Maybe I'm a little biased about this game. It was my first console RPG after all. Sure I'd played Legend of Zelda on the NES, but that hardly counts. So when I say that this is close to being the best RPG ever made, that statement should be taken in light of the fact that this was my first one. I've heard people say that Saga Frontier is a great RPG, only because it was the first RPG that they'd played. But Phantasy Star II is an unbelievably good RPG regardless. It features an outstandingly original sci-fi storyline, anime-influenced graphics, and an almost techno soundtrack. For a game of the time, it blew everything else away completely.

STORYLINE: 10
Phantasy Star II is set some time in the future, in another solar system, on a planet where a being/machine known as Motherbrain controls the weather, plant growth, and indeed all of life. For some reason, Motherbrain has started to create monsters, and it's up to you and your party to find out why. This eventually leads you into trouble, and the very people who hired you to investigate the problem are now hunting you down. The plot twists and turns every which way to the point where you don't know who the bad guys even are at times. For instance, in the beginning of the game, there's a bridge that you can't cross because a bandit is stopping travelers and demanding money (meseta in the game). You only find out later that his daughter was kidnapped and is being held for ransom, and that's the reason he's gone to stealing. What happens next is a huge, terrible shock, brilliant in its emotional depth. This is just a small bit of the story, what amounts to a fetch quest in another game, yet the writers really added depth to it. The entire game is like this. It's filled with side quests and small twists in the plot, making the story really stand out against other RPGs, even today. The only problem I have with the game script is the ending. Yes, it's an interesting, and rather depressing, ending, which is good. But the last boss is a literal jack-in-the-box, popping out of a treasure chest! It's silly, mostly. Yet the storyline is so good, even this can be forgiven.

GRAPHICS: 8
Graphically, this game really looks dated. But for being released in late '88, there's still plenty to love about the art. It was possibly the first game to utilize cut scenes, for one thing. Heavily influenced by anime, the character and monster designs are all well done and lovely. Each character is very distinctive, and their look fits with their personality. The bad thing about the monster graphics is that they get reused several times over, just with different colors. Fortunately, this is remedied somewhat by the fact that the types of monsters change at different times and in different places throughout the game. When you're being hunted by the government, for instance, all of the enemies are mechanical. Later on, when you travel to Dezo, a snow-covered planet, all the monsters look like creatures that would live in a cold climate, like wooly mastodons or snow rabbits.So while several monsters do get a palate swap once or twice, there are still tons of unique enemies in the game. Another problem with the graphics is that there isn't a separate background during battles for each place you're at. Instead, there's a strange grid, reminiscent of the movie Tron. This is really unfortunate because seeing the same background throughout the entire game gets really old really quickly. Also, the attack animation isn't the greatest by any stretch of the imagination. You get a single slash line if the weapon used is a sword, a triple slash line if it's claws, some dots spread across the enemies if it's a shotgun... you get the idea. And the animations for using magic aren't much better either. Incredibly simple bolts of lightening, or swirls of white lines meant to represent wind, etc etc etc. If you've played any really old games like this, then you should know what to expect.

GAMEPLAY: 7
Speaking of battles, the commands for fighting are all pretty standard rpg fare: you can attack, use magic (called ''techniques''), use an item (called ''tools''), or defending. A nice addition is the continuous battle feature. It enables you to use the same commands each round without having to input them in every time. For instance, if Rolf attacks and Nei heals, they'll do that every round until you press a button (yes, any button will do). Then the next round you can input different commands. It could mess you up once in awhile if you're not paying attention, but for the most part, it makes tedious random battles a little less tedious. And there's a LOT of random battles in this game. One thing that really could have been improved is the fact that there is no in-game explanation of what the spells do. This is pretty unacceptable, regardless of when this game was released. But all in all, the control in PSII gets the job done. It might not be anything fancy, but the real emphasis here is on the storyline anyway.

SOUND: 8
Another area where Phantasy Star II really shines is in the music department. Every song has a futuristic bent to it, perfectly suited for a game with sci-fi overtones. Some of the songs are upbeat, like the battle music, while others are somber or low-key, but all of it is very catchy and fun to listen to. Sure it gets repetitive after awhile. I've yet to play an RPG where I didn't find that to be the case. The only complaint I have with the sound is that the sound effects are all very underwhelming. But this being a game from 1988, the sound effects can't be anything BUT old-school, which is pretty much what they are. It doesn't really detract from the game, but it doesn't add anything to it either.

REPLAY: 7
So, will you want to play this game after you've beaten it? There are no branching paths in PSII, no sidequests to uncover, and no items that cannot be found the first time through. But there are a few secrets in the game that the average gamer might miss the first time. For instance, Shir the thief can steal things from stores. This plays a bit of significance later on in the game. Would you like to have Moon Dew for your battle with Neifirst? Shir can steal you some from the tool shop. Of course, it's even better if you max out Nei's stats for the one-on-one battle and don't let her be defeated. You get a bit of extra game script that way. Shir can also steal a visiphone from the baggage room in the central tower in Paseo (when she reaches level 10). This handy item will allow you to save anywhere in the game, not just in town. A very handy item indeed. But this is the extent of replay value in this game, and it's such a huge game that you might not want to play through it a second time.

But if you're an RPG fan, then you'll definitely want to play this game at least once. With it's mix of anime-style graphics, cool music, and one of the most involving storylines ever, this is one game that RPGamers cannot do without. Thankfully, Sega has decided to rerelease it for the Gameboy Color, so you have NO REASON not to play it!