As you most likely already know, Sega has announced a new game for the PS series mysteriously called "Phantasy Star Universe."

Here's the full article by IGN:

May 12, 2004 - Phantasy Star Online fans who were disappointed that Sonic Team declared Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution the last installment in the PSO series or those turned off by the card based nature of Ep. III had better turn that frown upside down. In Sega's booth at E3 2004, Sonic Team held its "stealth announcement" of its latest project -- Phantasy Star Universe.

What exactly is Universe? According to Sonic Team, "it's a rebirth of a legend." But, we don't really know. IGNcube learned from Sega that this title is so far in the future that they aren't allowed to release any details. The trailer, which aired every two hours, was merely there as a teaser for fans of the series -- telling them that there is something coming. Platforms weren't even revealed, although we imagine that it will definitely be on GameCube because of the large PSO user base (and it's the traditional PSO platform now that the Dreamcast is defunct). There have also been rumors that a PSO game is slated to appear on PS2, so Universe might be Sonic Team's initial foray onto Sony's console. Xbox is a possibility because Episodes I & II were released in 2003 -- heck, it could even be a PC title (we doubt it since PC is getting Blue Burst. Pure speculation.
The only other concrete details we learned was that this is going to be an action MMORPG. Does this mean it'll be akin to Phantasy Star Online? Or, will it resemble Final Fantasy XI? All we know is that it's going to be a while before we find out -- especially since the trailer revealed "just started..."

The trailer itself lasted a little under four minutes. The first minute and a half was a brief introduction to the new title. Apparently, it will be Phantasy Star Online 2 because it's a whole new game that takes place in a whole new world. The rather ambiguous thing is that the trailer references both Phantasy Star Online 2 (which is what we think this is) and Phantasy Star V.

The rest of the trailer was composed of highly detailed full motion video. The most noticeable thing? FMV sequences. Next? Sonic Team has overhauled the art style for universe -- everything looks a bit smoother (although it does maintain some similar elements). The trailer roves from lush grass to a futuristic city. You watch as a character jumps out into the air onto a hover board, activates some sort of suit, and then zips off into the horizon. Later, a similar theme is displayed when a different character morphs into a beast. For the finale, a group of adventures fight a giant two headed dragon/lizard creature. The trailer is simply amazing. Watch it here.

Trust us, we'll report back with more on Phantasy Star Universe as soon as details are available. It's gonna be a long wait, so watch the trailer now , seriously.

Check out IGN's media here.

lollipoplolita writes, "

As posted by ST and as reported by Doomed2k, our beloved Rappy has a guest appearance in the new ST game, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. You can join the discussion in our forums.

ST also has a new Trilogy Banner which is now up on their main PSO site. I modified it a little just in case anyone wants it.

Also, more news on the CD Soundtrack that is included in the Japanese Nintendo Dream Magazine! It has 10 tracks and is 31 minutes long. Tracks 1-6 are from PSO Episode III C.A.R.D Revolution, tracks 7-9 are from PSO Episode 1&2 and track 10 is a bonus track from Billy Hatcher. The CD also comes with a sheet of Nintendo Game Cube memory card seals/stickers. An article in the magazine features several pages of PSO Episode II coverage. Thanks to Da_Jue for this information."

Some of you may already be aware of this, but the W32.Sobig.F@mm virus has been running wild all over the Net recently. I personally just finished deleting thousands of emails which had our mail server filled to its storage capacity (each of these virus emails is about 100KB). Anyway, it's important that if you receive an email with an attached .PIF file or .SCR file, that you DO NOT OPEN IT, even if it looks like the email is from somebody you know (even us), because the address is most likely spoofed. Once your system is infected with this virus, it will scan a number of different file extensions on your computer (.txt, .html, .eml to name a few) and send itself to any email address it finds in those files. It will also spoof the sender's email address on those emails, using any of the addresses which it collected (so it's possible that you may receive infected emails that look like they are from us, or anyone else for that matter, when they really aren't). For more information on this virus, visit the following site:

