With her music, she changed my perspective on the world. The passion and confidence of that theme song, set against the stars in the alien sky, made me feel very small yet very connected to dreamers both far away and gone. Holding on to that feeling led me far from the small town I lived in, to find love and adventure that wasn't limited by videogame restrictions. I wish I could thank her for it. Beyond what it did for me personally, for years, it was the song I used to show non-gamers the possibilities of the new medium.
This was my first Phantasy Star and one of the most important games of my pre-teen life. Thanks for covering it without the hate. 💙 Edit: IPPO is one of my favorite composers, would love to get an update on PSIV!
I got this game for my birthday not long after release. Once I got home and played it, I picked up the phone and called all of my friends over. We thought that it was one of the worst efforts Sega had ever made for an RPG and the battles were hilarious. I came to actually like the game and spent many a day in school sketching worlds and thinking of plots and characters for Phantasy Star IV thanks to the inspiration of that game. To give you a brief synopsis, one of the endings of PS3 have the ships arrive at Earth. Finally, the Algol Star system would be facing their enemy, the Earthmen! (See ending of PS2). But, they arrive in the Earths past, our present time. Flash forward 1000 years and we start our adventure on Earth with a mission to go home. Unfortunately, there is a faction of Earthmen that have their own plans and ships ready to set forth and conquer Algo. The evil Earthmen arrive in Algo and set their plans in motion (see PS2) and our parties job is to stop them. Rescuing the party from PS2, and adding all of them to the roster. I had this time travel mechanic in mind that would allow the player to end the game with the choice to stack your parties with not only new faces, but returning legends like Alis and Odin from PS1 and Rolf and party from PS2. The time travel would come into play to stop the destruction of Palma and finally eradicate the evil Earthmen and their dark god.
Good friens of mine in high school was a Genesis kid. I had the Super Nintendo. We woukd trade consoles and games over long weekends. This one one of the first ones i played, and one of my first real jrpg's. Love it, and still do!
Cool! Like you, I swapped consoles with a friend. Except I was the Genesis guy. My story is very similar as my friend loaned me Final Fantasy 2 on SNES and I became hooked on jrpgs. When I got my Genesis back, I immediately bought PS2, then PS3 later on. The feels when I see this game....
This was one of the first RPGs I played on the Genny through the same method, I let my friend borrow my SNES and games and he in turn let me borrow his Genny. It was thanks to him that I fully came to appreciate the software library the Genny had at its disposal and he in turn got exposed to many great games on the SNES through me. I grew to love this game over PS2 as I got further into it. I was shocked to see how people shat on it, but I'm glad to see others are beginning to appreciate this game for the gem it is.
Wow, someone else who knows that the world map music changes if the main character is dead. I have never heard anyone else mention this before, and thought it was a shame considering how great that track is. The game is definitely a step down from PS2, but it still holds a special place in my heart, so it's always nice to hear someone have a positive opinion of it.
I remember in third generation in the desert zone there is a dinosaur that can literally one shot anyone. Thsat how i find out if the mc is dead, music change
I played all 4 games a couple years ago for the first time. I played, and beat PS 3. While the “weakest” in the mainline, I still really love it. I wish it had more time to be worked on but hey what we got is still really good, the atmosphere this game gives isnt seen anywhere else
Romancing saga 2 remake did much better with inheritance and intuitive gameplay. It is a shame a lot of other bad games don't get revamped and we're stuck with censorship or other changes like dq3 or ff7. Phantasy star 3 on sega genesis collection at least lets you rewind out of ambush as poison is cheap. Fast forward helps the slow speed, and Sari is probably the best inverse of broken character who is a crappy boss fight lol just gotta Equip her. People have done fan rpgs to improve ps3.
Thank you so much for this, another great video. Love to see passionate fans still talking about this series. And it was awesome seeing the interview segments with Ippo, PSIV is my favourite soundtrack. Her insight on PSIII was a treat to read.
I've said since the day I first played PS3 way back when that it needs a remake. The game was chock full of good ideas. Just not enough time to flesh them out. Great character designs and world building. Some more work into character backgrounds, and development would make this a bonafide classic.
Imagine if the same effort could be put into a PS3 remake that was done to the FF7 remake. They could even use a similar design or modify the traditional turn based and make it absolutely epic.
If you love the OG Games as i do you should try a game called Phantasy Star - 20 years past. Its incredible what they achieved in recreating the Phantasy star IV style
@@TieryasXu Ive tried about eight time to put a link in a reply to you but it keeps dissapearing. I can only assume TH-cam doesnt want links - even to other TH-cam videos. Its on Itch, if you google the name and itch - it should be the first thing that comes up
I've always been intrigued by Phantasy Star III, so this video absolutely speaks to me. As mentioned, the plot was full of potential, but it needed to be fleshed out with a stronger focus on the characters. In the end, I'd like to recommend Dragon Quest V's generational storytelling for how it developed a similar idea into a more dramatic narrative and, slightly later on, we also had Romancing Saga 2 experimenting with the imperial succession mechanic as a much bigger part of its core gameplay.
Totally agree with you, the concepts and world-building are best-in-class but the execution can be... rough. It was my first PS games so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
WOOHOO a new episode ! I will finally be able to have a good retrospective of a game I will never have the patience to play (the walk cycle so slow). It was my first Phantasy Star but it is the one I played the less for sure but the system of the "family tree" in it always fascinate me !
