Just saw this myself, it sounds fantastic, and here's hoping SEGA deliver on this one.
So like, is this a snub at the PSU line or did they just feel like adding one more to the PSO series for old time's sake?
Hell, it's portable. I might even play this one.
I got excited at first thinking it was a prequel to the original series. It is surprising to see SEGA go back to PSO again. Then again, I still play PSO, while I never play PSU (and I still pay monthly for it).
If its a prequel, I hope Rico Tyrel will show up (she was the one who left behind all those capsules). It might be about the poor people of Pioneer 1, or even before they left their planet (although the dragon leads me to believe we are back on Ragol again).
I actually started playing PSO again a couple of days ago. I havn't finished the offline mode but I think I'm pretty close. It has a really cool storyline but you can definately tell that it wasn't the main focus and the online aspect was, so I'm pretty pumped for the prequel that isn't completely focused for online play.
Meanwhile, the wait for a true Phantasy Star RPG continues... 
For your viewing pleasure, I will now transcribe the text message my girlfriend just received from me.
*Ahem*
OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMY***GGOD!!!!! PSO ANNOUNCED FOR DS!!!!!! PURE UNRELENTING ***G JOY!!!!!!!! *SQUEAL* =D =D =D =D
Yes, I do beleive this will be a day one, if not import, purchase for me.
Haha i've never played any of the PS's or PSO's and I might check this out.
Meanwhile, the wait for a true Phantasy Star RPG continues...
Shenmue 3 has a better chance of being announced than a true sequel to Phantasy Star. Judging how successful previous PSO/PSU were, it's safe to say that classic PS is dead. Shame though as this would have been a great time to revive it on the DS thanks to its sudden RPG-boom.
As for my opinion on PS0, really don't care for it. At first I thought it was a sequel/prequel to the classic PS games so this news is disappointing.
Official Japanese web site is up
I don't think there is anything new here, but it's nice to see one up already.
PSO on the DS!!! Oh hell yes! I still play PSO on my Gamecube to this day over 700 hours now!
Considering the huge volume of rather graphically conservative DS games out there, this is probably the most impressive I've seen so far.
As I don't have many games for my DS and I've never played any of the Phantasy Star series, I'll probably get this game when it comes out.
It's looking great, I'm actually quite excited about it, if only for it being on the DS.
Wow, this game is really pretty-looking. I didn't think the DS could pull off 3D this well.
Looks awesome.
The Sega of Europe PR says it will be released in Winter 2009.
Phantasy Star Ø Announced For European and US Release
An All-New Phantasy Star Adventure Begins on The Nintendo DS
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (January 9, 2009) - SEGA® Europe Ltd. And SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Phantasy Star™ Ø (pronounced "zero"), the brand new Phantasy Star RPG adventure, will be coming to Europe and North America. Phantasy Star Ø is one of the most highly anticipated DS titles coming out in 2009, and will feature an innovative touch screen based Visual Chat interface, addictive action-RPG gameplay, impressive visual quality and thrilling multiplayer modes.
"The Phantasy Star series has enjoyed great success because of its intuitive gameplay, unique style and engaging online multiplayer modes, we are therefore very excited to premiere the first Phantasy Star game on the Nintendo DS™," commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director for SEGA Europe. "With the advanced features of the Nintendo DS, Phantasy Star Ø will thrill fans of the series but will also appeal to a new generation of gamers."
Phantasy Star Ø takes place on an alternate Earth 200 years after the "Great Blank," a massive war that has reduced the once-prosperous civilization to almost nothing. The surviving Humans have worked hard to exist peacefully and have rebuilt thriving cities. Those that adventure past the outskirts of these cities, Hunters, explore the vast wilderness and hunt dangerous monsters in an effort to keep their cities safe. Players will take up the role of the Hunters and select from three types of races, classes and gender for a total of 14 customisable character types. Each character type will provide a unique experience and give players access to a great range of items, armour and weapons.
Featuring over 350 unique weapons, gamers will need to venture out to combat dangerous monsters, gain experience and meet new major characters. As players explore, they will unravel the mystery of the "Great Blank" and discover a dangerous new force that must be stopped.
Featuring both wireless and full Wi-Fi multiplayer options, Phantasy Star Ø takes advantage of the touch screen capabilities of the Nintendo DS and the new Visual Chat feature. Gamers can now design their own Visual Chat commands that can be used in multiplayer modes. These Visual Chat commands will be displayed as "text bubbles" above the user's character, enabling easy and fun communication when adventuring with friends.
Phantasy Star™ Ø will be released in Winter 2009 exclusively for the Nintendo DS, more details will be revealed in the coming months.
So I'm guess there will be a 2-4 month gap between the NA and PAL releases?
Featuring over 350 unique weapons, gamers will need to venture out to combat dangerous monsters, gain experience and meet new major characters. As players explore, they will unravel the mystery of the "Great Blank" and discover a dangerous new force that must be stopped.
More liek a dangerous Dark Force that must be stoped, lolololol amirite Sega?
*boots up topic*
so, did anyone buy it? will has been happily mauling things for the past few days now. i've given it a go, but the l and r triggers are a bit busted, so my hands get tired quickly. ^^;
but i've already seen rappies, so i'm content.
i'm a little meh at the music, and the character customisation is very limited compared to PSO and PSU, but i've still enjoyed it. a return to some of the nice little details we had from PSO, coupled with some very useful features like the dodgeroll (so badly needed in a game where you previously couldn't block or dodge an attack, only run away or hope your character does it by luck) and aiming is a little easier over PSO too.
looking forward to grabbing the friends codes off a few more people~
I'm thinking of getting it. I've noticed before that customization wasn't too great and that's something that I really enjoyed from PSO.
How are the levels? All the same? Or a lot of different stuff? From gameplay videos I've only seen a couple of levels; and they both looked kind of bland.
I realize I'm bumping up a really old topic, but I've recently acquired a copy of PS0 myself and have been playing through the story, and wanted to see what others had to say about it now that it's been out for a few years - maybe even try some of this online multiplayer stuff if that's still possible. Actually, my sister ended up getting it for one of my brothers, but he's done with it for now so I'm going through it.
One thing to note is that each race has its own storyline (i.e., if you play as a CAST, then you get a different story than you would as a Human or Newman; but playing different classes within the race doesn't get you much of a different story, at least as far as I know). I've beaten the game's main story with a CAST ranger, and am working on it with hunters of both the other races (never have been able to get the hang of forces in any PSO or PSU games, and I'm generally not a mage type anyway).
One thing I just don't get, though, is all the various choices you can make during the story of the game. It seems like most of them are fairly irrelevant, but I've yet to read any information on any FAQs to indicate whether or not it has any real impact on the story or gameplay. What's more, if you repeat a sidequest you've done before, you can also make different choices that result in a slightly different sidequest story outcome - how was I supposed to know that saying "Octopus!" instead of "Watch out!" would get that cute newman NPC grabbed by tentacles, whereas "Watch out!" would give her enough time to dodge the groping monster?
