A***@gmail.com
2006-08-22 14:15:17 UTC
http://blog.phantasystaruniverse.jp/
http://www.pso-world.com/
An interview was held today with a developer on the Phantasy Star
Universe blog. While the interview did not contain any earth-shattering
revelations, it did contain confirmations for several pieces of news.
Here is a brief summary of the most important information:
* PC and Playstation 2 owners will play on the same servers and
online accounts will be interchangable.
* There is no offline-multiplayer mode. Given the strain that
Phantasy Star Universe puts on the Playstation 2, it was simply
impossible to incorporate a split-screen mode.
* The online game flow will work like this: city-> mission ->
resupply area -> mission -> goal lobby.
* Missions are expected to take between 15 minutes and 1 hour to
complete.
* Goal lobbies will contain relaxing settings such as hot springs.
* For online play, the servers will handle most of the data
processing. If any glitches are discovered, it will be easier to issue
patches. If a client patch is needed for the Playstation 2, the patch
will be downloaded to a memory card. The HDD is not supported. Online
cheating will simply be impossible according to the developer.
* Online character names will not be unique.
* The Playstation 2 version will not have a screenshot function due
to its memory limitations and lack of an Internet browser.
* Sonic Team is hoping to release a fan site kit that will contain
things such as banners and fonts.
* Even when you are not online, time will continue to pass in the
online world. For example, people will be able to visit your room and
buy items from your Player Shop - if it has been setup.
___________________________________________________________________________
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/phantasystariv/news.html?sid=6156141&page=2&q=
Phantasy Star Universe Exclusive Preview - The Early Chapters
As with any RPG, you'll level Ethan and his group up by killing things
and accomplishing missions. Increasing everyone's level makes them
sturdier, lets them learn new abilities, and allows you to use better
gear. The new twist on leveling that fans will notice is the ability to
level your class. In addition to the normal leveling you'll do on a
mission, you'll also be able to level the class you're playing as. So
far we've seen the typical three PSO classes in the game: hunters,
rangers, and forces. Hunters are strictly physical fighters, while
forces are the opposite and rely mainly on casting different technics
(pronounced techniques). Rangers are a blend of the two, possessing
solid melee skills but also having the ability to cast some technics.
Unlike PSO, which required you to permanently pick a class to play as,
PSU lets you switch between them by visiting a desk at the Guardian
center.
The various missions you take will level up the class you're currently
using. Class levels, given each one's unique focus, radically affect
your stats. So, for example, hunters have higher physical attacks and
armor, while forces are obviously skewed more toward intelligence and
the stats geared for casting. It's an interesting system that we've
started scratching the surface of in these early chapters. On the one
hand, we appreciate the flexibility, but the old-school PSO player in
us feels like this might make things too easy for players. We'll see
how the mechanic evolves through the game.
Since we're still early in the game, we haven't been able to fully
explore a number of mechanics that are being introduced in these early
chapters. The shop system seems similar to that of the previous games.
We've seen shops for armor, items, and weapons that let us spend our
hard-earned meseta on gear. The new wrinkles we've been teased with
include a new way to upgrade your weapons by purchasing items called
grinders. While this is somewhat similar to the previous games, you
won't actually be doing the upgrading yourself. You'll have to buy one
of three grinders in a shop and take them to the weapons counter. The
new wrinkle is that the process may fail, resulting in a busted weapon
you can't use. Before anyone panics, the success rate of the process
hinges on the grinder you buy. If you use +1 or +2 grinders there's a
chance of failure, but +3 grinders are guaranteed success.
Another new feature is the synthesis shop, which isn't open to us yet.
been able to do much with the party system, aside from exchange cards
with our teammates and form a group. The system seems to be a pretty
exact replica of the guild card system from PSO, which lets you tap
people to group without being near them. We also haven't seen anything
on the mag system in the game. In previous games, mags were useful
creatures that tagged along with you. If you took care of them properly
they would assist you on your adventure by offering up different
support effects or attacking enemies. So far we've just seen "Pete," a
mag-like automaton in Ethan's room who serves as his personal
assistant. Speaking of Ethan's room, we've been briefed on the option
to customize it but haven't messed around with that option yet.
pick-up-and-play feel of PSO, despite the similarities in appearance.
We're hoping that as we spend more time adventuring, the various
systems become second nature.
