March 4, 2013 | J.J. Cappa

Available free on the PlayStation Store, the PlayStation Vita version of Phantasy Star Online 2 is technically region-locked.  Because the console itself only supports a single PSN ID at any given time, the downloadable client must be accessed by a Japanese account.  However, SEGA also released a physical copy of PSO2, and users have reported that this version allows them to connect to the game servers regardless of region.  A Japanese SEGA ID is still required, but it can be tied to any PSN account.

There are some things to consider before importing the Phantasy Star Online 2 Special Package, though. Should PSO2 be released internationally in the future, for example, it may not be possible to link a second SEGA ID to the same PSN account.  That being said, although an English version has been announced, news has been sparse since its reveal. Moreover, the servers will not be worldwide; they will be separated by region, so English-speaking players may prefer to stay on their original Japanese “ship” regardless.  In addition, there was a time when the international PSO2 community feared that SEGA would ban users with foreign IP addresses from playing the game.  That never came to fruition, but players using this trick could be blocked in the future if SEGA decides that it is an exploit.

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January 22, 2013 | J.J. Cappa

The first wave of the Phantasy Star Online 2 beta test invited 50,000 Vita owners to try out the handheld version of the game over a month before its February 28 launch.  Over 100,000 people applied to participate, however, leaving many with nothing to do but wait for the official release. Fortunately, SEGA has announced that tonight more invitations will be sent out, although they have not revealed just how many new players will be added to the current pool of testers.

In addition to the new wave of testers, SEGA will soon be adding more (but as of yet, unannounced) rewards to the beta as well. Currently, leveling one test character to ten or above will grant bonus items when the PS Vita version becomes publicly available next month.  This has likely caused many people to stop playing once they qualify, however, as data from the beta will not carry over to the live servers.  Therefore, players that hit level twenty before the testing period ends will now be given extra perks for their hard work, and to help people reach the new “cap,” the testing schedule will be undergoing some changes too.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free-to-play action RPG that is currently available for Windows computers, but the PlayStation Vita version, which is also free, is expected to launch next month.

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January 15, 2013 | J.J. Cappa

Last week, PlayStation Vita owners that applied for the closed beta test of Phantasy Star Online 2 were notified if they had been selected to participate, and although the download has been available since then, this afternoon marks the first time that the game will actually become playable.  In addition to the Vita version, the 50,000 lucky testers (who were chosen from a pool of over 100,000 hopeful applicants) will also have access a special PC client for trying out cross-platform connectivity.

The test itself will take place on six different days over the course of two weeks. The game’s producer Sakai Satoshi warned, however, that the schedule is subject to change. The current testing days are as follows:

• Tuesday, January 15: 15:00 to 23:00 JST
• Thursday, January 17: 15:00 to 23:00 JST
• Saturday, January 19: 15:00 to 23:00 JST
• Wednesday, January 23: 15:00 to 23:00 JST
• Friday, January 25: 15:00 to 23:00 JST
• Saturday, January 26: 15:00 to 23:00 JST

The initial download of the Phantasy Star Online 2 beta is just under two gigabytes, but as the full version is expected to require at least four, users should expect the client to expand over the next few weeks as well.  In fact, a small patch has already gone live and SEGA is accepting bug reports on the official PSO2 website, which will likely lead to more updates through the test.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free-to-play online action RPG for Windows that launched last July, nearly twelve years after the original was released for the SEGA Dreamcast in 2000.  Unlike its predecessor, the game can only be played online, but its servers are accessible anywhere in the world.  All players that level a character to ten during the beta period will receive a special code, redeemable for bonus items and currency, when the PS Vita version goes live next month.

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