[Last Updated 2nd July 2004]

It is a special time for Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst. On May 21st the game will start it's official BETA testing in Japan, meanwhile July 5th is the end of the BETA test, for the games full working release on July 8th!

People who have got a copy of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst already can register their copy from today. Also in celebration of this, they have redesigned the first page of the website (English). On this page you'll find regular news updates, aswell as greetings from the games producer Sonic Teams 'Good Fortune' Takao (In a rough translation):

"Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst today began the first stage in it's open ß testing on May 21st."

"With the open ß test the participants are widely collected, which we think that from only many will play "PSO BB". It will receive opinions, and would like to actualize a better game and game management."

"'PSO BB' for the first time retains the games data on a server, and also introduces the "Game Master" management. We would like you to think the present PSO series starts differently. We think you'll enjoy 'PSO BB' with future additions such as the new enemy and map, aswell as items and other future updates we will add by participating in the propriety latest open ß test."

"We wait from everyones support of the game, and your help in constructing a rich gaming world."

How to play and BETA test Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst:

First things first, you will have to meet the following requirements which are as follows:

	Required	Recommended
Operating System	PC/AT compatible machine Operating on: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Japanese edition.	PC/AT compatible machine operating on: Windows XP Japanese Edition
CPU	Pentium III (700MHz) and Higher	Pentium 4 (1.4GHz) and Higher
Memory	128MB and Above	256MB and Above
Graphics Board	Direct 3D corresponding VRAM (32MB) NVIDIA GeForce3 & ATI RADEON 8500 or more	Direct 3D corresponding VRAM (64MB) NVIDIA GeForce3 & ATI RADEON 8500 or more
Sound Board	DirectSound Compatible	DirectSound Compatible
Direct X	Direct X 9.0b (Bundled with CD-ROM)	Direct X 9.0b (Bundled with CD-ROM)
Hard Disk Drive	1.3GB & More	1.3GB & More
Network Conection	Environmental effective line speed of 256Kbps and higher to the Internet.	Environmental effective line speed of 256Kbps and higher to the Internet.

If you meet these (Japanese Players only obviously) then here's how to gain the actual game:

• Grab the June issue of Dorimaga Magazine (On Sale May 21st)
• Grab the July issue of TECHWIN Magazine (On Sale June 8th)
• Download from the Blue Burst Website (Special Location - See Below)

After doing this then register your game by going to https://ipas.isao.net/signup_pso/psobb/top.html (English). At this site after registering you can also change your User Password or account details. You must not forget your account details otherwise you'll have to start again from scratch!

Free Download: For those of you who are wishing for a date of this free download, the time is now! On June 1st 2004, the Free Clientless Download is available for Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst from the BitWay Corporation website (English) (Warning: Website also contains concealed adult material. This may be offensive to some users.). Links will also be available no doubtedly from the official Blue Burst website (English).

There is also a direct link below. Simple click & download! Scroll down to the bottom of this article for the link & installation instructions. However, BETA testing will end on July 5th, and Game ID Registration has now ended, so thus no more new BETA testers will be allowed entry to the world of Blue Burst.

Rates of Play: These rates below are the official rates given by Sonic Team for the purchasing of a Hunters License to play Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst online when released.

• Online Play Free for 15 Days, or...
• Online Play Free until Level 20 is reached
• 1,200 Yen per 30 Days (Excluding Tax)
• 1,260 Yen per 30 Days (Including Tax)
• 1,000 Yen for Automatic Operation Continuation (Excluding Tax)
• 1,050 Yen for Automatic Operation Continuation (Including Tax)

Automatic Operation Continuation i am assuming is similar to the UK's Direct Debit scheme whereby they automatically take money out after the Hunters License has ended and automatically start another at the sametime.

How to Pay: Yes here's the horrible bit! Now the price's are over and dealt with, you must know how to pay. Either of the following below mentioned methods are how you can donate your hard earnt dough to Sonic Team:

• Credit Card
• WebMoney

To buy your Hunters License, you go to the Game registration page as linked to above just underneath the Hardware Requirements section.

Official Release of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst

For those who are not into BETA testing but seriously do want to play the game when it's officially released, the game has been chosen to get a full Japanese nationwide release on 15th July 2004.