The visuals in the work-in-progress game we're trying out are looking
uneven across the three platforms it's appearing on. The game looks
most comfortable on the PlayStation 2, which is a good fit for the
graphics on display. The game uses the angular art style seen in the
PSO branch of the series and gets a lot of mileage out of few polygons.
The catch to this is that the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game
could be prettier. To be fair, the PC game looks a good deal better
than the PS2 game, thanks to a higher resolution. However, the Xbox 360
game is lacking that sparkle right now. The game relies a bit too much
on assorted filters on the 360, which give the action a blurry look
that's distracting. However, despite its low-poly characters, PSU
tosses in a generous helping of special and particle effects to show
off its unique world. The game's frame rate is generally stable, though
it hitches when the action gets too hectic.
The audio in the game attempts to take advantage of the roomy DVD
medium, with mixed results so far. The voice acting in the game is
sounding like it's going to be retro, in the sense that it's not going
to blow anyone away with its subtle nuances. What we've heard so far is
reminiscent of the voice acting you'd hear in a so-so anime. There's a
hefty amount of speaking and a whole lot of overemoting in places. The
game's soundtrack fares a bit better; the in-game tracks we've heard
are a good mix of modern-sounding tunes with some traditional
orchestrated bits as well. The only "love it or hate it" twist to the
soundtrack we've heard are some of the vocal tracks, which you'll hear
pretty regularly.
So far, the first three chapters of PSU are getting off to a slow start
but certainly leave enough loose ends to be dealt with in the rest of
the game. The cast of characters and the offline story haven't hooked
us yet, but these early chapters are still setting things up. The
gameplay takes some getting used to, especially for those used to PSO,
and hasn't won us over just yet. Right now the experience is feeling a
little dated. We're curious to go through a bit more of the game to see
what the experience is like when we're fully tricked out with a mag and
the ability to synthesize things. Look for more on Phantasy Star
Universe in the coming weeks. The game is slated to ship this October
for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.
-GameSpot
__________________________________________________________________________
new trailers / videos here:
http://phantasystaruniverse.jp/teaser/index3.html
http://www.pso-world.com/
An interview was held today with a developer on the Phantasy Star
Universe blog. While the interview did not contain any earth-shattering
revelations, it did contain confirmations for several pieces of news.
Here is a brief summary of the most important information:
* PC and Playstation 2 owners will play on the same servers and
online accounts will be interchangable.
* There is no offline-multiplayer mode. Given the strain that
Phantasy Star Universe puts on the Playstation 2, it was simply
impossible to incorporate a split-screen mode.
* The online game flow will work like this: city-> mission ->
resupply area -> mission -> goal lobby.
* Missions are expected to take between 15 minutes and 1 hour to
complete.
* Goal lobbies will contain relaxing settings such as hot springs.
* For online play, the servers will handle most of the data
processing. If any glitches are discovered, it will be easier to issue
patches. If a client patch is needed for the Playstation 2, the patch
will be downloaded to a memory card. The HDD is not supported. Online
cheating will simply be impossible according to the developer.
* Online character names will not be unique.
* The Playstation 2 version will not have a screenshot function due
to its memory limitations and lack of an Internet browser.
* Sonic Team is hoping to release a fan site kit that will contain
things such as banners and fonts.
* Even when you are not online, time will continue to pass in the
online world. For example, people will be able to visit your room and
buy items from your Player Shop - if it has been setup.
___________________________________________________________________________
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/phantasystariv/news.html?sid=6156141&page=2&q=
Phantasy Star Universe Exclusive Preview - The Early Chapters
As with any RPG, you'll level Ethan and his group up by killing things
and accomplishing missions. Increasing everyone's level makes them
sturdier, lets them learn new abilities, and allows you to use better
gear. The new twist on leveling that fans will notice is the ability to
level your class. In addition to the normal leveling you'll do on a
mission, you'll also be able to level the class you're playing as. So
far we've seen the typical three PSO classes in the game: hunters,
rangers, and forces. Hunters are strictly physical fighters, while
forces are the opposite and rely mainly on casting different technics
(pronounced techniques). Rangers are a blend of the two, possessing
solid melee skills but also having the ability to cast some technics.
Unlike PSO, which required you to permanently pick a class to play as,
PSU lets you switch between them by visiting a desk at the Guardian
center.
