Phantasy Star Online 2 (ENGLISH RELEASE - SPRING 2013), PSO2 goes free to play on PC, Vita, and smartphones. Options

[Smiter]

First post updated for open beta and guides:

Phantasy Star Online 2 is now out in Open Beta!


Registration:
Registration for PSO2
Virtual Katakana Keyboard (for Japanese CAPTCHA)
Virtual Hiragana Keyboard (ditto, just in case they display hiragana)


Open Beta Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP 32bit | Windows Vista or Windows 7 32bit or 64bit
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 or above
RAM: Windows XP：1.5GB+ | Vista or Windows 7：2GB+
HDD: 8GB or more
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT or similar or higher
Direct X: Direct X 9.0c or higher


Download the game:
PSO2 Download Page - Click on the big spacey button with the two hunters! This will download a torrent-like program that will download the entire open beta. After installing it, it might need to patch (you'll see a progress bar when you run the game).

Ricardo's guide to downloading and running the game.

Starting in the game:
Ricardo's Starter Guide to PSO2. Just read through it and click on the sections you need, there is a lot of great info.

You can have one character for now, other slots need to be paid for, and you won't be able to pay for them until the game goes into final release. All Open Beta characters will be carried over to the final game, so all your exp and loot won't be lost.

The English community is mainly on Ship 2, Blocks 20-22. However, some have joined Ship 10 because of Ship 2 hitting a temporary registration cap at times.

Reason for edit: New video

[Cloud]

I am so down.

[The Max]

Nice seem interesting

[Smiter]

Hey, we could all team up on PSO2 if the game lives up to expectations.

I noticed something else in the video just now - Hunters can dash. There's a sequence where the Hunter does an air combo on a spider-bug, knocking it back, then he dashes forward along the ground to continue the attack.

The weather effects are actually real-time as well, you can start out running in sunny weather, then it starts to rain, eventually turning into a downpour. No word on whether it affects combat. It'd be cool if rain could make lightning magic stronger.

Sonic Team have said that they hope PSO2 will give everyone a real feeling of adventure and exploration, hence the random dungeons and encounters.

There's one thing I'd like; there was a really rough translation a while back, that suggested players could customise their weapons. I really hope that's true! You could earn customisation points and bestow special abilities that you've unlocked through play, or you could find "modules" dropped by enemies and install them into the weapon of your choice.

Oh yeah, and I hope that elements are still used in PSO2! One of the things that I liked about Phantasy Star Universe was the fact that enemies had elements, and you could choose the most effective weapon/spell to use against them. You could also equip armour matching their element to take less damage, and you were made more vulnerable if another enemy had an element that overpowered your armour.

e.g. You're wearing ice armour, and a fire enemy jumps at you. Ouch. >_<;

Is there anything you guys want to see in PSO2? Have you played PSO before?

UPDATE: Linked to a fan-translation video of the trailer in the original post. It reveals more about the plot and touches upon the features of the game.

According to the plot summary, it looks like Dark Falz will be back again. Oh yes.

[Cloud]

I was on PSO for a few weeks 2-3 years ago, because JoHam wanted to play. XD

I've played PSU on Xbox Live before, it was quite fun, aside from the spambots. But I am so down for PSO2. My laptop can run it !

[Smiter]

Haha, I played PSO to death on the Dreamcast and Gamecube back then. XD; I was a HUnewearl. I was originally going to be a HUmar, but they looked boring to me.

What did you play as? I've always had a Hunter as my main character, with a Ranger as a secondary.

Awesome to hear that your laptop can run it. I'm hoping my desktop can run it on high/maximum to show PSO2 in its full glory.

I've been keeping a secret - I have an alpha lottery ticket to PSO2. But I've been keeping quiet as I don't think I have much chance of winning a place, there must be tens of thousands of players all looking for a place. Fingers crossed, though.

