phantasy-star-ii
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Sega permanently drops prices on its iPhone and iPad titles
If you've purchased an iDevice as a holiday gift for that certain special someone, Sega's made it a bit more affordable for you to load it up with some solid interactive apps. Nearly all of the publisher's games for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch have received permanent, sizable price cuts.
Sega puts titles on sale for back-to-school, releases Phantasy Star II on iOS
Just in time for the days of, well, skipping out on video games and getting back to the books, Sega has decided to try and tempt you away from that schoolwork by dropping prices across the board on its iOS games. Golden Axe, Shining Force, Streets of Rage and Ecco the Dolphin are all on sale for just US$0.99, and the Super Monkey Ball and Sonic the Hedgehog games are on sale for just a few bucks as well. Phantasy Star II is worth mentioning on its own. Sega just released the game on iOS today, and for my money (only $2.99 during this sale!), there's no better Genesis-era RPG. Seriously, if you are a fan of the console RPG genre at all, this one's a must buy. The story's fun, the gameplay is excellent, and having the title on the App Store is a real treat. Shining Force is a great game, and Streets of Rage is a fun title to have around for just a buck, but if you buy one game during this sale (which lasts through September 1st -- thanks, Sega!), I'd recommend Phantasy Star II.
Achievements confirm XBLA release of Altered Beast, Shinobi, Comix Zone
If a few questionable screengrabs and a handful of ESRB ratings weren't evidence enough for you to believe in the XBLA-bound "Sega Vintage Collection Vol. 2," we now present you with exhibit C -- MyGamerCard recently dug up achievements for Altered Beast, Comix Zone and Shinobi, three of the titles belonging to the heretofore unannounced collection. Sadly, the other three titles which are rumored to accompany them, Sonic 3, GunStar Heroes and Phantasy Star II, are still unspoken for in the Cheevo department. We'll let you know when we hear more!See: Altered Beast achievementsSee: Comix Zone achievementsSee: Shinobi achievements
Best of 2008: 10 games you should have downloaded
Even without consulting the weekly popularity charts found on the Nintendo Channel, it's pretty simple to know whether a Virtual Console game was successful in 2008. Success on the VC was reserved for Nintendo franchises and the very biggest names in third-party releases, like Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man. One delightful exception to the super-famous franchise rule: Super Dodge Ball has been in the Top 20 since release. People are clearly buying what they already love rather than exploring.WiiWare, as well, is dominated by the same titles since release: World of Goo, Tetris Party, and (yes,) My Aquarium have been at the top of the charts since release. Other games that have had long stretches of success include, uh, Target Toss Pro: Bags, Pong Toss, Sudoku Challenge, and -- oh, good -- Mega Man 9. Some less popular games take a trip up and then back down the chart upon release. But some didn't even really do that, despite being totally worthwhile. Join us as we browse through five Virtual Console games and five WiiWare games that you guys passed over for more Mario games and The Incredible Maze. To simplify things, we considered North American sales and releases only. If you're from outside North America, go ahead and assume people missed good games in your region too. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; }
SEGA classics get ESRB rating, to XBLA soon
According to the ESRB ratings website, a foursome of classic SEGA titles will be making their way to the Xbox Live Arcade (presumably) sometime next year. SEGA's Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Gunstar Heroes, Phantasy Star II and comic book inspired Comix Zone are all listed on the ESRB as "Xbox 360" titles, which sorta lends the games to being XBLA releases. Of course, we're huge fans of Sonic 3 and even Comix Zone, but would you be willing to plop down 400 or even 800 Microsoft points on old-school SEGA gaming?[Via CVG]
The VC Advantage: Planet Motavia Travel Guide
People who bought Phantasy Star II upon its original Genesis release knew what they were getting into immediately upon opening the box. This Phantasy Star II Hint Book was the first warning that the game was brutally hard (well, that and the Phantasy Star name, which was equally foreboding for Master System gamers). The 110-page Hint Book, clad in ALARM YELLOW (actually kind of a subdued yellow) was players' official notice that Phantasy Star II was the kind of game that you needed a hint book for.We didn't have GameFAQs back then -- if a dungeon was complicated, we usually got lost; if a boss was challenging, we usually died. Sega's thoughtful inclusion of a hint book provided a nice alternative to assured failure: possible success -- with a side of failure.We've excerpted the hint book for your perusal. Check it out if you just downloaded the Virtual Console version of Phantasy Star II and want help getting started, or if you'd just like to see the state-of-the-art in strategy guides circa 1990. If that's not enough (and it isn't), check Phantasy-Star.net for more transcribed information from the book!%Gallery-20193%
Reminder: Last day for the Superstarz(zzzz) pack!
