"that probably ate all my cereal while I was away" is the best diss directed to a bad house guest ever. Thank you for sharing this review on a game that, at least from my perspective, was a hot mess. I'm pleased to be the 100th like! :)

Oh goodness, not Phantasy Star 2... Yup, video did not disappoint. The piano nonsense is right up there with "fixing the bridge" in Lufia 1 as one of the most frustrating side quests in any game ever.

This channel is so underrated it needs more support

"You know what this dungeon needs?....Another dungeon!"

"I steal because it makes me feel something." I don't know why, but that part cracked me up. But yeah, nice review. Does a good job of explaining a lot of the issues with the game.

I was a kid when this game came out and was probably my first RPG experience. It blew me away. I was enamoured by the story and the characters. When you're a kid and this type of RPG is all you know, it's a life-altering gaming experience. If you're a seasoned gamer who has played many other RPGs prior, this is a grindy, confusing game.

I've a feeling Phantasy Star II was rushed out the door to be an early Mega Drive release when it came out in Japan.

Damn girl, you just slaughtered my childhood 😆. I promise you, this game was the greatest thing ever in the late 80’s!

I’ve been waiting for this review. This has to be the most savage review you’ve done yet. I guess we can say you were “hungry” for a better game. *PLAYS SEINFELD THEME*

Finally got to watch this review I've been looking forward to for a long time having spent an enormous amount of time with this game! For me personally, this is a case of rose colored glasses if there ever were. The only RPGs I'd played before this were Phantasy Star 1 on SMS, Final Fantasy on NES, and Dragon Quest on NES. The sci-fi setting, the colorful graphics, nicely animated monsters and a massive world to explored blew me away as a kid. From a difficulty standpoint, those previous games gave me a lot of trouble in many parts, so this one being tough was no surprise to my younger self and I expected a tough grind. In fact, I figured this would be much easier since it came with that hint book with so much information, but not knowing the evil nature of the dungeons that lied ahead. I loved how you commented on how when the story was present, it was really well done and I too have always thought that. The Nei vs Neifirst encounter was very memorable to me, and it broke my heart when Nei was killed since she was such a good character. But, the game rarely presented story opportunity, and almost no instances where the characters actually interact. I feel just adding character dialogue all throughout the game depending on the events taking place would have dramatically improved the overall quality while giving the characters actual personality. As you said, they joined for selfish reasons and never seemed to be a team, and that alone made the game feel far more empty than it should have been. Not only would it have been fun to hear the team's thoughts and feelings on each objective, but clues and information could have been given that led the player in the right direction when the only other option left was random wandering which can be really tedious. The Dezo portion of the game was horrible in that aspect, and my least favorite part of the game by far. As far as character balance, this one is a doozy. Since I was a kid with a lot of time, I tried hard to level up all the characters and see what they all had in store at higher levels in an attempt to build the most perfect roster available. However, my efforts were mostly in vain, as Hugh and Shir turned out to be completely worthless(aside from Shir stealing the Visiphone, Star Mists and Moon Dews) while Anna was strongly effective against groups of enemies, Kain specialized against machines. Amy was almost crucial since she was a healer, but in my youth I was dumb and ended up going with Rolf, Rudo, Kain and Anna after Nei's death and just attempting to muscle through fights without having a dedicated healer. The only way to do this was overgrinding, which resulted in my time spent in the game being about 10% actually trying to progress, and 90% grinding. A few interesting tidbits I discovered was that the final two bosses, Dark Force and Mother Brain, are actually weak to Kain's hard hitting machine only direct damage technique, resulting in a whopping 150 damage per attack. Shir I tried hard to make useful besides stealing stuff, but if you dare take her to Dezo and she decides to steal from a store, you have to return all the way back to Rolf's house on Mota to retrieve her! It was pure lunacy! Also, the amount of EXP required for level in this game just plain ridiculous even back then, and looking at it now makes me really cringe. And as you touched on, the dungeons in this game are perhaps the worst designed I've ever seen, and more difficult to get through than pretty much any other RPG I've played, EVEN WITH THE HINT BOOK. My own hint guide is full of notes and numbers I took, and getting through the Ikuto dungeon on Dezo with the pittraps was an exercise in tedious misery. Even early in the game, the first few dungeons are overly complex, and does nothing to ease you into it. Did you happen to encounter the enemy called 'Blaster' in the Tower of Nido or Biosystems Lab dungeons, which are the 2nd and 3rd ones visited? They look like pink blobs, come in pairs, have very high HP, and their only attack hits the entire party for massive amounts of damage. One encounter with them can end a run that has lasted hours, and I was reduced to tears against these enemies as they wiped the party and left me feeling hopeless multiple times. Other dungeons like that evil spaceport on Dezo called Skure I still have hatred in my heart for, so you're not alone there! The map of that dungeon even in the hint guide doesn't help at all, and you're forced to delve into that place to get the Mogic cap so you can talk to people AND explore the entire planet with only that nightmare connecting it all. A trick I discovered by accident was that since the 'Ryuka' spell returned you to the last Data Memory building in town you visited, you could use the visiphone to save the game in the Dezo spaceport dungeon and then using Ryuka would confuse the game and teleport you to one of the towns on Dezo, allowing you to go back and forth to this particular town and Mota without having to redo the spaceport area for it, but you would still need to delve into it to find the other towns and dungeons. For the endgame, I never understood why the items you needed were called 'Neisword' 'Neicape' and those types. What did Nei have to do with anything on Dezo and why were those items plot significant? The game never really told why, it was as you said, a giant fetch quest with little story to be had. The final dungeon was a major disappointment, as it all looked the same, was too long, and had enemies designed to absolutely wear you out before you could deal with Dark Force and Mother Brain. I resorted to saving the game with the visiphone, taking a few steps, saving again, and hoping to avoid as many random encounters as possible to have a chance of killing the bosses which was harder than it should be since I didn't bring Amy along and went with what I thought was a more offense based party. The ending made no sense either, but as a kid I kind of liked it since it was just a complete surprise and nothing of what I was expecting. Maybe I was just too young to grasp it or realize how far fetched it turned out to be. Sorry for making this so long, but it's amazing how you touched on literally every major issue this game had and I griped about as a kid, but since I had so much time, I didn't really mind any of it that much at the time as I just saw as another hard RPG to figure out. The game just feels unfinished, as there's a myriad of ways they could have made this so much better without a massive amount of effort. More story, less exp required per level, less random encounters and simpler dungeon designs would have gone a long way towards making this a unique experience. I like going back and replaying all the old RPGs from my childhood, and despite my fond memories of playing this as a kid, I really have no desire to play this again thanks to the exp grinding and dungeon design. It will stay as a fun, happy memory for me despite being a deeply flawed game with missed potential. Thank you so much for this review Hungry, it was great seeing everything from your perspective playing it as an adult compared to when I played it back in 1990!

