It's the day we've all been waiting for, Phantasy Star Portable 2 is officially here! Well, in the US anyway. Sorry Europe, you have a few days left to endure. Ever since we first found out that PSP2 was going to be gracing US and European gamers with its presence, the title has been highly anticipated by Phantasy Star fans on this site, and pretty much everywhere else.
The recently released demo calmed the cravings for a brief period, while reinforcing the already-high expectations we had for this sequel. With so many new features and improvements over the original Phantasy Star Portable, including free online play with lobby support, loads of new content, and an enhanced combat system, it's no wonder that you've all been chomping at the bit to get your hands on it.
Your agonizing wait is nearly over and many of you will hopefully be online playing with fellow PSOWorlders very soon. The official release date is today and there are a few different options for securing your copy of the game (for those of you who didn't join the club and pre-order):
- First, you can go the old-fashioned route and hit up your local games retailer to see if they have their copies in stock yet. Keep in mind that some (if not all) retailers may still be waiting for their shipments to arrive, so it might not hurt to call and check first. Feel free to post your findings in the comments section.
- Second, a digital version of the game is available in the Playstation Store. This 942 MB download costs $39.99.
- Last, but not least, the game is available at a wide variety of online retailers, most notably Amazon and Gamestop (which does also have the option of in-store pickup).
There will inevitably be many new discussions sprouting up throughout the day in our Phantasy Star Portable 2 Forum (where there is already a flurry of activity), so feel free to drop by, introduce yourself, and join in on the release day festivities!
In addition, PSO-World is currently looking for a few good PSP2 enthusiasts to be a part of the team working on our upcoming Phantasy Star Portable 2 content sections. If you're interested, please let us know via the contact form, or by dropping a message to Ryna. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you all online!
21
Comments
We love seeing Dreamcast titles get a second lease on life through digital distribution and while we knew this one was coming, we're still excited to see a firm release date announced! Sonic's debut Dreamcast title, Sonic Adventure, is slated to launch on Xbox 360 Live Arcade later this month, according to a post made to Sega's official US blog on Tuesday. The best-selling game marked a huge transition in the Sonic franchise toward 3D environments and is one of the most highly regarded 3D Sonic titles to date.
The game is said to be redone in HD (though, this does not appear to include support for 16:9) and will include all of the content that players loved from the original, including the Chao Garden, a virtual pet minigame. A follow-up release on Playstation Network was also hinted at, so hang in there if you're a Playstation 3 owner looking to relive this classic. Sonic Adventure launches September 15th on Xbox Live Arcade for the low price of just 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD).
You've watched the trailer, seen the screenshots, and maybe even played the import. Now, as we get even closer to the US release of Phantasy Star Portable 2, you can get your first taste of the localized version of the game. The PSP2 demo is here!
Released on the US PSN store earlier this evening and weighing in at 342MB, the PSP2 demo features the first chapter of the game's story mode and also includes support for both ad-hoc and online multiplayer (available to everyone, unlike the Japanese PSP2 demo). In addition, players can import their original Phantasy Star Portable character, granting them two bonus items; a slot unit with a visual bonus and Exam Saber.
As part of the announcement about the demo, it was also revealed that each copy of PSP2 will include a unique, one-time code that will be linked to players' PSN accounts. Registering this code will allow players unlimited lifetime access to the game's online mode, no subscriptions or fees required.
Feel free to drop by our PSP2 Forum, where a demo discussion is already underway! You can also visit our Official Phantasy Star Portable 2 Pre-Order Thread / FAQ for the latest release date information and pre-order buzz.
The day of birthday celebrations continue, with Sega announcing a Sonic video contest which will send one lucky winner and a friend to Tokyo, Japan. To win, participants much create a video showing off their love for Sonic and post it to YouTube. Entries will be judged on creativity, effort, and entertainment. Bonus points will be given for submissions that get Sonic in the public eye (viral marketing, anyone?). The top ten videos will be posted on the official Sonic 4 website, where the winner will then be selected by the fans.
The grand prize? A trip for the winner and a friend to Tokyo, Japan to visit Sega headquarters, meet with Sonic Team, and get some exclusive play time with Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I. Two iPod Touch prize packs are also up for grabs and 100 random winners will receive free Sonic swag.
We think this is a great contest and in the spirit of things, would like to raise the stakes even higher. We know there are a lot of Sonic fans here on PSO-World and would love to see one of you win. Creatively slip a PSO-World reference into your video and place in the top ten and we'll throw in a Phantasy Star swag bundle to go with any additional prizes you win from Sega! Be sure to post your entry in our forums for all to see and we may even spotlight it on the front page, hopefully netting you some bonus points during the judging process!
Check out the official Sonic 4 site for the full contest rules. Entries are limited to one per person and the deadline for submissions is Monday, July 12th at 9:00AM Pacific time. Good luck everyone!
