Has anyone played Phantasy Star Online?

Has anyone played this game yet?  I\'ve read very little about it.  I\'m referring of course to the Gamecube version...

How do you get the GC online in the first place?

Is the game worth buying if you can\'t play it online?

Sorry about the dumb questions, but I haven\'t played any of the Phantasy Star games, even though they have been highly acclaimed.  This might be b/c of the fact that they used to cost $70 back in the days of the Sega Master System and the Genesis, but I digress...

Any feedback would be helpful...I\'m looking to beef up my GC collection a bit.

[Bobs_Hardware]

Where\'s SonyFan when you need him...

I haven\'t played PSO myself, but I can answer these questions based on what I know.

1. You get GCN online by buying either the 56K or Broadband adapters (both $35, I believe) and signing up for Sega\'s online service.. in the case of PSO anyway. Nintendo might create their own ISP in the future..

2. PSO is supposedly decent offline, but it\'s far better online. That\'s the general consensus.

PSO sucks offline...

If you can\'t get online, forget it...

Beware of cheaters, hackers, and thieves...

However, the good thing about offline is that you can build your character without fear of getting hacked or robbed...

Make sure your character is at a decent level before going online or you\'ll never survive...

I own PSO for the gamecube, so I\'ll try to answer your questions.

Yes, you get it online by buying either a GC broadband or modem adaptor.  

Online, the game is great.  It is really one of the better titles for the Cube if you play it online.  However, you have to play it online to appreciate it.  Offline, it really isn\'t all that great.  It gets a lot more repetitive and dull.  While it can be played offline, and is decent if you play it with others, offline, I would really recommend playing it online if you\'re going to get it.  Offline, it isn\'t anything special at all.  Online, it is.  

So basically, if you feel like paying the monthly fee Sega is charging to play it online, then get it.  If not, then you could probably find better games to spend your time and money on.

So to appreciate this game, I would need to buy a network adapter ($35), the game ($50), and pay a monthly fee (presumably $10 or so).  

Is it worth it?  

I haven\'t played a good RPG in a while, but would I be better off getting FFX or Kingdom Hearts, or something else?

Cridge: If you like the game, it\'ll be worth it. I\'ve heard of people putting hundreds of hours into PSO..

Considering that some games bought for $50 give you no more than 20 hours of gameplay.. hundreds of hours for more money sounds like a reasonable investment for a serious gamer. The hardware investment will also prepare you for the (supposedly) online Mario Kart and other must-have GCN games coming in late 2003 and early 2004!

Yeah, like Blade says, I\'m sure you\'ll want the netword adaptor for other games.  It\'s really a question of the monthly payment.  I think they actually do give you the first month free.  I\'d say it\'s worth it if you like this type of game.  And you\'ll get to try it out during that first free month before paying a monthly fee.  You really aren\'t risking anymore than if you were to buy any other game.

Cool...thanks for the feedback, guys.

I think it\'s very well worth the money, otherwise.. I wouldnt have 6,000 hours invested in the title so far. There\'s some *\'s tho...

1. There are no code users on the NGC version as of yet... but a method of duplicating has been found. It\'s ruined the trading economy and turned potentially good players into retards dying every 5 minuites because they want to show off the special to the Uber rare Dark Flow sword.

2. There is no Keyboard for the US version.. there\'s one "supposedly" planned.. but no release dates or info. You\'ll have to chat with the D-Pad unless you want to import a keyboard from Japan (JapanVideoGames.com is the best to do this thru) for a hundred bucks like I did.

3. Offline comes with Multiplayer in this version.. so it\'s not as boring as it once was. Still, you\'ll probably want to get online at one point or another since that\'s where all the REAL action is at. It costs roughly 9 bucks a month and you must have a Visa or MasterCard. If you don\'t have a CC, I can hook you up with a good site that\'ll buy one for you.

4. Theres still some problems with the servers.. you\'ll get FSOD\'d or BSOD\'d fairly regularly. Keep your items in the bank or risk loosing them.

5. Modems and even the game itself are hard to comeby. You\'ll probably want to import the modem or BBA from Japan for reliability. There\'s no difference in the hardware, and it\'ll work in all territories.

Other than that... the reviews people give for this game are well deserved. PSO is a great game, and one of the few I\'ve gotten for my NGC that has made it worth the purchase price.

Oh.. and sorry for being late. I was taking a breather from the site for awhile.

I have the Dreamcast version and it\'s a must have IF you play online.  The single player is bassically training for playing online.

[Jumpman]

Any rampant cheating in this game like the DC version, Sonyfan?

Not yet... there\'s only rampant Duping, duplicating of items. Pretty much every rare in the game has been discovered, copied hundreds of times, and passed out to everyone willing to take them.

If you want some high end equiptment early on.. then yeah, it won\'t be a big problem for you. I think it ruins the game a bit, which is why I tend to be an asshole to dupers and anyone who\'d rather show off their fancy weps than actually play the game.

Dang, I sure do miss PSO...

i returned this game and ended up with Splintercell and Bounty Hunter instead.