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"Who said we are lost again in this lonely world?" That's the first line of the somewhat hokey but infectious theme song to Phantasy Star Universe. When the song was written, that was a rhetorical question, but now it's been answered: Sega says you're lost in this lonely world. At least, that's the message the publisher is sending the remaining players of the PS2 and PC versions, whose servers will be shut down soon.

Following the January 29 "Maximum Attack G+" event, Sega will convert everyone's account to a free account, and allow the players to enjoy what time they can before the servers shut off on March 31. This won't affect the Xbox 360 version in any way other than the flood of refugees from other platforms.

It may not be much of a flood, however: GM Edward@Sega said that the shutdown is taking place because "[t]he population is simply too low for us to be able to continue to support this platform."

[Via Massively]

Oh, come on. Come on.

The incorporation of Fanta products into Phantasy Star Portable 2 was bad enough; though we could almost excuse it for its appropriately futuristic-sounding name. There's little we can do to reconcile the addition of Pizza Hut branding into the title, though -- especially when said addition includes a pizza box shield and pizza peel sword (seen above; no photoshopping necessary). Other in-game products include literal pizza huts, dolls of the company's Japanese mascot, Mr. Cheese, and an epic boss encounter against the Noid, who attempts to ruin delicious pizza pies regardless of their corporate affiliation.

Okay, so we made up that part about the boss fight -- sorta -- but the rest is totally for real!

Sega's upcoming Phantasy Star Portable 2 is one of the most exciting RPGs coming to PSP. Why? Infrastructure support! We're really intrigued to finally have a real online RPG experience on a handheld. Unfortunately, those of you expecting to import your level 60 characters from the first PSP game will be out of luck: to keep things fair, PSP2 will have you creating your characters from scratch.

There are bonuses to be had for players of the original, though. While you won't be able to export your XP or gear, you will gain access to an exclusive item: "exzam weapon," according to Siliconera. Hopefully, news of this bonus will be enough to forgive us for screencapping this horrifying shot from a Japanese promo video for the game. What's with that guy's outfit?!

Welcome to Monday, a dreadful day for most, but a means for celebration for Nintendo loyalists. This week, we've got the second episode of Tales of Monkey Island and Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System, among other additions to the Wii's downloadable lineup.

Though it was beaten to the punch by the budget re-release of the original Phantasy Star Portable, and then by a Famitsu article released shortly thereafter, Sega has officially confirmed the existence of Phantasy Star Portable 2 -- a sequel not only imbued with a brand new story and gameplay features, but also with the oft-requested addition of online multiplayer support.

The game's official site lists a December 3 launch date for the latest installment in the PSO franchise. It also gives some insight into the new features present in the game -- you can check out a translated version of Game Watch's PSP2 coverage here. We've sent an email to Sega in an attempt to find out if and when the game will be localized for U.S. release. We've got our Meseta-hungry fingers crossed for a favorable response.

Sega looks prepared to announce Phantasy Star Portable 2 not once, not twice -- but three times. The highly successful PSP RPG was first uncovered through a promotional UMD for the budget re-release of the original Phantasy Star Portable. Now, it's been discovered yet again through Japanese mag Famitsu, making it all the more official. Sega will then announce the game one more time through its still-in-progress countdown site.

PSO-World has noticed a few details about the upcoming sequel. PSP2 will take place three years after the events of Phantasy Star Universe and the original Phantasy Star Portable.Two of the characters revealed so far are Amelia Percival (not related to PSNation's Glenn, we're afraid), and Yoot. We're sure to see much more when Sega announces the game again in a few days.

Update: 1UP reports that the game will support online Infrastructure mode. Finally! [Thanks, Jonathan S.!]

If you're into RPGs and in Europe or Australia, today's Wii Shop update is killer -- the original Phantasy Star for Sega Master System is available! For a ridiculous 500 Wii Points, you can get one of the best role playing games ever made. We hope you have a high tolerance for first-person dungeons.

WiiWare gets another of Arc System Works' Family titles, about which we've learned to be wary -- but we're intensely curious about the idea of a slot car racing game. Also, Tecmo's 3-2-1 Rattle Battle!, a game whose openness about being entirely about shaking the Wiimote frantically is impressive.

On DSiWare, Europe gets a number puzzle game with online multplayer, based on a larger DS game that didn't come out there! And Flipnote Studio finally arrives! Go download it and make Flipnotes! Right now!

• Phantasy Star (Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
• Family Slot Car Racing (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
• 3-2-1 Rattle Battle! (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
• Sujin Taisen Number Battle (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 500 DSi Points)
• Flipnote Studio (DSiWare, 1 player, free)

It's been a long time since we've seen Phantasy Star Zero screenshots. In fact, it's been a long time since we've heard anything about the DS RPG, which is why these English screens (the first we've seen) are such a great comfort to us. Look, Sega's working on the game, probably!

