Phantasy Star Complete Classic Series Retrospective | Phantasy Month Super-cut

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

I was 16 when Phantasy Star was released. Both my dad and I played it to completion and agreed it was by far the best game either of us had ever played. The sequel was obviously a rush job, but it was still the best 16-bit console JRPG available at the time. The only other contender was Super Hydlide. It was a different world back then.

[@rvfiasco]

Hah, yea it was.

[@BleachCowboy2016]

Glad I’m not the only old guy who watched this 😂

[@MaxAbramson3]

One friend convinced another to lend my PS1, unable to explain to me how it worked. I eventually (after getting killed a bunch of times) figured out how to level up and buy and equip new gear. I then played PS3 and finally PS2, which so many other kids RAVED about. Only a couple of years ago, I got into PS4. Yeah, one of the best jRPGs of all time.

[@SBaby]

9:22 - According to most guides, they put Dark Force/Falz at around 400 HP. The thing about the first Phantasy Star game is the boss fights aren't really the big challenge. The big challenge is getting through the dungeons with enough MP and supplies to deal with the bosses.

[@vintagegamer695]

Those guides are actually wrong. I just tested it with a save state that I edited and gave everyone the laser gun to do 80 damage each round. The developers did a clever trick and made it so you are actually fighting two Dark Falz's with 255 HP each adding up to 510 HP and hid that fact by making the laser gun strike only once.

[@SBaby]

@@vintagegamer695 Yeah, I found that out recently. They programmed him to revive himself with full HP one time in the fight. It's actually a trick that people use in RPG Maker games to give superbosses way more HP than they would normally be able to have.

[@vintagegamer695]

@@SBaby I don't know if that's the case with DarkFalz since he strikes twice each round until you damage him enough, then he'll strike only once each round.

[@SBaby]

@@vintagegamer695 That's actually true. I forgot about that. So it might just be two DarkFalz and when one goes down the other gets all its HP back.

[@MaxAbramson3]

Yup, stamina. And man, to get lost in PS1 was a nightmare. You'd better have some kind of backup save or enough MP to get out of there!

[@marbles8641]

Phantasy Star 3 was not only made by a new, inexperienced team, but were also under severe time and budget crunch. They had a year to get a new game out, and their ideas were too ambitious for the time and income they had. Basically, it was a new team assigned to make a game because Sega wanted a new game out there.. and this is what we got.

[@KinaQuinquina]

I played it to every ending. Didn't hate it as much as eveyone else. With the inexperienced team (from golden axe) and the impossible short time, they actually made a decent game. It is easy to critic it for that, but for once put yourself in their shoes for once.

[@marbles8641]

@KinaQuinquina TBH, I never finished 2 as a kid. No booklets, didn't know how to recruit chars and it just felt player hostile. I was 9 when it was released. Played when i was 12

[@MrNobo15]

For the time and budget crunch they had, they really went for a very ambitious game. It's definitely not perfect, but the story itself has such a fantastic potential to be remade and be made incredible

[@colefitzpatrick8431]

There is nothing less discussed in the ebtire Phantasy Star Classic lore, than the fact that Kain fixed a random AC Unit so fucking incompetently that it turned into a fucking pipe bomb, making him a serial terrorist murderer in the most cartoonish way possible. He is responsible for the death of anywhere from 20-70 people. He then for no reason other than to satiate a robo bloodlust murder campaign, walks right up to Rolf's house, fights alongside the main cast, and never mentions a word of it.

[@MaxAbramson3]

You know your PS2 Text Adventures!

[@kelvinmatheus6178]

never stop, i loved discovering this series with you only ever heard of it from internet freaks

[@tineye5100]

The crashed ship in IV is a different one than what you’re on in III, and Wren is a different cyborg of the same variety as the one in III.

[@falksi3182]

Oh it's clear this kid didn't really get these games.

[@FallicIdol]

You inspired me to play though 1,2 and 4 again. In the last dungeon of 2 needing to grind like 6 more levels now

[@jaydub7386]

OMG, the grinding in 2 is insane. I don’t think there was a moment in 2 when I felt powerful.

[@projectmayhem6898]

@@jaydub7386 I did so much grinding for 2 last year while watching NFL games. Few games are as grind-heavy as that one.

[@jakestuart5858]

I got way up in 2 i think, the second place you need dynamite, i couldn't find it. Crushing. I tore the entire known world apart before i gave up.

