Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

NGS is a 115GB malignant, near-necrotic, tumor attached to the otherwise amazing MMO that is PSO2.

An ai chatbot? Seriously? But they cant fix their game? Theres no hope for this game. None

I was feeling the itch to come back but after I saw they added an AI chat bot to the game I think I'll play something else until its removed. There has got to be a better use of dev resources than trend chasing.

It isnt worth spending real money on this, nor is it worth the effort to grind for in-game currency; almost every server is overrun with bots used for real-money trading, and SEGA has absolutely no intention of doing anything about it. In-game reports are useless, and the ones submitted via the website practically ask for the bot's birth certificate... just to *consider* doing something about it—*not* to actually take action, just to think about doing something.

PSO2: New Genesis — Stagnant, Recycled, and Full of Wasted Potential PSO2: New Genesis is a stagnant game filled with wasted potential—potential that could have turned it into something much bigger. There is a serious lack of fresh content, and most updates recycle old ideas, making the game feel increasingly stale. The game is good for fashion and high-difficulty end game boss fights, and that is perfectly fine for players who enjoy those things. However, there is very little exciting, action-driven content that gets my adrenaline pumping or makes me genuinely want to grind for hours. Instead, we repeatedly fight recycled bosses with increased health and damage. Much of this content seems designed primarily for solo-focused players who care more about showing off their accomplishments than participating in a meaningful multiplayer experience in those high difficulty bosses I'm not saying everyone can do it solo. If they truly cared about this game they would've put some kind of team work competitive guardrail on the high difficulty bosses at least so one person couldn't be capable of beating it solo (Even with high end game gear.) At this point, the game feels more like another gacha-style experience—one that encourages players to waste money on certain items while investing time in friendships and communities that rarely last. I would rather play games such as Palworld, Cyberpunk 2077, or GTA V. It took me a long time to accept this because I have played PSO2: NGS for more than 6,000+hours since Fed 2021. Since ngs I waited five years for the game to become what I had hoped it would be. I now realize that it will probably never receive the major expansion I imagined—one that could finally fix the fundamental problems with NGS. Instead, players continue standing idle in the lobby, looking at one another’s characters all day posted while remaining on the same planet which is %100 of the game (Planet Halphia) for years. (It feel like the game is more of an online chat than a mmo than actual game experience.) I wanted new features such as ship creation, deeper exploration, new action mechanics, meaningful story content, urgent quests in space, underwater missions or an urgent quest, urgent quest battle in the sky, or encounters with enemies across a planet map filled with unique stages with some kind of paid expansion (These are just content description that people have probably been asking for since the past 5 years, but highly doubt this will save the game for new players coming in the state it's in.) I also wanted a story that would meaningfully develop alongside those features. Additions like these would show that Sega still has passion for the franchise and that the development team believes this game has a genuine purpose. Instead, the game lacks a strong and passionate identity. The original PSO2 eventually reached the end of its journey and was good, but New Genesis still has not done enough to justify calling itself truly “new.” There has not been enough originality throughout the past five years, and the constant recycling of content has become exhausting. The more I log in, the more alone I feel because I struggle to accept how much money and time I invested while believing that some miraculous update would eventually arrive. I wrote down countless ideas and dreams for this game—ideas that I believe could have helped it explode in popularity and attract many more players. However, it feels as though the real mastermind behind this game would not care about my opinion either because important decisions are being controlled by people behind the scenes or because the game is being developed for a specific demographic that I am simply not part of. Sega, I think it is time to make PSO3 and an a new mastermind director designing it for players who are truly looking for a game with meaningful ambition—a cinematic, masterpiece-level experience with a rich universe and a genuine sense of adventure never scene before. Give the next game more creativity, flavor, passion, and substantial content that gives players meaningful reasons to remain invested. Make it a flagship MMO: a respected, purpose-driven MMORPG that offers players an expansive universe to explore rather than trapping everyone inside another small social hub filled with half-naked female characters...(Which will be the only reason I would come back to game but won't do it for that reason.) After more than 6,000+hours, PSO2: New Genesis has left a very bad taste in my mouth. I did not walk away because I hated the franchise game play. I walked away because I hated the long-term direction in which the franchise was heading. I believed the New Genesis could have become something extraordinary. Instead, it became one massive, repetitive loop.

