Phantasy Star Online 2 Coming West

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We can be kind of iffy when it comes to covering Sonic Team news. In my time at Sonic Stadium, I’ve covered everything from Phantasy Star to NiGHTS to Samba de Amigo. With all sorts of news regarding non-Sonic Sonic Team games lately, I hope you won’t mind if I begin making some posts to tell you about them.

Phantasy Star Online 2, the direct sequel to the legendary Sonic Team online RPG, is officially coming to western markets in 2013. So far, only the PC version of the game has been confirmed for a western release, though the game is expected to also eventually become available on Playstation Vita, iOS device and Android devices.

Phanasy Star Online 2 is a free to play action RPG in the vein of it’s predecessor. Check out the website for more. The full press release is below the fold.

SEGA ANNOUNCES THE WESTERN RELEASE OF PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 SEGA’s Epic Free-to-Play Multiplayer Action RPG Coming to North America and Europe in Early 2013

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON – July 9th, 2012 – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd today announced that free-to-play multiplayer action RPG Phantasy Star Online 2 will be coming to North America and Europe in 2013. For a first look at this new entry in the legendary Phantasy Star series, check out the official Phantasy Star Online 2 teaser site at www.pso2.com.

“Phantasy Star Online was a revolutionary game when it was released, and we want to make sure that its successor in the series is every bit as ambitious,” said Chris Olson, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We look forward to introducing Phantasy Star Online 2’s unique, easy-to-access multiplayer action to the rest of the world next year!”

“The number one thing we want to provide players in Phantasy Star Online 2 is an adventure that changes every time they log in. Just as great table-top RPG experiences revolve around imaginative and unexpected encounters, we want players to consistently be surprised as they explore dungeons and undertake quests,” added Satoshi Sakai, Phantasy Star Online 2 Producer at SEGA of Japan.

Over ten years have passed since the release of the boundary-breaking Dreamcast hit, Phantasy Star Online, and SEGA is poised to continue the Phantasy Star series’ multiplayer legacy on PCs worldwide with Phantasy Star Online 2. In the Year 238, the New Era of Light, players will join a new band of Arcs in the fight against mysterious D-Arkers, embarking on another epic adventure of infinite possibilities!

Phantasy Star Online 2’s features include:

Deep sci-fi fantasy universe filled with lush landscapes, extraordinary creatures, and epic adventures
Revolutionary real-time combat and third-person action with devastating combos and counters to master
Flexible, class-based leveling system that lets players define their own play-style with distinctive melee, ranged, and magic weapon types
Randomized dungeon maps and unexpected mid-quest encounters that ensure each quest is different for each player
Deep character creation system with a nearly limitless number of potential appearances
Three degrees of humanity to experience across three unique races: the versatile Humans, spiritually-powered Newmen, and artificial CAST

For more information about Phantasy Star Online 2, visit the official site at www.pso2.com.

For more news, follow SEGA on Twitter @SEGA (http://twitter.com/phantasystar) or “like” us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sega.pso2).