[@Shiirow]

I always figured Eusis was play on the name Ulysses, because the developers of Phantasy Star were clearly fans of old mythologies, which is why you had Medusa and the mirror shield of Perseus in the original game.

[@marbles8641]

Thank you for bringing up that Phantasy Star 2 in the US came with it's own strategy guide included in the box, along with the booklet! (I hate the dungeons so much, your forgot to mention the dungeons and towns where you have to walk off the main tileset, in a tiny little routes to continue, but if you step off.. you get kicked out of the dungeon/town to the over world.)

[@wilhelmschmidt7240]

Phantasy Star II was my first experience of the series, and that made me go look for the first one and it's one of my favorite games. I loved finding translations of the text adventures years later and getting to know who the characters were, and overall for the kind of game they are I found them mostly intuitive enough to get through except a few small parts I needed hints for.

[@Crusader-m8y]

I love that intro from Phantasy Star 2.

[@qwegol1]

the shift between final fantasy 1 and phantasy star 1 is crazy, while neither is perfect i genuinely fucking struggle to even play final fantasy while phantasy star is a very unique and memorable experience the entire way the through

[@yeolemillinial8295]

i feel like the comic frame style of 4 feel more like a progression from the story telling from the first game, which is funny considering you don't feel that in 2 and 3

[@Esirre]

there's just something about the aesthetic and world of OG Phantasy Star that I love. I wish they had made an anime based on the games but art-wise the closest you get to the same aesthetic is "Iria: Zeiram the Animation" in 1994

[@noaht2005]

There’s actually a pretty interesting snes game based on it and the anime is definitely on my watchlist because it looks super cool

[@Esirre]

@@noaht2005 ah wow i'll have to find the rom if possible

[@BakingHimani]

I beat PS2 back in the early 90's when I was around 9-10. It was my mom's game but she never beat it, so I got a stack of graph paper and eventually beat it over my summer break. I've replayed that game so much over the years that I have most of the maps memorized, just don't ask me where my keys are...🤣

[@analogmoz]

You played PS2 as intended.

[@jvshotta8845]

For a second there, I thought PS2 was "Playstation 2" and I was wondering how you got a ps2 in the early 90's. 😂

[@bubbabigback8291]

Oh man, I remember Phantasy Star. My friend from school had the Sega master system. The first time I went over to his place I was amazed by some of the games he had including Phantasy Star. Years later I played Phantasy Star 4, it's one of my favorite JRPGs

[@diegoarmando5489]

Phantasy Star 3's ambition was legitimate. It had a much shorter development cycle and less A-List talent working on it than 2 or 4, though (1989, 1990, 1994 respectively in Japan). There's no reason to play it today (unless you're obsessed either with this series or with this history of the JRPG as a medium), though, given the plethora of vastly superior retro and modern options that we have easy access to.

[@MrNobo15]

I always loved what Phantasy Star 3 hoped to achieve. I think it would actually be incredible if given the proper treatment. The story could be made really good

[@909crime]

this series was really great. are there any others you want to cover this way?

[@JasonGravesPoser]

No plans but wouldn't rule another one out

[@planexshifter]

I agree. Loved this series. My only experience with the franchise was 4. I loved 4 so much.

[@Geraki0n]

@@JasonGravesPoser I guess Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are the most obvious JRPG equivalents, although some of their entries you'll cover at some point anyway (SNES RPGs and all) so eh.

[@The_Game_Juggler_ME]

Langrange Point on the NES is a awesome sci-fi jrpg.

[@shadowlazers]

The enemy designs looked sooooo good

[@ShinerCCC]

I will say, in spite of the classic series' many flaws, they just nailed how the enemies look completely alien and freaky with unpronouncable names

[@RobertLewis85]

Awesome video. I never played Phantasy Star but it always looked cool and appealed to me. Thanks.

[@francescosmith7859]

Excellent videos and reviews. I'm so happy I found this channel. I would normally agree that these games requiring 1000 years between events is unnecessary but I think it makes sense for Phantasy Star. It took 1000 years to build up the desert planet and for people to get so accustomed to this lifestyle depending on Mother Brain. 500 years would have worked but I think 100 years is too short a time period for such large events to happen (like blowing up a planet and forgetting you're on a space ship).

[@viraticwars]

I played the quadrolligy on the Sonics Ultimate Genesis Collection and I fell in love.

[@franwex]

I don’t recall them having the first one in there. I’ll have to check it out again.

[@viraticwars]

@@franwex Beat Sonic 2s first zone on 2 player to unlock Phantasy Star 1. It's peak.

