Phantasy Star II

Phantasy Star II

North American cover art
Developer(s) Sega
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s) Akinori Nishiyama
Producer(s) Yuji Naka
Designer(s) Rieko Kodama
Programmer(s) Yuji Naka
Artist(s) Toru Yoshida
Naoto Ohshima
Writer(s) Akinori Nishiyama
Composer(s) Tokuhiko Uwabo
Series Phantasy Star
Platform(s) Mega Drive/Genesis
Release date(s)
  • JP March 21, 1989
  • NA March 1990[1]
  • EU November 30, 1990
Genre(s) Role-playing video game
Mode(s) Single-player

Phantasy Star II, released in Japan as Phantasy Star II: Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni (ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに), is a console role-playing video game produced by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis, which was released in Japan in 1989 and in Europe and North America in 1990. It was later ported to a variety of different platforms. An updated remake, Phantasy Star Generation 2, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 in Japan.

Phantasy Star II is the second installment in Sega's acclaimed Phantasy Star series and serves as a sequel to the original Phantasy Star for the Master System. Phantasy Star II takes place 1,000 years after the events of its predecessor and follows the journey of a government agent named Rolf and his friends, who are on a mission to discover why the protector of the planet Mota, Mother Brain, has started malfunctioning.

Phantasy Star II was the first video game to use a 6 mega-bit cartridge, making it the biggest video game on a console at the time.[2] Since its release Phantasy Star II has been the subject of critical acclaim.

Gameplay

Phantasy Star II's top-down style travel is shown with protagonists Rolf and Nei moving through a town

Gameplay is similar to the original Phantasy Star, the first game in the series. Its battle system is turn-based, allowing the player to choose commands for their party of up to four characters. Each of the eight characters has a different set of preferred weapons and armor, as well as techniques, suited to the character's job. The player must defeat enemies in the overworld and in dungeons to advance in the game.

The game abandoned the first-person view that the first game used for dungeons and battles. Phantasy Star II instead uses a top-down perspective for exploration and a third-person view in battles.

Plot

The series' primary antagonist, Dark Force (known as "Dark Falz" in the first game), the embodiment of evil, returns as one of the main enemies the player must defeat. Mother Brain, a computer system built to control and maintain the Algo Star System, has begun to malfunction, and the main character, Rolf, must determine why. Another character, Lutz, also makes an appearance in the middle of the game.

Story

Somewhere deep within the Andromeda Galaxy lies the Algol Star System. The parent star, Algol (referred to as "Algo" by this point in the timeline), has three planets orbiting about it. First is Palm ("Palma"), the home of the government. Governors, treasurers, and great thinkers dwell here in great ivory towers, away from the hubbub of everyday life. Next is Mota ("Motavia"), the shining jewel. Once a dry desert planet infested with ant lions, Mota has been transformed into a blue and green tropical paradise. Domed farms grow crops, and the water is regulated into dammed rivers. Life on Mota is sweet, peaceful, and easy. The people have everything they want and do not need to work. Farthest out is Dezo ("Dezoris"), the ice planet. Little is known about this mysterious and dark planet.

One thousand years have passed since Alis and her friends liberated Algo from the evil Lassic. Algo has since prospered under the care of a giant computer called the Mother Brain. The Mother Brain regulates the climatrol tower, the bio-systems lab, and all other things that provide whatever the people in Mota need.

The game begins with the character Rolf recalling a strange recurring nightmare he has been having. In the dream, a young girl who Rolf does not recognize (but who resembles Alis) is battling a demon. Finally, just before the demon would kill her, Rolf awakens. From his home in Paseo, Mota's capital, Rolf goes to the central tower to meet with the commander, the head of government on Mota, in order to receive his newest mission.

The first threat is an increase in dangerous biomonsters (biologically altered animals). Rolf sets off with his companion Nei, a humanoid with cat-like features, to investigate, accompanied by six others with each different, but same purpose. Along the way, the group discovers a human-biomonster hybrid named Neifirst, who reveals that Nei's origins are the same as her own. Being part biomonster, she is an outcast from society, causing her to loathe mankind and, because of this, sabotage both Mota's climate control system and the biosystems laboratory. Nei confronts Neifirst and battles her in a one-on-one fight, but is defeated and killed. Anguished, Rolf and the remaining party defeat Neifirst, bringing an end to Mota's Biomonster hazard.

