This game at all like PSO

[PhilFancyPants]

i've been looking for a game to fill the void pso2 couldn't.

[HoneyNutDiddyOs]

If I could relate it to PSO it would be like the dreamcast PSO ver. 1/2 where you can play alone in single player or play with friends online. There is no lobby or server system in place like PSO though so you would need to find friends to invite to play in multiplayer.

[Shev]

I used to moderate for PSOW back on Gamespy for a number of years; amazing game on the Dreamcast, Gamecube, etc.

However; the game shares some similarities. It's basically an MMO world with an overworld, quests, dungeons, world bosses and boss dungeons that you can do solo or with a group, which is more than the original PSO offered.

The primary difference is that there is no player trading from what I can tell(only played by myself so far).

However, the battles in this game are very much action-RPG, there's dodging/blocking and timing attacks/dodges with enemy attacks, etc. I'd recommend if anything buying it and trying it for atleast two hours to get a feel for it.

Personally, if you're looking to enjoy PSO E1&2, look up Ephinea which is an amazing community server for the game on PC.

If you're looking for a very colorful, comic-book stylized game where the world and enemies pop and the attacks and effects really stand out with a lot of upgrading of equipment characters and so on; give this one a try.

Lots of customization options for your characters and weapons(cosmetics and gear tweaking for stats; crit chance, max hp, resilience, etc)

Are there any specific questions you have? You're kind of comparing two games that play quite differently; it's almost apples and oranges when it comes to PSO and this game; mechanically.

[Mike]

Hmm, I never actually made that connection but I can totally see how it's really similar to the early PSOs. Now I understand why I like this game so much.

For PSO (I'm assuming DC/GC style?) I can't honestly think of many that are very similar. I mean, I'm sure 'DE' is a four letter word now but Warframe is similar in their mission setup. Typically you'll just start a mission then enter a randomized instanced area to complete it. Easily playable and enjoyable solo, especially after you get lots of equipment. It's a looter like PSO but the loot is components that are necessary to build an item of dropping complete (these take time to create). TONS of variety with warframes and other gameplay types and DE keeps TenCent at bay with creative control over it.

It's got a hell of a learning curve and can be grindy, not Korean MMO level, but if you can get past the initial hump, it's fantastic.

Edit: After reading the post above, I should address the combat system. If you're not familiar with Warframe, the combat is very fast and hectic a lot of the time. Turn up to max bloom and particle effects and learn what the definition of visual noise is. If you have epilepsy, you can adjust them btw. Melee is spammy until later levels when you need to actually pay a minor bit of attention on dangerous enemies. It's much less "intentional" (aka slow but somewhat strategic) than PSO. It's much faster with some strategy at higher difficulties but nothing like the hit twice and run Giga-booma stuff. While I totally understand that appeal, AI has advanced a bit since then so it's not near as basic.

[PhilFancyPants]

i played alot of pso on the gamecube when i was younger, and i guess i'm looking for something that does have leveling up as well as loot but more meaningful loot. Alot of the more modern arpgs just have so much loot that it starts to not feel special when you get something. I think I will give this game a shot regardless.

[Mike]

I just remembered this.. Check out PSO Blue Burst. There are private servers for it and the game worked flawlessly when I last played it like 5ish years ago.

If I remember correctly, it's basically all the PSOs from DC and GC plus more content. Events are always up and playable and I think loot is 1:1 mostly with some increased (going off of memory here). Check it out, for real.

Originally posted by PhilFancyPants:

i played alot of pso on the gamecube when i was younger, and i guess i'm looking for something that does have leveling up as well as loot but more meaningful loot. Alot of the more modern arpgs just have so much loot that it starts to not feel special when you get something. I think I will give this game a shot regardless.

I feel that the loot in this game is well distributed for how much loot is available at this time. It's uncommonish for the randomized weapon drops and while armor is randomly dropped, I think it's one and done as far as I can tell. I'd say that it's quite meaningful in this game. The echoes (think units in PSO) are randomized and upgradeable... I like the itemization to be honest.

[Flitz]

PSO nostalgia is actually one of the main reasons that got me into Wayfinder. It's not a staggering similarity, it's been over 20 years since PSO came out after all and Wayfinder is much more modern, but the structure of the core gameplay loop does remind me of it.

[PhilFancyPants]

Thanks everyone!

[it's a gabe]

In many ways, a lot of loot-based RPGs that don't pull directly from Diablo do so from PSO instead, even if unintentionally.

That said, I'm not sure there's anything quite like PSO. Most of its noteworthy aspects, especially the rare loot grinding, are quite diluted nowadays. It's not as ridiculously difficult to find rare loot in modern loot-based games, for example. This is also why you probably didn't like PSO2, as they overhauled loot tables quite a lot over the years. The iconic Psycho Wand in OG PSO2, for example, used to be a rather rare find from DF Elder. I also remember hunting a TMG prior to EP3 dropping, but couldn't get it until months after I stopped playing gunner.

Anyway! I can't yet say whether Wayfinder scratches that itch for me, but I played some Relic Hunters Legend since they released the offline mode and that does it for me. It's more similar to Destiny in some ways, but the loot reminded me somewhat of PSO. Again, a modern looter-shooter, so nothing will be extremely rare, but going through missions, finding hidden chests, the looting, and even the exploration missions reminded me a little of PSO.

[SacaSoh]

How's the combat? I'm searching for an ARPG that makes me think (i.e., so no single button mashing or autobattlers like Diablo/Path of Exile), but is also not a souls game (I'm going to play with my wife and she would be frustrated). For instance, we liked astral ascent (2d roguelite) as the mobs are easy but you have to avoid taking damage as recovering life is hard, and the bosses need good movement skills and also a good build.

Also, is exploration any good (is there secrets?) as she loves those lol

[Elveone]

Originally posted by SacaSoh:

How's the combat? I'm searching for an ARPG that makes me think (i.e., so no single button mashing or autobattlers like Diablo/Path of Exile), but is also not a souls game (I'm going to play with my wife and she would be frustrated). For instance, we liked astral ascent (2d roguelite) as the mobs are easy but you have to avoid taking damage as recovering life is hard, and the bosses need good movement skills and also a good build.

Also, is exploration any good (is there secrets?) as she loves those lol

If you are not overgeared the combat is kind of fun - you have to avoid aoes and enemy swings in order to stay alive. There is a basic combo system for Sword and Shield and Two Handed Weapons where you can chain light and heavy attacks for different amount of damage/break damage. There is a guard mechanic for S&S and 2HW that mitigates damage and when S&S you can counter attack(but it is not that effective). There is a parry mechanic for daggers that allows you to completely ignore an instance of damage and ripostes automatically afterwards. Bosses have some mechanics but most of it is avoiding AoEs.

There are some secrets in the world and mini puzzles in dungeons. Nothing too complex really but it requires you to keep your eyes open. Minor platforming elements as well.