There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during November 1st 2005 between the times of 14:00 & 17:00 (Japanese Time).

During this time please do not attempt to connect to the servers as if maintenance is happening on your corresponding servers at that time then you will be automatically disconnected after connecting. If you happen to be playing during these times please disconnect otherwise at the time when maintenance starts you will be disconnected from your game no matter what! You are given 10 minutes warning via. constant on-screen messages counting down until the time the upgrades start. This affects all players of the following Nintendo Gamecube games:

• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II
• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II Plus
• Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

Please reconnect after these times where service continues as normal. Unfortunately all the Hallowe'en celebrations, decorations, including the quest 'Pioneer Hallowe'en' are getting taken down. Hope you enjoyed them while you could, and be sure to make the most of it this one night because, tonight actually is hallowe'en! Happy hallowe'en folks ^_^

Phantasy Star Universe director and Sonic Team Producer Takao Miyoshi was recently interviewed by Kikizo Games about Phantasy Star Universe! (Surprise! lol)

The interview doesn't give that much away, although he does reveal some interesting insights into what's next for Phantasy Star. Aparently they're considering and would like to re-produce Universe for another Next Generation console, which console though is anyones guess, although there'd be good money on the Xbox360 with SEGA's love for the console so far!

Other interesting tidbits include concerns on the Soundtrack to PSU which uses not only the SEGA internal audio crew, but also the talents of external producers, which will no doubt be interesting to hear. Of course alike PSO, expect lot's of orchestral backing! The producing team also is still undecided about whether to setup a subscription (Hunters License) system for online play, ultimately leaving the decisions with SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe for the western versions of the game.

Universe will also not support PlayStation2 to Sony PSP connectivity, or Widescreen/Progressive Scan TV compatability.

Last but not least though, the most interesting news to hear is that the game aparently now has a tentative Japanese release date... 30th December 2005! Just after Christmas? that's crazy i hear you shout... But it's not final, and remember, PSO was only released a couple of days before Christmas, and look how big that is!

For the full interview, head on over to Kikizo Games by clicking right here!

Sonic Team of Japan, as always, have delivered yet even more information on what will be a blinding Phantasy Star Universe.

First of all in this set of updates, comes the last character that was yet to be revealed from the long list of characters that star in Phantasy Star Universe at sometime or another. He's now revealed as the man you see above, Kou Taragi. Although he looks more like a NPC then a playable character, he'll be helping Ethan along his journey in some form or another...

Pictured to the left is what the menu and Hunters statistic pages look like (In Japanese of course!) as you can see it has listed which weapons are currently equiped and their relative stats while the other menu's let you assign shortcuts and let you choose weapons through the menu pages.

Next comes a nice series of screenshots showing you the power of 'Photon Art'. If you aren't already aware, Photon Points are like a replacement to Phantasy Star Online's Technique Points (TP). They give you the ability to perform spells based on elements such as fire, ice and wind, and other special unique character techniques and moves.

The next big change you'll soon notice when you go to play Phantasy Star Universe online is the PSU equivilent i suppose of Symbol Chats... exciting named 'Cut-In Chat'! This feature lets you get your mugshot on the screen across the lobby/game for all to see as you make a announcement or just have something to maybe show off!

And finally, Sonic Team have released a few last screenshots of online 'Party' play, which is when you're actually playing the game, fighting through the area's, slaying the monsters, etc etc! If you weren't aware by now, the maximum amount of people allowed to play together at any one time is 6. Not a hugely impressive number after we were told to expect LOADS of people to be able to play together at the sametime compared to Phantasy Star Online, when infact, it's only 2 more... Sure, maybe the lobbies will see loads more people on the screens at anytime, but it's not the biggest improvement. Something to look forward to with Next-Gen Phantasy Star i hope!

As always, all of this information is available right now in our monster-sized article cunningly titled 'Phantasy Star Universe - Everything we know in all the Universe'.