@@TieryasXu Just finished it and I did enjoyed it for sure ! As a guy who loves to make music on oldschool consoles and microcomputers, I really love interviews like this that focused around the OST of games and stuff (aka before we got all those fancy trackers and sequencers to make it)
Love coming accross new Retrospectives for PSIII. I have watched this one three times now :). This retrospective does a great looks at the games highlights and flaws as well as an insight into why and how the game feels different from the other games in the series. I would love to read over the authors notes.
@TieryasXu Thanks ill check those out. May i also suggest checking out a Phantasy Star Fan game that came out some years ago. Its Called Phantasy Star - 20 Years Past. Its really quite impressive at replicating a Phantasy Star Game.
Great review. PSIII was my first Phantasy Star (played it real time as a high school student) so despite the black sheep status, it holds a special place in my heart. I really think the music is quite special. The evolving layers as the party grows, the two variations of dungeon music which is similar but are like opposites phases of each other... I enjoyed it while I played it.
I hope you'd go more into the story in a future ocassion, I'd love to know all the paths characters, who they are and what they did in the story. I played this eons ago and I can't remember much, but I did clear 1 path at least, fun game!
PS3 absolutely deserves a full fledged remake. The way it handles the soundtrack in the overworld stunned me when I first played this game and it wasn’t until Neir Automata that I felt a soundtrack nailed the sound timing like PS did. The carnival theme of automata how it stars off thin as you are heading into the area and keeps raving up was just a refreshing as how PS3 did it. Great video.
There were a few good things about PS3. The main theme is excellent, so good it's actually one of my favorite Phantasy Star tracks. Overall, the BGM was pretty good IMO.
I actually feel Phantasy Star III is one of the best games in the series because of how radically different from the others it was and is. It was bold and groundbreaking in its execution and once you got the hang of things? You came to appreciate how it worked and the unique approaches the game took. Also, I loved the sprite work too. I loved how the overworld map theme, "The Ground", started off as a single, solitary layer of keyboard and built up as you gained more members of your party before ultimately becoming a complete symphony with bass, percussion and the whole nine yards once you gained all five party members. I also loved how the generation system worked too, depending on who you married, you started on a different path which in turn led to a different ending, lending itself to quite a bit of replayability. I actually prefer this game over the first two, I know I'll catch shit for that but I don't care. For me, Phantasy Stars III and IV are the best games of the series and I feel they both deserve full-fledged remakes. Phantasy Star III in particular. Just keep the soundtrack concepts in tact and the story. Overhaul the battle system, flesh out the dialogue and increase the walking speed as those are the only major flaws I feel the game really has. I'm glad to see others are beginning to appreciate the unique approach this game took in comparison to the rest of the games in the series. I really hope this leads to a full-fledged remake of the game being done. Either way, it's an underappreciated gem of a game and one that deserves better than what it got.
I love this game, too. It is the weakest of the four main titles but that doesn't mean it's without charm. I think they just set out to do way too much. The three generations, four endings, seven worlds, massive but mostly empty maps, extra weapons like the needle guns, technique balancing, even how the music changes. My advice would've been, cut the ambition in half, pack the remaining half with meaty content, and stick with the basic systems from II. I think a more focused approach would've led to a better result considering the small cartridge size and short production schedule. With all that said, I'm really enjoying your content. Keep it up! I also released a patch for this game you might find interesting: PSIII General Improvement.
Again great music! Great vid also! I wish Sega would have re-made PSIII, not only PSI and II. Even before Sega cancelled that series they were gonna skip PSIII. I would also like to see a prequel with Orakio and Laya.... A man can dream. Some ppl do love PSIII interestingly.I seem to recall Morgan Webb loved this game.If anyone remembers that old VG show she was on. There is a fan made re-translation that is I enjoyed.
PS III was my very first rpg ever. Every video that talks about, I say it's one of my favorite stories that was never fully told. It was epic, even in it's sparcity and I would love if some develope out there could remake it and fully flesh the story out
I enjoyed this phantasy star game the most out of the original 4. I really enjoyed what they were aiming for with the generational system. The lore was awesome and rich, and it really makes me wish they would remake this title in current consoles to do it justice. Maybe someday they'll actually give this incredible story the justicr it deserves
This seems like such a high concept RPG that suffered from bad execution and a low cartridge size. If it could have been a 16 meg cart or even a CD game it would have been mindblowing.
I agree with everything you said. I was so disappointed when it came out because I erroneously thought that they completely ditched the story. Phantasy Star 2 is also my favorite.
Thanks for this review! Yes, despite being the black sheep, it's actually the one game of the series that I would love a remake of the most. PS3 definitely had the most story potential (as you have shared in the video) Heck, I'd even settle for a manga. At least PS3 isn't too bad to play in the latter collections where you can speed up walkspeeds and such.
I feel like I might be the only person who has only played Phantasy Star 3. It was actually the first rpg I ever played and I loved it. I would have played PS4 but my Genesis broke before it came out.
