PSO Planet

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T04:08:00.000-05:00

From all of us at PSO Planet to all of you, have a safe and happy holiday!

PSU: Ambition of the Illuminus Expansion Coming 11/20

2007-10-26T20:21:00.000-05:00

Sega has released the following press release, giving the release date for the PSU Expansion, Ambition of the Illuminus, on the 20th of November:

Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus is the expansion pack for the popular Phantasy Star Universe game, bringing a more personalized and interactive universe to the acclaimed series. In addition to new enemies, weapons, levels and cities there will be more options available for gamers to further individualize and customize the look of their avatars. Ambition of the Illuminus continues the exciting PSU story online as the player’s personal online avatar is now the central character, investigating and working to restore peace in the chaotic Gurhal System. The player investigates through a series of single-player missions, meeting familiar characters like Ethan Waber from Episode 1, along with other new ones, including a GUARDIAN instructor, Laia Martinez. In addition, the online multiplayer world, with its fast-paced, engaging battle experience for up to six players, has been greatly expanded with new missions, new cities and new enemies.

Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus will be available for download on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system via Xbox Live and also in stores on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PC. With a GUARDIANS License, gamers can experience the new customizable and highly interactive features online. Players can purchase a GUARDIANS License for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 system and PC online for $9.99 a month. The GUARDIANS License is also available at a discounted rate of $49.99 for six months of online play on the PlayStation 2 system and PC.

The Expansion will be downloadable over Xbox Live for 1600 MS Points ($20US) and released on CD for PS2 and PC at a price of $39.95. Good deal for Xbox gamers who already have the game, and on PS2 and PC you don't have to have the original game, so it's still a decent deal.

More details at the offical site.

1UP Cup Official Site Launchs/ Join the Official 1UP Club

2007-10-24T06:52:00.000-05:00

1UP has launched the Official site for the 1UP Cup, complete with details of the event schedule, missions and rewards, make sure and check it out if you plan to take part in the Cup.

1UP has also launched the 1UP Cup Phantasy Star Universe Club, a place to share information and speak with other gamers who are taking part in the Cup. Of course, you are more than welcome to do this in our PSOP Forums as well (it's free, why not sign up?).

1UP Platinum Cup, Holloween Decorations and Xbox 360 updates

2007-10-17T07:57:00.001-05:00

The official site has updated with information on the 1UP Platinum Cup, set to bring new missions to PSU on October 19th,

Join Gurhal Channel Five star reporter Hal at the Club Commune on the 3rd floor of Clyez City for the first week of special 1UP Platinum Cup missions. Score an S rank to earn your way to the bonus missions with improved rare drops and special reward boxes. Please access the special event website launching on Oct. 19 for more detailed information about the event missions and rewards.

Also, Halloween decorations are now up and there have been some updates to the Xbox 360 version of the game:

Changes to how deaths are treated in Missions. A significant change that affects how player death affects mission rankings has been made. During free missions and cooperative missions, player deaths will only affect mission ranks when opting to return to the lobby. Players can be revived mid-mission without affecting overall mission rank.
In high-ranking missions, enemies and bosses will now be a bit slower.
Cheat protection. The XBOX 360 servers have been modified to fix a group of exploits and security holes.

Source: The offical site

Phantasy Star Online servers shutting down

2007-01-11T16:22:00.000-06:00

It's a sad announcement, but one we all knew had to come sooner or later. Sonic Team has decided to shut down servers for all Dreamcast and Gamecube editions of Phantasy Star, effective March 31st, 2007. This includes:

Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast
PSO Ver.2 for Dreamcast
Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II for Gamecube
Phantasy Star Online Episode III C.A.R.D. for Gamecube

For the original posting by Sonic Team (in Japanese), click here.

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New Phantasy Star Universe missions

2007-01-11T16:01:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay in updating, folks. I've been insanely busy over the holidays with work and other commitments, but that's over now and it's time to get PSO Planet up to date.

First off, Sonic Team gave us some new missions on Dece mber 15th:

Maintenance has completed and five new S-Rank missions are now available across Parum, Neudaiz, and Moatoob. GUARDIANS who meet the required levels will encounter new enemy types, higher rewards, and a challenge unlike any other missions presently available.

Parum:
* Mad Creatures

Neudaiz:
* Mizuraki Defense
* Demons Above
Moatoob:
* Valley of Carnage
* Mine Defense

But wait, that wasn't all! On the 21st of December Sonic Team had yet another update, with yet more missions, including some S-Rank free missons for high level players:

New GUARDIANS mission!

Episode Two, Chapter Two is the newest and most exciting chapter in the continuing saga that revolves around the Gurhal system. Even though your last mission brought about more questions than answers, you are called to the planet Moatoob with Lou and Laia to investigate the disappearance of a missing GUARDIAN member. Due to the recent purification of the area, this should be a routine search and detain mission. However, upon entering the deserts of Moatoob, all is not well.

