Everything seems to be going on these days around Sonic Team of Japan HQ with the Phantasy Star Universe BETA test in full swing at the moment, but if you're not involed, you may be happy to hear that today the english version of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst has been updated with 2 new Episode IV quests!

• War of Limits 3
• War of Limits 4

These quests take place through the desert area of Episode IV (Upper Desert & Lower Desert respectively). What are you waiting for? Happy Hunting!

Today Nintendo of America have announced a new name for the Nintendo Revolution! It seems it won't be called the Revolution after all, but instead... it'll be known as the Nintendo Wii - Pronounced 'Wee', as in, i need a wee, or as Nintendo put it, 'we', as in a multiple amount of people using the console at the sametime (I.e. multiplayer gaming).

I can't really say anymore then that as personally i think gaming website Computer&VideoGames.com has put it in the best words possible:

"If it wasn't for the fact that we just recieved official confirmation from Nintendo itself - along with a brand new video demonstrating the console's final logo - we'd probably think the whole thing was a joke.

So, while you sit there in dumbfounded belief - contemplating whether you'll still be desperate for a Wii in the corner of your room come November - why not check out the video and read the tiny bit of explanatory gumph that arrived alongside the press release."

What are they talking about? The whole thing can now be seen online by visiting http://revolution.nintendo.com/

At least they've still got the games part right...

What do you think to the name? Post in our forums!

Sonic Team of Japan are once again bulking up the Phantasy Star Universe Closed BETA with extras! From today, here's what BETA testers can look forward to testing:

• Sleeping in the Ruins
• Parum

This quest is available from the grassy plains camping base counter and is playable for between 1 & 6 players.

• The Clothing Shop
• Guardians Colony

The clothes shop is now open for all your shopping needs! Feel your jacket is a little bit blood stained for any leading stain remover to remove? Better get a new one then! All clothes when purchased are sent straight to your room's wardrobe for safe keeping.

• The Synthetic Shop
• Guardians Colony

You can now also buy 'synthetics' (Potions, etc) and parts for your loyal Partner Machinery! (MAGs) Just think how much they'll love you now - You'll have the coolest partner in the Universe!

• New Weapons Available! - Weapon Shop
• Guardians Colony

From today hunters across the galaxy can now buy into:

• Twin Sabers
• Twin Daggers
• Machine Guns
• Twin Handguns

There's much to go to the Universe for now... unless you're not BETA testing of course... *sigh*

SEGA America & SEGA of Europe have today launched their very own Road to E3 2006, a road that plans to take gamers down their very own virtual path to the worlds greatest video gaming exhibiton which takes place between 10th & 12th May 2006.

Starting tommorrow, SEGA will be unvieling some all new games that people can look forward to hearing more about during the Electronic Entertainment Expo!

-From the Press Release:

SEGA has recently taken numerous steps to reaffirming its place as a leading publisher and developer of next-generation entertainment software. The acquisition of cutting-edge developers - The Creative Assembly, Secret Level and Sports Interactive - shows SEGA's support of next-generation development. SEGA's support of Nintendo's upcoming Virtual Console on the Nintendo Revolution system opens the door for younger gamers to experience SEGA's library of classic games.

"Recent additions to our organization in the form of strong developers have expanded upon SEGA's next-gen development prowess," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "Our 2006 E3 line-up clearly shows that SEGA's commitment to challenging creative and technological boundaries has never been stronger."

Incase you're off to E3 this year (B*****ds!), SEGA's booth can be located in the South Hall, in a spot named #946, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Wonder what'll be announced... hmm...

Totally bummed out because Sonic Team of Japan have sent out loads of E-Mails to tell people they've made it to Phantasy Star Universe's Closed BETA test and you haven't? Well fear not as they're sending out another 6,000 today! If you don't get in this time, i'm afraid you won't be BETA testing this time :(

However, if you've been in line to download the PSU file and client, then be prepared to wait a while as (Not surprisingly) the servers are red hot with congestion that's busier then the M6 at rush hour!

Incase you weren't excited enough about Phantasy Star Universe at the moment, we're going to make you excited about what's easily going to be the game of the year when it's released this Autumn.

