Memories Archive I

P.S I got PS 4 first since I did not metion.

The first time I'd ever seen or heard about Phantasy Star was in a television commercial for the Master System. Several games were advertised with the last one being the, "Incredible Phantasy Star." The pictures shown were a walk through the dungeons, a fight against a green dragon and a marauder, and Myau flying up to the Air Castle. At the time, however, I had never played a role-playing game. My interest in such a game stemmed from finishing J.R.R. Tolkien's novel,"The Lord of the Rings." I longed to be part of such an epic adventure but hadn't yet found any kind of game that would really get me involved. 1988 was the year that would change. I was still in high school and didn't have a job. The Master System I owned was paid for with lunch money I saved( yes, I ended up skinny, but it was worth it), therefore buying games became a very selective process. At the time PS was an astronomical $69.99! I decided to wait. Not until a year later did I pick up the last copy at Toys "R" Us. It was definetly worth the wait. Being new to RPG's, it took me a lot longer to finish this game than normal-Seven weeks to be exact! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This game was way ahead of it's time. Awesome 3-D dungeons, 1st person-perspective dialogue and battles, fully animated monsters, non-linear game play, great storyline, and graphics that no other 8-bit game ever came close to. I really felt like I was in the Algol Solar System and wanted to explore every part of that universe. I had feelings of uncertainty walking through dark caves, excitement when I discovered something new, frustration with not knowing what to do next, and a true sense of achievment when the final blow against Darkfalz was landed. The ending was great, but in reality I never wanted it to end. I could only hope that a PS II would soon work its way onto the shelf and into my game collection-a hope that soon became a reality...

Phantasy Star II...PHANTASY STAR II!!! I couldn't believe it. I had to get it! My joy soon turned to anguish, however, at discovering that it was only for the Genesis. My parents weren't too excited about video games, and weren't happy that I already had the Atari 2600, 5200, and the Master System. They'd never get the Genesis, especially at $199. What to do? A job, of course. Part-time at McDonald's, it took a little while, but as soon as I had saved up enough, the Genesis with PS II was sitting in front of my TV. At first, I was VERY disappointed with the removal of the 3D dungeons. Adding insult to injury, the battle scenes had NO backgrounds and the locations of Palma and Motavia changed! Hey, I thought 16-bit was supposed to be more powerful! Although, I never got used to the lack of background ( or the planet switch for that matter ), the rest of the game more than made up for it. The storyline was great, the bio-monsters and robots were awesome, and I really liked seeing the characters in action. The graphics were detailed and I found that the dungeons, although different, were really enjoyable, but hard as hell ( without the hint book). The ending, although sad, was one of the better endings I'd ever seen. This RPG was a game worthy of carrying the Phantasy Star name.

I don't want to say too much about Phantasy Star III simply because I like it the least. Granted, the 3 generation, multiple ending plot was unique, it just didn't seem to belong in my book. The music was O.K., the graphics were O.K., but this is the world of Phantasy Star! O.K. is not good enough! Even worse was the horrendous battle scenes. The most any enemy would do was wiggle its body or twitch a thumb. What happened to the animation? Hell, the backgrounds even sucked and the characters were nowhere to be seen. The only explanation I ever accepted was that PS III is a side-story, nuff' said.

1995 and Phantasy Star IV. When PS II came out, my brother joked that PS IV would be a 24 meg monster. Well, whaddya know. You'd think that the final in this series would get everything right. Close, but no cigar. Actually the only real gripes with this game were that the mazes were far too easy and everyone moved so damn fast that I finished this game in 5 days. On the plus side, the battle scenes were perfect and the spells and combination attacks were excellent. The PS II battle engine coupled with nice backgrounds was exactly what I've always wanted, including more bosses, 3 Dark Forces and the Profound Darkness. The graphics at this time seemed a little stale, but weren't too bad. The cinema intermissions were a really nice addition. I really liked the references to the first two games, but I was really pissed off that Palma and Dezoris were spelled wrong! How hard could it have been to check up on that? Overall, this game lives up to the PS tradition but wasn't quite the finale I waited 7 years for.

