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| | The Ragol.co.uk Hunters Gazette |
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We get knocked down, but we get up again, |
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This time we're not looking to the future, because this time we're not going past the present day by taking a delve into the history of Love with Valentines Day & White Day!
For those who are unaware to White Day, or why we're even talking about it, it is because Valentines Day and White Day are celebrated each year in Phantasy Star Online, either via. fun mini-quests, or by lobby decorations and music of loooove ;) Valentines Day is a special date (February 14th) where boys and girls get together by exchanging gifts with one another to show their love for each other, or to let that special someone you've got a crush on know someone cares about them, by playing evil mind games and sending them cards and gifts with no 'From' names! At least it is over here... in Japan its all a different story. White Day is no doubt a day that people in Europe and America (well in fact everywhere besides Japan) have probabily never heard of before, and you wouldnt have because its a Japanese only tradition. If you play PSO and notice White Day updates, you are probabily unaware of what exactly they're celebrating, but take some intelligent guesses. Well thats what we're here to talk and educate about today! In Japan, on Valentines Day, February 14th, Japanese men do nothing whatsoever (Sounds good doesnt it!), while it is the Japanese women who honour the men they respect (Whether its love or not) by sending chocolate to men they either love, work with, their lovers male parts of the family, etc. Over here if women did that, they'd be accused of having an affair, and thats means Valentines Day would turn into one hell of a brawl, but in Japan, its the custom of the day, the lover obviously recieving the fair share of chocolate. Chocolate is the main gift of Valentines Day. Lucky blokes! Exactly one month later though, on a day entitled 'White Day', celebrated on March 14th, it is instead the turn of the man to honour his female friend with many cards, expensive flowers, sweets and chocolates, etc. all themed on the colour, white (E.g. White Chocolate). They do not have to give to co-workers, bosses, and relations, just their female friend they have (Or would like to have) a relationship with! Technically that means spending the same amount the women did to honour all your friends and family, all on your one love, so that lucky women is no doubt set to recieve a blinking lot for one days work! 
That is the custom tradition though of White Day and Valentines Day. Valentines Day is for the men, while White Day is for women. Simple! Will it ever become a tradition outside of Japan? Doubtful! SEGA is a Japanese based company, Sonic Team is a studio of a Japanese based company, and Phantasy Star Online is a game of a studio of a Japanese based company, which means it'd be silly not to celebrate the Japanese versions of the holidays in a Japanese game gone global! Sonic Team first produced Japanese Valentines Day and White Day celebrations for Phantasy Star Online in the SEGA Dreamcast version of the online RPG. Valentines Day was first added in to be seen during online play on 8th February - 14th February 2000! It wasnt until 2 years later that Sonic Team decided to celebrate White Day aswell in Japanese custom. In 2002, Valentines Day returned during 8th February - 14th February, this time accompanying White Day between 8th March - 14th March 2002. Players of the SEGA Dreamcast game obviously enjoyed seeing the festivities in their favourite game. That was however the last time they saw any such celebration and decoration for the events... on the SEGA Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II was then released on the major consoles, Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft Xbox, where the events were not forgotten. On the dates of 10th February - 17th February 2003, Valentines Day re-appeared in the new console version of the game online, with special lobby decorations, and a strange quest which has not since re-appeared on PSO this year. The quest starts off on Episode II, where the girl goes to buy the chocolate for the boy. The boy is of course seen watching over her in these pictures... he wouldnt want her to buy something he doesnt like now would he!! :p  
The chocolate bought from Gallon however is a bit dull, so why not try spicing it up a bit? To do that, there's only one person to see, and thats the co-incidentally well placed Photon Cook! Hand her the chocolate and she'll give it the extra love it needs for some real loooovve... but uh-oh, they've run out of the secret ingredient! Guess who's on the job to get it from CCA down on Ragol. Better look after you're loved one (Otherwise you wont get any chocolate, haha!). 
After you've found it, deliver it to the 'Photon Cook' and prepare to recieve the best chocolate ever made! Yum Yum!  
Also in the quest after finding the special ingredient, you are asked to link-up your GameBoy Advance for a special mini-game available for download during this time. They were the days! After Valentines Day came the welcomed return of White Day to the new console versions of PSO, Episodes I & II, between the dates of 8th March & 15th March 2003. This also came with a special quest which was missed out in 2004, only to make a surprised return this year (Available Now!). 'The Gift of the Governor-General' takes place in the Mines of Episode I, made especially for two players who maybe have some kind of love for one another ;) 
Being sent down to the Mines in search of 'The White Heart', its the job for you to look out for your partners back, as most of the quest see's you split apart from your partner, either seperated by walls, barriers, or platforms. Co-operation is the key, so look after your friend! That is the main aspect of White Day afterall, is it not?  
See in the images taken here by Sonic Team, how Sonic is doing his best to look after Amy on White Day, see? Why not have it hand-made? |
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On Valentines Day 2004, Sonic Team added the same quest as last year, including some all new Valentines Decorations for the lobbies, as you can see above in the images. Also an all new quest was added, where instead of buying the Chocolate from Ganon and then spicing it up, you could make it from scratch using the help of the 3 Narura Sisters on Episode I's Pioneer 2. 
Collect the tools, obtain the chocolate, and then complete certain tasks in a certain order to make the chocolate taste brilliant for your loved one. It was a female only quest, as the chocolate is of course for your male friend on Valentines Day, but wasnt exactly a test of your skill. "Excuse Me Sir... there's a Bee in my Bouquet" |
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White Day 2004 came with new Lobby Decorations, as you can see in the image above. Added alongside the decorations was the same quest as last year, again available for a limited time, for 2 very special hunters ;) The quest is of course 'The gift of the Governor-General'. Thats not all though, as Sonic Team also added a return quest to the 'Valentines Event' quest mentioned on Valentines Day entitled 'The White Day Event'. For male hunters to give after recieving the PSO handmade choaolate from their loved one, was a quest where you can make your own bouquet of flowers... oh, but its not as easy as the female chocolate making quest, oh no! 
Instead, you are to retrieve the flowers from Episode I's Caves, where many monsters indeed lurk, waiting to spring on you! 
Collect the 3 different flowers to make a wonderful bouquet of flowers for your loved one in White Day ^_^ This year... (That's 2005!) |
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This year, Valentines Day came to PSO from February 9th 2005, where all that was added for online play was the 'Valentines Day Event' quest which see's you make chocolate for your loved ones. White Day 2005 came this year with both 'The Gift of the Governor-General' quest and the 'White Day Event' quest as last year.  
In any case, whether you are Japanese or not, Sonic Team has brought the love of Valentines Day and White Day to us all, courtesy of our lovely home consoles. Lets hope Sonic Team keep the festivities going internationally for a while yet :D If you'd like to comment on this editions main article, then do it in our forums, in this particular Ragol.co.uk Forum Thread! Share your point of view with the world! Do you agree, dont you agree, DO post on our forums! - Cherry Tree Lobby Decorations (2004)
- White Day quests for Loving Hunters (2004)
- SEGA 'Thank You' Episode III Lightening Competition Quests (2004)
- First Download quest available for Episode II completers! (2004)
- Mopping Up with 2 new Quests for Gamecube (2003)
- Sonic Team asks for owners of illegitatimate items to drop it nicely! (2001)
| | The Ragol.co.uk Hunters Gazette |
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Credits February 25th 2005 Hunters Gazette Edition by: Lee-yoshi
Images: Lee-yoshi (Used from Sonic Team & Nuku.de)
© Ragol .co.uk |
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