[@franwex]

@@viraticwars nice. Thank you!

[@TMuse1007]

Just found your content and I know you’re gonna be a heavy hitter in the video game review scene. Strong 💪

[@nebulapig]

Phantasy Star 2 was my first RPG. I remember it being super expensive like 80 bucks. Luckily it came with a hint book or else I would have never been able to navigate those dungeon mazes! But I did enjoy it and it got me into the genre.

[@ShinRockman]

For dark falz in PS1: Without searching I'm pretty sure it's hp is 512, as what the devs did was have 2x dark falz at 256 hp

[@versebuchanan512]

Only you can stop Lasic Surgery, glasses-kun

[@dragoneye6229]

The IT man stuff should have been put in between all the quests from the hunter guild or be their own quests that would give you a bit more backstory. In that way it would have felt nice and also let them introduce Zio better as the guy messing it all up. The part with the rings was just lazy though, imagine if instead this fourth planet had an actual tech that made them invisible and the only thing that could pierce it was a special device you had to install in the ship. Now make it so that the planet hates your party because instead of magic rings Dark Force has bound his life force to the planet and every time you've slain him up until now, this mysterious fourth planet has gotten even worse to live on as it's slowly been dying. Reveal that Dark Force can easily swap planets and intends to do so and now you have a reason for an item or even device to be destroyed to ruin his plans. This also would hit on a lot of previous values in the series such as the Palmans who left Dezolis/Dezoris because it was inhospitable, do you abandon this planets inhabitants to their fate? What if one of those side quests was to get one of those ships from PS3 working to save their populace? All of this would even tie in to the history focus of the game with Chaz learning from the past potentially to become what could only be called the greatest hero of all. Everyone talks about the missed potential of 3, their hatred of Nei and Alys dying in 2 and 4, but I never see anyone talk about the sheer galaxy of potential PS4 had. With a bit of effort, some proofreading, and a little more budget to pay the souls doing the work this game could have been a whopper of an end to the series.

[@jimmartin8308]

Totally agree with the conclusion, though Phantasy Star 2 was my first console RPG, so it holds a special place. Phantasy Star 4 is certainly a better crafted game, but like many of the more modern, easier games, it feels more like you're watching the game, playing through it passively, because it doesn't ask anything of you in terms of planning or preparation (or grinding). Phantasy Star 2 made you earn you progress, as unfair and frustrating as that was, so every victory was earned. I vividly remember getting party wiped by Blasters in the Tower of Nido, or repeatedly finding the wrong tree on Uzo Island, or falling down pit after pit in the dams and later the dungeons on Dezo - struggling even with the included hint book. And Phantasy Star 2 did include one other piece of player agency lacking in all of the others - party choice. It actually makes a big difference which characters you choose to play. Some, like Anna and Hugh, are great against the legions of random monsters, while others, such as Amy and Kain, and much better against the few bosses in the game. And since leveling and equipping is so slow, it really encourages you to focus on a single party. It's such a shame that none of the subsequent games built on that.

[@nizealgaming1134]

ikuto dungeon in phantasy star 2 sounds like nothing but fucking PAIN

[@rvfiasco]

That's exactly what it is.

[@Dreamshadow1977]

PSII starting up at my friend's house is what hooked me into the series in 90. I've considered it better than FF series ever since.

[@Leoj305]

That's an opinion right there. All jokes aside, I'm a fan of the phantasy star series, myself and have even enjoyed the latest entry.

[@CosmicCosmo1]

Thats a bonkers take. Surely the gameplay of 2 was way worse than FF1 agreed? Granted the plot was a scifi masterpiece but the gameplay of 2 with those grid backgrounds and the grindfest and impossible mazes make it unplayable whereas I fire up FF1 often and enjoy playing through the whole thing even on the NES on the reg.

[@Dreamshadow1977]

@@CosmicCosmo1 I will admit nostalgia and memories of spending all day with two good friends, brothers, picking through the story, hanging out, sometimes alternating with rounds of Star Control and Herzog Zwei.... I've got some good memories attached to 90 and 91 as a teenager. There's just something about the system, game, and time that makes PS II magic. For the same reason, PS III I have high opions of and do not understand the hate. While I did get to see and play FF1 in the earlier year at the same friends house, and experienced FF II and III with another friend....just something about PS II that hits me right in the memories.

