a fun game if you enjoy Trading Card games, such as Magic or are a fan of collecting things. Even the pathetic "Dark" characters are generally fun to play even though you're going to loose 4 out of 5 matches, and that's saying something. The majority of complaints I have revolve around the lack of balance between the two sides, and the general immaturity of the people online.

Hmm..

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: May 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Not a very good game compared to most internet games. I would suggest you wait for other Game Cube internet games that are acually good and spend your money on those.

PSO Revolution

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was skeptical of this game at first, how could a cardgame live up to the great PSO standards? A risky change to be sure, especially since most cardgames out there are boring, repedative, and just not much fun. Luckily PSO EP3 is very innovative in its approach. Unlike most cardgames, EP3 actually adds depth to the gameplay by utilizing a grid system, one similar to FF Tactics, where you move your characters around and develop strategies and plans of attack. You use a deck of cards to summon creatures or use items to fight your opponent on this grid, depending on which character type your using. There are two different groups of characters. The Arkz, who use monsters that can move independently on the grid, or Heros, who use items that stay with the character and can be used to deal more damage to an oppenent. The two play very diffierently from each other and are well balanced, which gives you a lot of options for individualized strategy.
The game has two modes, online and offline. The offline mode has two options, story or free battle. The story mode is where you get new characters to build decks around and learn more about what happened after the events of Ep1+2. This is also an excellent place to start playing, collecting cards and learning the intricacies of the game. Free battle is where you are just tossed immediatly into a battle. The only real purpose I can see for this mode is to collect more cards.
Then we have the online mode. I advise you play the single player first, as otherwise your cards will be obsolete and you will be ripped apart by the other players. Online play has a couple very cool features, the best of which are tournaments. There are lots of tournaments and anyone can join, and you get meseta (the games currency) and more cards if you win. You can use meseta to buy more cards in a random drawing, or you can use it on the jukebox in the lobby. There is a list of songs, and whatever you pick is what everone in the lobby is going to hear.
You can also play in teams of two, which is great and adds even more depth to the game. Its also fun to play with your friends.
The games music is excellent and sets the mood.

This game is not perfect however, one of my biggest complaints is no voice chat. You will be forced to invest in a keyboard, as the in-game software keyboard just doesnt cut it. Another complaint is that the AI is dumb as rocks. If you get stuck with a computer as your partner online, you will lose. Another downside is that you have to pay about $8 a month to play online, however, you can use your old hunters license from Ep1+2 to play on Ep3. The fights online against more skilled opponents can be long and sometimes boring, but if you are that far in then you probably like the game anyway.

There are some other problems if you are new to the online mode in that you are going to be beaten to a pulp at first. You just won't have the cards to compete against other players online, even if you played the single player game for awhile.

I love this game, and despite its flaws, it is a solid game and I love playing it. Although this isnt for everyone, if you are a fan of the PSO series, you owe it to yourself to give it a chance.

Holy!......

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: April 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Oh my gosh. My friend brought this game over to my house for us to play and I was stuck with Ino'lis as my character and lost. Nonetheless, this game is not a:1. waste of money. 2.waste of time. 3. not "%#@*" as another reviewer said. 3 (last) words: Very fun game.

I dig it, but watch out.......

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: August 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I really like Phantasy Star Online Episodes I&II, so I got PSO III. I heard that the game play was different, but I couldn't have participated HOW DIFFERENT. PSO I&II is so 'actiony' comparitively. The first time I tried playing PSO III, I thought, "Use cards in battle? What happend to the weapon I just whipped out? What the %@&# am I doing?" I was determined to figure out how to play the game though, and needless to say after practicing a couple rounds I understood how the action is supposed to flow. My friend Chris and I think that it's a prettty cool game. My friend Mike fell asleep while watching. If you can get into it, the game rocks. If you're not into RPG stratagy though, don't even waste your time.

Fun but not what i expected

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: March 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is not a waste of time or money, especially if you have a modem or a group of friends that have this game also. If you own pso 1 and 2, there are a few things you should know. one is that it is a completely different game and just because you like 1 and 2, doesnt mean u will like III. YOU CANNOT USE YOUR CHARACHTER FROM ONE AND TWO. this is a classic turned base rpg except with cards and a stage divided into squares (much like FF tactics). the arks play like monster summoners and call monsters onto the "chess board" whereas the hunters are only one person who equips weapons and fights with them. another "feature" is the dice. at the beginning of each turn, you roll dice to decide how much you can attack for. this is irritating. another difference between the two games is that in 3, the rare items are COMMON
this means that if you always have wanted to see what a diska of braveman looks like, this is a way to find out. some items are so rare in 1&2 that you will never see them, that is a very cool thing about III. Finally, i have played both games and episode III's battles are a little long. if you dont own either, both are worth owning, but 1&2 is just better, thats all

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