Phantasy Star Universe
 

http://www.gamingforce.com/miles/psu.jpg

Phantasy Star Universe English Website
Official Phantasy Star Universe Blog
Release Date: October 24th, 2006


Since the US version of the game launches in 3 days I have decided to start a thread here. Who here plans on picking up the game next week? What we can do is figure out who is getting what version of the game so we can meet up and exchange partner cards.
The way the partner card system works is kind of like a buddy list. When you trade cards with other players you gain the ability to see when they are online and what universe/group they are in. You can mass mail everyone on your list and form parties this way. The best way for everyone to exchange their cards is through a timed meeting in parum. That's how PSO-world handled it during the Japanese version release and I managed to gain a ton of cards that way. Of course if we only have a few people here getting the game then there wouldn't be a point in setting up a huge meeting.

First of all, if you'd like more information on this game and how it works you should visit the official website. You can also check out the very detailed FAQ posted on there.

Now what version of the game you get is important because it determines who you can play with. Here are some facts about all three versions to give you an idea of what you get.

PC Version:
* Shares the same server as PS2 users
* Server is separate from the JP server
* Can switch between 30 - 60 FPS
* Offline mode requires internet since your offline data is saved on Sega's server. The good thing about this is you can resume your offline game on any computer as long as you know your account info
* Requires a huge chunk of HD Space (10 GB I think) due to it being both online and offline games being installed
* You can access your online account on the PS2 version as well

PS2 Version:
* Shares the same server with the PC version
* Server is separate from the JP version
* Game runs at 30 FPS
* You can access your online account on the PC version too as long as you know your account information
* You don't need an internet connection to play the offline game. Data is all stored on your memorycard
* Game patches are stored on your memory card. You might need a whole new fresh one depending on how big the patch sizes get

XBOX 360 Version:
* Separate server from the PS2/PC version
* Server is shared with Japan and Europe. You can play with Japanese gamers
* Allows voice chat
* Currently the only wide-screen supported version of the game
* Runs at 60 FPS
* Probably the version containing the most bugs, unless these bugs have been corrected since the beta was completed
* Still requires a monthly fee to play online
* Both Silver and Gold Xbox Live accounts can purchase a GUARDIANS License

PC Requirements: (based off back of Japanese version)
Operating System: Windows 2000 (SP4 or later)/ XP (SP2 or later)
Processor: P4 1.6 GHz or higher
Memory: Minimum 256MB RAM Recommended 512MB
Video: higher than Geforce4 series / ATI RADEON 8500 VRAM 64MB/128MB
Disk Space: 9GB
Connectivity: Online Broadband recommended
Control Options: Keyboard or Game Pad

The monthly cost for the online game is $9.99 and they will add more content to the game as time goes on. You do not have to pay a dime to play the 40 hour offline RPG. You get access to that just by purchasing the game.

Character List:

Cobalt Katze
Character Name: Cobalt Katze
Race: Beast
Battle Type: Hunter (Currently)
Game Version: PC/PS2 Version

DarkMageOzzie
Character Name: Michael Blackthorne
Race: Human
Battle Type: Hunter
Game Version: PS2 Version

Manny Biggz
Character Name: Frosty Buns
Race: Beast
Battle Type: Hunter
Game Version: PC

Miles
Character Name: kilometers
Race: Human
Battle Type: Hunter
Game Version: PC/PS2 Version

Para
Name: Para / Ayane
Race: Human(or maybe cast / Newman
Battle Type: Probably Hunter / Hunter Force
Game Version: PC

SailorDaravon
Name: Daravon
Race: Cast
Battle Type: Ranger
Game Version: PS2

SCHNEE-3
Name: Cinnamon Spice
Race: Newman
Battle Type: None yet (Just completed the tutorial), probably going to be Force
Game Version: PC

SOLDIER
Character Name: Darius Force
Race: Human
Battle Type: Hunter (Currently)
Game Version: PS2 Version


Oh, and if you have any questions about the game feel free to ask them here.

I'm going to be getting the PC version. I haven't pre-ordered it, but with so much hype around the Wii and PS3 coming I doubt I'll have any trouble finding a copy.

What are the system requirements for the PC version, if they're known at all?

I updated my post. Sorry for forgetting them. ;_;

With no access to a credit card, are there other methods to pay? If the game works on my PC , which it should- I'd like to give it a go. Paypal seems to be out of the question, and the parentals are all "zomg niternets r bad with credit cardz".. Bah. I'll think of something.

As far as I know there won't be subscription cards you can buy at stores like you can with WoW.

That said, the Beta turned me off ot the game, because it plays EXACTLY like the old PSO, just with a better camera and the moves are slightly flashier. I didn't enjoy the combat system one bit, and the 360 demo (I refuse to call it a Beta since it was using final code), was retarded as hell, with TERRIBLE servers and quite possibly the single most laggy online game I've played since trying to play UT2K3 with dial up.

:thumbsdown:

So, hang on a sec. Is this game just a ramped up version of PSO? I have that for the cube, and if PSU is no different, I won't even bother.

The PC version doesn't even support widescreen resolutions?