[@shadowlazers]

​@@CosmicCosmo1disagree the combat complexity and the combat animations were way beyond ff1..the chubby little characters and their non animations I did not enjoy..for ps2..the grid backrounds were butt..but unfortunately that was another victim of being rushed

[@alexanderr2632]

What is the tune that starts at 1:42:48? It's not fro the Phantasy Star Gaiden, as far as I understand

[@JasonGravesPoser]

It's from wonderboy 3. Don't remember the name of the song

[@alexanderr2632]

@@JasonGravesPoser Thanks! You have a great content btw, bingewatching your snes RPG series right now

[@Shishkebarbarian]

totally in for watching this again. I watched every other video in the series already as they were coming out (brilliant idea btw, felt great looking forward to each new episode like old school TV Series!) .The Phantasy Star series has such a weird aura around it. It's held up on a pedestal made largely of it's potentials, and each game chisels a little more definition out of that potential but I feel Phantasy Star never achieved its magnum opus and still has a lot more life and potential in it. Phantasy Star has always stood out for a few big reasons, 1 - it was Sega's flagship (and one of 2, really) RPG franchise (while Nintendo had so many) 2 - the Sega platforms weren't really known for it's RPGs 3 - the scifi theme was unlike anything else out there 4 - and finally, and very importantly, the first game was way ahead of its time and so magnificent. Unfortunately being ahead of its time also meant it released at the worse possible time and on the worst possible system, the SMS, which wasn't all that popular in most places. the series faltered with every release thereafter with PH4 being way too late in the Genesis' lifecycle ensuring abysmal sales. I think the series could have and still can be so much better if Sega returned to it, but keeping up with the pixel style and crafting something along the lines of Legend of Mana instead of Final Fantasy 16 or whatever.

[@CosmicCosmo1]

Graves makes the best retro content on youtube huh?

[@Esirre]

This is the best retro gaming content I've discovered in the last 4 -5 years. Yeah been binging his stuff.@@CosmicCosmo1

[@Esirre]

Now that Sega is making a big deal about a 'comeback' with their valuable IPs, I would love to see a return of PS and Shining Force with their original art styles. Can you imagine how amazing that would be? I just don't know if it could happen...

[@Shishkebarbarian]

@@CosmicCosmo1 he's one of the ones I follow, some of which have millions of viewers. I like Grave's more casual, low budget and intimate vibe. And his analysis is earnest and thorough

[@Shishkebarbarian]

@@Esirre as long as they stick the the Phantasy and Shining format from the Genesis and not the PS2/Xbox/GC/DC era

[@LucasDamasio001]

@23:15 I remember I read in a brazilian game magazine that phantasy star II's dungeons were created by a newly hired employee. Supposedly, he wanted to impress his higher ups, so he dedicated himself to make the most complex, detailed and biggest dungeons ever found in an RPG game. If this is true, I can't believe the devs saw all of that and said "yeah, that's great!, These little challenges are so fun! Let's put this in the game!"

[@swarnski8uu]

PHANTASY STAR 1 looks soooo great. That looks like an awesome oldschool rpg

[@songshungama5288]

thanks for this super awesome retrospective

[@diegog1853]

I really appreciate that you took the time to say that Phantasy Star 2 while flawed, shouldn't really be compared with all the other 16 bit rpg master pieces, while its real competition was 8 bit rpgs, the same way I really don't think is fair to compare something like Golden Axe with Turtles in Time, when its competition was things like double dragon 2 and River City Ransom. On Ps3 I completely get the dissapointment and even the hatred towards the game. The best thing I could say about it is that... I consider it inoffensive. It is so easy that you can play it on almost constant fast forward in the genesis classics collection, which is what I did... And I honestly had a good time. You never grind so you are always moving forward, blasting through all the story content and dungeons, and you can beat one playthrough in something like 4 or 5 hours. In comparisson PS2 took me months to complete, because I was constantly getting bored and frustrated with the grinding and dungeons. Even when fast forwarding to grind. I also thought it was interesting that whenever you choose a partner, the son will inherit properties of the mother, like the spells they can do, of course ultimately unimportant. But yeah... not a good rpg, to me just inoffensive.

[@zanmaru139]

PSIII was one of my first RPGs and a game I have a lot of nostalgia for. Yet I can safely say this review is correct on all counts.

