i was just wonwdering. it came out on wensday and its sold out everywhere only cause they had only 2 copies each store. its a really good stratagy game with magic the gathering rules. the japanees got inspired by magic and made a fighting game out of it.
anyway is anyone here playing?
i’m playing it, i haven’t looged on the Live part but the single-player kicks ass, i’m still learning all the other ablilites along the way but the game aint easy 
Sounds intresting, might check it out when it hits UK
yea its mad hard
but you know that its xbox live aware ( i mean you can show online and play ofline like halo2)
how is that game though? It looks fun…
It does lok very interesting. I played the japanese demo a while back, but it was so long ago, that I don’t remember…anyone care to make a mini-review to give us folks who want it, a good idea what it’s about?
Bought it yesterday after reading this thread. Only got to go through two missions, will probably be on live later this week with it.
I got the japanese Demo too it was fun playing it and cool.
How much is the game?
Think Powerstone meets Magic the Gathering meets the Matrix meets Dragon Ball Z. It mixes a lot of different genres and makes a really killer game out of it.
You use skills to attack, defend, or do special moves instead of preset attack buttons. The skills are divded in 6 catagories; Attack(red), Defense (blue), Erase (Purple), Status (Green), Special (Yellow), Environment (Cyan). The skills are then divided between 5 different schools;
Psycho= Short for Psychokinesis, this is the school of telekinesis. Think Akira when you look at the skills for this school. Basically with Psycho you can move environmental objects like signs, chairs, tables, or fallen rocks. Or you can use your psychic powers to blow sh!t up, paralyze your oppoent in a psychic bubble, or even fly.
Optics= Laser-based skills. If you want to be flashy, this is the school for you. Nothing but eye candy in this school. Optics has everything from the basic laser, the focused mid-range blaster, a laser sword, richochet lasers, and even a laser that comes from space. Defensive skills in this school are also flashy, designed to stop long ranged attacks. This school is a favorite for most players (in the beginning at least).
Nature=School based on elements. Wind, Earth, Fire, Ice, and Plants are your weapons in this school. You can cause earthquakes, freeze opponent’s buttons so they can’t attack for 10 seconds, rain fire down on your opponent from above, or even cause hurricanes. Its a very well rounded school.
Ki= School based on martial arts and inner strength or “chi”. This school is for all the DBZ wannabes out there. In this school you can equip punches, kicks, and ki blasts. This school is also home to most of the erase schools, and some very interesting defense skills like learning and digestion.
Faith=School based on religion and the supernatual. Faith uses angels and demons to cause battle changing damage to your opponents. The cost for using such incredible powers is that faith is the only skill set that causes damage to your fragile health supply. Some faith skills are so powerful that the can go through walls and ceilings to hit your opponent.
Like Powerstone, the game is truely 3D, with completely interactive environments. Nothing is quite as satisfying as smashing some punk through a wall and watch the poor sap land on the floor below, or completely blowing up the floor underneath someone and watch them fall into a cascade of rubble, all the while taking more damage. 
Leaping from high atop a ledge and landing on the ground causing a massive crator on impact just makes you feel all the more powerful.
Story mode is kinda like RPG-lite. Basically you talk to various NPCs and go on missions to unlock story twists. You can also earn and purchase skills and arsenals from this mode and take them online. You can also earn ultra-rare skills only by playing XBL matches. Every 30 online matches you get one of the 40 “rare” skills.
I’d give it a 8.8/10. It does have flaws, but its an awesome game overall, plus its only 20 bucks. You really can’t lose.
^^Wow, that was very informative…I think I’ll be getting this then. Is it hard to come by, because I didn’t find it today(but then again, I forgot to look for it too well…) and how much is it?
20 bucks
Here’s some reviews;
90/100 Weekly Famitsu (XB edition)
9 / 9 / 9 / 9 - platinum [Sept 2004]
90/100 TotalGames.net
Deep. Beautiful. Phantasmal. These are all words to describe Phantom Dust, one of the most brilliantly conceived games on Xbox that you may never play. [JPN Import]
88/100 Play Magazine
Perfect controls and breathtaking visuals aside, the localization here is also superb (Majesco grabbed this one post Microsoft polishing every nook and cranny), and the music is, in a word, euphoric. [Feb 2005, p.65]
85/100 Famitsu Monthly
9/8/7/10 [Oct 2004]
85/100 1UP
It scores big points by offering the most strategic Xbox Live experience available. Patient players willing to take the time to continually tweak and test their arsenals of skills will find themselves with a new favorite game to play online.
