Best played with multiplayer

User Rating: 8.4 | Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus GC
This is the third version of this game I have bought, the first two being on the Dreamcast, and it is by far the best. I was expecting to see that this game exactly like the DC version, and was pleasantly surprised to find the 4-way multiplayer option!

This game is quite close to Diablo in it's style of play, except it's in the future. Many parts are the same, like: Socketed armor, teleport/portal to town, character styles, power of 3 elements, etc. It has the advantage of being able to level up your 'MAG' to increase the levels of your character that YOU want. Also, the weapon upgrades (mono/di/tri grinders) let you build up any weapon you wish.

They have replaced the Barbarian character with androids, the Sorcerer with the Forces, and the mixture of the two, the hunter. each of these 3 groups has 4 separate types, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and abilities.

I found that a lot of the different characters just don't seem logical for the single player mode, like the Forces, which seem to be mostly support characters. This was until i introduced the game to a couple of my buddies.

The ability to play with 3 other guys on the SAME SCREEN is a great asset to this installment. Along with all the new missions, the different game modes in multiplayer are great. We play for hours, either in the battle modes, or just in co-op, leveling up our characters. The game saves up to 4 permanent characters on 1memory card, so everyone can have their own character, and improve on them every time they play.

The graphics in this game are beautiful, and the colors are wonderfully vivid, giving the planet Ragol a very 'real' feeling. The tiny bugs, wildlife, and background robots are a nice touch to the realism.

Perhaps my favourite part about this newest Phantasy Star, is the tie-in to the ORIGINAL SMS Phantasy Star. The music in the Temple cuts to a sample from some dungeon music from the old RPG, as well as the Dark Falz final boss. This took me back... so I actually started a new game in the original PS...

Anyways... I love Diablo, and i love PSO I&II. Coincidence? Nope. Similar games. Great gameplay!