Playstation Portable gamers can now rejoice that another slice of the addictive online loot-gathering title has arrived.
The newest installment in the long running series “Phantasy Star” rights many of the wrongs that have been plaguing the newer titles.
Taking cues from the classic, “Phantasy Star Online,” it brings back the heavy attack button, a handful of creatures and some of the online modes as well. The biggest changes over the previous title is that the “mana” bar is now uniformly set to the character, recharges faster and is overall part of a better combo system. The next change is the dodge roll, from “Phantasy Star 0” on the DS.
The game’s story picks up three years after the console game, “Phantasy Star Universe,” and gives a really good recap of the events. After the character creation process is completed, the game starts up with a catastrophe and charges the player with escorting a private contractor, Emilia, out of harms’ way.
Right before the killing blow from the boss monster, the character pushes the girl out of the way, taking the fatal hit. At the last minute, Emilia releases a mysterious entity that saves her and the player’s character.
The entity, called Mika, tells of Ancients and their plight, hinting at a greater evil than the previous danger.
The real draw is the online play. With SEGA making it free to play and accessible through the PSP, the game hits its stride after the 20-hour campaign is completed. Players that are looking to gain more loot, socialize, or even compete head to head, can all do so with ease. Matchmaking lobbies have been streamlined, and it’s easy to just drop in, get a quick fix and get out.
For the most part, the game is identical to its predecessor in the gameplay department, but what’s most impressive is the graphics. The visuals have been highly upgraded from the previous outing, and bring “soft bodies.”
“Soft bodies” are elements in a game that react to movement, so grass and even hair are all affected, and it’s quite interesting to see them so well implemented. The special effects also take an update, as they contain warping of the screen and water spray.
In all, the game is the best new title to be released in the series. Unfortunately, the enemy AI is still an issue, but not as atrocious. Occasionally, the game will hit a hiccup online, but is altogether infrequent. Another gripe is that the story sometimes gets a little hard to pick up, as missions have to be completed in between.
PSP owners will finally have a valid reason to dust off their handheld and give it a spin. “Phantasy Star Portable 2” is a highly polished title that is sometimes breathtaking with all the content included on the disc. Highly recommended, the game is a blast to play and will steal free time.