By the time Phantasy Star III was released the series was well on its way to becoming a solid favourite with Western Sega fans, having already become pretty famous in its homeland Japan. With the third game Sega decided to make some sweeping alterations, but the core gameplay fundamentally remains the same.
As the title would suggest, the biggest selling point of PSIII is undoubtedly the ‘generation system’. As the game progresses you end up assuming the role of the offspring of the starting character as opposed to controlling just one hero all the way through. The game also showcases a branching story arc, which obviously adds to the replayability.
Aside from that, much has been left the same. The random battles operate in a similar fashion (although they’re far more automated this time, which will either come as a blessing or a curse, depending on your outlook) and the usual structure is abided by – essentially you travel from settlement to settlement fighting monsters and tackling bosses.
Graphically things have actually taken a noticeable dive compared to its predecessor, which is rather disconcerting when you consider that PSII wasn’t the prettiest game ever. The character designs are nice enough but everything looks a bit bland, with only a few colours being used on screen at any one time. It all looks a lot like the primitive Megadrive/Genesis RPG Sword of Vermillion. Some detailed cut scenes help lift the game slightly but they’re few and far between.
Another key issue is that the much-hyped ‘generation system’ isn’t quite as free-flowing as Sega would have you believe; the branching plotlines aren’t all that different and it’s unlikely that you will want to sit through the many hours of gameplay more than once in order to see all the different threads of the storyline. This system also waters down a plot that isn’t terribly engaging in the first place – it’s little wonder that Sega ditched the concept for the infinitely superior sequel, PSIV.
As it stands PS3 is a decent enough RPG and offers plenty of hours of entertainment, but it’s hard to shake the impression that this is arguably the weakest game in this illustrious series. Hardcore fans will obviously want to give it a bash but more casual adventure gamers would be better off trying the second game, or one of the other RPGs currently available on the Virtual Console.
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1. 7th lutz
13 Mar 2008, 21:06 GMT
Great Concept for a rpg at the time Phantasy Star 3 came out.. The battle system is the worst of the phantasy Star games. You also have problems healing in the game at times.
Phantasy Star 3 really doesn't have any tie-ins to the first two phantasy Star games. Phantasy Star 3 wasn't made by the same people that did the first 2 Phantasy Stars. The people who did Phantasy Star 3, also did Sword of Vermillion.
Phantasy Star 3 is not a must have rpg for the genesis.
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2. President_Leever
14 Mar 2008, 00:46 GMT
This game is a mess. Worst game in the series. Pass
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3. Brandex
26 Mar 2008, 19:42 GMT
Considering that a lot of people are saying that this is the worst in the series, it's a shame that this was the only Phantasy Star I have played. I didn't like it. The generations concept was interesting, but I found the game really slow and boring. I don't think I ever finished it. I'm glad that the other Phantasy Star games are better.
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4. DDR Paladin356
18 Apr 2008, 00:45 GMT
@ 7th Lutz
I think theres a possible tie in to the other Phantasy Star games.
Spoiler Warning
In one of the four endings, you go through a black hole and end up near earth. It doesn't show what happens at the end of this ending (other than , but in the ending of Phantasy Star II, we know that the people who created Mother Brain were from Earth. I think the layout of the final level of PSII (Noah) is similar to the ship Alisa III. So, its possible that during the end of Phantasy Star III (the ending that I was talking about), they were transported to a future Earth which was dying (like it said in the end of PSII) and the earthlings took over that ship which was sent through the future and traveled to Algo and caused the destruction of Palma and everything else thats been going on.
This is of course a speculation. I don't know if any of the endings of PSIII are canon or not, but i think thats a small possibility of how things happened.
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5. Citan
18 Apr 2008, 16:17 GMT
Actually......
SPOILERS ALERT!!!!!
SPOILERS COMING!!
Alright, PSIII takes place in a ship/planet that managed to escape before Palma/Parm was destroyed in PSII.
SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!! END
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6. Cally
19 Apr 2008, 20:38 GMT
Wow, you spoilers went and just about ruined most of the reward for enduring some of PS3's pain--man, the Genesis was good at torturing the ears with that tinny "music," but PS3 was on another level. The game is just overlong, often feeling aimless and incredibly cheap--every time you're male character is years older and no longer playable, the difference in his portrait is a cheaply-applied mustache (though admittedly, that was one of the biggest laughs I've ever gotten out of a game). And check out those puke-inducing battle screens. Surprisingly though, the plot proved to be downright inspired and incredibly creative, making PS3 unique enough to warrant a look.
Should hardcore RPG fans put up with this game for the good stuff? I'm leaning towards yes, as a matter of duty!
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7. Shrapnel09
20 Apr 2008, 05:24 GMT
.... I really enjoyed the game...
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8. Radretrogamer
23 Apr 2008, 16:59 GMT
Being a newcomer to the series i have to say that im actually enjoying Phantasy Star 3 more than 2. i dont think it looks worst than 2 and i enjoy the atmosphere of the game.
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9. Masuyo
23 Apr 2008, 20:51 GMT
THIS was the Phantasy Star game I grew up on. I absolutely loved it as a kid. It may not be the best but I'm getting it for nostalgia. There were parts in it that really stuck in my brain but they were so vague until now. Woohoo!
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10. CopyofCopyX
25 Apr 2008, 15:20 GMT
Oh I remember that game. The hero moved slllllloooooowwww.
Overall Phantasy Star 4 is the best game of the series.
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11. solosnake 28 Apr 2008, 06:01 GMT
This is the worst in the series, but it is still a good RPG.
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12. Bananiac
12 May 2008, 21:32 GMT
Excuse me, but the video is useless! Its got minutes of credits and intro, but doesn't tell me anything about the gameplay at all
What's the use of this???
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