Phantasy Star Online

OK, addiction of the moment…. Phantasy Star Online 1 & 2 for the XBox. Play it over XBox live with voice support, and go and hack up stuff. Basically the game feels like Diablo or even Gauntlet, only in a 3rd person, over the shoulder format.

Why is it so fun? I think its a combination of the very basic gameplay, on the surface, with a lot of hidden depth that you can dig into as you get more into the game. Even things like how you name your character have an impact on its development. Plus, its a collecting game. Y’know how in Diablo you were always looking for a good drop off some monster? Same kind of thing here. Lots of looting, selling, buying…trying to make your character stronger while levelling him or her up.

Lots of fun, ONLINE. If you play it solo, it gets kinda dull. Oh, you can also do it split-screen with your friends.