Latest News and Updates

Nash has revealed that according to this week's issue of Famitsu, Phantasy Star Universe is set to be released on February 16, 2006 at a cost of 7140 yet (about 70 USD). There has not been any reliable confirmations of a US release date yet. Even though it may seem like a long wait, be sure to continue reading PSOW for all the latest Phantasy Star Universe News.

If you would like to discuss this announcement, please visit our Phantasy Star Universe forums.

On November 22nd, the Japanese servers on PSO will be going down across multiple versions between 1100 and 2300 hours JP time. Below is the list of affected versions

Dreamcast V1, V2 (Sorry, USA is not going back up.)
Gamecube Episode I&II (plus)
Gamecube Episode III

Take this down time to catch up on all that is happening with Phantasy Star Universe which you can read about here on the front page and in our PSU forum.

EDIT: The Japanese servers servers and supporting equipment are being transfered. The non-Japanese servers should be up during this time period.

It is time again for another Phantasy Star Universe website update! In this week's update, a new 'battle' video was uploaded which features Ethan using a variety of weapons and photon arts. Additionally, we get to see a number of new enemies and the PSU battle display system. If that isn't a good enough reason to watch the video, it also features an excellent soundtrack! Finally, there is a small summary of the Gaming Japan Festival where PSU was demonstrated.


PSU Battle Video:



As stated above, there are a large number of monsters shown in this video. This includes the previously-seen Dragon, a gargoyle, several machines, and even a double-headed Dragon. Since Ethan is seen knocking some of these monsters on their backs, so it maybe possible to gain a strategic advantage based on how you tackle the enemy. This is in sharp contrast to PSO where you can only briefly stun monsters with an attack. Also, we get a feeling for what the information display will be like during gameplay. In the upper-righthand corner will be a rader. Your character's avatar, level, and HP is displayed in the lower-lefthand corner. Above it is a summary of the current status of your party's health. In the the lower-righthand corner is the action palette. Immediately below it is your PP gauge and an icon representing what you currently have equipped.

You can view the official video stream here. If you are having trouble viewing the video using that link, you can download it here.

Gaming Japan Festival:

Included in this update was a summary of the Gaming Japan Festival that was held in Osaka, Japan on November 12th and 13th. Several dozen people lined up during the Festival to be able to play Phantasy Star Universe.

LoveJuice gets credit for letting us know about this update. You can discuss this exciting update in our Phantasy Star Universe forum.

LoveJuice wrote in to let us know that the latest issue of Famitsu Magazine contains a 2 page spread on Phantasy Star Universe. GamesAreFun.com posted the scans and we are rehosting them so you will get the chance to see them! Click on the thumbnail to display the full-sized scan.



Most of the images in these scans were seen in the last update. However, there is some new content involving in-game cut-scenes. In the first scene, Lumia is abducted by the Vol brothers! Fortunately, Leo is around to save the day. In the other scene, Ethan and Hyuga appear to be getting into a fight.

kevlar_pso writes, "Microsoft published a list earlier today of a list of games that have been confirmed to work with the XBox 360 at launch. You can find the full list here.

Here Are All the "P" Games:

• Pariah
• Phantom Crash
• Pinball Hall of Fame
• Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
• Predator Concrete Jungle
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• Pro Evolution Soccer 5
• Pro Race Driver
• Pump It Up: Exceed
• Pure Pinball
• Puyo Pop Fever

As you can see PSO-X has been left off of the list. However, this is not the final cut of original Xbox games that will be emulated for the 360. Microsoft IS adding more so you will need to check back occasionally to see if PSO-X makes the list. "

kevlar_pso goes on to add: "This list does bring up and interesting question though. Perhaps there was a reason that PSO-X will not be playable on the 360. I know for a fact that MMO's will not require the Gold Xbox Live service. Seeing as how we have to PAY $8.95 a month on Xbox 1, minus the 2 free months in the trial period, could it be that Microsoft wants to steer more consumers towards the Gold Membership since PSO-X would only require the Free Silver membership? Or could it be something jucier, something far greater? Could it be that. . . .(gasp) PSU is in development for the 360? That Microsoft & SEGA want to pull in Phantasy Star players into Universe as opposed to Online which was ported from the GameCube which was ported from the Dreamcast? Hmmmm. . . .It's just a thought."

The Phantasy Star Universe site has been updated again. Unlike last week, this update was fairly substantial. If features new information about the weapons classes and grinding system. Also, a new video was released that gives an overview of the Graal System and each of the worlds! You'll be able to find the details for each of the updates below.

PSU Worlds Video:


This video gives a decent overview of the Graal system and each of the planets. Also, you'll see a couple of scenes with Ethan riding around on a speeding-bike-like vehicle. If you are having trouble viewing it on the official site, you can download it from us by clicking here.

New Weapons Classes:




There will be over 20 different weapons classes in Phantasy Star Universe. These weapons classes encompass the following: twin claws, bow & arrow, double saber, shotgun, laser, spear, saber, sword, rifle, wand, rod, and many more!

First-Person Mode:

As mentioned in previous updates, Phantasy Star Universe will have a first-person mode for targeting enemies. In these images, Ethan is trying to shoot down a gargoyle-like enemy.

Grinding:

Just like PSO, you will be able to grind your weapon. However, you will have to visit a specialist now to be able to do it. Based on the images, grinding a weapon will increase its pp count.

Credit goes to LoveJuice for letting us know about this update. You can discuss these updates in our Phantasy Star Universe forums.

Earlier today, the East and West Tower quests were uploaded for the US/EU version of Blue Burst. If you've never had the opportunity to play these quests before, you will be able to see new enemies and rare weapons! Be careful since the stage is filled with mini-bosses. If you need help with these quests, be sure to consult our guides for East Tower and West Tower. Also, you will be able to add percentages to normal weapons and specials to your S-Ranks in Gallon's Shop. If you have any questions, please post them in our forum.

Additionally, the following bug fixes were made:
-The Reach for the Dream quest has been fixed. The quest now accepts keyboard input and is finish-able.
-The crash in Lab Quest 5.4 will no longer crash after replaying the quest.

NOTE: There appears to be some problems with additng percentages to weapons right now. If you have any items that you would like to add percentages to, it maybe best to wait until the problem has been resolved.

The Episode 4 Team quest that was set to be released on Friday has been delayed until the 24th. Apparently some problems were encountered while testing the quest and they need to be resolved before it can be released. You can read the official news post here. In the meantime, if your team hasn't accumulated 3000 points, now would be a good time to earn them. If you would like to see what this quest will have like, have a look at this guide. Please note that the East and West Tower quests are still slated to be released on the 11th.

As some of you may remember, TGS took place some time ago. We have finally gotten a translation for the trailer for PSU that was shown at the show thanks to help from Espiokaos and hushicho. You can download it here.