In closing, I've played a lot of RPG's since the first PS, and so far, only Final Fantasy III has managed to instill in me the same feelings I enjoyed so long ago. If you are a Phantasy Star fan, beleive me, you MUST experience PSI! Do whatever it takes to play it at least once. I've already played mine from start to end a total of 15 times, with the most recent being just 2 months ago. There is no amount of money I would sell this game for and even with a Playstation next to my Sega, Phantasy Star is still my favorite. This game and its sequels are forever a part of me.2

From: HR Dennett (dennett@fishnet.net):
What more can I say? All of us here that read this page can honestly say that we love the games. I can't top what some of the other have said, only agree and smile. I started out back when I was 13 years old, my friend had an SMS with plenty of cool games. Zillion, Y's (which I never beat, damn tower) Spellcaster (I love that game!), and Phantasy Star. When I first saw it, I foolishly doubted it, "Oh i'm no good at that game, it looks hard..." 'Go on try it!' he said, and I can't help but to thank him now. I'll never forget the hours I spent sitting before my TV, much to my father's chagrin. I loved how Alis was a hero of accident, despite her destiny. I adored Myau and how the cat could talk, but still fight worth a darn. Odin's use of guns and axes puzzled me, but inspired me to play more. Noah's frail build was but a ruse to his great magical abilities. From the lowly Wing Eyes, to the mighty Dragons and Marauders stalking the Baya Malay tower, I soaked in every moment.

In PS II, I pained at going through those rough dungeons, but it was worth it. My will and pride were cast aside when Nei fell to Neifirst.I cried at the videogame. I had found a home in this world, and to lose even a small piece crushed me. I played on in hopes of finding a secret way of resurrection for her, but to no avail. I played on for her honor. I was stopped by the evil dungeons on Dezoris. I fought on and got to Dark Force. I fought him for 3 months and a day before crushing him. I marched on, confident that this "Mother Brain" would fall much easier. I was shocked, but I finally triumphed... to see the characters fight the denziens of Earth brought more tears to my eyes, for I knew Rolf's and the other's fate. I cheered them on still.

PS III brought me only lack of sleep and understanding into this world. I wandered the ship hunting for answers, finding only allies and treasure. As the game progressed, I became a Layan, cheering on my side. I felt emptiness when the Layans were attacked by Siren. I felt peace when I visited Lune on the sattelite. I felt a loss when Siren repented and died. Yet, it only made my victory over Dark Force that much more sweeter.

PS IV. Wow...I had to play the game before I even saw it. I read the rec.games.video.sega newsgroup and found out the release date. It was THAT day. I knew this was a sign . I called the local game stores and got the best price. I scraped up $45 and collected some of my older less played games. I had a mission to fufill. I bummed a ride off of my friend to get to the store only to discover that even with my games, I was still like $10 short. I felt crushed and defeated. So what I did was start to go home, but then remembered a relative who could help me out. I got the money and went back , eagerly purchasing the game. For the next 3 days I played the game nonstop from 11 PM to 4AM. When it was over that President's day weekend, I had experienced PS 4. I laughed, I felt pain, and I cried once more when Chaz discovered Elysdeon. All those groups on one screen, the memories of my life all flowed into one. When I finally matched wits with Profound Darkness, I knew that my quest was ending. When she died, my whole being was overcome with joy, yet filled with sadness. With the end of this game, came the end of an era. I was 17 when I beat PS4 and my life was changing drmatically already. My time was divided betwen school, friends, home, and Phantasy Star. But Life beat out PS unfortunately, so I knew that this was my last victory in the Algol Star System. Never again could I roam the wilds of Palma or Motavia or even the desolate Dezoris. No more would Alis, Myau, Odin,and Noah keep me occupied at night. Nei could no longer be my focus for my determination. Rhys and his children could not instill hope like they did on that far off ship. Chaz's young mind and Rika's innocence couldn't hold me forever. I have to go on. To me this is the hardest part, all my fondest memories of these years were filled with this star system and its cast. I hope that maybe one day, when the time permits me, I can go back and relive my adventures. I know this and I know you all do, these were the best games of my life. I only hope that others can know the feelings I have for this game, and even if no more Phantasy games arise, I'll still have these other ones to keep up with...

From: Rip (rip@nr.infi.net):
Hiya. Man, in these days of 32-bit gaming, you'd think the (too few) new RPGs would obliterate PHANTASY STAR, but it just ain't so. I still have my PS1, tho the battery's getting kinda squirrley (it doesn't save all the time, only some times), but SoA said they could replace the battery for me for $25, if I shipped 'em the cart. I'd like to do that, but I'm loathe to put PS1 in the mail. Would you do it?

I remember being (slightly) disappointed with PS2, because I wanted another game with POV scrolling dungeons. But after I got into it, I loved PS2 almost as much. One thing -- if SoA hadn't included that hint book with the game, it's doubtful I would've been able to beat the game, because some of those dungeons were just so difficult. By comparison, I'd say they were just as hard as the dungeons in PS1, but in a different sort of way (top down vs. POV). Fortunately, Sega sent me the dungeon guide and walkthru for the first PS, too, so that made it a little bit easier.

