The Differences Between 0's and O's: Phantasy Star

So I have beaten Phantasy Star Zero, as of yesterday. The game was incredibly easy, and honestly? By the end of it I was pretty bored. It wasn't necessarily because of the difficulty (or lack thereof) - it was mostly because there was so little variety to it. Even compared to Phantasy Star Online (which I have recently started up again, thanks to the Sylverant servers)!

I know I said the game has a variety of level design, and for the most part, that holds up throughout. The problem as I see it is a lack of variety in gameplay - sure, you're killing tons of enemies throughout, but they don't really offer any challenge. The levels don't really offer any, either, and having replayed a lot of Phantasy Star Online recently, the bosses leave a lot to be desired as well. They have ridiculously easy patterns (except maybe the first time you fight the Octopus boss, but even then I never died against him) and go down fairly quickly.

Compare that to Phantasy Star Online, where the bosses are dangerous as hell. If you aren't overleveled, you have to be very careful when you go up against any boss in PSO - from the first boss all the way to the last. I grant, though, that all the bosses are not created equal - the bastard Cave boss, for example, is really badly designed. He isn't even damageable except for a small window, and frankly even then he its too difficult to hit him without getting hit by his stupid antennae. This makes the battle take forever.

Regardless, though, Phantasy Star Online is the better game. Sure, Phantasy Star 0 has some neat ideas - I love the reward system (think Achievements, only instead of points, you get items), the ability to recruit NPCs for offline missions (who I wish would never, ever talk, but it's still a neat idea), and the camera controls are a little better. But Phantasy Star Online just has more going for it - a more balanced game (with, you know, CHALLENGE), better character designs, better music, better atmosphere, better reasons to keep playing, and better items. It's kind of intangible, actually, why else Phantasy Star Online is better - you get the impression that 0 was made on a shoestring budget and didn't get quite the care it should have to make it a better game.

So I'm now way to far into PS0 for my own good, probably. I'm playing more of this than any other game I have, at the moment - I still haven't finished Fallout: New Vegas (although I fully intend to). I must get back to Odin Taros, my level 24 RAcast, and grind him up.

I am addicted to PSO again, and it feels so, so good.