Some games deserve to be remembered for all time, by virtue of setting a standard in a genre or giving gamers an experience that will never be forgotten. Games like these can stand the test of time, being as warmly received in the hearts of the masses today as they were when they were released. On the other hand, some games are better off sealed in the vaults of nostalgia, never played but never forgotten.

Guess which category Phantasy Star fits in?

For its time, the the series was revolutionary. It took the realm of the RPG, often occupied by knights and dragons, to the depths of sci-fi. From game to game, there was always a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, some moving more to one side or the other, but overall it was a fresh way of approaching the genre. Phantasy Star was also famous (or was it infamous?) for being very difficult. From long dungeons to long leveling-up sessions, the series took the term "expansive" to a whole new level. So how does it measure to today’s standards?

Phantasy Star

Never having played this when it first released, I can’t paint a picture with favorable nostalgia or glee. Nope, what you have in truth is a game with a simple beginning: Alis loses her brother Nero, who is murdered by men of Lassic, the evil king of the planet Palma. Alis goes to find Odin, the strongest man alive, to assist in her vengeance and bring justice to the planet. Other than that, there isn’t much to the story - which wouldn’t be bad considering you won’t have to sit through twenty minutes of plot development or cut scenes just to have a fight - but it's bare-bones development. After Nero dies, you are left with no clues concerning where to go next, what to do, or who exactly Odin is. The game stays like that, offering you another bit of info, but never filling you in on the rest of whos, wheres, or whys. So essentially, you plod around Palma and go planet-hopping, all the while bumping into fights that are pretty basic, just hoping you’ll run into the right area or talk to the right person to get things rolling again. One the bright side, the dungeon graphics were, and to this day still are, the best 2D-imitating-3D around. Too bad I don’t have the patience to go guessing through such a large game . . . maybe if I were six again.

Phantasy Star II

Ah, but if dungeon-crawling is your game, Phantasy Star II will invite you to a round, knock you out, and leave you dazed on the canvas. It is very very very very very hard game, with caves, dams, and all sorts of labyrinths that will leave you lost and broken. So difficult are things that when the game was first released on the Genesis, a strategy guide came packed in with the game. It was unplayable without that thick book, which provided maps to the monotonous and vast dungeons and hints on where to go and who to visit. THQ didn’t feel as generous though, and so you’re on your own in the Collection version. On the bright side, Phantasy Star II offers a story more understandable than its predecessor, better graphics, catchy music, and the first instance of a main character’s death in a console RPG. Aerith, eat your heart out.

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom

Considered the worst game in the series, Generations of Doom is different from the rest in so many ways, you would think it a sequel in name alone. For starters, the game shifts the sci-fi/fantasy focus way over to the fantasy side. Also different are the developers – which of course would incite the purest fans to raise a call-to-arms for the blood of the impure "new guys."

The story is also different, and ambitious: a force of evil is destined to destroy the world, but a vision is witnessed generations before its passing. Starting as Rhys, players unfold the tale of destruction and learn that it is the fate of Rhys’ bloodline to sustain themselves until doomsday to destroy the threat. What makes the plot so interesting is that you play generation after generation, and depending on who Rhys marries, the next generation changes, all until the final hour. This means you can play more than once and see totally different characters and storylines.

Too bad everything else isn’t as interesting. Some of the blandest battles, music, and graphics plague this incarnation of the Phantasy Star series, and if weren’t for the interesting generation concept, I’d say skip it altogether.

Nostalgia is not a toy

Fond memories and nostalgia are a dangerous thing – they can cloud the minds of the level-headed as they make claim that games of the "good old days" could beat anything from this era back and forth. In some instances, and in some genres, this is true – gameplay can stand the test of time and still taste as good as new. In this instance Phantasy Star Collection suffers the same fate as many RPGs – in its day, it had an involving storyline, deep gameplay, and visuals that were unmatched. Today’s RPG giants surpass it stride-for-stride though, leaving a series that is fun to remember, but hard to appreciate by today’s standards.

· · · Hero