Phantasy Star Portable has now hit the PSP bringing with it a new chapter to this long running series, but does this game stay true to the series and more importantly does it deliver?

 

Phantasy Star Portable seems to borrow more from the Xbox 360 version released a few years ago rather than the classic Phantasy Star Online, however it offers plenty of action and is therefore great fun to play, despite the few issues that you will discover.

 

 

The game comes with two modes of play on the disc, first up is the story mode which sees you create a character and then help guide your partner Vivienne through various missions in order to stop the infestation of the alien SEED which was thought to be under control by the end of Phantasy Star Universe.

 

One of the most disappointing aspects of the story mode is the way that the story is told. In between the action and throughout the game you are met with stills of each character on the screen with the text in a dialogue box at the bottom, this is a very bland way to tell the story and therefore you may find yourself hitting the next button just to get rid of the text and believe me it does seem to drag on forever.

 

Fans of the previous Phantasy Star games should be pleased with the action at least. All of the combat and exploring takes place in 3D third person perspective (although you can change to a first person view), allowing you to easily control your character to mow down the enemies all while finding some excellent rewards should you manage to take care of them first of course. Thankfully or not (depending on how you look at it) the enemy AI doesn’t seem at the top of its game, so taking them down shouldn’t cause you too many nightmares.

 

Phantasy Star Portable as with the other games in the series, allows you to choose between a Ranger, Hunter or a Force when creating your character. Personally I played as a Ranger and really enjoyed testing out the melee weapons such as the Shotgun, Grenade Launcher and Machine Gun. No matter what class you play though, there is some really great booty on offer to enable you to improve.

 

The other mode included on the disc is the multiplayer mode. This mode enables you to play with up to three friends in ever expanding missions via ad hoc mode. Unfortunately the game does not include an online mode, which may have been a better option as its unlikely you will know three other people who all own this game.

 

 

On the presentation side the game certainly gets pass marks. The sound effects and music fit in well with the gameplay as do the 3D style graphics seen when you are in control of your character. The only drawbacks in this area of the game are that the environments don’t really offer any kind of interaction and of course those aforementioned cutscenes, which the less said about the better.

 

Phantasy Star Portable is a good addition to the series and it should keep fans of the game very happy thanks to its diversity and action. Whether this game will be enough to convert other gamers to the Phantasy Star world only time will tell, but it is a decent title which deserves a chance from RPG fans at least.