Phantasy Star Universe
Encyclopedia
is an action roleplaying game
by Sega
's Sonic Team
for the PC
, PlayStation 2
and Xbox 360
. In Japan, it was released for the PC and PlayStation 2 on August 31, 2006, with the Xbox 360 version releasing on December 12, 2006. Its North American release was on October 24, 2006, available in all formats. The European release date was November 24. The initial unveiling of the game was at E3 2004, with subsequent showing at the next E3, and then again at TGS 2005. A closed beta stress test for the servers took place between April and May 2006.
While Phantasy Star Universe is a hack and slash
roleplaying game similar to the Phantasy Star Online
(PSO) games, it takes place in a (presumably) different time period and location and has many new features. Like most of the PSO titles, PSU is playable in both a persistent online network mode and a full featured single-player story mode.
, picking up where Phantasy Star Universe left off. Players use their own avatars and take the role as instructors to younger GUARDIANS recruits while investigating the evil organization of "human supremacists" known as the Illuminus. Along with new missions, new weapons are introduced as well as new Photon Arts, classes, enemies, bosses, and more.
The user's personal avatar is the main character. In Phantasy Star Universe, players experienced the story through the eyes of Ethan Waber. In Ambition of the Illuminus, they will complete missions using their own customized avatar, working to restore peace in the Gurhal System. This content is available offline in the PlayStation 2
, Xbox 360
, and PC
versions.
On November 13, 2008, this expansion was available on the Xbox Live
Marketplace
for free (reduced from its original price of 1600, then 800). PlayStation 2
and PC
players have to purchase a retail disc of the expansion for $19.99. These were both released on November 20, 2007.
As of June 30, 2010, the expansion became free to download on Xbox Live Marketplace. A new version which is currently required for online play was released on July 20, 2010 and contains GUARDIANS Advanced Content.
After killing multiple creatures and saving people, Ethan finds Lumia, and they both leave the station. After a conversation between Leo and Ethan, Ethan reveals that he dislikes the GUARDIANS organization because his father died when on a mission. Leo, impressed with Ethan's abilities, convinces Ethan to join the GUARDIANS.
Ethan and his classmate, Hyuga Ryght, are trained by a female Guardian named Karen Erra, who leads them against the SEED, the strange monsters that came from the meteors. After being hired to accompany a scientist to a RELICS site of an ancient, long-dead civilization, they find out that the SEED are attracted to a power source (A-Photons) the ancients used and that the solar system has just re-discovered.
Karen finds out she is the sister of the Divine Maiden (the prophet of the Holy Light) and takes over that position when her sister dies at the hands of her estranged father who intended to kill Karen to increase the power of the original Divine Maiden (Mirei).
After befriending Rogues, Guardians, and CASTs alike, Ethan angers Magashi, a CAST who heads the Endrum Collective and has been kidnapping scientists who know about the ancient power source. After Ethan and a Rogue named Alfort Tylor kill Magashi, Ethan helps activate an ancient weapon the prior civilization used to survive the SEED before they were almost completely wiped out.
Ethan then gathers allies against Guardian orders to attack the last SEED outpost standing where two of his friends and the scientists are being held. In the outpost Magashi claims to be brought back to life by the SEED, where in reality he is a CAST incarnation of Dark Force who controls the SEED itself and controls whatever they infect.
With the help of Karen, Leo, and Tonnio, Ethan defeats Magashi.
games: Phantasy Star Portable
, Phantasy Star Portable 2
, and Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity. The games offer new features and content, and like the Ambition of the Illuminus expansion, the player plays through the story mode as their own character. In the Japanese version of the original Phantasy Star Portable, it was possible to import some character data from the PC and PS2 versions of the game, this was however not possible in other regions.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Sonic Team
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
for the PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. In Japan, it was released for the PC and PlayStation 2 on August 31, 2006, with the Xbox 360 version releasing on December 12, 2006. Its North American release was on October 24, 2006, available in all formats. The European release date was November 24. The initial unveiling of the game was at E3 2004, with subsequent showing at the next E3, and then again at TGS 2005. A closed beta stress test for the servers took place between April and May 2006.
While Phantasy Star Universe is a hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
roleplaying game similar to the Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online is an online multiplayer action RPG title, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000, bundled with a demo of Sonic Adventure 2. Another edition, entitled Phantasy Star Online ver.2, was released for Dreamcast the following year...
(PSO) games, it takes place in a (presumably) different time period and location and has many new features. Like most of the PSO titles, PSU is playable in both a persistent online network mode and a full featured single-player story mode.
Plot
Phantasy Star Universes story is continued in its expansion pack, Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the IlluminusPhantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
is the first expansion of Sonic Team's internationally popular online RPG Phantasy Star Universe, available for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360. Released initially in Japan on September 27, 2007, for PlayStation 2 and PC, subsequent territorial releases followed on November 20, 2007, when North...