That's the one thing I'll never understand about Sega's mindset back then with the cartridge sizes on early Genesis games. Phantasy Star is your biggest RPG franchise on a brand new console and on both PS2 and PS3 you give them 6 Mbit cartridges? That's why in hindsight I have major sympathies for the developers because it's frustrating enough dealing with the graphical and audio limitations then on top of that Sega needlessly hand cuffs them further with lack of cartridge space. If they could have been given at a bare minimum an 8 Mbit/1 Megabyte rom's worth of space as well as more development time then we might have gotten a more flesh out story with more graphical variety to the colonies. I also really appreciate the interview because I didn't know she did the translated music for Ghouls 'n Ghosts or the wonderful sountrack of Land Of Illusion which is one of my favorite SMS/Game Gear games of all time. I appreciate anything that's video game BTS especially from 30+ years ago. 😇
Pretty much lines up with my perspective as well. There's so many cool and interesting elements to PS3, including some elements like the Generations system that actually still hasn't been properly revisited even to this day. It's not uncommon for RPGs these days to have relationship systems but this still almost never actually results in children continued generations, instead just being essentially a coupling that happens at the end of the story. There were absolutely some failings in how all of this was executed, especially in a lack of depth in the specific characters and their individual stories/narratives, but the game just still feels actually ahead of it's time. I know the whole issue of "remakes" taking over the gamer industry is a hot topic these days, but PS3 could really use a modern remake as I can't help but wonder what a PS3 made today would actually be like. And as for the music, I still find myself listening to the title screen track on TH-cam from time to time as it's still stuck in my head all these many years later.
100% agreed , 3 is easily seen as a step down from 2 but it was still creative/imaginative ; would luv to see a modern remake that keeps what was unique and understands the games
@@TieryasXu yes , agreed =] games like Hollow Knight are here becuz we had SotN and they are their own unique thing =] and not just a remake , the world is big enough for both imho
Hey Peter, that funny, I just did the four ending too last year! Been so long that I wanted to do that! Yeah I agree, the music is quite good in that game!
It is the weekest in some regards but 2 was pretty sparse when you consider the amount of grinding in that game. I think both of these games are subtextually very interesting though, especially 2. I always felt that 2's world represented a subtlely opressive mundanity, like growing up in the ultra suburbs.
I really wanted to like PS3 when it came out, I think I made it past the first generation, then just never returned to it. Good video ! I heard the game development was cut short by six months then rushed out to the market.
I can only find the one song from the game on Spotify. If you are in contact with the artist and she has the rights could you ask her to put the whole soundtrack on Spotify ? That would be awesome please and thank you. Thanks for the videos Duder.
Phantasy Star III was not the meticulous work of game development mastery that the first two games in the series (and afterward the fourth one) were but it was okay. Coming from a perspective that already completed the first two games and was dialed in to the previews and hype around part three it was difficult to not feel at least a little bit letdown with the end product upon completion. The notion that there were seven planets to discover and explore and suggestion back then that it was the biggest Phantasy Star yet was unrealized when it became apparent the the worlds were all much more barren and only had a small fraction of things to do in each compared to parts one and two. Obviously there was a reason for that and I won't spoil the plot reveal but still the seven worlds didn't measure up to the three from part one and the two from part two. The other issue was the scaling back of the battle animations which was a big feature of the series for me back then, and also the very high encounter rate became tiresome. I played through one path back in 1991 and then again played through a different path (with a patched re-localized version with double walking speed added) just last year. So I guess it was good enough to play through twice, even if 32 years apart.
Out of all of the OG phantasy star games i think this one had the most potential but sadly was created in a time that limited the scope of the story it was trying to tell.
I was always interested in games that looked similar to classics like the releases on NES, or SNES. The thing with those games is, when you compare it to Final Fantasy 4, or Chrono Trigger, you don't waste time anymore(even Final Fantasy 1 was way better). In Phantasy Star 3, I wasted hours in boring playtime. Wow... Why do you want to do this? There are so many more talented developers of that era. I really tried to like this, but the only good ones here are Phantasy Star 1 and 4 (with the first entry being the most interesting game still). Best regards❣️🙏❣️ Cool people that struggled through Phantasy Star 3. The devs will appreciate that I think
I do find things I appreciate about this game... it was just such a disappointment for me as a kid being hot off of Phantasy Star 1 & 2 which I completed very close to each other as I never owned a Sega Master System and played PS1 on the Power Base Converter. What I appreciate the most was how ambitious the game was... and to read about it... anticipating it so much... it just seemed like an RPG I could get lost in for months. On paper it felt like leaps and bounds over anything that had come out at this point. I do return to it but far less than the other three as each time I find more and more reasons why it has aged poorly and I dream of it one day being remade and fulfilling my childhood expectations of what I envisioned it to be. The game really deserves a second chance. I haven't seen you do a ton of Squaresoft content, but in a way... I'm fine with that. Those games get talked about a lot and its nice that there is someone that really takes the time to cherish the the lesser talked about RPGs we got lost in. One of the games I think gets a really bad rap is Secret of Evermore. I think this game suffers from people expecting it to be more like Secret of Mana when after you play SoE really is its very much it's own thing despite having gameplay and menu similarities. Its world building makes it feel much more like a more action based Chrono Trigger. While to be honest, when I bought it I thought it was a spin off of Secret of Mana just with a more American artistic aesthetic. I wasn't at all disappointed with it and I love to revisit it. I really think its one of the most underrated Squaresoft games of this era and I constantly recommend it.
Agreed! I'd be down for a remake or even a new game taking on the mechanics and ideas of PS3 but maybe as its own IP? (and thank you for watching this one!) It's funny you mention Secret of Evermore as that's one of the games I was considering. I did an interview with the creator, Alan Weiss, a few years back and learned lots of interesting things so would be fun to revisit as a retrospective. I really enjoyed it and agree it's underrated!!
PS3 was pretty clearly held back by only having 6Mbit to work with. It was trying to do a lot more than PS2 with no more ROM space. Bad idea given PS2 was arguably itself too constrained by lack of ROM space seeing how it was only 1.5x the space they had for PS1.