[@The_Game_Juggler_ME]

Your hilarious bro 😂 Love your channel 👏

[@yeolemillinial8295]

ya i can see that, at least with sega channel we had pseudo broadband (the infrastructure built to run sega channel was actually what was used to run broadband internet when it came out), the japan modem though was still dial up lol

[@charlene2400]

I've had all 4, and played through them all. 1 & 4 were best, 2 was an ordeal, but arguaby could be considered better, and I liked 3 the most. I've played to all 4 endings, but never got the female possible 3rd gen player you showed. 3rd gen is where the only difference is, but it's just a change in difficulty, for the final sections. If you pick a Layan to marry twice in a row, you get the weakest of the 4, but has more magic. If you go the other way, you get the physically strongest of the 4, but no magic. The other two outcomes are about the same, and middle of the road. However, this is the only real variation to playing 3rd gen at all. You might have shown me a reason to try a 5th time, if a 5th possible player is real. PSIII & M&MII, were the only ones I kept.

[@FallicIdol]

A completely remade 2 with a fleshed out cast and story could be good

[@shadowlazers]

That does dungeon designs are why I still have that awesome song in my head

[@banksnlb]

Im playing the PS2 translated games now of Phantasy Star 1 then hitting up the PS2 Phantasy Star 2 afterwards; your videos are responsible for that and thank you. Phantasy star 2 was the first RPG I played on the OG Genesis.

[@JackDodgers]

I was 13 when I first played this game. Apparently I grinded Alis Odin and Miau so much that I was killing stuff on the spot btu I couldn't advance in the game cause of language restrictions. But until this day, It's on my list of best games ever, much for the nostalgy. I finished it several years after I learned enough english to properly play it. Thanks for this video.

[@GrayFoxHound9]

As a kid (~11 y.o.) i managed to beat phantasy star 4 with barely any knowledge of english And now it's an in-between for me where i remember nothing about it, yet every piece of footage feels familiar

[@thebossthusiast1960]

Really terrific video, inspired me to probably do a replay of Phantasy Star 4 in the near future. Personally I consider it the best RPG on the Sega Genesis, but you're right, it's over too soon and it could have been even more.

[@KasumiRINA]

50:03 In their defense, if it was a non-text videogame, shooting at it is what we WOULD try naturally, I mean plenty of secrets in old games were opened this way.

[@Grind24hours]

I am playing Phantasy Star 4 right now, and I agree it's a good rpg. Great video, lots of personality!

[@Denny-Thray]

I respectfully think you undervalue the good time you had actually playing Phantasy Star IV. These are video games after all. Narratively, Phantasy Star IV is kind of a mess for the reasons you stated; but remember it's a video game, not a novel or movie. Phantasy Star 2 has a more pristine narrative simply because there is less going on so there is less room for flaws. Phantasy Star IV's narrative has more flaws sure, but it's much, much bigger in scope.

[@TrinaryAdept]

maybe rolf's training montage on uzo island is why it's uninhabited in the events of phantasy star 2

[@rockerteen8300]

Meh, I played all the main games to completion, 2 was my favorite because it was the least ridiculous, after that I liked 4, it was a little too easy to beat, no real challenge at all, so it had the opposite problem of 2, then I liked the original, only because anything is better than 3, seriously, the original is so bonkers ridiculous that the only thing that could be worse is an abomination like 3. But that's just my opinion, and unlike a lot of other people on the web I'm not going to act like my opinion reflects everyone else's opinion, or that my opinion even really matters to anyone but me. But if you were to rank the series on meta critic the consensus is that 4 is best, then 1, then 2, and last 3. But I don't care, I don't read someone else's opinion and let them dictate my opinion, so...

[@LlorDrei]

An interesting part of Phantasy Star 4 is, you'll either meet the characters from PS1, or statues of them, but you might not realize it, as the original names are used for them, not the Americanized names.

[@Geofferymchugh]

So glad that I chose the phantasy star collection on the GBA years ago. I love this series so much. I would love more RPGs in the algol star system

[@planexshifter]

Now, I’m curious about the Old Man in The Ninja Scroll? How did he get that government job?

[@LucasRCD]

Apparently, the reason why the dungeons in II are the way they are is that originally the first person dungeons from the first game were set to return, but they had to be scrapped because there otherwise wouldn't be enough space on the cartridge (the first game is notoriously well optimized and compressed thanks to Yuzo Koshiro's involvement in programming the game, which is how the smooth and seamless scrolling first person dungeons were made possible). Apparently they had to scrap what they had done and basically redo the entire game in the span of 2 and a half months in order to acommodate this decision, salvaging what they could, all while having like 4 different artists working simultaneously on the graphics to make sure everything was finished within the absurd deadline. The bad labyrinthine designs are a result of that. Experience really does make all the difference, given that III was faced with similar issues but with way more time and yet turned out a disaster, because the outsourced devs didn't have access to the workforce of the first two games, and there's evidence that the game's scope was gonna be much grander still present in the game's data, meaning they had to cut their losses late in development just to get the game released. Surprised you didn't have it in you to make fun of the Lashute section of the game, because everyone in there has dialogue that paints them as cartoonishly evil.

