- Publisher: Sega
- Release Date: Mar 2, 2004
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Somehow, developer Sonic Team managed to meld everything great about the previous PSOs (aesthetic beauty, and engaging online community, and the never-ending quest for better equipment) with a simple, addictive card game. [Apr 2004, p.128]
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A very good game, but I just am not too much into the card scene. I am sure all of you who loves this type of game will love it.
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A real testament of game design. It's as open ended as a card game can be. Sonic Team incorporated many things fans wanted (story and a worthy offline mode). If you're a PSO fan, don't turn your back on Episode III simply because it's a card game -- you might be surprised (I was).
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If you want your games to be more accessible and action-oriented, then you'd be better off sticking with "Episode 1 & 2"...If you're looking for a new challenge, or you just want a solid and surprisingly deep strategy-RPG experience, Episode 3 is for you.
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The AI itself makes a formidable opponent. While not perfect (it has problems using defense cards properly), it certainly will challenge you in many ways.
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Play MagazineI love the way it advances the story and expands on the world of PSO, and I love the card battling itself. It's basically a strategy game with the tension and excitement of a good poker hand. [Mar 2004, p.58]
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Though the visual and audio aspects of PSO III leave something to be desired, the concept and level of variability at its core (not to mention that it's one of these elusive online-enabled GameCube titles) is enough to make it a highly enjoyable and surprisingly addictive game. [Apr 2004, p.101]
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It takes a while for the card-based gameplay of Episode III to grow on you, but once it does, it'll get its hooks in as firmly as the other PSO chapters.
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An engaging and refreshing change of pace from the role playing escapades that we've become used to in the previous two installments.
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If you can look at the PSO universe with fresh eyes, like the Sonic Team designers clearly did, there's a lot of addictive gameplay to be mined from this new colonial frontier.
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Weekly Famitsu8 / 8 / 8 / 8 - 32 gold [Vol 781]
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Nintendo PowerMost card-battling games have mind-numbingly complex rules or are nauseatingly tedious, but PSO III avoids both traps admirably. [Apr 2004, p.120]
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Every element of it is solid but unexceptional. Card battling is done far better by PS2's "Culdcept"; story is done better by a host of other RPGs. In fact, the only area where I think it'd be truly difficult to compete with PSO III is music -- this soundtrack is almost too good for the game.
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Yeah, it's a strange game.
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The deciding factor should be whether or not you appreciate the Phantasy Star Online aesthetic and would be interested in playing a card battling game alongside and against other players in that universe. If so, then PSO will have plenty to offer you.
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Unfortunately, the focus on strategy has placed the RPG elements firmly in the back seat, and the story feels out of place and intrudes rudely on the pleasure of card battling. PSOEIII's attempt to infuse a decent card game with a rich plot only confuses matters.
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Unfortunately, one of the biggest flaws within PSO III becomes quite apparent once a battle begins. Everything takes an inordinately long amount of time.
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TotalGames.netThis sequel isn't as approachable. We also get the pheeling that you already know if you'll like this without reading the review.
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In the end, the cards were a good idea, but the dice wreck the curve by robbing the game of strategy. No matter how well you plan ahead, a bad roll of the dice can cripple you, sometimes for the rest of the match.
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Edge MagazineAged environments and models are wheeled out and the interface is surprisingly clunky and obtrusive. There is a solid game here to prop it up, but it's indicative of the no-frills production that even the robotic announcer seems to be phoning in its performance. [May 2004, p.103]
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While PSO began as a genuine phenomenon, it ends with something more like a fizzled experiment.
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Cheat Code CentralI like the card game and find it addicting, but to me it's not really worthy of having an entire game created around it. I miss the RPG action. The turn-based card game gameplay would have made an interesting mode or mini-game. It's like making a main course out of the appetizer.
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games(TM)The whole tone of the game has shifted; it's no longer a community, just a vast gladiatorial arena. [Aug 2004, p.118]
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This is a craply-plotted sci-fi novel meets a game of chess meets Industrial Light & Magic meets Yu-Gi-Oh!. Fanboys: silence.
Awards & Rankings
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45
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33
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#33 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2004
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 13 out of 18
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Mixed: 3 out of 18
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Negative: 2 out of 18
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Jul 18, 2023
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Jul 25, 2016
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AndyE.Jul 4, 2005I liked it and it's more than challenging after the ARKZ attack the Piooner 2!