> I don't recommend playing Phantasy Star II for the story because there isn't a lot of dialogue. You can read the story online in 5 minutes. Play the game for the complete experience. Play the game for the journey and you will enjoy it more. However, the story is only one facet of the game. The gameplay is where this game truly shines. It depends if you can go back in time to a different era of gaming. The gameplay is great for an oldschool RPG. You might be wondering if it's worth playing such an old RPG. Looks can be deceptive; underneath these ancient graphics lies a true gem.

     > The Phantasy Star Series merges science fiction with sword and sorcery. Imagine knights who wield swords, and hunters who use laser cannons, and wizards who unleash magical energy on their enemies but set in a technologically advanced world. It's a rare combination that merges the best of all worlds. That's what's great about the Phantasy Star Series. I wish it was more popular.

     > You play the role of Rolf who is a government agent on the world of Motavia (his name is changeable). Motavia was once an arid desert but thanks to the help of an extremely advanced artificial intelligence called Mother Brain the planet has been terraformed into a green paradise. People live comfortably under Mother Brain's supervision and enjoy the fruits of a utopian world where everyone can live in peace because war is unnecessary. But not all is what it seems. Biomonsters have been running rampant across the world and it's your mission to find out why. You need to find the biosystems lab where the biomonsters are created and find the source of the problem. Rolf has a female companion named Nei who refuses to let him go alone. Nei is a Numan, which means a human who isn't a human. She was created by blending human and biomonster DNA. She is an outcast in society, shunned by humans, but Rolf loves her like a sister and lets her join him on his mission. And so your journey begins.

     > Let me start by saying that I wouldn't recommend Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star III to people unless they are fans of the series. Phantasy Star IV is the most accessible to newcomers because the game is more forgiving, more linear, proceeds at a faster pace and has more cutscenes to keep players entertained. Thus PSIV bridges the gap between hardcore and casual. 

     > There's no point owning a hard copy of this when it's easily emulated unless you are a hardcore collector. The same is true for all Genesis games these days.

     > Phantasy Star II has unique art with alien looking biomonsters and futuristic robots and great character portraits. The characters look like anime characters. They are colorful like the rest of the game. Whether you like the art or not is a matter of taste, but I've always loved anime, so I like it. Characters are huge when exploring the 
overworld map which makes towns and other locations you find seem small in comparison. This seems to be a Phantasy Star tradition that is carried over into the Genesis sequels.

     > Many different characters with different skills will join you as you progress through the game, so you can customize your team. Some characters can use different weapons and some characters are better against different enemies which adds to the fun. New allies join you as you progress, so you can change your party members to adapt to different environments. It's not long before you have a full party so don't despair.

     > Phantasy Star II takes me back to a time when all RPGs weren't forced to be linear by mainstream casual gamers, and when more ideas were free to exist because more ideas could be profitable. Hopefully science fiction merged with sword and sorcery doesn't die and can find a home in the future (Star Wars isn't the same thing). Sega are sitting on a potential goldmine.

     > PSII isn't easy which might frustrate people, so I only recommend it to fans. Casual players should start with Phantasy Star IV in my opinion, as it's much easier to pick up and play, whereas the previous games require a greater commitment. You have been warned. Be that as it may, no true gamer should miss Phantasy Star II. This is why we became gamers in the first place.