I LOVE Phantasy Star IV. It’s a shame this series has been left dormant for so long.

This was a great video. It sums up a lot of my feelings and thoughts in solid way.

When I bought this game new, I was satisfied with it, even the ending when I beat it. Your dislike is more a sign of the time and evolution of game design. This game was great back when it was new! Few RPGs age well after 30 years.

You make a lot of valid points! I grew up with the Phantasy Star series since age 5, so I have a love and fondness for all of the games. Fun fact: Phantasy Star 2 also came with a foldable, overview world map of Mota and Dezolis. And on the back, it listed the following: • Every technique, who can perform them, how many TP they cost, what effect they have, how many party/ enemies they affect (and what "type" of enemies they affect); • Every weapon type, the price, who can wield them, and where you can obtain them; • Every armour type, the price, who can wear them, and where you can obtain them. Happy to hear you enjoyed Phantasy Star 1 and 4, though! They're classics! I also just finished your journey through Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun! Your playthrough was very enjoyable! It brought back a lot of fun memories. That's another game I love from my childhood. :) Anyway, keep up the great work! Cheers from a fellow Canadian (Nova Scotia)* 🇨🇦 🍁

I really like your content, Hun. I never had a SMS or Genesis, and most of my friend didn't either. Learning about these games is a lot of fun. Thank you.

Your experience with this game was very similar to mine. I tried it back in the mid 2000's and was completely put off. Mostly by the insane dungeons. You are spot on with this one.

New fan here! Incredible stuff. More quality Canadian content from someone with excellent taste.

I can’t wait for you to start streaming your world record speed run attempts at Phantasy Star 2. It’s 35 minutes and 28 seconds. BTW, I’m not being serious.

Good review, I tried to get into this one, but those dungeons chased me away and I havent returned ;)

The funny thing is that while I agree with the majority of what you argue here, I still recall enjoying this game immensely as a kid. I used to rent the game whenever I could save up the money. I thought that the music was really amazing and was very evocative of the "high tech society that is in crisis setting." Also, I think we were a lot more inclined to trial and error back in that time, and a good example of this was how my siblings and I thought it was too much fun taking Shir to every imaginable place and seeing if she'd steal something (which is how we found the save-anywhere device). Lastly, I think there were many games that really expected you to use your imagination and which distributed the story, world building, and details across media forms, whether it is the guidebooks for Genesis rpg's like PS2 or Sword of Vermilion, or perhaps Wizardry on NES. All in all, Phantasy Star 2 was one of many people's favorite games back then, but it is a hard game to revisit without realizing how much better the fourth game and most later really are.

Great review love this great classic game

The game was revolutionary for RPGs back in the day. The only thing that we complained about was the lack of backgrounds in the battles like the first game had. It took months to beat without a hint book, which was viewed in a much different light than today’s games that hold your hand and the tutorial lasts the first five hours of the game. You felt a sense of accomplishment reaching the Dam Sections. Because that is where a lot of people ended their play throughs. That’s probably why the plot really turns and gets you excited for the second half of the game. Because, if you thought the first half was hard, they turned it way up in the second half. 😅. I remember being heartbroken when PS3 came out that the finale of 2 was left unresolved. PS4 should have been PS3.

