kendrick kerwin chua

Crossposted to ag.ps for what I hope are obvious reasons... I'm playing
the PS2 version, which has the enhanced offline content with cutscenes and
new music. I don't plan to get the 360 version, which is download only.

Some quick impressions on Ambition of the Illuminus, the expansion to
Phantasy Star Universe. First of all, the PSO missions areas (Forest,
Caves, Mines) aren't available yet and aren't even scheduled to be
unlocked until some time into December. With that caveat out of the way,
it's worth mentioning that the game is more rewarding overall for all
players. It's easier to level up, it's easier to earn class mission
points, and it's easier to make money. The challenge is now mostly in
combat and tactics, and this is feeling pretty worthwhile to me.

If you play the new expansion missions on Parum, you'll see some familiar
monsters in the new areas. I saw Grass Assassins as the sub-boss in the
ruined city, and I'm told that some rare Mines enemies are also present if
you hit it at the right time of day. My impressions are based on the
online game, as I haven't played the offline story mode yet. I'm guessing
that the PSO dungeons might be available offline, but I won't know until
I've gotten through the whole offline story mode.

Anyway, I'm going to lose some sleep over the next few days and play
through as much as I can. I'll post again on Friday with some more info.

-KKC, who's up too late as it is...
--
-- Universal survival rule #109 - Chicken nuggets must be served -- kendrick
in a quantity that is also a prime number. Failure to do so will -- @io.com
result in a geometric disturbance conducive to the resurrection of Cthulhu.
Disregard this rule if the meat in the nuggets is not actually chicken.

soreal

Hey, KKC. Hope I didn't miss you. I just found this newsgroup, and it's
refreshing to know that there are some other people who not only post
intelligently about PSU, but play it as well. You do, unfortunately, get -
10 points from your score due to playing the PS2 version. From everything
I've heard and seen myself, the Xbox 360 version (which I play on) is far
superior in every way except for dependance on Microsoft and your
aforementioned "extras" on the AOTI disk.

Anywho, you mentioned the PSO areas like Forest, Cave, Mine, etc. and
wondered why they weren't playable in AOTI yet. Well, in the 9 months since
you've posted, an event has run on the servers called Maximum Attack G.
Truly hardcore fans of PSO should have creamed their pants reading that
statement alone.

Details on the (now concluded) event at http://www.phantasystaruniverse.com
and, as a side note, the missions themselves are still up on the servers,
but the server-wide rewards have already been determined and finished.

kendrick kerwin chua

<snip>


Technically superior, not under dispute. But we're not exactly pushing
great big numbers of polygons here. My experience with the Xbox demo was
that both versions suffered equally from the same kind of lag in the same
environments. The PS2 version wins out by using the same account data as
the PC version, which means maximum portability.


Been playing MAG while it's been running. I liked seeing the old PSO
environments, but the maps weren't exactly perfect. I also didn't like
that the Dark Falz battle was a variation on the Del Rol Le fish battle
instead of the giant hoop platform fight you got in the real PSO.

I understand that the PSO levels are available as what they call 'rare'
missions, which show up randomly on each of the three planetary
environments. I play solo a lot, so I haven't seen one of the random
missions pop up in my selection list yet. So the PSO dungeons are
available still, just not in a predictable way. In any case, it's not like
the homebrew servers aren't still running for people who really still want
to get their PSO on.

-KKC, who can't believe he just used 'get their XXXX on' in a sentence.
--
-- "Oh, we are the Buddy Bears, we always get along! | kendrick
Each day we do a little dance and sing a little song! | @ io
If you ever disagree, it means that you are wrong! | .com
Oh, we are the Buddy Bears, we *always* get along!" |

soreal

<snip>

Yeah, you've got me there. I probably would have ended up with the PC
version anyway, if not for my mates, who convinced me to join them on 360.


True, the platform fight at the end of PSO was a lot of fun, but I
personally prefer the PSU variation, simply because the strategy of
working with teammates and moving the platform to get to DF was pretty cool.


Something like that. I haven't seen any of the PSO dungeons pop up,
either, but I've only had the game for about a week now, and have spent
most of the time since getting it being run through MAG. Now that it's
over, I look forward to getting to really see the rest of Gurhal.

