I've been eyeing my copy of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis collection for a while now and I just recently remembered that all 4 Phantasy star games are on the disc though since I lack a second controller, I can't unlock Phantasy Star 1 just yet. We're still in mid-march so I got time to clear out some incomplete games in my library before I dedicate myself to playing the other three Phantasy Star games all month.

Would the second game be a good jumping off spot for this? I hear the final boss fight in ll is a pain to beat.

You could probably jump straight into 2 just fine, although some late game stuff makes more sense if you've played 1.

I should probably treat the first game like a prequel then when I get the chance to unlock it.

@solh0und:

The easiest Phantasy Star to get into is Phantasy Star 4. I would say it's probably the best too. But all of them are pretty good. Phantasy Star 2 can be a beast, like the first game, if you don't do certain things first. Right from the get go you need to grind like mad. Upgrade all of your equipment at the first town and get all of the items you can. And then level up over and over again. I can't tell you exactly how long you need to level but level up even more then what you think just to be safe. And then beat the dungeon, find the next town, and do it again. Basically you need to be willing to go through a lot of repetition to beat that game and the first game.

I can't speak to the third game as I haven't played much of it. But the fourth game is much more forgiving and can be beat with only a little grinding. But the same concept of getting all of the best armor and weapons in each town and getting a ton of items before tackling a dungeon continues throughout the series.

If you're going a SEGA classics angle, go for Shining Force II!

@jasonr86 said:

So I guess my gameplan should be to grind for about a hour before jumping into a dungeon then?

Uh this is the easy way. You get to a town, find out all the best gear it sells, then grind until all your party has all the best gear in that town. Not one minute more, not one minute less. You do that and you will be fine. Phantasy Star 2 is fine to jump in my the way, but I is ideal. Do not jump in at 4 or 3. PH4 requires no real grinding, I would still do the same deal just to stay "ahead" of the game but you will find getting all the best gear per town is no where near as time consuming as it was in earlier games.

Yeah, I mean it's been a while since I played it but I remember having to grind even after getting the best gear. But I don't know for sure. Grind until you feel ready to move on and see what happens.

Phantasy Star 1 sucks balls, I would just skip it entirely.

So why would you need a second controller to unlock the first game?

Let me clarify one key point I may not have been clear on... You grind until you can get all the best gear for "all your team members" before moving on. In Phantasy Star 2 you have A LOT of team members. Some of them aren't even in your party most of the time. You still need to gear them though... never know when you might need one. Also helps for you to decide that crucial final "slot" as anyone who has played knows certain team members are obvious but some of them are a tougher decision.

@thunderslash: Yeah it is sort of annoying. I also have that game collection.

Basically some of the games are hidden and you can only unlock them by doing certain things. Phantasy Star 1 requires you to do something with 2 players or some such nonsense, so those of us with only one controller are out of luck.

Yeah, it involves playing Sonic 2 with a friend and my PS3 friends aren't exactly in arms reach.

So I decided that I might start this a bit early like around Bioshock week. I'll just have to see what's going on that week with things.

I really hope you like oldschool RPG's. Like many games of the time it is really obtuse about certain things, and grinding for several hours before each dungeon is required. I've tried to get through 2 a couple of times but always end up giving up. I don't have the patience for it. I've only played maybe an hour of 3 and 4 but, again, they are very oldschool RPG's. If you aren't used to the difficulty and lack of hand holding then you are in for a very unpleasant surprise. It's not like Ultima bad as far as not telling you what the hell to do, but be ready to maybe take some notes here and there. Let me tell you I praise the day when someone invented the in game journal. Playing RPG's in the 80's and early 90's required a lot of dedication and patience. Good luck though.

@raven10 said:

Oh I've totally grew up on those. Shockingly enough, I've never played the Phantasy Star series growing up. I figured since I bought that Ultimate Genesis Collection, why not finally cash in a opportunity on finally playing though those.

So far, the only thing I have done in 2 today was change my character's name from Rolf to Ralf(I find Rolf werid). walked around town, and saved. So there has been progress made!