EDIT:

The info keeps coming! Some excerpts from a blog spot by Sakai, the man in charge of PSO2:

Sakai posted a blog post about PSO2, it’s more conceptual information than actual information, but regardless the game is currently before the alpha stage. Here are some selected notes.

- These are development images. There still some more time until the alpha test, with many elements not in it. There’s still more information about PSO2 to be revealed, right now you’ve only seen just one portion of the entire thing.

- This project was started to allow many people with PCs to readily play this game. There’s no need for you to think that you need the latest PC to play because the game’s graphics can be adjusted.

- Yes the PC allows for the game to be better graphically, and certainly graphics are important. However, we aren’t making this game to show off a tech demo, we want to make a game for everyone to enjoy.

- In addition, I cannot say that I am satisfied with this, it is currently in a stage before the alpha. I want to continue polishing it up in the future.

- PSO2 faces many challenges and one of the challenges is to focus on those who don’t play PC games. More challenges will be revealed in the future.

[Cloud]

I think I played a Hunter.. but I can't even remember anymore XD.

[Daniee]

Psyched! I was wondering when we'd finally get some information on this game. I never played PSO1 online, but nevertheless spent probably over a hundred hours on it.

The combat especially has me interested. I love 3D action games AND third person shooters.

At the moment, it's PC only, but there are rumours of ports to the 360 and PS3 because they've been hiring people with PS3/360 programming experience.

I hope they don't. I get that some people aren't fond of a series that's primarily been on consoles going PC exclusive, but making it multiplatform just splits up the community. Also, PC games are much easier to patch, from what I understand.

[JoHamSandwich]

I'm down to pay for this for a while.

In the meantime. How about getting on PSO you jerks. XD

www.schtserv.com

[Smiter]

To remind everyone, there will soon be an update to the official PSO2 website!

PSO2 Japanese Website

It's now the 28th in Japan, but we have no idea when they plan to publish the update. There's supposed to be an official trailer, and some extra information.

I think I played a Hunter.. but I can't even remember anymore XD.

Hunters are great to use. Even with PSO's basic combat, you had to keep your brain going and change tactics on the fly as you dodged attacks and surrounded monsters. Hell, I remember being able to just glance at the little dots on the radar and tell exactly what enemies they were, just from the speed and manner of their movements.

Psyched! I was wondering when we'd finally get some information on this game. I never played PSO1 online, but nevertheless spent probably over a hundred hours on it.

The combat especially has me interested. I love 3D action games AND third person shooters.


I hope they don't. I get that some people aren't fond of a series that's primarily been on consoles going PC exclusive, but making it multiplatform just splits up the community. Also, PC games are much easier to patch, from what I understand.

Trust me, PSO was WAY better online. If you find great people to play it with, the experience is priceless. I used to run with a wonderful bunch of people, and we'd chat about all sorts of things as we explored and fought monsters.

After some thought, I'm in agreement with you on the platform issue. One reason PSO was so successful was because it was focused on one platform at a time (Dreamcast, then Gamecube, then PC), and it had a truly global community. Phantasy Star Universe split the community across regions AND platforms, which was a bad move. It meant that the EU/US and JP players couldn't interact, and the community was fragmented. The community was too small on the EU/US PC/PS2 servers and the JP Xbox servers, so they were shut down very early in their lives.

Not only that, but the various platforms meant that content updates were slow to spread from the Japanese PC version to the other versions. As of now, the Xbox 360 version of PSU is a year behind the Japanese PC version, and it still has major chunks of content missing.

I've heard that Sega plan to go back to one server, one platform for PSO2. I dearly hope that's true. That way, when new content is updated, there'll be little to no delay for non-Japanese players. They are indeed easier to patch, and Sega also won't need to go through any third-party approval process (like they have to for Xbox Live). Sonic Team are also trying to make sure that the game scales nicely for lower-end PCs so that as many people as possible can play.

