Customer Reviews

Phantasy Star Portable 2

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a pretty big fan of the handheld consoles, mainly because my wife is a teacher. How does that figure into this? Well, if you marry a teacher, be prepared to go to bed early. So I sit in bed and play my PSP and DS into the wee hours of the night (11pm is wee to me...I'm old). As a result of this, I constantly have my ear to the ground for the latest and greatest portable games. I mainly play RPG's on the portable consoles but I'll make exceptions every now and then. With Sega's newest game, Phantasy Star Portable 2, no exception was needed - this is a whopper of an RPG and it's on a handheld. Keep reading why I think this is one of the better portable RPG's to hit the little systems that could in a while.

Phantasy Star has been around since the early days of gaming. If I recall, I believe it began on the NES, but it may have been the Genesis. I know Japan got some Phantasy Star games the states didn't so it's not clear. Anyways, I have played a few of them and was never really into them much. They were fun dungeon crawlers but beyond that, the story and the gameplay never really rung true with me. So, I was a skeptic when hearing about the large amount of content that would make it into Phantasy Star Portable 2. Having never played the first, I wasn't sure if I would even like it. But, I took a chance and decided to try out the latest installment. All things considered, I'm pretty glad I did.

You begin the game by choosing a character and designing his/her head, clothes, body, eyes, etc. The whole package...you can customize until your hearts content. That's rare for a PSP game that is trying to minimize the amount of fluff they put in games to fit everything on a UMD. After choosing a name, clothing, and a starting class (basic melee, range, magic, and mix) you start the story. The story is standard sci fi fare with an alien race terrorizing the people of PSP2 land. It progresses the game but don't expect anything revolutionary.

So, while the story isn't that great, the gameplay is. It's typical hack and slash fare but the amount of drops and loot you find almost make it addictive. After the first mission you are given the option to perform tasks as you wish. You can go out and do the story mission or you can participate in open missions that give you items, money, and result in a fight with a big enemy at the end of the dungeon. I actually really like these missions, especially before bed when you are nodding off but still awake. It doesn't take much effort but it keeps you entertained. The story missions are the ones you want to avoid while tired.

So, as I was saying - the gameplay. You'll wield whatever weapon you chose based on your class choice (I chose the melee class - Hunter) and you'll venture into the dungeon. You swing your weapon with square and perform special abilities with triangle. It's standard button mashing, but it's fun for a PSP (Playstation Portble) game. You can bring along friends you meet in the game and they fight beside you. You can also invite people from real life who also own the game into your game via the internet to play, but I'll get into that later.

So, the game is fun and well worth the purchase with everything I mentioned so far. It's a fully functioning game just like any other RPG out there. But, there's more involved. You get your own room in the game where you can put furniture and hang pictures. It's pretty fun since I found myself specifically looking for some posters in the game to hang - including the Japanese idols and the Playboy ones available (not sure if there is nudity - probably not). The room you are given acts as a sort of extension of yourself in the game which is pretty neat for all the collectors out there who love searching for items in games. You'll find plenty here.

So, the game is great, the room thing is cool, but what else? There's another feature that sold the game for me and it's one I haven't fully invested time into yet. The whole game is playable online and you can go into rooms with other people and venture out into the world together. The rooms you go into is sort of an internet lobby where you meet up with others before launching the game. The multiplayer portion of the game is separate from the single player and has completely different missions and weapons you can only find online. The single player game character and the multiplayer game character are identical so if you level up online, you bring that level back with you to the single player game and vice versa. The game almost feels like a minor MMORPG in a way on the PSP. I've heard that term thrown around a few times in reviews I've read so far. It's not far from the truth.

So, is this game for you? That's the sort of thing I do with my blog. I tell you about a game I played, say if I liked it, and then say whether you should try it out or not. Let's see...you are going to need to put in a lot of time with this game to get the full effect. If you view PSP games as quick fixes or portable games you only want to spend a few minutes here and there on, this may not be for you. I've spent an hour in a mission already trying to take down a humongous dragon at 11:30pm while my wife is complaining to turn the light off. You're going to need to invest some time, but the time invested will be well spent and you will be able to see the spoils of your work.

Along with the time investment, you need to realize that this is a dungeon crawler. If you aren't familiar with the term, basically you go into a "dungeon" or area with doors and mazes that leads to an eventual end, and hack and slash for a while before doing a puzzle or killing an big enemy. When you finish that, you rinse and repeat. To people like myself who love dungeon crawlers, this is heaven, but to others, not so much. It's something you need to figure out on your own and then decide if it's for you.

