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Phantasy Star II

January 11, 2023

Phantasy Star II (Japanese: ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに, "Phantasy Star II: At the End of the Restoration") is a science fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was released in Japan in 1989, North America in 1990, and in Europe in 1990.[1] It was later ported to a variety of different platforms. An updated remake, Phantasy Star Generation 2, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 in Japan.

Phantasy Star II
North American cover art
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Chieko Aoki
Producer(s)Yuji Naka
Programmer(s)Yuji Naka
Artist(s)Rieko Kodama
Writer(s)Chieko Aoki
Composer(s)Tokuhiko Uwabo
SeriesPhantasy Star
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release
  • JP: March 21, 1989
  • NA: March 1990
  • EU: November 30, 1990
  • BR: 1996
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Phantasy Star II is the second installment in Sega's acclaimed Phantasy Star series and serves as a sequel to the original Phantasy Star for the Master System. Phantasy Star II takes place 1,000 years after the events of its predecessor and follows the journey of a government agent named Rolf and his friends, who are on a mission to discover why the protector of the planet Mota, Mother Brain, has started malfunctioning.

Phantasy Star II was the first video game to use a 6 mega-bit cartridge, making it the biggest video game on a console at the time.[2] Since its release Phantasy Star II has been the subject of critical acclaim.

Gameplay

 
Phantasy Star II's top-down style travel is shown with protagonists Rolf and Nei moving through a town.

Gameplay is similar to the original Phantasy Star, the first game in the series. Its battle system is turn-based as well as menu-based, allowing the player to choose commands for their party of up to four characters. Each of the eight characters has a different set of preferred weapons and armor, as well as techniques, suited to the character's job. The player must defeat enemies in the overworld and in dungeons to advance in the game.

The game abandoned the first-person view that the first game used for dungeons and battles. Phantasy Star II instead uses a top-down perspective for exploration and a third-person view in battles.

Plot

Somewhere deep within the Andromeda Galaxy lies the Algol Star System. The parent star, Algol (referred to as "Algo" by this point in the timeline), has three planets orbiting about it. First is Palm ("Palma"), the home of the government. Governors, treasurers, and great thinkers dwell here in great ivory towers, away from the hubbub of everyday life. Next is Mota ("Motavia"), the shining jewel. Once a dry desert planet infested with ant lions, Mota has been transformed into a blue and green tropical paradise. Domed farms grow crops, and the water is regulated into dammed rivers. Life on Mota is sweet, peaceful, and easy. The people have everything they want and do not need to work. Farthest out is Dezo ("Dezoris"), the ice planet. Little is known about this mysterious and dark planet.

One thousand years have passed since Alis and her friends liberated Algo from the evil Lassic in the previous game; Algo has since prospered under the care of a giant computer called the Mother Brain. The Mother Brain regulates the Climatrol tower which has terraformed Mota, the biosystems lab, and all other things that provide whatever the people in Mota need.

The game begins with the character Rolf recalling a strange recurring nightmare he has been having. In the dream, a young girl who Rolf does not recognize – but who resembles Alis – is battling a demon. Finally, just before the demon would kill her, Rolf awakens. From his home in Paseo, Mota's capital, Rolf goes to the central tower to meet with the head of government on Mota, in order to receive his newest mission.

The first threat is an increase in dangerous biomonsters (biologically altered animals). Rolf sets off with his companion Nei, a humanoid with catlike features, to investigate, accompanied by six others with each different, but same purpose. Along the way, the group discovers a human-biomonster hybrid named Neifirst, who reveals that Nei's origins are the same as her own. Being part biomonster, she is an outcast from society, causing her to loathe mankind and, because of this, sabotage both Mota's climate control system and the biosystems laboratory. Nei confronts Neifirst and battles her in a one-on-one fight, but is defeated and killed. Anguished, Rolf and the remaining party defeat Neifirst, causing the biosystems laboratory to self-destruct and bringing an end to Mota's Biomonster hazard.

However, this sets another incident in motion: the explosion of the lab damages the Climatrol equipment and causes the central lake, the residential reservoir of Mota, to overflow with water. To prevent a massive flood, Rolf and his friends decide to open up the surrounding four dams. After unlocking the last one, they are captured by Mother Brain's security robots, charged with causing the environmental disaster, and sentenced to death upon the Gaira satellite. However, the satellite malfunctions and collides with Palm, destroying both. Rolf and company are rescued in the nick of time by a space pirate, Tyler.

