Phantasy Star Universe

Phantasy Star Universe is an action RPG by Sonic Team that follows up on the successful Phantasy Star Online and brings its concept of a shared universe to standard consoles as well, without needing the specialized online setup that the Dreamcast required for its predecessor. The player goes through a linear story campaign as a mercenary of the Guardians organization fighting against a mysterious threat called SEED, while also being able to join online missions with other players, combine three playable races and various classes, and gradually upgrade their equipment and mechanical companions called Mags. Compared to the purely online Phantasy Star Online, it thus offers a full single-player story as the main entry point into the game's world.

PlayStation 2 was one of the launch platforms alongside PC, and the game released there in the same year. Visually, it's naturally the most modest version of the three – textures and character models are less detailed than in the PC release, environments are less dense with detail, and the frame rate drops more noticeably than on the more powerful hardware during hectic battles with more opponents and on-screen effects. Controls were designed for a gamepad from the start, so they feel natural and intuitive on PS2, while the PC version had to adapt its controls to keyboard and mouse, which wasn't always done as elegantly.

The online component worked on PS2 the same way as on the other platforms, via separate subscription-based servers, and it wasn't possible to play together across consoles and PC due to separate network infrastructure. For players without a PC or a later Xbox 360, this was, at the time of release, the only available way to enjoy Phantasy Star Universe on a big screen with a classic controller in hand and without having to deal with a computer's system requirements.

It was also the very first Phantasy Star game to ever release on a PlayStation console – the earlier Phantasy Star Online had remained the domain of Sega Dreamcast, GameCube and Xbox. For anyone looking for a modern online RPG without needing to invest in new hardware, the PS2 version offered a cheap and accessible option, albeit at the cost of more modest graphics compared to the simultaneously released PC edition.

Why play it: For players looking for a modern online RPG without needing to buy new hardware, the PlayStation 2 version offered a cheap and accessible take on the series' first entry on PlayStation consoles, albeit with more modest graphics than the PC edition.