Great review overall! I got this game along with a Sega Genesis in 1990, great memories! My older brother and I spent way too many hours trying to navigate the dungeons and the hint guide that it came with. The game was super challenging though back then, we didn't have anything to compare it to so perhaps its a different perspective playing it more recently compared to 30+ years ago. I would disagree regarding the ending, I think its one of the best of any game I've played and still resonates with me many years later. Could be that age and being impressionable as a kid / nostalgia plays a big factor here. I loved the twist and the fact that we never knew what happened. It left me wanting more as I played out different scenarios in my head as a kid. It hit me in a way that other games didn't. As a musician too, the pieces are super memorable and unique - kudos to the composers who really were able to achieve something special here!

great review. I loved it back in the day, was playing it around ~1995 together with Shining Force 2. Loved them both, had nothing to compare them to but to one another:) I guess I was the kid with all the time in the world to hand-craft the maps of phantasy star 2; the guide book was obviously missing, there's no way you could memorize the places by heart.

I just started playing this yesterday. I absolutely adore it.

YES! ALL.HAIL THE FIVE BUNNIES!!!!! Great review Hungry

Nice review, but I can't help but feel that you're holding a game that was released in 1989 up to the standards of a modern day rpg. Having played Phantasy Star II back in 1989 when it first released, I can tell you that for it's time, it was revolutionary. Sure the inventory system was cumbersome, but so were Dragon Warrior's and Final Fantasy's. Yes there were only 3 boss fights in the game, but that to me, made the game more believable (Gotta love the trope of fighting a dragon in a 10ft x 10ft room at the end of a dungeon). It gave more credence to the bio-monsters you encountered out in the wild. Unlike Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior, where random encounters eventually turn into a series of constantly clicking attack to whack through lower level nuisances, in PSII you actually felt a sense of character growth by fighting battles that were once a grueling challenge and then seeing them become easier instead of a cakewalk. It also promoted exploration / experimentation with your techniques and items. In regards to exploration in the game. Yes, the dungeons were difficult and confusing. But the joy of completing a dungeon in of itself was the reward with PSII. As for items not having descriptions. Again, the game was made in 1989. A time where player hand holding wasn't a thing like it is now in most modern day games. The game required you to pay attention and memorize what does what. To this day I can still remember the differences between Foi, Zan, Tsu, Gra... Etc. I can't say that for a game like Final Fantasy XIII, for example, where I beat it and still can't even figure out / remember what it was about. While I enjoyed your review, and you do bring up some valid short comings of the game. I think you failed to recognize that the game is old. Really old. Perhaps when you play and review Phantasy Star III and IV you will give a little bit of thought to the context of when these games were made and what their competitors were doing at the time, instead of how they do not live up to, nor provide the luxuries of modern rpgs. But, that being said... Phantasy Star IV is brilliant. Even today, absolutely brilliant, but be warned... It doesn't hold hands and give descriptions to any items and spells either.

P2 was my second rpg after dragon warrior, so for me it was amazing as a kid. At the time having to draw maps for games was normal. No games had them built in. That was actually one of the things i found enjoyable believe it or not.

An extremely fair review, Goriya. I respect this game for having some of the most brutal dungeons I've ever encountered in a JRPG, but getting through them once was enough for me.

The spoiler alert felt very SNESDrunk. Solid reference.

So many memories. This was the first RPG I remember playing. A baby sitter forgot it at our house when I was around six, and at that time my mind was very SMB shaped so the expansive, explorative nature of this one was lost on me. I did "imprint' on the music and aesthetics, however, and years later I played this for a charity event in basically two marathon sessions. That's NOT a good way to experience Phantasy Star II. Though after making it to the penultimate boss I don't really know if there is one. Aimless plot, bewildering fetch quests, and dungeon design that gives Final Fantasy II a run for its money. To this day when I encounter dungeons that basically force you take the longest possible route between two points, I think of PSII dungeon design. Still, couldn't resist picking up a Japanese copy for my MD collection when one drifted my way! Great video, have grown to really enjoy this channel!

This was my first RPG growing up, so I'll not only have nostalgia goggles, but I also do not have Phantasy Star 1 to compare it to (my parents weren't spending that kind of money on a game). That said, it was a great first rpg to play. The Nei thing for a middle schooler was mind blowing

I enjoy your style of review quite a lot also like you explaining in detail your likes and dislikes. I've seen that in the end you went all the way and finished PSIV, I am happy you seem to have liked it. Did you plan to make a video for PSIV?

Hahahhah I like the humorous descriptions of this major let-down xD ...also I've heard a couple other reviews to a similar effect, but this got me laughing more

I'm... kind of glad to know I'm not alone. I've always liked the character designs and atmosphere of Phantasy Star 2, but I never enjoyed it as much as the other games in the series, and I always thought there was something I wasn't "getting" about the game. I didn't finish it, but my frustrations mirrored yours pretty closely. This did get a Japan-only remake on PS2 which, from what I understand, added more character moments, dialogue and item descriptions

Have to say this is one of my favorites but it is most definitely painful to play through. I think my fondness comes more from how it was an interesting transition point between 8 bit and 16 bit RPGs, with it coming out in 1989 and not really having a blueprint for how to progress the genre. It relies very much on the minimalist game design philosophy but also gives just enough crumbs to make you want to know what comes next. And I adore the vague, almost depressing, ending for how drastically different it was from anything the time with an almost somber tone. Still I very much I understand all the complaints here, it's very much not as enjoyable to play as the original or IV (III varies a lot person to person I noticed). But I also acknowledge I'm far more about concept over execution when it comes to stuff like this.

