Phantasy Star Online 2

[Lindz]

At last after 10 years I get to play this game as it recently came to PS4 in the west! I'd written off ever playing it ages ago so I had no hype an ontop of that didn't read up on or look at pics/videos of it so I went in basically blind o.o! And ya, I got overwhelmed by character creation, menus upon menus, how "loud" the game is, and more! So far I've somehow gained more levels in the lobby than from fighting baddies which feels real strange. Dunno if I'll sink hundreds/thousands of hours into this game as I did past ones in the series but for now I'm aiming to at least clear the story and see all areas which I still have yet to do for Blue Burst >.>

[Doppleganger]

Wasn't this like Talon's favourite game? What are you doing in Talon territory?!

[Lindz]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

Wasn't this like Talon's favourite game? What are you doing in Talon territory?!

I played PSO, PSO v2, PSO ep1&2, PSO ep1&2+, PSU, PSU AotI, PS:P, PSØ, PS:P2, PSO BB, and for the past 8 years PS:P2i! For a combined 6000+ hours! Its only natural I gave the "new" one a shot o.o!

Technically the new one is PSO2 NGS. I tried that also but became super bored after about an hour an went back the PSO2 proper. I gots noooo idea whats goin' on in NGS an I'm willing to believe I was doing something wrong but either way running around its big empty open worldy area sucked!

[Lady Kuno]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

Wasn't this like Talon's favourite game? What are you doing in Talon territory?!

Lindz has ALWAYS been the PSO mvp. I don't think this is one Talon really played at all. Although I do remember they did like some of the same games like Star Ocean 2.

[Doppleganger]

Talon would always randomly bring up some game, I thought it was PSO.

Now that Kuno's called me out I think the game I confused it with is "Shenmue".

[Lindz]

Originally Posted by Lady Kuno

Lindz has ALWAYS been the PSO mvp. I don't think this is one Talon really played at all. Although I do remember they did like some of the same games like Star Ocean 2.

Its true, I love SO2! I also liked SO5 which no one else in the world seemed to. SO6 out in a month aaaaaahhh!

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

Talon would always randomly bring up some game, I thought it was PSO.

Now that Kuno's called me out I think the game I confused it with is "Shenmue".

I also love me some Shenmue 1 & 2! The cartoon was okay too. Pretty sure the game never happened an I def didn't back it.

[Doppleganger]

Fun fact, I think Phantasy Star Online got adapted into one of the best isekais,

*deep breath*

Mezametara Saikyou Soubi to Uchuusen mochi datta no de, Ikkodate Mezashite Youhei Toshite Jiyuu ni Ikitai

or, Saikyou Uchuusen slash "Strongest Spaceship" for short.

It's an isekai about a salarybro who gets transported to a world similar to PSO's, in a powerful light spaceship, and he goes full Outlaw Star and becomes a bounty hunter while trying to scrape up enough dough to buy a planet he can retire to.

[Lady Kuno]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

Talon would always randomly bring up some game, I thought it was PSO.

Now that Kuno's called me out I think the game I confused it with is "Shenmue".

This is def a Talon fav.

Originally Posted by Lindz

Its true, I love SO2! I also liked SO5 which no one else in the world seemed to. SO6 out in a month aaaaaahhh!

All I remember about SO3 was a character had a skill called FLYING GUILLOTINE and it was the only move I used over and over and I kept hearing that sound. I remember the game was ok, but apparently all the SO games after 2 were just... not as good. Sad times. SO2 is completely iconic and legendary and nothing else was able to come close. Hell, even the PSP remake turned the giant cross that appears during a healing spell into just... a giant stick. Come on, lol.

[Lindz]

I'm still in tutorial mode for NGS and that games in the midst of a seasonal event so its like I logon, get torn on what to do, logoff an switch to PSO2! I got my first rare in that game somehow?? Weird that even low level rares would drop in easy mode of the first level of the game but w/e I'll take it!

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

Fun fact, I think Phantasy Star Online got adapted into one of the best isekais,

*deep breath*

Mezametara Saikyou Soubi to Uchuusen mochi datta no de, Ikkodate Mezashite Youhei Toshite Jiyuu ni Ikitai

or, Saikyou Uchuusen slash "Strongest Spaceship" for short.

