The game automatically selects the nearest creature for attack, but often switches to another enemy without warning, playing hell with any plan of attack. Online, there's a bit more room for strategizing. There's also the issue of how to split up the spoils of battle equitably among party members. While the offline portion is handy for building up your character's stats and stocking up on cool items, it's not a particularly compelling standalone game. The beauty of online RPGs lies in the interaction between gamers-something that's been available for a while on the PC, but is just getting off the ground in the console arena.
Communication is handled in a number of ways.
As with any online experience, there are a few problems with the servers. A bit of lag pops up every now and then, and it can be disconcerting to watch characters disappear from your screen and reappear somewhere else. The servers also crash once in a while, which is a huge annoyance. Still, Phantasy Star Online represents a tremendous leap forward for online console gaming. Hopefully these minor flaws will be ironed out in the coming weeks.