EGM is the most popular gaming mag in the US, and apparently they’re going to be dishing out some exclusive info on the game. Here’s the relevant excerpt from the current issue of the magazine:
We’d like to keep your nail-biting conditon under control, but the anticipation of Sega’s PSU might leave your cuticles screaming for help. Yes, we know we’re going to be hitting you with another action-RPG, but it is not our fault that this is one of the best looking games we have ever seen. Phantasy Star Online gave us our first real-time online console game and surprisingly hit a home run on its first swing – you can’t chalk that up to beginner’s luck. We don’t want to give too much away about online play and profile configuration, but we’re going to leave you with one word: breasts.
Dunno… for some reason I’m ecstatic, despite there only being a small paragraph of info. Regardless, EGM seems impressed and considering they haven’t been excited about anything from Sega in quite some time, much like yours truly, this makes me quite the happy camper.
I hope for exactly the opposite, and this excerpt hints at it being online with the last sentence. Not that it surprises me… no offline Phantasy Star game has ever sold all that well, while the only Phantasy Star game that’s gone online has sold well over a million worldwide on multiple platforms, feasible simply because the demand is there.
Well, the last word of the blurb pretty much killed my enthusiasm (I’m not going to play PSU if the only female character choices are overly endowed ), but I’ll try to chalk that up as a sign of the maturity of the EGM staff rather than anything to do with the game itself.
While I don’t care if PSU is online-enabled, I won’t play it if it’s online only. I’ve been through the MMORPG wringer before and it no longer holds any interest for me. Since I like Phantasy Star I’m really hoping it’ll have a completely functional offline mode, but if not, I’ll just have to pass on it.
The way I read that last sentence, I thought they were implying that there’d be a large amount of freedom in character customization including, well, you know.
That’s what Sega was hinting at. It’s meant to be a mystery. But EGM seems to be playing the same type of guessing game as well.
I hope this means Sega is gonna blow us away at E3. This is the second
magazine exclusive that Sega is doing in the space of two months. Obviously they’re building up to E3 but i hope they don’t give it all away before the event actually happens. PSU would probably do better if it’s a online multiplatform title but i’m still hoping it’s an offline game.
I interpreted the last sentence as meaning that there will be an online porportion but not necessarily the only part of the game, I would like it to be on and offline as well.
[quote=“Rune Lai”]Well, the last word of the blurb pretty much killed my enthusiasm (I’m not going to play PSU if the only female character choices are overly endowed ), but I’ll try to chalk that up as a sign of the maturity of the EGM staff rather than anything to do with the game itself.
[/quote]
I’m sure that the EGM staff will enjoy playing PSU from their cave.
I know that a lot of female gamers complained about the female avatars in Lineage 2 in that they were clearly designed to be nothing more than eye-candy for male players. Maybe Sega should include some half-naked Tarzan-esque male animations with bulging muscles in PSU to compensate. I wonder if that would actually annoy anyone.
There’s always been hope for Sega. it’s just a lot of their fans have no faith in them.[/quote]
Can you blame some fans for losing fatih in Sega, especially after the Shining Force Neo debacle?
Btw, I read a crazy rumor over at the official Sega forums that the PSU trailor was all rendered in real-time. I don’t believe that for a second of course, but isn’t that the level of graphical splendor next generation games should aim to reach?
My friend who is a computer technician keeps telling me that the Xbox 2 and PS3 will represent the next huge leap in graphics. That’s not too hard to believe, however, when you consider the fact that the PS2 has been bringing most of the current generation’s games down to its level for years now (even PC games).
Alright. let’s clear one thing up. Sega has not and WILL not abandon SRPGs.
Their recent SRPG was a mobile phone game called DRAGOON COLIESIUM:CASTLE JACK ONLINE. It was whoever put in charGe of the AV
production of SHINING FORCE NEO who wanted to take the action RPG route. Should he have been allowed to do it,No of course not but you know as well as I do that Sega was hardly the company to go checking what their producers are doing,especially in the midst of their finacial mess,which was when this game was commishned. Sammy on the other hand will be more hands on.
Now this is where a lot of Sega fans should worry. Most of the games in development now and soon to be released(I’m talking about the TBA titles) were in production before Sammy took over and are too late to be stopped.
Sammy wants Sega to be more profitable. I’m pretty sure that Sega will wow it’s fans again when this lineup is revealed. But you can be sure Sammy will NOT greenlight any more experimental games and slow burning franchises in the future. Yes that is directed at PD. Sammy got rid of a whole sports division because they were n’t doing well. The Sega sports games have always sold better than ORTA. Where does that leave any future PANZER DRAGOON games if the new won’t does n’t sell great?
If you think that a Sega fan has it bad now in the transition era, just wait until the next batch of games that follow after the current TBA games weve been waiting for have come out.
I played a HUnewearl on PSO, which meant most of my outfits involved tight bodices and hot pants. It just kinda… woulda… been nice to have a little more selection, ya know?
I’m not sure having half-naked Tarzan-esque male animations with bulging muscles in PSU will help things, though it might make the game funnier. Here we have a highly advanced society with spaceships and everyone’s running around like overly endowed, scantily clad barbarians.
), but I’ll try to chalk that up as a sign of the maturity of the EGM staff rather than anything to do with the game itself.
It just kinda… woulda… been nice to have a little more selection, ya know?