Phantasy Star Online, Episode I & II

by Sonic Team

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000086JXD
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 15, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,167 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

MODEL- N11-00002 VENDOR- MICROSOFT FEATURES- Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II The first online role-playing game available on Xbox Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II will feature all-new gaming modes and new content. For the first time ever PSO gamers around the world will be able to communicate online using the Xbox Communicator headset. New character classes weapons enemies items and quests are only a portion of the new content awaiting discovery. With the new split-screen feature four friends can adventure through the main quest as well as the other game-play modes on the same Xbox. Episode I includes all of the content from the original PSO and Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 (PSO Ver. 2) while Episode II brings a new full-length adventure. The evolution of the original revolutionary gaming experience continues. An Xbox Live account is required to play Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II. To play the game online Xbox Live subscribers will be required to buy a Hunters License which will give gamers the ability to travel on wild adventures with other Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II gamers. It also provides access to a plethora of online exclusive content such as seasonal quests downloads and rare in-game items. The Hunters License is free of charge for the first two months and after that will carry a service fee of $8.95 per month. * Get Ready for a New Kind of role-playing: Experience the first online role-playing game available on Xbox. * Chat with Fellow Gamers: The Xbox Communicator headset is fully compatible with PSO enabling gamers across North America to talk to each other with ease. * Obtain Your PSO Hunters License: A Hunters License is required to play with or against other PSO gamers online. The Hunters License is free of charge for the first two months and after that will carry a service fee of $8.95 per month. If you do not want a license feel free to enjoy the offline game-play modes. * Cooperate or Compete with Others: Play with up to three ...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great online RPG fun for the XBox, April 18, 2003

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Phantasy Star Online, Episode I & II (Video Game)

Phantasy Star Online is out for XBox Live. You can play single player and enjoy the challenges, or go online and play with up to four other players. The plot is pretty simple - refugees from a dying planet head out to join a colony on a distant planet. When they get there, the colony has been wiped out, and you have to figure out why.

To start with, this can be played like a single player RPG. You can choose to be human, newman, or a robot. You can be male or female, and of three classes - the 'hunter' swordfighter, the 'ranger' distance fighter, or the 'force' magic users. You've just begun to customize!

You can customize everything from face look, hair style and color, outfit, skin color, and body proportions. You can't actually choose clothing styles like in many other RPGs - you just change the color and look of it. Still, your character is pretty tweaked to your own style before you enter the world.

The aim in local play is to build up your character. You can play in "Episode 1" - where you roam the planet looking for clues as to what happened to the original colonists. You can also play "Episode 2" which is sort of a parallel timeline, where you work for the government and try to contact a hero from the original colony.

Like most RPGs, you build up experience by killing the enemies, and gather money ("meseta") so you can buy bigger weapons ... so you can go kill bigger things. You have a little robotic buddy, "mag", which also gains experience and power as you go.

Once you've gotten the hang of things, it's time to head on line and join up with a party! This is sort of a mini-MMORPG, a training ground for those not quite online yet. You go through the lobbies to find a group of people to play with. You can start a new group or join a group already questing. And then it gets fun!

The XBox live microphone makes it easy to coordinate attacks without the clumsy typing-while-fighting system that most MMORPGs require. Simply call out "I'm hurt!" to get healing, and coordinate attacks with ease. Since XBox Live is only for high speed connections, we haven't run into any lag while playing. Gather up experience, explore new worlds, and make fun friends in the process!

Highly recommended for XBox RPG fans who enjoy console-based RPGs and want to take it to the next level.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY! It cannot be played anymore., September 27, 2010

By 

Beth Borders - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Phantasy Star Online, Episode I & II (Video Game)

In April Microsoft cut off Xbox live for the original Xbox and this game can't be played on the 360 (yet). This game is completely useless, you can't even play offline unless you have an Xbox live account (which you can't anymore).

This game is probably really fun but Microsoft destroyed it and it can no longer be played :( What a disappointment.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are the extra fees really worth it?, April 15, 2003

By 

Stephen Durst (Scappoose, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantasy Star Online, Episode I & II (Video Game)

There is something special about this game. Not just in the game itself, but in the community you are drawn into when you play online. You meet incredible people with the same intrests as you have.
I'm sure by now you have heard all about the money that will be needed to play, online or off. But if you are like me, you will do anything to play this game again. I dont currently have a highspeed connection to play online, but i am getting one soon. If there is no way you can get a high speed connection to play online, I say pass, because honestly, the game itself is not worth both the combined purchase price of the X-box live starter kit and the game:$... But if you are even considering getting a high-speed connection some time in the near future, pick this one up fast.This is going to be a special online community that will last a very long time to come. See you online (in about a month when i finally get DSL)