Phantasy Star Online 2 is a fun time sink

PSO2 still looks good so many years and the designs of areas are really well done. The ARKS hub has a bit of a sparse feeling in cutscenes though. Music is hella catchy and the presentation is on point for the most part. Yes it looks like an early PlayStation 3 game (for obvious reasons) but one that looks good.

PSO2 isn’t Pay 2 Win, but there are advantages for plunking down cash for AC. There are workarounds for some of this if you don’t desire to pay any money and you can get “Star Gems” (the other premium currency) pretty easily without using your credit card. But it just makes the game less of a hassle if you do so. Think of it as "Pay 4 Advantage" (and convenience.)

While there is no true endgame (the joke is that “fashion” is the real endgame), there is plenty to do/keep you busy. There are always events going on, there is a PVP mode (not great but not horrible and at least each match is quick), a challenge mode (which is again ok,) crafting, upgrading and the fact you have access to all your classes. Again, premium members can take the most out of this but it’s not like there is nothing to do, even if you get the best stuff

There is a story mode, but it’s quite a slog and (until recently) not really well put together due to how they reworked it from its original format. But at least you get rewards so it’s not a total wash.

Gameplay is pretty good. It’s constant, somewhat quick and quite forgiving. You don’t have to “git gud” to get the most out of it, though content is being released where you have to be somewhat competent (or at least use a class and sub-class that can help you brute force your way.) It’s not entirely mindless but you can’t just “press x to win” as well. Classes are fun to try out and you will find one that makes you go "oh this is fun/challenging".)

There is no pressure on how you play. If you’re a social butterfly, PSO2 has you covered. If you’re a lone wolf, this works fine, as ALL group content can be joined without having to ask for an invite and you can get bots to help you in other content. No one expects you to chat during missions so as long as you play decently, no one is going to boot you. Alliances (this game’s version of guilds) are plentiful and welcoming.

Pretty much worth the wait. In a genre that is becoming saturated and hyped up games are failing to live up to their potential, PSO2 is up there with Warframe, Destiny 2, World of Warcraft and EVE in games that deliver one way or another. It's refreshing but also familiar. Not the deepest MMO and if you’re going to commit fully, you may have to get that credit card out but it’s fun and satisfying. Highly Recommended.

Overall: 9/10

I spent dozens of minutes bypassing the language barriers erected solely to prevent America from playing Phantasy Star Online back in the day, since my friends were gushing about how excited they were for this to come out. I lied about my country of origin. My emails from Sega and YouTube are still in Japanese by default to this day, and if I ever step into Japan I may be shot on sight. When I finally logged in on my contemporary toaster laptop, I made my own Original the Character. After hours of labor, moving sliders to the maximum side of either direction and giggling more and more as my character got progressively ridiculous, Lappy McBunBuns was born on July 18, 2012. I then proceeded to not play a single actual second of game playing however this game's gameplay plays. But I can tell you, friend, I didn't regret any of them