I replayed through this game recently for the first time in decades, and one of the main things I wanted to do was map the dungeons myself, like players would have with the original Japanese market release (those that didn’t buy strategy guides, anyway). For better or for worse, PS2 doubled down on the the dungeon-exploration aspect of PS1, making it the focus of the game. But it still kept the dungeon gimmicks minimal, making a lot of the dungeons a bit monotonous compared to more complex dungeon-mapping games like Wizardry or Bard’s Tale, and the mazes made of map doodads presented visually at an angle were more tedious to map than the convenient first-person grid of PS1. I enjoyed conquering the dungeons, and overall I like the game, but I do still like PS1 more. PS2’s dungeons, while large and mazy, weren’t interesting enough to make up for losing most of the the planetary exploration element from PS1. One thing I noticed playing the game with only the maps I make myself, is that I never needed to grind levels. Exploring every nook and cranny of the dungeons provided enough encounters.

An interesting review -- Phantasy Star II was my first RPG I ever played, and as a kid, I was absolutely ENTHRALLED with it. I'd never played anything else like it before, and it sparked my love affair with RPGs that continues to this day. It's also the only Phantasy Star game I've ever played, however. I never played the first, and never went on to play 3 or 4. (Though I suppose I did play Phantasy Star Universe on PS2, if that counts -- and unlike a lot of people, I quite liked it! It was like a playable sci-fi B-movie, and was just such a cheesy, campy joy that I couldn't help but enjoy its goofy anime-ness.) And I also could NEVER return to this game. The encounter rate, and the grind, is just too over-the-top. I have patience for slow games, but there's a limit to that patience, and this level of grind is well beyond that limit. But from the perspective of a roughly 10-year-old kid who'd never played an RPG before, I can honestly say that this game was pretty amazing at the time, and has always held a firm spot in my heart as a result. I think circumstances contribute to that more than the quality of the game itself, but nonetheless... it's not a game without its merits. It's just a messy, unfinished game that's more potential than it is delivery IMHO. ...I'm more fascinated by your insinuation that Illusion of Gaia was disappointing, though, as THAT'S a game I have some VERY fond memories of -- and while I haven't played it in a long time, I can't imagine it doesn't hold up, as that game had some great action, and a really heartfelt, really meaningful story to it that I remember really moving me back in the day. And its soundtrack was just A+ all around! Then again, as with Phantasy Star II, I've never played either Soul Blazer or Terranigma, so I have no basis of comparison to see how IoG could've been a disappointment. I think on its own merits, though, it's still a pretty damn good game! Time to see if you've got a review video of that one for me to watch through. ;)

I think the left-field ending was one of the best parts of the game.

I love your videos, your voice is the perfect balance of chill and intellect. All that being said, every time I replay PS2 I happen on the enemy robot that can attack you on the Motavia seas (in the Jet Scooter) called INFORMER, and like clockwork, I look up the rap song by Snow "Informer, You know say daddy me Snow me I go blame, A licky boom boom down, 'Tective-man he said me daddy me Snow stabbed someone down the lane, A licky boom boom down" And it's weird cuz the two have nothing to do with each other other than the name of that enemy, but the guy who sings it looks like someone who might have been playing Phantasy Star 2 at the time too lol... but man can that guy rap

Games from that time - especially in Japan - were often build around guide books. I get the impression that many weird elements were only thrown in there "because" they wanted to sell more guide books. No wonder there was so much cryptic malarkey in many 8-bit/16-bit games. Sometimes it was the good kind of secret, where you really wanted to explore and find out more about what's going on, but other times... you ended up with the design like in Takeshi no Chou Senjou and the like. Agreed with your opinion, this game didn't age nearly as gracefully as PS4 in particular. It's worth noting that there was a (Japan-only, but fan-translated a while ago) series of adventure games (Nei's adventure, Rudger's adventure etc.), each centered around one character from PS2. They were there to flesh them out, but most aren't really anything spectacular.

I just think it’s funny how all the party members join by visiting Eusis’ house and going like “Hi I heard you were going on a space adventure so I’m joining up!” Sort of takes the charm of finding new companions away when they just knock on your door like an Amazon delivery.

Totally agree on your assessment here. Fortunately for me, I played the original game and followed-up with IV as I took a brief hiatus from RPG's during my mid-teens. Going back to play II and subsequently III afterward felt even more clunky than they might have otherwise. The encounter rate in II is especially frustrating, and like you mentioned, the inability to save your progress early on without being in a town was anxiety-inducing. I think the biggest benefit from playing the series in the order I did was that the ending of II turned out to feel like more of a "fleshing-out" of the story and less of the garbage cliffhanger that it actually was. :) I can't wait to see how you feel about PSIV!

