Questions about AotI

[Pickel Surprise]

I was a fan of both PSO 1&2 as well as PSU, and I'm getting a craving again. I had PSU for the XBox 360, but my brother sold it without my permission so he could use the store credit to buy a game for himself, and since I've already beaten it, I'm probably not going to get it again. Both my Gamecube and PSO disc are at a friend's house in a different state, so I probably won't see them again for a long time, and even if I got them back, I wouldn't have a TV to hook the Gamecube up to.

Instead, I had my eye on getting Ambition of the Illunimus for the PC. But, before I do, I wanted to straighten a few things out. Just a couple of questions for anyone who has it:

1) I've read that it's standalone, but I want to make sure. At least for the PC version, do you need to have the original PSU installed to play it?

2) Is there a full offline mode that can be played without additional fees?

3) How much disk space does it take up? (This isn't so important. I know I can fit it on my hard drive, but I'd just like to know.)

I know these must seem like really dumb questions, but I want to be absolutely sure that I can make the whole thing work and not have to return it for nothing.

[Dhylec]

1) I've read that it's standalone, but I want to make sure. At least for the PC version, do you need to have the original PSU installed to play it?
AoI is a standalone; you don't need the original to play it. If you are clever, you can even get it for next to nothing.

2) Is there a full offline mode that can be played without additional fees?
Yes, PC has an extensive offline mode, built-in. You'd need internet connection to play, though. (360 doesn't have the offline mode for AoI.)

3) How much disk space does it take up? (This isn't so important. I know I can fit it on my hard drive, but I'd just like to know.)
The game asked for a bout 8GB, but takes up about 5GB.

[Pickel Surprise]

Where's the Pickle? That's the surprise! teehee! :o

Of all the boards I've used this name on, this is the first one where anyone has gotten that. Yes, I spelled pickle wrong on purpose. Why? No idea.

Anyway, an internet connection I have, so I'll probably go grab the game soon. Thanks for the help.

[EspioKaos]

No, you'll have to buy ver.1 to play Episode 1. All AOTI offers for offline mode is Episode 2.

[Alizarin]

Thanks! But does that mean it doesn't have an extra mode? D:

There's no need for extra mode this time around. They're combined offline since you're using your created character for everything, including running the Story Missions.

[EspioKaos]

I see. I'm sorry if this sounds stupid, but then why aren't all the shell parts in the shop? It's just the basic 3 D:

I'm trying to remake my 360 character so I can compare the PC version and 360 version.

More parts and items are added to the shops as you complete missions and level up.

[Alizarin]

I see. I'm sorry if this sounds stupid, but then why aren't all the shell parts in the shop? It's just the basic 3 D:

I'm trying to remake my 360 character so I can compare the PC version and 360 version.

Same deal with both Story Mode and Extra Mode in Version 1. You have to complete story missions to unlock more content. Fortunately they're the same mode, so you don't have to keep switching to check it out, but unfortunately they still don't allow you to skip cutscenes, so unlocking content can take a while.