, picking up where Phantasy Star Universe left off. Players use their own avatars and take the role as instructors to younger GUARDIANS recruits while investigating the evil organization of "human supremacists" known as the Illuminus. Along with new missions, new weapons are introduced as well as new Photon Arts, classes, enemies, bosses, and more.
The user's personal avatar is the main character. In Phantasy Star Universe, players experienced the story through the eyes of Ethan Waber. In Ambition of the Illuminus, they will complete missions using their own customized avatar, working to restore peace in the Gurhal System. This content is available offline in the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
versions.
On November 13, 2008, this expansion was available on the Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
for free (reduced from its original price of 1600, then 800). PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
players have to purchase a retail disc of the expansion for $19.99. These were both released on November 20, 2007.
As of June 30, 2010, the expansion became free to download on Xbox Live Marketplace. A new version which is currently required for online play was released on July 20, 2010 and contains GUARDIANS Advanced Content.
Setting
The universe is the Gurhal Star System, which consists of three planets; Parum, Neudaiz, and Moatoob - as well as a large space station, which, in addition to housing a large civilian population, also serves as the headquarters of the Guardians. Each planet has its own unique culture formed by its inhabitant races. The history of the Gurhal Star System is filled with conflict amongst the different races. However, after the Final Conflict 100 years ago, a union was formed between the three planets. This led to the birth of the Allied Army and ultimately to peace for the Gurhal Star System.Story
At the start of the game, Ethan Waber, the main character, and his little sister, Lumia Waber, are at the celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Alliance Space Fleet on the GUARDIANS Space station. The celebration is interrupted when a mysterious meteor shower almost destroys the entire fleet. During evacuation, Ethan and Lumia split off of the main evacuation route and collapsing rubble separates Lumia from Ethan. Ethan then meets up with a GUARDIAN named Leo, but they are attacked by a strange creature. The creature paralyzes Leo and Ethan takes his handgun and kills the creature. Leo then tells Ethan to find his sister and that a rescue team is on the way.After killing multiple creatures and saving people, Ethan finds Lumia, and they both leave the station. After a conversation between Leo and Ethan, Ethan reveals that he dislikes the GUARDIANS organization because his father died when on a mission. Leo, impressed with Ethan's abilities, convinces Ethan to join the GUARDIANS.
Ethan and his classmate, Hyuga Ryght, are trained by a female Guardian named Karen Erra, who leads them against the SEED, the strange monsters that came from the meteors. After being hired to accompany a scientist to a RELICS site of an ancient, long-dead civilization, they find out that the SEED are attracted to a power source (A-Photons) the ancients used and that the solar system has just re-discovered.
Karen finds out she is the sister of the Divine Maiden (the prophet of the Holy Light) and takes over that position when her sister dies at the hands of her estranged father who intended to kill Karen to increase the power of the original Divine Maiden (Mirei).
After befriending Rogues, Guardians, and CASTs alike, Ethan angers Magashi, a CAST who heads the Endrum Collective and has been kidnapping scientists who know about the ancient power source. After Ethan and a Rogue named Alfort Tylor kill Magashi, Ethan helps activate an ancient weapon the prior civilization used to survive the SEED before they were almost completely wiped out.
Ethan then gathers allies against Guardian orders to attack the last SEED outpost standing where two of his friends and the scientists are being held. In the outpost Magashi claims to be brought back to life by the SEED, where in reality he is a CAST incarnation of Dark Force who controls the SEED itself and controls whatever they infect.
With the help of Karen, Leo, and Tonnio, Ethan defeats Magashi.
Reception
Erik Brudvig of IGN gave Phantasy Star Universe a passable score of 6.4 out of 10, saying "The result is an unsatisfying and stale experience that feels like an update to an old game that has had its day rather than a new title." James Mielke of 1up gave an average rating of "B+" Metacritic gave the game a 68 out of 100.PC/PS2 server closure
Due to low population, the NA/PAL PC/PS2 servers of Phantasy Star Universe were shut down on March 31, 2010. The Xbox 360 NA/PAL servers however remain active.Legacy
PSU's setting, story, and characters have been continued and expanded upon in 3 PlayStation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
games: Phantasy Star Portable
Phantasy Star Portable
is a video game for the PlayStation Portable, produced by Sonic Team and developed by Alfa System. It was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on July 31, 2008, in North America on March 3, 2009 and in Europe on April 3, 2009....
, Phantasy Star Portable 2
Phantasy Star Portable 2
is a video game for the PlayStation Portable, produced by Alfa System and published by Sega. It is the sequel to Phantasy Star Portable and was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on December 3, 2009...
, and Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity. The games offer new features and content, and like the Ambition of the Illuminus expansion, the player plays through the story mode as their own character. In the Japanese version of the original Phantasy Star Portable, it was possible to import some character data from the PC and PS2 versions of the game, this was however not possible in other regions.