Googleshng:
Personally, I always had fun making maps while playing the original PS, but no, you don't have to. Almost all the time, you can just hug a wall, for example, turn left whenever you can, never turn right unless you have no choice. The only places I can think of where this doesn't work. The cave where you get Noah, which is basically just a bunch of concentric circles (well, squares really) so you just move outward one way and inward the other. The very end of the game, where the bottom floor looks like it's just a tiny little loop but there's a secret door. And finally, that one big hideous trap filled maze on Dezoris, for which there's hints all over in the game to get through.

Googleshng:
There are three guns in the game. All of them do a fixed amount of damage to all enemies. No ammount of character building is going to change that. So basically, if you do a decent ammount of character building, you're going to be better off with an axe most of the time. On the other hand, when you have one of the better guns, and you're fighting a ton of wimpy little things, they really get the job done. Guns are also handy against things with defense so high that just attacking does less damage than the gun would. As for the forged roadpass, quite frankly, you can't get a real one. You aren't exactly on good terms with the government. When asked for the road pass, just say no, and kill the cop. Although if you only just got a gun for Odin you REALLY shouldn't be going there just yet, it's more of an end of the game sort of thing.

Googleshng:
Most people agree that the best party for the end of the game is Rolf, Rudo, Anna, and Amy. Hugh and Kain are only worth having in a couple places, and Shir, while cool, kinda sucks in terms of actual combat.

Googleshng:
Except for some minor variations and 4 different endings, the basic gameplay is the same no matter what. Whatever you don't get to do in the second generation, you get around to in the third. The big difference therefore is who's on your party. If you marry Maya, you get your two androids, a main character who can cast healing spells, Lyle's daughter who obviously is more or less a mage, and Sari, who's just an icky Orikian girl with slicers, plus a big jerk. More importantly, this means that at the end of the second generation, you have a choice of marrying your second cousin, or the biggest jerk in the game. These give you a total of 3 or 2 people with healing techs for the third generation. If you marry Lena however, I seem to recall you get some cool parts for Wren sooner, you get to team up with the hippie resistance getting a character with shades in the process not to mention your androids and HUGE SPOILER WITH BLOND HAIR, then at the end, you get a choice of marrying SPOILER WITH FUNKY HAIR, or HUGE SPOILER WITH BLOND HAIR. The former gives you three healers, and the latter gives you four. Everyone but Wren! Plus you wind up with Gwen, who goes up levels faster than anyone in the game, like, 12 levels after the very first fight against a chirper. All in all, that's my favorite party, with my least favorite being Crys' (Sari's kid). On the other hand, if you don't marry Maya, you realize of course that the entire plot of the first generation becomes pointless.

Googleshng:
Aside from all the hunters guild missions, and getting Megid, there isn't really any side stuff. If you really want an excuse to play it again though, beat 1 and 2 first, then go back through looking for all the cool backreferences.

Googleshng:
There's two actually. Phantasy Star Adventure, which is an illustrated text adventure, like Shadowgate, and Phantasy Star Gaiden, which is an unspectacular (and noncannonical) RPG involving Alis going off to another planet. Neither of those are by the actual Phantasy Star team (3 wasn't either actually), weren't translated, and aren't all that great. In other words, don't worry about them.

Googleshng:
First of all, as I have said several times, PSO is NOT a massively multiplayer online RPG. It's more analogous to Secret of Mana. There's a party of 4 characters, you control one, the other 3 are either controlled by friends of yours via modem, or by the computer. It also has communication shortcuts so you can boss said characters around. I've been wanting a game like that forever, and of course I've wanted the PS team to get back to work forever too, pretty cool that I get to have both at once. Furthermore, it's appearently an action RPG, which isn't nessessarily good or bad, just different. As for the setting, from the available information, I have pieced together the following possibilities: 1- It's set WAY after PS4. This one isn't very likely though because it has been said that characters from one of the other games will be in it. 2- It's set on another planet, which was discovered by an escape ship from Palma, this would just suck, and also conflict with the old characters statement. Finally, 3- It's set just before, during and/or after PS2 (probably after). This is the most likely, since it explains screen shots of sky scrapers, tropical climates, allow for cameos, and it would allow for a Dark Force free plot that would actually be pretty cool (cleaning up the chaos caused by losing Mother Brain). So, if this is the case, I'm really looking forward to it, the other two hypotheses are less than gripping. Oh yeah, just to answer another question someone sent on the subject, I believe PSO, like all other DC games so far, features a free chat/game making setup similar to Blizzard's Battle.net service.

Googleshng:
Take a look at the little comic strip at the bottom of the column. As for Phantasy Star BECOMING unpopular, it never was in the first place. Nobody owned an SMS, PS2 came out before Sonic so nobody had a Genesis, PS3 doesn't count, and PS4 wasn't advertised. It was a question of walking into a game store, seeing it on the shelf, and having your jaw drop, drooling in excitement (if you were amoung the few fans of the series). Of course then you saw the $100 price tag.

Googleshng:
Heck no! I used to do that all the time (not generally by choice, just because everyone else happened to die). It REALLY is amusing to just have this little yellow cat running around, killing giant insects, talking to people, and going to church to get everyone else back. 8) As for the best music in PS4, well a lot of it is pretty darn good, particularly remixed songs from the original, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be the remixed Fantasy Zone music in the place with the dancing girls.

Googleshng:
Well, it was publicly stated the PS4 was the last game in the series before it was even out I seem to recall. If you've won it, you know that it put some serious closure on the series too. So, while they can't go making a dirrect linear sequel, they CAN go back and stick in side stuff (PSO), and they can make similar games (Eternal Arcadia). That's good enough for me personally.

Googleshng:
Well, as I understand it, after Rico first became the champ, he was no longer required to wear the collar, but he liked the way it looked, so he just had them take the bomb out.

Googleshng:
It's involved in all the weird secret disk two side stuff that I missed the first time through.

Googleshng:
I don't recall it ever saying that Fei was born in Shevat, and even if he was, knowing what he can do, wouldn't YOU put one in? Besides, everyone has one, even Solarians.

Googleshng:
Because Grahf is a possessing entity basically. At the time, he's possessing Kahn.

Googleshng:
Well... PS3 doesn't really count but is still cool, the others, well, if you can stand playing really old games, go for it, they're great... for their times at least.

Dude,

Was Phantasy Star 1 ever re-released on the Megadrive?

Cheers
Raps

Do you think that somehow you guys (all the RPGuru's/Q&A hosts) have answered all the questions about RPGs and that's why there's a lack of answers?

-Hiedran

Hey Googleshng,
This wierd but I thought you would get a kick out of it.
http://www.askjesus.org/ask.cgi?http://www.rpgamer.com/rpguru/googleshng/ag050100.html
Natron

Do you suppose that
I should get a Playstation
Just for Chrono Cross?

-- Cranium "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him pee in it"

Googleshng,
What do you think about Silent Hill? I think it's the scariest thing I have ever played in my life... o_O
Also...what do you think is scarier than Silent Hill?
--Toby,...the real one. (who hopes this makes it in your mail on time)

Hey Google I have a quick question on pronunciation. Yggdrasil, I have seen this in Xenogears and before that as the tree spirit in BOF 3. I'm guessing something like EUG-DRAH-SILL or UGH-DRAH-SIL.

Hey, I didn't even know you had a GP joke. Sorry if I stole it, ya know. But it does seem logical, doesn't it?
--
CX, very sorry for what he's done

The Last Laugh: