NGS Story is Terrible

[Syn]

I realise some may put more stock in gameplay and/or excessive monetisation issues but for me the story and setting is quite important too.

I've enjoyed such since the original PSO, and found their worlds and stories fascinating.
Not perfect, no. But still pretty engaging. This includes PSO2.
Which brings me to NGS' story.

It's awful.

The worldbuilding and setting is already a problem for me.
Halpha is beautiful visually, but completely dead as a setting. There's no believable infrastructure or worldbuilding. Just a tiny outpost labelled as a "city" in Aelio (and Retem's is even worse). I've been to back yards bigger and more populated than Central City.

But none of that would matter if the story was at least decent. It isn't at all. It's boring, meandering and pointless full of characters I don't care about and random predictable events.
Chapter 2 is particularly bad, with a series of ridiculous events and stupid decisions by a terrible character whom the story decides to focus on for no good reason.
But the worst part is that the player character is a complete non-entity. It was somewhat okay to deal with in Chapter 1 as things were being set up, but in Chapter 2 it's utterly egregious. The player character just stands there doing nothing in every cutscene, barely acknowledged, not a single dialogue option, nothing.

Yes, the PC in PSO/PSU has always been silent.
Yes, dialogue options in PSO2 were an illusion of choice and nothing more.
Yes, the PC was subordinate to the waifu of the week's story in PSO2 just like they are to Manon in NGS.

But the difference is PSO2's story still revolved around the player character and gave the impression that you had agency even if you didn't. The story was very much about the PC.
In NGS it doesn't even bother to pay lipservice to that anymore. You could remove the PC from every cutscene in the game and change absolutely nothing.
Even the PC's supposed unique trait of being a Meteorn is immediately made redundant by Manon and it gets worse from there.

It's boring and unsatisfying.

Also while on the subject of cutscenes.
It is the Year of Our Lord Two-Thousand and Twenty-Two.How, HOW is it possible that they still haven't learned to equip our character with our own weapons during cutscenes?

[Luxaeterna]

story so far, as far as I can understand

chp1
-fall from space
-save by beach villagers
-beach villagers get attack by aliens
-go to nearest civilization for help
-gets recruited by pretty boy that force his office employees to dress up as sexy dancers
-kill 3-headed dragon

chp2
-visit desert people
-desert leader tell you they got so many casualties and blames herself not having singing powers that buff allies
-try to find solution
-turns out desert leader song debuffs enemies, instead of buffing allies
-revenge on aliens with new debuff powers
-kill giant worm

[Crystal Sharrd]

Автор сообщения: Luxaeterna

story so far, as far as I can understand

chp1
-fall from space
-save by beach villagers
-beach villagers get attack by aliens
-go to nearest civilization for help
-gets recruited by pretty boy that force his office employees to dress up as sexy dancers
-kill 3-headed dragon

chp2
-visit desert people
-desert leader tell you they got so many casualties and blames herself not having singing powers that buff allies
-try to find solution
-turns out desert leader song debuffs enemies, instead of buffing allies
-revenge on aliens with new debuff powers
-kill giant worm

Chapter 1's final boss cutscene was horrible! Instead of getting to see my Force finish the boss off with her rod and an epic showcase of Techniques...she pulls out a sword she can't even use and stabs it in the head.
True, the unimmersive combat in cutscenes was also an issue that affected the base game, but it seems worse in the NGS addon where they advertised better graphics.

[Gilver Redgrave]

Автор сообщения: justfaded

Yeah it's very bad. But are you sure the story in the base game was any better? I've only played through episode 5 and that was so cringy and horrible.

Thats because EP5 had the same director NGS currently hass hence why both storys are bad.

[Nain]

wait, theres a story in ngs?

on a serious note.. its so shallow i dont even know what to say.
at least i enjoyed chapter 2 for what it was.

[Meowmixwarrior]

You're not wrong and I've scratched my head multiple times during NGS's "story". The only thing I can think of for it to make sense and for them to "pull the ripcord" is to hand wave this entire "world" as a giant simulation created for us after something catastrophic happened to the fleet. We could then make this entire arc like episode 1-3 and have new players start at 4 where they wouldn't have to suffer what we are going through. Hell you could even return it to how base PSO2 operated with instanced/map content.

Then again I doubt they will do any of this. All we can do is grind the same enemies we have been doing for 7 months and wait for them to release another update so we can grind more enemies for augments and maybe a weapon. Then they will release another area where we will all be scratching our heads wondering what is even happening with this story.

[Stnank]

Автор сообщения: Nain

wait, theres a story in ngs?

on a serious note.. its so shallow i dont even know what to say.
at least i enjoyed chapter 2 for what it was.

