87 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
87 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
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PHANTASY STAR
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Sega's excellent PHANTASY STAR can't be compared to any other video game
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currently available. It is, in fact, a sophisticated computer role-playing game,
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complete with delightful animated graphics, lots of dungeons, a very
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easy-to-learn menu system, and a compelling quest. There is not a single arcade
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element in this game; no fast reflexes are required.
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The setting is the Algol planetary system in the Andromeda galaxy. The time is
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outside our comprehension; here, the latest technological miracles (such laser
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shields and light sabres) can be found side-by-side with chain mail and bronze
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axes. Magical abilities are commonplace, and the denizens range from slime to
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robot cops to evil demigods.
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King Lassic, once a kind and benevolent ruler, has turned to the Black Arts and
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established a new regime of outrageous oppression. Naturally, some citizens
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battle against the King's tyranny, and those who do are eliminated. As one of
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these young rebels lay dying, he charges his sister, Alis, with continuing the
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fight against Lassic. Out of her desire to avenge her dead brother, Alis picks
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up the fight. She has only a little spare change and a single lead: Perhaps if
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she can find Odin, a great warrior known to her brother, she'll stand a chance
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to topple Lassic.
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Thus, the prologue ends and the game begins. You assume the role of Alis and
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begin to wander the towns and wilderness of the three planets that fall under
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Lassic's rule. Along the way, you enlist the help of three more characters,
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Odin, Myau, and Noah -- all of whom have very different abilities: Myau is a
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sentient cat creature with vicious attack power and cleric-like magic abilities.
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Noah is a wizard with the greatest magical and least defensive strength. Alis is
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the best warrior overall and knows a little magic herself; Odin's brute strength
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is handy, but he cannot use magic. Finding these three compatriots is difficult
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enough and requires a lot of exploration and problem-solving. But, even then,
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the game has only just begun.
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In the course of the quest, you talk to scores of townspeople and shopkeepers,
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bums, and even enemies. There are dozens of intricate, mappable dungeons, caves,
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and towers. The 3-D dungeon views are so smoothly animated that the illusion of
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first-person movement is better than any I've seen in a computer game. Although
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the walls have little texture or variety, the use of color is excellent. There
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are surprises in nearly every maze, lots of traps and pits, and a few hidden
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doors.
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One double-edged aspect of the game is that certain puzzles cannot be completed
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until the game allows you to complete them. For example, there's a very
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peculiar-looking square in one of the towns. Examine it all you want; you won't
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find anything at all. But once you find a character who explains that the square
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hides a tunnel, you can then enter the tunnel. At times, this seems inconsistent
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with your characters' purported abilities. But there are occasions when this
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same technique makes sense.
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There's a huge amount of land to be covered in this "4-Mega" cartridge.
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PHANTASY STAR offers greater depth than many popular computer role-playing
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games; it's far more involving than QUESTRON II or BATTLETECH. Finishing the
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game is liable to take weeks. The battery backup allows you to save and restore
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up to five games. Supposedly, the battery is good for about five years and
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apparently can be replaced fairly easily.
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The documentation is quite good and describes nearly every weapon, armor,
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shield, and item you're likely to find. Combat and magic are menu-driven and
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straightforward. The method of character development is very familiar: There are
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magic and hit points, attack and defense ratings, and overall level ratings for
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each character based on accumulated experience. Time does not pass between
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commands; therefore, you can think about a particular attack situation as long
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as you like before responding. The magic system is also familiar. There are 18
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spells altogether, though about a third of them seem superfluous. The greater a
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character's level, the more spells she or he learns, and the more reliable the
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spells are.
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Because of the amount of memory and the battery backup, PHANTASY STAR is about
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the most expensive video game cartridge to date. Mine cost $69.95; you're not
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likely to find it much cheaper than that. Even so, PHANTASY STAR is worth the
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price. It's exactly like playing a very good computer RPG from the comfort of
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your couch, without the disk hassles. The animation is superior t most CRPGs;
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the game moves along swiftly, but play keeps going a long time. The ending has a
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delightfully fiendish twist; even the closing credits are more dynamic and
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interesting than any I've ever seen on computer.
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I recommend PHANTASY STAR highly, especially to adults who own Sega systems and
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are looking for something more complex and interesting than repetitive
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arcade-style games.
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PHANTASY STAR is published by Sega of America and distributed by Tonka Corp.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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