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Phantasy Star Online III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

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    Phantasy Star Online III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

    OK, I guess everyone has this then... No? Well, that's kinda obvious seeing the quantity of people online with PSOIII

    So what has SEGA done then? Well, they've made PSO, an multi-player action adventure, into a card game.

    Basically, the typical PSO interface is there; basic story, go collect "quest" and do a mission. Things are more objective based this time around, very little in the way of wandering around on the planet as you're just thrown into a battle.

    The main character (i.e. you) are a commander of a team of players (made up of the usual PSO assortment; HUmar, etc...), each with a deck. The decks consist of 30 (max) cards used in a battle. When you go into a battle, you pick the person you want to use (and their deck) and fight against your opponent, being Hero or Dark. The difference here being Hero's use attack based cards (weapons, mostly) and the Dark's (called Arkz) summons (i.e. your usual assortment of PSO creatures).

    Battle consists of a small grid where your chosen avatar moves around the grid attacking your opponent. You win by defeating your opponent so direct attacks are required. It's all turn based, like all good card games A turn consists of a dice roll (used for attack/defence points; using cards uses these up), a set stage (where you equip stuff, summon creatures), movement and then attack (if you have the points...)

    Winning earns you a rank (typical PSO scale) and you earn more cards by getting a higher rank. Losing also gets you some cards, just don't expect anything special

    Play is fairly slow in battle but very thorough overall; it plays very well and if CGs are your thing, there is enough tactical depth to keep most people happy. There is certainly a lot to see and do, although the change of pace is obviously gonna put some people off (those expecting more "traditional" PSO, I guess). Game presentation is utterly brilliant with some fantastic music.

    Seems to be a nice little game, around the 6/7 mark on NTSC-uk's scale

    -

    I've yet to actually play an online game with anyone (only had since Friday, didn't play until today)!! Existing PSO'ers can use the same hunter's license, so no extra expense here (it'll import all your details too, with the exception of your password). Same servers, same lobby system, same game structure; anyone familiar with PSO is gonna feel right at home. You can even use the existing lobbies too, so normal PSOI&II players can talk with you, etc... although the actual games are separate. PSOIII players appear with highlighted names online.

    There seems to be a lot more content offline this time around so as to not ruin the PSO experience, with online play an added bonus (although PSOIII specifically is very quiet at the mo).

    So, anybody else got PSOIII??
    Last edited by Commander Marklar; 14-06-2004, 09:00.

    #2
    Uhuh, i think its a smashing game.

    Its not a replacement for PSO, playing III for too long makes you yern for some good old hack and slash graitifaction. but its a great companion to episode two.

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      #3
      I still can`t see why Sonic team didn`t give us a true sequel to PSO which is what everyone wants instead of a card game. I`ve been waiting ages for a proper sequel to pso and when i first heard pso 3 announced i was jumping for joy until i heard they completly changed the game into a card game. I`m sure it aint a bad game if you like this sort of stuff but it`s not really what us pso fans have been hanging on for all this time is it? Lets hope pso universe delivers (fingers crossed)
      Last edited by Hodge; 13-06-2004, 21:34.

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        #4
        .. mustn't..... break...... nda....... *squirms*

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          #5
          NDA?!

          Now, this is getting interesting! What's it you know Pirotic? You can tell us, we're good people... *blink, blink*

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            #6
            I`m sure it aint a bad game if you like this sort of stuff but it`s not really what us pso fans have been hanging on for all this time is it?
            Oh, but it is though... imho. It is a good game, one that does compliment the PSO universe. Mrs. Marklar certainly likes it, even if it isn't as accessible as the first set of games. There aren't many who have played (and love) PSO as long as my missus either There is certainly a lot more background information now, cementing the classic Phantasy Star universe and the overall story seems to be a fair bit more involving (maybe that's 'cos it is unavoidable too; after all, one could just ignore the in game messages from the I&II).

            I don't see why a franchise should continue with the same style gameplay; that brings stagnation to the party, which is never good. In my opinion, SEGA hit a limit with the PSO-mechanics with PSOI&II so it'd be hard to improve on that.

            GAME also sell this with a free guide too, which doubles as a rather nice poster.

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              #7
              Originally posted by mats_j
              NDA?!

              Now, this is getting interesting! What's it you know Pirotic? You can tell us, we're good people... *blink, blink*
              Subtle as a brick through a window there, mats. He's probably just doing the "all mysterious" thing.

              And PSO EpIII is already hacked to bits - you can get any card you want with minimum hassle. Whats the point in playing?

              At least it isn't as bad as PSO Blue Burst. Poor thing was "hacked" (well, memory edited) within a week of its release by these fags. I got to level 30 before giving up at the English retards hell bent on messing up the game as fast as they can.

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                #8
                Hmm, didn't know about the hacking. Must admit, I'm not too fussed about playing PSOIII but I can shatter Mrs. marklar's dreams of ever getting back into it :twisted:

                Shame really... wonder why PSO seems to bring out all the cheating scum?? Never really noticed it too much in I&II (GC), seems like they had some good stop gaps in place (certainly not as bad as the Xbox/DC game).

                Comment


                  #9
                  I've had this for a while and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately the single player mode gets to a point where you can easily predict what kind of moves your CPU opponent will actually make and the tactics it will use.

                  For instance:

                  The CPU will not differentiate between the right and wrong times to use high and low defense cards. This can be used if you know how, to claim an unfair advantage.

                  This means you have to go online to get the most out of the game. And online is pretty much dead compared to PSO Ep I & II now, let alone how they were in their prime.

