PStar 1,2 and 3 are awful compared to PStar 4

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PStar 1,2 and 3 are awful compared to PStar 4

Postby AndrewZealand » Tue Nov 25, '08, 10:53 pm

Hello. Well, i really felt like sort of summarizing what i think of the main PStar quadrilogy.
Did anyone else play PStar 4 first and then get filled with a desire to see how it all started and led up to that game, what with it being such a great, captivating story? PStar 4 was almost a religion for me, I was so taken by the story. When i did get to playing the first 3 games I felt they were so inferior that it was like heartbreaking. I'd try my best to look at the good parts in them, but lately just said "Nah, screw it they're just bad". I even tried rewriting the stories of PStar 1 and PStar 2 to relieve my disappointment a bit (as for PStar 3, I reckon probably better if that had never been made).

Well I think that the main thing...the stories of games 1 and 2 are just either too
thin or too strange (or stupid). PStar 4 seemed to sort of steer the story into an easier to follow, much easier to appreciate and really get involved in, form.
They'd quit the references to earthmen from PStar 2 (they actually made it seem as though Mother Brain had been created by the Algoians, and basically as though it had been good for Algo).
I kind of wish they hadn't put in the part where they discover one of the PStar 3 ships (though at the time i was kind of happy that PStar 3 was being bought more into line with the PStar 4 story).

A few things about games 1 and 2...now the graphics of those games don't fault the series much at all. I still find PStar 1 really cute and for a while it can be really fun and satisfying just walking around the planets or towns, admiring everything. As for PStar 2, they're clearly the basis for the PStar 4 graphics anyway, and they're fine (though it did suck only having 2 planets to explore).

But with both games, it just got so drudgerous going from planet to planet or dungeon to dungeon, without having a good story to keep you going. The dungeons were just too long for me. I know some people like doing the whole map-drawing, stat-building thing, but I don't and thats where PStar 4 was good, cause u really didn't need to map the dungeons and also u could just kind of move easily through the game without having to spending time "training" and building up your stats so u can move on to the next part.
Also, I know PStar 1 and 2 were remade anyway with more detailed story. I've watched some youtubes but they're in japanese.
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Postby Dorrinal » Tue Nov 25, '08, 11:48 pm

Hello, and welcome to the board!

For a "summary" you're going all over the place. Care to make your stream-of-consciousness here into a coherent point? I gather you didn't like the first three games because of a lack of story. Or the bland, lengthy dungeons. Or both? I'm not sure what your point is, but you probably have some good ideas in there you could communicate more clearly. For example, you appear to have some ideas on how to improve the overall story. Also, I agree that the series would be better off without PSIII ever being made. And I like it when people agree with me.

We look forward to reading your fresh perspective. Unfortunately I will not be able to read it because Hugues and Tsunami will kill me in my sleep for saying something bad about PSIII.
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Postby newsblade » Wed Nov 26, '08, 12:56 am

Hehe.

I can just imagine your reaction if you decide to play Gaiden. I agree with some of your points, but I'll only reply tomorrow 'cause I have to go to bed.
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Postby Thoul » Wed Nov 26, '08, 3:16 am

Welcome to the site, it's great to have you here. :)

I agree that PSIV is much more refined than the other games. That's a reflection of increases in technology during that time period. In PSIV, they had a great deal more space to work with than the older games. They were able to include more story and incorporate everything they had learned from working on the other games, particularly about balancing the story against the battles.

The biggest problem with PSIII, IMO, is that it was made by a completely different team. It's a good standalone game, but having more of the PSI/II/IV team on the job could have helped it a lot. The PSIII team had wonderful ideas, but they were just too big in scope for what they were allowed and able to do at that time.

It's not as easy to appreciate the older games if you play IV first.
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Postby Lucas » Wed Nov 26, '08, 3:38 am

Hi there AndrewZealand.

In my opinion I don't believe that PSI, II & III are awful compared to PSIV. But they do lack the graphics, storyline and character releationships IV has. This is mostly due to the fact that during the time frame they were made in it was very hard for game developers to add all the nice crispy stuff in which PSIV has. None the less they are very good games sure III is kinda the black sheep but its good in its own little way eg: the marriges for next generation child is great :wink:.

The only downfloor with PSII is that the game is very hard and very slow comapred to the others but its by far a great game (I found it very addictive). Anyways if Sega did every thing 100% correct the first time there would proabably be no need for PSIV to ever be created :( . So you see they evolved their games as they went on and PSIV was the final result in a great gaming storyline.

But in the end its your opinion and yes PSIV is definitly a gem of a game. Amen to that. :clap:
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Postby tilinelson2 » Fri Dec 12, '08, 5:47 pm

It's everything a matter of taste. Having played all the games in order, for me, PS4 is by far the worst of the series, because the story, in my opinion, is immature and predictable. In my view, it is PS4 that steer badly from the series, not PS3, which is a good game, because it has a good plot. IMO, PS4 is just a bland game, with a poor argument, filled with clichès and unnecessary references to other PS, in a way that they harm the story of the others. It's ok from the graphic quality, but that's just the evolution of the technology. In my opinion it is just a bland book with a luxurious cover, while the others are really good books with a poor cover.
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Postby Thoul » Sun Dec 14, '08, 1:30 pm

Welcome to the boards, tilinelson2. :)

I have to say, your opinion is one I've never read before. Like you said though, it's a matter of taste.
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Re: PStar 1,2 and 3 are awful compared to PStar 4

Postby Tsunami » Fri Dec 19, '08, 2:49 am

AndrewZealand wrote:Hello. Well, i really felt like sort of summarizing what i think of the main PStar quadrilogy.
Did anyone else play PStar 4 first and then get filled with a desire to see how it all started and led up to that game, what with it being such a great, captivating story? PStar 4 was almost a religion for me, I was so taken by the story. When i did get to playing the first 3 games I felt they were so inferior that it was like heartbreaking. I'd try my best to look at the good parts in them, but lately just said "Nah, screw it they're just bad". I even tried rewriting the stories of PStar 1 and PStar 2 to relieve my disappointment a bit (as for PStar 3, I reckon probably better if that had never been made).
Comparing PSIV to the older games in the series is like comparing FF4 or so with FF1. Obviously a game that had been made at a later date would be visually enhanced and more fleshed-out, but that doesn't necessarily make a game better.

