When I was a young SNES fangirl, and I was up to my knees (okay, ankles) in great Squaresoft RPGs like Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger, I made sure I took time out of my playing to point and laugh at Genesis owners. Said Genesis owners would clutch their Sonic dolls to their chests and say, “Well...well we have the Phantasy Star games!”
And then their lower lips would start to tremble, and I would laugh harder.
Now that I'm older, wiser, and too boring to taunt people about the video games they don't own, I know that was an unfair reaction on my part. I regret never getting to know Phantasy Star. Maybe it wasn't as pretty as Final Fantasy III, but it often went far beyond the realm of fantasy and presented a technological-storybook mix that defines the series to this day. I haven't played the games, but even I know what a Numan is.
Recent journeys through old RPGs like Secret of Mana cemented my resolve to finally experience Phantasy Star. I had intended to download the games on Virtual Console; I rolled up my sleeves, when hark! I got word about Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. The compilation will reportedly include all four Phantasy Star games in one convenient, emulated package.
Well! If it has Sonic's name on it, I know I won't be steered wrong.
As pointed out by a recent post on 1UP's Retronauts blog, this won't be the first time the Phantasy Star games have been bundled up and sold in some regard. This will, however, be the first time all four are available as a package in the US. It might also be the first collection worth owning in both the States and Japan, as previous attempts at wooing nostalgic adventurers ended with unfortunate experiments in 3D graphics and heartbreaking save glitches that ate files.
Seems like Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection will turn out to be a rich experience for me. If it does turn out to be a disaster, well, I've decided that playing bad games builds character somehow.
Related Links:
The Chrono Trigger Port: Are You Excited or Disappointed?
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