Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom[1] is a role-playing video game developed and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Genesis in Japan in April 1990, and worldwide the following year. It is the third game in the original Phantasy Star series, and is a distant sequel to the previous games, with the connections to those games not being immediately obvious. However, gameplay is similar to the previous games, with turn-based combat and random encounters. Players explore various overworld maps and dungeons in order to progress through the game.
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Just as youâre about to marry Maia, the mysterious woman you found on the shore, a winged dragon grabs her and disappears.This is the tragic start of what seems like a never-ending journey into a world of loathsome creatures and wicked souls that spans three generations. Phantasy Star III is set 2,000 years. after the events of Phantasy Star II, which allowed the designers to take very unusual directions with the setting and plot - and they did. Probably the most notable feature was the multiple generations of playable characters, as the player chooses who to marry and took control of their sons as the story. Phantasy Star Collection is the name of two different compilations of Phantasy Star games. The first, released for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1998, featured the first four games in the series, whereas the Game Boy Advance version, released four years later in North America and five in Europe, featured the first three. Phantasy star three is the sequel to phantasy star 2 it takes place a couple hundred or a couple thousand years later.The interesting thing about this game is its seperated into different generations you start off with one generation then your character gets married, you and your wife have kids and your children then take over the story. Phantasy Star Online is an online role-playing game (RPG) developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 for the Dreamcast.It was the first online RPG for game consoles; players adventure with up to three others over the internet to complete quests, collect items, and fight enemies in real-time action RPG combat. The story is unrelated to previous games in the Phantasy Star series.
It was later re-released on the Virtual Console, and also for various emulated retro collections such as the Phantasy Star Collection, Sega Genesis Collection, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.
Gameplay[edit]
Phantasy Star III mostly follows the traditional roleplaying game formula seen throughout the series, with the exploration of several 2-D worlds, character recruitment, and random enemy encounters using a turn-based battle system. Unlike previous games, the 'technique' magic system plays a somewhat diminished role in combat. New features in the combat system include the auto-battle feature and the icon-based menu system.[2]
The feature that mostly separates Phantasy Star III, however, is that the story spans three generations of characters. At critical points throughout the game, the main character is given the option of marrying one of two women he has encountered during his travels. This choice determines the new main character of the next generationâthe child (or children) of the previous lead. The choice also affects the gameplay, as the main character may be Orakian or a mix of Layan and Orakian, which differ in their ability to use techniques and their level of proficiency with them. Two paths in the second generation in turn lead to four paths in the third and final generation, and depending on which of the four main characters is played, the ending will vary.
Plot[edit]
Phantasy Star III appears at first to take place in a medievalfantasy setting, in contrast to the science-fiction settings of previous games. A thousand years before the start of the game, two factions â one led by the swordsman Orakio, the other by the sorceress Laya â were engaged in a bitter conflict. An attempt at peace was made when the two leaders met for an armistice, but soon afterwards they both mysteriously vanished. This placed the two factions in a precarious situation, as each blamed the other for their leader's disappearance. All communication between the Orakians and Layans was suspended, travel between their respective worlds was prohibited, and the two groups teetered on the brink of war.
Players take control of Rhys, Crown Prince of the Orakian kingdom of Landen, on the day of his wedding to Maia, a mysterious amnesiac who washed up on Landen's shore two months earlier. During the ceremony, a dragon â identified as a Layan â suddenly appears and snatches Maia, in what seems to be an overt escalation of the Layan-Orakian conflict. During Rhys's search for Maia, he recruits various characters to his cause. Ultimately, it is revealed that Maia herself is Layan â Princess of the kingdom of Cille â and that her kidnapping was actually a rescue attempt by her people, who believed she had been stolen from them by the 'hostile' Orakians.
Development[edit]
The game was developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, where it first released in Japan in April 1990 and in North America in July 1991.[3] Producer Kazunari Tsukamoto described Phantasy Star III as being similar to a collection of side stories when compared to the connected narrative of its predecessor and the sequel Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium. This and its altered graphic style was due to the team being different from earlier Phantasy Star entries.[4] Hirondo Saiki acted as game designer.[5] The game's multiple endings proved difficult to implement due to data storage limitations. The branching narrative and gameplay paths were added to set the game apart from other role-playing games (RPGs) due to the crowded market at the time.[4] The game was the first time designers and programmers came together as a team rather than separate units, but Saiki became fatigued during development of the game's later stages due to being sole designer. In order to realise the planned scale of the world, several portions of the narrative needed to be cut.[5] Character designs and the cover art were done by Saru Miya, who remembered experiencing great hardships with the project, describing it as something which she considered a 'home-spun' project.[6] The music for Phantasy Star III was composed by Izuho Numata, who had only been at Sega for two years. She later claimed that the project was challenging due to her lack of experience with composing for RPGs.[7]
Reception[edit]
Praise was given to Phantasy Star III for its unique 'generational' gameplay and characters. Others thought it was just too 'different' in style from its peers. Critics cite the only subtle differences between the endings, lower quality battle animations, and the fact that it did not resolve the perceived cliffhanger ending of Phantasy Star II. Still, it maintains above average ratings, with an overall score of 70% on the aggregate site GameRankings.[10]
Computer Gaming World in 1991 praised the game's graphics and its 'plenty of plot twists and turns'. The magazine concluded that it was 'a rewarding epic tale which should be told on every Genesis system'.[11] The game was reviewed that year in Dragon #176 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in 'The Role of Computers' column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. They noted that they 'didn't like it as much as Phantasy Star II' but still praised Phantasy Star III for being 'creative in many ways,' including the choices of whom to marry, the different possible endings, and the 'longer play life' that this allows.[2]Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a score of 8 out of 10.[10]Nintendo Power named it the series' 'lackluster third installment' and noted that series co-creator Rieko Kodama did not work on it.[12] The game's icon-based menu system later inspired a similar menu system in Shining in the Darkness (1991).[13]
The only downside according to MegaTech magazine was that 'it costs a massive £50!' Mega placed the game at #12 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.[14]
References[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phantasy_Star_III&oldid=940218880'
Phantasy Star Generation 2 Translation
Phantasy Star Collection[a] is the name of two different compilations of Phantasy Star games. The first, released for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1998, featured the first four games in the series, whereas the Game Boy Advance version, released four years later in North America and five in Europe, featured the first three. The North American and European versions were produced by Digital Eclipse.[1] The Saturn version was later ported to the PlayStation 2 (as Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection) in Japan with more games added.
