[HEADING=1]Phantasy Star Portable 2[/HEADING]
Well, it's my first review, so here goes.Game: Phantasy Star Portable 2
Developer: Alfa System
Publisher: SEGA
System: Playstation Portable
Although the game is not yet out in the States, I have been addicted to the demo that was released on the Playstation Network. The game has already been released in Japan, and comes to the States on September 14th, 2010 (which is, thankfully, very soon).
[HEADING=2]Plot[/HEADING] It's a "Trial", but if you don't want to see any spoilers, go ahead and skip this section. The demo has you create your character (a maximum of two on the demo) and then quickly tells you about the attack of the Seed (I know many fans of the franchise HATE Universe, but I think it was an alright game) and how the resources are depleted. The narrator then speaks of a new theory of sub space travel that could change the lives of everyone in the Gurhal system.
We then move to a scene filled with people, and if you played the first PSP (Phantasy Star Portable), you should be familiar with the almost drawing like people. You converse with a CAST mercenary, who notes you are not with a company, when both of you notice a girl taking a bit of a fit (Unlike PSP, the dialog in these little scenes are not given voice acting, sadly). We are then given a rather nice cutscene in which we watch the girl[footnote]
The scene ends and after some dialog options between us and the girl, we explore the chamber. At the end, we fight the guardian of the site, and after the fight, we get another pretty little scene. We see the guardian get up and prepare to attack Emilia, and the camera (our character) rushes forward to push her aside, and we are evidently killed. The guardian goes to attack her, but some sort of light bursts out of her in the shape of a woman and defeats the guardian.
Cut to black and hearing a female, robotic voice. We awaken to find ourselves on Clad 6, a resort colony. We somehow survived, and the man from before would like us to join his mercenary company (we have no choice anyways), Little Wing. We are assigned to be Emilia's partner and to keep her in line. After visiting your room, you meet the "light lady" in Emilia, Mika, an Ancient (how she got in Emilia, I have no clue), and we speak with her. Soon Emilia awakens, but has no clue what we are talking about. With that, the story ends, and you are free to do the available missions.
[HEADING=2]Gameplay[/HEADING] Compared to the original PSP, the combat in PSP2 is much more fluid and easier to get a grasp on. The controls are basically the same: X to roll/dodge, square to attack with a weapon, triangle to use a Photon art and O to open your Palette, the joystick to move, R to switch to defense mode/Photon arts/Guns etc, triangle square to activate a Blast (requires level 10) and the D-pad is used to navigate the menus. The original three classes are still in play, along with the new Vanguard, which is basically the "all around" class. Not much to actually talk about here.
[HEADING=2]The Online[/HEADING] This is the addictive part of what I have named the game: Crack Star 2. Using the Infrastructure, you may sign on to the Playstation network to go through the missions you could do by yourself with other players, or join in a chat, or a Tactical mission (I highly recommend you run this a few times, there are very good drops in Bruce's Dungeon) or even a Battlefield mission (which is also a very fun mode). I'll break up the modes and discuss each one.
[HEADING=3]Missions[/HEADING] Have you, Emilia and your partner machine failed miserably at a mission every time you try it? Well, join up into a Mission/Open party, and request that the group do the mission you need to complete. Most of the time, the group will comply, especially the kinder level 15's (did I mention that the demo has a level cap of 15?), who enjoy helping out newer players. There is also a mission you can't do in story mode, and this mission, although difficult, is a great place to go for experience (just bring along some Moon Atomizers and at least one level 15, the boss is ridiculous).
[HEADING=3]Tactical mission[/HEADING] Bruce's Dungeon is the only one of these available to you in the demo. The point of these missions is to work together in order to clear the dungeon within the time limit given. This requires good communication, and a strong team (gear DOES matter, trust me!) This mission is very rewarding, and it's a great way to find players you work well with (I'll cover that in a bit).
[HEADING=3]Battles[/HEADING] If you don't feel like grinding for gear, head to the battlefield. This offers a very different style of play. You can do 1v1, 2v1 or 2v2 in a battle for "Energy Poles". Player launch across the battlefield to capture these poles, which give that player points. You can also get points from killing the enemy, killing creature, gathering Meseta or destroying the enemy base. You don't keep anything you find here, but you do increase your battle rank, which in turn is supposed to unlock more battlefields.
There is also a friend system, which works through partner cards. If you come across a player you want to befriend, open up the menu, go to community, select Partner Cards, go to send, choose the player and send your card their way, and hope they send you their card in return (and there is a blacklist, so you can block up to 40 players).
[HEADING=2]Graphics[/HEADING] The graphics are practically the same as the original PSP, with the polished cut scenes every now and then, so there is not much of a difference between the games, nor are the graphics something special. They're enough to get the job done and make the game enjoyable.
[HEADING=2]Extra[/HEADING] Every time you complete a mission, you earn type points. When you earn enough TPs (type points), your class will level up. If you go to the battle shop, and go to the type shop, you can upgrade your abilities with any type of weapon, as long as you have enough extend points. There is an item shop, which sells healing items and traps. There is the Shield-weave shop, which sells armor and modules. With the armor, you can link modules to them to get certain stat boosts. Then, there is the weapon shop, where you can buy and upgrade your weapons and buy Discs containing Photon Arts.
The four races each have a special action once they reach level ten, and they are:
Human: Mirageblast to summon a creature to fight for you (buyable at the Shield-weave shop)
Newman: Mirageblast to summon a creature to fight for you (buyable at the Shield-weave shop)
CAST: Summon an SUV-Weapon for assistance in battle (I have not played a CAST, so I admit I do not know were to buy the SUV weapons)
Beast: Nanoblast into your inner beast form (change which form you have at the Salon with Blast Badges)
There are also 32 titles for you to earn in the demo (and one is earned by importing your original PSP character, which gives a few special but not very important bonuses to your character). Each title gives you a unique reward, usually a powerful weapon or a decoration for your room.
So concludes my first review ever, Phantasy Star Portable 2, a game I highly recommend to any Phantasy Star fan, and I even suggest someone who has not played any of the titles to pick up the demo and give it a try. I hope you enjoyed this, because I actually enjoyed writing it. Any comments or criticism would be a fantastic help. I hope to see you in the game! Look for Atio the Newman Force or Talis the Beast hunter.