We love seeing Dreamcast titles get a second lease on life through digital distribution and while we knew this one was coming, we're still excited to see a firm release date announced! Sonic's debut Dreamcast title, Sonic Adventure, is slated to launch on Xbox 360 Live Arcade later this month, according to a post made to Sega's official US blog on Tuesday. The best-selling game marked a huge transition in the Sonic franchise toward 3D environments and is one of the most highly regarded 3D Sonic titles to date.

The game is said to be redone in HD (though, this does not appear to include support for 16:9) and will include all of the content that players loved from the original, including the Chao Garden, a virtual pet minigame. A follow-up release on Playstation Network was also hinted at, so hang in there if you're a Playstation 3 owner looking to relive this classic. Sonic Adventure launches September 15th on Xbox Live Arcade for the low price of just 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD).

• 16 comments

Scans from the latest issue of Famitsu have provided us with the first exciting glimpses of Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. Scheduled for release in the winter, Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity appears to be a brand new game. Based on the translations that Mike has provided, we know the following details:

• New Story Mode - There will be a brand new Story Mode that is set during the events of Phantasy Star Portable 2
• New Race - A new race called "Dumans" are being introduced. They are mutated humans that have an Infinity Blast special attack.
• Character Redesigns - Existing races will receive visual overhauls.
• Infinity Difficulty - A new difficulty that is higher than S-Rank.
• Character Rebirth - The level cap for Infinity will be 200. Once a character hits cap, a "Rebirth" option will appear. Your character level will be reduced 1, but your character will have improved stats.
• More PSO Monsters - Monsters from Phantasy Star Online such as the Garanz, Chaos Bringer, and Olga Flow will appear in the game.
• Visual Lobbies - The online lobby system originally seen in Phantasy Star Online will return.
• Screenshot Functionality - Players will have the ability to take in-game screenshots. Pressing Select will activate Screenshot mode. After that, a player can take a screenshot by pressing the Start button.

This is very exciting news for fans of the Phantasy Star Portable franchise! You can discuss this new details in this forum thread.

• 50 comments

Shougai PSO, a Japanese fansite, posted an article today noting that Sega of Japan has renewed the registration for pso2.jp. With the looming 10th anniversary of the original release of Phantasy Star Online, some fans are taking this as a clue for the possible future direction the franchise may take. Hopefully, this will prove to be more than a standard domain name renewal.
 
Credit goes to Ryuodo and Mike for alerting us to this news. You can discuss the possible ramifications of this news in this forum thread.

• 19 comments

As has been reported on multiple websites, the packaging for the upcoming Japanese budget version of Phantasy Star Portable 2 has revealed a possible expansion called Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. Little is currently known about Infinity beyond the fact that it will let you import save data from Phantasy Star Portable 2. Further details may become available when the budget version is launched on August 26th.
 
Credit goes to NekoRul for bringing us this news. You can discuss this possible expansion in this forum thread.

• 2 comments

A large update has been scheduled for release on August 27th for the Xbox 360 servers! Here are some of the details:

• Unsafe Passage /R, a Guardians Advanced Mission, will be available. Restrictions for this mission include:
  • Level 20 cap for players
  • Healing items may not be used
  • Limits on slot items
• A new AMP Exchange Mission with new items.
• New SUV items and TECHNICs including Blitz Burst, Grom Burst, and Dizas
• Several new item and type customizations. A full list is provided on the Japanese update page.
• Casino Item Rotation

Credit goes to Max_B for bringing us this news. You can discuss this update in this forum thread.
 
Update: The English update page has been published.
 
Update: Additionally, there has been a balance change which adjusts the number of targets for Limit Break Diga and Foie to now hit four targets at LV41+ instead of the standard three.

• 1 comment

You've watched the trailer, seen the screenshots, and maybe even played the import. Now, as we get even closer to the US release of Phantasy Star Portable 2, you can get your first taste of the localized version of the game. The PSP2 demo is here!

