/vr/ - Retro Games

>>4322795
When you get best girl (about a third of the way through the game), level her up to 10 and visit the central tower a couple of times. Then leave her at home (unless you really like a challenge, I guess).

Some items cast techs when you use them (some only in battle, some all the time) - there are 4 that cast Gires, and they'll make the rest of the game much easier once you have them.

Get ready to grind a lot. Look up maps of the dungeons or map them out yourself with paper.

>>4324019
2 and 3 feel rushed because they were - I think 2 had an absurd development time of like 6 months or something. 3 had a different team from the other games, and Sega didn't really give them the time to do all the ambitious stuff they had planned.

>>4323072
>Why does everybody hate III
I don't hate 3 - it's a favorite of mine (all of the phantasy star games are), for replayability if nothing else (and it's got other things going for it, like semi-meaningful weapon choice and the challenge of doing a solo run, among other things). It's a pretty linear game, but because there are multiple routes to the end, there's still a few different ways to go about things.

>>4324247
>green dam
Come on, that's not even all that bad. Ikuto's the fun one.

>>4101634
What, like FFIV?

>>4102572
I'll add D&D: Warriors of the Eternal Sun and Rings of Power to that list.

>>4103427
>ohgodwhy.jpg
You only have one on the screen, so it's not too bad. Getting ambushed by 2 of them is a different story, though.

>>4103792
As long as they don't do a shitty job of it like they did with the other PS remakes - I'd definitely be willing to throw money at that.

PSIII probably has the most replayability out of the whole series even in the state it was released in, and the fact that you have meaningful choices to make in weapon selection for most of the game is one of my favorite parts.

>>4106490
>What do people see in Phantasy Star IV?
It's very polished; you don't have that "unfinished' sense that a lot of other games from that time period (and within the series, for that matter) had. The game really doesn't require any grinding, and there's a whole lot of optional and hidden contents scattered throughout - most of which either gives you cool stuff or expands on the main plot.

The division of magic into TP-based "techniques" and use-based "skills" added a bit of depth to the magic system (and also made using instant-death skills a viable strategy (most of them hit multiple enemies and succeeded >70% of the time), because they didn't suck up your TP for healing). The boss battles are reasonably difficult unless you purposefully under- or over-level yourself. The macro system was new (and useful), and it made setting up combos much easier.

The graphics and music are both amazing - the devs really knew what they were doing with the Mega Drive when PSIV came out. The plot, while a little cliche, is well-executed, and the callbacks to the previous games in the series fit very neatly into the plot. Almost all of the characters are fleshed out, and no one really feels like dead weight.

>compared to the other greats from the same period
I mean, PSII and PSIII had mechanical depth and nonlinear character progression.

>>4048068
>If you don't mind very retro, Phantasy Star II is a very melancholy sci-fi RPG.
>>4049325
Thirding this. PSII is probably one of the darkest games I've played, after you get through the superficially saccharine atmosphere.

>>3931689
I liked it. It's not my favorite, but it's fun.

>>3932395
>>3933441
>dissing best girl
Philistines, all of you!
I mean, she's not as good as Anna or Amy in their areas of expertise (clearing weak enemies and healing), but if you take the time to level her up you can pretty much guarantee that she goes first in any fight - which can make the difference between getting some healing off or not or needing that healing in the first place. Giving her the snow crown and Storm Gear(crown? whatever the headgear that casts Zan is) can make her quite useful in fights.

Also, she has the best text adventure game, the best reason for joining your party, and the best lines in the game.

(it's kind of the opposite with Amy, who's almost certainly going last in any round).

>>3882373
>Holy fuck some people STILL can't let go of the console wars.
Well, arguing is fun. Plus, most of us have a strong opinion based on which console we owned as a kid, so it's an easy topic for everyone to contribute to (for a given definition of "contribute", anyway).

>>3882423
>normal
>well adjusted
>/vr anons
What, all three of us?

>>2974561
>http://poal.me/2r7rej - Choose your favorite.
Well, since I can't pick them all as my favorites, I'll have to go with IV, just for presentation.

