Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has had a rough time of it since launch. From poor performance, to a lack of content and a resulting snail's pace of a release cycle, it's been a hard game to love. Despite all that, I enjoyed my time with the game. I find the moment to moment action fun, the area designs are interesting to navigate, and I think the ideas of multiple towns like what Universe had has some real potential. But that's all been thrown away to me. Because Sega wants to chase some trendy technology in using an AI chatbot in their MMO.
Even beyond all my usual reasons to hate AI in general, the fact that there is a CHAT BOT in the Massively Multiplayer Online Game feels like the final nail in the coffin of what I like about MMOs. It continues in the path of discouraging socialization in the game genre about playing with other people. It's so dumb. It's not like I haven't known about this design trend, it's kinda everywhere when you notice it, but the concept of asking a machine for help and company in a game with an area chat, where you could just go to a hub and ask your question and probably get some sort of answer, is so profoundly upsetting to me. I've made some good friends playing MMOs, PSO 1 and 2 especially. Hell, PSO2 friendship expanded my concept of gender in high school, but it is decreasingly likely for that to happen for newer players, as the designs and mechanics become more and more isolating.
So, I guess, maybe AI isn't my entire grudge right now, but it is the most egregious. As of now, I've uninstalled PSO2. Until such time as I know that the AI features have been removed from the game, I will not play it again. That upsets me deeply, it feels like running away from home. The game that I once called home for hundreds of, if not a full thousand, hours. I encourage others to do the same. I hope Sega reverses course on this, but they rarely do.