Now I believe that PS3 must've been programmed by an entirely different outfit, because altho on the surface it looks like PS2, the game has nowhere near the quality of the first 2 games. Agreed? I'll never forget watching the battles and being ultra-disappointed that there was hardly any monster animation, and you didn't get to see your characters attack as in PS2; you just saw the "swipe" of your Ceramic Sword or whatever. Cheap!! I think PS3 was a rush job. They tried to make it seem like a huge, sprawling game, but even with 7 worlds, it wasn't.

Now, PS4 was back on track! But I still think it's not as good as PS1 or PS2, because, frankly, the dungeons in PS4 are just too darned easy!! I loved the characters, of course, and I especially liked all the little references to earlier titles in the series (even with the misspellings and translation gaffs). Plus, the monster animation was as good or better than PS2. (For anyone who hasn't played it, the 8-bit PS1 actually had better enemy animation than the 16-bit PS3.) If only the PS4 dungeons had been as complicated and long as those in PS1 and/or PS2, I think PS4 would've been the best of the bunch. Oh well....

The day I finished PS4, it was my second time "at bat" against Dark Force ("Falz"?). After about 10 or 12 minutes of nerve-wracking battle, all my characters croaked except Wren. There was no way to resurrect (couldn't spare the turns needed with just 1 living character), so I just took one more swipe at DF. Wren was down to about 50 hp, so he was gonna die too...but, unbelievably, DF must've had less hp than I thought, because that final strike by Wren did him in! Now that was one heckuva way to end a game!

I got my copy of PSI when it first came out. My friends and I skipped classes and were late for work for this game. The graphics and gameplay were simply amazing. I can't tell you how many times we got lost in the dungeons just praying that the next turn would take us to the surface, or walking around with ten hit points praying that even a sworm wouldn't show up.

I remember finding Odin for the first time, then realizing that I needed something else to free him. I remember finding the cake after falling through what seemed like thousands of pit traps..... man, what an amazing game.

Then a few years ago, when I started collecting SMS stuff, I popped that PSI cartridge in, and was hooked all over again. More late nights, remembering "Hey! that's where that was!" or "Do NOT go in there!" I try to go through the game at least once a year now, and it has kept friendships alive "Hey, I know that it's 2 in the morning in Cleveland now, but do you remember....?" You can keep your Saturns and Ultra whatevers, but my SMS, with its humble copy of PSI, will always be the best system.... and the best game ever.

I remember that day in 1988:

My brother and I were watching TV, and one of those cute, cheesy little Sega commercials come on. But this was the one that changed my life! "And coming soon... Phantasy Star-- where YOU choose your path, YOU control your destiny!" ...or something like that.

Our jaws fell to the floor. We loved the 'theme' of Dungeons & Dragons, and Phantasy Star seemed like the ultimate game. We knew it would be absolutely amazing! We HAD to have it!

So we caught the bus to the nearest Mall (after weeks of making harrassing phone calls to Toys R Us asking "When the hell is that Phantasy Star game coming out?!?!?") When we got there, our jaws dropped to the floor again: SEVENTY BUCKS!!! That was almost as much as our Sega alone!!! Still... it was my destiny.

So I almost cried as I handed over my life savings to the Toy Guy. We got the game and headed over to my friend's house and popped it into his Master System.

... BIG MISTAKE!!!!

Their dad was a "bloody action & sports" loving game player, so all I heard all day was "What kind of game is THIS?!?! A little girl with a sword talking to people?!?!"

I felt mocked and scorned. Where were the big bad sorcerers and wizards? Where was that cool eyeball with wings? Sure-- the dungeon with 50 meseta looked really cool, but I still felt shallow and impotent. Did I buy the wrong game? --So we left after a while-- me holding my PS game in hand. My brother and I played it for a little bit at home, but we didn't understand it. We kept dying from Sworm, and we weren't strong enough to fight Scorpion or Owl Bear, so we (actually HE, my brother) kept dying and getting frustrated!

So finally I said "Look, we need to make time, get a big notebook and write down EVERYTHING that people tell us, and go really SLOW! We need to keep saving the game, and make frequent stops to Suelo, the women who replenishes Alis' energy.

So slowly, hour by hour, we became comfortable with the game. We were really stupid, cuz it was our FIRST role-playing game. We wondered what the heck 'Alis advanced a level' was supposed to mean-- and we wondered how the heck she went from 16 HP to 20 HP to 25 HP! We thought it was because Suelo liked Alis, and gave her more power!