PS2 was absolutely too constrained for the vision of the developers; they tried diligently to convince Sega leadership to give them 8 megs to work with however that request was denied, with one consequence being the blue grid background for the battle scenes instead of the actual environments like in PS1. They also wanted to have some of the dungeons be first person like the first game but that too had to be left out.
PS3 is pretty rad but yeah, I think this is all pretty much right on the money with what it does right and wrong. The unique nature of the generational system helped alleviate the weaker characterization at the time but, especially looking backwards, never fully makes up for it. I only played it for the first time a few years ago though and still really loved it. I thought it punched well above it's reputation at least. On note though, just for historical sense, the idea of PS3 being a trend setter of "Oops this traditional fantasy setting is actually science fiction" is a little wrong. That's straight out of Ultima 1. Which is mostly noteworthy because of how wildly import Ultima was to the birth of the entire Japanese role playing game scene. So the blending of sci-fi and fantasy we see in JRPGs has really been there since minute one. I'd be surprised if PS3's handling of it wasn't directly inspired by the same reveal from Ultima all things considered.
Thanks for pointing it out and you're absolutely right. Love the Ultima series and I can totally see it being an inspiration. Sorry, I should have clarified I meant mainly for console RPGs. I know Might and Magic did it as well and that was fun too! 😃
I always felt this game ended up getting kneecapped by his own ambition, if the MegaDrive had bigger cartridges and maybe had a bit more time to develop and flesh out I think this game could've ended up being a lot better than what it ended up. I feel is the worst of the original Tetralogy but even then is still a really good game, I admire his ambitions, I like the dungeons more than most of PS2 and the generation system it's really interesting. I also heard people saying this game was a diversion for the series since it's not Sci-Fi and that makes me wonder what kind of game they ended playing in their mind because it sure as hell wasn't this game! This definitely isn't a black sheep for me, it's perfectly in line with what the series was, it's a game that fell under the pressure of his own ambition but still manage to give us something really good and memorable and I can't help but admire their effort in doing so
The foundation of this game had been too massive and epic for its own good to be just thrown on a 16bit system. Such wasted potential, it's sad. This could've been one of the greatest rpgs ever I feel. The soundtrack is one of the best, the plot is breathtaking and unique. They had all the best ingredients but just no kitchen to cook - only a camp fire with a small pot.
Ilove this game. Bought it with my own money when it was new. So I kind of had to love it. Hower ver, I really liked and stil t like the graphics, and this game has WAY simpler dungeons. SOme complain about the basic dungeons, but I disagree. E 1 and #2 and almlost imposible to play through as is, U need a guide or a map, or tons of graph paper bs to get through. This is the first Phatnatsy star ub can juast sit down and axctually get through with just u and controller. I been playing on my Mega Sd cart, and it has 109 save state slots! So I am saving ht egame at everyu marriage point, so I can finally see the whole game when I want! And if I want to replay in future, I can jump in at any marriage point. Awesome! A major downside though, the music in this # 3 is much worse than #2. The #2 music is legendary and totally holds up.
I am conflicted. For me it was the combat vs out of combat totally! Out of combat: the music, graphics, and gameplay were awesome! Compare to IN combat: the graphics and music were horrible! The music was loud and annoying and the graphics were dreadful. I beat the game years ago when it first came out and couldn't replay it again.
I played the shit out of it but it wasn't sandwiched between two way better games. Wait. It WAS WHAT IT COULD have been. 😅 I had to steal part IV from a Video Store...😅
It's a fun standalone game but so disappointing in how it fits into Phantasy Star. I also didn't like that only the men choose a wife to continue the story or that it's just a choice unlike, say, Final Fantasy 7 where your interactions determine the date at Gold Saucer... it should have been the same way. Also, the 4 or 5 endings are too much alike so it didn't feel like there were big differences. I think one ending has an exploding star, one has a meteor... just different disasters.
With her music, she changed my perspective on the world. The passion and confidence of that theme song, set against the stars in the alien sky, made me feel very small yet very connected to dreamers both far away and gone.
Holding on to that feeling led me far from the small town I lived in, to find love and adventure that wasn't limited by videogame restrictions.
I wish I could thank her for it.
Beyond what it did for me personally, for years, it was the song I used to show non-gamers the possibilities of the new medium.
Wow, that's incredible. Thank you for sharing. If you're okay with it, I'll screen grab this message and send to her.
@@TieryasXu I'd be honored. Thank you.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 I shared and she was very happy. Thank you again for sharing! 🙏
The score is certainly the most memorable part of PSIII. That and the fever dream feel.
Good work.
This was my first Phantasy Star and one of the most important games of my pre-teen life. Thanks for covering it without the hate. 💙
Edit: IPPO is one of my favorite composers, would love to get an update on PSIV!
Thank you! And okay, will do!
I got this game for my birthday not long after release. Once I got home and played it, I picked up the phone and called all of my friends over. We thought that it was one of the worst efforts Sega had ever made for an RPG and the battles were hilarious. I came to actually like the game and spent many a day in school sketching worlds and thinking of plots and characters for Phantasy Star IV thanks to the inspiration of that game.
