Jeux-France.com has posted scans from the latest issue of Famitsu. PSO-World.com is mirroring these scans. These new scans include new information about Moatoob, three new monsters, two Story Events, "My Room" feature and creating an online game.. PSO-World.com has already covered some of this information. You can find translations for the Moatoob and one story event information here. The three new monsters were covered during last Friday's official site update review. Scroll down to read EspioKaos's translations for the sections not covered by previous PSO-World.com news stories. The Story Event information contains significant spoiler information for the offline story. If you would like to read it, please click on the "Read More" button.

Famitsu Magazine Scans:


My Room:


You'll be able to invite up to six other people into your room. Also, there will be a goods shop where you'll be able to buy items just for decorating your room. There is a possibility of there being rare room goods sold at the goods store.

Creating a Game:


If you are new to the online world, here are the steps you will have to follow in order to create your first game:
1. Explore the Guardians Colony and other areas to meet new friends.
2. Exchange partner cards (the equivalent of guild cards) after you've met some people who would like to join your party. Just like in PSO, by having someone's card, you'll be able to send simple mail to them among other things.
3. Go to the mission counter to create your game. Only the party leader will be able to select the mission.

It is mentioned that new missions will be added over time.

Credit goes to Lord_DS for finding these scans. If you would like to read more about Online Gameplay, check out our guide. You can discuss these scans in our Phantasy Star Universe forum!

Story Event:


"It seems that Tylor and Magashi had a little partnership of sorts going on. (From what I can see in one of the pictures, Tylor is handing an A-photon reactor over to Magashi. What Magashi plans to do with this, I've got no idea.) Anyway, Renvolt turns on Tylor all of the sudden. Ethan happens to see this and runs to help the pirate. Magashi decides to flee the scene, but summons a trio of Grina Beats to hold off Ethan and Tylor. Begin boss battle: Ethan & Tylor vs. Grina Beats." -- EspioKaos

Takao Miyoshi is one of the lead developers for Phantasy Star Universe. He maintains a personal blog where he sometimes discusses certain aspects of the game. In one of his recent entries, he talks about where the concept of player-run shops are being tested. EspioKaos has provided a translation of the blog entry:

"The entry explains that an online shop function is currently being tested in the game. Basically, you can set up a shop in your "My Room" on the Colony. From there, you're able to buy and sell items that you've created yourself. There's also a search feature being implemented which will allow players to look for a specific shop by searching for user names and public messages set by other users. "

The rest of the entry explains that the developers are having some doubts about how well this system will work in a game with several hundred thousand players.

Credit goes to Lord_DS for finding this entry. If you would like to discuss this news, please visit our Phantasy Star Universe forum!

Famitsu.com put up an article yesterday with new information about the Moatoob, the desert planet. This information includes some background and cultural information, along with an offline story event. You can read more about the background and environment information below. Since the story event contains spoiler information about the offline story, click on the "Read More" link at the end of the article to read about it.

Background:


Moatoob was once a lush, green planet with abundant water sources. During the war, however, the moon that once orbited the planet was destroyed resulting in the gravitational balance it once had with Moatoob to be thrown off. The oceans soon began to ebb and drought spread transforming the planet into a vast desert. In spite of this, many people with dreams of wealth began to immigrate to the planet because of how rich in resources it is.

Environment:


The stages on this planet include open desert areas, caves, and canyons. Several wild, hairy, and ferocious monsters wander the planet!

Credit goes to Dhylec for spotting this article and EspioKaos for translating it. If you would like to read more about Moatoob, please consult our Planets guide. You can discuss this article in our Phantasy Star Universe forum.

Story Event:


Ethan and his party are investigating the kidnapping of a scientist which ends up taking them to the desert planet. They confront the pirate who they think is the one behind the kidnapping. This is where Liina shows up. Tonnio tries talking to her about the kidnapping, but Liina refuses to respond, and instead just leaves. Ethan's group follows her but soon ends up being captured by a group of pirates.

