• January 3, 2007    Home > Game Reviews > Verdict

    Phantasy Star Universe

    Does the newest Phantasy deliver on its promises?
    Version
     Xbox 360, PS2, PC    		Developer
    Sonic Team    		Publisher
    Microsoft    		Genre
    RPG

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    Page 3

    "It's obviously designed with PS2 in mind, but there's no excuse for slowdown on 360."

    Another feature in the game is something called Partner Machinery. This device starts off in your bedroom, where initially he can only be fed or used to store items. Once your partner machinery has evolved enough, you can call upon them to take up one of those six slots whenever you're short of players. This can be really useful when tackling those slightly harder dungeons, where every extra bit of damage really helps. These machines can also be used to synthesize items found in the wild into rare weapons and unique items.

    Although a fantastic game, Universe doesn't feel as polished at Phantasy Star Online. The tiny level map seems a bit small and doesn't update as often as one would like. On certain levels, areas that look accessible aren't and are just part of the eye candy giving the appearance of even bigger levels.

    At various points throughout the offline mode, special items will be required in order to carry out tasks and proceed. While a fine idea, constantly switching between these items can be annoying, really slowing down the pace of the game.

    The game was obviously designed with the PlayStaion 2 in mind, and while slowdown is understandable on the dated system, there's no excuse for it on the 360. It can often get painfully slow during the frantic boss battles. When it comes to the 360 and all the power it has to offer, we want more than a straight port. Lobbies are often split into parts requiring loading screens to pass between them, and often characters will just fade away as walk into the distance.

    "While a fantastic game, Universe doesn't feel as polished at PSO."

    Undoubtedly, the biggest concern for most players will be the expensive monthly fee. Universe is no MMORPG like Warcraft and really doesn't feel like it deserves such a fee. This is especially when most of the contest, which is fully accessible offline and therefore present on the disk, is blocked online. We can't see much more content being freely available either due to the PS2 not having storage for it, and the other versions being identical ports. Already an expansion pack and been announced and it would be interesting to see how it would work on the consoles and what else it will offer.
    Graphics Sound Gameplay Depth Presentation OVERALL
    8.0 8.0 9.0 6.0 7.0 7.5


    THE VERDICT:     When it comes down to it, Phantasy Star Universe is a full blown sequel to Phantasy Star Online, with the addition of an online story. While a few problems exist, it's an excellent game, especially online. But one needs to consider the monthly cost

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    Video Coverage
    (Latest Videos & Video FAQ)
    PLEASE DO NOT DIRECT LINK TO ANY MEDIA FILE ON KIKIZO
    DescriptionDur.SizeDetails
    Phantasy Star Universe
    NEW - Most recent trailer (Japanese)   (Sega)    		 2.53m 22MB DF, SD, 30
    640x480
    1.5Mbps
    Phantasy Star Universe
    NEW - Gameplay demonstration CAM   (Sega)    		 1.28m 11MB DF, SD, 30
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    1.5Mbps
    Phantasy Star Universe
    Gameplay footage 1   (Sega)    		 0.57m 10MB DF, SD, 30
    640x480
    1.5Mbps
    Phantasy Star Universe
    Gameplay footage 2   (Sega)    		 0.53m 9MB DF, SD, 30
    640x480
    1.5Mbps
    Phantasy Star Universe
    Gameplay footage 3   (Sega)    		 0.59m 10MB DF, SD, 30
    640x480
    1.5Mbps
    Phantasy Star Universe
    Gameplay footage 4   (Sega)    		 0.29m 4MB DF, SD, 30
    640x480
    1.5Mbps
    Phantasy Star Universe
    Direct feed trailer (640x480, 1Mbps)    		 3.22m 25.67 MB WMV

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