If that's really the case, the decision is easy for me. 360 FTW!

Also, can you play the offline game actually offline on the 360 version?

Yup, the game is exactly like PSO. Don't buy it. Look for the nearest Everquest clone instead.

I've got it reserved for PS2, so I'll probably pick it up with my next paycheck, but I don't know when I'll be able to take it online.

I loved PSO to death, so even if it does play just like it, I'll probably love it just as much.

This whole thread makes me laugh.

1) I will guarantee that 80% of your connection issues after the XBL shutdown was, indeed, XBL itself. There were a few moments where the demo went kaput but it wasn't to much. How do I respond to this? Most the time I was in PSU I was in irc.glowfish.de:6668 #PSU and 90% of the time I was removed, people were still in game.

2) The game lagged after you had more than 4 people in the game. There are plenty of Xbox360 players that will vouche for me on this.

3) Final code? =x While I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with this, remember how much was 'unlocked.' Anywhere that provides info saying this game was in "final code", I'd like to see.

4) PSO = PSU? Way off base. Waaay. The whole reason why I was attracted to PSU is because it was a whole new experience and it was very fast paced. Do you know how many non-PSO, PSO, and even FFXI were loving the game? God will only count my numbers.

Anyways, I'm getting this game for PS2, and hopefully I'll be able to join you on the run to Da Ragen and everything else. The midget returns. =D

I've had this preordered for ages :D I'll definately be part of the PSU crew (PC version) once I get my copy, likely Wednesday.

I've got the PC version preordered, though it's on 3 day shipping so I'll be a little late coming in. I'm eager as hell to buy a new video card and start playing this. Any recommendations on a video card that would work well with this that's between $150-250?

I use an Nvidia Geforce 7600GT on my current rig. It's $150 and it'll get you a solid 30 FPS with 16x anisotropic filtering on at 1280x1024 resolution. More than ample for this game.

Wrong, the connection I had to Live was still up, and didn't drop once during the whole debacle. I was voice-chatting with Mo0 during the ENTIRE EVENING for like 6 hours and there was no connection issues there. It was the game server that was having such terrible pings that people were lagging out and dropping. And this was before the scheduled maintenance on Tuesday there.

For me, the game was lagging with TWO people in a party. I don't understand what your point is here.

I'd like to see info on where it wasn't final code. The game code went gold. And considering the Beta went up after the game went gold, it's pretty easy to determine that that is what the final product will look and play like. The only things they can change in the week before the game comes out is server side stuff. Besides, the demo/beta is supposed to give you a pretty good idea of what the final product is going to play like, and that's exactly what it did. The changes you might see from the Beta to the next game might be better server hardware or something, or other changes of that nature. The game won't be that radically different.

They might like it, that's ok. I don't really care. I'm saying I don't like it, and that I find it too similar to PSO. I was bored after however many hours it was that I sunk into the beta and wasn't really having much fun with it at all. It reminded me a lot of PSO in MANY WAYS, including the combat. So unless it radically changes at later levels, my comparison stands.

I'm not advocating picking up WoW or any other MMO instead of this. I dislike WoW FAR more than I dislike this. You misunderstand and draw stupid conclusions, sir.

I'm not the one that said PSU plays exactly like PSO, sir. While we're at it, let's go ahead and say Street Fighter 3: Third Strike plays exactly like Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior because they both have punch and kick buttons.

You seem to have implied that I was recommending Everquest or something else over top of this game. I was not.

But I'll admit, perhaps EXACTLY isn't the right word then. However, it plays quite similar to it. Just like Street Fighter 3 plays like a Street Fighter game. (As opposed to Soul Calibur, or Mortal Kombat or what have you.) It's still quite similar to PSO. During the time I spent with it, it played quite similar to it. Like I added before, unless something changes at later levels, or there was just something I missed, it felt like I was played a slightly enhanced version of PSO, with some pretty spiffy visual upgrades. It's not radically different like you seem to be implying here.

I'm implying jack shit. I wouldn't have cared if you genuinely didn't like the game, but to go and say
with emphasis on "EXACTLY" (you capitalized it, after all) makes me scratch my head, especially when several core mechanics have changed. When I buy Final Fantasy X, it's not "exactly the same" as Final Fantasy IX just because there's lots of menus and text to read. When I buy Civilization IV, it's not "exactly the same" as Civilization III just because the series is still turn based and has settlers.

Between knocking enemies around in the air with photon arts for crowd control and a crafting system that allows you to create your own equipment, to say that it plays exactly like PSO is total horseshit. If you don't like the game and its gameplay style, that's perfectly fine. Don't let me stop you from moving on to the next game. Just stow the extra baggage.

So would you like to explain how Colonel Skills and I were able to keep a voice chat going for the 4 or so hours we were playing the game the entire time we were getting repeatedly disconnected?

How is it NOT final code? The beta was released after the game went gold, and unless the game has a HUGE patch the minute you start playing the damn thing, they can't have adjusted anything between the beta and the final release. Unless, for whatever reason, the beta was a month-old version of the game just to make the actual game look better. Who knows?

