I don't think I've ever seen Phantasy Star step further away from its own identity then what I've seen here. Even when compared to the original Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast/Gamecube which -though I've never finished- played many, many times. There's just too many similarities to other JRPG MMOs for it to stand out and not enough of it's own thing. Maybe down the road the final release might prove me wrong, but for now I just can't see this as being Phantasy Star. And Phantasy Star, even the online titles, has a very distinct look and feel to it.