These are the PC requirements for the Alpha build, so they're subject to change:

• Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, or 7.
• CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6300 or higher
• XP: 1.5GB or more Vista/7: 2GB or more
• Disk space: More than 8GB
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher.
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT or equivalent (or better).
• Sound: DirectSound compatible sound card.
• DirectX: 9.0c or higher.
• Internet: Broadband connection.

I'm down to pay for this for a while.

In the meantime. How about getting on PSO you jerks. XD

www.schtserv.com

XD

I've had PSO Blue Burst installed on my PC for a long while. Since I have a few days off now (due to working my ass off over Easter week), I could try a quick run. Maybe I'll go HUnewearl again or I could use a Cast. Honestly, I'm not too sure how the game will feel after all this time playing PSU and Phantasy Star Portable 2. No lock-on, no strafing, and VERY basic camera control...

What do you play as, Jo?

[Smiter]

Alright, alright, I'll take a look at the registration tonight. XD;

The official PSO2 website has now updated with a Flash movie! It's the same as the trailer we've seen, but it's really crisp.

PSO2 Trailer (scroll down to Movie link underneath gallery)

PSO2 looks really beautiful in motion, it's almost overwhelming. Thanks to the cleaner resolution, there are more things you can notice in the gameplay. I've got the movie saved to my PC, and I shall be scrutinising it very closely!

EDIT: So far, here's what I've noticed:

Random Comments --Click here to view--

In intro, what I had assumed was a FOmar (human male Force) is actually a FOcast (Cast male Force).

The ranger Amy is definitely a Newman, you can clearly see her ears.

The other Hunter with the grey metal sword could be a HUmarl, but I can't be sure.

So it looks like we could have PSU-like selection of race/gender/class, instead of PSO's fixed classes.

There are charge gauges above the three main attack icons in the centre-bottom of the screen, it looks like a refined version of the PP system from PSU. Normal attacks charge it up, special attacks use it up.

Sometimes there's an icon in the top right showing some sort of count, but I can't figure out what it's for.

Oh dear, it appears that the website is now experiencing heavy traffic... XD; Unfortunately, downloading the flash file doesn't help, as the actual movie is still stored on Sega's server.

Hopefully, someone will upload a mirror to Youtube.

[JoHamSandwich]

That trailer is amazing.

I hope the PP system will be FO friendly. I hate using it on PSU.

This post has been edited by JoHamSandwich: Apr 28 2011, 03:25 PM

[Smiter]

Here's a mirror of the higher quality trailer on Youtube. It's not quite as sharp, but still good.



The Hunter with the grey metal sword looks almost certain to be a HUmarl - couldn't see any newman ears, and her armour is different.

I've finally decided on a HUnewearl name. Her name is Kit Lee, and she's a Skyly. It's taking a little time to get used to PSO's combat again.

[JoHamSandwich]

Here's a mirror of the higher quality trailer on Youtube. It's not quite as sharp, but still good.



The Hunter with the grey metal sword looks almost certain to be a HUmarl - couldn't see any newman ears, and her armour is different.

I've finally decided on a HUnewearl name. Her name is Kit Lee, and she's a Skyly. It's taking a little time to get used to PSO's combat again.

I get off work in about an hour Smiter, I can meet up with you online if you wanna play!

[Smiter]

Here's a small update from Satoshi Sakai, the man in charge of developing PSO2.

Thanks go to Phantasy Star Fan Blog for translating it.

Sakai speaks: Phantasy Star Online 2 Setting Concept (includes photo of concept art) --Click here to view--

We said several times that this time the stage is not set in Ragol. However, in P-Spec we mentioned how there might be some connection to Ragol somewhere in the world. This “space fleet”? What is their purpose for traveling through space. The name of the ship, “Oracle” has a significant meaning. Pay attention to this. What about the “stars”, what about these “unknown planets” what could this be?

In addition, players are not “Hunters” nor “Guardians” nor “Little Wing”. The text in the promo movie said “The Arks” . (Please keep in mind this Arks is not related to the Arkz from PSO Episode 3)

The existence of this “enemy” that is hostile to players; This adventure that takes place in Infinite space, what awaits us here?

