SonicTeam just posted details on an upcoming update for Phantasy Star Portable 2 which will correct a few bugs which have been affecting players who play online. A date has not been set for when this fix will be distributed, but once it has been decided, it will be reported on the official site. The following issues will be addressed with this update:

• Disappearing/changing room decorations
• Compensation for losing one-time-only decorations
• Incorrectly imported trial save data
• Online damage indication caused by lag
• Excessive trap damage

One important detail given to all players is to not use the Mimic Doll decoration in your room, as it seems to have been to blame for the disappearing decorations. The developers urge all players to remove that particular decoration from your room until the fix has been put in place. Furthermore, concerning decorations given as rewards through earning titles and using one-time-only passwords, you will be able to recollect these items through your vision phone following this update. (Passwords will have to be re-entered, but title rewards will be received as they normally would.) Remember, this will apply only to decorations, so you will not be able to get duplicate weapons or other items earned from titles. Finally, as an overall compensation for the trouble caused by these bugs, a password will be distributed with this update granting all players five Photon Boosters.

Stay tuned for details on when to expect this update to be rolled out. Thanks goes to Amherst_Wind for bringing us this information! Check out the ongoing discussion at the forum.

Update: Just in time for Christmas, the above-detailed update is ready to be downloaded! To download this update, press the triangle button after highlighting the PSP2 game icon on your PSP. This will bring up a menu with the option "Update" (??????). Select that (and make sure you are connected to the internet) to begin the installation. This file will require 19MB on your memory stick. Once installation is complete, the game's title screen will display "Ver.1.01" in the upper-right corner. Finally, for the five Photon Boosters, enter the password "ITEM GIFT" at your vision phone. But take note that you must first update your software before this password can be used.

According to vgchartz, Phantasy Star Portable 2 is expected to be the leader in Sony PSP game sales for a second straight week. During its first week of release, Phantasy Star Portable 2 sold 286,896 units. For its second week, the game is expected to sell around 75,000 units. That would add up to approximately 360,000 units sold over the first two weeks of its release.

Sales expectations for Phantasy Star Portable 2 are very high. The original Phantasy Star Portable game was the 14th best selling game in Japan for 2008. When compared against other Phantasy Star games releases, Phantasy Star Portable 2 is selling very well.

To celebrate the holiday spirit, Sega of Japan is releasing several new items through the Playtstation Store for Phantasy Star Portable 2. These items will be available on December 22nd for the Japanese version of the game. Here is a list of what is being released and the cost for each item:

• Santa Dress (Female Clothing) for 300 yen
• Santa Dress (Female Cast Parts) for 300 yen
• Reindeer Suit (Male Clothing) for 300 yen
• Reindeer Suit (Male Cast Parts) for 300 yen
• Merry Christmas Grenade Launcher for 200 yen
• Christmas Tree Spear for 200 yen

Based on the current conversion rates, you can expect to pay $17.70 or 12.35 Euros for all of the content. If you are thinking about purchasing any of this content, keep in mind that other players will only see the Christmas clothing/item models if they haveve purchased the same content.

Credit goes to Mike for bringing us this news. You can view additional pictures in this forum thread.

Not for the miserly or poor

Siliconera.com is reporting that is possible to unlock Emilia, the heroine from Phantasy Star Portable 2, as a guest character in the Japanese version of Valkyria Chronicles 2. To unlock Emilia, all you need is a Japanese Phantasy Star Portable 2 save file. This save file will also give you access to extra tank customization stickers and two special missions. Given the extensive collaborations seen in Phantasy Star Portable 2, appearances like this are not unexpected. Let's hope Emilia appears in the North American version of Valkyria Chronicles 2. You can discuss this news in our Phantasy Star Portable forum.

Picture provided by famitsu.com

Details recently have come to light concerning a bug which affects players' rooms while playing Phantasy Star Portable 2 online. This bug occasionally makes the decorations displayed in your room disappear permanently. While it does not seem to occur all the time, SonicTeam recommends players to remove all room decorations and keep them stored away until further notice. A fix to this bug is being investigated, and more information will be posted as it becomes available. To players who lost decorations to this glitch, in particular, unique items awarded by achieving certain titles or through password downloads, compensation is being decided, but full details are still under wraps.

The Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2 was released yesterday. To commemorate the release, Sega of Japan has released a series of Partner Machine wallpapers. Also, the first two downloadable missions were made available. They include a Fanta quiz mission and Photon Drop exchange mission. Given the sales records of the first version, it is expected that Phantasy Star Portable 2 will sell very well this week, possibly in excess of 200,000 copies.

GH450 Wallpaper

For those that are unfamiliar with Phantasy Star Portable 2, this sequel takes place three years after the end of the Ambition of the Illuminus storyline. Within the story, you work for an organization known as Little Wing. You will have the chance to interact with old friends and interact with new characters. The biggest addition to the game is a dedicated set of online servers for the game's infrastructure mode. Also, several new gameplay mechanics have been included such as shields, a roll button, and charged shots. Phantasy Star Online fans will definitely be interested in the inclusion of copious amounts of PSO content. A large number of enemies, items, and bosses have been included from Episode I, Episode II, and Episode IV.

If you haven't ordered your copy yet, you can purchase it from reputable online shops such as Play-Asia. Be sure to check out our Phantasy Star Portable forum for all the latest Phantasy Star Portable 2 news and discussion. Credit goes to Mike for bringing us news about the downloadable missions.

Sega of Japan has released a fansite kit for Phantasy Star Portable 2 that includes a large number of high quality images. To download the kit, go to this webpage, scroll to the bottom, and click on the red button. The kit includes images of all the main story characters and several enemies, along with several promotional banners. If you are a fan of Phantasy Star Portable 2, it is definitely worth downloading.

Do not mess with this guy.

Thanks to Japanese news site Shougai PSO, details recently surfaced concerning the upcoming Phantasy Star Portable 2 soundtrack. The OST, entitled Wings of Universe, is set to go on sale across Japan on January 13, 2010, for 3,150 yen. The soundtrack will be comprised of two discs with approximately 40 new tracks. Check out this post at the forum for discussion on the OST, and stay tuned as we'll have more details as they arise!

One of the new features for Phantasy Star Portable 2 will be the inclusion of an extra difficulty level known as Hard Mode. Once you have completed the game on Normal Mode, you will be able to replay Story Missions on Hard Mode. This new difficulty will feature higher-level enemies and presumably better loot. In addition, you will be able to unlock better clothing and items from the NPC shops as you progress in the game.

Story Mission with Level 53 to 73 Enemies

Credit goes to WBMike for bringing us this news. You can read additional news from this update in WBMike's forum post.