18-Aug-2005 Since the Phantasy Star series went online in 2000, fans have clamoured for a proper offline game to go along with it. Five years later and their wishes have been granted. While Phantasy Star Universe is primarily designed for online play, there is a surprisingly strong single-player game included too. Over 40 hours' worth, in fact.
The story begins with the 100th anniversary celebrations of a peace treaty between the three planets that make up the Grarl solar system. Your character, Ethan Waber, a 17-year-old Guardian cadet, is watching with his sister when the party is rudely interrupted by the evil Seed race. A Seed-produced meteor shower destroys the surrounding area and in the confusion his sister disappears. Cue the start of Ethan's sister-searching quest.
The online storyline will actually be different in so far as you see the same timeline of events from a different perspective, plus every player's experiences will be unique depending on which class they choose (Hunter, Ranger, Force User), which race they pick (Human, Newman, Cast or the new Beast race) and who they team up with. As with all online multiplayer games you're creating your own adventure as you go. It's not confirmed how many players can be in one party, but our investigations tell us it's at least three.
You'll be able to explore all three planets in Grarl, as well as over 20 massive dungeons. Some areas are so big that you need to take control of vehicles to go off and explore them. As for combat, you can link a standard attack and a stronger attack to perform combos specific to your character type, or enter a first-person perspective and blast enemies that way.
With the game still around nine months away, this is all we could prise from Sega's tight lips at the moment. There are rumours of offline multiplayer modes and talk of a monthly fee if you want to play online (as before), but for hardcore Phantasy Star fans this will be a small price to pay.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
Could be as big as Final Fantasy XI Online, but we still have our doubts about it really taking off in Blighty. But thank the lord for the miracle that is the single-player campaign.
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