Each compilation features ports of the original Phantasy Star games. They are virtually identical to their original versions, as opposed to enhanced remakes. Gameplay has not been altered in each of the collections, but additional options in the Saturn and PlayStation 2 versions can alter the pace and difficulty of the games significantly.
Gameplay[edit]
Each game features overworld maps and separate dungeon areas, both with random encounters. Players control parties of characters, battling enemies and earning experience points to grow stronger. Certain characters can use different magic spells and techniques during and outside of battle. Phantasy Star's dungeons differ from the rest because they are in first-person, while the rest of the games use a top-down style.[2]
Plot[edit]
Although each game in the collections feature different characters and stories, they take place in the Algol planetary system, specifically on the planets Palma, Motavia, and Dezolis.[2] In the four games, there exists a Dark Force, a common antagonist that threatens the solar system. The games also make small references to each other, such as the idolation of Alis in Phantasy Star IV.
Development[edit]
Phantasy Star II's top-down style travel is shown as Rolf and Nei move through a town.
Corona Key Phantasy Star Generations 1
Its first incarnation was released in 1998 on the Sega Saturn, as part of Sega's Sega Ages series of classics that included Space Harrier, Out Run, After Burner, and Fantasy Zone. Although the former three games listed emerged in the West as a single compilation, Phantasy Star Collection remains a Japan only title. It included what is considered the main entries in the series, with select enhancements such as the option of playing the games in katakana or hiragana in the first entry of the series (they originally were katakana only), and an optional speed increase for party members in Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star III. Due to the native resolution of the Mark III, the original Phantasy Star is played in a frame. Omake features were also included with the game, such as exclusive arranged music, art galleries, and Japanese commercials.
The Game Boy Advance version, produced by Digital Eclipse, emerged in 2002. Unlike the Sega Saturn release, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium was not included.[1] The video games themselves were also altered in order to function adequately on the Game Boy Advance's resolution. The GBA version has a reduced number of save slots available for Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star II. The GBA version does not include any extras.
The PlayStation 2 version, part of Sega's PS2 line of Sega Ages titles, is significantly different from the Sega Saturn version. Renamed Phantasy Star Complete Collection, this version includes the Phantasy Star II Text Adventures series, released exclusively to the Sega Meganet network, with the first of the eight games (the one following the adventures of Rolf) available to be played without unlocking. It also includes the two Game Gear titles of the series, Phantasy Star Gaiden and Phantasy Star Adventure. Unlike the GBA version, it includes all four titles of the original series. While, unlike the Sega Ages titles Phantasy Star Generation 1 and Phantasy Star Generation 2, the games are mainly untouched, several options that are not available in the Sega Saturn version are included. These options can drastically alter the games, both visually (with graphical options ranging from changing resolution, interlacing, smoothness and scanlines) and in gameplay. The changes in gameplay can alter the speed of the characters (much like the option available for Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star III in the Saturn version, but available to all games) and also the difficulty, by changing how much money and experience the player gets from fights, which can drastically reduce the time necessary to complete the games. There are also options to change the type of machine and localization of the games, making it possible to play them in their Japanese version as well as their English localized counterparts. This compilation was released on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 in 2012.
Reception[edit]
The Game Boy Advance version received 'generally favorable reviews' according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[14] Critics noted that although said handheld version was outdated, it still held up with its innovations to the genre.[1][2] They praised its uniqueness upon their original release as well as the fact that all three games come on one cartridge. Tim Tracy of GameSpot noted that 'Longtime fans of the series will definitely be pleased with the results, and it's worth mentioning that all three of these games originally retailed for about $70 each.'[1]
Tracy criticized the omission of Phantasy Star IV, calling it possibly the best out of them, or 'better than III'.[1] Adam Tierney of IGN complained that Digital Eclipse did not do anything for the ports, mentioning the 'tinny' music, 'grammatical errors', and 'huge crash bugs'.[2]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Phantasy Star Generation 1 English
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phantasy_Star_Collection&oldid=918168548'
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