Nostars brought us some of his thoughts on Phantasy Star Portable so I thought we would share them with everyone. Thanks bud!
First, the basic controls are very similar to those of the prior Phantasy Star online titles.
D-Pad – Controls Camera/toggles through menus
Analog Stick – Moves character/Aims weapon in first person mode
X – Switch weapons/cancel in menus
Square – Main Attack
Triangle – Secondary Attack
Circle – Interact/pick-up/accept in menus
Left Bumper – Centers Camera/Strafe if held
Right Bumper – Alternate commands/weapons
Select – Switches to first person mode, handy for using the rifle.
Start – Brings up menus
Graphically, I am impressed. They were able to retain the artform of prior Phantasy Star titles, while translating it well to the PSP’s graphical capabilities. The beasts are different from the prior games, so that’s a plus. The bosses do bare a striking resemblance to creatures from the previous games, as do the lesser beasts and bots, which to me is ok, since I’ve been removed from Phantasy Star for a while.
I have to say, the gun controls are a bit awkward in this title. Phantasy Star has always had that odd lock-on feature that grabs enemies at funny angles. This one is no different. But I found that using that analog stick on the PSP just made it a little more difficult to lock-on with guns. But I guess I have been spoiled by all of the recent third person shooters using the right stick for aiming and the left stick for moving. It’s just more intuitive that way.
The missions are fairly straightforward. Just like in previous Phantasy Star games, you kill certain number of A, it drops access key to door B, until you get to the boss.
This game is basically a cross between Phantasy Star Universe and Blue Burst. Supposedly there is also more than one ending, provided you say all the right things to the right characters.
If you are a fan of Phantasy Star games, especially the Phantasy Star Online series, I would import this one asap. You’ll get the gist of the game fairly quick, and it is just as fun as you remembered.
