Phantasy Star Online 2 is releasing with a few new surprises. You can download the game client for Free on PlayStation Vita, PC, and Smartphones. You can also play the standard game for Free with no restrictions on class level. There will however be cash items, but he isn't going to allow direct sales of highly over powerful weapons.
The closed beta starts around the end of April with 100,000 players. Tester recruitment will begin today at 16:00 JST.
Phantasy Star Online 2 will also release on Smartphones for iOS and Android. The smartphone version shares character data with the PC and Vita version. It will be a more simplistic single player game, with some social gaming elements attached.
Sakai updated his blog with a clearer video of the one that was shown in the Dengeki Event, titled "PSO2 Closed Beta New Video."
Closed Beta Elements
Now the lobby from the Alpha Test has expanded into two areas. There's a Gate area and Shop area, with some new facilities like the Medical Center.
New weapon category, Partisans have a "twirl" move which can fill up the "gear gauge." Partisans are quicker than the sword and can hit surrounding enemies.
Launchers, it is heavier than the assault rifle, so you can't move and shoot at the same time. Its projectiles can give explosive damage.
Talis (Cards), like a shooting weapon, you can just throw it to give damage. Or, you can throw it and cast technics off of it.
Mags, an artificial life form that grows up when you feed it items. It can attack enemies directly if it becomes a "Striking" type Mag. If it is a "Range" type mag, it can shoot from a distance from the player's position. It can offer support to the player too. Actions can be added by specific conditions with an item called "Device."
Photon Blasts, by filling the blast gauge, mags can transform into a mythical beast and fight alongside with the player.
Another new element is the Story, so let's look at our first glimpse of a story character.
Her name is Zion (Sion)
When she appears, she says some strange mysterious things to the player. You can see her talking within these screenshots but her speech is slightly odd. She entrusts the player with something called a "Matter Board", this thing seems to be important in advancing the story.
Her voice actor is Megumi Ogata, she's best known for playing Shinji in Evangelion. In fact at the media briefing, he will introduce even more voice actors.
(I have to say, Shougai's prediction on voice actors were spot on…)
Mag Menu (Commentary)
Give Item アイタムを与える
Use Device デバイスを使う
Unequip 装備を外す
Prioritize Trigger Action トリガーアクション優先度
Confirm Actions 確認アクション
From this it sounds like you can sort what trigger actions you want first. The last menu is probably just a list of what actions are available to use.
Phantasy Star Online 2's second Media Briefing will take place on Monday March 26th, 2012 @ 13:30 JST.
Media Briefing 2nd
When: March 26th 2012 @ 13:30
What: To discuss Phantasy Star Online 2's closed beta test, including billing information when the official game starts, future development schedule, and new game information.
Please pay attention to the times and dates to watch this live in your timezone. Eastern refers to Sunday night, not Monday night even though it technically happens on Monday.