Whether you're a trick or treater or a trick and treatee, there's something everyone would love to see turn up on their doorstop in Sonic Teams latest PSO competition! Information is now up on the English Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst website concerning the newly announced Hallowe'en Symbol Chat competition. Here's the lowdown:

1. Make a Hallowe'en orientated Symbol Chat icon using the in-game Symbol Chat editor (Not Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro! Lol)
2. Take a snapshot of it (Use your PrintScreen button on your keyboard) when it's in use.
3. E-Mail it to psobb@segaamerica.com and put 'HALLOWEEN SYMBOL CHAT CONTEST' in the Subject line.

The competition is open until 12th November 2005 when the closing time is 7:59am GMT (11th November 2005 at 11:59pm EST), and the three winners of the competition will walk away with one of these great prizes... or should that be, treats:

• One SEGA published video game from a set list!
• One Phantasy Star Universe Extra Large T-Shirt!
• Two Months English Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst Free Subscription!

For all the details and rules as laid out by 'PSO' HQ themselves, check out this webpage. Great prizes are on offer, so get your Symbol Chat on.

Fresh new updates have just arrived on the English version of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst:

• The Seat of the Heart - Episode II
• Battle Rule #5, #6, #7 & #8
• Pioneer Hallowe'en - Episode II

Also making it's appearance aparently will be a Hallowe'en themed Symbol Chat competition! You've seen the Japanese version of the competition which is taking place right now, well, now get involved yourself! More info soon, so watch the official English Blue Burst website for that information. Finally, the 'Reach for the Dream' Episode II quest is being taken offline so all of the chat control and keyboard issues everyone will have experienced with the quest can be fixed since it's still on international Gamecube settings!

That's not all though, they've also gone and released some tidbits on what you can expect next Thursday after Server Maintenance:

• Yahoo! Cup, Black Gear engraving will take place so your final ranking position will be forever held on your item!
• The 2x Rare Drop-Rate will come to a close - Make the most of the time now!

Good times are ahead, go find yourself a Hallo Rappy!

The voting polls are now open on the official Japanese Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst website (English) for the favourite Symbol Chat competition (GM Event). Each category as reported previously has 6 specially selected nominations, and it's your job to choose your favourite to help narrow down the search for the best Symbol Chat! Here's a few i thought were pretty creative:

Those creative Japanese eh?

Sonic Team of Japan have recently added more quests to the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst - Episode IV Expansion Pack. Would you like to know more, then read on, my friend!

• Mop-Up Operation #1 & Mop-Up Operation #2 - Episode IV

It's time to clean up, Episode IV stylee! The popular Annihilation quests make their debut on Episode IV and the crater zones of Ragol. The 32nd unit of the WORKS squad have called in for extra help to rid all the monsters from around and inside the crater, but there also comes a time limit, so hurry!

Coming back from an Instant Chat that was just held over on the official English Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst website/forums, it's now aparently been confirmed that the 'Seat of the Heart' Quest will be accompanying the other new releases hitting Blue Burst this upcoming week. Hunting skills at the ready people...

Another Fortnight... Come on, surely you can guess what time it is... it's... Hammer Time! Woooaaahhh wooooaaahhhh *Waves hands* Oh, sorry, my mistake, it's time for the Hunters Gazette!

This fortnight i've surfed through the worlds offerings and look what i've found... yes that's right, more Phantasy Star Online goodness that I, and probabily many of you, ever knew about! Following PSO's hugely successful launch in December, 2000, Sonic Team & SEGA would have been fools not to give the audience more Phantasy Star goodness... and they did just that in the form of reading material. Books, Magazines, and way too many strategy guides for one game! Come inside this brief but informing edition of Ragol.co.uk's Hunters Gazette to see what we've missed out on by being, well English! Rare Artwork, Comic Laughables, & Pioneer 3? Click this way...

 Hunters Gazette - Phantasy Star Online: Coming Soon to a Bookstore... Not Near You!