It's an isekai about a salarybro who gets transported to a world similar to PSO's, in a powerful light spaceship, and he goes full Outlaw Star and becomes a bounty hunter while trying to scrape up enough dough to buy a planet he can retire to.

Fun fact: my eyes & brain glaze over into a stupor upon reading just about any isekai's title... Once I recovered from that state, the description makes it sound fun. If it ever goes anime I hope it warrants & gets a proper episode count. Beyond tired of 12/13 ep series >_>

Originally Posted by Lady Kuno

All I remember about SO3 was a character had a skill called FLYING GUILLOTINE and it was the only move I used over and over and I kept hearing that sound. I remember the game was ok, but apparently all the SO games after 2 were just... not as good. Sad times. SO2 is completely iconic and legendary and nothing else was able to come close. Hell, even the PSP remake turned the giant cross that appears during a healing spell into just... a giant stick. Come on, lol.

SO2 has plenty of issues & downsides to it. And skill spamming, like spam PEARS INTO PEACHES all day every day long before whatever FLYING GUILLOTINE was conceived! I played the PSP remake of SO1, now theres a lackluster game!

[Loki]

PSO2 came out earlier in the west for Xbox and PC thanks to Microsoft giving Sega some servers in the west. The launch months were horrible and the game felt a bit dated. Then literally a few months in, they announced New Genesis and it kind of killed a big part of the playerbase. I personally got turned off by the heavy microtransactions that really limited gameplay. Like you needed to be a subscriber to sell on the trading post, but you could still buy off of it. You had extremely limited storage and the best cosmetics were from lottery tickets/gacha.

TBH, PSO2 NGS should be PSO3, but Sega wanted to keep their collabs without paying a new licensing fee. Most of the people I know who played the game quickly burnt out. There wasn't very much content at launch. In addition, Sega neutered PSO2 proper and yet tried to fill people's time by also directing them to it when PSO2 NGS didn't have enough content. Kind of a weird shot in the foot. I didn't play NGS personally.

PSO2 actually has 2 anime series.

One is called PSO2 the Animation, which is from 2014(?) and is about a fictional futuristic high school where everyone plays PSO2 and they show off how to get an online girlfriend, do fan meetups, and apparently balance your school grades with online play time. It ended with the main character being the online messiah and actually isekais into the game and stops the monsters in-game from entering our world.

The second is PSO2: Episode Oracle, which is an anime retelling of the original PSO2's storyline. A common complaint from the anime viewers was that there were a lot of plot holes and bullshit out of left field. The MMO players would respond that they anime gave more information than the players ever got. lol.

[Lindz]

Almost 2 weeks of playing later I unlocked daily/weekly missions in NGS because freaking everythings locked behind a tutorial and theres a zillion of 'em. So many days of missed freebies cause of that. I binged hard on PSO2/NGS this weekend though. At friday I was 25~ hours in and today I'm 45~ hours in e.e

Originally Posted by Loki

I personally got turned off by the heavy microtransactions that really limited gameplay. Like you needed to be a subscriber to sell on the trading post, but you could still buy off of it. You had extremely limited storage and the best cosmetics were from lottery tickets/gacha.

That stuffs still true from what I've seen, in both PSO2 and NGS. Inventory management is something I pretty much gotta do after every quest in PSO2 cause ya only get 50 inventory slots and for me 15s taken up by weapon/armor/healing stuff right off the bat. NGS is better in that ya got 100 inventory and healing items don't count against it but that games flooded to hell & back with the most minor of weapon upgrading things its nuts. Combined 500 free (shared!) storage between both games is super not enough so pay for more or just spend loads of time trashing stuff like I've been. I'm not paying to have a shop to maybe make fake in game money or to buy temporary(!!!) storage upgrades.

One is called PSO2 the Animation, which is from 2014(?) and is about a fictional futuristic high school where everyone plays PSO2 and they show off how to get an online girlfriend, do fan meetups, and apparently balance your school grades with online play time. It ended with the main character being the online messiah and actually isekais into the game and stops the monsters in-game from entering our world.

