http://www.nintendojo.com/infocus/view_item.php?1090458090
New Phantasy Star Universe Details
At E3 this year Sega revealed an ambitious Phantasy Star Universe,
which they claim shall revolutionize both the series and the
action-rpg genre. Today we have the first real information about the
title.
First off, the game shall utilize an all new breathtaking graphics
engine that permeates crisp visuals and a profound use of lighting.
Unlike the Phantasy Star Online titles, this game shall feature many
planets (as opposed to just one) and add a host of new races to the
mix. Perhaps most enticing, however, is new that the title will
feature online and multiplayer capabilities that exceed Phantasy Star
Online's limit of four at a time -- numbering, possibly, in the
thousands. Sega plans on releasing Sonic Team's new project in Japan
before the end of next year. We'll be keeping a very close watch on
this title as time progresses, so be sure to tune in. (wj)
Source: Sega, Gamefront
http://www.gamefront.de/
discussion from PSDB:
http://www.phantasy-star.net/cgi-bin/psdb/viewer.cgi/psdb/40FF3384000009D4.html
"More than one planet? More races? Sounds like Algol to me.
I like the late 2005 release date, too."
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"Sounds to me like they're starting fresh with a new story and
abandoning BOTH going storylines"
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"I tracked down the origin of that article
....and would take it with a grain of salt. It might be right. It
might not. The reporter for Nintendojo didn't post the full article,
perhaps because it was in German (and he wasn't fluent enough/needed
Babelfish) or because he only wanted the "interesting bits." The
origin of this news apparently came from an issue of EGM, probably the
July issue judging from the date on the German site Gamefront.
Until the news can be directly traced to Sega rather than a magazine
it's just speculation"
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"Since I get it for free with my IGN Insider subscription, here's the
PSU excerpt:
The Next Big Online Addiction: Phantasy Star Universe
Ambitious online role-playing games like Final Fantasy XI owe a debt
of gratitude to Sega's pioneering Phantasy Star Online-- this
addictive hack-n-slashathon brought online action (and embarassing
virtual weddings) to three systems: Dreamcast, GameCube, and Xbox.
Universe expands on PSO in every way: Expect a persistent game world
with thousands of simultaneous players, multiple planets to explore,
and all-new races. Here's the catch--it won't hit until late 2005,
and Sega won't say where it's gonna land... though PS2 looks likely.
Like Rune, I also am taking it with a grain of salt. EGM is
speculating like any average gamer, as they hardly have any concrete
evidence on the game, no more than Gamespot, IGN, or any other major
gaming publication.
Though my feelings are that the game will probably be an action-based
online game, with similar core mechanics to PSO, just broadened out
ten-fold to accomodate many gamers' wants for PSO that they couldn't
have done due to how the client was originally written."
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"I wouldn't be surprised if it's at least partially online
It's just that I think anything EGM says could very likely be
contradicted as time goes on. It's still too early for the marketing
machine to be releasing much information. Next TGS or next E3 will
probably be the next time any news breaks."
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"I like the more than one planet, and multiple races. But I'm a little
worried about the mention of massive online play. Sounds like yet
another MMORPG. I know a lot of people love them, but personally I
havn't been impressed by one in a long long time. Oh well, I suppose
it's too early to judge at this point."
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"MMORPGs are all right if instituted correctly, but... Phantasy Star
needs story. That's what hooked us all so long ago, and kept us
hooked throughout. If Sega abandons PSU's story the way they did
PSO's, I'll be sorely dissapointed."
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"Personally, at this point, I'd just be happy to be able to explore
Algol in a crisp, 3D environment."