[@JuliusKingsleyXIII]

Great video

[@rossdixonellis]

"Lassic only has 238 hp, hell thats just barely more than me!" made me laugh hard

[@LongTran-kp3kz]

.....Man. The anger and frustration when he gets to PS2.... I'm glad I've never gotten this angry about old school RPGs.... But, I have a freakishly high tolerance for stuff like this.

[@jackdoobie]

I loved Phantasy Star 2, it's one of the only RPGs of the era I've actually finished.

[@bacaestrife3615]

I have one piece of umbrage to take up with this video...real life caves are not boring, and if you think they are, you need to go visit Carlsbad caverns.

[@SBaby]

4:55 - Palma is just right, except that half the planet consists of active volcanoes. But otherwise, just right.

[@SPChannelTV]

Keep up the good work, and even though making videos on yt has its ups and downs, keep going. you have the talent to make it..

[@reyntime1950]

Phantasy Star 2 has a lot of issues but it's tone/themes and music won me over. If by some miracle sega drops ps remakester collection (it's never happening) ps2 has a lot of potential with a little QoL stuff (complete dungeon overhaul) lol

[@CosmicCosmo1]

Sega already remade phantasy star 2 on the sega ages collection. You need a playstation 2 emulator on your computer and to get the fan translation to play it.

[@yeolemillinial8295]

i feel like the false ending in 4 is a troupe that started in that game. its good to get you hooked but it does suck when it feels like it doesn't go anywhere as good as what was concluded.

[@jmanclan]

I love a big super cut, ive got a day off and some grinding to do

[@No_Therapy_Needed]

Dude, Phantasy star 2 & 4 were my favorite, 4 especially

[@volfi123]

The phantasy star series reminds me of Edgar rice burrough's books. Like the venus series or something. I can't really place why though.

[@yeolemillinial8295]

honestly they need to put more dungeons in the game with 33 paths. you won't even notice how hard your grinding lmao

[@marbles8641]

I'm in my 40s, and take pride in the fact that throughout the 90s, I played and beat every US Console released RPG... except the Phantasy Star series. This includes Turbo, Turbo CD, NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn, PS1, DC. I don't remember many places having it for rent, so I borrowed 2 from my aunt around `92. (I was 12) I spent days trying to learn the game, but couldn't even get past the first dungeon once I found it. It was so unintuitive, that I didn't know what any of the spells or items did, since the game didn't tell me, or how to recruit new party members. Eventually, I gave up, since compared to Phantasy Star 2, Lunar, Final Fantasy, and even 7th Saga were more accessible and player friendly with their details. I've still not beaten Phantasy Star 2, I'm on Dezu trying to get the NEI Artifact, but need to grind my ass off so I'll be competent enough to survive palaces/towers the items are located. Thank god people gave me a hint about the usable combat items.

[@missingwestcoast]

Oh, you're just like me then, I'm on my 30s and I've beaten all English released RPGs on portable consoles released between 2001 and 2008 (around 150 titles, including Phantasy Star Collection on GBA, which has the first 3 games, had to use a guide on PS2 to know how to save anywhere, but I could manage the rest, still a pain in the ass lmao), I'm still continuing my quest to beat the rest (although I wish I could play home console games too, but I only have time for portable ones)

[@moneymaker8815]

My intro to the series was 4, looking for a decent Rom to play 😅 I got to Zio and immediately knew that was it.

[@samueltorres3246]

Amazing video, I hope one day you will do something similar with Breath of Fire 1-4

[@stemdeckesupreme164]

100 years is a single generation. Not every generation has an industrial revolution

[@LordKaiser003]

Had you played the PS2 remakes of the 1rst 2 games? They got fan translated... I think.

[@yeolemillinial8295]

5 hp in adventure for heals is absurd. the healing in PS generally doesn't scale much to begin with but it is at least better than that lol

[@ShinerCCC]

I loved the Gauntlet series so I had to try out PSO on the Gamecube for more hack and slash fun with my friends. Just after that, I took interest in the earlier Phantasy Star games, my dad scored 3 and 2 for Genesis at pawn shops. I finished the first generation of 3 and Neifirst in 2. I liked some real grindy slogs of RPGs as a teen but I know now I'll never go back and finish them, they're just bad games, although they are victims of their own time period much like Dragon Quest 2, when designers hadn't figured out the math and design idioms to make a good game of this type yet. I did like 4 but I liked your take on the oscillating stakes of the plot and whoopee cushion ending.

