Three games in one cartridge for a low price, how can that be bad? Wait, it can..
Phantasy Star collection packs three games in one cartridge, the first three games of the Phantasy Star series.
I am an avid fan of the games, though this review is not filled with personal bias.
~ GAMEPLAY ~
First, is the element I look most in a game: gameplay. It's what makes the game as a whole. Phantasy Star sort of grips that concept, but not enough. It can be very repetitive going through dungeons. In PS2 and PS3 you walk VERY slow, so it can take a long time to get to your goal. More so, the monsters are tough. You have to level up quite a bit just to get past the first dungeon. There are a lot of RPGs that do this, but Phantasy Star takes a lot of time to level due to low EXP and high EXP requirements to reach the next level.
If you can get past that, then great. You've got a solid RPG on you're hands.
~ GRAPHICS ~
Something I look very little in. Because I expect an RPG to have great graphics. Phantasy Star came out in 1987 (1988 in the US) so the graphics are good, for their time. Though beleive me, they aren't an eye sore to look at. They just look outdated, which is natural for a port of old games.
So here, I can't say much about them. Just look at a Sega Genisis game to see what the graphics could be like.
~ SOUND ~
This is where it falls. I always love to plug in headphones to my GBA to listen to the music (Mega Man Battle Network, Golden Sun, et al.). But this game, I can't. It's a pain to listen to it.
Don't get me wrong. The original games had fantastic sound! It's just when they downgraded it or whatever they do to the sound, the quality dropped tremendously. Random sounds occur. It just isn't pretty. So do yourself a favor and listen to your favorite soundtrack while you play it, you'll enjoy it a lot more.
~ REPLAY VALUE ~
In an RPG, replay value is hard to create. You need to have a wonderful story, that drags you in. Or you have to have explosive battles that you can't stop. Even music that you can remember, makes you want to replay it again. Whatever the reason, Phantasy Star Collection just doesn't have it.
Trust me, after you spend hours going through a dungeon and leveling up your characters. You will not want to do it again. Unless you are a hardcore fan from the Genesis era.
~ FINAL WORDS ~
Just save yourself some time and don't buy it, unless you got it cheap out of a garage sale or used. Then I say buy it. Even if you're a hardcore fan, I say stay away. Get the Genesis versions (which you probably already have) and play those instead.
What would make this game great is if they put Phantasy Star IV in there. That would make this game worthwhile because, in my opinion, PS4 is the best game of the series.
If you're loooking for a challenge, this might be a game for you. Because it can get HARD (especially PS3, due to the fact that attacks NEVER miss, even monsters). I pulled my hair out trying to beat the final boss of PS3.
~ SCORES ~
Gameplay: 5/10
Graphics: 6/10
Sound: 3/10
Value: 4/10
Overall: 5.7/10