Phantasy Star Universe discussion thread

I've never played anything related to Phantasy Star in my life. I couldn't name an event, character, or anything else to save my life.

However, as someone who is still fairly new to MMORPGs (started with FFXI on the PS2), I've been keeping an eye on this game for a while. It seems to feature more customization over your character over FFXI, plus the action-oriented gameplay would be a nice change from FFXI's auto-battle system.

I'm also hoping that starting a Party and investigating some deep dungeon will be a much speedier process than the typical 2-3 hour wait in FFXI.

The only thing I'm leary about is the online fee. Since I'm already paying $15 for FFXI, I'm not sure I can squeeze this game into my budget. Also, I can't for the life of me understand why there's a 360 version and not a PS3 one.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Will you be allowed to take screenshots like in FFXI? I always enjoyed that feature, and have a sizable album to prove it.

Also, are there towns with NPCs to visit? Or is it purely areas with monsters to fight?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I suppose you would need the PS2 hard drive to save images. Too bad. What about friend lists, and messaging your friends?

Still waiting on the monthly fee. I have a job now, but I still need to budget certain things for now. Perhaps I'll take a 3 month break from FFXI to work my way up to PSU.

Also, not sure if this was mentioned yet, but is there a stats difference on the different races? What's the most popular race, and why?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Monthly fee revealed.

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October 9, 2006 - SEGA finally sent out word on their pricing for the upcoming online RPG Phantasy Star Universe for the US. The Guardians license, which is what you'll need to take the game into the expansive and persistent online world, will be available for purchase on October 24, 2006 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and PC online users for $9.99. Those playing on the PlayStation 2 and PC can also purchase a six month license for $49.99 to save some money.

Although the game will cost 10 dollars more on Xbox 360 with an MSRP of $59.99 and there won't be any initial options for purchasing an extended online license, all is not gloom and doom in 360 land. That is because this Wednesday, October 11 and continuing Thursday, October 12, the Phantasy Star Universe multiplayer open beta will be available as a free download. The free open beta will run for a week and conclude on October 18, 2006. It will be open to all Xbox 360 owners with an Xbox Live Gold account.

Phantasy Star Universe will ship on October 24, 2006 for PlayStation 2, PC and Xbox 360 and is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB.

$50 every 6 months doesn't sound too bad, but the deciding factor will be how long they'll let you sign off. Last time I checked, FFXI lets you stop your account up to 3 months, in which you have to renew it by that time or lose your character for good. How long do they let you sign off in PSU?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

That's good news on both counts. Not having to pay a fee for PSU every 3 months means I can take extended breaks per month without any worry (unless I pony up for the "6 months for 50 bucks").

But if that FFXI news is also true, it's also a load off my chest. Although I don't know how quick and painless it is to cancel/renew your account.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The game is due this week, and I'm pretty interested in checking it out once it's available. A couple of things are keeping me from commiting to a full purchase though. I want to read some reviews first, and make sure that the servers will work. Aside from that, I have a few more questions.

1. Is the first month free?

2. I can't decide which race I'll be. I liked that one video where the female human was dual wielding a gun and sword. It sounds like each race is only suitable for one specific job (healer, melee, etc), but I want to try all the weapons out. That said, should I stick with human since it's the most balanced? Or are there other races that can handle the sword/gun combo as well?

3. How many characters are you allowed to create (at no extra charge)?

4. Which store has the cheapest price for this game?

5. I'm trying to think up a good name. What's the naming scheme for characters in the PS universe (for example, Mithras in FFXI have indian-sounding names)?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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Not certain off-hand, I haven't heard anything mentioned about it though.

GAF posted a rumor saying that the first 14 days will be free, but who knows. It would make a big difference for me if the first month was free.

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I believe any race can justifiably perform well at any class, especially with multiclassing later on... But essentially for strengths it's Human-Balanced, Newman-Force, Cast-Ranger, Beast-Hunter.

But is the performance difference really that noticable if you're using a job that is considered weak for your Race? Like I said before, I want to try everything at first, but I don't want to get rejected from PTs because I have this job for this race, which results in a crappy combination.

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Four characters period all under the same account/monthlydealy, not expandable.

Four is quite acceptable. That would come in handy if I wanted to tinker around with the other races/jobs, though I don't know if I would even have the time if it takes as long as it does in FFXI just to level one character.

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Toys R Us has a buy 2 get 1 free sale coming up soon, not sure if it's on yet. Other than that, unless the store has a coupon it's probably all the same

Well, this is the only currently available game I'm interested in purchasing (aside from FFXII next week), so it would be a waste of money to buy an additional game.

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On a serious note though, I don't think there is any naming scheme. Names aren't unique though, so go to town.

Well, I like to be creative with my names, so I'm trying to think up something sci-fi related that isn't just ripping off a popular character's name. If I was part of a Sonic-themed static group, though (like the one seen in PSU ads), then I'd get in on that (Tails, Sonic, Shadow, etc).

Tommorow I might try to snag this game at Gamestop, but I'd really like to read any early reviews or impressions beforehand. Really, the only thing holding me back is my budget, since I'm saving my dough for FFXII, the PS3, a PS3 game, and likely the Wii and Zelda afterwards.

EDIT: Seems there is a free trial of sorts, but you need to subscribe in advance.

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From Playsega.com:

Phantasy Star Universe 30 Day Recurring Subscription (Plus 15 Bonus Days) - Click Here

Phantasy Star Universe 180 Day One-Time Subscription (Plus 30 Bonus Days) - Click Here

180 days is 49.99$, 30 is $9.99

this subscription product is a one-time option - you will be charged $49.95 for 180 days. Payment will be taken immediately. At the end of the 180 day period, you will need to revisit this site to purchase another subscription.

Here's the good news - by signing up, you will get a bonus 30 days up front - that's 210 days of access for the normal price of 180!

And replace the 30 with 15 and 210 with 45 for the first option.

-GAF

So basically, subscribing for the 30 days option gives you 15 free days, and the 180 days option gives you 45 extra days.

Not sure which is the better deal.

FELIPE NO

One thing that would help in deciding which race I should be is a webpage that lets me try out the different character combinations online. Someone showed me this page...

http://psu-chara.com/create/

but it doesn't give you all the options.

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I'm likely just going to do the 30 day sub. You save 20 bucks on the 180 day sub though.

Do you know if they bill you before or after the 30/180 days run out? If it's after, then I'll probably go for the 180 day deal, since I wouldn't have to worry about it until early next year, plus I save $20.

Man, I got excited over those vehicles in the trailer. Sounds like they aren't available yet, though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Should be by tommorow.

I also forgot to ask about how chatting is done. I've noticed that the dialogue boxes are real small, like comic book style (or FFIX's dialogue boxes). Is there a limit to how much you can type? Can you only go up to a few words, or a paragraph full?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EolH40YbeU

Oh, man.

EDIT: By any chance, does anyone know how much Gamestop is currently offering for trading Star Ocean 3? Since I have no real interest in playing it, I might trade it in (but not before saving it on a HD) for a real sci-fi RPG.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Clothing is something I can decide fairly quickly, so I can save that for later. Could you maybe give me the link of that torrent, or at least the name?

EDIT: Think I found it.

http://www.mininova.org/tor/417984

There's nowhere I can't reach.