Finally, this game is very Japanese. The characters, story, stereotypes of some people, etc. all have that Japan flair to them. It's not a bad thing if you like JRPG's, but some people just don't. Keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to pick this up.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 is $39.99 and it's available at most stores and on the PSN. I enjoy the game and it's going to be in my PSP for a while to come, right alongside Birth by Sleep and Valkyria Chronicles 2. If this game is in yours, let me know or if something else will be residing there, sound off in the comments below.

I have been a huge fan of the Phantasy Star Online series, starting with the original Dreamcast PSO. Since the original there have been supplemental upgrades to PSO (Version 2, Ep 1 and 2, Ep 3, Blue Burst). These upgrades were very good, but nothing that could truely refresh the series.

Sega then created Phantasy Star Universe and I, like many people, had high hopes. The game was plagued by a lack of content at launch, a terrible weapon crafting system, and before too long cheaters. This was a monumental disappointment. A few years later Sega released Phantasy Star Portable for PSP. It was a very good game. Phantasy Star Portable one fixed the terrible and redundant crafting system found in PSU. It also boasted new areas, and the return of some familiar enemies. One major flaw however was the exclusion of online play.

With the release of Phantasy Star Portable 2, Sega has finlly released a worthy successor to PSO. This game features a decent storyline, but most importantly keeps the PSO core gameplay intact and manages to add to it. PSP2 includes a few new moves for characters, such as the evasive dodge, and the ability to manually use shields to protect from damage. The biggest improvement is the inclusion of online play. Having spent a lot of time playing the trial online I will say that it is rather good, although lag and disconnections to occur at times. One improvement that could be made would be the chat interface. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the Sony PSP typing is a bit of a chore. Don'texpect to have too many in depth conversations online, but its definetly enough to communicate greetings, commands, and simple conversations. The weapon drop system is similar to the one in PSO and PSP1, which is not a bad thing by any means. Visually, the game is top notch for the PSP. I cant think of another game on PSP that has the level of detail of PSP2. There are plenty of new areas, and familiar enemies as well. PSP2 also includes battle mode, which introduces some unique concepts.

Overall, I rate PSP2 a solid 9.25 / 10.

Pros: The game has improved gameplay elements, new weapons, new areas, online play... pretty much anything a PSO fan could ever wish for.

Cons: Improvements could be seen with the chat system, and lack of traditional PSO style lobbies was a little disappointing.

I'm totally redoing this review. After alot more time playing this game, there are some things I need to say. First, this is not really like Phantasy Star Online. However, It does play alot like a combination of PSO and Phantasy Star Universe/Portable. I actually LIKE this version over the first PSP. This game lets you again choose your class type, and like in PSP1, you can switch if you don't like what you started with. Also, you can choose pretty much any weapon type you want as long as you have enough points. The way this game works over the first is it has only four class types as opposed to the firsts eight. This actually works in the games favor, as it means you're not having to switch unless you want to. The battles are much harder than the first game, being much more like Phantasy Star 0, which is a GOOD thing. I always felt the enemies in the first game were WAY to easy for most of the game, only getting harder as the game drew to a close. This game also FINALLY has what fans of the first game wanted: online mode. Now you can finally play the game with people across the country! I think this has got to be the best version so far. I really like the fact that it lets you hold circle to let you switch weapons AND armor!!! I can't recommend this game more.

I love the Phantasy Star games, and ESPECIALLY the Phantasy Star Universe games. This game is different, however, than the original Phantasy Star Universe, and Phantasy Star Portable. I love the fact that they brought some of the elements from Phantasy Star Online to the PSU series. The ONLY thing that I don't like about the game, is that you can only have one Scape Doll equipped at a time. However, I do like the fact you can store items anywhere you are. If you are in the middle of a mission, and your inventory is full of a particular item, but you find another laying on the ground, but can't pick it up, just store a few of the ones you had in your inventory. It's really handy, especially when you find a Scape Doll. (since you can only have one equipped at a time) Anyway, Overall, this game is great. I love it. The only thing better, would be Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity, but thats only released in Japan. However, I'm sure you could find it on the internet. (like Amazon)

I actually bought this game to play with a friend who also have it and want someone to play with. I was interested in the game also and liked the demo so I decided to go ahead and give it a shot. Got the game and loved it! I will admit that the controls tend to feel clunky at first so it'll take some getting used to, but after that the game is pretty fun overall. I found the single player story mode to be pretty good too. Though I haven't beat it yet (to this review) it's pretty interesting where I am at and makes me want to keep playing to find out more.

The most fun I have was when I get online with my friend and play coop through the open missions. It's kind of like a MMORPG at that point (and I tend not to like MMORPG games too much) and even though I wish the game did allow coop for the story mode, this was still a very fun and enjoyable experience for me.