How are we going to do that? We've got some new trailers for you (If you haven't seen them elsewhere already). You can either click on them below or find them in our Downloads page alongside other Universe downloads which are available right now for you to take home with you, including other Universe video's, wallpapers, the PSU screensaver, and more.

• Battles

This video compilation shows you gameplay footage taken from many battle scenes of Phantasy Star Universe. Be sure to keep a look out for the many wierd bosses and enemies you will be encountering throughout the game! Freaky!

Click Here to Download [6.53Mb, .wmv file]

• Network Play

This video was first seen at the Tokyo Games Show of 2005 and shows off many aspects of the online gameplay within Phantasy Star Universe including the new Character Creation system, lobby chat and 'shout' function, and the 'My Room' feature, which also includes a tiny bit of footage regarding the PSU equivilent of PSO's MAG's - The Partner Machinery.

Click Here to Download [9.28Mb, .wmv file]

• Worlds

This video shows you various locations through Phantasy Star Universe including the Guardians Colony, Parum, Neudriz, Moatoob, and also shows you scene's of how the S.E.E.D. have invaded the space which used to be once a tranquil and peaceful system!

Click Here to Download [11.4Mb, .wmv file]

• Phantasy Star Universe Showcase

This HUGE compilation shows you everything you needed to know about Phantasy Star Universe in one big trailer, including the characters themselves, in a large video file, also including the Japanese Trailer for Universe.

Click Here to Download [50.1Mb, .wmv file]

If that doesn't wet your appetite, then why not try our stupidly large Phantasy Star Universe article - Detailing the game from A - Z. Click Here for it all!

If you do know it all and want to vent your anger at the non-english BETAness, then why not try our forums? Here would be a good place to start!

It's all so exciting isn't it?

Sonic Team of Japan announce (A little after SEGA of Europe & SEGA America) that Phantasy Star Universe will be making it's way to the Xbox360 console. However, the release date may not be exactly the same afterall... And with that also comes the price... Not really surprising since most new Xbox360 games get released at a much higher RRP of around £49.99 - A shocking price to have to pay if they release it on the PC at around £29.99, about the main RRP for most new PC games!

Bummed about entering the Phantasy Star Universe closed BETA test in Japan and not getting picked to play? Well maybe you'll be chosen to enter now as another 2,000 players are sent the PSU BETA client!

Also to make sure there's enough room for the 4,000 possible players (And why wouldn't there be any less then the maximum amount of BETA testers online at the moment?), Sonic Team announce the opening of another Server especially for the test period. Fan-freakin'-tastic!

Just a slip of interesting news here quickly.

If you're a European or Japanese resident, then you are still able to play in the greatness of Phantasy Star Online & Phantasy Star Online, Version 2 online for the SEGA Dreamcast using Sonic Team's official servers. However, from 20th May 2006, Sonic Team of Japan are altering the Hunters License system for the platform so that... you don't need one! Yep, that's right - From 20th May, Phantasy Star Online for the SEGA Dreamcast will be free to play, making it the first free PSO game to play online - It only took 6 years eh? :p

The announcement was declared for the Japanese version of PSO, so maybe it's got something to do with the fact that Universe is now out too? It's good to know that if you wait long enough, the servers will still be around and free to play on anyways wouldn't you say!

The closed BETA test for Phantasy Star Universe has well and truely kicked off, and just 2 days in, Sonic Team of Japan have launched 4 great missions for testers to get started with:

• Firm Plant Recapture
• Guardians Colony

This quest is available from the City Line Relay Terminal and is playable for 1 - 6 players.

• The Line of Communication Breaking
• Guardians Colony

This quest is available from the 'Karaizu City Line' and is playable for 1 - 6 players.

• The Head of the Grassy Plain
• Parum

This quest is available from the Grassy Plain's Camp and is playable for between 1 & 6 players.

• The Down-sizing of Primeval Creatures
• Parum

This quest is available from the flier base and is playable for 1 - 6 players.

For the start of the BETA test there is also a restriction on the places you can enter. Players should note that the following places cannot be entered:

• Synthetic Shop
• Clothes Shop
• Parts Shop

Don't worry, they'll be opened soon enough! Isn't it enough that you're just playing the dam game! Tsch... some people...

