Returning to Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity with PPSSPP.

[Shinobido Heart]

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It has been roughly 10 years since I last played Phantasy Star Portable 2...

Portable 2 was an absolute blast to play if you had a PSP back then. It was essentially a single player action adventure game and an MMO right in your pocket, play it on the go or at home, and join one of the many rooms on the online server. I met most of my friends here, and some weirdos, but we were all fans of the game. This was also my first Phantasy Star game, so I have a lot of fond memories of it.

With the fan translation of Infinity having been finished a year or two ago, I figured it was time I jumped back into Portable 2 with the Infinity expansion exclusive to Japan. I imported a copy and unboxed my hacked PSP, which has seen better days, the important thing is that it still worked!

I created an .iso of the game, and imported my save file from the US version to the Japanese version. Seeing my old character again from 10 years ago was wild, apparently I logged in about 567 hours. I also had an interesting taste in fashion back then, lol.

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This is also my first time using the PSP emulator, PPSSPP! I found out that this emulator doesn't require a BIOS like the PCSX2 did.

There are some super cool things you can do with this emulator, like turning this 30fps game into a 60fps game by using a cheat!

... and you know how the PSP only had a left analog stick and you had to control the camera by using the Left shoulder button? Well, there's a cheat to map the camera to the right analog stick of your controller. These are huge game changers!

The awesomeness doesn't stop there either, someone has been working on making HD textures for the game, which you can download and apply right now. Check out this comparison video from 2020:

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I gotta say, I was floored when I got everything up and running. It felt like a new game! Everything feels smooth like butter, while looking nice and crisp. I couldn't believe this was a PSP game.

I know I'm late to the party, but if you'd like to try this yourself, you can go here:

Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity Wiki

The PSP2i Wiki is a comprehensive wiki for the Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity game by SEGA!

psp2i.wiki

Getting started

psp2i.wiki

(Old Wiki)
https://sites.google.com/site/psp2iguide

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

I remember being curious about this back when the Vita came out and I looked to the PSP library to fill the dry release periods.

Must be a cool feeling to carry over a save with that much playtime many years later onto an emulator lol. PPSSPP is one of the best emulators for 3D systems I think, and it's nice that it can enhance this game beyond just resolution.

 

[Accoun]

Oh hey, recently started it myself. I don't remember what was the impulse for that, but since I really don't have the time during the week except for bus commute to work, I dusted off my Vita and play it for the ~45 minutes I have each direction. Works pretty damn good for that, although it also means I'm not all that far into the content.

 

[TheChrisGlass]

Just hearing that music takes me back

 

[Drachen]

Man, I really miss old Phantasy Star.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Man, I really miss old Phantasy Star.

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Same, I really tried with PSO2 and New Genesis, I couldn't get into them.

They went in a direction I wasn't happy with, some of my buddies went back to PSO1 Blue Burst instead.

 

[FinFunnels]

It's been a long time, but I remember liking these games a lot. It was refreshing to play something really colorful and sci-fi like after some Monster Hunter marathon sessions lol

 

[RyougaSaotome]

Whoa, I had no idea someone made an HD texture pack for this. That's so rad!

Portable 2 Infinity is a god-like game.

 

[Kevers]

I played the shit out of those games on my PSP along with Zero on the DS.

 

[BeI]

I remember liking how this game basically looked like portable Phantasy Star Universe, although o never played it. Although Phantasy Star Universe Clementine is a pretty good active online server that is nearing end game content.

 

[Drachen]

Same, I really tried with PSO2 and New Genesis, I couldn't get into them.

They went in a direction I wasn't happy with, some of my buddies went back to PSO1 Blue Burst instead.

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The mystique just isn't there for me in PSO2 or NG. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but it feels like they veered off into the deep end of otaku territory. Just lacks that aesthetic and feel that I used to love.

 

[Symphony]

The mystique just isn't there for me in PSO2 or NG. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but it feels like they veered off into the deep end of otaku territory. Just lacks that aesthetic and feel that I used to love.

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I wasn't anywhere as much into PSO's aesthetics, but I did really enjoy the PSU/PSP era, and I would say that PSO2 up to the end of Episode 3 still felt enough like PSU/PSP that I was totally onboard with it. And Episode 3 really would have been a great end point had the game ever been sold as a standalone product like the older games. But then Episode 4 came along with the Earth and anime crossover nonsense and the whole thing just went off the deep end and stopped having any cohesive theme, not just in terms of story but character designs, gacha outfits etc.

 

[signal]

That helmet is good

 

[Shinobido Heart]

I remember being curious about this back when the Vita came out and I looked to the PSP library to fill the dry release periods.

Must be a cool feeling to carry over a save with that much playtime many years later onto an emulator lol. PPSSPP is one of the best emulators for 3D systems I think, and it's nice that it can enhance this game beyond just resolution.

