The Next-Gen MMO:
An in-depth look into PSU for the XBOX 360 and the future of MMO gaming.

by Chris Hori
October 24, 2006

Phantasy Star Online available for XBOX 360, PC (DVD-ROM), and Playstation 2.

Today Sega released Phantasy Star Universe for the Xbox 360. As I watched the game load up, I couldn't help but spill my thoughts on playing an MMO on the Xbox 360 as opposed to the long standing king of MMOs, the PC.

First of all, MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, key words being massively and multiplayer. In the beta, Sega had a limited number of servers running the game; however, I can assure you that the interest was surprisingly more than I had expected. A handful of times I was unable to log on due to servers being full. When the game is released Sega will have all of their servers running, so I will assume that this will not be an issue in the final version, but it did show that people were interested, or at least interested in a free downloadable demo.

Having played the original PSO on the Dreamcast, and having played it online at that, I am pleased that PSU is a true sequel to PSO. It's not a silly card battle game, nor a grid based game. Depending on your playing style, it can be a third person shooter (with the ability to go into first person when shooting, but not moving), a third person hack-and-slash, or if you want, a wonderful blend of the two.

With that said, the obvious benefit for playing this game on the Xbox is the multiple functions of Xbox Live that are at your disposal, the biggest one being voice chat. Yes, you can plug in a keyboard, and it's useful when sending text messages in-game when your friends aren't in the immediate area. However, once you are together it's an entirely different story. No more having to type that you need a heal from your magic user, or trying to mark a target for your party to focus on; the voice chat is clear and simple. Those who have used voice chat programs on the PC for various games will understand how invaluable it is to have this as a built-in function that every player can access.

The second benefit that I enjoyed was the comfort of reclining back in my chair and making use of the stereo sound hooked up to my TV. It's something that console users often forget, but sitting at a computer desk isn't exactly the most comfortable way to play a game. Of course with a keyboard and mouse it's effective, but not always that comfortable to use. With the 360 controller, everything you need is right there in your hands. Obviously, the game is designed for the limited buttons on the controller as opposed to the keyboard, but I can assure you that it does not hinder the game play. (Analog sticks for movement as opposed to arrow keys and the ability to press every button without having to move your hand across the keyboard is no laughing matter. Especially when you consider that you can do all this relaxing in your favorite chair and playing on your big screen TV…. Assuming your TV is bigger than your computer monitor.)

Screenshot from PSU. Courtesy Sega. Click image to enlarge.

There are a few downsides. Interestingly the biggest down point is the second benefit. The lack of buttons on the controller forces the game design to be simplified. Often menus and options that are mapped to different keys on a PC game must be moved to submenus that are at times clunky to access, particularly when you are trying to control the character. PSU has done a good job at giving you quick access to all the important commands, but there were a couple of times that I found myself having to push one too many buttons to get where I wanted to go; understandable and forgivable, but annoying none the less.

Secondly, is the issue of lag. This is not something unique to any online game type regardless of how you play. PC and console games alike experience lag when being played online, and PSU gets around this issue by making all combat areas “instanced” so at most there are 6 players in an area at any one time. (The game creates an instance for each party of up to 6 people, so everyone can experience the game in a minimal to almost no lag environment with friends) This means, however, that at most PSU will have groups of 6 people in one area, reducing the “massive” part of the game. In the normal areas, there is definitely the feel of a massive online game; however, the lag of so many people in so many locations becomes more noticeable as you watch people run by in a jerky manner while the game updates information on your screen. While this does not affect the way PSU plays, it is definitely a concern for the expansion of this genre on the home system; as in my opinion, games like Everquest or World of Warcraft are not capable of being played on home systems.

It's only a matter of time, as the new generations of game systems are being built more and more like PCs. Hard drives, high speed connection, USB ports, and even web browsing capabilities are slowly being added into gaming systems and eventually it won't matter how you game. Likewise the qualities of these games are also comparable. Games like PSU are easily worth the monthly fee considering they require as much work and hardware as any PC game. With all things considered, Xbox Live is a deal as $50 for a year subscription, access to the online features of games as well as the market place and download features such as the beta for PSU. MMO type games, on the other hand, require dedicated servers to host these games as well as the constant updates that these games provide; it is understandable that they would charge a monthly fee.

The line between PC and Console gamers continues to blur until it will no longer matter how you game. All that will matter is what game you choose to play.