CORBIE'S GAME BLOG

I've always had a special place in my heart for role-playing games, but this one kind of snuck up on me years ago when it first came out. I hadn't ever played the Phantasy Star games, but one day I was in Toys R Us trying to find Secret of Evermore and came across this game. I'll admit that I was really dissapointed in not being able to locate Secret of Evermore, as I had really been wanting that game. But not wanting to go home without a game, I grabbed the ticket for Phantasy Star IV and headed to the check-out area. On the drive home, I began to regret that I had spent all of the money I had saved for Evermore and even thought about not taking the shrinkwrap off of the game and taking it back when I drove into the city the following weekend. As usual, once I got home and saw that brand new game sitting there in front of me, I just couldn't resist giving it a go, and boy am I glad I did!

Back at the time, I was more into the action-style rpgs like Legend of Zelda and Secret of Mana, but after popping Phantasy Star IV into my Genesis, I immediately fell in love with the turn-based style the game featured. I think one thing I really liked about Phantasy Star IV was the storyline. It was a nice change of pace to have the game set in the future, and it added a fresh approach to rpgs that were beginning to get a bit too predictable. Graphically the game is also one of the best looking Genesis titles, but one area where I think the game really shines is the soundtrack. It might not be quite up to the level of a Chrono Trigger, but this game features an outstanding and melodic selection of musical tracks that carry the mood of the game perfectly. You'd be hard pressed to find a more well-executed or complete rpg package than this one. If you've never experienced Phantasy Star IV, please do yourself a favor and track this game down. You'll thank me for it.