http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxqukE7UfLk
Well it’s been a long time coming but it seems that Phantasy Star Online 2 has finally got something to show for itself. The video was revealed at a recent Japanese Sega event where the game was demonstrated and shown in great detail. Japanese gaming site 4gamer.net has reported on what they saw at the event. Hit the jump to see a (rough) translation of what we can expect and perhaps more importantly, brand new screenshots of the actual game!
[Source: Andria Sang]
The ship fleet Oracle (written in Japanese, “????”) which travels the endless stars. A new adventure that awaits on the countless planets. Invasion of the malice that covers the universe. The name of the people who face off against them is Arcs (in Japanese, “????”). Will the universe be saved, or will it be swallowed up? It’s in the hands of the hero (you).
The video also mentioned a few key words and phrases:
Is there adventure in today’s RPGs?
Always, to a new field. Random field.
Original Combos
TPS style
Jump Action
Hybrid Custom Action
It gives you a foreboding feeling — seamless weather.
Something will happen every time!? Interrupt event
Aiming for “Endless Advneture.”
The adventure without end, once again.Phantasy Star series producer Satoshi Sakai took the stage at the event and said that the staff is aiming to give players the feeling of adventure that has been lost in today’s RPGs. He described the game as “a brand new title” and said that he hopes the game will be enjoyed by series fans, online gamers and even players who have yet to get into online games.
Further details on the game will be released ahead of the alpha test, which kicks off this summer.
And now here are some delicious screenshots to make your pants wet:
Looks exciting, huh? More details to come as the alpha tests draw near.
I can’t wait to finally play another game in the PSO series. I’m not really a graphics whore but I feel that these screenshots don’t look like that much of an improvement over the Dreamcast original. I’m sure they’re taking some steps to ensure that it will run on peoples’ outdated PC’s so that could be the reason.
I think they are taking a page out of Blizzard’s book and making sure that if you want to play it, odds are your computer can handle it. It’s a great move for an MMO. Not only will their fanbase be larger because of it, but Crysis style games show their age faster then Windwaker style games. If you want people to be playing your game for years to come you don’t want it starting to look outdated.
The environments don’t look great at the moment (although, if you go back to PSO, you’ll see they’re much more detailed), but the character models and lighting seem to have been improved quite a bit. I like the approach, personally, It’s not the most mind-blowing thing I’ve ever seen, but I like that I’ll probably be able to run it smoothly (unlike, say Final Fantasy XIV). My biggest worry isn’t visual, but gameplay-wise. I’ve heard that the PS0 team is developing this, so I have faith that it’ll be good, but all the launchers and stuff kind of worry me. I can’t wait until we get a playable version though!
@Kris – Yeah, I agree its a good idea to make the visuals a little simple so more people can play. I guess I was just a little underwhelmed by the first screenshots because its been over 10 years since the original and I remember thinking how beautiful the game looked, and still does. I’m still excited for the game but am waiting to hear some details on how the actual gameplay has evolved.