Released on the US PSN store earlier this evening and weighing in at 342MB, the PSP2 demo features the first chapter of the game's story mode and also includes support for both ad-hoc and online multiplayer (available to everyone, unlike the Japanese PSP2 demo). In addition, players can import their original Phantasy Star Portable character, granting them two bonus items; a slot unit with a visual bonus and Exam Saber.

As part of the announcement about the demo, it was also revealed that each copy of PSP2 will include a unique, one-time code that will be linked to players' PSN accounts. Registering this code will allow players unlimited lifetime access to the game's online mode, no subscriptions or fees required.

Feel free to drop by our PSP2 Forum, where a demo discussion is already underway! You can also visit our Official Phantasy Star Portable 2 Pre-Order Thread / FAQ for the latest release date information and pre-order buzz.

• 18 comments

As of today (August 3rd), PSU has been released digitally for Xbox 360 in all non-Asian Xbox Live regions. This download is a 1:1 replacement for the original PSU disc released in 2006 and totals 6.45 GB in size. It can be purchased using either a direct monetary amount or in Microsoft Points (by pressing the Y Button before payment). Pricing for a few of the regions is as follows:

• US: $19.99 or 1600 Microsoft Points
• CA: $19.99 or 1360 Microsoft Points
• EU: €19.99 or 1680 Microsoft Points
• UK: £14.99 or 1840 Microsoft Points

Additionally, PSU will be released for Games on Demand in Japan on August 17th. It will cost ¥2940 or 2000 Microsoft Points. At that point, the game will be available digitally everywhere that the AOTI expansion is currently available for download.

Thanks to Lunacara, au, and green man for information on equivalent Microsoft Point values.

Update: Amazon has 1600 Microsoft Points for $16.54, essentially providing a nice discount for this download. Enjoy!

• 9 comments

• The Holy Ground/R, a brand new advanced mission will be added to the Resident Security Department. This is a 2nd stage GAM, so you must have at least 500 AMP to access it. Restrictions for this mission include:
  • All players capped at LV20.
  • Cannot use Photon Charges or PhotonChargeCosmos.
  • Cannot use EX traps.
  • Cannot use body units.
• The annual fireworks festival begins on Neudaiz!
• The usual Casino Voloyal decoration rotation will occur.
• For the duration of the fireworks lobby, the traps Fireworks and De Ragan's Breath will be on sale at NPC vendors.
• A brand new RCSM, Shag Hodogg, will be released in the new mission.

• The fireworks lobbies will be active until September 17.
• Individual player AMP caps will be increased from 500 to 1500.

• 1 comment

Details have been posted about tonight's maintenance on the official PSU homepage.
 
There will be some modifications to clear up a few item-related issues discovered since the posting of GUARDIANS Advanced Content last week. These are as follows:

• The RCSM Darkness Preta had its element changed from dark to lightning in the update. This will be corrected and they will return to their original state.
• Many of the new weapons have only dropped with a neutral attribute. These will be corrected to drop with a random element and percentage.
• Beef striking weapons have only dropped with a 33% fire attribute. These will be corrected to drop with a random element and percentage.

Any additional changes will be listed after maintenance ends.

• 1 comment

Recently announced, the original Phantasy Star Universe will be available for digital purchase on Microsoft's Games on Demand service for the Xbox 360. This release is scheduled for August 3rd, while pricing and regional availability have yet to be detailed.

This download version of the game will provide the perfect compliment to the now free Ambition of the Illuminus expansion as well as the addition of GUARDIANS Advanced Content to the game. It is the only part needed to get online which is not currently available already on Xbox Live. The Xbox 360 version of the game is well known to be in short supply, but this release will open up its availability to many more potential players or even just anyone looking for the convenience of separating themselves from the game disc.

It should also be noted that this is the first time that a game of this type will be available in its entirely for download on a console.

There is already a thread going about this exciting news item in the forums.

• 2 comments