So day by day, we slowly built our confdence in the game. We were buying Cokes and fighting Flies with treasure chests, and buying Flashlights. Our first big surprise was seeing Odin as a stone statue! Then, we got scared S#!TLESS when we encountered "TARANTULA" in the Eppi forest!! He killed Alis with one web! So days pass, and we wondered how the heck to we get a roadpass. (Am I boring you yet? Let me know if this is really boring!) After finding out, then saving Myau, then rescuing Odin, and finding the Dungeon Key-- we entered our first major Scream-for-help problem. We explored the Iala cave (with the Iron Fang)-- and got so completely lost and scared. I was seriously almost crying because we had been in that cave for almost a WEEK!! Each time we felt closer to the exit,... B-D-DOOMPA!!! Another pit trap! We almost gave up and started over with a new game. We tried making a map, but it was hard because we were lost and I think only Alis was left alive, with maybe 25 HP and a burger! We saved the game every 3 or 4 steps, then RESET if we fell in a pit trap!

Finally, in a plead of desperation-- I made a call to Sega and they saved our @$$es!! They sent us maps of the dungeons because we were so desperate! So we finally escaped (barely!!) with only Alis alive.

So you get the picture. There were MANY more moments like those! SO many questions, so much excitement (imagine the look of sheer horror on our faces after encountering Green Dragon and The Marauder for the first time!!!) and so much FUN!!! I could go on and on... but i hope that EVERYONE who has played PS 2 or 3 or 4 gets a chance to play the game that started it all. Still the only one to have true 3-D mazes! And graphics that look better than some 16-bit games!!!!!!

I was hooked, until, coming out of the basement of the Piata Academy, I tried to save. Two slots were filled - one with a level 7, the other a 37. Okay, I thought, and saved in slot 3. I turned off the machine and went to bed.

The next day I awoke and turned on the Genesis, only to discover that not only had my game vanished, there was no sign that the other two had ever existed! Somewhat perturbed, I re-entered the game and checked the save slots. Level 7, Level 37, and a blank. I quickly realized there was something fatally wrong with this cartridge. Nonetheless, I continued playing until I was slain by the Sandworm at Mile and had to return the game.

I receive, every Christmas and every birthday, a cheque from my grandparents to the amount of two hundred dollar (hehe). A hundred of each cheque immediately goes to my parents - a)because they need to buy me clothes and school supplies and so on, and b)because they don't trust me with a lot of money. Having a rather large sum in my hands, I debated for some time on what to use it for. At least two or three minutes. Due to an oversite on my part, which I won't go into because it is just to embarassing, all my Genesis games had been stolen. I had begun rebuilding my collection, and had the good luck to stumble over some old favorites, like Flashback and Altered Beast. I had already accumulated sufficient games to replace every one of the stolen ones. However, after receiving the money, I quickly decided what to use it for.

I bought Phantasy Star IV.

I rushed home, holding the precious cardboard box to my chest, tore open the top, bypassed the manual and drove it home into the machine. I turned it on and watched the introduction, which, after the rental, was beggining to annoy me. Immediately upon arriving in Piata, I attempted to save.

1- 07

2- 37

3- blank

I felt a cold surge of dread as I realized that the problem had not been with the rental cartridge, but with my Genesis. I attempted to save, and though the machine went through the motions, nothing occured.

PS IV sat forgotten near the Genesis as about a year passed, until, finally, possessed by a burning desire to finally kill the stupid Sandworm, I began to explore the connectors within my machine. By comparing the interior of my machine to the interior of a friends, I quickly ascertained that one connector (obviously an important one), was not connecting. I levered it forward with an exacto knife and tried the game.

Piata.

Press start.

Save

1 - Blank

2 - Blank

3 - Blank

I did a small dance and gave a cry of glee, then sat down, took the controller in my hands, and embarked upon the adventure game of a life time. In no time at all I had reached the Sandworm, and in a flurry of activity, I defeated it, rushed to Kadary and Zios Fort. Juza was a problem - he killed me once before feeling the bite of Alys' Laserslasher and collapsing. Rushing upstairs, I freed Demi and was confronted by the Dark One himself. I raged against him but to no avail. He threw a Dark Wave at Chaz and my heart skipped a beat -

- then I was in Krup, and Alys was wounded. Burning with the passion the game had instilled, I charged off to find Rune. Quickly, I turned around and headed in the right direction. The Gy-Laugiah fell after slaying me once and then Alys died.