Now the system's most wanted criminals, blamed for Palm's destruction and the deaths of its people, the group boards Mota's last remaining spacecraft – legacy of a space program now falling into ruins – to the mysterious and dangerous Dezo. Located at a far corner of the planet is the Esper Mansion: upon reaching it, Rolf awakens the legendary Lutz from a long sleep. Lutz reveals the secrets of Rolf's past, as well as the dark secret of Mother Brain which relates to the fate and destruction Algo is now facing. In order to save the System, the heroes seek to recover the powerful Nei arsenal, found in four hidden dungeons, capable of defeating the enemies on the spaceship Noah, where Mother Brain resides.

It is eventually revealed that the demon from Rolf's original nightmare – Dark Force, Lassic's true corruptor and Alis' enemy a thousand years ago – has corrupted Noah and been behind every threat Rolf has faced, including Mother Brain itself. Rolf confronts the two evil entities and defeats them. After the final battle, Lutz alerts him that there are still people on the ship: they're the remaining survivors from Earth. They reveal they created Mother Brain to satisfy their greedy lifestyle at the expense of Algo's resources, and a fight between the heroes and the earthmen ensues. The game ends with the outcome unrevealed.

Release

Localization changes

  • Lutz, a refugee Esper who lives in the Esper Mansion on Dezo, aids Rolf and friends in their mission. He is supposed to be the same Esper who accompanies Alis in Phantasy Star, but due to the English version of Phantasy Star naming said Esper "Noah," this point is lost.
  • In the Japanese version, Ustvestia, a musician who teaches the characters the Musik technique, is openly gay; when requested to teach a male character the Musik technique, he comments, "He looks cute", and charges less than he would for teaching female characters. Any obvious references to this were removed from the American release; he instead comments, "He looks smart" – and still charges less for teaching the male characters.[3]
  • While the tracks in the soundtrack are the same for both versions, the snare drums are much louder in the Japanese version.[4]
  • In the Japanese version the game is set 942 years after the events of Phantasy Star I.

Ports

Phantasy Star II was re-released as a port in two different forms for the Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance as part of Phantasy Star Collection. It was also released on the Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 for the Dreamcast. It is also part of the Sega Genesis Collection for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The game is available in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is also included as part of Sega Genesis Classics for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The game was made available through Nintendo's Virtual Console service in 2008. On June 10, 2009, it was released on Xbox Live Arcade under the Sega Vintage Collection banner. On August 26, 2010, an iPhone port of the game was released.[5] The port later became available on the iPad and iPod touch as well. On June 22, 2017, Sega made the game available for free through both iTunes and Android.[6]

In October 1993,[7] Atari Corporation filed a lawsuit against Sega for an alleged infringement of a patent originally created by Atari Corp. in the 1980s,[8] with the former seeking a preliminary injunction to stop manufacturing, usage and sales of hardware and software for both Sega Genesis and Game Gear.[9] On September 28, 1994,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] both parties reached a settlement in which it involved a cross-licensing agreement to publish up to five titles each year across their systems until 2001.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Phantasy Star II was one of the first five titles approved from the deal by Sega in order to be converted for the Atari Jaguar, but it was never released.[9]

Reception and legacy

Contemporary

Its demonstration at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (Winter CES) in January 1990 received a positive reception.[34] The original Phantasy Star game was a big game for its time,[2] and because of the advancements in technology between the Master System and Genesis, Phantasy Star II featured a much larger cartridge than its predecessor, holding 6 megabits of data, making it the largest game on any game machine up until that time.[2] RePlay magazine praised the game for providing a lengthy home video game experience not found in arcades, and reported it could take about 250 hours to complete.[34]

The game was well received by critics upon release. In Dragon magazine, Phantasy Star II was described as "one of the best role-playing games yet to be released for any video game system."[25] Wizardry designer Roe R. Adams wrote in Computer Gaming World that Phantasy Star II was a system seller for the Genesis,[35] stating that its "16-bit graphics are gorgeous, but the real fun lies in the science fiction story plot." He concluded that it is a "challenging and enjoyable" game with "superb combat and animated graphics."[2] Raze concluded that it is a "challenging quest packed with gameplay."[29]

Retrospective

Phantasy Star II was a landmark game in its time, "a game of many firsts" according to Nintendo Power.[41] It was the first RPG for the Mega Drive, and was released in the U.S. two months before the original Final Fantasy for the NES, another key game in the genre's popularization in North America.