Scrolling thru my subscription list and I see a new video from you and I'm like "Hey! A new Hungry Goria video! Awesome!" Love your vids!

No game should "necessitate" a hint book just to be able to play. PS2 was the hardest JRPG I've ever played; the mazes are INSANE! I loved the characters and the plot but the bazillion mazes prevented me from ever finishing it.

Is it wrong that I was laughing hysterically at "Nobody can tell Phantasy Star II how it made me feel like Amy here..."?

PS2 is one of my all time favorite games. The music, the story, and the general vibe. The gameplay is pretty hard and tedious, though.

When I played this as a kid I planned a route through each dungeon with the hintbook before I actually went there. But even planning the route via the hintbook was difficult

This review is absolutely spot on. Completely agree with everything you said you've said.

Wow, be brutally honest with us XD PStar2 is a game that really needed the player to adjust in order to enjoy it. I hated almost everything about it when I first started the game too, but eventually it became one of the greatest influences on my life ever. My appreciation for that game only got even stronger as the years went by, as besides the character development flaws you've pointed out, the game was an effort of pure love being put into the game gameplay wise. The visuals were lacking, but if I remember correctly, there were other reasons for that (I think half the team had split up to do another project). It's refreshing to hear another point of view, especially a negative one, but I'm not so sure personal distaste for the story's direction is very useful from an objective standpoint - this was groundbreaking story telling for almost at least 10 years after it's release. All in all, thanks for giving me more content to watch on this fantastic game.

Gotta say, this game inspired my visual style and imagination as an artist, though the second half of the game is overly difficult and clunky, which is a let down. Kain ended up being one of my favorite characters because as a former technician myself, the fact that he was an incompetent mechanic and he just leaned into it made me respect him as a person XD

I remember playing this game as a kid after playing Phantasy Star 1 (one of my all time fave games)... and you're SO ON POINT. Being the sega fanboi I was for years I obsessed over this series and 2 was the one I wanted to like but just couldn't like as much as I wanted to. And I learned over time why... the game was rushed and never actually completed. The reason those backdrops are what they are is because they didn't get to finish them. The dungeons are drab because while Naka wanted to do a 3d dungeon they again didn't have the time AND the cart size they were granted didn't have the space they needed to do them justice. Basically the entire development of this game was crunch hell and it shows as a result. 3 is... not necessarily better. But at least we get our backdrops back, and they tried to do something creative/interesting with the generations system and play further into the game as your descendants. I hated this game the most as a kid because it just didn't "look" right, but as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate it more as I've come to just accept that what rubbed me wrong about 2 was that 2 just isn't as good as I wanted it to be. 4... well 4 is where they return to the form that 1 is and go even better. 4 is FANTASTIC! Unfortunately 4 also has various story beats that callback to 2 and 3. I wouldn't say you can't play the game with out 2 & 3 having been played. But there are just moments where the way the callbacks are put forward, they're very in your face "hey, hey, see... it's the older games you played!" Which could come off odd if you didn't play them.

I was thinking of doing a Phantasy Star 2 review, but you pretty well hit all the points I was thinking of making.

You are absolutely correct. Adding a level 1 character when everyone else is much higher level is bad game design that should be obviously a bad idea to anyone. No idea why the devs didn't see that.

Thanks for saving me $4.99😬..great video. You crack me up. Espew the part where you say, "She like to steal, because it makes her feel something"😆

I recently bought Sega Genesis Classics for Switch and was trying to decide which games to play because there are so many. I remember some of them fondly, but some of them I barely remember or don't remember at all. I was a '90s kid who mostly liked the NES and SNES, but I also liked the Genesis, and this is a great opportunity to play Genesis games that I didn't get a chance to play at the time. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and one of the games that has the best reviews is Phantasy Star II. I just started playing it yesterday and looked it up on KZfaq to see whether people had advice because it's kind of confusing. This video makes me less enthusiastic about Phantasy Star II, but I'm going to try it anyway. I'm sure I would have started with the first Phantasy Star, but it's on Sega Master System, so it makes sense that they wouldn't include it among Genesis games. I would like to ask about Phantasy Star III and IV. How do they compare to the first two? I'm sure there are reviews on KZfaq, but I don't have enough time to watch them. I've been too busy playing Sega Genesis Classics, as well as the NES, SNES, Game Boy and Game Boy Color games from Switch Online. As you can tell, I'm obsessed with retro games, especially the 16-bit ones.

The music and sound effects were probably the only things that kept me stuck to this game when I was little. The way that all the music was at the same tempo made playing this game kind of a meditative experience for me, going in and out of battle, and the sound effects they came up with only compounded the effects with how a lot of the attacks or techniques took the same amount of time to go off. A machine gun would make like a soft thumping noise rather than a stressful realistic noise, and it was always satisfying to see Anna throw her slashers, watch 'em fade into the distance and twinkle out, and then suddenly come back to fly through a whole group of monsters. The scantily-clad women were what kept me going back to the game when I wasn't little :3

I disagree with your review of PS2 but I love your channel! Great work.