Click to shrink...

What's nice about importing my old save file too is that, despite me starting over on a new character, you have a shared storage.

So my newer characters can access all the resources and gear I farmed long ago.

That helmet is good

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It is, isn't it! :)

 

[FinFunnels]

Sega needs to stop being a bunch of busters and port a collection of these to Steam/Switch/whatever.

It's downright shameful that they are trapped on PSP.

Come to think of it, Sega has way too many legacy titles that deserve ports... Damn busters :(

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Sega needs to stop being a bunch of busters and port a collection of these to Steam/Switch/whatever.

It's downright shameful that they are trapped on PSP.

Come to think of it, Sega has way too many legacy titles that deserve ports... Damn busters :(

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Mmm, sadly you might be better off doing what I did. :(

Infinity came out in 2011 and it looks to me like they want to funnel people into PSO2/NGS instead. They make a lot of money off the gacha system.

 

[Biestmann]

PSP2 and Infinity are top-tier games in the series. In some aspects, I'd rate them even higher than PSO.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Need to get this running on my Series X

 

[Xwing]

Just wanted to chime in and say that PPSSPP might be the best 3D emulator right now for ease of use and features, right behind Dolphin.

 

[FinFunnels]

Mmm, sadly you might be better off doing what I did. :(

Infinity came out in 2011 and it looks to me like they want to funnel people into PSO2/NGS instead. They make a lot of money off the gacha system.

Click to shrink...

I haven't used emulators since I was a kid, but I should really check this one out. I have so many PSP games I'd love to revisit. Especially at higher resolutions and framerates.

 

[Qwark]

This one was never available digitally, right? Or you couldn't transfer it to Vita? I was interested in this game at one point.

 

[Professor Beef]

I still have my digital copy of PSP2 on my Vita during that magical weekend when Sony accidentally pressed the button to allow everything on there.

PSO2 just doesn't scratch that itch the way PSP2 does.

 

[Symphony]

This one was never available digitally, right? Or you couldn't transfer it to Vita? I was interested in this game at one point.

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Infinity and PSP2 were both available digitally, the former being Japan only and the latter not being permitted for transfer to Vita (until that glitch).

PSP2 was already a great game but Infinity improves on it in basically every way and renders it obsolete, it's just that Sega hardcore noped out of the PSP market in the West by the time it came out so we never got to experience it until the recent fan translation.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

I haven't used emulators since I was a kid, but I should really check this one out. I have so many PSP games I'd love to revisit. Especially at higher resolutions and framerates.

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Yeah, emulators are a great way to preserve and play old games while giving them a new coat of paint.

Even though I still ask gaming companies to bring back older games, they are far too busy with other things. Sometimes you just gotta take matters into your own hands and do it yourself. :)

 

[viotech3]

It's been ages since I played PSP2, and more recently some PSO2. What would you say are the biggest differences? Is the draw distance better somehow in PSP2? I have to wait regardless as I can't find my PSP charger & was going to boot up PSP2 to refresh myself on it. Upsides, downsides, biggest problems vs biggest advantages?

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

PSP2i was some of the best online gaming I've ever had in my life. Absolutely phenomenal stuff. Totally gonna have to check out the HD textures!

 

[Shinobido Heart]

It's been ages since I played PSP2, and more recently some PSO2. What would you say are the biggest differences? Is the draw distance better somehow in PSP2? I have to wait regardless as I can't find my PSP charger & was going to boot up PSP2 to refresh myself on it. Upsides, downsides, biggest problems vs biggest advantages?

Click to shrink...

I had several issues with PSO2 that prevented me from enjoying it. The main one was the affixing system, it was one thing to get a strong weapon, but it was another to get good affixes on it. You had to look for gear with the affixes you were looking for, and certain affixes could only be made if you combine other affixes into each other. Depending on the affix, there's a percentage of success. If it ain't 100% success, it might as well be 0. Ugh, it was all so convoluted.

On top of that was the dailies, weeklies, guild dailies, gold pass dailies, passes upon passes to use what seemed like basic functions. Then there's the gachapon cash shop where you have to gamble your money away in hopes of getting those neat clothes you wanted. Player shops were also really expensive compared to Japan's, a lot of items were overpriced. People who played JP PSO2 essentially controlled the market imo.

Then on TOP of that was how horny/thirsty the game was. I play a lot of japanese games, so this is a given but in this case it felt like they took it up another notch since players could essentially post porn in sticker form. This definitely wasn't the Phantasy Star I knew and loved.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 and its Infinity version, are much more enjoyable because you don't have to deal with any of this.

 

[blame space]

That helmet is good

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i feel like this sells the helmet short by a considerable amount.