Phantasy Star II is regarded by many as a forerunner for certain aspects of role-playing video games, such as an epic, dramatic, character-driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter, a strategy-based battle system,[42][43] and the demand for extensive strategy guides for such games (Phantasy Star II included one with the game itself). Phantasy Star II's predominantly science fiction setting was also a major departure for RPGs, which had previously been largely restricted to fantasy or science fantasy settings.[44] The game's science fiction story was also unique, reversing the common alien invasion scenario by instead presenting Earthlings as the invading antagonists rather than the defending protagonists.[42][43] The game's strong characterization, and use of self-discovery as a motivating factor for the characters and the player, was a major departure from previous RPGs and had a major influence on subsequent RPGs such as the Final Fantasy series.[44] It also made an attempt at social commentary years before the Final Fantasy series started doing the same.[41] Tor.com described the worldbuilding as "fantastic, probably the best in any 16-bit era game."[45]

Phantasy Star II has made a number of "greatest games of all time" type lists, including being inducted into GameSpot's list of greatest games of all time in 2005.[42] Mega placed the game at #29 in their "Top Mega Drive Games of All Time" in 1992.[46] In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it the 30th best console video game of all time, saying it was the best RPG on the Genesis due to its characters, story, enemies, and massive length.[47] In 2003, IGN ranked it as the 92nd top game, choosing Phantasy Star II for how it "surprised everyone with the death of a major player 1/3 the way" years before Final Fantasy VII, in addition to "a balanced experience point system, tough-as-nails bosses, and one of the biggest and most difficult RPG quests that we've ever seen."[48] In 2009, Nintendo Power called Phantasy Star II, along with Phantasy Star IV, one of the greatest role-playing games of all time.[49] In 2011, GamePro included it in its list of "20 Games That Defined Role-Playing Games".[50]

Levi Buchanan of IGN reviewed the iPhone version in 2010. He praised it as an "awesome game" with a "real sense of discovery" and one of his "favorite final twists in videogames."[39]

Remake

A remake, Phantasy Star Generation 2, was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 as a part of Sega Ages in 2005. Much like Phantasy Star Generation 1, the remake mirrors the events of the original game while adding character development and fleshing out the story in more detail. It featured enhanced graphics, a revised combat system, and a rearranged soundtrack. Other new features included the ability to play the original Mega Drive version, and to load a system file from Phantasy Star Generation:1 to allow the ability to play as Nei throughout the entire game.

It was originally slated for North American and European release by Conspiracy Entertainment as a part of the Phantasy Star Trilogy, a compilation of the remakes of Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, and Phantasy Star IV. The compilation's future is uncertain, however, since Sega reclaimed the publishing rights for the North America and Europe. This is evidenced by the fact that the trilogy no longer appears on Conspiracy Entertainment's list of products on their website.[51] Sega has abandoned their plans for a Phantasy Star IV remake in favor of a compilation featuring the original iterations of Phantasy Star I–IV.[52][53]

