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| | Title:
Phantom Dust
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Action/RPG
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Publisher:
Microsoft Game Studios
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Developer:
Microsoft
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Release:
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
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Microsoft isn't particularly having a great run with their console in Japan. But recently XBOX fans in Japan have been treated with a highly original game from Microsoft Game Studios Japan. Although Microsoft Game Studios has no intention to bring the game overseas, its really hard to understand why the hell not after constantly playing it (it truly is addicting). Its titled ‘Phantom Dust’ and we’ve gotten our hands on a preview copy of the Japanese version.
Phantom Dust is a game set in a sci-fi universe in which humans are forced to conceal themselves underground from the surface of their planet due to the effects of deadly amounts of phantom dust that are abundant in the air. The phantom dust bears these humans with incredible power in which they battle with. The storyline is pretty interesting to say the least in this preview build, but you can probably expect many surprises as the story unfolds throughout the course of the game.
Its seriously hard to doubt that Phantom Dust is great looking. It packs many thrills when you battle opponents and acquire new powers because they look dazzling and awesome when you unleash them on an opponent. The animation is very well done as the characters move realistically and the physics are accurately done. The character models and environments also look amazing for they are greatly detailed and fun to look at as you kick ass with your powers.
Speaking of powers, Phantom Dust has a boatload of them to battle with. Seriously, this game has tons of attack and defense spells that make it hard to get bored of the game. Its like Christmas morning when you open gifts, you never know what awesome surprise you’ll get, and that’s really the best way to describe the acquirement and usage of the spells in Phantom Dust. The way you use these powers is by collecting power orbs. These orbs consist of lethal attacks and attack & defense points. Attack and defense points are gained in order to acquire more powerful spells, whether the spells are for lethal or defense purposes. The only way you can use attack and defense spells are only if you collect the same amount of attack/defense points that are required, so its pretty crucial to stock up on these orbs whenever your given the opportunity to do so. The in game interface in the preview copy is perhaps the best interface I have ever seen in this genre. Its extremely easy to execute lethal and defensive spells because all you have to do is assign an orb to the X, Y, A, or B buttons and tap the button to perform an assigned spell on the button you placed it on. The simple execution of these spells are certainly useful in hectic battles that are found in Phantom Dust, and there are a lot of them.
Another welcome addition to the gameplay is the fact that the environments are destructible. Its extremely satisfying to break down a piece of the environment and watch it topple over an enemy. The destructible environments in the preview copy of Phantom Dust make the game a lot more fun than it already is, showing that there is tons of potential in the strategic decisions that you’ll have to make throughout the course of the game.
The level design so far in Phantom Dust is great. The levels are big, filled with tight rooms and large outdoor environments that are fun to play through over and over again. The most interesting thing though about these levels is that they are used in both single player and online play. Although it may seem that the developers got lazy in designing different maps for single player and multiplayer, they seem to have actually put a lot of thought into them. Considering that the single player and multiplayer maps are the same, you’ll be already familiar with them in which ever mode you play, making it beneficial to the player in the sense that almost everyone has the same experience with all the maps without being killed countless times due to getting adjusted to the levels.
After playing through the preview copy of Phantom Dust, I can honestly say that it’s a crime that its not coming anywhere outside of Japan. That may change with the speculation of U.S. publishers recently showing interest in the game in which only time will tell if its coming anywhere else. Phantom Dust is exactly what the video game industry needs right now with it being original and extremely fun in which many games for years now have been failing to achieve. Its about time something like this to came down the pipe, so where is it?
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