My helter skelter, unobstructed charge through the game screeched to a painful stop. The solemn anime stills rolled by, and I felt Chaz's pain as my own. I stood by her grave as I bid farewell to Hahn, who had, indeed, become a trusted friend - not only to Chaz but to me. I moved on, slower now, but still quickly.

Zio slew me fix or six times before I retreated from Nurvus and Ryukaed to the Ladea Tower. With the screeching discord of the Tower's music behind me, each of my characters leapt to level 20 or above, and Zio had cause to beware!

With Sar and Gires behind me, I had little to fear from Zio's attacks - I set up a macro to drop his Mag. Barrier quickly and then bring up my own defenses, then to strike hard and fast. My elation could not be imagined as Zio toppled.

The characters lived - their emotions and motivations danced before my eyes as Wren joined my party and tried to, but did not quite accomplish, replacing Demi. I crashed on Dezolis and met the elderly priest Raja, gone from my party as quickly as he arrived. I rushed about Dezolis and finally found the Landale. Boarding it, I made the next, most obvious move - an attack on Kuran.

I did not expect to fight a God there.

My second try and Dark Force fell. I moved on through the game, surrounding myself with the lives and loves of the characters. Lashiec was sent back to his grave, and in a trail of fire the Air Castle finally toppled from the heavens. Rune was Lutz - hard to believe, but nonetheless useful and exciting. I burnt a path through the Carnivorous Forest with the Eclipse Torch and assaulted the Garuberk Tower. The living tower collapsed as once again, I bested Dark Force. Quickly, I raced through the many new Hunter's Quests and Hydrofoiled to the Soldier's Temple, where I met the enigmatic archaelogist, Seth. I retrieved the prism with ease, and Seth/Dark Force was routed again. Then, to the mesterious Rykros, there to battle with the two Guardians of the Towers and become Protectors. Now I knew the purpose of my quest - to fight and slay the Profound Darkness. With the sword Elysdeon in hand, I returned to the space port and was joined, to my joy, by old friends - Kyra and Raja. Back on Motavia, Demi was free of Nurvus and Grys and Hahn (joy!) had reutrned to fight beside me. But there was only one ring, and I gaped at the screen as Rika's fateful words appeared on the screen.

"You must make a choice."

It is interesting, in a strange way, to see how a game can grab you, hold you, reel you in and make you hurt and love and laugh in so many different ways. I am standing on Motavian soil, preparing to end it where I started it, and I know no matter who I choose I'll feel guilty for not taking another. Power doesn't matter - now is to play, defeat the Profound Darkness comes later, though I have come close, I think. No, now what matters is the feeling - and isn't that what this game is about? Taking Hahn feels right, but I like Raja so much, and Kyra has some undefinable...likeableness. Gryz, poor, tortured Gryz, is a lot like both Chaz and me, and Demi is...well...Demi! That's all that has to be said about her. Each, in there own way, is useful, but which would be the best to play?

In a way, it is unfortunate the way PS IV has drawn me. Otherwise, I could make an arbitrary decision based on power and skills and techniques. But I can't. And so I think I'll stand for a while, surrounded by all my companions save one, and she made me feel too, and think about it until I'm ready.

Anyway, the first Phantasy Star game I ever played was PSIV. I saw the game in Gamepro magazine. Though the artwork for the cover of the game sucked, I liked the screen shots of the game it was provided for the advertisment. This is when PS overcame me and took over my mind. I HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME ! IT LOOKS SO COOL ! This isn't exactly what I thought, but at least it's close to what I think I said ^_^;;. Also, there was this advertisment in the magazine about Blockbuster having this coupon that if you rented a game there and presented this coupon to them, they'll let you rent another game for free. So, as you expect me to do, I asked ( sort of forced actually but it was for a good cause ^_^;; ) my dad to bring me to Blockbuster so I can rent PS. When I got there, I went over to the video game aisles in search of PS. But guess what ? Come on, take a guess. Okay, I'll tell you, the suspense must be killing you as it is for me. PSIV WAS RENTED OUT TO SOME OTHER DORK THAN ME ( I'm not really a dork, that's what my mother tells me when she wants my hair to be fixed when it's already fixed or change my "dorky" clothes )! I couldn't believe it. I thought, ' Wow, PSIV must REALLY be a good game'. I ended up renting Road Rash 3 ( I did have the coupon with me except I copied the coupon on my copy machine because I didn't want to cut up my magazine. The @#$% dofus at the old Blockbuster I used to go to didn't accept my copy machine copy of the coupon ). While playing the game at home, the thought of playing PSIV was pounding through my head. The next time I go to Blockbuster, I'M GOING TO RENT PSIV ! And wouldn't you know it, the next time I went to Blockbuster, I GOT THE GAME ! I was so happy to gain access to play the game, I was overjoyed ! When I got home with the game, since being my first RPG and not knowing much about this game, I read the instructions. There were other saved games in the game, but I wanted to start a new one to get a real feel of the game from start to finish and to know I at least tried to accomplish the game on my own.

