Total newbie questions

[AirasDC]

Hiya, I played PSO1 on Dreamcast, and a couple of months of PSOBB on PC, but haven't played PSU at all. I'm thinking of buying PSU for the PC (I can't connect my Xbox 360 to the 'net, and my PS2 is on it's last legs). So my questions are:

1. Will I need to buy both the original version of PSU, as well as the expansion, to be able to play? Or can I just buy the expansion and have access to everything?

2. Is the control scheme ok on the PC? Someone said that it's kinda bad for the PC, since PSU was pretty much made for consoles.

3. Am I correct in that the PC and PS2 players all share the same world, but the Xbox 360 people are seperate?

4. Will I be able to find people to play with, meaning do alot of people still play the game?

5. Is there any sort of voice chat for the PC version?

6. How much is the monthly cost to play?

Ok, think that's everything, sorry for all the questions! TIA

[Dhylec]

1. PSu & AoI are stand-alone games. You only need to get AoI, the expansion, to play the full game.
2. You can use any compatible controller for PC, as long as it has enough buttons to play. Graphic-wise, it's up to your PC's standard. The better, the more you can get out of the game.
3. Yes, PS2 & PC players are on the same servers, so you can use the same subscription for either. 360 are on different servers.
4. PC side has smaller population, about 2-3 stars top. There are enough people to play if you know the hotspots. Currently, we are in StD event, so many gather at colony 5F, uni 2 to play.
5. Voice chat is whatever your PC is capable of: vent, skype or such.
6. It's 9.99 a month for recurring, or you can buy 6-month package for a discount. new user has 15-day trail.
Remember, PSU is not PSO, just similar. Each are different enough to be their own. Coming from PSo, you should like the game's mechanics/battle system. Try it out then see if you like it.

[Calsetes]

Alright, I'll try to help you out.

1. Nope, buy the expansion and you're good to go online and still have access to everything in the game. You only need the original if you want to play through episode 1 of the story offline.

2. I'd recommend picking up a 360 controller that you can connect to the PC (any wired one will work). If you already have a gamepad for your PC, then you're set.

3. Yes, PC and PS2 people play together in the US ad Europe. 360 people only play with themselves, but from around the world (including Japan).

4. Yes, assuming you want to run about 3 or 4 missions all the time. Outside that, it's all about making friends who want to run other stuff (like me..... WINK!).

5. Not through PSU itself, but you can use other programs to do this (ventrillo, teamspeak, maybe even steam's built-in voice chat).

6. It's $9.99 a month, I believe. If I'm wrong, then it's a bit less than that (a selling point I try to sell my friends on).


Edit: Yeah, what he said.........