Phantasy Star II may have a huge learning curve, but it's a wonderful and fun game that will be stuck in your brain.
The bad: Huge learning curve will frustrate newcomers to the series.
Game-play: 10/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Value: 8/10
Tilt: 10/10
Average Score: 9.7/10
RPG titles back in 1989 got way overlooked thanks to the popularity of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The Phantasy Star series is the biggest example. Phantasy Star was released on the Genesis in 1989, with 6 megabits, by far the largest RPG at its time. For some reason, people left this game alone, and I don't know why.
You play as Rolf, a blue haired guy who has dreams over a girl who is fighting for her life against a huge beast. Your boss tells you that the world of Mother Brain, leader of the world, has suddenly had a monster increase. Your girlfriend Nei wants to help stop it.
Like most RPG titles, PS2 plays overhead, but it's characters are huge in battle mode. While the Overhead graphics may look primitive, the learger graphics look phenominal, especially the enemies.
Rolf has two main attacks, his sword, and FOI, magic that is. You'll probably want to hang out near town, because monsters will show up everywhere (you can avoid them by pressing the examine button every second). Locusts, frogs, eyeballs, everything is your enemy.
Nei has to get weapons at a shop, because, with the exception of Magical healing, ishe is completely useless. Get her two steel bars for 160 coins (80 each, you'll start out with 200 coins). This proves very useful, becvause she can attack twice. These weapons are fun to use, and battling never gets frustrating.
Navigating the dungeons can be a pain, but thanks to the internet, it's not all bad. The first dungeon, Shure, looks extremely confusing at first, but it's easier than you think, not saying it's hard. They really should've given you a map in the beggining, otherwise it would be less confusing. Neverless, challenge is fun, and PS2 has that.
Like I said, the graphics look awesome. The music is amazing, both for a Genesis game and of all time. The catchy tunes, such as the town music, overworld music, and other songs make you wonder how the Genesis did all of this.
The biggest concern is the lurning curve. Newcomers to the game will get frustrated and probably take 30 minutes to battle enemies to get to your selected level. This can get frustrating, because you'll need to go back to buy potions and helpful weapons, but they can sometimes be too expensive.
Neverless, Phantasy Star II may have a huge learning curver, but it's a wonderful and fun game that will be stuck in your brain. This is a must have for the Genesis.