I played the game. It bombarded me with awesome graphics, role play, and a story I've heard so many times, yet this game used that same storyline and twisted it to become this ultimate work of creative gaming ( In a sense ). I got to know the characters much more than was described in the instruction manual. They clung onto me like the hair on my head. I died at the Tonoe Basement. Some game play, huh ? I REALLY got far enough to enjoy the game to its fullest content. I got pissed. I restored my saved game. I played. I died. I restored the game. I played. I died. I restored the game....... I got stuck ! I got stuck in the battle f or meseta and my life with the sandworm of Mile! I complained. And complained. And... you get the idea. The hint book in my Gamepro magazine did a lousy job of telling me EXACTLY how to defeat this steroid-using sandworm ( Okay, I didn't play the game all by myself. I had help in trying to accomplish the game. So what ?! I suck and I'm not that good in video games or any other kind of games. That's why I'm able to finish them because I have something to help me finish it. If it weren't for the hints of PSIV in my Gamepro magazine, I wouldn't probably even bothered playing the game ! ). I cursed. I got upset. I tried another game that somebody else saved. I played somebody else's saved game. I know it's cheating, but I became impatient with the game, raising levels and HP and TP, so I decided to see how the game progresses from where I left off. And wouldn't you know it. The game still stays great when you progress through, maybe even more greater. I became overjoyed again. I had to return the game ! Eventually, later on I rented the game again. I went to someone else's saved game, the part where Chaz and Co. go and defeat the Profound Darkness. I, technichally but I really wanted to see the game's ending scenes, defeated it, sending it back to where it came from and brought peace to the Algol or Algo Solar System. I defeated, again technically, the Profound Darkness again. That's it. I had such a feeling that I, technically, personally by myself defeated the game with no hints say for the game itself ( My magazine only gave hints up to Zio's Fort ). I was overcomed with great joy, I decided to peel myself away from the screen after hours on end sitting it front of it playing a game what my dad would say," All you just do is follow people around !".

My dad is wrong, but I was wrong from peeling myself away from PSIV. After days, weeks, and a few months later, something was upsetting me. Alys. In the other saved games, other than my own, I couldn't figure out why Alys wasn't with Chaz. I even searched the entire, except for two cities, planet of Motavia looking for Alys. It bothered me, the fact I couldn't find Alys. She had really grown attached to me. Her disappearance made me disappear, in a way, from PSIV. Then luck struck me. I was in this big electronic store called Fry's, looking for the PSIV hint book. I found it ! I was overjoyed and went to the part of Alys's mysterious disappearance. SHE DIED ! Life is so cruel, especially to the people who get really attached to such a character. Her death had a hard impact on me. And of course I had to rent the game again to see this unfortunate fate of Alys. I saw, I almost cried, I saved it before the Black Wave impact and before recovering the Psycho-wand. I wanted to see her death again. Not in a bad way but in a good way. To show people out their the truth to what happens to Alys. To show them through my eyes alone how important of a character she was to me, how glorious her death was ( in a sense ), and how her strength gave Chaz the strength to defeat the Profound Darkness and set peace once more until the next millenium. Now don't tell me these words didn't stir any feelings. When arriving to the part of my first encounter with Dark Force, he/it kicked Chaz and Co. butt. One important element. I FORGOT TO SAVE THE GAME BEFORE TAKING ON DARK FORCE ! Eventually I went back to my saved game of my first voyage into the unknown terrain to a Motavian on Dezolis, Dezoris. This is good. I got stuck again trying to retrieve the Eclipse Torch from the Xe-A-Thoul's grasps. For some reason my PSIV hintbook didn't do a good job maping out the Air Castle and MAKING me stuck, trying to find the Xe-A-Thoul through their map. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE SO DON'T DENY THIS FACT ! Again, I had t o return PSIV. This is bad.

