• Phantasy Star ZERO announced for the Nintendo DS!

    A brand new title in the Phantasy Star series was just announced by SEGA.

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    Entitled Phantasy Star ZERO, this will be the series' first outing on the Nintendo DS. ZERO is said to be a completely new game, though it will borrow heavily from the Phantasy Star Online series. This new title will feature a single-player story mode as well as multi-player online through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and local area networks (both up to four players). Multi modes will allow for communication through visual chat, which allows players to draw their own artwork or write their own text for their teammates to see.

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    Keeping in touch with its apparent predecessor, Phantasy Star ZERO will have the return of many race/job combos from Phantasy Star Online. This includes ones such as RAcast, FOmarl, HUmar and HUcaseal, but a few newcomers have also been revealed like the HUnewm and HUmarl. Furthermore, this new title will feature many new areas and lobbies to explore. Three such areas include the Glacea Ravine, Riou Snowfields and the Ozett Swamp. Information is a bit scarce on this new title, but we can expect to see more details in the coming months, as ZERO is slated for a Japanese release this winter.

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    Stay tuned! We'll be sure to bring you the latest info as it arrives! Special thanks goes out to Toadthroat over at the forum for bringing us this information! Feel free to join in the discussion!

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    Update: Famitsu scans

    Update #2: The official Japanese PS0 website has been launched! A few important notes from what the site offers include the confirmation of character creation and that there will be a total of three races (human, newman, android) and 14 race/job combos in the game. Also, the main stage will be the Earth and its moon.

    Comments 44 Comments
    1. Ken_Silver's Avatar
      Ken_Silver -
      Chris Griffin: WwwHATTT?!?
      A throwback PSO game? I don't get it at all? I liked the Beast class and the new customization... This is going to be very interesting. VERY...
    1. S-T-H's Avatar
      S-T-H -
      I took the liberty of updating the post formatting and adding links to the scans from famitsu. I expect we'll see much more of this game come TGS.
    1. Akaimizu's Avatar
      Akaimizu -
      I wish I had a dime for every japanese game company that eventually put a Zero at the end of one of their followup games. The title (and likely the positioning of said story) might be as original as the 30th knockoff of corn flakes, but it is a fresh version of PSO that will be active. I'm sure a lot of folks will be excited for that. Here's hoping the infrastructure aspect makes it to the final release. PSO is definitely a beloved game despite the new gameplay we enjoy in PSU. I think a non-server dependant release of the game would be a nice permanent classic to have.
      For some, people may wonder if a Western release of this game will change the title to Phantasy Star Alpha. Nash (Charlie) making a surprise appearance at the ending.
    1. EspioKaos's Avatar
      EspioKaos -
      Slight update. I just got a chance to read through the article, and it says this isn't so much a new part of PSO, but a brand new game that borrows a lot from PSO. (Literal translation: "a brand new work that is heavily influenced by the blood of PSO.") The article has been updated accordingly.
    1. EspioKaos's Avatar
      EspioKaos -
      Thanks, S-T-H! I was in a hurry when I posted this earlier (eating breakfast, getting dressed for work and typing all at once = don't try again), so I figured it would need a little work. XD
    1. Ken_Silver's Avatar
      Ken_Silver -
      That makes a little more sense. But I thought that PSP borrowed heavily from PSO. I also saw the clothes on the characters and they look a bit more PSU-ish to me... kind of. I can't wait until we learn some more about this. With PSZ and PSP on the way, the Phantasy Star series is invading my handheld systems... and my wallet! =D
    1. ngagerebel's Avatar
      ngagerebel -
      have I died and gone to heaven? this is like the best news ever!
    1. DAMASCUS's Avatar
      DAMASCUS -
      I...feel..a PSOrgasm coming on XD
    1. Getintothegame's Avatar
      Getintothegame -
      Oh my word. This is huge.

      I will be returning if this is anything like they say it is... simply put, WOW.
    1. ForteGunnerW's Avatar
      ForteGunnerW -
      Sounds preety good i like the online idea but do you have to have FR codes to do online? if so that will be pointless
    1. Tomeeboy's Avatar
      Tomeeboy -
      There are a few games for DS that don't require friend codes and will automatically match you up with other player (ie: Clubhouse Games, Mario Kart, etc.). Hopefully, they will incorporate some kind of matchmaking system, while still allowing you to use friend codes to play with specific people if you want to.
      It will definitely be interesting to see how this functions when it finally comes out
    1. likealolita's Avatar
      likealolita -
      Hopefully Sega will somehow persuade Nintendo to allow them to implement a lobby system a la the PSO games.
    1. Fecesbot's Avatar
      Fecesbot -
      I agree. I want the good ol' lobbies back too.
    1. Tomeeboy's Avatar
      Tomeeboy -
      Given the limitations of the DS, I'm not sure that would go over too well if they recreated the lobby system. Could you imagine trying to view or move around in a lobby packed with people on a little DS screen? Although it would be nice for all the chat spam to display on a separate screen from everything else

      It might be kind of cool if they had smaller versions of lobbies that your party would occupy while waiting to start a mission / quest (or between gameplay sessions). It would give people a place to hang out and chat, bringing back a little bit of PSO's social aspect. I'm skeptical of any large scale meeting areas being created, though. If it's anything like other multiplayer DS games, it will basically search out three other players at random and launch you directly into a game with them once everyone is linked up.
    1. GaNksTa's Avatar
      GaNksTa -
      Yes! I happen to have a DS Emulator, so even if it comes out in Japan first I can get it instantly without importing the actual hardware. Sweeeeeet!
    1. ngagerebel's Avatar
      ngagerebel -
      if you have a DS you can play any game no matter what region its from. handhelds like the DS and PSP are not region locked like home consoles.
    1. Omega_Weltall's Avatar
      Omega_Weltall -
      guess my dreams of a Phantasy Star game based on the originals is truly dead ;_;
    1. EtherForce's Avatar
      EtherForce -
      Wait a second. Does this mean SEGA is finally starting to listen to the fans?
    1. shintaHakamashi's Avatar
      shintaHakamashi -
      so is this why we are not getin our updates?! another s^&*@^# ps game? Sega stop making the games and f in update ur servers on time. cause right now no one is gonna buy ur games with the karma you guys have been holding. this is the same bs from pso. its gotta stop.
    1. GaNksTa's Avatar
      GaNksTa -
      That's not what I was referring to; I was saying if it comes out in Japan I wont have to wait "X" amount of weeks for it to be imported from Japan to my home. I have a DS emulator, which allows me to play DS games on my computer with no cost; it's a freeware item.. a simple Google search will get you one..
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