Gaming Generations :: Phantasy Star Makes the Jump to PSP....

Ranji

Granted this is already old news if you are into importing games, but Sega and Alfa Systems have released a new Phantasy Star game, Phantasy Star Portable (yeah PSP on the PSP)...

While this game has been out in Japan since the end of July, it wasn't until just the other day that Sega announced that this game will make the jump over the Pacific to see lil old US, with an expected release date of March 09.

For those of you who haven't heard anything about it, Phantasy Star Portable takes place between Phantasy Star Universe, and it's "expansion/sequel", Ambition of the Illuminus. The menus and gameplay is next to identical to PSU, though the game does also give a nod back to (heavenly chorus here) Phantasy Star Online as well, incorporating alot of the old weapons from back in the day.

Download content on this so far has been a steady thing, with new content coming out every couple of weeks in the form of another mission or item trading area. There's obviously multiplayer on this, though it is only by adhoc, no infrastructure. There is rumors that when the US release pops out, it will be able to play online by doing a Remote Play with a PS3 that's connected, but nothing's for certain there. If not, there are still plenty of people who use XLink Kai to tunnel it and play online, just be ready for some lag time (CFW users, make sure to set it to 333 if you are hosting, 200 if you're joining), as you WILL lose some frames in the heavy spots.

All in all, if you're a fan of the series, this game is definitely something to pick up when it comes out...

(Note: I've also found out that Nintendo DS is getting it's own Phantasy Star game, Phantasy Star Zero, which comes out in Japan XMas 08. It's supposedly in the Phantasy Star Online universe, though I'm unsure if it takes place before or after. Another fun note is that it's already confirmed that there will be multiplayer via the Nintendo WiFi.... lucky buggers.)
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