Recent news of an Xbox 360 beta test of PSU (originally reported last week by PSOW reader bob0mb and relayed to us by Saner), combined with the previous reports of a PSU 360 demo, have created quite a stir among anxious Phantasy Star fans over the last few days. We can now confirm that there will indeed be an online beta test of PSU on the Xbox 360, held over the Xbox Live service and open to the public. This news, officially announced today on the official Phantasy Star Universe web page, comes to us near the end of a closed beta preview of the PC version, in which only a small number of media and fan site representatives had a chance to play the online version of the game (stay tuned for our first look at PSU PC online!).

According to today's release, the beta event is scheduled to begin on October 11th and should last about one week, ending on October 18th. UPDATE: After a delay to the beta release, the launch day has been pushed back to the weekend of October 14th, with the beta period still concluding on October 18th. Once available, players can download the beta client for free by visiting the Xbox Live Marketplace, where it will be available for a full two days after the initial launch. An Xbox Live Gold account will be required to play in the beta test and players will be able to get into the game immediately after downloading the client. Keep checking back, as we intend to update this article with additional news and information as we find out more about this exciting event!

In the meantime, head over to our PSU Forum to discuss this news and find out what else is currently going on in the world of Phantasy Star Universe.

Okay, we know your excited and ready to get into the game, so let's have a brief overview of what you'll need and where you'll need to go. Obviously, an Xbox 360 console enabled with Xbox Live is going to be a requirement. You'll also need to have the Xbox Live Gold membership for this demo, even though the retail version of PSU is going to work with Xbox Live Silver. If you don't have Gold, you can usually get a 1-month subscription card in any online-enabled Xbox 360 game.

Log in to Xbox Live and visit the Xbox Live Marketplace. Once you're in, head over to the "Demos and Game Videos" section. Select "Newly Released Game Demos". Choose the Phantasy Star Universe demo from the list and confirm the free download. The file is about 940MB, so it's probably going to take a little while to download it.

After your demo is all finished downloading and installing, you'll need to access the "Games" section of your Xbox 360 Dashboard. From there, select "Demos", choose the PSU demo and hit "Play". It's that easy! Continue on to the next section for more guides and tips!

Start things off by doing the tutorial. This is a crucial step that you should take, regardless of how much you already know about the game. Read on and we'll tell you why you should not skip this important step! Not only will the tutorial teach you some basics about the game and show you around a bit, but it will also provide you with the following:

• Your first partner card, from your Guardian trainer. You can use this to invite your new NPC friend to your party, allowing them to join you on your missions. This helps a lot for tougher missions will provide you with the support you need when you can't solo a mission and don't have other people to group with.
• Your first photon art, Rising Strike. This is a great photon art, especially good for those who like to use a saber/gun weapon combination. The attack hits two targets and has a chance to knock enemies on the ground, which is VERY useful early on. Photon Arts aren't cheap, and this one has a value of 1000 meseta.
• Your first tastes of experience and loot. The tutorial will run you through a brief mission, where you should level up and get some loot in the process.

Important! If you miss the tutorial, don't worry. You can access the tutorial via your Partner Machine's menu options.

Next, check out your room! After the tutorial is over, you should end up back in your room. This will be your home in Phantasy Star Universe, so get familiar with it. Take a moment to say hi to your partner machine and give it a name. You may also want to familiarize yourself with the dressing room, storage locations (partner machine and compartment on opposite wall), room decoration pads and in-room computer console (which will let you visit other rooms & shops, as well as show you who has been in your room).

Once you're all settled in to your new home, it's time to start the adventure! By now you're probably itching to either explore a bit, or get right down to business with the missions. If exploring is your thing, check out the multi-level Guardian Colony and maybe even head to one of the other planets via the PPT Space Port on Level 4. If you're ready for some missions, head on over to the Linear Line found on the 4th floor. Here, you can access your first mission, which is called "Unsafe Passage".

Upon completing this mission, you will find yourself at a halfway point of sorts, an area between the end of your last mission and the beginning of the next mission zone. From here, you can go forward to the next mission, return to your room, recharge photon points, or even buy some basic items.

Here are some missions that you will likely spend a lot of time doing for the first 15-20 levels, including their locations:

• Unsafe Passage - Located at the Linear Line, on the Guardian Colony 4th Floor.
• Fight for Food - Located at the Aurorey Viewing Plaza Area after completing Unsafe Passage. Features battle with the Seed Vance
• Mad Creatures - Located at the Flyer Base in Parum (East Side).
• Plains Overlord - Located at Raffon Field Base after completing Mad Creatures. Features battle with De Ragan.
• Sleeping Warriors - Located at Raffon Field Base after completing Mad Creatures.
• Mizuraki Defense - Located at the Flyer Base in Neudaiz.
• Forested Island - Located at the Flyer Base in Neudaiz.
• Demon's Above - Located at Mizuraki CD: Kego after completing Mizuraki Defense. Features battle with Onmagoug.

Sure, many of us have played some form of PSO in the past, but that doesn't mean we should all know everything there is to know about PSU. Here are some helpful tips that some of us may have learned the hard way:

• Set Up Your Palettes: Be sure to add your weapons and healing items to the item palette. To do this, access your item menu, select an item and add it to the palette using the menu options. You can quickly cycle through the palette items by holding the "B" button and using the left or right buttons (left for items, right for weapons). Using the palette this way allows you to change weapons or use healing items while you continue to move around.
• Use Your Photon Arts: Use your photon arts! Don't let these go to waste, they are a valuable aid in helping you get through missions quickly and efficiently. In addition, your photon arts will level up the more you use them and increase in power. However, keep in mind that your photon arts will drain photon points from your weapons, and that these points will only recharge (slowly) when you have the weapon selected in the palette, so don't use them needlessly.
• Form a Party: Invite your Guardian Trainer or another player to your party to help you get through tougher missions. You can bring along your NPC buddy or real live players by accessing the "Party" options under the "Community" menu. When forming a party, you can invite any users who you currently hold a guild card for.
• Spend Your Money Wisely: Meseta isn't so easy to come by in PSU, especially in the early stages of the game. You're going to need this valuable, gold shiny stuff to buy new weapons, armor and other items. Here's a tip, you may want to skip the first set of upgrades that you can afford (as they will be outgrown quickly) and save up for even better equipment before taking the upgrade plunge.

The following areas of the site may also be of interest to you:

• Phantasy Star Universe Forums
• Phantasy Star Universe Items Database
• Phantasy Star Universe Guides
• Phantasy Star Universe News