Click Here to go the the Hunters Gazette

Also if you came here this week looking for entry details and all the information regarding our newly announced Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst Battle Tournament, i'm afraid we've decided to hold the competition back until christmas. But do not despair, we're planning one hell of a Xmas Phantasy Star Online party to go with it all... It's for the best, trust me.

Sonic Team of Japan have once again added yet more great looking, and PlayStation2 pushing screenshots from Phantasy Star Universe. This time around, the screenshots focus more on the characters, as you'll notice these are all taken directly from in-game FMV sequences which look to use the game engine and not created specially for movie playback. View down below for screens following Ethan, Hyuga, Leo, Tonnio, Lou, and Ragol.co.uk favourite Karen! Click to Enlarge the images.

Ragol.co.uk forumer Jonathan_F has posted in our forums after recently going along to the Digital Life Expo, where SEGA showcased upcoming games, such as Phantasy Star Universe, in none other then the big apple, New York City, last weekend!

However, a personal meeting between himself and with SEGA representitive and familiar face from the English SEGA Blue Burst forums clumsyorchid revealed that after posting all the recent updates you can expect between now and christmas, the quest 'Pioneer Hallowe'en' will infact be making it's way to the PC alongside the Hallowe'en Lobby Decorations between 26th October & 26th November 2005. Good news for Blue Bursters afterall this season! ^_^

We recently held a poll with a little bit of a difference! What were we asking for your votes on? Well, we simply asked who you think is more Pixel Perfect from what we've seen so far of Phantasy Star Universe. So who did you want to see more of?

• Who's For You?
  • Mirei Mikuna
    10.3% (16 Votes)
  • Maya Shidow
    14.9% (23 Votes)
  • Hal
    34.4% (53 Votes)
  • Karen Erra
    40.2% (62 Votes)

With a storming lead, Ethan's Mentor, Karen Erra won you all over taking out the rest while they were bending over and picking up the scraps and remainder of their votes. Funnyily enough, out of them all, you'll most likely be using/playing alongside Karen the most through Universe, so there's something to look forward to eh? Pixel Perfection!

This time we want your votes and opinions on a little upcoming PSO competition we're considering holding. Not the Blue Burst competition that we recently announced, but another we hope to hold before the year is over. So... The first part of the vote is on which version of Phantasy Star Online you'd like to see a future Ragol.co.uk competition held on? Even though the SEGA Dreamcast servers are offline now (To the best of my knowledge anyways... the official servers that is), you can choose pratically any version of PSO, except the Windows release, mainly because it's just silly now with all the illegal activity.

Part two of the vote comes soon following on from this vote, and in the meanwhile if you'd like to discuss it, post freely in this Ragol.co.uk forum thread. On the other hand, the Blue Burst Battle Tournament opens up for entries this friday, with details revealed within this fortnights Hunters Gazette.

Sonic Team of Japan today bring us new images of what the C.O.G.'s towns may look like.

If you're not familiar with the C.O.G., then the type of people you can expect to encounter around these parts are the likes of Mirei Mikuna, Dohgi Mikuna, & Izuma Rutsu (Look them up using this article!).

As you can see, the village is a pretty much tranquil place that has been preserved well by it's inhabitants.

That's all i can give you though in terms of information with everything being in Japanese though, so look forward to some more information soon when English previews start coming our way.

Finally, the update listings for between now and chrimbo are here for the English version of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst. Feel like you're being cheated out of some gameplay? Well chances are you'll be feeling it in the run upto xmas on Blue Burst:

• 26th October - 26th November
• Hallowe'en Lobby Decorations
• 12th October
• Challenge Mode, Stages 6 - 9 - Episode I
• Labyrinthine Trial 1 [QUEST] - Episode I 
• 28th October
• Battle Stages 5 - 8 - Episode I
• 11th November
• Control Tower: East & West [QUEST] - Episode II
• New Team Purchase [TEAM QUEST] - Episode IV
• 9th December
• Challenge Mode, Stages 1 - 5 - Episode II
• Phantasmal World #3 & #4 [QUEST] - Episode II
• 23rd December
• Towards the Future [QUEST] - Episode I