And within the promo movie, new costumes were drawn in PSO’s likeness. We aimed at having a new setting coexisting with some PSO nostalgia. Now certainly there will be character creation. All the characters you saw in the screenshots were made in Character Creation. Because recent online games have you create characters even to the finest detail, we are working hard here too.

And the screenshots, it seems people were shocked when they saw it. The impression gave off this “airy feeling” or “realistic” quality. Even though many of our staff members weren’t from the PSO era, many of the visual elements are different from Gurhal. The screenshots were to give off the impression of a new, PSO-like game. We wanted viewers to feel “adventure” and if you saw the promo video and you felt that, then our goal has succeeded.

As a reminder, we have said many times that what you’ve seen so far is only one part of the whole picture. There’s more information to be revealed in the future, and we can’t show what that is at the moment until it’s ready

PSO2 is on the PC platform, with that you can expect jam packed fun! I think now I can increase all of your expectations! Remember the deadline to submit your alpha test applications is coming up on May 20th, so get those entries in!

Comments --Click here to view--

It all sounds good so far, I can't wait to see what they do with the Character Creation feature. Hopefully, we'll have plenty of options to truly design the character we want. PSU did have a lot of good options, but many of the costumes were just plain horrible.

The concept photo is a real tease, most of it is blurred out! But you can still make out what appears to be the HUcast and HUcaseal designs, and there's an interesting-looking green wing-like design underneath the green RAnewm design.

They look cool so far, but hopefully there will be more armour designs we can choose from for our characters! It'd be a shame to limit classes to just one armour design each.

Talking about classes, I hope they introduce skill trees or something similar. You could really design your character to fit your playing style then.

[Smiter]

New videos and screens!

New Trailer:


More combat footage:


Character Creation (Long video!)


PSO2 Screenshot Gallery (lots of new screens)

List of PSO2 Features

PSO2 is looking very impressive so far, and I like the new skill tree. The levelling system overhaul sounds good as well - there are no character levels, only class levels, and you can combine two classes like in Final Fantasy XI e.g. Hunter/Ranger, Ranger/Force. The multi-party areas look insane, up to 12 players fighting the same enemy!

The game is shaping up nicely so far, and hopefully it won't be too long before they launch the alpha test and we get plenty of info from the players themselves.

[Cloud]

GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. So many good MMOs coming... Need more time.

[JoHamSandwich]

Man, this is making me want to cancel my pre-order of white knight chronicles 2! D:

Hopefully, my laptop can run this!

[Nate River]

Man, this is making me want to cancel my pre-order of white knight chronicles 2! D:

Hopefully, my laptop can run this!

You're going to buy me a copy, right?

[Smiter]

Here's a brief video showcasing PSO2's lobby and some of the environments. There's no sound on it, so nothing's wrong with your speakers.



The lobbies are said to be like PSO, which means that you can jump to any mission from there, which is good. PSU had way too many lobbies which scattered the community all over the place.

The Alpha test will begin next month, so expect to see plenty of screenshots and movies.

Here's a screenshot showing some weapon stats. They're equipped on level, not stats, and they can be restricted to certain races/genders. They also have elements.

Weapon Screenshot --Click here to view--

Hopefully, my laptop can run this!

It really depends on what graphics card you have in your laptop. If it has its own graphic card, there's a chance. But if it's an integrated chipset (meaning it uses the laptop's main memory), then it's very unlikely it will be able to run PSO2 smoothly.

You're going to buy me a copy, right?

Freeloader.

EDIT: Here's a link for full HD screenshots of PSO2. They can't be hotlinked, so you need to go to this article on 4gamer. Click any pic, then, click the left radio button above it when it loads to view it full-size. You can see quite a few details the smaller screenshots don't show.

Plus, if you fit them to your screen, you can pretend you're already playing PSO2.