The various missions you take will level up the class you're currently
using. Class levels, given each one's unique focus, radically affect
your stats. So, for example, hunters have higher physical attacks and
armor, while forces are obviously skewed more toward intelligence and
the stats geared for casting. It's an interesting system that we've
started scratching the surface of in these early chapters. On the one
hand, we appreciate the flexibility, but the old-school PSO player in
us feels like this might make things too easy for players. We'll see
how the mechanic evolves through the game.
Since we're still early in the game, we haven't been able to fully
explore a number of mechanics that are being introduced in these early
chapters. The shop system seems similar to that of the previous games.
We've seen shops for armor, items, and weapons that let us spend our
hard-earned meseta on gear. The new wrinkles we've been teased with
include a new way to upgrade your weapons by purchasing items called
grinders. While this is somewhat similar to the previous games, you
won't actually be doing the upgrading yourself. You'll have to buy one
of three grinders in a shop and take them to the weapons counter. The
new wrinkle is that the process may fail, resulting in a busted weapon
you can't use. Before anyone panics, the success rate of the process
hinges on the grinder you buy. If you use +1 or +2 grinders there's a
chance of failure, but +3 grinders are guaranteed success.
Another new feature is the synthesis shop, which isn't open to us yet.
From the sound of it, the shop will let you use materials you'll pick
up on a mission to create new weapons, armor, and items. We haven'tbeen able to do much with the party system, aside from exchange cards
with our teammates and form a group. The system seems to be a pretty
exact replica of the guild card system from PSO, which lets you tap
people to group without being near them. We also haven't seen anything
on the mag system in the game. In previous games, mags were useful
creatures that tagged along with you. If you took care of them properly
they would assist you on your adventure by offering up different
support effects or attacking enemies. So far we've just seen "Pete," a
mag-like automaton in Ethan's room who serves as his personal
assistant. Speaking of Ethan's room, we've been briefed on the option
to customize it but haven't messed around with that option yet.
From what we've seen so far, PSU's gameplay seems like it's got a lot
to explore. As of right now the game doesn't quite have the samepick-up-and-play feel of PSO, despite the similarities in appearance.
We're hoping that as we spend more time adventuring, the various
systems become second nature.
The visuals in the work-in-progress game we're trying out are looking
uneven across the three platforms it's appearing on. The game looks
most comfortable on the PlayStation 2, which is a good fit for the
graphics on display. The game uses the angular art style seen in the
PSO branch of the series and gets a lot of mileage out of few polygons.
The catch to this is that the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game
could be prettier. To be fair, the PC game looks a good deal better
than the PS2 game, thanks to a higher resolution. However, the Xbox 360
game is lacking that sparkle right now. The game relies a bit too much
on assorted filters on the 360, which give the action a blurry look
that's distracting. However, despite its low-poly characters, PSU
tosses in a generous helping of special and particle effects to show
off its unique world. The game's frame rate is generally stable, though
it hitches when the action gets too hectic.
The audio in the game attempts to take advantage of the roomy DVD
medium, with mixed results so far. The voice acting in the game is
sounding like it's going to be retro, in the sense that it's not going
to blow anyone away with its subtle nuances. What we've heard so far is
reminiscent of the voice acting you'd hear in a so-so anime. There's a
hefty amount of speaking and a whole lot of overemoting in places. The
game's soundtrack fares a bit better; the in-game tracks we've heard
are a good mix of modern-sounding tunes with some traditional
orchestrated bits as well. The only "love it or hate it" twist to the
soundtrack we've heard are some of the vocal tracks, which you'll hear
pretty regularly.
So far, the first three chapters of PSU are getting off to a slow start
but certainly leave enough loose ends to be dealt with in the rest of
the game. The cast of characters and the offline story haven't hooked
us yet, but these early chapters are still setting things up. The
gameplay takes some getting used to, especially for those used to PSO,
and hasn't won us over just yet. Right now the experience is feeling a
little dated. We're curious to go through a bit more of the game to see
what the experience is like when we're fully tricked out with a mag and
the ability to synthesize things. Look for more on Phantasy Star
Universe in the coming weeks. The game is slated to ship this October
for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.
-GameSpot
__________________________________________________________________________
new trailers / videos here:
http://phantasystaruniverse.jp/teaser/index3.html