Also, you're exactly correct. I recently got my Blue Burst out again and
started another character on one of the homebrew servers. In the two
years since I sold my gamecube and last copy of PSO I&II, I'd forgotten
how much damn fun that game was.

kendrick kerwin chua

My favorite missions are on Moatoob, where one in particular ends in a
great big valley that forms a natural fighting arena. Your party just
rolls forward through a horde of fire-breathing monsters, and you have to
have a buffing, healing spellcaster in tow to have any sort of chance.
Playing as a Force means I spend a lot of time on Neudaiz too, so I can
get the right item and resource drops.

The lesson is, never sell game hardware. You don't win in the long run;
even with Wii backward compatibility, there's no network compatibility
there. Even though the server is down now, I'm hoping that the original
Xbox version of PSO Episode I and II ends up on the backward compatibility
list some day. Yeah, and winged primates may emerge airborne from my
backside.

-KKC, enjoying the new Conan game.
--
-- "Oh, we are the Buddy Bears, we always get along! | kendrick
Each day we do a little dance and sing a little song! | @ io
If you ever disagree, it means that you are wrong! | .com
Oh, we are the Buddy Bears, we *always* get along!" |

soreal

Haven't spent much time on Moatoob, aside from grinding my Tenora
weapons. I'll have to check out some of the missions there.

I really should be spending more time on Neudaiz, too. I just went
Acrotecher a few levels ago, and I was wondering why I wasn't getting any
FO-geared synth stuff or drops.


Heh, I usually don't. That's the funny part. I sold my GC, along with a
bunch of other games I didn't play anymore, for store credit that paid
for 90% of my 360.

We can dream, you know. Even though there is probably a better likelihood
of winged primates flying out of your rectum, we can still hold that
modicum of hope that PSO won't be entirely forgotten by the gaming
industry.

Or the gaming industry could crush all of our hopes, dreams, and memories
by completely ignoring the celebration of a milestone in gaming history
and a time-honored example of how far we've come. Who knows?

belpowerslave

Problem is, even if it does make the compatibility list, the servers
have been dead for a long while now.

Quick Question: If I have never owned PSU, can I Just skip the first
version and go straight to the "Illuminus" version? Does it have
everything the original did?

Also, I noticed that it's download-only on the 360...does one have to
own PSU in order to download the new version?

I have PSU on the PC, but haven't installed it yet(this was before I had
the 360)...if "Illuminus" is the same thing, I guess I could just sell
it off and go with that one(on the PC or 360).

These classic PSO levels, are they online only, or can you play them
offline?

Just a quick reminder to anyone with the 360 version: An Xbox tech told
me that, for some odd reason, if you only have an Xbox Live Silver
account, you can play PSU online for free. He said he's not quite sure
how Sega didn't catch that, but that it works. My one month Gold trial
is up next month, I may attempt to verify this...

Is that the beat'em up? If so, I've been playing the demo a lot on the
360. The graphics...I hate to say it, suck ass, but it's still a lot of
fun. I wouldn't mind picking it up for around $20 at some point.

Bel
--
Whip Ass Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/

"Nautical nonsense be something I seek"
- Me

kendrick kerwin chua

PSO on the Xbox has offline multiplayer, and the entire solo quest is
still present. That's not a complete experience, but there's still way
more game there than a lot of comparable titles offer, IMO.

The original PSU has Episode 1, which is Ethan Waber's story, and Extra
Mode, which is essentially the whole online environment but offline. If
you go online, you get Episode 2, which puts a character of your creation
into the story interacting with all the NPCs you encountered playing as
Ethan.

Here's where it gets complicated. Illuminus omits Episode 1, but gives you
Episode 2 offline. If you get the PC or the PS2 version, there's extra
content and FMV segments that the 360 version doesn't have. If you take
Illuminus online, you get access to Episode 3, which is the follow-up and
introduces all the new characters.

In order to play Ambition of the Illuminus on the 360, you do have to own
the original PSU in order to play. It's technically an expansion that
requires the base code to play.

So far they're online only. You see them randomly as bonus levels if you
complete missions on each of the three worlds, and then you also see them
all at once as part of the Maximum Attack G game events.