The game's cover art has already been produced, so on that date, look for the game in a DVD Casing with the cover art pictured (Left) which will be available in all games retailers in Japan. The game will be availavle for the prices shown below:

• 1,980 Yen (Excluding Tax)
• 2,079 Yen (Including Tax)

At this time the game will also come packaged with Instructions Manual, and a 30 Day Utilization Right (First 30 Days Free). The game is a Network RPG game and can only be played online. There is no offline mode. Also the PC that the game's being installed on must meet the Hardware Requirements of those above.

What will Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst BETA Tester's be able to play from May 21st?

You'll be able to access a few Japanese exclusive servers and play on various stages through the game!

• One game stage similar from Episodes I & II
• Two difficulty settings for the game (Normal/Hard)
• Governor-general prefecture quest*
• Laboratory quest*

What does Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst have that i've never seen before?

Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst has many features that are new. First off you'll notice the game is pretty similar in terms of levels and characters, etc. to previous console 'Phantasy Star Online', 'Version 1 & 2' and 'Episodes I & II' games. But here's what you won't have seen from these games that make this one unique:

Server Saving:

This time around SEGA claims this version of PSO won't allow cheating and hacking in anyway. This means no illegitimately claimed items and weapons, no cheat coding, nothing! All your characters are saved online in SEGA of Japan's Blue Burst servers. Since this game is only playable online, you will have to download your characters from the server each time you play.

Your character will be saved to your registered acount which you made when registering your copy of Blue Burst here. Only by accessing your account can you get your characters back. That's why it's essential you don't forget your Password and User ID!

In-Game Moderators and Staff:

Also in the game will be Moderators to keep an eye on things! To the side you'll find 'The Guardian' who is pratically the main man behind all operations. Any problems ask him. There are also other Moderators which can be seen on this webpage (English). When a Moderator asks for the members co-operation in something, they must comply as fast as possible. Ignorance will not be tolerated and may result in the users account becoming de-activated.

Quick Menu:

The quick menu has been adjusted to hold enough for anyone! Users can simply choose the spell/item to use from a quick scrolling list which appears at the bottom of the screen, or from the Shortcut panel on the bottom right of the screen which you will have seen from playing PSO, Version 1 & 2.

Team Game:

As stated in that message, there is a new 'Team Game' styled theme to the game.

This mode consists of a 'Master', a 'Leader', and 'Common' Players.

Master: This is the person who manages the team. This could include the 'personal affairs', selecting the 'Leader' of the team, and can access the special 'Master' Menu. The first person to join any game is the Master. This is represented ingame by the player having their name in Red. The special 'Master' Menu allows you to do any of the following things:

• Member Promotion (Promotes a 'Common' member to 'Leader')
• Member Demotion (Demotes a 'Leader' member to 'Common')
• Member Dropping (Makes the member leave the game)
• Master Authority Transfer (Upgrades a Leader's status to the 'Master')
• Team Dispersion (Splits up the team)
• Benefit Purchasing (Allows you to purchase private team benefits using team points) [See Below]
• Team Flag Registration (Registers the Team Flags Data) [See Below]

Leader: The 'Leader' of the game is selected by the 'Master'. Special commands can be accessed, which can help assist the 'Master' of the game. This is represented ingame by the player having their name in Blue.

Common: These are just ordinary players who have no special features in the game, but play along-side as normal. The fact you belong to a team is praticaly a good enough reason for anything! This status level is represented ingame by the player having their name in the white default colour.

Anyone can leave a team at anytime by going upto the Information Counter in the lobbies and selecting 'Secede from Team'.

Team Play: While the game is being used there is many special modes for ‘Teams’. These are thought to be similar to clans. Using the system described above, with one Master, a Leader, and upto 2 common members in one game, there is also a way to register your ‘Team/Clan’ online. The clan consists of one Master (The person who registers the Team/Clan), and then one or more leaders depending on the amount of common members also registered in the Team/Clan.

The system works as below:

• 10 Common Members = 2 Leader’s (Max.)
• 20 Common Members = 3 Leader’s (Max.)
• 40 Common Members = 5 Leader’s (Max.)
• 70 Common Members = 8 Leader’s (Max.)
• 100 Common Members = 10 Leader’s (Max.)

League's

Gaining places in the League Table depends on how you are at contests. The higher up you are in the League table, the more points the team earns to spend on the ‘Team’s Private Benefit’. Below is the Ranking to Bonus Points system.