To give you a brief synopsis, one of the endings of PS3 have the ships arrive at Earth. Finally, the Algol Star system would be facing their enemy, the Earthmen! (See ending of PS2). But, they arrive in the Earths past, our present time. Flash forward 1000 years and we start our adventure on Earth with a mission to go home. Unfortunately, there is a faction of Earthmen that have their own plans and ships ready to set forth and conquer Algo. The evil Earthmen arrive in Algo and set their plans in motion (see PS2) and our parties job is to stop them. Rescuing the party from PS2, and adding all of them to the roster. I had this time travel mechanic in mind that would allow the player to end the game with the choice to stack your parties with not only new faces, but returning legends like Alis and Odin from PS1 and Rolf and party from PS2. The time travel would come into play to stop the destruction of Palma and finally eradicate the evil Earthmen and their dark god.
Good friens of mine in high school was a Genesis kid. I had the Super Nintendo. We woukd trade consoles and games over long weekends. This one one of the first ones i played, and one of my first real jrpg's. Love it, and still do!
That sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Cool! Like you, I swapped consoles with a friend. Except I was the Genesis guy. My story is very similar as my friend loaned me Final Fantasy 2 on SNES and I became hooked on jrpgs. When I got my Genesis back, I immediately bought PS2, then PS3 later on. The feels when I see this game....
@@whylde7834 Loved FF2 😃
This was one of the first RPGs I played on the Genny through the same method, I let my friend borrow my SNES and games and he in turn let me borrow his Genny. It was thanks to him that I fully came to appreciate the software library the Genny had at its disposal and he in turn got exposed to many great games on the SNES through me. I grew to love this game over PS2 as I got further into it. I was shocked to see how people shat on it, but I'm glad to see others are beginning to appreciate this game for the gem it is.
Wow, someone else who knows that the world map music changes if the main character is dead. I have never heard anyone else mention this before, and thought it was a shame considering how great that track is. The game is definitely a step down from PS2, but it still holds a special place in my heart, so it's always nice to hear someone have a positive opinion of it.
It's a great track!
I remember in third generation in the desert zone there is a dinosaur that can literally one shot anyone. Thsat how i find out if the mc is dead, music change
I played all 4 games a couple years ago for the first time. I played, and beat PS 3. While the “weakest” in the mainline, I still really love it. I wish it had more time to be worked on but hey what we got is still really good, the atmosphere this game gives isnt seen anywhere else
Romancing saga 2 remake did much better with inheritance and intuitive gameplay. It is a shame a lot of other bad games don't get revamped and we're stuck with censorship or other changes like dq3 or ff7.
Phantasy star 3 on sega genesis collection at least lets you rewind out of ambush as poison is cheap. Fast forward helps the slow speed, and Sari is probably the best inverse of broken character who is a crappy boss fight lol just gotta Equip her. People have done fan rpgs to improve ps3.
Thank you so much for this, another great video. Love to see passionate fans still talking about this series. And it was awesome seeing the interview segments with Ippo, PSIV is my favourite soundtrack. Her insight on PSIII was a treat to read.
Thank you so much!
I've said since the day I first played PS3 way back when that it needs a remake. The game was chock full of good ideas. Just not enough time to flesh them out. Great character designs and world building. Some more work into character backgrounds, and development would make this a bonafide classic.
Totally agree!
I would absolutely play a PS3 remake. Someone should go convince Sega!
Imagine if the same effort could be put into a PS3 remake that was done to the FF7 remake. They could even use a similar design or modify the traditional turn based and make it absolutely epic.
I love the town theme so much. I have a guitar arrangement of it, so one day I will record it. Yeah, and the plot twist is one of my favourites.
Awesome. Look forward to it. Just checked your Lunar covers and they're really great!
I will need to watch this video with my full attention, but any PS cover is good. Such an under appreciated series.
I've played all four of the OG Phantasy Star games, and I can safely say I enjoyed III the most.
👍
III and IV are my favorites in the series here as well.
If you love the OG Games as i do you should try a game called Phantasy Star - 20 years past. Its incredible what they achieved in recreating the Phantasy star IV style
@@PSIIIRProject link? Curious to see it. Thanks!
@@TieryasXu Ive tried about eight time to put a link in a reply to you but it keeps dissapearing. I can only assume TH-cam doesnt want links - even to other TH-cam videos. Its on Itch, if you google the name and itch - it should be the first thing that comes up
I've always been intrigued by Phantasy Star III, so this video absolutely speaks to me. As mentioned, the plot was full of potential, but it needed to be fleshed out with a stronger focus on the characters. In the end, I'd like to recommend Dragon Quest V's generational storytelling for how it developed a similar idea into a more dramatic narrative and, slightly later on, we also had Romancing Saga 2 experimenting with the imperial succession mechanic as a much bigger part of its core gameplay.
I love Dragon Quest V! Haven't played Romancing Saga 2 though but have wanted to check it out.
@@TieryasXu There is a remake of RS2 coming out very soon, so that might be of interest as well.
haven't played it but doesn't fire emblem genealogy of the holy war do something like this too?
Totally agree with you, the concepts and world-building are best-in-class but the execution can be... rough. It was my first PS games so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
It was very ambitious. I love the music. Oh and the two androids were awesome.
WOOHOO a new episode ! I will finally be able to have a good retrospective of a game I will never have the patience to play (the walk cycle so slow). It was my first Phantasy Star but it is the one I played the less for sure but the system of the "family tree" in it always fascinate me !
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!
@@TieryasXu Just finished it and I did enjoyed it for sure ! As a guy who loves to make music on oldschool consoles and microcomputers, I really love interviews like this that focused around the OST of games and stuff (aka before we got all those fancy trackers and sequencers to make it)
@@XyNoST That's awesome you make music on old school consoles and microcomputers. And thank you!
