Phantasy Star Universe

Infobox VG
title = Phantasy Star Universe


caption = North American Box Art
developer = Sonic Team
publisher = Sega
designer =
engine =
released =PS2, PC:
Xbox 360:

genre = Action RPG
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|CERO=B|ESRB=T|PEGI=12+
platforms = PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360
media = DVD-ROM
requirements = Minimum: 1.6 GHz P4, 256 MB RAM, 9.0 GB HDD, 64 MB video card, DirectX 9.0c
Recommended: 2.8 GHz P4, 512 MB RAM, 128 MB Video Card|
input =nihongo|"Phantasy Star Universe"|ファンタシースターユニバース|Fantashī Sutā Yunibāsu ("PSU") is an action role-playing game by Sega's Sonic Team for the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. In Japan, it was released for the PC and PlayStation 2 on August 31, 2006, with the Xbox 360 version releasing on December 12, 2006. Its North American release was on October 24, 2006, available in all formats. The European release date was November 24. While "Phantasy Star Universe" is a hack and slash role-playing game similar to the "Phantasy Star Online" (PSO) games, it takes place in a (presumably) different time period and location and has many new features. Like most of the "PSO" titles, "PSU" is playable in both a persistent online network mode and a full featured single-player story mode.

Features

"PSU" has the following features:
* "Strafing" - characters may strafe, in addition to the movement options available in "PSO"
* "Dual-wielding" - characters may wield weapons akimbo, or even carry a different weapon in each hand
* Player-controlled vehicles (Sega has stated that these will be customizable in some way; featured offline and during some online events).
* Partner Machinery (pm) that evolve both in appearance and abilities when fed items.
* 20+ dungeons which the player may explore
* 15+ bosses to battle
* Four character races: Humans, CASTs (Androids), Newmans, and Beasts (the latter two of which are races of genetically modified humans).
* Three different classes to specialize in (similar to PSO) but with the ability to change classes at any given time and back again, while any bonuses gained are retained for later if you do change class.
* An additional seven advanced classes which can either be specialists of the three main classes, or different hybrid versions.
* An additional two advanced classes were provided upon the expansion's release, although they do not require the expansion to play.
* A 40-hour offline RPG component with characters and events to complement the separate online game. Both use the same engine, although your customizable character can only be used online.
* Extra Mode: A new offline mode that functions similar to online mode, with character customization. The "Extra Mode" character can only be used offline.
* Character Customization: In addition, "PSU" features a character creation system with many more options than the original "PSO", allowing players to customize the style and colour of their characters' clothes, hair and facial features, height and body proportion as well as their voice at any time in the game provided they have enough of the game's currency, meseta.

tory

The stage is the Gurhal Star System, which consists of three planets. Each planet has its own unique culture formed by its inhabitant races.

The history of the Gurhal Star System is filled with conflict amongst the different races. However, after the Final Conflict 100 years ago, a union was formed between the three planets. This led to the birth to the Allied Army, and ultimately to peace for the Gurhal Star System.

At the start of the game, Ethan, the main character, and his little sister Lumia, are at the celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Alliance Space Fleet on the GUARDIANS Space station. The celebration is interrupted when a mysterious meteor shower almost destroys the entire fleet. During evacuation, Ethan and Lumia split off of the main evacuation route, and collapsing rubble separates Lumia from Ethan. Ethan then meets up with a GUARDIAN named Leo, but they are attacked by a strange creature. The creature paralyzes Leo, and Ethan takes his handgun and kills the creature. Leo then tells Ethan to find his sister, and that a rescue team is on the way.

After killing multiple creatures and saving people, Ethan finds Lumia, and they both leave the station. After a conversation between Leo and Ethan, Ethan reveals that he dislikes GUARDIANS because his father died when on a mission. Leo, impressed with Ethan's abilities, convinces Ethan to join the GUARDIANS.

Ethan and his classmate Hyuga are trained by a female Guardian named Karen, who leads them against the SEED, the strange monsters that came from the meteors. After being hired to accompany a scientist to a Relic site of an ancient, long-dead civilization, they find out the SEED are attracted to a power source (A-photons) the ancients used and that the solar system has just re-discovered.

Karen finds out she is the sister of the Divine Maiden (the prophet of the Holy Light) and takes over that position when her sister dies at the hands of her estranged father who intended to kill Karen to increase the original Maiden (Mirei)'s power.

After befriending rogues, guardians, and casts alike, Ethan angers Magashi, a CAST who heads the Endrum Collective and has been kidnapping scientists who know about the ancient power source. After Ethan and a rogue named Alfort Tylor kill Magashi, Ethan helps activate an ancient weapon the prior civilization used to survive the SEED before they were almost completely wiped out.

Ethan then gathers allies against Guardian orders to attack the last SEED outpost standing where two of his friends and the scientists are being held. In the outpost Magashi claims to be brought back to life by the SEED, where in reality he is a CAST incarnation of Dark Force who controls the SEED itself and controls whatever they infect.

With the help of Karen, Leo and Tonnio, Ethan defeats Magashi once and for all.

Production

During the production of this game, Sega has had multiple showings of the game. The initial unveiling of the game was at E3 2004. The next time it was seen at E3 2005, and then again at TGS 2005. A closed beta stress test for the servers took place from April 20 - May 10 of 2006. The game also had its own podcast created for users of the SEGA LINK system which is how online payment has been confirmed for Japanese and importing players to be handled. More and more information has been revealed about the game on a weekly basis at the game's official website located below.

Ambition of the Illuminus

"Universes story is continued in its expansion pack, ', picking up where "Universe" left off. Players use their own avatars and take the role as instructors to other younger GUARDIANS recruits, while investigating the evil organization of "human supremacists" known as the Illuminus. Along with new missions, new weapons are introduced as well as new photon arts, classes, enemies, bosses, and more.

Open beta

An open beta was held for Xbox 360 users a few weeks before it was released in North America. The software was available on the marketplace for Xbox Live Gold subscribers for download for two days starting on October 13, 2006. The trial originally ran until October 18 but was eventually extended to October 21. As of January 15, 2007 it has now been put back onto the marketplace, and the server is up and running, for players who have Xbox Live Gold to download and try. Their policy states that they will reset the servers at the end of each month, however, from the period of September 2007 to April 2008, SEGA did not reset the servers. [http://phantasystaruniverse.jp/xbox360/]

The user's personal avatar is the main character. In "Phantasy Star Universe", players experienced the story through the eyes of Ethan Waber. In "Ambition of the Illuminus", they will complete missions using their own customized avatar, working to restore peace in the Gurhal System. This content is available offline in the PS2 and PC versions; there is no expansion offline content available on the 360.

This expansion is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1600 MS points ($20.) PS2 and PC players have to purchase a retail disc of the expansion for $39.99. These were both released on November 20th of 2007.

The Xbox 360 Version does not contain an offline mode with expansion content and is only playable online.

Community Online

The PC/PS2 servers are merged together while the Xbox 360 plays is on a server on its own. The PC/PS2 servers are region locked, while the on the Xbox 360 servers people from all over the world can play together.

ee also

* "Phantasy Star Online"

Footnotes