Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution (GameCube) Reader Review

I got this at blockbuster and I thought it would be a good toy, boy was I wrong.

It's got DC graphics and it doesn't hide it. However, the art design for over 400 cards is what impressed me. 400 individual drawings for one game. Wow. I'm not going to mark them down for polygons because those drawings took time ta do.

Music is just as impressive. The opening theme is orchestrated and features a oprah singer. Even though she could be singing about rabies, it sure sounds epic. Other tunes are a hit and miss for me. The lobby tune is catchy, but it has to be since you'll be hearing it for hours. Some map themes are repetitive, but others make up for it.

At first, I thought the plot was just another yea, save the world crap, but that's what it is. Actually there's more to it. Two airplanes are above the planet Ragol. One airplane tries to land and crashes. The other is still in space. The government pioneers C.A.R.D. technology (lame as FEAR), but some people called the Arkz are againsted it. Like usual, the developers labeled the government Hunters and the Arkz Dark-Side. Oh please.

But really, forget the names and you see a plot about an abusive government and you'll see some inner conflicts within. Suprisingly I got interested.

Ah, gameplay. There's 450+ cards to choose from to make a 30 card deck. The Hunters equip items, while the Arkz use monsters as their vitches. Each item or monster has a cost, 1-7 credits. The strategic part is that you only have 8 credits to give. You'll have to mix and match like have two 4-credit things or four 2-credit things. Dice rolls are important, but it doesn't win the game necessarily.

The AI is surprisingly good in this game than as seen in PSO12 as stupid monsters that walk and attack at you. They will counter what you have and hunt you down. It's scary. You'll find lots of competition online as well, if you are down paying for a modem and a hunter's license (9 bucks a month).

Another thing is that the game is 4 player and you can have computers fill other slots and they are good players. You only need two controllers for a four player game.

While polygons aren't the best, the art style is impressive, with the music, the plot has a lot of content and the gameplay is strategic, deep and never predictable, which makes replay value sky rocket.

I enjoy this game so much I even bought two copies. If you want a deep singleplayer experience that involves logical thinking, this is THE pick. There's too many mindless games where you kill armies of stupid enemies anyway.