Love coming accross new Retrospectives for PSIII. I have watched this one three times now :). This retrospective does a great looks at the games highlights and flaws as well as an insight into why and how the game feels different from the other games in the series. I would love to read over the authors notes.
Thank you so much! This video is loosely adapted from my Kotaku articles and I linked to those in the notes.
@TieryasXu Thanks ill check those out. May i also suggest checking out a Phantasy Star Fan game that came out some years ago. Its Called Phantasy Star - 20 Years Past. Its really quite impressive at replicating a Phantasy Star Game.
Honestly this one is probably my second favorite classic Phantasy star game behind 4.
Great review. PSIII was my first Phantasy Star (played it real time as a high school student) so despite the black sheep status, it holds a special place in my heart. I really think the music is quite special. The evolving layers as the party grows, the two variations of dungeon music which is similar but are like opposites phases of each other... I enjoyed it while I played it.
Thank you! And agreed on the music!
I hope you'd go more into the story in a future ocassion, I'd love to know all the paths characters, who they are and what they did in the story. I played this eons ago and I can't remember much, but I did clear 1 path at least, fun game!
PS3 absolutely deserves a full fledged remake. The way it handles the soundtrack in the overworld stunned me when I first played this game and it wasn’t until Neir Automata that I felt a soundtrack nailed the sound timing like PS did. The carnival theme of automata how it stars off thin as you are heading into the area and keeps raving up was just a refreshing as how PS3 did it. Great video.
Very interesting take, excellent narrative. Thank you.
There were a few good things about PS3. The main theme is excellent, so good it's actually one of my favorite Phantasy Star tracks. Overall, the BGM was pretty good IMO.
I actually feel Phantasy Star III is one of the best games in the series because of how radically different from the others it was and is. It was bold and groundbreaking in its execution and once you got the hang of things? You came to appreciate how it worked and the unique approaches the game took. Also, I loved the sprite work too.
I loved how the overworld map theme, "The Ground", started off as a single, solitary layer of keyboard and built up as you gained more members of your party before ultimately becoming a complete symphony with bass, percussion and the whole nine yards once you gained all five party members.
I also loved how the generation system worked too, depending on who you married, you started on a different path which in turn led to a different ending, lending itself to quite a bit of replayability.
I actually prefer this game over the first two, I know I'll catch shit for that but I don't care. For me, Phantasy Stars III and IV are the best games of the series and I feel they both deserve full-fledged remakes.
Phantasy Star III in particular. Just keep the soundtrack concepts in tact and the story. Overhaul the battle system, flesh out the dialogue and increase the walking speed as those are the only major flaws I feel the game really has.
I'm glad to see others are beginning to appreciate the unique approach this game took in comparison to the rest of the games in the series. I really hope this leads to a full-fledged remake of the game being done. Either way, it's an underappreciated gem of a game and one that deserves better than what it got.
I love this game, too. It is the weakest of the four main titles but that doesn't mean it's without charm. I think they just set out to do way too much. The three generations, four endings, seven worlds, massive but mostly empty maps, extra weapons like the needle guns, technique balancing, even how the music changes. My advice would've been, cut the ambition in half, pack the remaining half with meaty content, and stick with the basic systems from II. I think a more focused approach would've led to a better result considering the small cartridge size and short production schedule. With all that said, I'm really enjoying your content. Keep it up! I also released a patch for this game you might find interesting: PSIII General Improvement.
Agreed! And thank you so much! What's in your patch?
Again great music! Great vid also! I wish Sega would have re-made PSIII, not only PSI and II. Even before Sega cancelled that series they were gonna skip PSIII. I would also like to see a prequel with Orakio and Laya.... A man can dream. Some ppl do love PSIII interestingly.I seem to recall Morgan Webb loved this game.If anyone remembers that old VG show she was on. There is a fan made re-translation that is I enjoyed.
a prequel with Orakio and Laya would be amazing!
@@TieryasXu I happen to like PSIII myself. It was one of the first Genesis/MD games I bought.
PS III was my very first rpg ever. Every video that talks about, I say it's one of my favorite stories that was never fully told. It was epic, even in it's sparcity and I would love if some develope out there could remake it and fully flesh the story out
I enjoyed this phantasy star game the most out of the original 4. I really enjoyed what they were aiming for with the generational system. The lore was awesome and rich, and it really makes me wish they would remake this title in current consoles to do it justice. Maybe someday they'll actually give this incredible story the justicr it deserves
This seems like such a high concept RPG that suffered from bad execution and a low cartridge size. If it could have been a 16 meg cart or even a CD game it would have been mindblowing.
I agree with everything you said. I was so disappointed when it came out because I erroneously thought that they completely ditched the story. Phantasy Star 2 is also my favorite.
Thanks for this review! Yes, despite being the black sheep, it's actually the one game of the series that I would love a remake of the most. PS3 definitely had the most story potential (as you have shared in the video) Heck, I'd even settle for a manga. At least PS3 isn't too bad to play in the latter collections where you can speed up walkspeeds and such.
I feel like I might be the only person who has only played Phantasy Star 3. It was actually the first rpg I ever played and I loved it. I would have played PS4 but my Genesis broke before it came out.
Great video. I love all the PS games.
