Phantasy Star is a revolutionary game that has influenced console RPGs for almost 20 years.
Phantasy Star has pretty much defined the last 20 years of console RPGs. There have been improvements in sound and graphics, the games have gotten longer and more complex, but it it all comes back to Phantasy Star. Prior to Phantasy Star, RPG s were still in the vein of Ultima, Wizardry, and the Bard's Tale. Phantasy Star was a trendsetter that redefined RPGs.
Story:
The story is the most amazing aspect of the game. Prior RPGs had storylines that were straight out of a D&D manual. Phantasy Star took the concept of an RPG and placed it in a futuristic setting. The game required you to travel accross three planets, commandeer different types of vehicles, and converse with aliens species that didn't speak your langueage. The game was the perfect blending of technology and magic, the natural world and the supernatural.
Graphics:
The graphics were the pinnacle of the 8 bit era. The technically superior outstripped the more popular NES, and Phantasy Star was easily the prettiest game and Sega's doomed Master System.
Sound:
Phantasy Star bosated some of the catchiest, most memorable game music ever composed.
Summation:
Despite all of the advancements that have been made in both technology and gameplay systems, Phantasy Star holds up nicely. About once a year, I hook up my SMS and give Phantasy Star a playthrough, and it is still as much fun now as it was back in 1988.