[@colinstewart3531]

The layout of that dungeon with the holes sounds really similar to Mario Maker Pick a Pipe levels. Which are universally hated. I think people only make those levels to be intentionally awful to troll people.

[@AclypseOfReason]

PS2 was great and PS3 was amazing at the time. It was an era of grinding and patience. Now it is pay to win and speed runs. Very different worlds.

[@xenoblade6965]

PS4 plays great no matter if you retro play today or played it day one. PS1 PS2 PS3 hit differently depending on when you played it, back in the day you got any game and played your heart out good or not, you pushed through and you never knew better cuz there was no other game to compare it too, you did not have multiple consoles as a kid. People today retro play the 1st three and get slapped in the face how we grinded our life away or read the most mundane text to advance the story and in 1 and 2 drew maps to help . Nostalgia makes these games better than they actually are. Mods today give the series fixes and improvements to help a retro playthrough.

[@cronnoponno]

I think my favorite thing about the early games is the battle artwork. I never was a fan of first-person dungeon crawling RPG's; Earthbound was a good game for me despite it's combat system and not because of it(although the HP system was neat). Even in the first Phantasy star the enemies have interesting animations for their attacks, and 2 and 4 has your characters from the back view and their attacks are fully animated to a point not even Final Fantasy could compete with. That kind of visual feedback was important to me for RPG's back then, I need to see my character swing their +10 sword of coolness to slash the enemy.

[@ValentinesEve1996]

14:12 21:45 1:13:03

[@shadowlazers]

I just like most people did not have the Sega Master System I hear original Phantasy Star was pretty good navigating to 3 Dungeness those sort of mapper compass butt Phantasy Star 2 is so beyond anything on Nintendo or beyond anything I've ever played every critique of it is accurate the dungeons were unforgiving there were too many battles every couple of steps not enough boss monsters it was overwhelmingly grindy and I could not play it today but in 1990 it was the most amazing game ever while the story wasn't grandioso it's dark themes and narratives or extremely compelling the combat the visuals the combat visuals all stunning somebody animations Overworld enemies looked great another review I watched said she got said she had to Auto attack herself through battle after battle let me tell you honestly when I played in 1990 I oughta attacked nothing I planned every move of every battle over and over it was that much fun but I concur as much as I loved it and how influential it was on me I won't even play any of the remakes

[@Walkeranz]

Phantasy Star 2 music is great

[@shadowlazers]

Yes ..the soundtrack is spectacular

[@cgyh68748]

PS is og tetralogy is great specially for its time

[@DS-er4ng]

PS2 is one of the best JRPG:s. However it was sad that the style of the dungeons from PS1 did not follow into PS2.

[@terry-]

Great!

[@jaydub7386]

Huey wasn't that useful in the original. However, I loved his idea of being a biologist and his unique techniques. They did him wrong; he could have been a more functional character. With that said, in Ages 2500, Generation 2, you can give him two shields and have him defend two turns. His skill, sulfur attack, will be charged after the second turn. It does 100 points of damage. Plus, it also paralyzes whatever monsters it doesn't destroy. I'd take him to Uzo and Climate Control. However, it would help if you left him at home to train during the four dams and your adventures on Dezo. When you reach the last dungeon, take Huey with you. If memory serves me right, his sulfur attack will damage and paralyze the enemies you encounter there. Additionally, sulfur works on Dark Force and Mother Brain, damaging and paralyzing. Oh, three was rushed trash. I finished one play-through, and I could do it again and again. It's the ET of Phantasy Star. The two androids were my favorite part. Don't think I overlooked that when reviewing part three, you put in music Sonic The Hedgehog. Clever man.

[@planexshifter]

They don’t know they are on the space ship-

[@popejoeii]

Must have been nice to have a browser to figure out the spells with no manual 😂

[@GTSN38]

I hate to say this, but your opinion about 4 is wrong.

[@Kangoshi_ru]

It's subjective, so how can it be "wrong"? :D Also, I totally agree with the author - PS2 is my favorite, I wish it had some of the PS4 features though.

[@Fauntleroy.]