85/100 IGN
While the single-player offering is a bit generic, the gameplay is incredible deep and a lot of fun once you get the hang of things. The graphics are spectacular and there’s some brilliant use of classical and symphonic music, which plays with a tinny filter as if coming in from a ghost radio station.
85/100 HonestGamers.com
Phantom Dust is a compelling game on many levels, the least of which is that it’s given my sadly neglected Japanese Xbox a new lease on life. So why then has it been refused a Western release? Stupidity? Short sightedness perhaps? Whatever the reason may be, what we have here is a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions as Phantom Dust is a culture spanning, genre bending classic that deserves its time in the lime light. [JPN Import]
80/100 Electronic Gaming Monthly
With gorgeous visuals, a lush and sometimes haunting soundtrack, and the ability to download new powers, Dust is a brilliant counterpoint to the shooter-heavy Xbox Live lineup. [March 2005, p.129]
77/100 Official Xbox Magazine
It’s the fighting that matters, and that, fortunately, is deep. [Feb 2005, p.74]
70/100 Game Informer
It seems to shoot itself in the foot whenever it’s poised to really take off and achieve something, but there’s still some enjoyment to be had here. [March 2005, p.137]
Theres this resourceful Phantom Dust website. It contains a downloadable skill list (you’ll definitely need to familiarize yourself with all 300+ skills), guides covering some of the fundamentals of the game as well as walkthroughs and strategy, and also a forum. Check it out.
I really cant comment too much on the game yet, for I am still halfway through Chapter 2 right now and still haven’t experienced it on Live. What I can say is that single player mode acts like a really long-ass tutorial (in a very linear way, too) for online/multi-player mode with a bit of storyline that, although amusing to some, isnt really all that satisfying to some of the more story-driven gamers out there. But hey, for $20, I think it more than compensates for its flaws. Also, the graphics and artwork is great, and the music composition is fine work, and the game itself is just dripping with coolness. The actual gameplay itself is like what Hanzou metaphorically described it as; a hybrid of a card game with Power Stone-like fighting with its touch of uniqueness. However, he didnt go into great detail on the actual execution of the gameplay. For time constraints, Ill just link a synopsis of the gameplay from the website I mentioned above.
Overall, its a really great game. I dont see any reason why you shouldnt check out this game… unless, of course, you dont like kick-ass games at cheap prices, or you prefer to spend your entire time on Xbox Live hoping to God that Bungie will release downloadable content with no more SMG starting weapon and standby cheat.
In any case, I wont start playing on Live until after I either finish single player mode or gather up a sufficient amount of skills to construct a decent arsenal (or deck, whatever its called). Whichever comes first. Youre more than welcome to add me to your friends list for now if you like.
edit
Because of the localization, some of the names of the skills on the downloadable skill list might be different from the actual US version. In that case, simply go to the official website and check out the list there. I believe its order is numerically the same anyway, so you shouldnt have any confusion whatsoever.
Well, you people can pretty much add me to your friends list if you’d like. I’m getting this game early this week, and I can’t wait…Anyway, how is the online itself? Is it laggy, and are there alot/not enough people online?
I’ve only experienced lag once, and it was a brief hiccup at the end of a fight.
As for people online, its not as packed as Halo 2, but you shouldn’t have a problem finding a game within 5 minutes.
BTW, my GT is Hanzou2. See you soon. :badboy:
Well, I got it today. My gt is under my avatar. Anyway, I’m loving this game, even though I’m only starting it(Chapter 2). Can’t wait to build up a good arsenal and jump online.
The only thing I do not like about this game is the fact that you must progress in the single player in order to have any chance in the multiplayer. Certain skills do not become available to you until AFTER you complete certain missions. If you only get as far as the beginning of the third chapter you will never get erase/environmental skills.
And Chunky sucks, you might as well be fighting by yourself, that guy is useless.
Just picked the game up yesterday and just got into Chapter 3.
Its a very unique, satisfying game so far. I can’t wait to jump on Xbox Live once I have a formidable arsenal.
Releasing this and GGX2 #Reload for 20 bucks each, Majesco can do nothing wrong in my book.
If anyone wants to play some one-on-one or tag team hit me up.
I have a very small question about this game…how do you unlock stuff? It seems like you just get all the stages/charecters as you move along the SP missions, but is there any way I might miss something if I’m not careful?