It took me a while to borrow PSIV again because I moved out of the city of Stanton to Anahiem Hills. Let's say months. A few. Anyway, I got the chance to play PSIV again. THIS TIME I neglected the not-so-good-of-a-job map work of the Air Castle. Following my advice, I finally got to the Xe-A-Thoul's. I defeated them of course. Got to the basement of the Air Castle, came face to face with Lashiec of Lassic, got my butt kicked. Rebooted my saved game, tried to kick Lashiec or Lassic's butt. When on the verge of my party getting nearly wiped out of existence until I tried to defeat him/it again, I tried Escapipe to get away from him/it. Turns out it doesn't work when battling huge out-of-the-grave monsters like him/it. #$%& Escapipe, won't try som ething stupid like that again. Returned PSIV.

Borrowed PSIV again after a month or two. Got to borrow the game for 2 days. And to my surprise, SOMEONE ERASED ALL MY SAVED GAMES FROM ALYS' FATE AND DEATH TO THE PART OF THE AIR CASTLE ! I HAD to start my adventuring all over again! If I ever find the idiot who did this to me I'll.... Now I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN ! It took me from the time I rented PSIV to the time I had to sleep on the first day of renting to raise enough HP and TP to survive the whole process of getting what I wanted and needed in the Tonoe Basement ( UGH ! ). I would have got the Alshline before I had to go to bed if it weren't for my mom threatening me to sleep or else so I had to turn off the game for the night. Lucky for me I escaped out of the Tonoe Basement and saved my exceptionally enough-to-satisfy-me HP and TP I myself took a LONG time to raise. The next day, from the time I woke up from slumbering I played and got the Alshline. I skipped breakfast but it was worth hungering out. It took me 4 hours to raise my HP and TP enough to survive the Bio Plant in order to get what I wanted and needed. I played for 2 hours trying to raise my HP and TP enough to satisfy me in order to survive the Asteroid Wreckage to get what I wanted and need to attain. I skipped lunch but it was worth skipping. Figuring I didn't want to spend an extra 2 hours of sitting in front of my tv, waiting endlessly for HP and TP to raise for my players, I just went ahead and acomplished my task at the Asteroid Wreckage, to my surprise without having to die again and try a couple of times overcoming this part of the game. The rest of the time all I just did was play through as usual. Had to stop at Kadary because my mom came home and I needed to do something for her. After I accomplished my mom's task, I went gaming again. Confronted Zio ( BOO ! ), Alys gets smoted by Black Wave from Zio ( WAA !, get the Land Rover ( HORRAY ! ), get Rocky ( PLAGH ! ), fix the Plate Center ( YEAH !- Gyrz ), go to the Ladea Tower ( AAHHH ! ), and get Rune ( GREAT ! ). Only problem is as soon as I got Rune I went out of my way to raise HP and TP again. This took up to the time I was called for dinner. After dinner, I had sufficient enough HP and TP ( not much but enough to survive Gy-Laguiah, hopefully, if I didn't get the extras in the Ladea Tower ) to get the Psycho- wand, I saved the game before I left PSIV alone to eat dinner ^_^. I came back, defeated Gy-Laguiah, got the Psycho-wand, and saw Alys' death again ( WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ! ). After that, I quit gaming because I couldn't feel anything functioning on or in me ^_^;;. Gave PSIV to my mom to return the next morning.

I STILL haven't borrowed PSIV lately but I plan to as soon as I can. Hopefully no one has erased my saved game yet. Yet. Phantasy Star has made a hole in my life, making me see more clearly what true artwork and a good storyline can accomplish to affect so many people who love PS as I do. PS also is the main component that reintroduced me to anime, to fully appreciate it to the fullest ( I saw the anime Voltron but didn't like it, shame on me huh ? Besides, that showed in the 80's when I was small ). The other component is Vampire Hunter D. If you've survived reading this whole thing then you are in luck. I'M DONE ! You'll probably never hear of me again until I play PS I, II, and III. If anyone has a way for me to avoid hours of sitting in front of my tv just trying to raise HP and TP for PSIV e-mail me. ARIGATO ^_^ !!! Oh yeah ! I think on my second rental of PSIV I defeated, technically, the Profound Darkness 3 times. Okay, okay I'M LEAVING ! YAPPA PAA ( ? ) AND ARIGATO ^_^ !!!

It was six years ago, six years since I've forgotten. During the summer before tenth grade I was enrolled in an advanced physics class and all I could think of was GIRLS (just kidding). As the course progressed I discovered that one student's younger brother was a Genesis gold mine (you know, like that guy who had all the games you ever wanted and thought nothing of it). Well, one day I mustered up the nerve to ask if I could borrow a game, any game. He asked what I liked and all I could respond with was, "RPGs!!!" He knew what to give me.

