PHANTASY STAR ONLINE (DC)
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An RPG more addictive than Diablo

By WILLIAM BARKER

Holy market-place domination Batman - we have a Dreamcast game for review! Yes, everyone's a cynic, but what are you going to do. In all seriousness, we are quite excited to have a Dreamcast game to review - a very impressive one at that.

Phantasy Star Online (PSO) was borne in the creative offices of what many would argue to be the most talented game development outfit on the planet - Sonic Team. Headed up by super-star geek Yuji Naka, the team is responsible for such games as Nights into Dreams, Sonic the Hedgehog and the epochal Burning Rangers.

PSO is a console RPG in every sense of the word, only many aspects continue to amaze me. The visuals, for one, are truly a sight to behold. The gameplay is insanely playable and the online aspect? Not bad, if we do say so ourselves.

The story takes place after the events of Phantasy Star IV - a planet, much like our own, that had been polluted beyond belief to the extent where it was a health hazard to live there.

As such, millions of automated probes were sent out into the cosmos to try and find a suitable replacement planet, during which time two huge ships were built.

A suitable planet was found, and the first ship, Pioneer 1, departed on long journey to Ragol - the new planet. This ship contained equipment necessary to establish a colony.

Meanwhile, the Pioneer 2 (P2) was chock-o-block full of refugees and was headed to Ragol, to begin anew. When the Pioneer 2 attempted to institute a comms link with the central communications dome on Ragol, something went awry and contact with the planet was severed after what appeared to be an ethereal explosion.

You start the game on board Pioneer 2, which is orbiting the planet Ragol - and what a sight it is to behold, looking down upon the planet from the observation decks. You are one of many hunters on board the P2 and must head down to the planet surface to ascertain what exactly is going on.

There are three character classes - but beyond this you can also customise the look and size of your character. The Hunter is proficient at close-range combat with weapons like double blades, photon sabres and other cool techno swords. The Ranger is a trigger-happy sociopath who is comfortable toting pistols, rifles, machine guns and shotguns. Lastly, the Force class of character is simply your token wizard or necromancer, whose speciality is using techniques.

There are also cyborgs and humans within this group of three classes, the latter of which can learn new 'techniques'. The term 'technique' is just a fancy alternative for magic. You customise your character, by picking a face, body proportions and costume, then enter the game proper.

You find yourself on the upper decks of the Pioneer 2, in orbit over the seemingly tranquil Ragol. The first thing that takes you by surprise in the world of PSO are the creative and well-defined visuals.

Standing on the deck of the P2 is quite amazing - the architecture and overall design is simply marvelous. Yuji Naka has impressive taste, showcased in the futuristic anime-style graphics. The quality of which are rather impressive, too. The cyborgs, for instace, look great, with detailed markings and high poly-count models.

The first port of call on the decks of the P2 is to check out the hunters guild. Here you can check out a bulletin board of sorts, where missions are posted. Initially there are only four quests, but as time goes by, more and more will be available. Gameplay in PSO is completely real-time - unlike Final Fantasy IX, where combat is turn-based, for example.

Once you have been commissioned for duty on Ragol, you are beamed down to the planet surface where the meat of the game lies.

Combat is simple and you start off with two basic weapon attacks, though the Force characters also have rudimentary attacking and healing techniques. For instance, the Ranger starts off with a photon pistol and can fire a highly accurate shot. He can also fire a second, more potent, shot, albeit with reduced precision. As characters pass levels and become more powerful, a third and ultra-powerful weapon attack is unlocked, which involves pyrotechnics galore and plenty of flashy visual effects.

Adding to the three normal weapon attacks are Mags. These little living beings hover slightly behind your character and have statistics and powers, just like you. Also, like you, they evolve and gain levels; they even increase in IQ - handy for when you decide to partake in a friendly game of chess with your Mag. But your Mag won't gain levels from defeating baddies - instead you must feed it. Different items, such as health packs, and mana potions, affect different stats. Some Mags even have a favourite food.

These tiny floating buddies can obtain Photon Blast skills, which are akin to the summonings present in Final Fantasy titles. The screen goes dark, huge entities enter the fray, fireworks ensue and the result is usually a steaming mass of fetid cadavers. It's gaming overkill at its best!

Playing offline is entirely engrossing and it's easy to lose a week in this game without batting an eyelid. However, get online and things really start to cook. Joining up with some like-minded players has never been this much fun.

With up to three others, you can quest through the monster filled planet of Ragol, collecting items and fending off huge boss creatures. This is co-op play as you've never imagined. Just when you're about to give up for the night, you may find a super-powerful assault rifle, get a new spell, or perhaps uncover a special shield+3. Like Diablo, this game is very, very addictive.

You can use your offline character in an online game and vice versa, so beefing up your experience and item swag poses no problem when the phone lines go down. PSO is, for lack of a better word, brilliant. It is the best console RPG I've ever played, with good replayability, trend-setting graphics and gameplay that's just too good to be legal. If you haven't thrown out your Dreamcast yet, you need this game.

ORIGINALITY 90%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 100%
PLAYABILITY 95%
ADDICTION 95%
ENJOYMENT 95%