My love for Phantasy Star 1 on the Master System could literally fill a Phantasy Star 2 hint book. I played PS2 back when it released and it was a slog, but as a new Genesis owner it was the only slog available. It's not great, it's ending is so little of what made me play games at that point and it's loss of Nei so early in the game made me wish for a "champions quest" or new game plus to fulfill having Nei as a part of your party and maybe a directive change. High hopes. I loaned my Hint Book to someone long ago and as of the ninth attempt in my life to play thru PS2, I usually make it to Nei's death, turn off the console and remove the cart. No replay has ever gone beyond that point regardless. Great channel, great reviews.

That was the best ending to any review I've ever seen. Well done.

Is this review a cliffhanger? Are we to never know your thoughts and feelings on 3 & 4? Thank you for sharing your experiences and reactions. While I share a lot of your genre affinities, we have very different takes on our experiences with them and I appreciate hearing yours.

PS2 is not the best in the series, but it is memorable to me for its fun party composition options. In 1989, this game was mind-blowing for us because we were all about the battles and how the different characters brought different skills at the endgame, not so much the plot.

This was NOT what I expected when I decided to put a few of your reviews on my Watch Later. That’s not a bad thing. Speak your truth!

I have this series of games. I'm saving them for this winter when I'm laid off from Construction. Your videos are an excellent resource for the games I'm collecting and saving for this winter.

While I had the hint book back in the 90's, I was able to keep from using it. Talk about a hard game! But it was so rewarding when I figured out from being stuck.

Those dungeons were the definition of madness.

Very interesting. It’s good to hear another viewpoint. Most of my feelings about the game are the opposite than your experience. To me, it’s flawed, but a great game.

U absolutely nailed this review...I unfortunately played this game first before any other in the series and by the time I realized how painful things were getting I was already so invested time wise I had to force myself to finish it...fortunately I immediately played the fourth game after this one and got the satisfying closure needed

I will probably never play this game due to the patience it requires, but this was a nice review

So true. I was incredibly frustrated by this game back in the day. I just started replaying it on the Sega Genesis Mini 2, Easy mode for faster leveling. At least I have quick save states now. Great job on this video.

This video shows me I don't need to play this game, but it was long and thorough enough that I feel like I played the game.

Too many people do not realize that this game was just made before anyone knew how to make top down view dungeons in a console rpg yet. The creators of the ones that all first came out within a couple years of each other had not the chance or time to play each other's games yet. They punish exploration and are meant to be able to just barely be able to be gotten through if you learn the way with no wasted wrong turns. There can be large possible detours in overly huge sprawling dungeons and just have the most basic remedy item (or sometimes nothing at all) where in current games a key or rare weapon or item would be the reward. I had trouble keeping interest in some of the color designated dungeons (avoiding spoilers). Some obviously had to look cool as a big drawn map that the player would never understand or see so zoomed in. To the creator that did not know better they probably were "really neat."

I adore Phantasy star 2. The lore, story, and character/monster designs were quite fun and enjoyable. Definitely my second favorite game in the franchise (only behind Phantasy star 4). I also really enjoy how challenging the game was and loved an rpg that was for once more brutal in difficulty considering I had recently played through Pokemon Emerald at the time (which was a much easier game) and played through several other pokemon games beforehand. Sadly you have to play the Phantasy star text adventures game to know the backstory behind the other party members, it actually makes you more attached to the characters themselves. I didn't play that one, but i did look up each individual characters backstory just to get more connected to them. Although that certainly is still no excuse and more should've been done to make the player feel more for them without having to play some spinoff that putting aside the use of emulators and translation patches can only have been played through an add on that let you connect to the internet and having to have a subscription service in order to get it. Your criticisms are completely justified and it is very valid criticism. Yet despite these flaws they weren't enough to outshine the positives for me. I think its really cool even though two people who played the same game can agree on positives and flaws for the most part, they can still have two very different experiences in terms of how much these positives and flaws affect their experiences. One player can look at the dungeon design of the game for example and see it as a huge deal breaker, while another just see's them as a bit annoying at times to navigate but not to the point where it was that big of a deal to them.

I remember it you would open your menu and close it constantly while walking you could move through dungeons without fighting. Annoying but a time saver

Phantasy Star 1 was a part of my childhood with the GBA version - and I barely got anywhere in Phantasy Star 2 due to the confusing dungeons and slow grinding. And I REALLY didn't get anywhere in Phantasy Star 3 as a kid because it was so immediately offputting. If only the GBA collection contained Phantasy Star 4, but alas, it was omitted... Now as a grownup I have played all three Mega Drive sequels on the Nintendo Switch using the Mega Drive Classics Collection (and its handy-dandy fast-forward feature to make grinding less bothersome), and I have to say - Phantasy Star 3 is somehow even WORSE than 2 by a long shot. But Phantasy Star 4 is absolutely amazing and ties the whole series together in such a beautiful way. Even though Phantasy Star 1 was a childhood favourite, I am having trouble deciding on whether 1 or 4 is my top favourite now. 4 really is that good.