I don't see how anyone can blame a 360 owner like myself who wasn't already planning on getting PSU for not getting it. The beta was handled rather poorly, and while a lot of the problem did lie with Microsoft, with the badly timed (and poorly performed) maintenance, the fact of the matter is that before the maintenance started the lag on Live was almost nonexistent and yet the servers on the game were performing terribly. That is not the way to sell someone who is on the fence about a game on getting it. What am I supposed to think when I see shoddy servers? "Oh, maybe after I spend $60 and $10 for the first month of play it'll get better"? But what if it doesn't? I'm out 70 bucks then. Sega shouldn't be gambling on people's willingness to buy the game practically sight unseen.

The game lagged when you had TWO people in the game. Skills and I can both vouch for that. It lagged so badly that one player would continue on killing things while the other would watch as nothing moved, no damage registered, until 3 minutes later a flurry of damage and dead enemies would occur onscreen.

I've preordered the PC version and will be joining this game with several friends. I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there :)

I'll be in-game on Wednesday evening when I get home from work.

Silly question: If the release date is the 24th does that mean game stores will have copies then or will it actually only be available for sale on the 25th? I don't remember what the EB clerk said for the release date because I preordered nearly a month ago.

It wasn't final code. Sega gave you Xbox 360 users the equivalent of the E3 build. Numerous factors made it apparent, including anything from the total lack of a cinematic boss entrance to the inability to summon NPCs into your party. It was odd to see you guys have so many bugs that weren't present in the closed beta test of the PC version that I got to participate in several months ago, nor the trial version of the PS2 version... the Xbox 360 version is merely a direct port of the PC version.

I'll defend the game, but I won't defend Sega's handling of the Xbox 360 "beta". Granted, beta tests are supposed to involve ironing out bugs, but you're supposed to have access to the latest build for that... what Sega was doing was nothing more than a promotional event for the game, which would have been a good idea if they weren't using an extremely outdated build of the game. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Can't vouch for how the retail release will run until release day, but you'll undoubtedly hear negative commentary if things run like crap.

I'm pretty sure the only reason there wasn't a cinematic was due to trying to make the download size semi-managable. The damn thing was already an 800-some meg download.

Can you PROVE that the game wasn't a final build? There's a difference between a feature turned off for whatever reason (due to, I'm sure, them wanting people to focus on online multiplayer play for ironing out bugs and such) and actual additions, substantial changes, etc.

I'm not complaining about the code itself, I personally am complaining about the shitty servers they decided to use for the beta. It's a horrible impression to leave on players that the game is that laggy.

If it WAS non-final code, then Sega is an even bigger fucking idiot than I thought. WHY would you demo a version of the game that isn't shipping? I honestly just can't see Sega being that stupid.

Double Post:
To clarify for you: Release dates mean one of two things:

For major releases, most stores are shipped the game a few days ahead of time, for the game to be ready on the day it's announced to be coming out.

For all the rest of them, they get sent the game ON THE DATE that is the "Release Date", and they recieve the game within the next couple of days.

I believe you're thinking of the beta as a free trial or demo version of the game, ROT. The nature of online games is that they often patch the game on day 1 since tweaking continues past the manufacturing date for the game discs.

I think, due to the length of the test, its content, and the fact that it was a free download, that the open beta for 360 was a stress test for the servers. The fact that it was laggy is natural for those, since they try to cram as many people as possible into the game and see if it flinches. If it does, they make alterations to the servers before the game launches. Additionally, any client bugs are worked out and put up onto the patch servers for day one and beyond.

Cinematics != some 100 meg video file. The cinematic boss entrances are about 5 seconds long and use the in-game engine to render them. They're in the same style that was used in Phantasy Star Online. After the loading screen finished, boss flies in, does some intimidating growl or stomp, then the fight starts.

Seeing how I'm not an employee of Sega, I can't prove anything. But given the bugs that were present in this release that weren't present even in the PC beta from April and small features missing that WERE present in the PC beta from April, it seems a likely conclusion to me. I mean, hell... the framerate drops a bit when you're BY YOURSELF in the Linear Line, for crying out loud. The PlayStation 2 version doesn't have that problem. It is entirely more likely for them to have given you guys a shitty early build of the game for the "beta" like they did the Sonic The Hedgehog demo (what a piece of shit that was) than it is for them to ship 360 owners a broken version of Phantasy Star Universe and charge you $10 more for it.

I guess we'll find out for certain in two days.

Quoted for truth. Lag in this occassion would be highly expected. I'd probably also expect serious database blocking issues causing the realms to go down temporarily every once in a while. These kinds of things tend to happen. I remember the first day RO went public beta... holy god it was pure hell and you couldn't move a single step in 15 minutes. WoW beta was pretty decent but when it went retail... damn that thing was painful for a good 2 weeks at least.

Parn, you'll notice I corrected myself with the word EXACTLY. I retract that statement, but from the gameplay that was present in the beta/demo, they were extremely similar.

That said, I honestly do not like this game, and the issue about the final code seems like we won't find out for a bit. If they DID give us a pre-E3 build, then that's an even worse way of showing off the thing.