However, this sets another incident in motion: the exploding impact causes the central lake, the residential reservoir of Mota, to overflow with water. To prevent a massive flood, Rolf and his friends decide to open up the surrounding four dams. After unlocking the last one, they are captured by Mother Brain's security robots and sentenced to death upon the Gaira satellite. However, the satellite malfunctions and collides with Palm, destroying both. Rolf and company are rescued in the nick of time by a space pirate, Tyler.

The group boards Mota's last plane to Dezo. Located at a far corner of the planet is the Esper Mansion. Upon reaching there, Rolf awakens the legendary Lutz from a long sleep. Lutz reveals the secrets of Rolf's past, as well as the dark secret of Mother Brain which relates to the fate and destruction Algo is now facing. In order to save the system, the heroes seek to recover the powerful Nei arsenal, found in four hidden dungeons, capable against the enemies on the spaceship Noah, where Mother Brain resides.

It is eventually revealed that Dark Force has been behind every threat Rolf has faced, including Mother Brain itself. Rolf confronts the two evil entities and defeats them. After the final battle, Lutz alerts him that there are still people on the ship: the remaining survivors from Earth. They reveal they created Mother Brain to satisfy their greedy lifestyle at the expense of Algo's resources, and a fight between the heroes and the earthmen ensues. The game ends there on an open-ended note, with the outcome of the fight left unrevealed.

Characters

There are a total of eight playable characters in Phantasy Star II, each with his or her own personality, weapons and abilities. With only one exception, all of the characters can be renamed by the player at the time of their introduction.

While most of the characters' personal impact to the story in this game is negligible due to the game's space (because of this, none of them besides Rolf and Nei have any speaking roles apart from their own introduction and the game's ending), all of the characters' backstories and motivations are further given form and explained in their respective text adventures.

Release

Localization changes

Ports

Phantasy Star II was re-released as a port in two different forms for the Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance as part of Phantasy Star Collection. It was also released on the Sega Smash Pack Volume One for the Dreamcast. It is also part of the Sega Genesis Collection for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The game is available in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The game was made available through Nintendo's Virtual Console service in 2008. On June 10, 2009, it was released on Xbox Live Arcade under the Sega Vintage Collection banner. On August 26, 2010, an iPhone port of the game was released.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings85%[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame[7]
Dragon[8]
EGM8/10[6]
IGN8.5/10 (iPhone)[9]
Aktueller Software Markt56/60[10]
HonestGamers10/10[11]
Joystick97%[12]
Player One95%[13]
Raze90%[14]
Zero89%[15]

Phantasy Star II was a landmark game in its time, "a game of many firsts" according to Nintendo Power.[16] It was the first RPG for the Mega Drive, arriving several months before the original Final Fantasy, another key game in the genre's popularization in North America.

The original Phantasy Star game was a big game for its time,[2] and because of the advancements in technology between the Master System and Genesis, Phantasy Star II featured a much larger cartridge than its predecessor, holding 6 megabits of data, making it the largest game on any game machine up until that time.[2] In Dragon, Phantasy Star II was described as "one of the best role-playing games yet to be released for any video game system."[8] Wizardry designer Roe R. Adams wrote in Computer Gaming World that Phantasy Star II was a killer app for the Genesis,[17] stating that its "16-bit graphics are gorgeous, but the real fun lies in the science fiction story plot." He concluded that it is a "challenging and enjoyable" game with "superb combat and animated graphics."[2] Raze concluded that it is a "challenging quest packed with gameplay."[14] IGN's Levi Buchanan praised it as an "awesome game" with a "real sense of discovery" and one of his "favorite final twists in videogames."[9] On GameRankings, it is listed as the highest-rated game of 1988, with an average score of 85% based on a sample of 4 reviews.[6]

Phantasy Star II is regarded by many as a forerunner for certain aspects of role-playing video games, such as an epic, dramatic, character-driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter, a strategy-based battle system,[18][19] and the demand for extensive strategy guides for such games (Phantasy Star II included one with the game itself). Phantasy Star II's purely science fiction setting was also a major departure for RPGs, which had previously been largely restricted to fantasy or science fantasy settings.[20] The game's science fiction story was also unique, reversing the common alien invasion scenario by instead presenting Earthlings as the invading antagonists rather than the defending protagonists.[18][19] The game's strong characterization, and use of self-discovery as a motivating factor for the characters and the player, was a major departure from previous RPGs and had a major influence on subsequent RPGs such as the Final Fantasy series.[20] It also made a bold attempt at social commentary years before the Final Fantasy series started doing the same.[16]