Today is Sonic's 19th birthday and in addition to some in-game celebrations, Sega is slashing prices on a number of Sonic games on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and iPhone / iPod Touch. In total, more than 25 games & DLC packs will be on sale during specific time frames, some at more than 50% off the normal price. Here's the list of eligible titles:
Playstation Network & Playstation Portable (6/22 thru 7/6):
- Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing: Metal Sonic Death Egg
$7.99$5.49- Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing: Ryo with Forklift Character
$4.99$3.49- Sonic Unleashed Apatos & Shamar Adventure Pack
$2.99$1.99- Sonic Unleashed Chun-nan Adventure Pack
$2.99$1.99- Sonic Unleashed Empire City & Adabat Adventure Pack
$2.99$1.99- Sonic Unleashed Holoska Adventure Pack
$2.99$1.99- Sonic Unleashed Mazuri Adventure Pack
$2.99$1.99- Sonic Unleashed Spagonia Adventure Pack
$2.99$1.99- Sonic the Hedgehog 2006: Very Hard Shadow Missions
$2.49$1.49- Sonic the Hedgehog 2006: Very Hard Silver Missions
$2.49$1.49- Sonic the Hedgehog 2006: Very Hard Sonic Missions
$2.49$1.49- Sonic Unleashed Add On Bundle
$17.94$8.99- Sonic Racing Add On Bundle
$12.98$6.49- Sonic Rivals 2 (PlayStation Portable over PSN)
$19.99$13.99- Sonic Rivals (PlayStation Portable over PSN)
$15.99$10.99- Sonic Rivals 1 & 2 Bundle (PlayStation Portable over PSN)
$35.98$17.99
iTunes AppStore / iPhone / iPod Touch (6/23 thru 6/30):
- Super Monkey Ball
$4.99$2.99- Sonic the Hedgehog
$5.99$3.99- Super Monkey Ball 2
$5.99$3.99- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
$5.99$3.99- Streets of Rage
$2.99$0.99- Golden Axe
$2.99$0.99- Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Ed.
$7.99$4.99
Xbox 360 Live Arcade (6/24 ONLY):
More interested current generation titles? Shame on you! There are, however, a couple of other notable Sega deals floating around, including a pre-order price drop on Phantasy Star Portable 2 (now $36.99) and Alpha Protocol on sale for $39.99. Thanks to joefro for posting about Sega's sale in our Video Game Deals Thread!- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
$5.00$3.00- Sonic the Hedgehog 3
$5.00$3.00- Sonic the Hedgehog
$5.00$3.00- Sonic & Knuckles
$5.00$3.00
Sega has released a small collection of ten new Phantasy Star Portable 2 screenshots as part of their E3 2010 offerings. Nine of the screenshots appear to be from the game's story mode, while the 10th shot shows the multiplayer mode. There doesn't appear to be a whole lot we haven't already seen here, but maybe you can spot something we missed. We've added the screens to our image gallery, so go have a look!
If the recent release announcement for Phantasy Star Portable 2 in the US and Europe has you craving for a PSP2 fix, Sega's latest video should help suppress your hunger for just a while longer. Unlike the previous video, which showcased some gameplay and talked about features in the PSP2 E3 demo, this one is pretty much a cut-scene and character montage. Enjoy!
Thanks to Para for posting this news in our Phantasy Star Portable forum, where a discussion is already underway!
Sega community team member RubyEclipse dropped by the PSP2 forum to let us know that the winners of Sega's Phantasy Star Portable 2 fan art contest have been announced! The top 10 entries from the contest were posted on Sega's blog, along with some notes about why the judges liked each one. In a surprise twist, it was revealed that in addition to the first place entry, the second place entry will also be included in the Western release of Phantasy Star Portable 2.
 |
 |
| First Place | Second Place |
For those of you wondering, the winning entry is a parody of the famous Barack Obama "Hope" poster, which was designed during the 2008 election season. The runner-up features Alis Landale, the main character from the first Phantasy Star game.
Congratulations to the winners! We'll look forward to seeing the in-game versions of these two entries! Be sure to check out Sega's blog for the top 10 announcement, as well as their Flickr page for a gallery of all the entries.
Gamespot has posted a video interview with Sega Producer Brody Phillips, who goes over some of the features that will be found in the E3 demo version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, as well as upgrades to the sequel in general. There's a good amount of gameplay footage and some discussion of storyline, character customization, and mulitplayer modes. Check out the full video below:
Thanks to Blueblur for letting us know about this news in our Phantasy Star Portable forum, where the video is already being discussed.
A press release issued by Sega on Thursday confirms the previously expected release of Dreamcast classics on Xbox 360 Live's Arcade and Playstation Network on PS3. In the release, Sega confirms that both Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi will be leading the pack of titles making their digital return, with Sonic hitting XBLA and PSN sometime in Fall 2010.
Each of the games will be based on their original Dreamcast versions, but will also feature all-new enhancements such as high-resolution graphics, surround sound, and leaderboards. In addition, the titles will include support for Playstation 3 trophies and Xbox 360 achievements.
Based on the wording of the press release, it definitely looks like we're in for some more reborn classics in the near future. With the Dreamcast library consisting of more than 650 titles, there should be plenty for Sega to choose from.
“There are few things that are more requested from us than making Dreamcast classics available for download in today’s digital market place" says Haruki Satomi, VP of Digital Business at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe. "We’re very excited to begin offering gamers our beloved Dreamcast titles again on the current console systems.”
Both Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi will be on display this year at E3, so expect to see more details pouring in very soon.
Advertisement
Recent Forum Posts
News Categories (Show All)