References

Notes
Footnotes
  1. ^ Glicker, Stephen M. (1990-03-19). "Get Phantasy Star II Now". Newsgroup: rec.games.video. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  2. ^ a b c d Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Wishing on a Phantasy Star II", Computer Gaming World, no. 76, pp. 85–6
  3. ^ Ripplinger, Mike (2002). "The Two Phantasy Stars". Camineet. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  4. ^ Thomas, Damian (2008). "Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Album". RPGFan. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  5. ^ "Phantasy Star II on the App Store on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  6. ^ "You Can Finally Play Classic Sega Games on Your Phone". Thrillist. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  7. ^ "Atari Corp. v. Sega of America, Inc., 869 F. Supp. 783 (N.D. Cal. 1994)". justia.com. August 12, 1994. from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  8. ^ "ProNews: Atari Sues Sega". GamePro. No. 54. IDG. January 1994. p. 258. from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  9. ^ a b CRV (August 6, 2017). "Blog:Legal Brief: Atari vs. Sega". gdri.smspower.org. from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  10. ^ Tramiel, Garry (September 28, 1994). . atari-history.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2000. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  11. ^ . atari-history.com. September 28, 1994. Archived from the original on September 19, 2000. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  12. ^ "Overseas Readers Column - Atari Drops Sega Charges For $90M". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 483. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 November 1994. p. 26.
  13. ^ "The Enter*Active File - Entertainment Industry News Of Info Systems, Video Games & Retail-Tech Media". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 49. Lynne Segall. December 3, 1994. p. 82.
  14. ^ "ProNews: Sega, Atari Settle Differences". GamePro. No. 65. IDG. December 1994. p. 282. from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  15. ^ Peers, Nick (December 1994). "The News - The Latest News - Atari Vs Sega". ST Format. No. 65. Future plc. p. 11. from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  16. ^ "Ultimate Update - A legal battle over..." Ultimate Future Games. No. 1. Future Publishing. December 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  17. ^ "Reportage - Le Japon En Direct - Jaguar: Coup De Griffe Sur Le Japon! - Atari Et Sega". Consoles + (in French). No. 39. M.E.R.7. January 1995. p. 26. from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  18. ^ "News - Front Page - Sega buys into Atari". Game Players. No. 68. Signal Research. February 1995. p. 14.
  19. ^ "Special - Atari: from boom to bust and back again". Edge. No. 18. Future plc. March 1995. pp. 58–65. from the original on 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  20. ^ "Special - Atari: from boom to bust and back again". Next Generation. No. 4. Imagine Media. April 1995. pp. 34–41.
  21. ^ . Computer and Video Games. No. 163. Future Publishing. June 1995. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original on 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  22. ^ "At Last, Atari". Ultimate Gamer. No. 4. Larry Flynt Publications. November 1995. pp. 34–37.
  23. ^ "ACE Magazine Issue 37". ACE Magazine. October 1990. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  24. ^ Hoogh, Eva (August–September 1990). "Segas Sternstunde". Aktueller Software Markt (9). Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  25. ^ a b Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (August 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (160): 47–52.
  26. ^ "Phantasy Star 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 9. April 1990. p. 18.
  27. ^ JM Destroy (November 1990). "Phantasy Star 2". Joystick (10): 98. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  28. ^ "Phantasy Star II". Player One (7): 24–5. March 1991. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  29. ^ a b "Phantasy Star II". Raze (5). April 1991. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  30. ^ "Phantasy Star II" (PDF). VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (14): 34. March 1990. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  31. ^ "Phantasy Star 2". Zero (17): 88. March 1991. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  32. ^ "Ying Games" (PDF). Mega (18): 71. March 1994.
  33. ^ "Mega Drive: Phantasy Star II" (PDF). Sega Power (15): 22–3. February 1991.
  34. ^ a b "Home Games Look Robust at Winter CES Show; "Coin-Op Must Get On Track Fast," Observers Say". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 5. February 1990. pp. 38–44.
  35. ^ Adams, Roe R. III (November 1990). "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is)". Computer Gaming World. p. 83. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  36. ^ . GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  37. ^ "Phantasy Star II for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  38. ^ Clayman, David (2009-06-26). "Phantasy Star II Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  39. ^ a b Buchanan, Levi (August 28, 2010). "Phantasy Star II iPhone Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  40. ^ Hartley, Gary (October 29, 2005). "Phantasy Star II: Staff Review". HonestGamers. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  41. ^ a b "Phantasy Star II". Nintendo Power. Vol. 246–249. Nintendo of America. 2009. p. 21. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  42. ^ a b c Kasavin, Greg. . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2005-07-18. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  43. ^ a b "Time Machine: Phantasy Star". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. January 2, 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  44. ^ a b Kaiser, Rowan (July 22, 2011). "RPG Pillars: Phantasy Star II". GamePro. from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  45. ^ Tieryas, Peter (December 21, 2015). "Gaming Utopia: Phantasy Star II Replay (part 1)". Tor.com. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  46. ^ Mega magazine issue 1, page 76, Future Publishing, October 1992.
  47. ^ "100 Best Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 140. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
  48. ^ . Uk.top100.ign.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  49. ^ Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power February 2009; issue 2 (in English). Future US Inc, 39–42. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  50. ^ Kat Bailey; Jason Wilson (July 22, 2011). "RPG Pillars: 20 Games That Defined Role-Playing Games". GamePro. from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  51. ^ . Conspiracygames.com. Archived from the original on 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  52. ^ "IGN.com entry on Phantasy Star Trilogy indicating its cancellation". Ps2.ign.com. 2004-05-27. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  53. ^ "Gamespot entry on Phantasy Star Trilogy indicating its cancellation". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.

