How do the Phantasy Star games stack up compared to stuff

Like everything else Sega has put out, they're mediocre at best.

They generally feel like they're a generation behind as far as "interesting developments in JRPGs" go.

They're too depressing for me. Phantasy Star IV is the only one really worth playing, you can read up on the back story.

>>3992257
Ignore the trolls, OP. Unlike FF and DragonQuest, these stories all link together to form a bigger narrative about an entire galaxy.

Communism is better

They are pretty mediocre in comparison, but that was enough considering there was no other JRPG to compare them to on the same console.

>>3992302
>these stories all link together to form a bigger narrative about an entire galaxy.
Some references to characters and planet names, not a huge loss if you skip to PSIV

I heard 2 and 3 are not worth playing, but what about the original? Some say it has aged better than its sequel while others believe it is not worth playing either. At the very least it was a technical marvel showcasing the strength of the Sega Master System.

>>3992324
>there was no other JRPG to compare them to on the same console

Not true. There were other JRPGs on the master system.. Y's The vanished Omens, Miracle Warriors, Dragon Crystal & Lord of the Sword.

Average.

>>3992257
I played them on the gameboy advance a while back. Well, all except 4 that ain't on GBA. They're Ok. I want an anime done in that style though, old anime looks sexy as hell. Anyway, they're right fun and if you've a hankering to play them, do so. I'd say try them on an emulator before you buy them, unless you want them for posterity or collection or something.

>>3992260
weak

PS1 is average but the first-person dungeons were cool. PS2 and PS4 are big improvements.

>>3992384
The only bad one is 3

PS3 is mediocre. PS4 was in line with SNES RPGs from the same era so you will like it if you like those. PS2 came out in 1989 before Dragon Quest 4 and FFIII so it's more like an 8 bit jrpg with long maze-like dungeons inherited from PS1. PS1 is pretty good if you enjoy old school first person dungeon crawlers otherwise don't bother with it.

>>3992503
>>3992571
I heard PSII is considered worse than the original for various reasons that I forget. One is that the dungeons are just outright labyrinths.

>>3992631
It's not worse, it's just that PS4 overshadows them all.

>>3992631
Beat both, I would say 1 and 2 are equally frustrating. And fun, if you're into that sort of thing. 2 is essentially 1 without the first person perspective.

The original phantasy star at least has the benefit of being a showcase of what the Sega Master System was capable of (it came out the same month as Final Fantasy yet it almost looks a generation ahead). It is among the few standouts the Master System had (the other being Wonder Boy III/Monster World II).

>>3992272
Are you high? 1 and 4 were way ahead of their contemporary competition. That's half the classic series, and arguments could be made for 2 and 3 being ahead of the pack in certain ways too, though those two are clearly very flawed games

>>3992260
And fuck you too.

>>3992257
One of the few games that successfully combined sci-fi and fantasy elements into a rather fun game.
PS1 is great to start with, though you WILL need to grind a bit(to level 4, I believe) at the start.
PS2 is Grinding: The Game. Every new party member you get starts at level 1, and while there are only a few that are useful, it can be a pain to have to halt your progress to level all over again. Also, as has been mentioned, the dungeons can be sadistic(one of the early dungeons can very easily nail you with an encounter that will one-shot your entire party).
PS3 is...different. I would recommend at least TRYING it, and ignoring the haters. Just don't go in expecting more of the same, and you'll be fine to judge it on its own merits.
PS4 is the gold standard. There really isn't anything bad to say about it. No one will fault you for starting here, but you will suffer if you enjoy it, and then go back to earlier entries.
PSO is for those who like MMORPGs. Once more, it's worth a try, but be ready for things to be very different.

Long story short, PS wasn't afraid to try new things now and again. FF and DQ...well, they stayed more with the same formula.

>>3992272
OH WOW!

>>3994239
Based on that list, the only ones I really need to try are 1 and 4.

game sucks

>>3994684
Those are the must-plays, yes. Even then, not everybody is a bad enuff dude to play 1.

I generally hate jRPGs. Should I bother with this series? I do like some jRPGs, but I hate weeb shit (all 3D Final Fantasy falls under this category, for instance) and have a limited tolerance to grinding.

>>3996865
No, you better keep out.

>>3992384
2 was a great game and superior to the first for me

>>3992631
First one is pretty much a dungeon crawler, I am sure they just took that concept for 2 and took you out of the first person mode.