​@@Kangoshi_ru I'd argue you can come to a wrong conclusion when you demonstrate through your own words that you really didn't absorb or understand the story, maybe as a result of just flying through it and only paying the minimal amount of attention.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

Quite literally not how opinions work.

[@shadowlazers]

Lol your in depth breakdown has opened memories I'd supressed fo 30 yrs..the dungeon designs were so nonsensical..due to being rushed...holes and stairs to nowhere and battles every 3 steps

[@yeolemillinial8295]

love the hate on PS3, already mentioned i had sega channel back in the day. i beat PS2 and 4 multiple times back then, i couldn't get through a single generation on 3 for all the reasons you state her lmao. i DO like the battle menu the most in 3 but that is the only good thing i have to say about it lol

[@CompressedEarthBlocks]

For me it'd have to be 2 > 4 > 1 > 3.

[@displayname3730]

I think you can only truly apprecaite Phantasy Star 3 after you've seen all 4 endings. Only to realize only one of them is different, but it was totally worth it to find out. The music is absolutely terrible. The noise and sound is so bad it just makes you want to mute the tv. The maze dungeons and back-to-back battles are infuriating. But if you pay attention to the script and what's happening, it's all actually pretty cool. I was about 10 years old when I played, and I haven't played it again, but I have always remembered it fondly. I had to find a guide ont he internet to beat it too, I just kept getting lost and never knew where to go, it was hard to figure out even with the guide. Having the same robots with you the entire game was awesome. The way they change through the years was my favorite part. You have to find them again each time, and they're in worse shape, and it's never really explained why I don't think. I actually think 4 is the worst of all 4.

[@nrabinov]

Bull's eye on Phantasy Star 2's main weakness - the dungeons were total and utter crap. I remember clearly trying to play this game without using the guide and eventually giving up and using it to navigate the island maze which was just terrible. This game was a huge letdown from the brilliance of Phantasy Star 1.

[@endisbegun27]

meseta, say it with me, met-say-tuhs? no. meh-set-a

[@frankafrank7]

You rarely accidentally get your ass handed to you by a higher level enemy in PS1? I guess you stayed away from the coastline early on lol

[@yeolemillinial8295]

honestly, generations of doom is the one PS game i have a hard time playing through. PS2 isn't that bad

[@Dethmobile]

I could never beat dark force…. I even leveled the hell up until I couldn’t stand it

[@ryan3088]

When I saw the Final Fantasy snip with the names spelling ASSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I immediately thought of AVGN 🤣Still have my Phantasy Star 2 from way back with all of the maps I made as a kid. Loved that game, but it was absolutely malicious.

[@CosmicCosmo1]

2 had the best plot sure but the game was abysmal. You said it yourself 33 different paths in that one dungeon and you have to go through it multiple times to get both the nei items. Also those Dams. Wtf were they thinking? FF1 way better game and way easier to tell where you are going without a guide. Ps4 is the only good game of the lot as far as I can tell. Even ps1 was way too cryptic. You have the patience of a saint to get through these but cmon 2 wasn't the best game only the best work of fiction.

[@DSan-kl2yc]

That's not the same wren or the same space colony. Killing Zio wasn't the point. We wanted to stop him before he killed alys. He was a barrier to fixing conditions on the planet because he put his castle on top. So then the game follows that thread. As well as the dark god he worshipped. So it's the same consistent story thread till the party finally acknowledges and understands Dark Force. Trying to fix the planet and the conditions. Where are the monsters coming, what's destabilizing the planet ECT. Zio was just a stepping stone. Just something in your way to your actual goal. Chasing the problem was always the point. 4 also follows one event, but we have to figure out what it is. It's the coming of the profound darkness. So you have to figure out what Dark Force is first. You're going from one anomaly to a bigger one, working towards the cause. At the start they think it's all mechanical. They're in disbelief of it. Then when they learn all of it. Chaz almost rejects being used to fulfill the purpose of some goddess that doesn't seem to care enough to stick around and do it herself. It builds on everything that came before it. Rykos isn't dissimilar to the air castle. I have no idea why you say that like it isnt a mythic trope. The rings are to survive the dungeon... And end the 1000 year cycle. Edit: Even the camaraderie line doesn't make sense. That was built over the adventure. Like what...its a nonsense complaint, compared to the series, or any game ending. Its like you ruin things for yourself in a way thats not objective. you ruin it for yourself emotionally for no particular reason. In a way this video doesnt even cover. Like what did that mean. There's something there that doesn't make sense the way you've said it.