January 11, 2023
phantasy, star, japanese, ファンタシースターii, 還らざる時の終わりに, restoration, science, fantasy, role, playing, video, game, developed, published, sega, sega, genesis, released, japan, 1989, north, america, 1990, europe, 1990, later, ported, variety, different, platforms, up. Phantasy Star II Japanese ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに Phantasy Star II At the End of the Restoration is a science fantasy role playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis It was released in Japan in 1989 North America in 1990 and in Europe in 1990 1 It was later ported to a variety of different platforms An updated remake Phantasy Star Generation 2 was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 in Japan Phantasy Star IINorth American cover artDeveloper s SegaPublisher s SegaDirector s Chieko AokiProducer s Yuji NakaProgrammer s Yuji NakaArtist s Rieko KodamaWriter s Chieko AokiComposer s Tokuhiko UwaboSeriesPhantasy StarPlatform s Sega GenesisReleaseJP March 21 1989NA March 1990EU November 30 1990BR 1996Genre s Role playingMode s Single playerPhantasy Star II is the second installment in Sega s acclaimed Phantasy Star series and serves as a sequel to the original Phantasy Star for the Master System Phantasy Star II takes place 1 000 years after the events of its predecessor and follows the journey of a government agent named Rolf and his friends who are on a mission to discover why the protector of the planet Mota Mother Brain has started malfunctioning Phantasy Star II was the first video game to use a 6 mega bit cartridge making it the biggest video game on a console at the time 2 Since its release Phantasy Star II has been the subject of critical acclaim Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Release 3 1 Localization changes 3 2 Ports 4 Reception and legacy 4 1 Contemporary 4 2 Retrospective 4 3 Remake 5 ReferencesGameplay Edit Phantasy Star II s top down style travel is shown with protagonists Rolf and Nei moving through a town Gameplay is similar to the original Phantasy Star the first game in the series Its battle system is turn based as well as menu based allowing the player to choose commands for their party of up to four characters Each of the eight characters has a different set of preferred weapons and armor as well as techniques suited to the character s job The player must defeat enemies in the overworld and in dungeons to advance in the game The game abandoned the first person view that the first game used for dungeons and battles Phantasy Star II instead uses a top down perspective for exploration and a third person view in battles Plot EditSomewhere deep within the Andromeda Galaxy lies the Algol Star System The parent star Algol referred to as Algo by this point in the timeline has three planets orbiting about it First is Palm Palma the home of the government Governors treasurers and great thinkers dwell here in great ivory towers away from the hubbub of everyday life Next is Mota Motavia the shining jewel Once a dry desert planet infested with ant lions Mota has been transformed into a blue and green tropical paradise Domed farms grow crops and the water is regulated into dammed rivers Life on Mota is sweet peaceful and easy The people have everything they want and do not need to work Farthest out is Dezo Dezoris the ice planet Little is known about this mysterious and dark planet One thousand years have passed since Alis and her friends liberated Algo from the evil Lassic in the previous game Algo has since prospered under the care of a giant computer called the Mother Brain The Mother Brain regulates the Climatrol tower which has terraformed Mota the biosystems lab and all other things that provide whatever the people in Mota need The game begins with the character Rolf recalling a strange recurring nightmare he has been having In the dream a young girl who Rolf does not recognize but who resembles Alis is battling a demon Finally just before the demon would kill her Rolf awakens From his home in Paseo Mota s capital Rolf goes to the central tower to meet with the head of government on Mota in order to receive his newest mission The first threat is an increase in dangerous biomonsters biologically altered animals Rolf sets off with his companion Nei a humanoid with catlike features to investigate accompanied by six others with each different but same purpose Along the way the group discovers a human biomonster hybrid named Neifirst who reveals that Nei s origins are the same as her own Being part biomonster she is an outcast from society causing her to loathe mankind and because of this sabotage both Mota s climate control system and the biosystems laboratory Nei confronts Neifirst and battles her in a one on one fight but is defeated and killed Anguished Rolf and the remaining party defeat Neifirst causing the biosystems laboratory to self destruct and bringing an end to Mota s Biomonster hazard However this sets another incident in motion the explosion of the lab damages the Climatrol equipment and causes the central lake the residential reservoir of Mota to overflow with water To prevent a massive flood Rolf and his friends decide to open up the surrounding four dams After unlocking the last one they are captured by Mother Brain s security robots charged with causing the environmental disaster and sentenced to