Phantasy Star Zero

It comes out in the US today (yesterday?). I preordered it long ago and will be picking it up this weekend, and I'm curious if any other tropers will be getting it.

For those who don't know what it is: courtesy link and trailer

It's basically Phantasy Star Online, for the DS. There are only three classes and three races, but your choice of race and gender affect your stat growth, and other things, to add variety. I expect this game to have tons upon tons of rare and unique weapons, just like PSO, so rare item hunters may be interested in this one.

Returning in Phantasy Star Zero is the classic mag. It follows you around, provides passive stat boosts, and can be fed inventory items. Unlike PSO, however, you can feed your mag damn near anything! Including materials, and photon drops. Speaking of photon drops, they're no longer nearly as rare as they used to be. They were always basically the currency of player trades, but now even more so because they're much more commonplace.

So anyway, who else is getting it?

It came out on the 10th, and I got it yesterday.

It may just be better than Phantasy Star Online.

Because it's on the DS, the graphics are obviously not as good, nor is the music, and the customization takes a hit. There aren't quite as many weapons (there's 350), either, but each one is unique this time instead of a recolor.

However, the story is better, it appears each race has it's own story so there's room for multiple play-throughs, the combat system is better (charged attacks, rolling, and some weapons like shields and gunslashes have alternate fire modes), the bosses are even better than in PSO, and drop rates seem to be higher.

It's a damn good game, in other words.

edited 12th Nov '09 9:48:47 PM by Miijhal

By the way, my friend code is: 0990 1853 2188

first game i get when i get my ds back

...You get a watering can-shaped pistol for one quest.

That's...Awesome.

...And apparently I stumbled upon a mechgun shaped like two bottles of ketchup. Fires red bullets and everything.

edited 13th Nov '09 9:03:56 AM by Miijhal

Oh, so there are lots of silly rare weapons you can get without having to do all the ridiculous stuff you had to do in PSO? That's good news! I'm gonna be picking up this game today if I can, and I will report back with my friend code.

I don't know what class I'm going to pick, though. Maybe one of the new ones...

Note that race also affects what weapons you can carry. My Huney doesn't have access to the ranged weapons human Hunters have aside from pistols, but she can equip wands, rods, and slicers.

It also appears to have an affect on the story mode as well. I can't see the story being the same for humans as it is for newmen, considering how it starts.

This and this might be of interest to you.

edited 13th Nov '09 9:38:02 AM by Miijhal

That's interesting...I'm not sure how to feel about that, although more diversity among the different races within each class is certainly welcome. Gotta say, though, a hunter using force weapons? That kinda blurs the line between classes, doesn't it? Oh wait, I hear force weapons use MST to calculate their damage, which...would actually make forces powerful (if fragile) melee fighters. Kind of fascinating.

For Huneys, it comes at the cost of damage, defense, and hp. Although they have a lot of EVP and wind up with the highest (amount of) stats of any other type.

Early levels are kind of a pain, though, because they're pretty squishy.

edited 13th Nov '09 9:41:28 AM by Miijhal

...A cast with a southern accent. Don't see that every day.

And mwuah. Got Selvaria's lance and shield.

Except I can't equip it yet.

Welp, I just got the game, and I'm bringing it online after a little running around in single-player. My code is: 2192 7783 3931

I'll add you in a sec.

There seems to be an odd amount of Les Yay that comes from playing a female newman. The other newman (who appears to be pretty young...) constantly turns her head and blushes when you talk to her, phrases like "I want you to be by my side" keep coming up, and there's all these little things that keep adding up.

I think I need to get my Yuri Goggles checked...

(Online now, by the way)

edited 14th Nov '09 12:36:28 PM by Miijhal

...

...

Well now. That sounds fun. -makes note to play a female newman when I get the game-

Alright, I'm hopping online. I guess I'll host the game?

edit: Perhaps we could find a better way to communicate than the fora. Maybe the game has decent chat...

edit^2: Aaaand I just noticed the one hour delay between this post and yours. Uh...yeah.

edited 14th Nov '09 1:19:18 PM by AC

I'll get on in a sec. P Ms might be a better idea, though.

edited 14th Nov '09 1:28:05 PM by Miijhal

I'm going to have to make a bunch of shortcuts for that berry weapon.

"You now know...The taste of defeat!"

"You just got served."

"Sweet, sweet victory"

"Eat this!"

"_________"

Edit: Wewt! Finally level 20. All my unlockable weapons are useable now.

Especially Selvaria's Spear. KNEEL BEFORE THE VALKYRUR!

edited 14th Nov '09 4:05:16 PM by Miijhal

It wasn't my Yuri Goggles.

After one mission, the other newman calls her mag 'sweety', and you can choose either to reply to her or be shocked. (Unfortunately, if you choose reply, she thinks you think she's childish...)

After another mission, the girl you save says she's found her partner, claims it's you, and then says, and this is a direct quote:

"Gender? Who cares about that? When people want to be together, that sort of thing just doesn't matter!"

edited 14th Nov '09 9:16:50 PM by Miijhal

apparently they took out the nintendo related items such as Samus' arm cannon, link's shield, a warp pipe helmet, and HAKUNE FREAKIN' MITSUNE CLOTHING AND LEEK from the american version.

Yeah. :<

And I wanted that arm cannon...

edited 14th Nov '09 9:36:07 PM by Miijhal

What. Why. Why would they do this.

Also, yeah, this game contains some, uh...interesting scenes for sure. When I made it to the wetlands boss on my RAmar, the female party member suddenly got attacked by the boss during the cutscene...if you know what I mean. Nothing explicit, but...still. You also have the option to respond childishly, but seriously, who would do that? Of all the inappropriate places to put Fetish Fuel, I think the moment just before a fight with a gigantic demon octopus ranks pretty highly.

edit for markup

edited 14th Nov '09 10:25:10 PM by AC

Probably licensing issues.

Although this is Sonic Team we're talking about...

...Alright, that combining sequence was hilarious.

Ogi went super-sentai there...

I have yet to complete the wetlands. Demon octopus is very much That One Boss for me. Goddamn incredibly strong unavoidable attacks. >:(

I've found all its attacks are avoidable. The two hardest ones are when it starts spinning and after it pops up on the other side and does the tentacle spin...thing. The first one can be avoided by rolling to the far edge of the map and the second one can be avoided to rolling to the sides really quickly.

I'm almost done the newman story. Viva la resistance and all that jazz.

edited 14th Nov '09 11:39:07 PM by Miijhal

Finally beat it, and moved onto the ruins. In the meantime, however, I've created a HUnewm just to see how it plays. Scored a double saber from the weapon shop. God, these weapons are badass. It's a good thing they're not ultra-rare drops anymore, because they're pretty darn strong. Same attack pattern as PSO, which is pretty nifty, and the photon art has you spin around with it like Neo in that one fight from the Matrix Reloaded.

Bad. Ass.