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Phantasy Star Zero

EMAIL PRINT ds

8.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 27 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sonic Team

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: November 10, 2009

Summary

Phantasy Star Ø takes place on an alternate Earth 200 years after the Great Blank, a massive war that has reduced the once-prosperous civilization to almost nothing. The sole surviving Humans have worked hard to exist peacefully and have built thriving Cities. The Humans that adventure past the outskirts of these Cities, called Hunters, explore the vast wilderness and hunt dangerous monsters to keep Cities safe. Players will take up the role of Hunters and select from three types of races and different classes, as well as gender for a total of 14 customizable character types. Each character type will play very differently and give players access to a great range of items, armor and weapons. Featuring over 350 unique weapons, gamers will venture out on Earth, combat dangerous monsters to gain experience and meet new major characters. As players explore further, they will unravel the mystery of the Great Blank and discover a dangerous new force that must be stopped. Featuring both wireless and full Wi-Fi multiplayer options, Phantasy Star Ø takes advantage of the touch screen capabilities of Nintendo DS with the new Visual Chat feature. Gamers can now design their own Visual Chat commands that can be used in multiplayer modes. These Visual Chat commands will be displayed as text bubbles above the user’s character, enabling easy and fun communication when adventuring with friends. [Sega]

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Cheat Code Central

Easy online access, fulfilling single-player experience. Fun action with RPG elements makes the hunt for gear in an interesting world a real treat. If you own a DS and you care about quality entertainment, then you need this game.

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Worth Playing

Aside from that, Phantasy Star Zero is a fantastic RPG on the DS and one of the first that's really nailed a lag-free online experience for four players.

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Zentendo

Longtime fans of the series will appreciate how much loving care has been put into this product and, if you can find the friends, will provide countless hours of an addicting multiplayer adventure to take with you wherever you go.

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Everyeye.it

Intriguing and deep, this Action RPG is a perfect tribute to the original Phantasy Star. Visual Chat and multiplayer options make it a damn good online game.

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Kombo

It is worth it to give Phantasy Star 0 a shot, and it is just hard to recommend across the board.

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Nintendo Power

It's a shame that the developers squandered the chance to really build upon Phantasy Star Online, but there's no denying that when you have a few friends at your side, Phantasy Star 0 is just as much fun as its grandpa used to be. [Dec 2009, p.82]

RPG Fan

It's not a game for everyone, but those who are fans of "grindfest" games like Diablo will have a blast with this game, especially considering you can play it while waiting in the line at the DMV.

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GameZone

Phantasy Star Zero is one of those games that some will fall completely in love with while others just won’t get it.

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Meristation

Phantasy Star Zero is a good MMORPG for the Nintendo DS. There are some flaws like the camera or the slower combat system, but the game knows its limits, and it fares rather well on the handheld.

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1UP

It looks fantastic as far as 3D games on DS go, and I'd rank it among the better loot treadmills currently available for the handheld. Just don't go in expecting a flawless -- or particularly modern -- experience.

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GameSpot

Phantasy Star Zero gives DS owners a taste of everything that made Phantasy Star Online great nine years ago--and also what makes it seem dated today.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Once those rehashed maps and frustratingly straightforward missions rear their repetitive heads, the limits of Phantasy Star 0 become apparent.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Gatchaman E. gave it a9:
This is a great game! Sure the story isn't all that grabbing and the customization could be a little better. But the gameplay and the multiplayer makes this a very rewarding experience. If u have a DS, this is a must-own!

Callum E gave it a9:
I wish The Onion review would be taken off. It ruins the metascore of a excellent game. It's story is a bit weak but the online mode makes up for this. Great for Phantasy Star fans and it's a nice game for newcomers to start with.

Jesús M. M. G. gave it a4:
Some character customization, a good amount of races and classes, quite decent garphics, an a less than average history, all thos combined with a repetitive gameplay, limited advancement of the classes and a linear gameplay makes his game a BIG delusion for the gamers, I like PSOnline, and tought PSZero was a good choice for my portable console, but in less than 2 hours I had saw it all at the 4 hours I was soooo bored, with the frustrating and linear game, I finished it up in less than a week, between work and free time, and discovered it had sooo litle replayability value a BIG failura in the PStar series, mine is in @bay but I can't blame 'ny one if I cant sell it. Worth just a look in the mall, or a weekend rent if You are a PStar fan.

Jordan L gave it a1:
Almost completely unplayable. I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours I spent on the Phantasy Star series, going back to the original Master System game 20 or 25 years ago... The problems with PS0 are rife... No analog stick makes it hard to control your character. The DS controls are too small for the usual "Right Trigger to view action palette #2." The graphics are bad even for the DS which has never had good graphics. They're a throw-back to the Sega Saturn or Playstation 1. The animated cut scenes are nice, in the style of the Lunar games, but the bits you actually have to play are just terrible. Pass until it gets ported to a real game system.

Seek gave it a9:
The negative reviews are mainly because the journalists need to cater to the general audience. However if you're a fan of PSO or other online dungeon crawler action RPGs that fit the Diablo mold you'll enjoy having this portable version at your side.

bob s gave it a10:
Some of the negative reviews I have been reading about this game surprise me. The reason I say this is most of the complaints are based on them not liking the style of the game. (which lets face it is repetitive grinding, and character customization with friends). And while I can totally understand this type of gaming turning some people off, what I really don't understand is why THOSE people are reviewing the game? I mean shit you would have had to be living in cave to not know what type of game this is before reviewing it...and if you don't like those types of games you sure as shit shouldn't be reviewing it in the first place. Just like I would never review a football game for the same reason. Even if its the best football game ever made, I would still bitch about how bad it is to no end. IF you like the DC style PSO games, you will simply LOVE this game. If for the simple fact you get to play a game as robust as PSO on a portable gaming system like the DS (and being able to play with friends online might I add). For this reason alone it is honestly my favorite in the series right now. Having my grinding addiction with me at all times is simply amazing. There are downsides to this game for sure. The menu system could have really took advantage of some touch screen functionality, and also the online missions with "randoms" limits communications, and missions. But if you play this game using the "friends" mode..it is a blast, and honestly one of the best experiences I have ever had with my DS.

David V gave it a9:
A must have for PSO veterans, and enjoyable for newcomers as well. The storyline in a bit on the weak side, but the fantastic online experience more than makes up for it. Grab a few friends and prepare for hours of fun.

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Phantasy Star Zero

Game Info

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What The Critics Said

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