Oh, and unlike you, I did play PSIV first but I learned to appreciate the earlier predecessors. PSIV is by no means my favorite of the series, but I will acknowledge that it is a good game.

Well I think that the main thing...the stories of games 1 and 2 are just either too
thin or too strange (or stupid). PStar 4 seemed to sort of steer the story into an easier to follow, much easier to appreciate and really get involved in, form.
Please take into consideration the dates those games were made and the standards for RPGs at the time. I doubt you'd find an engrossing story in any early RPG.

I'll respect your spiel of PSIV's supposed superiority, however. :roll:

Dorrinal wrote:Also, I agree that the series would be better off without PSIII ever being made.
But then there would be no Sari.
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Re: PStar 1,2 and 3 are awful compared to PStar 4

Postby pitohui » Fri Jan 2, '09, 11:50 am

Dude, context.

It's impossible to appreciate these games without understanding why they were so great at the time, and what innovations they brought to the genre. Hell, the original Phantasy Star invented the sci-fi RPG genre after the success of Dragon Quest in '86 created an interest in non-Western RPGs. There are plenty of classic games that I find unplayable today, but you have to appreciate what they were doing at the time.

AndrewZealand wrote:Did anyone else play PStar 4 first and then get filled with a desire to see how it all started and led up to that game, what with it being such a great, captivating story? PStar 4 was almost a religion for me, I was so taken by the story.

This is certainly a good reason for wanting to check out the first three games. I had the opposite experience, actually; I'd played through 1-3 and then lost interest by the time 4 had come out. I only just finished 4 recently. Last week, in fact! Try to imagine having played 4 as the culmination of a classic series, because that was really the intention. It's such a glorious fanwank that playing it first is almost surely going to result in the rest of the series coming off as underwhelming and archaic. It's like playing Metal Gear Solid and then going back to Metal Gear. "This is what all the fuss was about?!"

AndrewZealand wrote:Well I think that the main thing...the stories of games 1 and 2 are just either too thin or too strange (or stupid). [...] But with both games, it just got so drudgerous going from planet to planet or dungeon to dungeon, without having a good story to keep you going.

I hate to be the guy saying "in my day, we didn't need stories!" but I think that's just because of what I grew up playing. Phantasy Star was my first RPG, and it kind of set the tone for how my tastes would skew in the future. Again, it's necessary to understand that in the late 80's, story more or less played a background role. The focus was meant to be on exploring new and strange environments, with a little grinding thrown in for good measure. As the series progressed, Sega realized that they could do some pretty interesting things with it, as you've seen in PSIV.

AndrewZealand wrote:A few things about games 1 and 2...now the graphics of those games don't fault the series much at all. I still find PStar 1 really cute and for a while it can be really fun and satisfying just walking around the planets or towns, admiring everything.

This, this, a thousand times this. It's this kind of carefree exploration that grasped those first few fans. Imagine playing nothing but shooters and platformers for years, then getting a relaxed, methodical game like Phantasy Star to set a new standard for what games can accomplish.

AndrewZealand wrote:The dungeons were just too long for me. I know some people like doing the whole map-drawing, stat-building thing, but I don't and thats where PStar 4 was good, cause u really didn't need to map the dungeons and also u could just kind of move easily through the game without having to spending time "training" and building up your stats so u can move on to the next part.

I think this is just another one of those "charms" from the 8-bit RPG era. Having absolutely no idea what lay before you added to the tension, and I totally loved it as a kid. Loved it so much, in fact, that I scanned all of my old maps and made this walkthrough.

AndrewZealand wrote:Also, I know PStar 1 and 2 were remade anyway with more detailed story. I've watched some youtubes but they're in japanese.

I own both of these, and it's a shame that they were never brought over. The basic stories are the same, but the characterization and party interaction have been brought up to recent standards. They're actually budget titles, but the improvements are so vast over the originals that it really feels like a dedicated effort.

If you're interested in the history of the series, here's an article I wrote for the 20th anniversary last year.
Last edited by pitohui on Tue Jan 6, '09, 5:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Darkil » Fri Jan 2, '09, 7:53 pm

Hello and welcome the board! Now I would also slay you in your sleep since I love PS3[due to the more medieval like setting] and I like the idea of siring children to carry on the fight :) Now I do agree with you that as far as terms of graphics PSIV is superior due to the increase in technology, as Thoul has already stated. The story is good as it wraps everything up quite nicely but I have to disagree with you regarding PS2's story. I felt that was the longest and most captivating story of the 4. Not that any of them fail in the story dept but I felt 2 had more to offer and 4 was sort of a "while you were away" part of 2's story. Also bear in mind that 3 dealt with the destruction of Palm[Parma, Palma, whatever your take on the spelling is] and the people on the ships are supposed to from that planet[or descendants, can't remember which off hand]. So it has much to do with the story line as the others but since it was made by a different team it's almost a side story to everything instead of a true sequel.

With my blabbering done, I again want to wish you welcome to the board and your fresh outlook on the beloved series. Do remember that even if you don't agree that PS3 is good game, your opinion definitely matters here[and I'll be sure that Hugues and Tsunami make the killing quick :)]
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