death upon the Gaira satellite However the satellite malfunctions and collides with Palm destroying both Rolf and company are rescued in the nick of time by a space pirate Tyler Now the system s most wanted criminals blamed for Palm s destruction and the deaths of its people the group boards Mota s last remaining spacecraft legacy of a space program now falling into ruins to the mysterious and dangerous Dezo Located at a far corner of the planet is the Esper Mansion upon reaching it Rolf awakens the legendary Lutz from a long sleep Lutz reveals the secrets of Rolf s past as well as the dark secret of Mother Brain which relates to the fate and destruction Algo is now facing In order to save the System the heroes seek to recover the powerful Nei arsenal found in four hidden dungeons capable of defeating the enemies on the spaceship Noah where Mother Brain resides It is eventually revealed that the demon from Rolf s original nightmare Dark Force Lassic s true corruptor and Alis enemy a thousand years ago has corrupted Noah and been behind every threat Rolf has faced including Mother Brain itself Rolf confronts the two evil entities and defeats them After the final battle Lutz alerts him that there are still people on the ship they re the remaining survivors from Earth They reveal they created Mother Brain to satisfy their greedy lifestyle at the expense of Algo s resources and a fight between the heroes and the earthmen ensues The game ends with the outcome unrevealed Release EditLocalization changes Edit Lutz a refugee Esper who lives in the Esper Mansion on Dezo aids Rolf and friends in their mission He is supposed to be the same Esper who accompanies Alis in Phantasy Star but due to the English version of Phantasy Star naming said Esper Noah this point is lost In the Japanese version Ustvestia a musician who teaches the characters the Musik technique is openly gay when requested to teach a male character the Musik technique he comments He looks cute and charges less than he would for teaching female characters Any obvious references to this were removed from the American release he instead comments He looks smart and still charges less for teaching the male characters 3 While the tracks in the soundtrack are the same for both versions the snare drums are much louder in the Japanese version 4 In the Japanese version the game is set 942 years after the events of Phantasy Star I Ports Edit Phantasy Star II was re released as a port in two different forms for the Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance as part of Phantasy Star Collection It was also released on the Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 for the Dreamcast It is also part of the Sega Genesis Collection for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable The game is available in Sonic s Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 The game is also included as part of Sega Genesis Classics for Xbox One PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch Microsoft Windows macOS and Linux The game was made available through Nintendo s Virtual Console service in 2008 On June 10 2009 it was released on Xbox Live Arcade under the Sega Vintage Collection banner On August 26 2010 an iPhone port of the game was released 5 The port later became available on the iPad and iPod touch as well On June 22 2017 Sega made the game available for free through both iTunes and Android 6 In October 1993 7 Atari Corporation filed a lawsuit against Sega for an alleged infringement of a patent originally created by Atari Corp in the 1980s 8 with the former seeking a preliminary injunction to stop manufacturing usage and sales of hardware and software for both Sega Genesis and Game Gear 9 On September 28 1994 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 both parties reached a settlement in which it involved a cross licensing agreement to publish up to five titles each year across their systems until 2001 17 18 19 20 21 22 Phantasy Star II was one of the first five titles approved from the deal by Sega in order to be converted for the Atari Jaguar but it was never released 9 Reception and legacy EditContemporary receptionReview scoresPublicationScoreACE887 1000 23 Aktueller Software Markt56 60 24 Dragon 25 Electronic Gaming Monthly32 40 26 Joystick97 27 Player One95 28 Raze90 29 VideoGames amp Computer Entertainment9 10 30 Zero89 31 Mega88 32 Sega Power94 33 Contemporary Edit Its demonstration at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show Winter CES in January 1990 received a positive reception 34 The original Phantasy Star game was a big game for its time 2 and because of the advancements in technology between the Master System and Genesis Phantasy Star II featured a much larger cartridge than its predecessor holding 6 megabits of data making it the largest game on any game machine up until that time 2 RePlay magazine praised the game for providing a lengthy home video game experience not found in arcades and reported it could take about 250 hours to complete 34 The game was well received by critics upon release In Dragon magazine Phantasy Star II was described as one of the best role playing games yet to be released for any video game system 25 Wizardry designer Roe R Adams wrote in Computer Gaming World that Phantasy Star II was a system seller for the Genesis 35 