That's the one thing I'll never understand about Sega's mindset back then with the cartridge sizes on early Genesis games. Phantasy Star is your biggest RPG franchise on a brand new console and on both PS2 and PS3 you give them 6 Mbit cartridges? That's why in hindsight I have major sympathies for the developers because it's frustrating enough dealing with the graphical and audio limitations then on top of that Sega needlessly hand cuffs them further with lack of cartridge space. If they could have been given at a bare minimum an 8 Mbit/1 Megabyte rom's worth of space as well as more development time then we might have gotten a more flesh out story with more graphical variety to the colonies. I also really appreciate the interview because I didn't know she did the translated music for Ghouls 'n Ghosts or the wonderful sountrack of Land Of Illusion which is one of my favorite SMS/Game Gear games of all time. I appreciate anything that's video game BTS especially from 30+ years ago. 😇
Pretty much lines up with my perspective as well. There's so many cool and interesting elements to PS3, including some elements like the Generations system that actually still hasn't been properly revisited even to this day. It's not uncommon for RPGs these days to have relationship systems but this still almost never actually results in children continued generations, instead just being essentially a coupling that happens at the end of the story. There were absolutely some failings in how all of this was executed, especially in a lack of depth in the specific characters and their individual stories/narratives, but the game just still feels actually ahead of it's time. I know the whole issue of "remakes" taking over the gamer industry is a hot topic these days, but PS3 could really use a modern remake as I can't help but wonder what a PS3 made today would actually be like.
And as for the music, I still find myself listening to the title screen track on TH-cam from time to time as it's still stuck in my head all these many years later.
100% agreed , 3 is easily seen as a step down from 2 but it was still creative/imaginative ; would luv to see a modern remake that keeps what was unique and understands the games
A modern remake would be wonderful, but I'd take a spiritual successor too!
@@TieryasXu yes , agreed =] games like Hollow Knight are here becuz we had SotN and they are their own unique thing =] and not just a remake , the world is big enough for both imho
Hey Peter, that funny, I just did the four ending too last year! Been so long that I wanted to do that! Yeah I agree, the music is quite good in that game!
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I have beaten this game and thought it was not great but I appreciate the games ambition. I often struggled to figure out where to go.
one of the best games. Loved it!
This was a great concept hampered by hardware limitations. A remake could turn this game into a masterpiece.
I always like the game even though it's different than the others.
It is the weekest in some regards but 2 was pretty sparse when you consider the amount of grinding in that game. I think both of these games are subtextually very interesting though, especially 2. I always felt that 2's world represented a subtlely opressive mundanity, like growing up in the ultra suburbs.
I loved PSIII, Still do!
I really wanted to like PS3 when it came out, I think I made it past the first generation, then just never returned to it. Good video ! I heard the game development was cut short by six months then rushed out to the market.
I can only find the one song from the game on Spotify. If you are in contact with the artist and she has the rights could you ask her to put the whole soundtrack on Spotify ? That would be awesome please and thank you. Thanks for the videos Duder.
@TieryasXu As you know Phantasy Star III is the (actual) final chapter of the original series.
Phantasy Star III was not the meticulous work of game development mastery that the first two games in the series (and afterward the fourth one) were but it was okay. Coming from a perspective that already completed the first two games and was dialed in to the previews and hype around part three it was difficult to not feel at least a little bit letdown with the end product upon completion. The notion that there were seven planets to discover and explore and suggestion back then that it was the biggest Phantasy Star yet was unrealized when it became apparent the the worlds were all much more barren and only had a small fraction of things to do in each compared to parts one and two. Obviously there was a reason for that and I won't spoil the plot reveal but still the seven worlds didn't measure up to the three from part one and the two from part two. The other issue was the scaling back of the battle animations which was a big feature of the series for me back then, and also the very high encounter rate became tiresome. I played through one path back in 1991 and then again played through a different path (with a patched re-localized version with double walking speed added) just last year. So I guess it was good enough to play through twice, even if 32 years apart.
Out of all of the OG phantasy star games i think this one had the most potential but sadly was created in a time that limited the scope of the story it was trying to tell.
Probably better recieved had it not been released as a Phantasy Star game.
There's a strong argument to be made for that!
I was always interested in games that looked similar to classics like the releases on NES, or SNES. The thing with those games is, when you compare it to Final Fantasy 4, or Chrono Trigger, you don't waste time anymore(even Final Fantasy 1 was way better). In Phantasy Star 3, I wasted hours in boring playtime. Wow... Why do you want to do this? There are so many more talented developers of that era. I really tried to like this, but the only good ones here are Phantasy Star 1 and 4 (with the first entry being the most interesting game still). Best regards❣️🙏❣️ Cool people that struggled through Phantasy Star 3. The devs will appreciate that I think
I do find things I appreciate about this game... it was just such a disappointment for me as a kid being hot off of Phantasy Star 1 & 2 which I completed very close to each other as I never owned a Sega Master System and played PS1 on the Power Base Converter. What I appreciate the most was how ambitious the game was... and to read about it... anticipating it so much... it just seemed like an RPG I could get lost in for months. On paper it felt like leaps and bounds over anything that had come out at this point. I do return to it but far less than the other three as each time I find more and more reasons why it has aged poorly and I dream of it one day being remade and fulfilling my childhood expectations of what I envisioned it to be. The game really deserves a second chance.
I haven't seen you do a ton of Squaresoft content, but in a way... I'm fine with that. Those games get talked about a lot and its nice that there is someone that really takes the time to cherish the the lesser talked about RPGs we got lost in. One of the games I think gets a really bad rap is Secret of Evermore. I think this game suffers from people expecting it to be more like Secret of Mana when after you play SoE really is its very much it's own thing despite having gameplay and menu similarities. Its world building makes it feel much more like a more action based Chrono Trigger. While to be honest, when I bought it I thought it was a spin off of Secret of Mana just with a more American artistic aesthetic. I wasn't at all disappointed with it and I love to revisit it. I really think its one of the most underrated Squaresoft games of this era and I constantly recommend it.