                  Plus, no-one plays on the B ships. Basically ships come in two flavors, plain vanilla ships where you get a set amount of experience if you win, but nothing if you lose. Or B ships where winning nets you experience proportional to the difference in levels between competitors and equally losing results in a similar drop in experience. Naturally this means your typical player won't touch B ships like they're infected with the plague, whereas I see little point in playing on anything else, why compete without an element of risk and little to gain?

                  Still, I like it despite its faults. Playing online against a decent opponent is quite an enjoyable experience, so if you fancy a game online, PM me
                  Last edited by Riskbreaker; 14-06-2004, 10:02.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Commander Marklar
                    Oh, but it is though... imho. It is a good game, one that does compliment the PSO universe.

                    I don't see why a franchise should continue with the same style gameplay; that brings stagnation to the party, which is never good. In my opinion, SEGA hit a limit with the PSO-mechanics with PSOI&II so it'd be hard to improve on that.

                    GAME also sell this with a free guide too, which doubles as a rather nice poster.
                    If it was the game we are all waiting for how come hardly anyones brought it then? I`ve been browsing various places and hardly anyones talking about it and if there is talk the opnions are pretty much in line with mine with them wanting more of the same with what pso/episode 2 gave us instead of them trying to cash in on the latest card craze and changing the whole game. If this was a proper sequel to pso, there would be tons of people going out and buying this now but as it stands since the launch of the pal version of pso3 there has only been 60 registered for a hunters license and when someone went online with it the other day there was a messly 18 pal users online which is shocking really. As for changing the gamestyle my opinion is the game played brilliantly and didn`t need changing into a turn based card game. As for the mechanics hitting there limit, i`m not to sure, they could easily have added another attack command maybe bigger combos the more you lvl up? There is still room for improvement there though.
                    Last edited by Hodge; 14-06-2004, 10:01.

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                      #11
                      If it was the game we are all waiting for how come hardly anyones brought it then?
                      I don't see how the two are directly related (in a cause and effect way, I know what I mean -- e.g. just look at the amount of people that were willing to kill to get SB online, yet hardly anyone plays it from that vocal bunch). It's on the Gamecube, limited supply of Internet-adaptors, pay to play online, GAME have exclusive deal at retail (is it out on the continent? Play Japanese/US!), etc... I know all my/missus PSO buddies have it (that's about 15 people, at least).

                      Do you (I'm guessing you do)?

                      Why not change it though? When I talk about hitting the limit, I'm talking about in how the game plays -- the repetitive combat scenario, RPG elements, level design/navigation... It did play well (and let's face it, if you wanna play PSOI&II style, then go play it ^_^ ) but it has hardly any room for expansion, beyond throwing more new levels and a different story in. OK, they have a proper sequel with PSOIII (the story kinda continues with Pioneer 2 and all that, has the necessary background links) only we have a deeper game now, far more to see and do without breaking the existing PSO franchise. Doesn't really matter if it isn't a Gauntlet-em-up anymore, I'm all for the new stuff I see in PSOIII.

                      If SEGA just released another PSOI&II-style game, we're in Sonic Heroes territory
                      Last edited by Commander Marklar; 14-06-2004, 11:30.

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                        #12
                        Phantasy Star Online now has the WORST (bar none) online community for any online game EVER.

                        Those first DC Ver1 dial up days were beautiful.. *sniff*

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                          #13
                          Follow up

                          BlueBurst saves all the player and item data on the server to avoid people hacking the data "offline" and then using it online. People have reported problems with the trials but thats what a trial is for, i suspect these will be ironed out.

                          Sonic Team put a lot of effort in making a game hack proof on release, but once they've moved onto the next project they have very little staff to go back and fix exploits which arrive after release. Not to mention the current PSO titles come on hard media (CD) which cannot be changed, and the xbox port was just a rushed project in order to create a template for the forthcoming BlueBurst (same core engine).

                          For example, they the old action replays always used to sit at the same memory address and PSOv2 on dreamcast would check that memory address and disable the action replay (better action replays came out using a more random memory address to sit itself in).

                          I dont work for Sega, i dont want to give that impression - im just a huge PSO fan whos been lucky enough to trial test the PC releases (and hopefully the next title if i play my cards right, no hint intended)

                          I think PSO Episode II represents the pinnacle of what they could do with the series, and it reached the stage where people probably wouldn't pay for a slight update with more weapons and some new levels - players hardly use Episode 2 for instance.

                          Revolution i think is the word sega used for the next game, i suspect it'll be what many hoped Episode III would be - but at the same time it'll probably upset the hardcore more than Episode III - as that sits happily alongside the current titles.

                          It got a very low key annoucement at E3, and thats about all i know.

                          excuse the spelling
                          Last edited by Pirotic; 14-06-2004, 14:46.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I think PSO Episode II represents the pinnacle of what they could do with the series, and it reached the stage where people probably wouldn't pay for a slight update with more weapons and some new levels - players hardly use Episode 2 for instance.
                            There we go, that's what I was trying to say ^_^

                            Is PSOIII coming to PC?? That'd be pretty cool, much better for the missus I reckon. Depends what her mates are doing too, I guess >_<

                            She still needs to play online a bit more though; she's currently playing with some people who work for Sega and play-tested PSOIII for Europe, so she should be OK. Keeps her busy ^_^

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by edandersen
                              Phantasy Star Online now has the WORST (bar none) online community for any online game EVER.

                              Those first DC Ver1 dial up days were beautiful.. *sniff*
                              Indeed they were, servers were constantly packed and the game had a the best online community i`ve come accross. Can`t personally see any online experience matching the first time you played pso imo (even though a couple of xbox live games have come close for me). I`m really hoping pso universe will revive my interest back in the series though.

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