As demonstrated in the screen seen here, the chat macro system from Phantasy Star Online returns in this game, joined by the new Pictochat-style stylus chat. Technically, these two systems mean that you can chat with people who don't know your language. And now, thanks to this English release coming this fall (we hope), you'll actually be able to know what the game is saying as well.

Sega's competitor to Monster Hunter found moderate success in Japan, when it sold upwards of 600,000 copies. Phantasy Star Portable is being re-released in Japan as part of Sony's "The Best" budget collection, and the new release will include a bonus UMD filled with extras.

While the bonus UMD is confirmed, an image circulating Japanese blogs and message boards suggests the disc may contain an unexpected surprise: the opening movie for the currently unannounced Phantasy Star Portable 2, in addition to video summaries of the entire Phantasy Star Universe saga. Considering the success of the first game, it's more than likely Sega would be interested in creating a sequel. However, without any other concrete source, this rumor is far from confirmed.

[Thanks, John C.! Via IGN]

Wow! This has been a really great week to be a Nintendo fan. It's been a really great week to be a Virtual Console fan in particular -- when was the last time we could say something like that? The week has just gotten a lot better with the release of the list of upcoming Virtual Console releases for Japan.

Why? Two reasons. First: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Like Ocarina of Time, it costs a painful 1,200 Wii Points -- and like Ocarina of Time, it will probably drop to the usual 1,000 in North America. Second, and possibly even more exciting: Phantasy Star! The Sega Master System RPG masterpiece is also coming to the Virtual Console. Maybe it's not a big deal to those of you with Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, but personally, it's awesome news.

We fully expect to see both of these games in North America soon. Neither SMS games nor N64 games seem to take long to make it overseas. Also of interest: Hudson's PC Engine port of the NES Ninja Gaiden. And the arcade version of Space Invaders, which marks the third time the "original" Space Invaders has been released on VC.

The full list is after the break.

PSP fans looking to join in on Sega's latest addition to the famed RPG series won't have to wait much longer. The US release is just one month away -- March 3rd.

Phantasy Star Portable expands the world featured in Xbox 360's Phantasy Star Universe. The RPG is heavily rooted in ad-hoc multiplayer, with up to four players doing missions in tandem. The game will retail for $39.99.

What would one expect from a game called Phantasy Star Portable? Well, dear reader, if you answered "a portable Phantasy Star game," you win. Sega's bringing the upcoming PSP-exclusive Phantasy Star Portable to America and Europe. This follow-up to Phantasy Star Universe features a brand new story and tons of missions. But, there's one problem. Where's the Infrastructure support?

Phantasy Star Portable arrives in the US this March.

Here's something: early on in its development, Phantasy Star Zero bore more than a passing resemblance to the original Phantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast.

Unseen64 has assembled a collection of work-in-progress Zero screens and concept art, and the similarities are striking: according to these, Sega was also planning to include the opening Forest stage that featured in Phantasy Star Online, right down to the awesome dragon boss! Unseen64 says neither are featured in the final game (sadly, we have yet to play Zero ourselves, so we'll take their word for it).

Other changes from the initial build include noticeably different character design, changes in the way items and currency are distributed (to make sure the game ran smoothly and looked as pretty as this), and a selection of monsters that missed the cut.


[Thanks, Joe!]

Like meseta from heaven, Sega has rained down another entry in its long running Phantasy Star series, announcing plans to release Phantasy Star Ø, or 'Zero' for the numlock impaired, on the Nintendo DS in both North America and Europe this fall.

Released in Japan over Christmas, Phantasy Star Ø is set in an alternate Earth history 200 years following a devastating war, and will feature 14 different customizable character types and in excess of 350 different weapons. In addition, while players will be able to adventure out by their lonesome, the action-RPG will also support both wireless and Wi-Fi multiplayer. A Pictochat-style chat system is also promised, letting us phantasize about exploring Earth's ravaged countryside as we level up our phallus-scribbling skills.

If this rough shot of the most recent copy of Nintendo Power is to be believed, Phantasy Star Zero will hit North American shelves this fall. A reader sent the photo in to our friends at GoNintendo, and posters at NeoGAF also report the Nintendo Power cover. Word of mouth on the game has been incredibly positive, so we would be excited even if we weren't talking about Phantasy Star Zero. But we are, so that means we're over the moon. Are you as excited as we are? If not, maybe you should check out a trailer.

Oh, and we should also mention that Sega just sent us a press release confirming the game will release in Europe.


Read -- GoNintendo
Read -- NeoGAF