by tilinelson2 » Mon Aug 23, '10, 4:18 pm
I think it is a very deep game because if its serious and dark nature. There is a lot of irony, sarcasm, destruction, etc. The story of the game is a futuristic dystopia, very well constructed. The interesting thing is that you get no rewards for your efforts: the things keep getting worse and worse. You lose things each step you take in your journey. Look how different it is for protagonists of each PS:
Alis - Is alone but for her brother, loses brother, gets overall support, defeat her foes and becomes the queen as a "reward".
Rolf - Is alone in the world but for his adopted sister, loses sister, is persecuted by the government, almost everybody hates him, fails to save Palma from destruction, his end in uncertain (maybe dead).
Heroes from PSIII - Have family, don't lose anyone. Attain a partial peace at some large cost (cities and satellites destroyed, Dark Force will return). Marriages don't count as a reward because they are not supposed to be so, they are just part of the mechanics of the game.
Chaz - Is alone but for her friend, lose her friend, becomes "the chosen one", has general support, defeat the ultimate foe, attaining perpetual peace and gets Rika as a reward.
Well, a game you beat and your character is a loser must have a deep message.
Besides that, only PSII and PSIII have a real message that could be developed further to adult audiences.
PSI and PSIV are just cliché: you are the queen/chosen one, you have a clear enemy, you defeat the evil and get a big reward besides perpetual peace. The deaths in these games are comparable to Disney deaths (Lion King, Bambi). I value PSI more because it brings the dictatorship subject, while PSIV is just pure evil against you.
PSII has all the stuff about totalitarianism, dangers of conformism, dangers of technology, death, destruction of a planet, environmental problems, etc.
PSIII has you not knowing who you are fighting until the near end, consequences of your choices, uncertainty of the future.
So I really think PSII stands out as the best game, most because its story, which is the greatest thing of PS series (the game mechanics of these kind of RPG are rather dull: you just click a button and see what happens). PSIII has a strong story too, it is a pity the game suffered a lot during development. PSI has a so-so story, but deserves kudos for being the pioneer, light years ahead what was available at its time. PSIV has a so-so story, which is the weakest of the series, and was light years behind what was available at that time (and even if it was made for Sega CD as intended, with videos and 3D mazes, it would still be light years behind).
A person only sees and hears what he wants to see and hear and disregards the rest.