The second is PSO2: Episode Oracle, which is an anime retelling of the original PSO2's storyline. A common complaint from the anime viewers was that there were a lot of plot holes and bullshit out of left field. The MMO players would respond that they anime gave more information than the players ever got. lol.

I knew there was a PSO2 anime, not 2! Nor that the first was uh... like that! I'm only alil bit into PSO2 Ep1 story but its mostly been a series of short "cutscenes" that haven't explained alot, just introduced more & more characters. Not even missions exploring places with them. Just chatting. What the heck happened to the team that made PSU/PS:P???

[Doppleganger]

How exactly are PSO2 servers still online if the game is >10 years old? I heard most online RPGs close their doors after like 5. Exceptions being super classics like Diablo II.

[Loki]

Tibia started in 1997 and recently updated to add sound effects to the game.
Everquest, online since 1999 and still active with subscribers (and F2P).
Final Fantasy 11, online since 2002 with active subscribers.
EVE Online, since 2003 still active and now with subscribers (and F2P).
World of Warcraft, while waning in popularity, active since 2004 with subscribers.
Guild Wars 1, online since 2005 with Buy to Play, Guild Wars 2 online since 2012 with F2P/Buy to Play model.

MMOs last as long as their developers decide to keep updating and if their playerbase keeps money coming in. And SEGA gets enough cosmetics and gacha in the game to keep them rolling in the at least enough money to keep updating. I've been told by some friends in Japan that the MMO genre is getting killed by mobile games. Many small/mid sized MMOs have closed up and their developers moved on to other projects.

[Lindz]

I've hit the 100 hour mark about a month in @_@ About 60 / 40 between PSO2 and NGS alot of time with both games has been spent on inventory management lol. My gaming times close to being completely consumed by this just like it was with PSO and PSU!! A months a month but will I end up pouring a thousand hours or more into these? Time'l tell!

[EyesFitt]

Originally Posted by Lindz

At last after 10 years I get to play this game as it recently came to PS4 in the west! I'd written off ever playing it ages ago so I had no hype an ontop of that didn't read up on or look at pics/videos of it so I went in basically blind o.o! And ya, I got overwhelmed by character creation, menus upon menus, how "loud" the game is, and more! So far I've somehow gained more levels in the lobby than from fighting baddies which feels real strange. Dunno if I'll sink hundreds/thousands of hours into this game as I did past ones in the series but for now I'm aiming to at least clear the story and see all areas which I still have yet to do for Blue Burst >.>

Finally, after a decade, I have the opportunity to play this game on the PS4 in the western region! I had given up hope of ever playing it a long time ago, so I had no expectations or prior knowledge of it. I intentionally avoided reading about it or watching any pictures/videos, so I went into the game completely unaware. And let me tell you, I was overwhelmed by the character creation, numerous menus, the game's overall intensity, and more! Surprisingly, I've been gaining more levels in the lobby than from actual battles, which feels quite unusual. I'm not sure if I'll invest hundreds or even thousands of hours into this game like I did with previous installments in the series, but for now, my goal is to at least complete the story and explore all the areas, which I have yet to do in Blue Burst.

[EyesFitt]

Originally Posted by Lindz

At last after 10 years I get to play this game as it recently came to PS4 in the west! I'd written off ever playing it ages ago so I had no hype an ontop of that didn't read up on or look at pics/videos of it so I went in basically blind o.o! And ya, I got overwhelmed by character creation, menus upon menus, how "loud" the game is, and more! So far I've somehow gained more levels in the lobby than from fighting baddies which feels real strange. Dunno if I'll sink hundreds/thousands of hours into this game as I did past ones in the series but for now I'm aiming to at least clear the story and see all areas which I still have yet to do for Blue Burst >.>

Oh, that's awesome! It's always exciting when a game you've been waiting for finally becomes available on your preferred platform. It sounds like you had quite the journey leading up to playing this game, considering you had given up hope of ever getting the chance to play it. Going in blind without any prior knowledge or exposure to pictures and videos must have been an interesting experience.

I can understand how overwhelming character creation and navigating through complex menus can be, especially if you're new to the game. Sometimes, games can bombard you with information and options right from the start, making it a bit difficult to find your footing. And if the game has a lot of noise or a busy atmosphere, it can add to the overall sensory overload.