Must...Play...PSO...err PSPortable...

When Phantasy Star Universe came out for the XBox 360, I tried REALLY HARD to love it. But fact of the matter is... It sucked. The single player mode forced you to play some punk ass kid with a bratty attitude and when you played online multi-player with your friends, the rewards were pathetic. Unless you completed Story Mode through chapter 4 to unlock Extra Mode, the character you created could only progress by playing online, although you COULD play online alone if you so desired. I hated Story Mode, so I don't think I even finished the first chapter.

When Phantasy Star Portable was announced for the PSP, I blew it off as another PSU. After all, it takes place in the same time, with a lot of the same characters. Then I saw a Japanese commercial for the game which had four guys sitting around a table in a cafe or something, playing multi-player mode. It looked like they were having so much fun. I just couldn't help but become intrigued. Honestly, I hate it when a commercial makes me interested in something. I feel like I'm being controlled by the media, but it was the Japanese media, so I didn't mind so much. I have a much more Japanese way of thinking than an American one.

So when it came out, I bought it. And I can't stop playing it. The game mechanics are basically the same as PSU. Action palette, linking skills to weapons, leveling up skills, experience to level up your character, and mission points to level up your class. The character you create becomes the main character of Story Mode and you can use this same character in Multi Mode. In Story Mode, there are Story Missions, which advance the story (duh) and as you complete those, Free Missions are unlocked. These free missions have C, B, A, and S rank difficulties and can be done over and over as many times as you like. (You have to meet certain level requirements for the different difficulties, of course.) These missions are somewhat tied into the story in that you have to do one to open up then next step in the story. Since you can do the same stuff over and over, it feels a lot like playing Phantasy Star Online.

Another thing I noticed that I like is that they paid more attention to making the different weapons LOOK nicer. Not just make the blade different colors, although they still do that. Also, during my first or second mission, I found a whip weapon called the Amore Rose. When I swing it, roses come pouring out of it and it causes a (de)buff to appear on the mob so that hearts come pouring out of it. In other words, I managed to get something cool early on. I also found a Mark 3 and a Master System that when I wear them, they float over my head like a mag.

Everyone has a room with a Partner Machinery, but this time around you don't have to feed it and make it grow. You get to pick what kind you want during character creation and you can invite it to join your party when you fight in free missions. As far as I can tell, its damage output scales with your level.

I've downloaded the download content, but haven't tried it yet. I also haven't tried multi mode yet, since I don't have anyone to play with. I think I'll buy it for my son so he and I can play. He played the demo and liked it a lot. ^_^ This game translates very well to a handheld. I never play my handhelds at home since I have consoles, but I can't stop playing this. It's addicting.

Edit: Forgot to add... The music is the same as PSU except sometimes they have PSO music. :)