stating that its 16 bit graphics are gorgeous but the real fun lies in the science fiction story plot He concluded that it is a challenging and enjoyable game with superb combat and animated graphics 2 Raze concluded that it is a challenging quest packed with gameplay 29 Retrospective Edit Retrospective receptionAggregate scoresAggregatorScoreiOSSega GenesisXbox 360GameRankingsN A80 36 N AMetacriticN AN A64 100 37 Review scoresPublicationScoreiOSSega GenesisXbox 360IGN8 5 10 39 N A7 10 38 HonestGamersN A10 10 40 N A Phantasy Star II was a landmark game in its time a game of many firsts according to Nintendo Power 41 It was the first RPG for the Mega Drive and was released in the U S two months before the original Final Fantasy for the NES another key game in the genre s popularization in North America Phantasy Star II is regarded by many as a forerunner for certain aspects of role playing video games such as an epic dramatic character driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter a strategy based battle system 42 43 and the demand for extensive strategy guides for such games Phantasy Star II included one with the game itself Phantasy Star II s predominantly science fiction setting was also a major departure for RPGs which had previously been largely restricted to fantasy or science fantasy settings 44 The game s science fiction story was also unique reversing the common alien invasion scenario by instead presenting Earthlings as the invading antagonists rather than the defending protagonists 42 43 The game s strong characterization and use of self discovery as a motivating factor for the characters and the player was a major departure from previous RPGs and had a major influence on subsequent RPGs such as the Final Fantasy series 44 It also made an attempt at social commentary years before the Final Fantasy series started doing the same 41 Tor com described the worldbuilding as fantastic probably the best in any 16 bit era game 45 Phantasy Star II has made a number of greatest games of all time type lists including being inducted into GameSpot s list of greatest games of all time in 2005 42 Mega placed the game at 29 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time in 1992 46 In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it the 30th best console video game of all time saying it was the best RPG on the Genesis due to its characters story enemies and massive length 47 In 2003 IGN ranked it as the 92nd top game choosing Phantasy Star II for how it surprised everyone with the death of a major player 1 3 the way years before Final Fantasy VII in addition to a balanced experience point system tough as nails bosses and one of the biggest and most difficult RPG quests that we ve ever seen 48 In 2009 Nintendo Power called Phantasy Star II along with Phantasy Star IV one of the greatest role playing games of all time 49 In 2011 GamePro included it in its list of 20 Games That Defined Role Playing Games 50 Levi Buchanan of IGN reviewed the iPhone version in 2010 He praised it as an awesome game with a real sense of discovery and one of his favorite final twists in videogames 39 Remake Edit A remake Phantasy Star Generation 2 was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 as a part of Sega Ages in 2005 Much like Phantasy Star Generation 1 the remake mirrors the events of the original game while adding character development and fleshing out the story in more detail It featured enhanced graphics a revised combat system and a rearranged soundtrack Other new features included the ability to play the original Mega Drive version and to load a system file from Phantasy Star Generation 1 to allow the ability to play as Nei throughout the entire game It was originally slated for North American and European release by Conspiracy Entertainment as a part of the Phantasy Star Trilogy a compilation of the remakes of Phantasy Star Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star IV The compilation s future is uncertain however since Sega reclaimed the publishing rights for the North America and Europe This is evidenced by the fact that the trilogy no longer appears on Conspiracy Entertainment s list of products on their website 51 Sega has abandoned their plans for a Phantasy Star IV remake in favor of a compilation featuring the original iterations of Phantasy Star I IV 52 53 References EditNotes Footnotes Glicker Stephen M 1990 03 19 Get Phantasy Star II Now Newsgroup rec games video Retrieved 2012 07 25 a b c d Adams Roe R November 1990 Wishing on a Phantasy Star II Computer Gaming World no 76 pp 85 6 Ripplinger Mike 2002 The Two Phantasy Stars Camineet Retrieved 2010 01 29 Thomas Damian 2008 Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Album RPGFan Retrieved 2010 01 29 Phantasy Star II on the App Store on iTunes Itunes apple com 2012 11 30 Retrieved 2013 11 06 You Can Finally Play Classic Sega Games on Your Phone Thrillist 2017 06 22 Retrieved 2017 06 28 Atari Corp v Sega of America Inc 869 F Supp 783 N D Cal 1994 justia com August 12 1994 Archived from the original on 2018 11 16 Retrieved 2018 11 15 ProNews Atari Sues Sega GamePro No 54 IDG January 1994 p 258 Archived from the original on 2018 11 16 Retrieved 2018 11 15 a b CRV August 6 2017 Blog Legal Brief Atari vs Sega gdri smspower org Archived from the original on 2018 11 16 Retrieved 