Phantasy Star II has made a number of "greatest games of all time" type lists, including being inducted into GameSpot's list of greatest games of all time in 2005.[18] Mega placed the game at #29 in their "Top Mega Drive Games of All Time" in 1992.[21] In 2003, IGN ranked it as the 92nd top game, choosing Phantasy Star II for how it "surprised everyone with the death of a major player 1/3 the way" years before Final Fantasy VII, in addition to "a balanced experience point system, tough-as-nails bosses, and one of the biggest and most difficult RPG quests that we've ever seen."[22] In 2009, Nintendo Power called Phantasy Star II, along with Phantasy Star IV, one of the greatest role-playing games of all time.[23] In 2011, GamePro included it in its list of "20 Games That Defined Role-Playing Games".[24]

Remake

Cover art for Phantasy Star Generation 2

A remake, Phantasy Star Generation 2, was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 as a part of Sega Ages in 2005. Much like Phantasy Star Generation 1, the remake mirrors the events of the original game while adding character development and fleshing out the story in more detail. It featured enhanced graphics, a revised combat system, and a rearranged soundtrack. Other new features included the ability to play the original Mega Drive version, and to load a system file from Phantasy Star Generation:1 to allow the ability to play as Nei throughout the entire game.

It was originally slated for North American and European release by Conspiracy Entertainment as a part of the Phantasy Star Trilogy, a compilation of the remakes of Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, and Phantasy Star IV. The compilation's future is uncertain, however, since Sega reclaimed the publishing rights for the North America and Europe. This is evidenced by the fact that the trilogy no longer appears on Conspiracy Entertainment's list of products on their website.[25] Sega have abandoned their plans for a Phantasy Star IV remake in favor of a compilation featuring the original iterations of Phantasy Star IIV.[26][27]

See also

References

  1. Glicker, Stephen M. (1990-03-19). "Get Phantasy Star II Now". Newsgroup: rec.games.video. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Wishing on a Phantasy Star II", Computer Gaming World (76), pp. 85–6
  3. Ripplinger, Mike (2002). "The Two Phantasy Stars". Camineet. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  4. Thomas, Damian (2008). "Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Album". RPGFan. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  5. "Phantasy Star II on the App Store on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  6. 1 2 3 "Game List (1988)". GameRankings. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  7. Phantasy Star II at Allgame
  8. 1 2 Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (August 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (160): 47–52.
  9. 1 2 Buchanan, Levi (August 28, 2010). "Phantasy Star II iPhone Review". IGN. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  10. Hoogh, Eva (August–September 1990). "Segas Sternstunde". Aktueller Software Markt (9). Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  11. Hartley, Gary (October 29, 2005). "Phantasy Star II: Staff Review". HonestGamers. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  12. JM Destroy (November 1990). "Phantasy Star 2". Joystick (10): 98. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  13. "Phantasy Star II". Player One (7): 24–5. March 1991. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Phantasy Star II". Raze (5). April 1991. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  15. "Phantasy Star 2". Zero (17): 88. March 1991. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Phantasy Star II". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America). 246–249: 21. 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  17. Adams, Roe R. III (November 1990). "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is)". Computer Gaming World. p. 83. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  18. 1 2 3 Kasavin, Greg. "The Greatest Games of All Time: Phantasy Star II – Features at GameSpot". GameSpot. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  19. 1 2 "Time Machine: Phantasy Star". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. January 2, 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  20. 1 2 Kaiser, Rowan (July 22, 2011). "RPG Pillars: Phantasy Star II". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  21. Mega magazine issue 1, page 76, Future Publishing, October 1992.
  22. "IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time". Uk.top100.ign.com. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  23. Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power February 2009; issue 2 (in English). Future US Inc, 39–42. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  24. Kat Bailey; Jason Wilson (July 22, 2011). "RPG Pillars: 20 Games That Defined Role-Playing Games". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  25. "Conspiracy Entertainment's current product list". Conspiracygames.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  26. "IGN.com entry on Phantasy Star Trilogy indicating its cancellation". Ps2.ign.com. 2004-05-27. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  27. "Gamespot entry on Phantasy Star Trilogy indicating its cancellation". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.

External links

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