Another Friday means another official Phantasy Star Universe site update! The site was updated today with news on three additional enemies and character class customization options. Let's start with the new enemies. They include the Grina Beat (mean- looking mech), Cog Nadd (spiky wolf creature), and Bil De Bear (mutant Hildebear)! It is unknown whether these will be regular enemies or bosses. You can read more about each of these enemies by scrolling down. Also, you can click on the thumbnails to read more about each monster.

Grina Beat:



Large machinery used by the military. The Grina Beat has the ability to convert the attachments on its arms into various types of equipment.

Cog Nadd:



A medium-sized native creature that lives in Gallenigalé Canyon on Moatoob. The Cog Nadd uses the spikes protruding from its body to ward off anyone who comes close. Those caught by its body rush attack will take considerable damage.

Bil De Bear:



The Bil De Bear is a large creature native to the Kugu Desert of Moatoob. Considering the size of its body, it is capable of moving very quickly, easily overwhelming a player with its raw power.

Additionally, a new character class customization system was introduced today in a new section called "Battle Type."



The general concept behind the battles you will face in Phantasy Star Universe is focused around three types known as "hunter," "ranger," and "force." Tactics and other information are constantly being sent to Guardians in battle from an automatic support system in the main computer at the Guardians' headquarters. This support system individually identifies each style of fighting one uses.

By changing your type, you will alter the weapons and abilities that you can handle. It is possible to do this at the Type Select Counter, where you can raise your type level by using the points you earn while on missions. In order to maintain the type level you're training for, you are able to select the type of mission contents that would be best suited for yourself.

Credit goes to EspioKaos for providing translations and VioletSkye for the pictures. You can discuss this exciting update in our Phantasy Star Universe forum!

The official Phantasy Star Universe site was updated yesterday with a new information about Nanoblasts/SUV-Weapons and three of the game's bosses! These bosses will include De Ragan (Dragon), Gol Dolba (mutant pot-belly pig), and Onma Gohg (flying imp). All of these monsters are extremely large and sure to provide a challenge for the player! Scroll down to read more about these bosses. Be sure to click on the thumbnails to see larger versions of the pictures.

De Ragan:




A native creature of Parum known as the "Ruler of the Grasslands." Extremely ferocious by nature, the De Ragan normally lives in the highlands. It has been confirmed, however, that as a result of the chaos caused by SEED, many De Ragans have been descending to the lowland areas. With its firey breath as well as fireballs it can launch from its mouth, the De Ragan strikes fear in the creatures it attacks.

Gol Dolba:




An inhabitant of Parum. The Gol Dolba is an edible creature whose meat is used in a number of dishes and recipes. Known as the "attraction of Parum," it is a much larger version of the native Koltoba. Gol Dolbas are raised on farms where they can grow to be as large as 5m. Not the most intelligent of creatures, the Gol Dolba takes extreme pride in its fire breath and head-on ramming attacks.

Onma Gohg:




A creature that is the most powerful member of the "Gohg" genus, the Onma Gohg lives along the outskirts of the Mizuraki Preserve on Neudaiz

Additionally, several new Nanoblast and SUV Weapons pictures were released today! Unfortunately, these pictures do not have larger versions available.

Nanoblast:




SUV-Weapons:





You can read more about Nanoblasts and SUV-Weapons in our Race Specialties Guide.

Credit goes to Kannon for spotting the update and EspioKaos for the monster translations. Kannon and VioletSkye provided the pictures for this news update. You can talk about this exciting update in our Phantasy Star Universe forum!

The official site was updated today with new information on offline clothing options. If you are not satisfied with Ethan's default clothing choice, you'll have the ability to visit a clothing shop after you reach a certain point in the game. Once you enter the store, you'll be led to the to the fitting room. If you have enough money on hand, you'll be able to change Ethan's clothes so they are more to your liking. Since clothes are not linked to your defensive stats, you change them as you see fit. Also, your costume changes will be reflected in the game's event scenes. Scroll down to see some related screenshots.

