Sega Announces Xbox 360 Version of Phantasy Star Universe

[mkelehan]

Gaming-Age (http://www.gaming-age.com) reports that Sega has announced an Xbox 360 version of Phantasy Star Universe (http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2006/4/19-40). The 360 version of the sequel to Phantasy Star Online will launch with the PS2 and PC versions this fall. Sega hasn't said anything about cross-platform play, but this week's launch of Final Fantasy XI shows that it's possible.

I can't decide if I want cross-platform online play or not. I've got some friends who might get the PC version on one hand, but on the other, if one system gets hosed by cheaters, I'd rather that not spread to mine.

[bapenguin]

Phantasy Star 2 is in my top 3 favorite RPGs of all time. Can't wait for this. Excellent news this is coming to the 360!

[Reanimated]

I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent playing PSO on the Dreamcast. I really hope this is good.

[Dabombpizza]

The thing that kept me from playing PSO2 was the pay to play for a four person dungeon crawler. Kinda irked me the wrong way. Other than that, I loved PSO.

[Megalith]

is this gonna be free or what

[Soap]

Yawn.

I'm not too impressed with this announcement. After breaking my WoW addiction I really don't see PSO having much to offer except that it will be available to consoles. I don't see any mention of:

Guilds or Clans
Crafting (Player-made items)
Chat functionality

I'm not sure about most of you, but I don't like the idea of looking for a group and getting spammed with inane chatter from those kiddies with the headsets. I've already grown tired of that from Halo2.

[Kamalot]

This is great news!

Andf Soap, I play to play, not to craft. All that 'build your cooking skill' is what keeps me AWAY from online RPGs. I want to slay baddies and save the world, not perfect my crepes.

[Kvasir]

For some reason I kept thinking that PSU would be free to play online, so I was about to say something along the lines of "even silver members would be able to get in on the action". It's awesome news either way, though -- I had speculated this would happen when the JP version got delayed a month or so ago.

As for cheating, There's a bigger chance of the PC version being the gateway for hacks rather than the console version. I'll still be getting the PC version regardless.

[IndependentGMR]

Will they include the forest, caves, mines and ruins? I'd love to go through those levels again.

[Frogleg Special]

"In the kingdom of the blinds,..."

[Kvasir]

Will they include the forest, caves, mines and ruins? I'd love to go through those levels again.

PSO-World (http://www.PSO-world.com) has a ton of info and videos on the game if you want to check them out. PSU looks to be bigger, better, and more beautiful than PSO ever was.

[MrMeatshake]

free = cool.

not free = meh.

[gojira]

Naming your avatar MrMeatshake = priceless

[Heretic Machine]

For me, PSO was just another Rogue clone... It was Diablo in 3D. Don't get me wrong, it was also a lot of fun for a little while. But it got old... plus cheating was fucking rampant, almost as bad as the original Diablo. I don't see me picking up PSU if it's pay-to-play, especially not with Guild Wars as an alternative. Hell, I don't even like this genre, so why am I trolling this topic?

[WastelandDan]

I don't understand how Phantasy Star Online was really an RPG. There was no plot to speak of and basically no advancement aside from doing the same levels over and over and over but with harder enemies each time. Am I missing something?

[mkelehan]

If it's pay to play, then Silver members WILL get to play. If it's free (which I doubt), you'll need Gold.

[Heretic Machine]

I don't understand how Phantasy Star Online was really an RPG. There was no plot to speak of and basically no advancement aside from doing the same levels over and over and over but with harder enemies each time. Am I missing something?

It wasn't an RPG, it was a Rogue-clone. Marketing just knows that RPG became a nice buzz-word for a while that could earn you some free sales.

[Wraith]

I'm fairly certain that it will be pay-to-play, just like the other versions of the game. At least this go-around, there's a free version of Live (as opposed to Xbox, where you had to pay for both Live and the PSO account).

I don't have a 360, but I want to play this game on a console (PS2 or 360) as opposed to PC. Because it worked great on the Dreamcast, and I'd rather not be chained to the PC for this kind of game.

I guess it'll come down to communication (will it be keyboard and/or voice chat) and hard drive requirement (if it requires one, I can't play it on my PStwo). I'd actually liked the Dreamcast swap-between-controller-and-keyboard method. What are they doing in 360 FFXI, keyboard or voice or both?