Symantec - W32.Sobig.f@mm Information

Symantec - W32.Sobig.f@mm Removal Tool

lollipoplolita writes, "ST posted today that Isao.net will under go a server maintenance on Thursday, May 22nd between 10 am and 12 noon JP time. During this time, you might have some difficulty accessing the Isao.net website and/or purchasing a Hunter's License for PSO JP."

lollipoplolita writes, "ST would like everyone to be aware that on May 30th, all snapshots taken in the month of December 2002 that are on the Visual BBS will be deleted. All November snapshots were deleted as of May 14th. Entries on the Visual BBS will be deleted monthly by the month following May 30th. If you have snapshots you wish to save, please do so as the deletion is permanent. This is because the Visual BBS server is at full capacity and ST is running out of room to store new uploaded pictures."

psosaladwood writes, "Sega's PSO EP 3 website is up and available in both Japanese and English versions here. The Japanese version has a little bit more information compared to the English one.

Release dates for the game are as follows for Nintendo Gamecube:
JP: 4th Quarter 2003
North America: 1st Quarter 2004
Europe: 1st Quarter 2004

You can read more at the website.

Update:
Sega also released their own PSO E3 EP 3 webpage. They reiterate that GC EP 1 & 2 will have access to the same visual lobbies of GC Ep 3 because Ep 3 will have similar Ep 1 & 2 visual lobby setup. Meaning: players of the two different games will be able to idle, converse and meet in the same visual lobby. Players on Ep 3 will still be able to hang out and chat with their old buddies on Ep 1 & 2.

There is also the E3 2003 exhibition promotion movie on the site."

Atax writes, "A video of PSO Episode 3, is now avalible for download at GameSpot: here."

Please be aware that you need to be a Gamespot member to view the movie.

Rolf_Landale writes, "Sega revealed new screenshots of PSO Episode III C.A.R.D. Revolution that will be in showcase at E3 this week. Here are the screenshots courtesy of newtechnix.com. "

cube-europe.com reports:

"Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution" expands the Phantasy Star Online (PSO) universe, offering a new style of strategic combat. Combining the excitement of card collection and deck settings with team-based battle tactics, PSO Episode III allows users to chat in the lobby about status upgrades and tactics, and then journey to the planet surface to engage in strategic combat using a turn-based Card system. The game continues the story arc of the previous PSO games, as players once again become Hunters and explore the mysteries of the planet Ragol. Featuring both online and offline play, as well as multiplayer modes, PSO Episode III adds new content and players to the ever-growing PSO community.

Features:

Play online and interact with Hunters from PSO Episode I & II in the lobby Engage in offline team battles for up to four people, where players are divided into friends and enemies

Choose from either the Item Deck or the Enemy Deck, depending upon whether you will fight as a member of the Hunters or the Arks (enemies)

Collect an enormous number of weapons, gear, and items to create an original deck with your character

Use Action and Assist cards to compose a powerful deck, supported by Hunters and Items or Bosses and Enemies

Position your characters on the battle field and move them as the battle unfolds to take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses

The next chapter in the PSO universe continues the story of PSO Episodes I & II."

Fennec Fox of Gamepro.com writes:

"From a plot standpoint, PSO Episode III works just like the last game?the planet Ragol is full of mystery and monsters, and groups of Hunters are still busy exploring it to unravel the secrets it holds within. It's just the method of this exploration that's different. The combat system is turn-based and uses decks of cards, which are won in battles and traded with fellow players in the game's online lobbies. Team-based battle strategies are a must here, and cooperation is key as you and the rest of your party deal damage to oncoming enemies. As before, Episode III will be fully playable offline and on via the GameCube's Modem or Broadband Adapter."

By the way, if you are looking for the Nintendo E3 website, here it is.

Anonymous writes, "

Just wanted to let you know that a new version of PSOProxy - the snapshot transfer tool for Gamecube PSO - has just been released.

This version includes fixes so that it works with the PAL version of PSO without you having to change any config files. Also, there's now a Linux version available as well as the regular Windows version.

The program and documentation are available from http://psoproxy.sourceforge.net/

"