Upon my return home, that fateful Friday afternoon, I popped in a uniquely covered Phantasy Star II. What joy, what rapture! I immediately called my friend and from then on we couldn't wait for the weekend to play for 48 hours straight. School worked slipped and my mom got mad, so I decided one afternoon that it would be finished with once and for all that weekend.

Armed with sodas and Triscuits, we played and fought and died and reset and amassed experience points like crazy. We finally arrived at Dark Force and almost strangled each other when died.

More experience, more soda, and more Triscuits couldn't prepare us for the worser fate, Dark Force wasn't the end! Mother Brain...Heart Attack..."wait, she's kinda sexy"...

There was carnage that hour, and after winning, we slept.

Like two children having conquered Disney World, we saved the Algol star system from a fate worse than death...oppression.

I yearn for the day (and the time) that I can play PSI. I wasn't too thrilled with PSIII, but my brothers tell me IV is quite a comeback. Oh for the day that I can fight with buttons again. Thanks for the memories.

Years later I got a Megadrive (or the sole purpose to play Phantasy Star II). It never quite captured the feel of the original for me, although it was good. Dissappointed by the lack of conversation and dialouge in PS III. I thought the series was over. By this time my interest in video games had lead me to working for a Sega Helpline here in New Zealand. Now I moved up in the company!

I still love playing the games. Over here in New Zealand PS IV has only just been released (April 7th 1996). Of course I went straight into our warehouse and grabbed the first copy. At the time I am writing this I'm still playing PS IV (up to the Sky Castle). I absolutely love this sequel. The links to the previous games are brilliant. Similar monster design from PS II, Alis's statue, the Esper Mansion, Noah, Corona tower and the Eclipse torch, Wren, the race of cats, Laconian weapons, Dezo natives still with their attitude toward the people of Parma, the Sky Castle, Dark Force, the list goes on. Words can't describe the feeling I get playing PS IV (although if you remember playing PS you'll know). I can't wait for Phantasy Earth and after PS IV it looks like they learned their leason - Character develpoment, plot twists and a touch of humour is what makes a PS game. I'll never spell Fantasy correctly again.

I bought PS3 but did not like that one at all. PS4 was a totally different matter, though. It was even better than the second one although I thought that it was too easy. The storyline and depth of characters rivals that of the Final Fantasy series. I have only one regret, that I never got the Master System so I can never play PS1. I hope that one day I will be able to play the game that started it all.

My love for RPG's first manifested itself with the beloved Dragon Quest. I never finished it, but the concept of building up a character, and in a way nurturing him or her through a harsh world sat well with me. Simple as it was, a deep rooted love for the genre began.

My first encounter with the series came with Phantasy Star 2. I can relate to the long hours and constant teeth gritting but the story was so good I had to finish it. It was heck of a jump from Dragon Warrior. The game had a world you can get lost in for days. It had characters with a lives that you wanted to be a part of. When Nei died I admit I was moved. I can imagine how the others felt after being together for so long. It was a struggle building these characters from their weak beginnings and then to have one ripped away from you really sucked. The game had a very symbolic grip on me. In the end when all was found and defeated, my characters faced an enemy with an unkown outcome. It was them against impossible odds with no clue of an outcome (I never played P4). It was their, trust for eachother, their love, and their trust in the way of world to get them through. Sounds kind of like life huh.

P3 was not as bad as a lot of people say. It was weak in some areas, but it was still Phantasy Star. The marriages and multiple paths really gave the game a lot of glitz.

I would like to thank the people responsible for PS and the people on this page for reminding me of the times when my world dissolved into the lands of Motavia and the Algol star system. The gift of imagination has saved me so many times in my life. Imagination saved my sanity when I went to the Army. Imagination helped me to find God. God not so much as thing but as a realization. A realization that there are worlds, landscapes and people beyond the limits of the walls of the world and the walls we set for ourselves. In these worlds we are warriors and healers with the determination to face impossible odds. It is the the best in all of us that finishes PS.

The long hours toiling through mazes and building characters reflects the nobility in us so many of us think is so hard to find. But most of all, it is the love in us all that guides these characters through their journeys. Imagination helped me through a lot of tough times. PS was one of special places in my heart that set things right. Thank you all for sharing.

As far as opinions on the series are concerned, I thought PS II was out of place in regard to the others. It was quite different in theme, and had only weak ties to the first one. PS III really did get a bad rap, but I really enjoyed it, even though it was not nearly as challenging. And this is why PS IV is the best, I think, because it uses the power of the 16-bit system with a very similar theme. (PS I will always be the best, of course!)