Clothing:






Credit goes to Parn for spotting the update, Navinator for the translations, and VioletSkye for the images.

Also, EspioKaos found the following V-Jump scan on GameFront.de.

V-Jump Scan:



You can find the full-sized scan here. As you can see, this scan showcases several new Nanoblast and SUV-Weapon related pictures. Tremble as you witness the power of a transformed beast (Leo in this case)! Also, we get to see Lou using some HUGE guns. The article describes the SUV-Weapon skill as being an insta-kill move. If you would like to read more about Nanoblasts and SUV-Weapons, be sure to check out our guide.

You can discuss this exciting news in our Phantasy Star Universe forums.

One of the most popular Phantasy Star Online quests of all time, Towards the Future, was released for US/EU version of Blue Burst today! In this quest, you'll have the opportunity to fight all of the Episode 1 bosses! If you are able to complete the quest under special circumstances, you'll be able to win some fantastic prizes. Also, ths quest allows you to earn lots of experience points and features some interesting surprises. If you need some help with this challenging quest, be sure to read our guide and post in our forums.

The official Phantasy Star Universe site was updated today with information on Several new vehicles and a new SEED enemy! The new vehicles include the Striker, G-Flyer, and PPT. The Striker is a military assault tank that can carry small groups of people. The G-Flyer and PPT are spaceships. You'll be able to use the G-Flyer to fly around the Guardian colony while the PPT will be used to travel between planets. You can see a picture of the G-Flyer below. If you would like to read more about the new vehicles, please consult our guide.

G-Flyer:


SEED Vance:




Behold the menacing SEED Vance! This enemy features several dangerous appendages. In the images above. the SEED Vance is shown trying to strike down Ethan. If you would like to know more about SEED, be sure to check out our guide.

You can discuss this exciting update in our Phantasy Star Universe forum!

The PSU site was updated today with several exciting additions! These additions included new product and world information. Additionally, some Sega Link member exclusive content was made available. The product section update confirmed that the game will be released for the Playstation 2 and PC in Japan on February 16, 2006 for 6800 yen. Also, a Network Guide has been assembled by Sonic Team and is linked from the Products section. This page explained that you will need a Sega Link account for online gameplay and that Playstation 2 and PC players will be able to play together on the same servers. It went on to confirm "update files" will be saved to the Playstation 2's memory card. According to this guide, you will need a broadband connection, broadband adapter, and an 8 MB memory card to be able to play online with the Playstation 2. You can read a somewhat-comprehensible translation of this page here.

Photon:


The World section was updated with a new "Photon" article. This article explains that the Graal system is filled with particles known as "photons." Photons come in two forms, regular and unstable "A-Photons." These energy sources are utilized in many ways. First, photons are used by the Guardians to give weapons amazing abilities! Second, this energy can be used for a "Shield Line System." This piece of technology integrates with a person's clothing to increase his/her defensive power and absorb damage. Finally, A-Photons are used in "Nanotracers." Nanotracers are devices capable of storing weapons and items in a very small space. Credit goes to EspioKaos for providing translations for this section.

Topics:


Three new articles were added to the Topic section with two of them being Sega Link member exclusives! First, another demontration of Phantasy Star Universe was announced for December 17 in Japan. The second topic allows you to visit the "Item Mall" to build a customized PSU avatar for your Sega Link account. After selecting your avatar, you can manipulate various aspects of the picture including the face and background. Finally, a topic entitled "Meets the Phantasy Star Universe." This was a 30 minute podcast that included an airing of the main PSU theme. Jonathan_F was able to provide us with a MP3 file of the theme song. You can download the PSU Main Theme here.
Please visit our Phantasy Star Universe forums to discuss this exciting news!