Sega Gamer's Day 2000: Sega Reveals Phantasy Star Online

One of the highlights of today's Executive Games Summit was a lengthy presentation of Phantasy Star Online. The game will be the first multiplayer console RPG to be played via the SegaNet gaming network and ISP. Sega showed the game being played online and also handed out a playable demo so we could play PSO offline. Although the US servers have not been set up at this time, ultimately the Phantasy Star Online servers will be able to accommodate up to 1000 people at a time, and the interface will be done via PSO lobbies. Players can go into a lobby, chat with other PSO players, create groups of four, and head out into an adventure. Interestingly, the online and offline aspects of the game's story are intertwined seamlessly. Players can progress to a certain point in the game playing offline with NPCs and then go online, form a team with other players who are in the same section of the story, and continue their personal quests. When playing online, players can branch off and essentially do their own thing, as long as they stay on the world map, which is shown on the upper right-hand portion of the screen. Of course, the game is best played online in a cooperative manner. To that end, players can trade items and weapons with other players online, as in PC games such as Diablo II.

As reported previously, because the game will be playable by players all over the world, it supports five languages: Spanish, English, Japanese, German, and French. Players set their language preferences prior to starting a game and can communicate with other PSO players in one of three ways: by typing messages directly, by assigning key phrases to controller or keyboard buttons, or by using a default configuration where each controller button is assigned a predetermined set of phrases. Of course, the message will appear onscreen in the language that is preset on the individual Dreamcasts.

Phantasy Star Online also has an extensive player-creation feature. When players start a new game they are prompted to create their own unique character. Everything from the character's face and complexion to the outfit and size can be customized. In traditional Phantasy Star fashion there are three major character classes: human, neo-human, and android. And you can't discard a created character unless you begin a new quest.

Phantasy Star Online will be shipped on one GD-ROM and currently has a release date of January 26, 2001, for North America. Although the character data can be saved on a regular Dreamcast VMU, Sega has confirmed that it will release the 4X Memory Card in North America alongside the release of Phantasy Star Online.