 

[viotech3]

I had several issues with PSO2 that prevented me from enjoying it. The main one was the affixing system, it was one thing to get a strong weapon, but it was another to get good affixes on it. You had to look for gear with the affixes you were looking for, and certain affixes could only be made if you combine other affixes into each other. Depending on the affix, there's a percentage of success. If it ain't 100% success, it might as well be 0. Ugh, it was all so convoluted.

On top of that was the dailies, weeklies, guild dailies, gold pass dailies, passes upon passes to use what seemed like basic functions. Then there's the gachapon cash shop where you have to gamble your money away in hopes of getting those neat clothes you wanted. Player shops were also really expensive compared to Japan's, a lot of items were overpriced. People who played JP PSO2 essentially controlled the market imo.

Then on TOP of that was how horny/thirsty the game was. I play a lot of japanese games, so this is a given but in this case it felt like they took it up another notch since players could essentially post porn in sticker form. This definitely wasn't the Phantasy Star I knew and loved.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 and its Infinity version, are much more enjoyable because you don't have to deal with any of this.

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Thanks for the rundown! Any super significant combat differences?

 

[Lindsay]

Been playing Infinity since 2014. Had ta remake my character since at the time I had no idea how to convert US to JP save data so all these years later I'm still plugging away every now and then trying to hit 200 for the first time. Playing with the fanslation this past years been a big boon towards all kinds of progress!

 

[nicoga3000]

One of my favorite games ever. I need to play PSP2i with the translation.

I really loved PSU. I know it was not what everyone expected, but I played the shit out of it. 2i is basically more of that, but better.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Thanks for the rundown! Any super significant combat differences?

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I think the most notable one is that there's no jump button in PSP2/Infinity. The combat is more grounded compared to PSO2/NGS.

I'm still getting accustomed to Infinity after being away for so long but elemental weaknesses play a big part in combat.

You wanted to carry multiple weapons of varying elements. For example, if you were fighting a Light type enemy, then you'd want to attack it with a Dark type weapon to deal more damage. If it was a Fire type enemy, then you'd want an Ice type weapon, and etc.

I believe the armor you wore also decreased the damage you received if it matched the enemy element. Light armor for Light enemies, Dark armor for Dark enemies, etc etc.

Knowing how to raise the combo chain and knowing when to break it for big damage was important too, especially on harder difficulties. On lower difficulties, you don't really have to worry about most of this. :o

 

[viotech3]

I think the most notable one is that there's no jump button in PSP2/Infinity. The combat is more grounded compared to PSO2/NGS.

I'm still getting accustomed to Infinity after being away for so long but elemental weaknesses play a big part in combat.

You wanted to carry multiple weapons of varying elements. For example, if you were fighting a Light type enemy, then you'd want to attack it with a Dark type weapon to deal more damage. If it was a Fire type enemy, then you'd want an Ice type weapon, and etc.

I believe the armor you wore also decreased the damage you received if it matched the enemy element. Light armor for Light enemies, Dark armor for Dark enemies, etc etc.

Knowing how to raise the combo chain and knowing when to break it for big damage was important too, especially on harder difficulties. On lower difficulties, you don't really have to worry about most of this. :o

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Coolio, got it. Jumping is neat but it's just jumping. Was only really a thing for air enemies + melee.

 

[pikachief]

I wish I had a computer for this! I'll have to boot up my psp again to play this as ngs hasnt been cutting it lately

 

[Hardvlade]

I wish I had a computer for this! I'll have to boot up my psp again to play this as ngs hasnt been cutting it lately

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If you have any Xbox, (One/Series) PPSSPP runs very well on them.

 

[pikachief]

If you have any Xbox, (One/Series) PPSSPP runs very well on them.

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awesome! I couldnt get the emulator to download/install to my xbox but i'll give it another try for this, thanks

 

[Hardvlade]

awesome! I couldnt get the emulator to download/install to my xbox but i'll give it another try for this, thanks

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Anytime! Open Edge on the Xbox and go to gamr13.GitHub.io and get it from there. No whitelist required, it has a link to the store

 

[viotech3]

Final question, can the game be fully played in co-op? I know there's a campaign, is that SP only or can it be co-op'd?

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Final question, can the game be fully played in co-op? I know there's a campaign, is that SP only or can it be co-op'd?

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The story mode? I don't believe so, no. It's single player only.

But as you progress through the story mode, you'll unlock more missions that are co-op-able. Like, Open Missions, Tactical Missions, and Infinity Missions as well.

 

[nicoga3000]

Final question, can the game be fully played in co-op? I know there's a campaign, is that SP only or can it be co-op'd?

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You'll want to grind the SP story a bit if for no other reason than it's easier than playing more open multiplayer stuff. Enemy scaling and all. And you get more partner cards this way.