Chapter 2 was somewhat saved by the tonal whiplash big band segment. That genuinely put a smile on my face.

[Crystal Sharrd]

Автор сообщения: Meowmixwarrior

We could then make this entire arc like episode 1-3 and have new players start at 4

I don't remembet SEGA trying to make me suffer in the base game by starting me off at the worst part instead of the best.

[Alshian]

I was expecting the snake to be bigger and... more screen time but it fell too fast too easy making it just a one off boss in the story instead of real danger.

Wait you mean this THING gave Retem a problem??? Just how weak are they till 3 folk came to visit?

I mean they could of make it at least SEEM like a serious problem but I guess this is the habit of the director of EP5 where mostly everything is a complete joke. Stuff was real till the main character came about telling you I'll clap all your troubles without a sweat...

At least that is how I see Retem so far, they need to make the story a bit more grim and serious, Dols are becoming more and more stupid than any real danger which the "Dark Falz" was suppose to remind you that Dolls are a threat.

I just hope this "Dark Falz" is not just another one off boss or at least setting up a more possible danger after it because, even if the story is shallow if the enemies are also shallow then you can't even impress that many.

Story can be bad and the enemies but at least make it epic and thrilling to fight as your only redeeming quality for the game...

-slowly breaths- at least I did have little fun sadly didn't last as long, same old same old. Songs were a blast too! Just... It would of died on arrival if it didn't have "Phantasy Star's" name lets all be honest here...

[UrbanMech]

Автор сообщения: Alshian

I was expecting the snake to be bigger and... more screen time but it fell too fast too easy making it just a one off boss in the story instead of real danger.

Same.

Also looking at the mountain shape, I thought for the boss fight we were going to have a phase similar to the Dark Souls 2 Chariot boss lol. Where you have to traverse the mountain while slipping into cracks when the worm flies by to not get hit while fighting enemies around.

[Miles Bluefalls]

Автор сообщения: MoonShrine

Retem story: Meet up with the new city people and agree to kill giant worm before they can help us. We find out main city person has OP ability that will probably not be used again in the story and we probably wont see this character again either. Giant worm dead. Time to go to the next location and probably repeat similar events.

Nah it's even worse. "Main city person has OP ability that they didn't know they had because she tried it once, it didn't work, and she didn't feel like trying again because Idiot Plot. Idiot Plot states that the only time she feels like trying again is after MC Groupie #2 tells her to try. City Idiot (let's call her "dullard", for short), then proceeds to stress test this ability for the first time only after calling out the bulk of her forces to do what would otherwise be a suicide mission against Big Wormbug. Dullard doesn't actually USE said power against Big Wormbug, because reasons. Dullard goes back to being a non-entity for now, because the story comes to screeching halt. Addendum: Dullard could have saved SO MANY of her people by actually experimenting with her power instead of giving up after the first time. So many. (But look, we tried to make her good to look at, that's something, right?)"

The whole of the Retem """"story"""" is an idiot plot, and ultimately, the MC most likely could have run up to the Big Wormbug and murder it themselves, because it's not like the Groupies have any actual combat use other than "they're in the plot, so THEY'RE HELPING!", and Dullard just fills the role of Groupie #3 in the fight, making them as much of a non-entity overall.

As bad as the PSO2 story could get, and as non-existent as the NGS Part 1 story is, they don't hold a candle to the Retem Saga of "we had to make up a reason why you couldn't just walk up the hill and jump down the hole to murder the Big Wormbug right away. " (which is made double funny every time the "story" grinds to a halt until you grind yourself to a higher level before they allow you to fight.)

[Dreamcasino]

Автор сообщения: BorkBeNoms

Both stories are terrible. Base and ngs. Who plays pso for the story?

this.

[Dreamcasino]

Автор сообщения: Stnank

PSO1's story is where it's at. Nice and grounded, simple objective, scary revelations.

I agree 100%

[Aeden]

My biggest issue with NGS story is its length. I don't mind the weak story telling, but at least give more than like 30 minutes worth of content per chapter.

The most time consuming thing is battle power grind, and they used it to pad out the story's length, which is horrible.

[Prokaizer]

I first watched the anime and then played the base PSO2 game.
It made sense up to the point where it became a Sword Art Online story where people can log out from the game and transfer into real world and stuff.

[UrbanMech]

Автор сообщения: Prokaizer

I first watched the anime and then played the base PSO2 game.
It made sense up to the point where it became a Sword Art Online story where people can log out from the game and transfer into real world and stuff.

That was when the story writer watched Sword Art Online and wanted to make his own Sword Art Online game but thought wouldn't it be better to turn PSO2 into it instead with an already established playerbase giving it a headstart in popularity.

Episode 4 should of really been it's own separate game.