It's a God of War clone. I wouldn't have even noticed it if I didn't pick
it up on discount for $10. I think it's already down to $20 at Best Buy.
And yeah, the graphics are low-rent because of the multi-platform
requirement, but you don't need that many polygons to make wireframes for
boobs.

-KKC, who can't make time to play tonight...
--
-- "Oh, we are the Buddy Bears, we always get along! | kendrick
Each day we do a little dance and sing a little song! | @ io
If you ever disagree, it means that you are wrong! | .com
Oh, we are the Buddy Bears, we *always* get along!" |

belpowerslave

True. Up to 4 players too.


I agree. I've played it with another person, on the same Xbox, it was
actually pretty good. I can't imagine doing more than one other person
though, unless you've got a REALLY large TV...and even then, Sega just
couldn't be bothered to make the game widescreen(pisses me off to no end).

Hmmmm...so it sounds like the best way to do it would be the PC or PS2
version, then, right? I mean, you install PSU, play it, then install
PSU:Illuminus and play through it. I wonder if, on the PC version, once
you install PSU:I that it considers them both one title and you don't
actually have to exit one to start up the other(kind of like installing
an expansion pack for say, Doom 3, does)...

I appreciate this info. I keep seeing PSU on the 360 for around
$10...but as I have the PC version(and got it new, for $5) I've just
sort of been waiting. Hooking the PC up to the HDTV isn't that tough,
and the fact that it'll immediately recognize my 360 controller makes it
that much more enticing. Maybe I will just play it through on the PC.
Does this mean that I could play online with you?

I hope they offer them as downloadable content at some point. I mean, I
guess that wouldn't help the PS2 owners, but at least the PC owners
could get it.

Wow, I may have to hit BB and pick it up then. I've never played GoW,
but Conan just has something going for it...be it the extreme violence
and blood, or the beefy combat engine, but damn it's good stuff. Just
wish it looked better. Quite honestly, it's gotta be the only non-Live
Arcade title that I've seen on the 360 that is just, well...ugly.

Bel
--
Whip Ass Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream...whoa, I think my dingy
hanging out!"
- Lo Wang, Shadow Warrior

You are partially correct. If you're playing on the 360, a silver
membership is sufficient (i.e. no Gold required to play online), but
you still must buy a GUARDIANS license to play online, which is $9.99
a month. In my opinion, still a better value than most MMOs on the
market, such as paying $15 a month for WoW or EVE, and $10 for FFXI.


Yeah, it was pretty decent, the only downside to playing on the same
box being that you don't get the full experience of other people
having items you don't and so forth. The Xbox PSO was fun while it
lasted, but really, the private PSO servers that are out now pretty
much surpass it in every way, save for the fact that most (none?) of
them support integrated voice chat.


It's really all up to preference. With the PS2 version, you need only
buy the AOTI disk, and you can play AOTI without the original PSU
disk, but then you have to switch disks to play the original PSU.
Whether that's an inconvenience to you or not, I have no idea.

With the PC version, I believe (note: I don't play PC PSU, so this is
half conjecture, half wiki) that you install AOTI from a disk or an
online download, and it's just like any other expansion pack. You
start it up, and it gives you the option of starting PSU or AOTI,
depending on which you want to play.

With the 360, you purchase the PSU disk (which IS required to play
online), then download the AOTI expansion from the marketplace for
1,600 MS points ($20). Then, when you start up the PSU disk, it will
give you the option of starting up AOTI instead of PSU.


Again, all up to preference. The 360 servers do occasionally have
their lag spikes, but are a pretty good platform nonetheless. The PC/
PS2 servers (one would think) would probably have less players, since
they are region-locked, as opposed to the 360 servers. It's still $10
a month regardless of which platform you choose.

Also, yes, if you played the PC version, you would be able to play
with KKC. The PC and PS2 servers are linked, allowing cross-platform
play on the same servers. The 360 servers are just for 360 players,
since they are hosted by Microsoft.

Either way you slice it, and no matter which platform you get it on,
it's a great game. Of course, that's all opinion, but anyone who
disagrees can politely stuff it.

- SoReal