So I will score this game like a 4.5 just because the controls takes getting used to for a beginner, but after that the game becomes a fun experience and for fans (like my friend) you guys and gals shouldn't even think about getting the game and just get it! It's good to play with friends! So keep that in mind when getting the game. (not to mention that the online mode can allow you to be able to team up with other players online so you can make friends that way too!)

This is my first time review a game on Amazon so it might be a bad review but I just thought I gave my opinion for this game as because of this I am now a Phantasy Star Fan!

Fun game you are garrented to lose days in this game.The story is a little bland but the battles will keep you entertained and the bosses while hard they are not impossible(Well untill you get to hard mode)There are tons of things to custimize your charator to make your own unique charator.Also your oun uniqe room with lots of things to change and make to your liking.The game's fine to play on your own but what makes it shine is the online multiplayer.I personly gave up solo playing to go online

The online modes offer some things not useable with solo playing.If you dont buy this game your going to regret it!

I had high expectations for this game since I do play the Phantasy Star series, but this game have some flaws that brought my enjoyment down. The storyline is nice, "lighter" than some of the storyline for this series. Good character customization (lots of way to make your own character) and things to do. The npcs were fine--nothing too idiotic about them that drags your party down. But one major flaw in this game is how they weakened the Forces to the point where it is tough to play as them (unless you are really good with dodging and blocking). It is possible to get killed with only one hit on the higher levels. I can't speak much for Hunters and Rangers, but since your defense isn't scaled with the levels, they probably aren't doing so hot either.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity, the sort-of sequel to this fixes some of the flaws, including the "weak" forces. But currently, it is only released in Japan. Infinity includes everything in this game plus more, though note that it might not be released outside Japan.

This game is worth getting if you don't mind the initial difficulty until you learn dodging and blocking. It is entertaining. The grinding isn't too bad. But it is something that I had not regret buying.

Love this game. Played PSO back on Dreamcast, Gamecube, and PC. Also played PSU for the PlayStation 2. I like how they took the good parts from both fighting and interface styles and mixed them. Lots of nostalgic weapons and monsters that have been revamped to fit the faster battle style. Decent story line and I like that the ending can very depending on your choices in the dialogue and how well you do on the missions. Lots of fun extra missions and content online via wi-fi. Love how customizable the classes are and that they added a 4th main class (Vanguard).

Fun game, good to play through and even holds great value afterwords.

You can join people online and thats when it gets really fun.

For starters, I have been playing the Phantasy Star Online series since the Gamecube Episode 1&2 days. When Phantasy Star Universe came out I was psyched, only to be disappointed by lackluster effort which Sega(Segac) has become synonymous with as of late. For whatever reason I have stuck with PSU but when the PS2/PC servers shut down I thought I was done with it. Then I found Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP, which itself was a wonderful game but it didn't hold my interest after I had beat it.

Moving on to Phantasy Star Portable 2 (PSP2 from here on) after hearing how good this was from friends and message boards I had been hoping and praying Segac would release this game in the US. Sega came back for a short period of time when PSP2 hit the shelf, I remember putting down the recently released Halo Reach for this. However I have ran into one small problem with the game, that is the PSP itself. Now to be fair I don't like hand held systems, but I own them for that rare case I get stuck somewhere or I go on a long trip and I am not driving. After seeing all the time and energy put into PSP2 I can only wonder what the hell Sega was thinking! Releasing this on a hand held system when PSU has been (and probably will go out with) all its game play mechanic issues! Seriously having a game with good quality being released on a hand held while the console version suffers is almost like a slap to the face!

My biggest gripe with this game is I hate the controls for the PSP (I own a 3000), sorry Sony the nub sucks! The button layout is good for what they have to work with but seriously, why the hell didn't they use these features as a update to their falling game? This games updates to the Phantasy Star Universe engine are a welcome site, too bad the controls on a PSP are not that great (yes I know you can use blue tooth devices with the Go but I'm not paying more money for something I can't use my hard copies of games on). On top of that I can't play hand helds for extended amounts of time because staring at the screen kinda hurts my eyes.

Another problem I have had is playing online, not everyone plays fair if you join random parties. Ended up having someone corrupt my data on my memory stick, or the system locked up somehow when it was saving. Effectively ending my game right before I went on one of the end game story missions, since then I haven't wanted to pick it back up and try and play through it.

Over all the game is wonderful, I love it. However I wish Segac would have turned it into downloaded content for PSU and a hand held title. Then again we can't have the best of both worlds either, so if you liked the first Phantasy Star Portable you'll love this. If you hate small screens and lackluster controls on the system its on you'll be frustrated with it at times but keep playing cause the game is wonderful.