Not quite packed with new and shiny stuff, but it will keep you occupied for a good length of time. Just plain fun.
What I am getting at is that PSU AOI (Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition Of The Illuminus) is not quite worth that kind of money, but it's not something you should pass by when you see it on a shelf.
For new players I would suggest playing through PSU and enjoy a great story.
As the game starts up, you will be given a choice to:
Start a new story mode by creating your very own, unique, wonderful and sexy (or whatever you think of it) character, dress it, name it and send it off for the first day of his/her training at the protection agency named The Guardians.
Or, the feature I liked and sort of expected as soon as I saw the game, you can transfer your data from the Phantasy Star Universe extra mode and bluntly speaking, drag your character into the world of AOI along with the character's stash: money, weapons, clothes, parts, materials and so on.
However by doing so you will notice that if you had a leveled up partner machine in the previous game, after the data transfer it will return to level 0.
Since PSU had only a few sets of clothes and parts to choose from, you will be pleasantly surprised when you check out the clothes/parts shop inventory in AOI. It has a LOT of items on offer.
Makeover shop has been upgraded as well, with new hairstyles and other various options to customize your guardian.
Some changes have been made in the types or ''jobs'' for you character.
Now a Technique user will not be so useless since he/she will be able to use more powerful offensive weapons alongside the commonplace Tech weapons used to cast spells.
Rangers and Hunters share weapons almost identically though rangers are still more gun oriented.
All in all, you will not be able to say that any of the job type is useless now.
The weapons in AOI are classified C,B,A,S.
S - being the most powerful, good looking and most expensive weapons.
A few new faces will join your party, so you can go on free missions with characters you like the most.
The game offers a wide range of free missions and quite a few story line missions in which you will try to uncover the truth behind the Human Fundamentalist organization known as Illuminus. The story missions can be played on three difficulty levels, C - for level 1 and above characters. B - for level 35 and above. A - for 65 and up to 200.
This brings us to the part where you begin to see the bad things about AOI.
First off you will immediately notice that cut scenes had lost something, and that something is the voice acting. Seems like the authors decided to skip this for whatever reason and left our lovely characters mute.
Over time, the dialogue balloon will begin to irritate you, especially if you decide to play the game again with a different character and skip the cut scenes.
Sadly even the monsters have been left with few new comrades, as the game does not provide the number of new enemies you would expect to encounter. Sure, giving them a new skin once in a while is distracting for a few moments, but soon this gets old and you kind of wish you could do something about it.
The free missions use pretty much the same areas as in PSU only a bit extended and with different lighting. This becomes apparent only after a few
rounds through the same area and is not a big issue, but makes you think that the people behind the game just got tired and wanted to wrap it up ASAP. Story missions have new areas and a lobby in the middle of the mission so you can rest up, save and shop for items. This would seem a good idea, however it takes the challenge out of the game somehow.
The spoils from monsters in the game are unbalanced, for example:
You can get a ten star rated synthesis material in the first mission on the easiest difficulty, but a good weapon will come to you only by a very unlikely game glitch. And sometimes it's flipped so you get a few good weapons, but no recovery items or materials whatsoever for a long period of time. Now this is both good and bad. Good - because a newbie will have an easier time playing, but bad for the PSU veterans who expect a challenge in gathering materials for synthesis or gathering money to buy a top-notch weapon. This brings me to the money part.
In all of the game, you will not find tons of money, so try to save, monsters drop reduced amounts, a lot less then in PSU's extra mode. But it is possible to get good equipment by selling found weapons or free mission rewards.
The main story ends with sort of a hint of a sequel since it leaves many questions unanswered, so it becomes a must to play through this game
Bosses are old news, so don't expect anything revolutionary. But despite all that was said, all the let-downs and old stuff, PSU AOI still packs quite a punch. So if you want to see what happens after PSU, buy this game and enjoy, if you find that it does not offer a challenge, make one for yourself by playing it unconventionally. All in all, this game will keep you occupied for a fair amount of time, and if you're looking for a fun way to pass those rainy afternoons or late nights, go no further, AOI is for you.