Still missing a few things mind - It's a shame we don't get Episode IV's Maximum Attack 3 to celebrate the Japanese 5 year anniversary of Phantasy Star Online, so maybe that's something we'll have to look forward too when Sonic Team wish to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of the games American/European release next year. Also funnyily enough no Christmas Lobby Decorations announced, although i'm sure they'll be added in again when the time gets closer. I also note there's no mention of the Pioneer Hallowe'en Quest/Pioneer Christmas Quest - Just aswell they've put them onto the consoles for us to enjoy instead i guess. Ah well, on the more pleasing note, it's nice to see lots more Challenge Mode, the Control Tower quests make an impact on the schedule, aswell as what will definately be treated as an early Christmas pressie, Towards the Future! Happy Hunting.

Digital-Life, "The Ultimate Consumer Technology & Entertainment Event" hits New York City's Javits Convention Center between October 14th & October 16th 2005, and among the lists of exhibitors is none other then SEGA. Aparently, they'll be at the event showcasing loads of their new and unreleased games, including Phantasy Star Universe, which you'll be able to play!

If you go along to Booth 1171 (The SEGA Booth!), you'll be able to go hands on with many of SEGA's titles including:

• Phantasy Star Universe
• Sonic Riders
• Shadow the Hedgehog
• Spartan: Total Warrior
• Virtua Tennis: World Tour
• Sonic Rush
• Full Auto
• Condemned: Criminal Origins

Tickets for the events are on sale now online and cost under $20 each, and are open to anyone! For more information, head over to DigitalLife.com.

Ragol.co.uk - The Foremost Phantasy Star Online Resource - Today announces an all new Battle Tournament that you knew would be appearing sometime. Well, that sometime, is now!

Details at this time are unknown and still in production stages, but all the details including dates, rules, and entry details will be revealed in the next edition of the Ragol.co.uk Hunters Gazette.

In the meanwhile, let us know what you think and your thoughts as we enter and tease you with just what is in store this winter by using our forums.

Ragol.co.uk Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst Battle Tournament... Only One Will Survive...

Trick... or Treat? Sonic Team of Japan today announce that Japanese Blue Bursters are getting... Treats! Not candy bars and caramel apples though i'm afraid.

• Pioneer Hallowe'en
• Episode II

Pioneer Hallowe'en comes to Blue Burst as you travel around the neighbourhood on Pioneer 2 dressed up as spooooky RAcasts and scaaaary FOmars knocking on peoples doors scaring people into giving you treats! However, what's good about this quest is that if some people refuse to answer their doors or give you sweeties, you can use the special limited time attack entitled "Egg Lob". Just don't get caught by the principal.

Of course, i'm joking, that's not what this quest is about, as the screenshots kinda give away, although it is still candy related. Travel the scenes of Episode II, and see if you can find the missing cakes! This quest is playable for between 1 & 4 players.

• Hallowe'en Decorations
• All lobbies!

All the lobbies are being spookinated with the transmission of special Hallowe'en lobby decorations spread across the servers. Look out for giant Pumpkins and CrAzY music! Both the decorations and Quest are available for a limited time though, being around between 11th October & 1st November - So make the most of it while you can! Happy Hallowe'ening.

Sonic Team of Japan have announced yet more events coming to the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst, as a new GM event rises not long after the PSOBBQ we posted about not so long ago!

This time, Sonic Team want to see your best Symbol Chat's!

The best Symbol Chat Bubbles that qualify in each of the below categories win special prizes:

• PSO Symbol Chat
• Best PSO Related Symbol Chat
• It's Lovely ^_^
• Best and "Lovliest" Symbol Chat
• Laughing Symbol Chat!
• Best and Funniest Symbol Chat

To stand a chance of winning a prize, you have to qualify and finish within one of the following places:

• First Place (Bestest Prize!)
• 3 chances to win within each category
• Second Place (Best Prize)
• 6 chances to win within each category
• Third Place (Special Prize)
• 9 chances to win within each category

If you play the Japanese version of Blue Burst, you can enter by sending a screenshot of your Symbol Chat to Sonic Team of Japan through the JP Blue Burst website (http://psobb.jp) between the dates of 11th October - 25th October. Then between 27th October and 1st November, polls go up on the website for people to vote for their favourites! Winners are then announced on 7th November. Should be fun!

