While taking a break from running missions, I strolled my way to the casino to gamble some. After purchasing some coins with my in-game currency, I tried out a game called Mesetan Shooter that cost me 100 casino coins to play. The rules were fairly simple: you shoot targets on the far side of the screen, and then collect the coins as they roll down the screen pachinko-style by moving your cannon around. Unfortunately, this gambling game was marred by the most complicated control scheme this side of Kid Icarus Uprising: You use the left stick to move left and right (needed to collect the coins and to move the shooting cursor side-to-side), the right stick up and down (to aim at the upper-tier and lower-tier of targets), and you have to press the ‘X’ button to shoot. This resulted in a confusing mess that was awful to play and that I wound up giving up on after a single full round of multiple waves. I know that SEGA will absolutely have to revisit this control scheme before Phantasy Star Online 2 launches, as it is darn near unplayable as it currently stands.
I only tried Mesatan Shooter once, but that was more than enough for me. (Images taken by author).
In addition to the gameplay and gambling sections, there was also a shopping area and a café on the ship. These areas were fairly bare and were both clearly meant to instead be implemented in full when the final game is launched. It was also worth noting that while the terminal to sell items on the marketplace was present and you could register your five-digit PIN with the console, you couldn’t actually sell anything. I am sure that this is a feature that will also be available when Phantasy Star Online 2 launches. The one thing that did take place in the shopping district was near the end of the Saturday night beta: the live concert. SEGA, clearly taking a page from Japan’s idol culture and virtual idols such as Hatsune Miku, has created an idol of their own to bring to Phantasy Star Online 2. When I showed up for Quna’s performance, I quickly found myself surrounded by a flood of people pressed up as close as possible to the stage and jumping around. The music and dancing itself was typical J-Pop idol fare and was absolutely enjoyable in-and-of itself. At least, what I could hear of it was enjoyable.
“I stuck out both of Quna’s performances, but the vulgarity and jumping sounds really put a damper on what I was hoping would be a perfect penultimate moment before the final two ‘Urgent Quests’ of the Phantasy Star Online 2 beta.”
Whether I was in normal viewing mode (meaning I was seeing the performance from a third person perspective in the audience) or in the enhanced mode (where it was a special live cutscene version of the performance), Quna’s singing and dancing was frequently drowned out by the noise of people jumping and the live ‘commentary’ of an audience who has finally discovered how to use a keyboard in game, complete with the sound effect of a new message popping up. And these messages, while some did include the necessary word-trigger for Quna’s encore performance, also had players asking for her nudes, wanting to buy her bathwater, and talking about their two-inch penis. I sincerely wish I was exaggerating, but you can check out the photos that I took in both views below to see what I mean:
You could barely hear Quna over the jumping sounds and the frequently vulgar concert comments. (Images taken by author).
I stuck out both of Quna’s performances, but the vulgarity and jumping sounds really put a damper on what I was hoping would be a perfect penultimate moment before the final two ‘Urgent Quests’ of the Phantasy Star Online 2 beta. I would love for there to be an option to turn off all surrounding sounds and text other than the concert during the show, and I am hopeful that SEGA will implement something like that in the next beta build or before the full game’s release.
Certain areas were more or less inaccessible during the beta window. (Images taken by Author and Leah McDonald).
If you can’t tell, I really liked the Phantasy Star Online 2 beta. There is absolutely a lot to love about this game and the world that my character inhabits. There are still a lot of unanswered questions such as when the game will launch, how microtransactions will factor into the final game, what the content update schedule will be like, and what the full storyline will be like. This beta was not perfect. But that’s the point of a beta: to stress test the servers and to see what content works and doesn’t work. And I have faith that SEGA will listen to the player feedback and will make something absolutely spectacular when the final game launches.
You can find out more about Phantasy Star Online 2, including future beta events, at their official website, on Twitch, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, and on YouTube.
Did you jump into the Phantasy Star Online 2 beta? What did you think of it?
Are you excited for the full game to launch?
Let us know in the comments below!