This time, we put the extra zeds in parentheses, just to see if you were paying attention. You are? Excellent! Then we know you're listening when we remind you that today is the very last day to enter the inaugural edition of Virtually Free, the new biweekly chance for you to pick up free Virtual Console games. Not sure what we're talking about? Then go check out the original post, and maybe leave a comment while you're there. You don't want to miss out on your chance for Phantasy Star II and StarTropics, do you?
The VC Advantage: Phantasy Spoiler II
My dad bought Phantasy Star II when it came out, and played it relentlessly. It wasn't until later that I picked up RPGs myself, but I loved watching and listening as he played along, consulting hintbooks and helping to draw maps. I especially loved listening to Phantasy Star II, whose MIDI music fit the brightly-colored sci-fi look of the game. When I saw this particular trick in a magazine, I was pretty excited about being able to help my dad do the impossible in the game. He had already passed the relevant section, as it turned out, so I never got to see it work. This little trick doesn't seem like such a big deal now, but it was a major glitch in 1990.Even though Phantasy Star II is totally old, and thus seemingly fair game for spoilers, be warned that this VC Advantage is entirely concerned with the major spoiler of Phantasy Star II. If you don't want the story to be ruined, don't read this. If you're all about gameplay only, or if this is the second time through for you, then come on in!
VC Friday: VC Phriday
After a run of three weeks with only one title, this Friday sees two Sega properties up for the taking on the PAL Virtual Console. The first, 2D fighter Eternal Champions, should only concern the most ardent supporters of the company.Indeed, if our bastardization of "VC Friday" tells you anything, it's that this is the week of Phantasy Star II. Sega's RPG is rightfully a huge favorite amongst the Fanboy staff, and it should be high on your list as well. For 800 Wii points, on a machine with no notable RPGs to call its own, it's a pretty damn essential addition to your Virtual Console library. Eternal Champions -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points Phantasy Star II -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points
VC Tuesday: Japan wins at having VC games
Sometimes, we can't help but compare the Japanese Virtual Console releases to the American ones. In some cases, they're about equal in quantity (which, lately, means low). Not this week. In the U.S. we got one game. Japan? Four. And one of them is Phantasy Star II. We desperately wish that we could say this marks a return to 2007-level release density, but we really can't predict that. Next Monday and Tuesday could roll around and drop one game on us again. Let's just try to be optimistic!Anyway, Phantasy Star II is really awesome. It's a beautiful futuristic RPG that is totally worth eight bucks (if you don't have a PS2). It makes us sad that Sega isn't really doing much in the way of RPGs these days. We certainly wouldn't mind seeing Super R-Type, either. Mappy (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Super R-Type (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Phantasy Star II (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) CD Denjin: Rockabilly no Tengoku (Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise) (PC Engine CD-ROM,
Coming to the Japanese VC in January: Not MSX games
Nintendo has announced their planned January Virtual Console releases for Japan, and some excellent games are in the lineup. The Miyamoto-developed Devil World is the most noteworthy game in the Famicom lineup, and it's being released just in time to remind everyone who that thing in Smash Bros. is. We're hoping that this Japanese release leads to an international one, of course. It'll be a good month for Sega, who is releasing the excellent Phantasy Star II and the currently Japan-exclusive Monster World IV, which is basically Wonder Boy VI. Hey, neat, more Wonder Boy (we're not being sarcastic.) As for Phantasy Star II, like many other Genesis games, we'd be a lot more excited about buying it for eight bucks if the Sega Genesis Collection didn't exist.People who are way into Turbografx-16 strategy games will be pleased to see Neo Nectaris, the TurboDuo sequel to the classic strategy game, and a Japanese exclusive. Maybe it won't be for much longer, either.Conspicuously absent are the two initial MSX games, EGGY and Aleste, which were listed as releasing in 2007 for all of 2007. In fact, Nintendo's VC web site still has them coming out in 2007. We shouldn't be surprised that they won't hit in January, but we thought it was worth noting that they have officially missed their release year.The full game list is after the break!