Exactly who is this mysterious member of the Guardians that you are looking for, and what are they doing in the deserts of Moatoob? All of this and more will be answered when you play Chapter 2 of the online GUARDIAN Missions on Phantasy Star Universe.

New S-Rank Free Missions!

In addition to the new Guardian Mission, three new S-Rank free missions are now available to play in network mode. This should provide some of the higher-leveled players some new challenges to experience and overcome. The new missions are as follows:

• Plains Overlord
• Sleeping Warriors
• Lab Recovery

The holidays meant no updates, but coming after todays maintenance is quite a bit of new content:

Due to the holiday week as well as the New Year, the next major update will hit the Phantasy Star Universe servers on January 12. Since the gap is a bit longer than normal, this release will be considerably larger than previous updates. Take a look at what we have planned for this release!

All new Mission Type available within Moatoob!
Many new clothes types, including the Swimsuit!
Brand new Photon Abilities, Bullet Types, and TECHNICS
Level cap increased to 70!
Chapter 3 of the new and exciting GUARDIAN Missions
Weapon and Synthesis items up to Rank 10!
New room items, decorations, and more!

All of this content makes for one of the most action packed updates yet!

That brings us up to date, stay tuned to PSO Planet for more news and info as it arrives!

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Merry Christmas everyone

2006-12-25T09:20:00.000-06:00

From all of us at PSOP to all of you out there, we hope you have a great and safe Christmas, Winter Solstice or whatever holiday you celebrate.

Phantasy Star Universe Christmas update

2006-12-08T20:44:00.000-06:00

Sega has launched the content update for December with a extra present, a Christmas Theme.

Christmas has arrived to the Guhral system and the planets are showing their holiday spirit with fantastic decorations! In addition a very special seasonal My Room Wreath item has been added for users who wish to spruce up their pad for the holidays. The decorations as well as the item are only available until December 26, don’t miss out!

New Missions Available!
- The Masked Girl

Expert Classes!
- Fighgunner
- Guntecher
- Wartecher
- Fortefighter
- Fortegunner
- Fortetecher
- Protranser

New Weapons!
- Grenade Launchers
- Claws
- Axe
- Card
- Double Saber
- Laser Cannon
- Crossbow

New Room Decorations!
- 7 new reform tickets

The official site has also updated with a new Quests Page detailing some of the new quests and weapons. It is also mentioned that the next update will take place on the 15th of December, that's pretty fast!

Note:This update if for the U.S. version of PSU, Japan has already received all of the included updates, including the Christmas Theme, which launched on the 7th of December in Japan.

Comments

Phantasy Star Universe in Spanish

2006-12-06T17:16:00.000-06:00

I was completely unaware, but with the recent release of PSU in Europe, Spanish speaking players were left out in the cold. A nice PSOP reader, Juan, emailed me to let me know of the situation and he asked if PSOP could help. Jaun writes,

Maybe PSO PLANET can help us! This is a petition to Sega: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?spapsu2k.

This URL contains a petition to Sega to translate the game into Spanish...

Yes, I'm from Spain and I and thousands of people want the same! So maybe PSO PLANET can help us!

It seems odd to me that Sega wouldn't support Spanish language, as it is the most spoken language in the world. Anyone who's interested in a Spanish version of PSU, or interested in helping them get one, should sign up.

Comments

Phantasy Star Universe December Content Update

2006-12-01T21:08:00.000-06:00

1up.com has details on Decembers updates for the US version of PSU,

New Classes: GUARDIANS can now be specialized in one of 7 new hybrid classes available at the GUARDIANS HQ. These new classes will enable GUARDIANS to level up to use A and S rank weapons.
Fighgunner
Guntecher
Wartecher
Fortefight
Fortegunner
Fortetecher
Protranser
Weapons: The following weapon types are now available to GUARDIANs in certain planet shops. GUARDIANs can be more versatile in their fight against the SEED.
Card [Neudaiz]
Grenade [Moatoob]
Axe [Moatoob]
Double Saber [Parum]
Claw [Neudaiz]
Twin Claw [Neudaiz]
Laser Cannon [Parum]
Crossbow [Moatoob]
Weapon Ranks update: B and A ranked (5-8 star) weapons, gears and boards will now be available at all shops.
SUV Weapons: Two new SUV units for CASTs will now be available: Rafal Buster, and Sturm Buster.
Level Cap: The current level cap has been increased to level 60, and Photon abilities and TECHNICs can now be raised to level 30 depending on your character class.
Partner Machinery: Partner Machinery 'Device Zero' will be available, enabling you to return your Partner Machinery to its original state and start from the beginning if you don't like how it's developed.
Missions: Over 10 S Rank quests will be opened up on all planets, including a brand new dragon.
CLASS INFORMATION: Some basic information for new players, followed by the advanced classes one can upgrade to after December 8th.

