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17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Some classics never get old...Feb 26, 2003
By Gaijin
"on the rock that spews lava.."
You want Phantasy Star you got it. Three of the original games are here on one cartridge (Only PS IV is absent, presumably to be released as a stand alone game). Many of you may have played Phantasy Star Online, but not the original games that these worlds are based upon. Those in your 30's or late 20's need not read further...they are here, pick this cart up! For those not in the know, Phantasy Star was Sega's answer to the RPG, and it was great. Released way back when the Master System went head to head with the Juggernaut that was Nintendo's NES, Phantasy Star pushed the 8 bit realm to it's limits. With 3D dungeons, sharp graphics, and a great story, it was one of the 8 bit era's greatest games...too bad few got to play it, as most people were playing Zelda and Dragon Warrior on their NES. The conversion seems terrific, and it holds up quite well in the modern world of RPG's, with graphics the only major obstacle. The quest itself is as addicting and involving as ever...where else can you fight through dungeons to get some shortcake? Phantasy Star II was the 16 Bit sequel that is regarded by many as the best in the series (Some will argue PS IV holds that honor), and it is here as well. While the Final Fantasy Games received the spotlight on the SNES, you cannot go wrong here...a solid story and great battles will have you glued. Phantasy Star III: An epic quest, which will span across 3 generations of your characters...with 4 different possible endings to boot!! Mind you that this is the 3rd RPG on your single GBA cartridge...and it's not too shabby either. Viewed weaker than the 2nd and 4th installment, I personally liked III, as it was one of the most interesting RPG's I played at the time. It still holds up for me, and I can get past the graphics not being in 3D or having super flashy lens flaring magic. I really liked the music in III, and the GBA version sounds very similar here. While not orchestrated like Final fantasy III (VI) on the SNES, PS III had tunes, which stood out in my mind a lot. I still remember them to this day. All 3 games on one cartridge...games that you would have a hard time finding individually (especially a Master System PS) is having your cake and eating it too...I hope Phantasy Star IV is next.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Well above excellent compilation of a great RPG seriesDec 17, 2002
By N. Durham
"Big Evil"
Those old enough to remember where Sega's Phantasy Star RPG series got it's start will be more than pleased with this excellent compilation of the first three games in the series. Phantasy Star 1, 2, and 3 are all here in their full length glory, and old fans of the series cannot be happier with how this turned out. The first Phantasy Star was a game that pushed the Sega Master system to it's limits with it's near psuedo-3-D dungeons and beautifully drawn anime style characters. Phantasy Star 2, a game that is revered as the best RPG on the Genesis, is beautifully re-created in it's entirity, Mother Brain and all. Phantasy Star 3, while not as overly epic as the second installment, is still a more than solid game in the series which takes place over different generations. The only complaints about these three classics is the graphics are a bit dated and the sound effects and great music aren't as nicely produced as they were on their console counterparts. Not to mention that Phantasy Star 4, which in my opinion is only a hair short of topping Phantasy Star 2 as the best in the series, isn't here but considering that these three games included are in their entirity, that is only a minor gripe at best. All in all, those who own a GBA and love and remember the original Phantasy Star games should consider this a must own.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 The best GBA game to date.Feb 18, 2003
Ever complained about the difficulty of Final Fantasy games? Look no further. Phantasy Star Collection gives you 2 deep, difficult games (and one with lesser difficulty) for the low price of [$$].
Phantasy Star I was arguably the best 8-bit RPG to ever release. Not only did it look a ton better than FF I-III (Japanese II and III), its plot blew both away. In Phantasy Star, you're not saving a world--you're saving an entire solar system! It's also one of the few RPGs to feature a female character, Alis. Dungeons are presented in sprite-based 3D, and all battles, conversations, and dungeon treks take place in first-person. The story centers around Alis and her companions Myau (musk cat), Odin (warrior) and Noah (mage). Their goal is to defeat the oppresing ruler of the Algol Star System, Lassic. During their quest, the party will travel between the Earth-like Palma, the desert planet Motavia, and the ice planet Dezoris.
PSII takes place approximately 1000 years after PSI, in the same setting. You play as Rolf, an agent for the government of Mota, recruiting partners such as Nei (half-human, half-Biomonster), Rudo (warrior), Amy (healer), Hugh (biologist), Anna (guardian), Kain (wrecker), and Shir (thief, you can use her to steal items from shops). While starting as a simple Biomoster problem, the plot intensifies as one progresses through the game. Have a pen and paper handy while you play, because the dungeons are really complicated mazes.
PSIII was somewhat of a departure. When the planet Palm was destroyed mid-way through PSII, many ships fled the planet before the prison satellite Gaila crashbed into the planet. The ships consist of 7 artificial worlds. You start as Rhys, but can reach one of four endings. The game takes place over 3 generations. At the end of the first quest, you can choose to marry one of two women. Their son will then take on his own quest, choose from two more brides, and give birth to the third-generation character. Unfortunately, Phantasy Star IV, the one that somewhat returned to its roots, was not included due to size constraints. A re-release of that game is imminent. There's also a save bug in PSI, where the game will occasionally crash when you try to save. Thankfully, PSI (and PSII when you get a secret item) allow saving in dungeons. Have fun with this!
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Phantasy Star just the way you remembered (except)Dec 12, 2002
By Timothy Pool
If you played #1 with the Sega Master System, you'll find absolutely no changes, finished the game in 3 days. Maps are all done the same, the game is in fact, a complete copy of the ROM onto a Nintendo platform.
With #3, there's some minor changes. The screen text has been shrunk down and changed a bit to fit the screen of the GBA. The P for poison no longer appears above your character's name, it now sits alongside. Other than that, all is well. However, with the GBA, the changes made, and due to hardware limitations, the sounds, are different. And noticable.
Especially with the Gun sounds from Odin from #1, the monster attack sounds, and there's a few bugs. If you use BYE, your 4 characters names and HP/MP boxes stay open. With PS#3, it's just the sound that's noticed. I hope this review was useful. Overall a good game, just with hardware limitations.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Phantasy Star - ah, the memories:)Nov 27, 2002
By R. Peters
Phantasy Star Collection provides a 100% emulation experience of the Sega games of yesterday. The only noticeable difference is the cleanup of the Japanese to English dialogue. If there is one drawback, this collection does not include the 4th in the series. I guess due to lack of overall game storage or maybe the fact THQ would like to market PSIV as a stand alone and rack up more bucks in the process...hehehe. PSI by itself makes this a very worthy purchase. LONG LIVE PHANTASY STAR!
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