Editing Phantasy Star (video game) (section)

==Legacy==
''Phantasy Star'' is considered a landmark RPG; it has been called "revolutionary",<ref name=":15" /> "pioneering",<ref name=":23" /> and "ahead of its time".<ref name=":24">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx|title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)|last=Cork|first=Jeff|date=November 16, 2009|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119181519/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx|archive-date=January 19, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It is credited with helping to define the genre and introduce the West to console RPGs.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":1" /> ''IGN'' wrote: "''Phantasy Star'' was the game that defined an entire generation's early experiences with the RPG genre as a whole, a role-playing adventure without equal at the time of its initial debut [...] a time when competition was virtually non-existent in the category".<ref name=":22" /> It has been called one of the best games on the Master System.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="cvg_phantasy">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/281081/features/time-machine-phantasy-star/|title=Time Machine: Phantasy Star|date=January 2, 2011|website=Computer and Video Games|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103165753/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/281081/features/time-machine-phantasy-star/|archive-date=November 3, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=May 15, 2011}}</ref> ''Nintendo Life'' called it a [[killer app]] which "not only tested the hardware but also the boundaries and expectations of the genre".<ref name=":15" /> ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' called it "a key release for the genre's popularity in the West and a key reason to own a Master System".<ref name=":1" />

In 1996, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' listed the entire series as number 72 on their "[[List of video games considered the best|Top 100 Games of All Time]]", opined that "the best game in the series is still the first ... There was a lot more variety in the settings, a deeper storyline, and just plain more of everything."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=21 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=September 1996|page=47}}</ref> The following year it was ranked the 62nd best console video game of all time by ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', the only appearance of a Master System game on the list.<ref name=EGM100>{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Games of All Time |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=100 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=November 1997|page=120}} Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.</ref> In 2001, ''[[Game Informer]]'' included it on its own list of greatest video games at #94. The staff praised it for its innovation and graphical superiority (specifically to ''[[Dragon Warrior]]'').<ref name=:24/> In 2006, ''[[1UP.com|1UP]]'' and ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' placed it at #26 on "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time" list, which puts it as the second highest-ranking RPG on the list, behind only ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' at #21.<ref name=:23/> In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list, noting that it "had some of the best visuals and grandest sense of adventure" among its contemporaries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bell |first1=Lowell |title=Best JRPGs Of All Time |url=https://www.timeextension.com/guides/best-jrpgs-of-all-time |website=Time Extension |publisher=Hookshot Media |access-date=25 February 2023 |date=25 February 2023}}</ref>

The game introduced many elements that later became staples of the RPG genre.<ref name=":13" /><ref name="anewfrontier">{{cite magazine|date=February 2009|title=A New Frontier|magazine=[[Nintendo Power]]|issue=238|page=42}}</ref> Its fusion of science fiction with [[medieval fantasy]] contrasted with the traditional fantasy seen in other RPGs of its era.<ref name=":22" /><ref name="anewfrontier" /><ref name="cvg_phantasy" /> ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' explained that ''Phantasy Star'' "was the first RPG to break out of the ''Dragon Quest'' / ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' mold of generic [[King Arthur|Arthurian]] fantasy by introducing sci-fi elements".<ref name="anewfrontier" /> The inclusion of pre-defined characters with unique personalities and abilities in the game is also considered revolutionary when compared to the customizable characters in other RPGs.<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-feature5-ways-japanese-gaming-still-rules-catherine/|title=5 Ways Japanese Gaming Still Rules: Catherine|last=Patterson|first=Mollie L.|date=December 30, 2011|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923164512/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-feature5-ways-japanese-gaming-still-rules-catherine/|archive-date=September 23, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all|access-date=December 31, 2011}}</ref> The graphics are considered ahead of their time, particularly the 3D dungeons and monster animations.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":24" /><ref name="cvg_phantasy" /><ref name=":25">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2004/08/sega-stars-rieko-kodama/|title=Sega Stars: Rieko Kodama|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|date=August 6, 2004|website=Sega-16|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610143310/http://www.sega-16.com/2004/08/sega-stars-rieko-kodama/|archive-date=June 10, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=December 16, 2018|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=EGM100/> It was also one of the earliest video games to feature a female protagonist,<ref name="cvg_phantasy" /><ref name=":25" /><ref name=":22" /> which ''Nintendo Life'' called "perhaps [its] most revolutionary aspect".<ref name=":15" />

''Phantasy Star'' launched the careers of its staff.<ref name=":13" /> Some worked on [[Phantasy Star|a series of sequels]] starting on the [[Mega Drive]],<ref name="cvg_phantasy" /> known as some of the best RPGs of their era.<ref name=":15" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/previews/psc.html|title=RPGFan Previews – Phantasy Star Collection|last=John|first=McCarroll|date=August 20, 2002|publisher=RPGFan|access-date=May 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515132120/http://www.rpgfan.com/previews/psc.html|archive-date=May 15, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Both programmer Yuji Naka and artist Rieko Kodama worked on the sequel ''[[Phantasy Star II]]'' (1989),''<ref name="cvg_phantasy" />'' and Kodama directed ''[[Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium]]'' (1993),<ref name="untold3" /> considered by some industry journalists to be one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest games ever made]].<ref name="Slant2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time|date=June 8, 2018|website=[[Slant Magazine]]|access-date=November 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108065607/https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/|archive-date=November 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Polygon">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401|title=The 500 Best Video Games of All Time|date=November 27, 2017|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303210843/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=December 1, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="IGN2007">{{cite web|url=http://top100.ign.com/2007/|title=The Top 100 Games of All Time!|date=2007|website=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203021612/http://top100.ign.com/2007/|archive-date=December 3, 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=October 28, 2017}}</ref> She later served as producer on ''[[Skies of Arcadia]]'' (2000), a critically acclaimed RPG for the [[Dreamcast]].<ref name="untold3" /> Meanwhile, Naka served as producer on ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' (2000), the first online RPG for home consoles.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/yuji-naka-interview/1100-2681879/|title=Yuji Naka Interview|last=Ahmed|first=Shahed|date=February 5, 2001|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726174507/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/yuji-naka-interview/1100-2681879/|archive-date=July 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Character designer Naoto Ohshima went on to create the character [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] and collaborated with Naka on several games including the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series, ''[[Nights into Dreams]]'' (1996), and ''[[Burning Rangers]]'' (1998); [[Sonic Team]] would later take over the series''.<ref name="untold" />''