- #PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE HOW TO#
- #PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE SERIES#
- #PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE PS2#
People are once again turning to the thought of an easier life.
Society declined, spiralling downward until at last only a few scattered groups even remembered there were once better times.Īt last, civilization is once more on the rise across the Algo system. Over 90% of the system's population died, and the advanced technological culture was lost. The system-wide management system, 'Mother Brain,' was destroyed. The citizens devoted themselves to the art and the sciences, and life was prosperous and good. Once a brilliant civilization flourished here. The Algo solar system, somewhere in space. Four torches were lit.Īnd the world continued for thousands of years. The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens.įour bells tolled. The long, long struggle of ancient times finally ended. The story of Phantasy Star IV, as copied from the in-game intro: Unusual as it seems at times, I think the combination works out just fine, at least in this installment. The universe of Phantasy Star is unique among its contemporaries in that it blends traditional fantasy staples of wizards and magic with futuristic sci-fi worlds populated with androids and high-tech weaponry. I could go on, but just let me say that if you play one traditional turn-based RPG on the Sega Genesis, make it Phantasy Star IV. Instant death spells WORK! With high success rates, even! The battles themselves move at a brisk pace while being sufficiently animated.
#PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE HOW TO#
The combat system places a lot of (not-so-obvious) tools at your disposal, making it almost completely unnecessary to grind provided that you take the time to learn how to work it. Your default walking speed isn't painfully slow. Most of the little (but important) things in PSIV are done oh so right. It represents to me, perhaps moreso than any other game, the golden age of JRPGs, the point where the capabilities of gaming consoles and the programmers and designers who utilized them had advanced far enough to convey sufficiently epic adventures, varied gameplay, and user-friendly interfaces without the shitload of FMV, obscenely-long and time-consuming summons, and long-entrenched cliches that have been dragging the genre down ever since then. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millenium landed in Japan on Decemand in the States in February of 1995. I'm of the opinion that it took Sega precisely four tries to get it right.
#PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE SERIES#
PSIII is regarded by most to be the weakest link in the series for a variety of reasons. PSII is a first-generation Genesis game, preceeding the likes of the original Sonic the Hedgehog by about two and a half years, and it shows. I find 8-bit RPGs difficult to enjoy, period, so PSI's technical advantages over its peers of the day mean nothing to me. Being a latecomer to the series, I found the first three games difficult to approach without the nostalgia factor for various reasons, be it clunky user interfaces, gargantuan sprawling dungeons, grind-or-die difficulty, or sub-par scripts/localizations. Phantasy Star III, while only tangentially connected to the other games in the series, is notable for its story that spans multiple generations, the last of which changes entirely depending on the decisions you make throughout the game.Īnd while the previous three games in the series have their fans, I have to admit that I was never really able to get into any of them. Phantasy Star II's plot and setting really went the extra mile to make it stand apart from its peers. Phantasy Star I on the Master System was very technically impressive for 8-bit hardware, featuring animated enemies and some impressive-looking 3D dungeons. With hardly any backing from Japanese 3rd parties (barring some notable support on the Sega CD), Sega would have to rely on in-house development for action RPGs (Landstalker), strategy RPGs (Shining Force), and traditional turn-based JRPGs (Phantasy Star). While it was extremely successful in the West, Sega was unable to garner much key support from big Japanese publishers, and in no genre was this more obvious than the RPG. Wall-of-text incoming.Īs you may have already known, the Mega Drive struggled to compete in Japan. In this thread, I tell you why you should give a damn about PSIV and even go the extra mile to provide some spoiler-free tips for those new to the game.
#PHANTASY STAR 4 SHADOW BLADE PS2#
Since Phantasy Star IV has now been released on the Wii's Virtual Console (JP+EU), in addition to its North American re-release on the PS2/PSP Sega Genesis Collection, another upcoming 360/PS3 collection, and the import PS2 Phantasy Star Complete Collection (which includes English-language versions of all 4 games in the series, I hear), I figure it's time to finally give this game the appreciation thread it deserves.
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