Hunter: A balanced type with High attack power, good for melee combat. Skilled in use of Striking weapons. A good fit for beginning players.

Ranger: A ranged fighter that can defeat enemies and support allies from a distance. The type's High accuracy makes firearms an ideal fit. Suited for intermediate players.

Force: A type geared toward TECHNICs use. Allows advanced players to play a variety of different roles from powerful attacks to healing and support.

For more information and details on Expert Classes, check out 1up.com.

Comments

Phantasy Star Universe Xbox 360 patch

2006-11-24T19:29:00.000-06:00

Sega has announced the release of a client patch for the Xbox 360 version of Phantasy Star Universe. The patch will include the following fixes:

* Modified client program to allow for more viewable characters in lobby areas. Players should now be able to see far more players when in all of the major hub areas.

* The 'Retry' option should now function normally. This option will occasionally appear during the login process if an error occurs. Users are no longer required to disconnect to retry from the main menu.

* Fixed a hard lock/extended load time issue occurring at the My Room level when users applied new decorations. Remodel tickets may not function if users are present at the time of use. Please keep this in mind.

* Fixed and issue that prevented healing players when their avatars were grounded from a knockdown attack.

* Updated Voice Chat program to address party chat issues. Users should no longer experience issues with this functionality.Modifying voice chat problem which some users in the party can not communicate.

Happy Thanksgiving from PSO Planet

2006-11-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at PSO Planet. We are all thankful for the fantastic community that has made the return of PSOP so fun and successful. Thank you!

Server update complete

2006-11-21T04:45:00.000-06:00

Sega has finished the latest server maintenance and updated Phantasy Star Universe with access to Moatoob and several new quests. You can view the new quests on the all new "Quests Page" on the Official Site.

Comments

First North American content update

2006-11-16T04:06:00.000-06:00

1up.com has information on the first content update coming for Phantasy Star Universe on November 17th,

Moatoob: Access Granted!
Due to increased guerilla fighting between rogue groups on Moatoob, GUARDIAN forces have had limited access to the planet. With the escalating SEED crisis currently affecting more and more of the Moatoob wildlife, rogue groups have reached a cease fire and are now requesting aid. Flyer routes to Moatoob have been re-secured for GUARDIAN missions and will be available on November 17.
New Guardian Missions Since the SEED attacks, the native life of all three planets has grown increasingly aggressive and Moatoob is not the only planet in need of GUARDIAN assistance. Parum and Neudaiz are also requesting additional support in a variety of new missions. All GUARDIANS are expected to launch an offensive on the incoming enemy hordes as soon as possible.
System Defense There's been an outbreak of vicious creatures near the confinement system in West Kugu Desert. The Alliance Military is requesting help.
Mine Defense
An outbreak of violent creatures near the entrance of a prominent mine has put miners at risk. Exterminate the creatures and defend the mine!
Valley of Carnage
Recently, the vicious Vanda have been forming packs and causing great damage around the Galenigare Canyon. Defeat the Vanda leader!
Desert Terror
In the West Kugu Desert, the vicious Dimmagolus has become even more ferocious due to the SEED and is terrorizing a nearby energy plant.
Parum and Neudaiz
Not to be left out with the addition of Moatoob, both Parum and Neudaiz have new missions for GUARDIANS. On Parum, new reports have come in of a very large Koltova spotted beyond the Lakeshore area. All GUARDIAN parties should exercise extreme caution if this beast is encountered.
On Neudaiz, an area of Sacred Ground is in jeopardy! All GUARDIANS are requested to assist in clearing a dangerous RELIC site. This dangerous mission will take a strong party with excellent teamwork. We advise that only the strongest of GUARDIANS attempt this challenge.

Seems like quite a bit of new content, it's nice to see that Moatoob is finally being opened up, the entire Phantasy Star Universe is now available to online players.

Comments

Phantasy Star Universe Blog updated

2006-11-16T03:59:00.000-06:00

The Official Phantasy Star Universe Blog has updated with some information on character creation,

PSU allows you to choose from 4 characteristic Races and customize them later in various ways. What is more, there is little constraint, as the title does not force the player to customize in any one way...

A player can select the Race of their character based on the abilities you want. It is even possible to choose characters through whichever preference of appearance you have. Because you can change job types, you do not have to be concerned that you cannot equip yourself with a good weapon even though you may have already obtained one.

For anyone actually playing PSU, this information is about a month to old, but it's nice for getting people introduced to the game.

