Phantom Dust

Phantom Dust is a third-person action game created for the Xbox from Microsoft Game Studios Tokyo and Yukio Futatsugi (also creator of Panzer Dragoon Saga). Phantom Dust takes card based strategy and wraps it in action style gameplay similar to the Mega Man Battle Network series.

Yukio first pitched the game to Microsoft as a card battling video game much like Magic: The Gathering, with pictures of cards and a whole new card system. Microsoft rejected the idea because they thought that the game would not sell to the majority of Xbox owners. Yukio then reworked the format until he came up with a gameplay style that involves equal amounts of planning, strategy, and twitch gameplay, faster than what is traditionally found in a collectible card game.

In spite of the fact that Microsoft Game Studios Tokyo was given the green light to create Phantom Dust, Microsoft decided to give Phantom Dust a Japan only release. October 2004 the game hit the streets. Famitsu reviewed and gave it a 34 out of 40. Critics loved Phantom Dust's style of gameplay. Around January rumors started circulating that Majesco might pick up the title and give it the U.S. release. The rumor turned out true.

Before its release in the states there was a significant amount of people importing the game that sparked the fan site XboxPhreaker.com. Since the game was mainly played by Japanese players this allowed English speaking players a way to get together and organize games through the Xbox Live online service in addition to translations of the Japanese text. Along with Majesco's own website for Phantom Dust this continues to sustain a small and dedicated gaming community. As said by many people, Phantom Dust is a love it or hate it game in addition to being a Niche title.

Story
Phantom Dust begins with a surface expedition over a decayed landscape. Two pods are found containing two men in an unconscious state in the center of a huge crater, the two men are Edgar and the Protagonist (called the Protagonist because his name can vary depending upon the choice of the player). Having both been exposed to the Dust for a prolonged amount of time they can not remember much of anything. The Protagonist and Edgar set out on a quest to answer many of the questions they have. What happened to make earth such a desolate place with cites in ruins all over the planet? Where did the Dust come from? Why does the Dust give them psychic powers? Furthermore, why does the Dust cause memory loss? In regards to Edgar, who is this woman in the locket around his neck and why does he keep dreaming of her? Why does everyone have a vague recollection of this place they only know of as the "Ruins" but have no idea where it is?

Gameplay
Gameplay in the Scenario mode revolves around going to the surface world to do missions. Regardless of the mission objective, whether it is to find a fellow human lost on the surface, or find a recipe for seafood gumbo, it invariably involves fighting one or more enemies. During the first two chapters, which are meant to serve as a sort of tutorial, you are forced to use premade "arsenals" (a case that holds a set of skills you can use to fight and defend yourself against the enemy) which never run out of skills. After the tutorial is over, though, you are given a real arsenal and you can buy skills to customize it.

At the beginning of a round four skills are randomly assigned to your controller buttons and displayed in your Heads-up display and three more spawn randomly at capsule points in your spawn area. In the few seconds you have before the match starts you can hit the Back button to reshuffle the assigned skills but only once. Skills in capsule form can be picked up by pressing one of the four buttons at which point they will fill an empty button or overwrite whatever skill is assigned to that button. After a short time, around 15 seconds, another skill will spawn in its place randomly from your arsenal. Using your four assigned skills it is your goal to do at least twenty damage to every opponent while they are trying to do the same to you or cause your opponent to use and pick up all of their 30 skills. After all 30 skills are picked up (or destroyed) the player will begin to lose one life every few seconds. Environment plays a big role in getting the advantage over your target. Matches can be won simply by using height and distance.