After months of debating, SEGA of Europe & SEGA America have officially announced earlier today that Phantasy Star Universe, although already being released for PlayStation2 & PC, will be heading towards Microsoft's Xbox360 console as well when the game is released!

If that wasn't enough for you, the game has also been re-evaluated for released on all 3 formats during Autumn 2006.

Supporting the worlds most popular online gaming service - Xbox Live - players can compete with upto 5 other hunters online instead of Phantasy Star Online's 4-Player maximum player limit per game (2 more, yay!) on all 3 planets throughout the Gurhal system (Yes, it's translated name is officially Gurhal, not Graal).

There are also over 200 weapon variations and over 20 weapon categories to use in combat throughout the game, through melee, technique, and ranged-combat! If that's not enough, there are also various Photon Arts that can be used throughout the game for offense.

What will you be using these for? Well there's over 220 variations of enemies to take down, coming from over 70 unique monster species! Bloomin' 'eck!

The soundtrack also uses world class orchestra's from locations like Poland, Hollywood, and New York New York! (Yes i'm aware i said that twice)

From SEGA of Europe:

"The reinvigoration of this beloved franchise on the Xbox 360 signifies another step for SEGA towards next-gen leadership," said Scott A Steinberg, Vice President of Entertainment Marketing, SEGA of America. "Phantasy Star has a rich history, and now with Phantasy Star Universe in support of the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, gamers can enjoy a fantasy role-playing experience of unprecedented depth both online with their friends and offline in the robust single-player game."

Everyone is going mental about the news in our community forums! Why don't you do the same by using this Ragol.co.uk forum thread setup by Starman.

Frustrated because you don't know what's going on as far as drops go on Episode IV within the world of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst?

Well stress yourself no more as Kefka's added an Episode IV Drop Chart to the worlds foremost Phantasy Star Online resource (With assistance from Tycho)!

Check it out and work out where you need to get yourself by clicking here and visiting the drop charts for yourself. Any comments? Then you can say that here!

It's just about time for a new poll me thinks here on the foremost PSO resource, but before we get to this new question, what happened to the old question?

• Where will you like to spend most of your time in Graal?
  • Parum - Mmmm, Gotta love the city views!
    28.9% (37)
  • Neudriz - Mmmm, pretty!
    18.7% (24)
  • Moatoob - Mmmm, smokin'!
    3.1% (4)
  • Ragol - I said i'm not going to Graal!
    34.3% (44)
  • Ragol.co.uk - Maybe there's an Internet Cafe on one of the planets?
    14.8% (19)
    • 128 Total Votes

Cheers to the 128 of you that participated in our previous poll, and it appears that the majority of you will be visiting Ragol over the period of Phantasy Star Universe's release (I.e., You're staying with Phantasy Star Online!), while the most popular actual destination within Universe was infact Parum, the Starting planet, with it's city-esque styled landscape. The least popular destination seems to be Moatoob, so the tourist council might have to pull their finger out a bit there to attract some visitors every now and again, while 14% of you said you'll instead be staying with us over the period... aww, that's like a big hug from a warming fuzzy bear! ^_^

Now we want to find out what you think to the current Japanese closed BETA that is taking place in all 3 of the above planets (Except Ragol!). Maybe you're BETA testing it right now?! Maybe you're just a bit niffed that they've got the chance to BETA it and you haven't. Let us know - Place your votes now!

'the_importer' has once again gotten in contact with Ragol.co.uk, but this time with a rumour that may be a bit hard to swallow fully...

According to a source close to the man himself, Microsoft have teamed up with SEGA to bring Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade system in the near future (No doubt for the Xbox360). He also states the game will be free instead of using the Hunters License system that Phantasy Star Online has always utilised, and will be a free download for Xbox Live Gold Members. The game will also not link-up with the PC game (So you cannot play alongside one another on different systems).

Unreal for sure, and such a download would cost your Xbox360 Hard Drive around 1Gb's worth of space, as well as the fact that PSO would be going for free (No monthly cost), make this an all around highly doubtful future happening - But you never ever know! Aparently this is the reason that Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II wasn't a part of the Xbox360's backwards compatable line-up. Be sure to tell us what you think to this idea by posting in our forums.

