PSO...a blast from the past

[yesteryeargames]

this game was so amazing online, i was called OPTIMUSPRIME i managed to get to level 98 before some b@stard made my dc reset and i lost all my save data

[Kotatsu Neko]

I used to play with AzelPDS on the DC version. One of my favourite games of all time, absolutely loved it!

I bought the Xbox version too, but didn't enjoy it as much. The novelty was gone but I also hated the region locked servers and voice coms have never appealed to me.

Hopefuly the new one they have coming later this year will be able to re-create that old magic. I'll be buying it on the PC, too bad there's no Cube or Xbox version.

[Kizzycrew]

It is kinda bad that there is no GC version at least, I wanted ep 1,2,3 and 4 for my GC hehe. But the graphics on BB are so shiny and nice, and episode 4's new maps look astonishing. DEL RAPPIES! BWAHAHAHA!

[Yakumo]

For me PSO is the only game that's been able to keep me playing on a regular basis for over 1 yaer. I would play PSO then PSO Ver.2 almost every night from 11pm to 5 or even 8 am at times ! It took over my life ! Thank God that Japanese Broad Band is limit free for the same price every month.

I met so many new players and friends on PSO, some of which I chat to on Messenger etc even now. I mostly hung out on the Japanese servers since I played in Japanese with the Japanese version plus it never crashed as much :P My characters were called Seducer and Glacier. I used to have some cool pictures of them but thanks to a virus they are long gone

Phantasy Star On-Line was and still is the best console online multi player to date !

Yakumo

[gamegary]

I have PSO for GCN, and was playing it online (all 3 episodes). But I canceled my subscription due to the lack of activity on the game in general, and the lack of new quests and updates that were promised. I love the game, but I don't want to pay $8.95 a month for online, when it's pretty much like playing offline due to lack of fellow players. Anyways, I RWALLY want to get my DC version online so I can still play online, but for free. Besides, sonic team wanted it to be free... So yeah, if you know how I could connect to the EU or JP (or even private servers! ^-^) I would absolutely LOVE to hear it. Thanks.

[Kizzycrew]

Well if you want to connect to official servers, good luck finding anyone. I hear they're dead. Plus you need the EU or JP official copy, with unused HL codes etc.

To get onto the hacked servs using DC, you need to have a codebreaker (or download it) and hook your DC up through your PC via ICS. You can do this with any copy of the game, AFAIK.

Google "Schtack server" or something, and the website they have will explain all.

But you guys should really start playing GC PSO again, we could start a clan and EVERYTHING!

[muddy]

quite easily the best online gaming experience ever for me. i spent the best part of 10 months on there, from when i finished work til stupid o'clock in the morning, with countless days off.

they just got everything so 'right'.

but no, ****ing cnuts who had to cheat and ruin it for us all.

I'm kinda glad I don't play it and it's not as popular online, as I don't think I'd have my wife and job at the moment...

[Kizzycrew]

tbh on Gamecube these days, as long as you don't frequent the 'problem' ships (which changes a lot, but still usually Vega 1) you can still have a fun time, with no worries at all! Blue Burst will be different story, they like to ban ban ban there

[jimtendo]

Those were the days...

I was mainly FunkyGibbon (RAmar) and OrochiJim (HUmar)
Hung around Tethy's - Block 10 with all the other wireplayers

Cheers for the games:

Ragnarok
Mada
Koko & Zhan
Wildcat
RiskBreaker
Alan07
Diablos
[JEDI] Synbios

and quite a few others that escape my mind.
Good times indeed.

Who could forget 'DAZ LIKES TO EAT'

[Kizzycrew]

You all have to promise to get Blue Burst seeing as you love the game so much, I need some English people to play with >_>

[Ratso]

I loved PSO too. Magical.

Have you guys tried FFXI Online?
It has a very similar vibe (party play etc)only there's a much greater variety of things to do...

My MMORPG of choice and a more than adequate replacement for Sonic Team's old beauty.

[Riskbreaker]

Those were the days...

I was mainly FunkyGibbon (RAmar) and OrochiJim (HUmar)
Hung around Tethy's - Block 10 with all the other wireplayers

Cheers for the games:

Ragnarok
Mada
Koko & Zhan
Wildcat
RiskBreaker
Alan07
Diablos
[JEDI] Synbios

and quite a few others that escape my mind.
Good times indeed.

Who could forget 'DAZ LIKES TO EAT'

He he I'm glad someone remembers all that, PSO was the reason I joined NTSC when the wireplay forums died and the reason I bought a DC in the first place. Man, the phone bills I had whilst the DC version was around

I've got so many versions of this game kicking about now, both the DC incarnations, the first JP GC release and the slightly extended PSO Plus. It's funny but playing the game on the GC never matched up the experience on the DC.

I think it was definitely a game of the time, in that if you didn't play it whilst it was on the DC you won't have had the same great times of everyone else did. For me it was the first online RPG that just nailed everything on the head and got it so right. It was just so addictive, you had to log on each night just to chat to players let alone actually play the game.

I would play the GC version now, but there were so few people a year ago let alone now, I couldn't justify it. Even PSO Ep 3 was great, but it seemed doomed from the outset, the servers were just so empty even shortly after the games US release.

A real shame.

I may get BB if there are enough people kicking about on there, I'm waiting for the US release before I give it a go though.

Monster Hunter is a good PSO alternative, I've no idea what the European uptake, it's been quite a good experience on the US servers. The game does hit a lull in gameplay when you reach a certain lvl as you have to repeat missions to acrue weapon parts, but I guess thats no worse that seeking rares in PSO.

As for FFXI I think jumping on the bandwagon for that game killed the experience for me, it is a stunning title, but playing a JP version and being unable to understand the backstory nailed the lid on the coffin for that one.

[gunrock]

I may get BB if there are enough people kicking about on there, I'm waiting for the US release before I give it a go though.

I remember joining in some games with Koko and Zhan and everybody marvelling at how I didn't play the single player game at all before going online and getting stuck in. Everybody was so helpful and shared the drops with me and healed me during battle. I was such a n00b.

Perhaps someone with a spare(ish) Microsoft server connected to the net could setup a Schtack private server for the DC game, and we could all run around with our age old character's again (old memory cards permitting of course!)

Gunrock

[MrDark]

Woah! This briings back memories. My characters were 'MrDark', 'The Punisher', 'Witchblade'. Most of the time a log into PSO would result into Forest -> Caves -> Mines -> Ruins. Thinking back, the game wasn't even that big for an online game. Amazingly enough it never got boring due to the people that I was playing with. The weapons and player hacks were getting quite scary but I thought they bounded people closer together.

Who could forget 'DAZ LIKES TO EAT'

I'll say hi to Daz for you as I know him.

[Riskbreaker]

It wasn't a big game at all, problem was, you would start a quick game with the intention of just doing say a rare run in the Forest. Then a mate would join, and you'd get stuck into Caves, then another couple would join and before you know it, you've spent 3/4 hours doing one run Then you would do it all over again and realise the sun is starting to rise on a new day