I started a fresh play last night. Really enjoy the grind this game offers!

 

[viotech3]

Penultimate question:

If for example, if I could make a save that had completed the singleplayer but had not touched the multiplayer, could a full co-op playthrough kind of function? I know it sounds silly, I'm personally going to play the SP anyway. I'm trying to convince a friend and we'll have to get another copy of PSP2I for that, and we'd really much prefer playing co-op as much as humanly possible.

it's a shame that multiplayer doesn't progress singleplayer or separately. Like in MonHun, me and my friends do basically just the multiplayer with a few of us touching singleplayer (but never all of us). In World that wasn't even a problem, but for the all the others we've played that's how it's worked. So even for just me and my one friend, it's a big bummer that we won't be able to do that exactly. Buuuut if I did all the singleplayer without touching the multiplayer, duplicates the save, could we then start new characters and play through the full multiplayer? Heck, is that even technically possible as I don't know how well-woven the MP is with progression?

There is no real rush because I lost my PSP charger so I can't even play despite PSP2I having arrived, and the replacement cable won't arrive for at least the weekend.

 

[Igor]

Omg. I used to LOVE PSP2. I don't think I did 600 hours but I played definitely over 200. The gameplay loop was simple but very satisfying and there was so, so so much to do and unlock, there was also a lot of free DLC which today would go 5er a pop. And SEGA kind of nailed the online play on the console, it was probably my only title I enjoyed playing online at all on PSP. I may try to dig my old save somewhere and get Infinity running.

i need to find a retrospective on YouTube now.

 

[nicoga3000]

I found some configuration files that improved the textures and frame rate and now I'm back to chugging along. So nice to just kind of zone out and grind.

 

[batfax]

Still really gotta try this. I was unwowed by PSU back in the day but the PSP games seemed like they improved a lot. It's just a big, glaring gap in my Phantasy Star knowledge.

 

[nicoga3000]

Still really gotta try this. I was unwowed by PSU back in the day but the PSP games seemed like they improved a lot. It's just a big, glaring gap in my Phantasy Star knowledge.

Click to shrink...

PSP2i is one of the best in the genre.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Updated the OP with a link to a Cheats File, it has everything you need like 60fps, hot fixes, right analog camera, aspect ratio, etc.

Just drag and drop and you're good to go.

 

[Wander]

What's the cheapest option to play this co op? Trying to get done friends to play. Any handheld emulators or would the actual hardware be the best option

 

[Shinobido Heart]

What's the cheapest option to play this co op? Trying to get done friends to play. Any handheld emulators or would the actual hardware be the best option

Click to shrink...

I have some friends that play it on their mobile phones, but that's a territory I'm unfamiliar with so I can't help there.

Penultimate question:

If for example, if I could make a save that had completed the singleplayer but had not touched the multiplayer, could a full co-op playthrough kind of function? I know it sounds silly, I'm personally going to play the SP anyway. I'm trying to convince a friend and we'll have to get another copy of PSP2I for that, and we'd really much prefer playing co-op as much as humanly possible.

it's a shame that multiplayer doesn't progress singleplayer or separately. Like in MonHun, me and my friends do basically just the multiplayer with a few of us touching singleplayer (but never all of us). In World that wasn't even a problem, but for the all the others we've played that's how it's worked. So even for just me and my one friend, it's a big bummer that we won't be able to do that exactly. Buuuut if I did all the singleplayer without touching the multiplayer, duplicates the save, could we then start new characters and play through the full multiplayer? Heck, is that even technically possible as I don't know how well-woven the MP is with progression?

There is no real rush because I lost my PSP charger so I can't even play despite PSP2I having arrived, and the replacement cable won't arrive for at least the weekend.

Click to shrink...

Sadly, it doesn't work like that, if I understand what you're saying correctly.

When I imported my old save file and made a new character on it, you essentially start over on that character. You can, however, share equipment and items between your characters by using the Shared Storage.

 

[viotech3]

I have some friends that play it on their mobile phones, but that's a territory I'm unfamiliar with so I can't help there.



Sadly, it doesn't work like that, if I understand what you're saying correctly.

When I imported my old save file and made a new character on it, you essentially start over on that character. You can, however, share equipment and items between your characters by using the Shared Storage.

Click to shrink...

No worries, I'll at least have a great SP to enjoy and if they really want to we'll be able to do MP! I'll just do a discord stream and if they wanna play, they can then order a copy!

 

[Accoun]

What's the cheapest option to play this co op? Trying to get done friends to play. Any handheld emulators or would the actual hardware be the best option

Click to shrink...

PPSSPP has official mobile ports. No idea how well they run (as mentioned, I play on Vita myself), but it's a thing.