File: Kyra.png (2KB, 222x222px) Image search: [Google]

2KB, 222x222px

I replay 4 every now and again. Id hold it up as an example of an RPG with (Almost) perfect pacing. Short but everything flows very well.

Kyra is cute. I like her.

>>3996865
Get the fuck off /vr/, faggot.

>>3996865
I shall humour you and answer properly. You'll without a doubt hate 1-3 and consider then 'grindy' (though they're not really, they're just explorey) but 4 is easymodo enough for anyone to handle.

If this >>3997760 qt here looks too 'weeb' for you then jog on 'cause there's nothing in this franchise for ya. If you can handle that art then try PS4.

But really,
>I hate jrpgs, will I like the perfect example of jrpgs?
I mean really. I'm not sure what you expect.

>>3992257
First one is GOAT for me.

Phantasy 1 is an extraordinarily advanced and creative (for the time) RPG with first person dungeons, remarkably good artwork for an 8-bit cartridge, and lots of interesting story and gameplay elements. Three planets! Vehicles! Talking monsters! Its still an 8-bit JRPG though, with lots of grinding and obtuse "puzzles". You need to be a tenacious bastard to see it through to the end.

Phantasy 2 is an excellent SF RPG. It's basically mazes of death with a barebones (but good) story. The aesthetic and atmosphere is absolutely superb. BUT it is a massive grindfest. If the idea of walking round in circles for hours killing monsters to get enough money to buy a new gun doesn't appeal to you, then you will lose patience with it. Oddly, I found the challenge quite enjoyable, even when replaying as an adult.

Phantasy 3 has the best story, but worst graphics of the series. The music is PHENOMENAL. It's much less grindy than its predecessor but has an unfinished vibe. If you don't care about the story, then you won't derive much enjoyment from it.

>>4000350

I said I generally hate jRPGs, not hate jRPGs. I would of course play one of the genre's best offerings on its own merits.

When Square made FF7, they told investors they weren't really trying to make a game, they were trying to make a media franchise. Something they could make movies, action figures, etc out of. The beginning of taking the series in a course where it's not meant to be a game, and creative decisions are not made for the good of the game. Pretty much all jRPGs are made in this manner today. It's a stagnate genre kept alive by vile, obsessive people.

This has nothing to do with Phantasy Star, of course, but most of its fans are modern jRPG fans as well, so I better get some clarification.

Thanks, by the way, I think I'll try 1 and will probably find it too grindy, but that's on me.

>>4001528
Well good on ya, I hope you can enjoy it because it's a fine game.

Remember to use this version for a sane translation and vasty superior music:
http://www.smspower.org/Translations/PhantasyStar-SMS-EN

>>4000425
>Phantasy 3 has the best story

No it doesn't. It has like 8 under written stories.

The idea is sound on paper but in practice it never realizes it's potential and Im sorry but you don't get credit for potential

Kusoge series
Horrible grindfest. You aren't hardcore for spending hours grinding on the same shit. Just autistic.

>>3992257
Only played the first one. It did so many things way better than its contemporaries. But the grinding is absurd and you need maps. Play with an EXP cheat to cut down on grinding and use maps and it's a great little game. Well ahead of other games of the time
I can't wait to play IV.
>>3992387
>Y's
Mate..... come on now
>>3996865
>I generally hate jRPGs. Should I bother with this series?
Fuck no.

For the fuck's sake, what grinding in PS1 are all of you talking about? You only need to grind for a whooping 30 minutes in the very beginning and never again after that.

>>4002371
My guess is they're following pre-made maps and walkthroughs so they don't do any exploring and end up underleveled.

>>3992257
Well neither series has implemented anything like the Macro system from PSIV so it's still ahead of them both.

Also PS1 has first person dungeons which I think neither DQ or FF has ever done.

In general I prefer the Phantasy Star to FF and DQ, because I mean fuck man, in PSIV you go from tooling around a typical fantasy world to different planets in a spaceship and end up kicking around in a mech beating the shit out of giant monsters.

>>4002579

>calling yourself a retro gamer
>never played Eye of the Beholder
>never made your own maps

Why would anyone follow a map. The dungeons aren't that hard. They are a 14x14 grid at most, although some have multiple levels. For the SMS, it's pretty good.

Even though I haven't played it for about 10 years, I can still remember most of the dungeons.