2018 11 15 Tramiel Garry September 28 1994 To Our Valued Customer atari history com Archived from the original on September 19 2000 Retrieved 2018 11 15 Sega And Atari Announce Long Term Licensing Agreements Equity Investment and Resolution of Disputes atari history com September 28 1994 Archived from the original on September 19 2000 Retrieved 2018 11 15 Overseas Readers Column Atari Drops Sega Charges For 90M Game Machine in Japanese No 483 Amusement Press Inc 1 November 1994 p 26 The Enter Active File Entertainment Industry News Of Info Systems Video Games amp Retail Tech Media Billboard Vol 106 no 49 Lynne Segall December 3 1994 p 82 ProNews Sega Atari Settle Differences GamePro No 65 IDG December 1994 p 282 Archived from the original on 2018 11 16 Retrieved 2018 11 15 Peers Nick December 1994 The News The Latest News Atari Vs Sega ST Format No 65 Future plc p 11 Archived from the original on 2018 11 16 Retrieved 2018 11 15 Ultimate Update A legal battle over Ultimate Future Games No 1 Future Publishing December 1994 p 20 Retrieved 2019 05 25 Reportage Le Japon En Direct Jaguar Coup De Griffe Sur Le Japon Atari Et Sega Consoles in French No 39 M E R 7 January 1995 p 26 Archived from the original on 2018 11 16 Retrieved 2018 11 15 News Front Page Sega buys into Atari Game Players No 68 Signal Research February 1995 p 14 Special Atari from boom to bust and back again Edge No 18 Future plc March 1995 pp 58 65 Archived from the original on 2019 01 18 Retrieved 2019 09 16 Special Atari from boom to bust and back again Next Generation No 4 Imagine Media April 1995 pp 34 41 CVG News Atari s Cat Gets The CD Cream Big Cat Claws EA Deal Computer and Video Games No 163 Future Publishing June 1995 pp 12 13 Archived from the original on 2018 10 18 Retrieved 2019 01 05 At Last Atari Ultimate Gamer No 4 Larry Flynt Publications November 1995 pp 34 37 ACE Magazine Issue 37 ACE Magazine October 1990 Retrieved 25 February 2021 Hoogh Eva August September 1990 Segas Sternstunde Aktueller Software Markt 9 Retrieved 5 February 2012 a b Lesser Hartley Lesser Patricia Lesser Kirk August 1990 The Role of Computers Dragon 160 47 52 Phantasy Star 2 Electronic Gaming Monthly No 9 April 1990 p 18 JM Destroy November 1990 Phantasy Star 2 Joystick 10 98 Retrieved 5 February 2012 Phantasy Star II Player One 7 24 5 March 1991 Retrieved 5 February 2012 a b Phantasy Star II Raze 5 April 1991 Retrieved 29 January 2012 Phantasy Star II PDF VideoGames amp Computer Entertainment 14 34 March 1990 Retrieved 31 July 2016 Phantasy Star 2 Zero 17 88 March 1991 Retrieved 5 February 2012 Ying Games PDF Mega 18 71 March 1994 Mega Drive Phantasy Star II PDF Sega Power 15 22 3 February 1991 a b Home Games Look Robust at Winter CES Show Coin Op Must Get On Track Fast Observers Say RePlay Vol 15 no 5 February 1990 pp 38 44 Adams Roe R III November 1990 Westward Ho Toward Japan That Is Computer Gaming World p 83 Retrieved 16 November 2013 Phantasy Star II for Genesis GameRankings CBS Interactive Archived from the original on 2019 12 09 Retrieved 2018 08 08 Phantasy Star II for Xbox 360 Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved 2018 08 08 Clayman David 2009 06 26 Phantasy Star II Review IGN Ziff Davis Retrieved 2018 08 08 a b Buchanan Levi August 28 2010 Phantasy Star II iPhone Review IGN Ziff Davis Archived from the original on 1 February 2013 Retrieved 28 January 2012 Hartley Gary October 29 2005 Phantasy Star II Staff Review HonestGamers Retrieved 28 January 2012 a b Phantasy Star II Nintendo Power Vol 246 249 Nintendo of America 2009 p 21 Retrieved 28 January 2012 a b c Kasavin Greg The Greatest Games of All Time Phantasy Star II Features at GameSpot GameSpot Archived from the original on 2005 07 18 Retrieved 2010 09 13 a b Time Machine Phantasy Star ComputerAndVideoGames com January 2 2011 Retrieved 15 May 2011 a b Kaiser Rowan July 22 2011 RPG Pillars Phantasy Star II GamePro Archived from the original on 2011 07 25 Retrieved 6 September 2011 Tieryas Peter December 21 2015 Gaming Utopia Phantasy Star II Replay part 1 Tor com Retrieved 30 March 2020 Mega magazine issue 1 page 76 Future Publishing October 1992 100 Best Games of All Time Electronic Gaming Monthly No 100 Ziff Davis November 1997 p 140 Note Contrary to the title the intro to the article on page 100 explicitly states that the list covers console video games only meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible IGN s Top 100 Games of All Time Uk top100 ign com Archived from the original on 2013 11 04 Retrieved 2013 11 06 Editors of Nintendo Power Nintendo Power February 2009 issue 2 in English Future US Inc 39 42 Retrieved February 1 2010 Kat Bailey Jason Wilson July 22 2011 RPG Pillars 20 Games That Defined Role Playing Games GamePro Archived from the original on 2011 12 03 Retrieved 6 September 2011 Conspiracy Entertainment s current product list Conspiracygames com Archived from the original on 2005 11 24 Retrieved 2009 10 23 IGN com entry on Phantasy Star Trilogy indicating its cancellation Ps2 ign com 2004 05 27 Retrieved 2009 10 23 Gamespot entry on Phantasy Star Trilogy indicating its cancellation Gamespot com Retrieved 2009 10 23 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Phantasy Star II amp oldid 1118068565, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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