Thankfully, PC players should be in for a much less troublesome experience when Phantasy Star Online 2 officially launches on Steam in North America on August 5. The launch date coincides with the release of PSO2’s free Episode 4 expansion for Xbox one and Windows 10. Episode 4 continues the game’s story and, mind-bendingly, takes it to Earth, with new maps set in Las Vegas, Tokyo, and on the moon. Alongside the new content will come a new crafting system, a competitive battle arena, and, of course, plenty of new fashion items with which to adorn characters.
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Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free to play massively mobile online action-RPG. Set in a separate continuity from previous Phantasy Star games, the story revolves around an organization of monster hunters known as ARKS who battle across planets against the parasitic Falspawn. Players start by selecting a ship (server) and then creating their own unique characters from four races and 12 different classes.
After launching in Japan a whopping 8 years ago, an official English version of Phantasy Star Online 2 seemed increasingly unlikely over time. But last year, Microsoft finally made a deal with SEGA to bring the game to North America as a timed Xbox and PC exclusive. Now it’s here, and it won’t disappoint fans of the original Dreamcast/GameCube/Xbox classic.
If you're unfamiliar with the the title, PSO2 is the successor to the very popular Phantasy Star Online that debuted on the Dreamcast back in 2000. That title actually impacted modern gaming in such a way that it inspired an entire franchise (Monster Hunter) and several other multiplayer, action-oriented dungeon crawlers. So, just mentioning something like Monster Hunter in the same breath as PSO2 should give you some idea of what to expect from a gameplay perspective. You'll take on missions, fight monsters, get loot, do it all again. You can team up with 11 other players online to battle those big baddies and it'll all be free, with an option to pay for certain things (my guess is cosmetics and things like XP/gold boosts). Here's what Sega said in the official press release:
Phantasy Star Online was probably the first online multiplayer action-RPG for consoles. Thousands of SEGA Dreamcast and GameCube players enjoyed teaming up as hunters on the harsh alien planet of Ragol. Phantasy Star Universe, Zero, and Portable have since followed, but a true sequel has long remained as elusive as a blue rappy... Until now. SEGA has officially confirmed Phantasy Star Online 2 will see a western release! Several variables - such as whether both the PC and Vita versions will be brought over - remain unknown, but we do have an announcement trailer and screenshots to share with you today.
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Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better for Phantasy Star Online 2’s future, Sega surprises us even further, announcing that we’ll be able to take the game with us on the go in more ways than one.
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The Playstation Portable Phantasy Star Portable games were pretty great, but multiplayer was restricted to local wireless, making it difficult for most of us to enjoy co-op questing together. Besides, they were based on Phantasy Star Universe, and everybody who's anybody likes the original Phantasy Star Online better. Good news for the cool kids then, because not only is SEGA making a real Phantasy Star Online 2, but it's coming to the Playstation Vita!
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