1. Phantasy Star II (GEN)
I completed Phantasy Star II this evening on the Sega Genesis.
Oh, wow, that game is quite brutal. It was released a little before the original Final Fantasy, so it very much feels like an 8 bit RPG. There is little story and it is actually a little hard to follow sometimes. The interface is hard to navigate. The grinding in the game is real and very long. You will be grinding for money and pure levels. Some of the enemies and especially the bosses are just pure mean and evil. It is a long, slow and arduous process just to get through the game.
It is one of the first Science Fiction RPG's, which is a first for its time and helped pave the way for many before it along with many other firsts. I really like the multiple characters and how you can choose your party members at any time. Having a main character die half way was shocking and very gutsy on their part. However, by far, the best part of the game is its music. Oh my Goodness, those are some of the best tunes in the world! Fantastic for a game of that age.
There are many things that frustrated me about Phantasy Star II, but there are many things I like/respect about the game. I think it is only for hardcore old school RPG fans and those interested in the genres roots. It is an elder that deserves our respect, but it can be a tough pill to swallow sometimes.