Amen sister I totally agree with you

I have heard many both criticize and praise this title. As someone who has played I was always interested in the continuation of the story. I never got to play the second and went right on into the third. I never finished it but since it didn’t have any direct connection I just figured they did what Final Fantasy does and they didn’t connect. Then I played the fourth and it did have connections! I was told by a friend that you had to have played the second to understand some what happened but was also spoiled on the ending. I still want to try and complete it but I’ll take this review as a warning It’s been probably noted a few times but four does a lot better at telling it’s story. Personally I don’t think it is necessary to play the next two in order as three is set in a different time period. They are definitely both worth playing as they do refine and redeem the second’s shortfalls

Good review, in the middle of sega ages Phantasy Star 1 and kinda enjoying it so was looking to see if I should get the sega collection or just see if there's a romhack patch.... honestly doesn't look like a patch could save this game, it'd need to be completely rebuilt!

@Hungry Goriya I couldn't agree more with your assessment of this game. You hit every single point spot on. As another user comment, purely a hot mess. PS 3 & 4 get better. Your perspective on those two games would be very interesting, I'm sure.

This is actually my favorite Phantasy Star game, but I'm sure that's down to it being one of the first RPGs I ever played. I really felt a sense of accomplishment beating it back then, although it took me two years without a guide.

I don't know what the release was like in the US or North America, but in Europe or Germany the game was sold with a small official solution/hint book at the time, so many puzzles, such as finding the piano teacher, were not a big problem in themselves. But of course I understand that if you didn't have the solution book, the game was a lot harder.

After watching this, and having no real way to easily get 1, I skipped right to 4. I was glad I did. It's easily one of my favorite RPGs ever. I only wish I played it back when it was released.

I was mixed on this game for a long time. I had the luxury of playing this game for the first time with an in-depth Gamefaqs walkthrough, so I can't even fathom your frustration with all of the game's obtuse design elements. Very well said.

I played and beat PS4 back when it came out in the 90s (I actually rented for free from blockbuster for a couple of weeks because I worked there), and I loved it. While I had seen my friends play PS2 , I myself never played it until emulators became a thing in the 2000s. I actually have PS2 on my phone now and at one point I thought I might beat it, but a lot of observations made here became apparent. I also have PS1 on my phone and while markedly more interesting than 2, those dungeons are rough to navigate.

As a kid I loved it…got a copy delivered FedEx and bought a copy at an electronics store on the day of release. I was obsessed.

Good review! However, I would like to add some points to what you said about the ending (spoiler warnings!): While the ending (and the final dungeon) might at first glance seem rushed and just drop off without a resolution, it is actually an attempt by the developers at a read-between-the-lines type of ending. I will describe some of these plot points (and by the way, none of these are taken from Phantasy Star 4 or any other media; they are taken from PS1 and PS2 only): First, regarding the fight with Dark Force (at 13:13 in the video): The implication in PS1 was that Dark Force possessed Emperor Lassic (this is what made him turn into a tyrant), and when Alis and her friends kills Lassic, Dark Force escapes to Paseo and tries to possess the mayor instead, but it does not have the time to complete this process, so it decides to fight you itself once you arrive at the Paseo castle. Then in PS2, the fact that Dark Force is onboard the human spaceship in a chest implies that it possessed the humans of Earth once, which is what caused them to destroy their own planet and set their sights on planet Mota. This makes Dark Force a much more frightening monster, as we now know that not only can it resurrect after having been killed, but it can also appear in any solar system in the universe. In other words, you are not safe from Dark Force, no matter when or where you exist in the universe. Then, about the message about the "duality of man" they try to force down your throat (at 13:30): Yes, that was indeed a bit forced, but there is a bigger message the game wants to tell you here: it was the greed and cruelty of the humans (influenced by Dark Force) that caused the destruction of their home planet, but it was also this greed and cruelty that lead to their downfall here in the ending of PS2. When the humans tried to kill Neifirst for being an early failed experiment, Neifirst went berserk and tried to destroy the climate and breeding of lifeforms on Mota as revenge, and this is what alerted Rolf and the government of Paseo to investigate the situation. In other words, it was the human's own cruelty, greed, and coldness that set the events in motion that would eventually lead to their downfall. It is a case of history repeating itself and poetic justice. (Side note: This makes Nei's death so much more tragic, as she had to sacrifice her life for the humans to be stopped.) Finally, about the final scene when the main characters battle the humans without revealing the outcome (at 13:46): yes, this is indeed cheesy, but having this open ending actually makes sense. When Rolf and his friends meets Mother Brain earlier, she warns them that the planet of Mota is likely to fall into chaos if she dies, as the people of Mota have become so dependent on her. And to add to this, the planet of Palma is destroyed (it got destroyed by the Gaira satellite earlier in the game), and the planet of Desoliz is just a cold, barren wasteland normally not suitable for humans to live on. In other words, regardless if they win the fight against the humans or not, they are facing a very bleak future which they might not survive. In conclusion, yes, the ending was not perfect by any means, and they could have done some things better, but at least they tried to do something a little deeper. As much as I like PS1, I prefer the PS2's ending over PS1's. PS1's ending feels a little too happy and cliché, with Alis becoming queen and living happily ever after, which feels like an ending more for a Disney princess than a powerful RPG heroine.