[Kvasir]

For me, PSO was just another Rogue clone... It was Diablo in 3D. Don't get me wrong, it was also a lot of fun for a little while. But it got old... plus cheating was fucking rampant, almost as bad as the original Diablo. I don't see me picking up PSU if it's pay-to-play, especially not with Guild Wars as an alternative. Hell, I don't even like this genre, so why am I trolling this topic?

Then you are in luck, as <shill>in addition to its robust online game mode, Phantasy Star Universe™ also contains a full blown offline single-player RPG!</shill>

[Magnanimous Gnome]

It is pay to play.

[Stryfe01]

This is great news!

Andf Soap, I play to play, not to craft. All that 'build your cooking skill' is what keeps me AWAY from online RPGs. I want to slay baddies and save the world, not perfect my crepes.


I agree. Keep the depth, but seriously i don't care about making my stuff. I think it sucks that a character class is penalized if you dont build up "crafting" skills. Why can't I just buy it and enjoy everything else ? Honestly that's what drove me, so far temporarily, away from WOW. love playing, but hate having to build up the other stuff just to get cool armor, etc.

[KamaItachi]

I'd probably get this even if it was Pay to Play, not least because it's (finally) a full blown RPG in the PS universe.

I wouldn't get my hopes up for cross-platform gaming though, if the different versions of PSO are anything to go by, the online service will be weak at best.

[Sl1pstream]

I'm buying this. Although I didn't get the Dreamcast version I did put 285 hours into the one on the gamecube and about 150+ into the Xbox version.

EDIT:: Forgot about the one with the cards...played that for around 80 hours.

[Silversmith]

Thanks Sega... Now Bring multiplayer Dragon force and were cool again

[Zeal]

I remember Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast being free to play at launch and even supported dedicated servers. If we can get back to that, then hell yeah.

Also, a multiplayer Dragon Force sequel would be Jesus.

[D_Reaper]

I agree. Keep the depth, but seriously i don't care about making my stuff. I think it sucks that a character class is penalized if you dont build up "crafting" skills. Why can't I just buy it and enjoy everything else ? Honestly that's what drove me, so far temporarily, away from WOW. love playing, but hate having to build up the other stuff just to get cool armor, etc.

But the hard part in PSO was finding items with certain Section ID's.
So between making your own items or finding them, it will still take time.

*thinks about the 1/28808 chance of getting Agito 1975*

[bone_matrix]

Loved, FUCKING LOVED PSO on the Dreamcast. Had over 500 hours on one character alone. After cheating became rampant, I used to go online with my gameshark, and cheat on the cheaters (annoy them, wouldn't let them leave, etc.). It felt good to fight back. :D

Pay to play? I hope not. It probably is, and if there is a bunch more content, I'd pay. I miss my digital crack.

Looking forward to my 360 version.

[Wraith]

PSO has been pay to play in all incarnations except the very first verion on the Dreamcast (v1). I'm not sure why people are even speculating that it could be free.

Server-side character storage should go a long way towards stopping cheaters.

[Kamalot]

But the hard part in PSO was finding items with certain Section ID's.
So between making your own items or finding them, it will still take time.

*thinks about the 1/28808 chance of getting Agito 1975*

you don't HAVE to have an Agito 1975.

The nice part about PSO is that IF you find something rare, you found it by playing. You know, playing? Having fun? Not clicking an icon and watching a little meter fill up while my character 'crafts' something useless. When I found a rare item its because I was playing with friends, slaying monsters, casting spells, healing party members and a red box appeared on the floor in the remains of a Boomer. They were random rewards, like Jackpots, not something you HAD to achieve by repition.

[mightbe]

I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent playing PSO on the Dreamcast. I really hope this is good.
Same here. I wish I could transfer my old characters over to the 360.

[KamaItachi]

When I found a rare item its because I was playing with friends, slaying monsters, casting spells, healing party members and a red box appeared on the floor in the remains of a Boomer.

Or it was because you were an absolute twat who nicked all the goods while everyone else was fighting those goddamn turning invisible robots from the laboratory. :p

Not my major complaint against the game (that was the shitty, shitty net code) but something that irked me rotten was the sheer asshattery in some players when one of those red boxes fell. Next was folks joining my games and complaining that I wasn't buffing enough and that was "my job".

My last few months of that game were made up of mostly privates.