Comments

Xbox 360 Interrupt Request Error

2006-11-02T07:25:00.000-06:00

Some Xbox 360 Phantasy Star Universe players are still experiencing an Interrupt Request Error from the Authentication Server,

Players who attempt to connect to the Phantasy Star Universe game servers and receive an Interrupt Request error message must not use the RETRY function. When encountering this error, please select DISCONNECT and return to the Main Menu, before attempting to log in again. This process may need to be repeated more than once.
SEGA is aware of this issue and actively working to resolve it. Please continue to use this temporary solution while a fix for the issue is prepared. Thank you for your patience.

Using Sega's recommended method of Disconnecting and reloading does seem to work, but it's a little annoying, it's nice to know a fix is on the way.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T02:35:00.000-06:00

Puking pumpkin
Originally uploaded by Ranguard.

Happy Halloween from all of us at Project Silence and PSOP to all of you. Be careful out there and don't knock down the bosses kid and take his candy (get the kid next to him).

Xbox 360 Fall System Update tomorrow

2006-10-30T22:20:00.000-06:00

Microsoft will be releasing a system update for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live on the morning of Tuesday, October 31st. The update will include improved HDTV support (1080p), Xbox Live Arcade functionality (automatic updates) and much more. Click here for a list of what is coming.

Comments

Xbox 360 Authentication Server Issues

2006-10-26T19:29:00.000-05:00

Now that most of the PS2 and PC issues seem to have been resolved, it's the Xbox 360's turn,

The Authentication Servers for Xbox 360 are currently experiencing high connection volumes; users attempting to connect to the online servers may receive Interrupt Request errors preventing access to the online game servers. If you receive this error, please select the Disconnect option and try the connection to the Xbox Live servers from the main menu.

SEGA is aware of these problems and is actively working on a resolution. Thank you for your continued patience.

The Xbox 360 version of Phantasy Star Universe has really just made it to most stores today, so the high traffic volume should be expected, and the issue should be resolved soon.

Comments

Launch day problems: UPDATE

2006-10-26T01:11:00.000-05:00

As with any online game, it seems Phantasy Star Universe is having some launch day problems. The Xbox 360 version was delayed by one day, which affected me directly, I won't be getting my copy of Phantasy Star Universe until later today. There have also been reports of PC boxes shipping without discs inside, so I would suggest you check your box before you leave the store.

For those of you who have gotten copies of the Playstation 2 and PC versions, there are still problems. Segas billing website, PlaySega.com, hasn't been accepting users logins, so it's been difficult for some to get their Guardians License on these platforms. If you do manage to get your Guardians License, the Authentication servers are down, so you won't be able to get online anyway. This problem should be fixed soon according to Sega.

UPDATE: Sega is now reporting that PlaySega.com is working and all PS2 and PC authentication servers are online.

Comments

Phantasy Star Universe launch

2006-10-24T06:40:00.000-05:00

Today is the day for Phantasy Star Universe on Xbox 360, Playstation 2 and P.C. in the United States! The game may not be available everywhere today, most game shops will receive their copies tomorrow, but if you are lucky you just might be able to find a copy. I'll be on the Xbox 360 version as soon as my copy comes in, so if you see a Hunter named Silence, give me a shout.

As always, stay tuned to PSO Planet for all your Phantasy Star news and updates!

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It's Halloween in Phantasy Star Universe

2006-10-23T06:32:00.000-05:00

A YouTube video of all the decorations in the Japanese version of PSU. This could be considered a spoiler as the decorations could and should still be up when the U.S. version ships on October 24th, so consider yourself warned.

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Guardians License now available on Xbox Live Marketplace

2006-10-21T06:45:00.000-05:00

The Beta has officially ended and now you can sign up for your Guardians License on Xbox Live in preparation of Phantasy Star Universe's release on October 24th. Guardians Licenses are located under the "Games" sections of the Marketplace under Phantasy Star Universe for $9.99 monthly recurring.

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PSU X360 beta extended

2006-10-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

According to the official Japanese Phantasy Star Universe site the Xbox 360 Beta has been extended until October 21st. It isn't known at this time if this will include other players worldwide or just in Japan, but it seems likely we will all be getting a few extra days in the beta (likely due to Microsoft's Live problems).

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Xbox Live is down for maintenace: UPDATED

2006-10-17T08:41:00.000-05:00

Xbox Live and Xbox.com are both down for a planned maintenance today (October 17th). The servers went down at Midnight (PST) and are not expected to return until midnight tonight. New Live features are promised as part of the update, we'll let you know what they are when we do!

Update: Xbox Live is working again, however Xbox.com is still offline at the time of this post. The PSU Beta is still working but I personally couldn't get the Xbox Live Marketplace to respond.

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