Sonic Team of Japan have today posted about what they intend to do to celebrate one huge anniversary... can you guess what it is?

That's right! 21st December 2005 marks the 5th birthday of Phantasy Star Online making its debut on the same day in the year 2000 on the SEGA Dreamcast over in Japan.

Well to mark the occasion, Sonic Team of Japan have announced that at the end of November, they will release the Episode IV Blue Burst Expansion Pack free of charge for download from their website (While we've had it free all along actually!)... But that's not all, oh no! Throughout December, they'll be holding one ALL NEW competition.

You may be able to guess what the Quest will be, that's right, it's Maximum Attack... but this time, we're on Stage 3!

Maximum Attack 3 takes place through various stages of Episode IV as the main aim stays the same... slay 'til you can slay no more! Special prizes will be in-store for the winners of various different categories as listings are automatically updated on the official Blue Burst website, just as you'd come to expect. The prizes? Well knowing the Japanese, they'll probabily be able to win some amazing limited edition PSO goodies since this is all in aid of marking the games 5th anniversary and all! Saying this though, the competition this time is sponsered by Japanese Hunters License supporters 'Net Cash' so there's no doubtedly something going on there too!

However, like i said, this is for those lucky players of the Japanese versions of Blue Burst only though. Although with this being a special birthday treat, surely there's something in line for us English lovers of PSO and players of Blue Burst? We'll let you know when we get some words!

Many thanks to Ragol.co.uk Forumer AERO who recieved word of MA3 straight from the horses mouth... well Sonic Team's mouth anyway!

Coming a little later then originally scheduled (Mainly because i had to write the whole thing out again, after being so prepared... f**king computers), this fortnights Hunters Gazette is here on Ragol.co.uk!

This fortnight, i go into quite an interesting point as to why we (As in Western - European & American - Gamers) will never get the same game playing experience as the Gamers in Japan get from the true Phantasy Star Online experience. They get amazing competitions with lots of different interactive input... We get an easily predictable competition with no real point! They get mp3 players and bikes... We get free downloadable wallpapers. Then again, we don't like PSO! We're not Eastern Gamers!

 Hunters Gazette - Why we'll never get it as good as Japan!

Click Here to go the the Hunters Gazette

When you've read the article, why not post about your thoughts in our forums! Don't forget, Chao's inside too... and he wants a SEGA iDog... -_-

There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during October 11th 2005 between the times of 14:00 & 17:00 (Japanese Time).

During this time please do not attempt to connect to the servers as if maintenance is happening on your corresponding servers at that time then you will be automatically disconnected after connecting. If you happen to be playing during these times please disconnect otherwise at the time when maintenance starts you will be disconnected from your game no matter what! You are given 10 minutes warning via. constant on-screen messages counting down until the time the upgrades start. This affects all players of the following Nintendo Gamecube games:

• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II
• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II Plus
• Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

Please reconnect after these times where service continues as normal. You betcha, more Gamecube additions so soon? Honestly, it's like buses around here! You wait for one, and then millions come at once!

Being added are Hallowe'en decorations to all the lobbies! But as if that wasn't enough, amazingly there's also a Quest transmission too! That's right, sppoky times can only mean one thing... spooky quests! Pioneer Hallowe'en is being added to Episode II, playable for 1 - 4 players online! The Quest will only be available for a limited time though, with the quest (And probabily the decorations) coming down November 1st (Server Maintenance TBA), so get hunting quick! If you need help with the quest, why not also check out our Guide on the event by clicking here.