I really loved this game when it came out, it was a fairly early release, the dungeons were brutal and kind of a disappointment compared to the first game. I also hated that you couldn’t save until completing a bunch of crap first. It was definitely a grind fest in spots but in those early 16 bit days it was pretty epic! This would be great if remastered for the switch like PS1 with the maps and cash up front to level up quicker.

Loving your videos. For PS2.... I once grinded until all characters were maxed out at level 50. I was able to defeat the Motherbrain computer with just Amy (weakest character). I had to play it on a black and white TV with a converted in the early 90's. Goodness, I feel old! I am still sad that there is no way to save Nei.

I’ve been patiently waiting for this review! Great job as usual and the end seemed very fitting for your thoughts of the game. Thank you for the review :)

I love Phantasy Star II and it is a must to have the hint guide with contains the maps. Due to the complexity, this made playing the game with friends more interactive where one person would keep track of the game play and another would track where they are on the map.

I appreciate your channel’s “no nostalgia” take on some games, like this one. Helps balance things out to find a more honest answer to “Is this worth my time?”. I find everything about PS2’s aesthetics to be cool and what it pioneered, but I think I’m going straight to IV after having just recently been surprised by how much I enjoyed 1 (the Ages version on Switch with automap, etc.)

Believe me when I say, Phantasy Star IV is definitely amazing. I strongly recommend you play through it if you haven't yet. Just found your channel so I haven't gone through all your reviews yet. Oh, and if you have modern consoles or a half decent computer, Phantasy Star Online 2 is currently out (IN ENGLISH FINALLY!!!). Give it a shot!

Such a shame that this game was rushed (they only had 6 months), and the wonderful 3D tunnels of Phantasy Star 1 were ditched for an overhead view.

Ah Phantasy Star. A series I've always wanted to get into but never put the time into. I can't really add much here, but this video did remind me to try the first game on the switch. I saw that they added some nice features to it when it came out (some reference material not originally in the game and other options to make the game easier and quicker), but I forgot about it when I finally bought a switch not too long ago. Most people who I've seen talk about Nei and her story, but rarely about anything else. I can see why now.

So, Phantasy Star 2 was literally my first RPG ever, by merit of me borrowing it off a friend's friend back when I was around 11 or 12. I only had the game and manual, not the hint book, so not really knowing what to do or where to go on a clean save, I instead continued off the save file that was already there, which left off just after the Climatrol dungeon (So I had absolutely no idea where Nei went off to at that point in the game). Somehow, just by blindly stumbling through, with a moderate-to-okay grasp of the English language (I'm Dutch), and no guide book whatsoever, I managed to find the musician for the MUSIK technique, find the hidden control tower where the Dam's keycards are, make my way through the 4 dams, and reach Dezo, where I eventually got stuck because I never figured out that there was an entrance to the crevice leading to the Esper mansion. This while not really having grasped the concept of "buying new weapons and armor", instead powering through with the (admittedly very good) equipment upgrades you find in the dams. So you could say that for all its flaws, the game left a massive lasting impression on 11-year-old me who, while owning a Master System, did not own the original Phantasy Star, and never actually played an RPG before this. As a result, Phantasy Star 2 is actually a VERY nostalgia-blinded, rose-tinted personal favourite of mine, and I still love to play through it from time to time (although nowadays I tend to use improvement patches to cut down on the need for grinding). All of that said, while I was a little disappointed about the negativity of this review, deep down, I can't really fault you for it, either. It's possible that if I had played the original Phantasy Star before this one, I might have had the same feelings about it. This game has flaws, most noticeably how it's a shame that all the party members feel like "blank slates" (likely due to the fact that they can be interchanged at will, so it would be tricky to write situational dialogue for characters who might not even be in your party at all). This is partially remedied with the Phantasy Star 2 Text Adventure games, a collection of individual short adventures that flesh out each character's backstory and motivation for joining the fight against Mother Brain. Perhaps it might be interesting if you explored these for another video!

The (full) hintbook tells you exactly how to get the visiphone. I bought this when it came out. Rpg's are supposed to be challenging. Try playing it without the maps. The ending was the best of any game because nobody expected it to reflect reality.

Agreed. I really don't understand how this could be so much worse, on a more powerful system no less. I really liked part 4 though. I am currently trying part 3, which I like better than 2, but isn't up to the standards of 1 and 4 so far.

I’m curious to know if you’ve played 3 and 4 yet. 4 is so great. 3 is… well I’m curious to know whether you like it more or less than you did 2. I could see it going either way.

I recently sold my physical copy of Phantasy Star II . A part of me wondered if I should’ve held onto it since it is an RPG. After watching this video I feel a little bit better about my choice to sell it. I feel like this is one of those games if it were the 80s and it was literally the only game I had I guess I could see how people would like this...But as an adult with limited time in 2020 I feel like I’d be better off playing other games . Great video !

Although PS2 is one of my favorite games of all time, your criticisms are valid. But I don't think you give enough credit to the uniqueness of the plot twist at the end! It may seem mundane nowadays but in 1989 it was very original!