Article: Phantasy Star ZERO announced for the Nintendo DS!

[EspioKaos]

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.

[likealolita]

I am so gonna import this day one!

[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...

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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

[ngagerebel]

have I died and gone to heaven? this is like the best news ever!

[DAMASCUS]

I...feel..a PSOrgasm coming on XD