As announced on their blogs, SEGA of America is holding a special preview event for Phantasy Star Zero. *Attendees will be able to visit SEGA's San Francisco offices, play PSØ, and potentially go home with some prizes. Everyone will receive an inflatable Rappy.

 

Currently the event is planned for November 4th and will support upwards of twenty people. *If you live in/will be in the area, you can sign up by responding to the blog posting or in this thread. *More details will be coming later.

 

Update: A new blog post has gone up listing those people that have successfully entered the reservation list. Make sure to check in with RubyEclipse via PM on the official forums to confirm your spot.

The first English screenshots for Phantasy Star Zero were released today. The 14 screens over at nintendoeverything.com primarily come from the opening, but include a few action shots. The worthplaying website has 40 screenshots. These screenshots consist of a mixture of character creation, NPC interaction, and in-game action sequences. The latter website is definitely worth viewing if you are interested in the English version of Phantasy Star Zero.

Credit goes to Sayl for providing the nintendoeverything.com link. You can discuss these pictures in this forum thread.

EDIT: Several unmarked screenshots have been released on Sega of America's Flickr page

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, a Phantasy Star Zero mini game will be making an appearance on Nintendo's DSiWare download service. The game, appropriately titled "Phantasy Star Zero Mini", will feature a score attack mission in which players will run through Gurhacia Valley and ultimately face off against the Rayburn.

The DSiWare title will have the same online functionality as the full game, including chat and wireless play. However, it currently looks like there is not a way to play the game with your Phantasy Star Zero character. Instead, players will take on the mission using one of three pre-selected characters. At a mere 200 DSi Points ($2 US), though, "Mini" will hopefully be a fun treat and a great way to lure new players into the full Zero experience! Phantasy Star Zero Mini is slated to arrive on DSiWare in Japan sometime this March, while a US release date is currently unknown. A big thanks to our tipsters for the story! For more of the latest Phantasy Star Zero news and discussion, be sure to stop by our Phantasy Star Zero forums!

Update: Thanks to Japanese fan site Shougai PSO, some details concerning this mini-game have been cleared up. The three selectable characters are Ogi, Kai and Sarisa, and Gurhacia Valley serves as the field for this adventure. As players make their way through the area, they will face other enemies such as Gawls and Galapythons, until they reach the boss, a large dragon known as Rayburn.

The February 2009 issue of Nintendo Power has confirmed that Phantasy Star Zero is scheduled to be released in the United States in the fall. This issue also features a special cover and preview of the game. Be sure to check out the latest issue of Nintendo Power for additional details. Credit goes to Shiroyu for bringing us this news. You can share your thoughts in this forum thread.

*

Update: Sega has posted press releases for the US and Europe.

If you're a die-hard Phantasy Star fan with a pre-order for the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Zero, you might be in for an early Christmas present. Several reports have come in that import retailer PlayAsia started shipping pre-ordered copies of the game to customers in the US on Friday. While this may just be an attempt to make sure the games arrive as close to release day as possible, some lucky folks may just be getting their copies before their Japanese counterparts do. Pre-orders are still being taken, for those of you still interested in getting some play time before the US release. Stay tuned to PSO-World as we continue to add features and information to support this title, and feel free to drop by the Phantasy Star Zero forum to join in on the latest discussions!

PSO-World user Tummai has been kind enough to translate the Famtisu review article. You can find the translation and scans at this website. In addition, three new Japanese commercials for Phantasy Star Zero have been released at gamekyo.com:



Some more unique commercials can be found here and here. Credit goes to RisingSun for discovering this videos.

Famitsu Review Score for Phantasy Star Zero Famitsu reviewers have given Phantasy Star Zero a rating of 33 (8/8/9/ on its 40 point scale. The game was praised for its simple controls, high-tempo combat, and online mode. According to the review, "it really feels like an online game in the palm of your hand." It also goes on to state that players can expect to spend a 'sizable' amount of time leveling and looking for rares. The only major criticism seems to be the perceived softness of the sound.

Here is a recap of Famitsu scores for Phantasy Star games:

• Phantasy Star Zero - 33/40
• Phantasy Star Portable - 33/40
• Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 and 2 - 35/40
• Phantasy Star Universe - 35/40

Credit goes to RisingSun for compiling the Phantasy Star game scores. You can share your opinion of this score and read additional reviews in this forum thread.

Here we see a number of clips from the in-game animated sequences done by Gonzo. Notably, they've also created segments for the Lunar series. Most recently, they have been known as the studio behind Afro Samurai. Later on in the trailer, they mix in some more footage of the game itself.

This video can also be viewed on the official website located here. Discussion of this video has already started in our forums.

EDIT: If you are having problems viewing the movie, you can download it here.

DC_Player has alerted us to the existence of the following 20 minute overview presentation of Phantasy Star Zero from the Tokyo Game Show:



These videos highlight several major aspects of the game including: symbol chat, character Creation, combat and chaining system, special attacks, techniques, Story Mode, and Wi-fi Mode. Kesubei has made a tentative translation of the first video available.

You can discuss these videos in our Phantasy Star Zero forum.