Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free to play 3rd Person MMORPG created by SEGA, but it has extra stuff if you pay. (Not a huge deal, the gameplay is still the same for everyone. Definately not PtW.) It is the official sequal to PSO. It was released for PS Vita (Japan) and Windows (Japan, but you can still play in other countries with a bit of work).

Note: There are many problems, unless you live in Japan.

If there is something I missed, just look here http://cirnopedia.frostsabre.com/, it has a bunch of information.

Why should I play?

1: Awesome character creator

My second favourite part about this game isn't the music, like it was for the prequel, it is actually the character creator. The characters in this game can look really awesome, or just plain... wierd. Here is the best point about the character creator:



Now, this game isn't all boobs, little girls are also pretty popular. Blame the Japanese? Anyway, here is a video of the character creator with an English patch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQ-AB0QY40
Links to a video of the character creator with an English patch.

Neat graphics

Now, the graphics in this are not flawless, but they are better than Minecraft's graphics. (I don't care if it is supposed to look pixelated and blocky, that is simply an excuse for not making better art.) I think that the game can run on older computers, but I am not sure what version of DX this game requires.

The UI is really clean and easy to use. Check it out for yourself!

Righteous gameplay


Basically, you and your friends gang up on a boss, or a bunch of monsters gang up on you and your friends. You then cut them up with a giant sword, hit them with giant sticks, put an awful lot of bullets into them, make them explode, or cast a variety of magics. It is a bit difficult to explain all the mechanics, but I will point out the important ones:

Classes:
The class system in this game is fairly complex. There are four beginner classes:

1. Hunter: Runs up to the enemies and cuts them up, or whips blades at them from enough of a distance. For the MMORPG casuals, this is like your tank.
   
2. Ranger: Shoots stuff, usually with accuracy. They will normally hit weak spots and tend not to take damage because they camp.
   
3. Force: Casts magic with Talises, to support your team or to demolish your enemies. They die pretty quickly, learn to dodge.
   
4. Braver (new!): Uses katanas and bullet bows with their skill to dish out damage, and avoid it. Not too sure on this one.
   

There are also 3 advanced classes:

1. Fighter: Like Hunter, but better?
   
2. Gunner: Like Ranger, but better?
   
3. Techtor: Like Force, but better?
   

Weapons:
There are many types of weapons in this game. Here is a list: [list]
[*]Gunslash: Not unlike Squall's gunsword, this weapon can switch between a sword and a gun with a press of the shift button.
[*]Sword: A fricken huge two handed blade. Does a ton of damage. Allows the user to block if they hit the shift button.
[*]Partizan: Not unlike a lance, it is a blade on the end of a stick. Does less damage then the swords, but it is much faster and blocking is easier.
[*]Wired Lance: Two blades, one in each hand, whom are held by a wire, and whipped around. Damage is similar to the partizan, and it is just about as hard to block as the sword.
[*]Double Saber: A double ended sword to cut stuff up.
[*]Twin Daggers: Two short swords that your character flails around to mince enemies.
[*]Knuckles: A gadget which goes on your fist, so you can punch stuff with a reasonable amount of efficiency.
[*]Assault Rifle: A machine gun. Burst mode, three shots before you need to reload. You can switch your Photon Arts with the shift button.
[*]Launcher: A rocket launcher. Lots of damage, three shots before you need to reload. Really good as a sniping weapon, if you can guess where the enemy will be .
[*]Twin Machine Gun: Dual-wielded submachine guns. They allow for some crazy movement. Unfortunately, they suck.
[*]Talis: A device which enhances techniques, allowing them to be cast from a distance. Shift allows you to switch techniques. They do not allow for melee attacks
[*]Rod: A mace, allows Force classes to give out melee attacks. Shift allows you to switch techniques
[*]Wand: A double ended mace. It hits twice each time you attack. Allows Techtors to give out melee damage. Shift allows you to switch techniques
[*]Katana:
[*]Bullet Bow:
Techniques/Photon Arts:
Techniques are like the magic of the Phantasy Star universe. There are a few main types, and a few prefixes.
Foie: Fire, sends out a little fireball.
Barta: Ice, shoots a stream of ice.
Zonde: Lightning, zaps the target you are aiming at.
Gizonde:
Razonde:
Sazonde:
Nazonde
Zan: Wind, it creates a blade of wind that acts like a boomerang.
Grants: Light, creates a spike of light at the target
Megid: Dark, sends out a pulse of black gas?
Resta: Healing, it heals in 3 steps, and has an AoE. For example, you might get healed for 27 health, but split three times: 9, 9 and 9.
Anti: Cure (status effects).
Shifta: Boosts
Deband:

No, you cannot just dodge everything. In fact, dodging things takes a lot of concentration, and is only worth it if you'd take a lot of damage. Also, there are enemies whose attacks you cannot dodge (traps aren't exactly enemies, but they are an example).

How do I register?

Registration for this game is actually pretty tough to do if you can't read japanese. I am not going to write down the steps, because I forget them, but a search should land you some answers. You can find the site at http://pso2.jp/. You will then need to download the game, which takes a long time. Sorry about that.

Who should I play with?

I knew you were going to ask that! I believe that the server with the most english-speaking people on it is ship (server) 10. However, I play on ship 9, so if you want to start a Data Realms team, I would suggest playing on server 9. (Or you can ditch me, that's cool too.)

I will post the player names, friend codes etc below, once I finish the rest of this post

I occasionally play MMORPGs, but this one is most certainly not on that list. Something about that art style is...off putting to say the least. I also only enjoy tanking, and the class system doesn't seem to have a tanking class. Without a tank, I don't see PvE working too well and I love dungeons, they are one of the primary pillars of enjoying an MMORPG for me.

I think I shall pass on this one.

I am laughing so hard right now, dear god.
Sorry but I've played a lot of shitty MMOs in my time, you'll have to bring some actual, non "click enemy, auto attack to death" gameplay to interest me. The character creation is fun though.

So we get lolis too? That's nice.


Because Minecraft is a leading standard for graphics.


"This game has better multiplayer than Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker."



Ahem, anyways, like caek, I like my tanks, along with somewhat realistic armor. I can't take a game seriously if there are meaty cows in skimpy skirts running around in a warzone.

Some good gameplay videos would help.

Phantasy Star isn't that kind of mmo iirc. I don't like it very much, but it's its own thing.

You make it seem like the best feature of the game is the boob slider.

All I really want out of it based off of that information is to mess with the character gen and ooh and aah at the pretty ladies.
Needless to say, not worth my time.

As far as I can tell, the game is a third person shooter with mmo mechanics, kinda like Firefall?
And it seems there is no tanking because most/all of a bosses attacks can be dodged?