After putting almost 300+ hours in NGS on ps4 back when it released.. I'm gonna add my voice to the chorus Sega ignores. Remove the tumor from PSO2. PSO2 getting replaced by NGS is an insult to your community, made worse by the fact that you decided, in your infinite wisdom, to make the main game while PSO2 is relegated to an extra download that can;t be grabbed seperately from a game that is already over a hundred gigabytes on it's own. (unoptimized, careless slop.) Let us play PSO2 without having the 100+gb tumor attached to it, treat your actual game with some respect, instead of replacing it with something you obviously only care about as a means to get whales to dump cash into your pockets. You wonder WHY

Let me start with the good parts this game does: The character creator on PSO2 NGS is simply the best one on the market right now. The amount of options you have with character design are limitless, and that allows players incredible freedom in making their perfect avatar. In addition, the Creative Space they include allows the same level of freedom with a customizable area you can decorate to your liking. You can even make minigames in it! If Sega optimized on these strengths, I believe New Genesis would be an incredible game. Unfortunately, it's hard to recommend this game to anyone. After playing this game for years, and seeing them recycle and abandon content, it's clear even Sega isn't sure what to do with the game anymore. The open world was a great idea, but has never been properly utilized after its introduction. The game is constantly raising the level cap, but since your skill points aren't tied to level, there's no immediate benefit. New ways to play are constantly added, but are left to gather dust after a few months. The one thing that we ARE sure they're investing in is gacha, as there is a new banner almost every week. Credit where it's due, there are free alternatives to them that give out fashion items, but with the only way to reliably make money being through grinding in one zone, there's a clear disparity between F2P and P2W players. New weapons and armor are introduced every few months, while previous iterations are made available through log in events. This wouldn't be a problem, but the game regularly adds augment gachas to sell power to players. The only way to ensure you have enough money for new items is to either participate in ceaseless grind in Dext Base, or to buy gachas to sell later. And that's not even mentioning how the story for this game has been at a snails pace for the last few years. In fairness, as of writing this review, they are adding new story chapters. But the amount of time between chapters does not justify how little is being added. I understand story isn't important to everyone on MMOs, but after how incredible PSO2 Base's story was, it's fair to want any sort of follow up. Yes, NGS hasn't been out for as long as Base, but they had 3 episodes worth of stories in the time NGS has barely reached 1.5. With the addition of the MAI system, which is a GenAI chatbot, and with the disclosure that they'll be using GenAI for their art direction going forward, it paints a clear picture that Sega does not see PSO2 NGS as something worth holding to a level of quality that is befitting a game that has the same legacy as MMOs of similar age. It's always sad to see a game you love die. It's infuriating seeing a game you love be scrapped and sold for parts.

It sucks ass. Bunch of developers overestimating their own competence and grinding a beloved franchise into gacha-slop.

I didn't think it would ever come to this, but i have to say, after being introduced to the franchise through Phantasy Star Universe, becoming an avid player of PSO2 since 2013 on the JP servers and being ecstatic about the official English release in 2020, NGS has finally, officially, soured my enjoyment of the game. My Steam playtime isn't accurate, as I played religiously at launch on the Microsoft Store (despite how much of a pain it was to install the game), I would estimate that my playtime on global exceeds 350 hours at the very LEAST. So trust me when i say that this doesn't come lightly for me to say. I've tried over and over and over again to give the game a chance, returning every few months at the very least to, mostly, enjoy new cosmetics, as NGS doesn't really have much else going for it. The plot never captured me, the battle content all feels the same, the only saving grace being that it is flashy and feels fun, but that can only carry a game so far. There is simply nothing of substance in the game that makes it feel rewarding enough to grind content for and come back to, other than making some extra money to get more cosmetics to play dress up with. I truly, truly miss the days of classic PSO2, and while yes, it also wasn't without its flaws and is still playable, the fact of the matter is that the game is simply no longer alive as it once was. I'm fairly confident, that NGS is what doomed PSO2 as a whole, with many of us former players leaving it behind for better, more worthwhile MMOs and games. With all of this been said, after uninstalling the game again, I don't think I will be coming back anymore. I will always hold these warm memories of PSO2 and my beloved Risa in my heart, but I do not wish to sour them any more than I already have.