Sonic Team of Japan work as hard as ever to constantly bring something new to the table that will make you "oooooh" and "aaaaaah" with Phantasy Star Universe, and today they do that in 3 simple snapshots, 3 snapshots of the 3 worlds that you'll be wandering and roaming throughout the games duration, and after seeing these, you'll appreciate the jump in graphics the Phantasy Star series has taken from back in the good ol' days!

• Moatoob

• Neudriz

• Parum

It's aparently been around for a while now, but i think i'm safe to say that if you weren't around in Japan at the time, you wouldn't know about this amazing looking... animal type of thing that's brought to you by SEGA Toys Japan! An animal that listens to your music when you do, and then dances to it... something you probabily don't do all the time! Amazingly known as the iDog (How do they come up with it?), you can plug your dog upto some music from your Mp3 Player/iPod and it'll dance, nod it head, waggle its ears and tail, and dance like you could only wish! It also lights up and displays loads of different light sequences in time to the beats of the music.

If ever there was a reason as to why SEGA never made a Dreamcast 2... well this has to be it! I mean look at it, not only is he much greater in design, but he loves the Phantasy Star Online soundtrack as much as the next person! Dreamcast? Pffft, i want an iDog! At only 4,000 Yen, it's a bargain!

Nintendo of Japan have today been holding a massive press conference where the highlights of the day come in the form of details concerning the Nintendo DS' Wi-Fi Online System which is due to launch in a few weeks time!

To take your Nintendo DS online, you'll need to do so in one of the ways set out below:

• Adapt an existing Wi-Fi Router is you use one for your home computers internet networks using the Nintendo DS' details.
• Buy a Nintendo DS USB Wi-Fi Adapter that plugs into a spare USB port of any computer and shares the internet connection it has with your Nintendo DS console wirelessly. In Europe these will cost £30 or €55.
• Take your Nintendo DS upto any of Nintendo's specially installed Wireless Access Points (Of which upto 1000 are to be ready for Japanese launch! Europe TBA - Expect many in retail stores)
• Take your Nintendo DS upto a 'FreeSpot' Access Point (Japan only - Another 3000 already installed!)

Which ever way you do it, to play Nintendo's Nintendo DS games online won't set you back a penny, as it's a completely free service. 3rd party publishers however MAY decide to charge an online gameplay fee, but it's a their discretion only (E.g. Tony Hawks Pro Skater: American Wastelands Publisher is Activision and not Nintendo).

While i'm here though i may aswell talk online games, and while the only certain games that are currently announced to support the Nintendo DS' Online gameplay is Animal Crossing: Wild Worlds (Japanese Release Date: November 23rd, Europe: TBA 2006), Mario Kart DS (Japanese Release Date: December 8th, European Release Date: DELAYED 25th November), and Tony Hawks: AW (European Release Date: 28th October), an interview with Sonic Team's main man Yuji Naka revealed that Sonic Rush will also use the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi service! Unfortunately you won't be able to play against one another online, but the Wi-Fi service will cross over with the Nintendo DS' Download Play to allow Sonic Team to hold official competitions which will be downloadable! While SEGA announced that they'd be supporting the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Online System at E3 earlier this year, lets hope that's not the only thing they have planned to use the online play.

Robbie Bach - Chief Xbox Officer for Microsoft - was recently interviewed by Japanese Gaming Goodness Famitsu about the Xbox360's Xbox Live expectations. On the subject of any new MMORPG's, Bach stated that after Final Fantasy XI, which will soon undergo a huge BETA test which it's believed (But not confirmed) that anyone with an Xbox360 & HDD can BETA test, there would be no new Xbox360 MMORPG's in the launch window until at least 2 or 3 years into the systems life due to "the logistics of setting up a new service". Whether or not this means that no-one will be seeing any Phantasy Star title on the Xbox360 for a couple of years at least or not depends on your definition of an MMORPG and whether or not you'd class Phantasy Star into that category of games. Then again, this statement makes us believe that Microsoft are controlling everything to do with Xbox360 Live Online play, where as we all know SEGA for making their own servers for people to play on. So who knows if this is relevant or not, but i think that he at least knows that there isn't a Phantasy Star game in development for the Xbox360 at the moment, otherwise it would have surely been stated here...