Though II (and the associated text adventures) had its moments.
>pic related

>>2894643
Queen, obviously. All of that fighting to go back home and be a nobody? Fuck that shit.

>>2902281
>useless character

Shir's not bad (well, except for the laconia butterknife), she's just got tough competition. That and the fact that you get her dead last doesn't provide you with much incentive to bring her up to the average party level to make her useful.

Plus, she goes for little walks between planets - how can you not love her?

>>2813551
Git gud?

I guess that really depends on where in the game you got stuck. If you can't into the dungeons right at the beginning, then that's on you - the game doesn't really get much easier than that later on.

Some general tips:
1) Upgrade everyone's weapons and armor before you go to fight Neifirst. She'll fuck you up pretty badly if you don't, but the fight's reasonably easy if everyone's got the best armor available.
2) Save Rolf's TP for really tough fights - he's one of the better casters in the game, and being able to nuke something that's gonna kill the rest of your party is crucial - he also can get you out of dungeons and back to town with two techs, so even if you're having him blast in every fight, make sure to save the 10-12 TP or whatever it is that lets him cast Hinas and Ryuka if you're in a bad spot.
3) Until you stop dying in dungeons, make sure everyone in the party has an escapepipe and a telepipe - so if Rolf dies, they don't have to walk back to town on their own. They should also carry their own healing in case Amy dies, etc.
4) Level Shir up to 10, have her steal you a visiphone (definitely) and some shit from the shops (if you're patient). Being able to save anywhere will speed things along if you fuck up later. Just don't do this on Dezoris.

>>2647857
>how are the phantasy star games

1 is good. It's grindy at the beginning, but not all that much afterwards. If you only run from the fights where you're fucked you'll never need to grind for exp after you get rolling. The first-person mazes are cool, and the story is minimal. Suffers from somewhat poor translation, but the graphics and music are excellent, especially if you play the japanese version.

2 was an early game on the genesis, and it shows, especially in the overworld graphics and translation (by far the worst in the series). The gameplay is excellent. The battle animations are excellent. The music is excellent The story is excellent. The mazes range from somewhat difficult to very hard. It's got a much different tone than the first game, but it handles it really well.

3 is kind of the black sheep of the series - it's in a tangentially related setting with a lot of differences from the previous games. It suffered a lot from being rushed to completion. The graphics are kinda meh, and while the soundtrack is good, it's not used very well. The story is cool, though, and it's reasonably well-translated. The dungeons are fairly uninspired, though a few can still be challenging. It's also got some replay value with 4 different endings depending on who you marry, though by and large the endgame is the same no matter what. It's definitely worth playing, though, and I've had a lot of fun doing solo or cyborg runs through it.

4 is the shiny gem of the series - the game is full of flashy graphics, well-programmed music, cool gameplay features (battle macros and combos are the shit), a story that actually is paid attention during the game, and some sidequests that you can do for money (you are a bounty hunter, after all), along with a bunch of optional dungeons and tie-ins to the other three games.

On the other hand, the story is cliched (if well-executed), and the game is pretty easy (Raja is OP). None of the dungeons are terribly challenging, either.

>>2268467
Not that Shir was much better.
>go to Dezo
>enter shop
>pray she's still in your party when you leave

It isn't as annoying on Mota, but holy hell is it a long walk back from your house in Paseo if she decides to go on "a little walk" while you're shopping on Dezo.

I still like her as a character, but she's a pretty shitty party member.

>>2265502
>>2265525
What's wrong with people expressing a preference? Sure, both produced excellent music - there's no denying that - but some of us like the brightness of the FM chip, and some of us prefer the textured samples of the SMP chip. I mean, there's just a bunch of us saying what we like and posting links to 16-bit era music. What's to get all up in arms about?

Also, you guys should post some tracks so I have more to listen to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHSAr0KkUdQ

>>2262464
>>2263804
Shir's the best.

I mean, what other character, in any other game, just "goes for a little walk" and shows up on another planet?