All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'Windows, Sega, multiplayer, online' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us This Game Profile covers Phantasy Star Online and all subsequent re-releases. It does not contain information on Phantasy Star Online Episode III C.A.R.D. Revolution.

Phantasy Star Online is an online, multiplayer RPG where players group into four-man teams to explore instanced areas of the mysterious planet Ragol. Players began by creating a unique character, first selecting one of three classes (Hunter, Range or Force) and then one of the four race/gender combinations available in that class. Races included Humans, Newmans - pointy-eared humans with an affinity for "techniques" - and Casts, which are essentially robots. Unlike modern MMORPGs, PSO featured a more action oriented combat system that varied depending on your class. Hunters specialized in melee weapons, Rangers in fire-arms and Forces in techniques, which were essentially spells. Another unique feature is the inclusion of an offline mode that allows players to explore the game's online areas and take on quests.

Originally released for DreamCast with a bugfix re-release subtitled Ver. 2, which was also released on Windows exclusively in the Asian market. Not long after, PSO was ported to the GameCube and Xbox with the inclusion of nearly an entire game's-worth of new content and was aptly titled Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II. Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution was later released for the GameCube, but with the action RPG gameplay traded in for card battling. In a return to the series' roots, and its original engine, Sonic Team ported the GameCube/Xbox Episode I & II on to the Windows platform with additional content dubbed Episode IV. This final version of the game was titled Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst and could be downloaded for free from the official website.

]]> 29 Jan 2007 07:04:27