Agreed! I'd be down for a remake or even a new game taking on the mechanics and ideas of PS3 but maybe as its own IP? (and thank you for watching this one!) It's funny you mention Secret of Evermore as that's one of the games I was considering. I did an interview with the creator, Alan Weiss, a few years back and learned lots of interesting things so would be fun to revisit as a retrospective. I really enjoyed it and agree it's underrated!!
PS III is definitely a flawed unfinished game, but I really liked the generational mechanic, and it really has a early nineties game charm to it.
I always thought it seemed kind of silly to have Rhys go through all that trouble in the first generation and marry Lena.
Honestly, I'm gonna be that guy: 3 is the Best Phantasy Star.
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PS3 was pretty clearly held back by only having 6Mbit to work with. It was trying to do a lot more than PS2 with no more ROM space. Bad idea given PS2 was arguably itself too constrained by lack of ROM space seeing how it was only 1.5x the space they had for PS1.
PS2 was absolutely too constrained for the vision of the developers; they tried diligently to convince Sega leadership to give them 8 megs to work with however that request was denied, with one consequence being the blue grid background for the battle scenes instead of the actual environments like in PS1. They also wanted to have some of the dungeons be first person like the first game but that too had to be left out.
PS3 is pretty rad but yeah, I think this is all pretty much right on the money with what it does right and wrong.
The unique nature of the generational system helped alleviate the weaker characterization at the time but, especially looking backwards, never fully makes up for it.
I only played it for the first time a few years ago though and still really loved it. I thought it punched well above it's reputation at least.
On note though, just for historical sense, the idea of PS3 being a trend setter of "Oops this traditional fantasy setting is actually science fiction" is a little wrong. That's straight out of Ultima 1. Which is mostly noteworthy because of how wildly import Ultima was to the birth of the entire Japanese role playing game scene.
So the blending of sci-fi and fantasy we see in JRPGs has really been there since minute one. I'd be surprised if PS3's handling of it wasn't directly inspired by the same reveal from Ultima all things considered.
Thanks for pointing it out and you're absolutely right. Love the Ultima series and I can totally see it being an inspiration. Sorry, I should have clarified I meant mainly for console RPGs. I know Might and Magic did it as well and that was fun too! 😃
@@TieryasXu Naw it's fine, don't worry about it. It's a good video, I just wanted to point that bit out.
I always felt this game ended up getting kneecapped by his own ambition, if the MegaDrive had bigger cartridges and maybe had a bit more time to develop and flesh out I think this game could've ended up being a lot better than what it ended up. I feel is the worst of the original Tetralogy but even then is still a really good game, I admire his ambitions, I like the dungeons more than most of PS2 and the generation system it's really interesting. I also heard people saying this game was a diversion for the series since it's not Sci-Fi and that makes me wonder what kind of game they ended playing in their mind because it sure as hell wasn't this game! This definitely isn't a black sheep for me, it's perfectly in line with what the series was, it's a game that fell under the pressure of his own ambition but still manage to give us something really good and memorable and I can't help but admire their effort in doing so
Phantasy StarM
I feel like Phantasy Star 3 could use a Remake
The foundation of this game had been too massive and epic for its own good to be just thrown on a 16bit system. Such wasted potential, it's sad. This could've been one of the greatest rpgs ever I feel. The soundtrack is one of the best, the plot is breathtaking and unique. They had all the best ingredients but just no kitchen to cook - only a camp fire with a small pot.
Ilove this game. Bought it with my own money when it was new. So I kind of had to love it. Hower ver, I really liked and stil t like the graphics, and this game has WAY simpler dungeons. SOme complain about the basic dungeons, but I disagree. E 1 and #2 and almlost imposible to play through as is, U need a guide or a map, or tons of graph paper bs to get through. This is the first Phatnatsy star ub can juast sit down and axctually get through with just u and controller. I been playing on my Mega Sd cart, and it has 109 save state slots! So I am saving ht egame at everyu marriage point, so I can finally see the whole game when I want! And if I want to replay in future, I can jump in at any marriage point. Awesome! A major downside though, the music in this # 3 is much worse than #2. The #2 music is legendary and totally holds up.
I am conflicted. For me it was the combat vs out of combat totally! Out of combat: the music, graphics, and gameplay were awesome! Compare to IN combat: the graphics and music were horrible! The music was loud and annoying and the graphics were dreadful. I beat the game years ago when it first came out and couldn't replay it again.
Great concept poor execution.
This game is by far the worst of the original 4. I still like the game, but mainly because of nostalgia.
7:14 yo it's dr disrespect lol
Classic.
If anything, the thing that screw over PS3 was the lack of budget and inexperience of the team.
I played the shit out of it but it wasn't sandwiched between two way better games. Wait. It WAS WHAT IT COULD have been. 😅
I had to steal part IV from a Video Store...😅
It's a fun standalone game but so disappointing in how it fits into Phantasy Star. I also didn't like that only the men choose a wife to continue the story or that it's just a choice unlike, say, Final Fantasy 7 where your interactions determine the date at Gold Saucer... it should have been the same way. Also, the 4 or 5 endings are too much alike so it didn't feel like there were big differences. I think one ending has an exploding star, one has a meteor... just different disasters.
Too many flaws