There will be games ratings maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online login servers during October 5th 2005 between the times of 18:00 & 19:30 and October 6th between the times of 05:30 & 06:30 (Japanese Time).

During this time please do not attempt to connect to the servers as if ratings maintenance is happening on your corresponding servers at that time then you will not be able to login and be automatically disconnected after connecting. If you happen to be playing during these times please disconnect otherwise at the time when maintenance starts you may be disconnected from your game no matter what! You are given 10 minutes warning via. constant on-screen messages counting down until the time the maintenance starts if this is the case. This affects all players of the following Nintendo Gamecube games:

• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II
• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II Plus
• Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

Please reconnect after these times where service continues as normal. Also note this may only apply to the Japanese servers, but chances are during these times you will not be able to access the Japanese servers while ratings maintenance is being conducted. Should it also apply to anyone here, the Japanese Hunters License purchasing system will be unavailable between October 5th (16:00) & October 6th (07:00) Japanese time. Nothing is being added or taken offline from any region of online gameplay.

Hard at work as ever on Ragol.co.uk, there's some great new videos we've recently added to our Downloads Page!

Firstly, i'd like to apologise for anyone who's tried to download the Tokyo Games Show 2005 Phantasy Star Universe Video from the page but wasn't able too because of a broken link, should be all fixed now! Secondly, new video's available for download come in the form of Episode IV's Introduction which you don't see in the English version of the game, and Gameplay Footage from Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst, Episode IV Expansion Pack (Japanese). The other video that's up for download comes after Ragol.co.uk Forumer K_I_R_E_E_K tells us we don't actually have any footage of Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II on our site! Shocking as it is, there is now! By downloading this video, you can watch over me playing through Episode II's Seaside stage, Episode II's Battle Rule #6, and Episode I's Adventure Quest, 'The Fake in Yellow' in which i find an amazing 2 'Rare' items in the same run!

Enjoy! ^_^

We've changed our polls again! But before we analyse the new question we'd love to hear your opinions on, lets look at what you previously told us...

• Where Next for Phantasy Star?
  • NintendoDS
    19.8% (64 Votes)
  • SonyPSP
    4.6% (15 Votes)
  • Xbox360
    13.6% (44 Votes)
  • PlayStation3
    7.4% (24 Votes)
  • Nintendo Revolution
    34.4% (111 Votes)
  • Keep it on the PC!
    13.9% (45 Votes)
  • DIE PHANTASY STAR, DIE!!
    5.9% (19 Votes)

Computer & Video Games 'Golden Joystick Awards 2005' are almost upon us, as voting is now open for you to pick your favourite games of 2005! The UK industry shaking award ceremony takes place on November 4th 2005, where this year comedian Jimmy Carr (Pictured) announces each categories winner in the very fancy London Hilton Hotel.

Amongst all 17 categories, Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst has been nominated for the The Sun Online Online Game of the Year award, competing against other BIG time online games such as World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Star Wars Galaxies, & Eve Online... So little chance of an award there i think you'll agree! That's it as far as nominations for Phantasy Star go this year though, so make sure you get your vote in on time before they close!

Other categories you can vote in are: PlayStation2 Game of the Year, Gamecube Game of the Year, Xbox Game of the Year, Handheld Game of the Year, PC Game of the Year, Film-Based Game of the Year, Game Soundtrack of 2005, Publisher of the Year, Retailer of the Year, Game One Innovation of 2005, The One to Watch 2005, The Sun One to Watch 2005, The One to Watch for Xmas 2005, The Sun One to Watch for Xmas 2005, Nuts Ultimate Game of the Year, Gaming Hero of 2005, Gaming Villain of 2005, and The Girls Choice for 2005.