The Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 character creator and system benchmarking program was released earlier today. It is available for download from the Japanese website. It can also be downloaded from the 4gamer mirror. The download is 446 MB.
 
Credit goes to Mike for bringing us this news. You can share screenshots of your characters in this forum thread.

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• A "Pre-open Beta" will be held late in late June.
• Open Beta pre-registration for new accounts will start tomorrow. This will also allow you to play the Pre-Open Beta.
• Existing accounts should be able to participate in both the Pre-open and Open Betas.
• There will be a reward for participating in the Pre-open Beta.
• If the Pre-open Beta is successful, the Open Beta will likely start soon after Pre-open Beta concludes.

• The client was downloaded approximately 147,000 times.
• Approximately 131,000 people (70% of the accepted testers) logged in sometime during the closed beta testing period.
• The highest number of simultaenous connected users occured on April 21st with 23,500 users.

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• Free to Play and Cash Shop - Access to the game and executable will be free on all platforms. The game will be supported by an in-game item transaction shop.
• iOS and Android Versions - Phantasy Star Online 2 will be released on iOS and Android platforms. These versions will use the same data as the PC and PlayStation Vita versions. However, they will be single player only.
• Symbol Chat - Symbol Chat will return in Phantasy Star Online 2.
• Character Creator Demo - A character creation demo will be released on April 5th.
• PC Release Date - The Japanese PC version of Phantasy Star Online 2 is scheduled to be released during the Summer of 2012.
• Japanese PC Beta Test - A beta test for the Japanese PC version is scheduled for late April. To sign up for the beta, visit the Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 website and click on the golden beta button.

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The official Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 blog was updated with new details about the Sony PlayStation Vita port of Phantasy Star Online 2. The purpose of the new information was to clear up some of the concerns that people had expressed about the Vita version. Here is a summary of the information:

• Vita Updates - It will be possible to distribute updates and make balance changes to the Vita version.
• Online Security - Phantasy Star Online 2 will be an online only game. All data will be stored on the servers. Also, the Vita version will use the same security measures as the PC version.
• 3G Connections - It will be possible to play Phantasy Star Online 2 using a wireless connection or 3G network. However, the connection method for a 3G network will be different.
• PC/Vita Compatibility - The current plan is to allow PC and Vita players to play together. However, there is a chance that the PC and Vita players maybe separated depending on early testing results.

Credit goes to Mike for bringing us this news. You can discuss this news in this forum thread.

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• The game is less than 10% complete. It is scheduled for release in 2013.
• It will use the same servers and character data as the PC version.
• Gameplay will be online only.
• It is possible that cross-platform parties between PC and Vita clients will be allowed. This is briefly shown in the video.

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Bandai has announced that it will be releasing a Phantasy Star Online Elenor RAcaseal figure in its Soul of Chogokin line. According to the pictures, this figure will include a beam rifle, handgun, Mag, meseta, rare item box, item container, and text bubble stand. Elenor is scheduled to be released in July for 6,500 yen.

Bandai Soul of Chogokin Elenor RAcaseal Statue with Accessories

Credit goes to Aumi for bringing us this news. You can discuss this news in this forum thread.

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The Phantasy Star Online 2 concept art for the FOmarl and FOnewm was posted today on the official Facebook page. Be sure to click on the images below to view larger versions of the concept art!

FOmarl

FOnewm

Credit goes to Rukyius for bringing us this news. You can discuss this concept art in our Phantasy Star Online 2 forum.

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Concept art for the default RAnewm costume was posted today on the official Phantasy Star Online 2 blog. Be sure to click on the image below to view larger version of the concept art!

RAnewm

Credit goes to Mike for bringing us this news. You can discuss this concept art in this forum thread.

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Earlier today, the official Phantasy Star Online blog was launched. As part of the first entry, it was announced that Mags will be coming to Phantasy Star Online 2! In previous Phantasy Star games, Mags gave characters stat boosts and provided useful special abilities. According to the blog, Mags are currently still under development for Phantasy Star Online 2 and screenshots will be forthcoming. However, it was mentioned that the color of the mag will change depending on who equips it.

Basic Mag

Credit goes to Mike for bringing us this news. You can discuss this news in this forum thread.

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