Just a quickie, but it seems there's still stuff we don't know about SEGA's upcoming Phantasy Star Universe, with SEGA of America confirming that the title will be around the SEGA booth at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo in the ever sunny L.A. alongside Chromehounds, Sonic the Hedgehog, & Super Monkey Ball Adventure!

Incase you weren't already aware, E3 2006 takes places on the weekend period of 10th - 12th May 2006. We'll of course be bringing you news on everything SEGA say, especially concerning Universe, and who knows, maybe some other title they announce - Although no, we won't be there in person ;_;

Well, all the rage in Japan at the moment may have something to do with the Phantasy Star Universe Closed BETA testing, but Sonic Team aren't letting everything else slip on by, as Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst get's some nice updates, coming towards the Japanese on 25th April 2006.

• Dusk the 'ro' toy
• Episode IV

In this brand spanking new Team Quest (1,000 Pts), grab yourself 3 fellow teammates and get down to the grounds of Episode IV and assist Pioneer 2 by finding out what the f**k WORKS are upto now.

On your way around the many fields, beware for giant robots who spring out of nowhere (I'm not joking, that's actually what it says! I'd be a bit wary of that though...). Take 'em out - He must be down there for a reason, what is he protecting...?

This quest is playable for between 2 - 4 players who must all be on the same team.

• Gallon's Plan
• Episode I

Gallon's back, and he's got some news! Aparently there's a person about Pioneer 2 who'll pay a lot for retrieval of the item you can see pictured on the right above this paragraph. If it speaks to him (Yeah i know what you're thinking) then the 'Hiroshi Treasure' can be found!

There is however a catch though, and that is the fact that this is a SEGA Internet Cafe exclusive quest - Which means not only can you not play the quest without being in a PSO: BB installed internet coffee house, but the treasure is also useless without first being in such a place too. Will we ever see this quest in Europe? Who knows... Oh and the quest is only playable for 1 player too!

• Rare Item Drop Rate Doubled!

Hehe, while Phantasy Star Universe celebrates Earth Day, it seems there's also a reason to play Blue Burst too, as Rare item drop rates are doubled, giving you twice the chance of seeing a rare item get dropped from a nasty enemy's corpse, from between the time Server Maintenance ends on 25th April, until 9th May 2006. Remember though, this is only in Japan folks. I know, i know....

Today is the official first day of some to come for people (Japanese!) to get in on the actual game world of Phantasy Star Universe as the closed BETA testing period begins right now!!!

If you were one of the initial 2,000 people selected by Sonic Team of Japan to β BETA test, you will have been notifed by an earlier period today and can now download the client software. Despair not though if you weren't able to get through this time, as Sonic Team have stated that they'll be upping the amount of BETA testers to a maximum amount of 10,000 players as the BETA testing period continues.

Maybe obviously, you can only play the online element of the game, with the 1-Player mode being kept within Sonic Team's ground, so you still have something new to try when you get the full game!

For the BETA testing period, you are able to explore various parts of the Graal solar system, but not everywhere it would seem. You can also create upto 4 different races worth of characters using the newly improved character creation system. Items, shops, fields, and missions will be added over time using the great system we all know and love, that is Server Maintenance! For this initial time, the whole reason you are BETA testing is to test the Network's stability, as Sonic Team of Japan are using a whole new system for Universe's Servers compared to Phantasy Star Online.

The Phantasy Star Universe closed BETA test ends on 10th May 2006.

There will be server maintenance on the Phantasy Star Universe servers during the entire BETA testing period, every weekday between the times of 17:00 & 23:00 (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! This affects all players of the following games:

• Phantasy Star Universe Japanese Closed β Test

Please reconnect after these times where service continues as normal. As another bonus, during 1st May - 3rd May, Earth Day celebrations will take place throughout the game between the times of 15:00 & 23:00 (Japanese Time)! Sounds good eh?

Finally if you are BETA testing, the client's inclusive software runs with out-of-date DirectX 9.0 software that the Windows Update (Microsoft Update) does not, well... update! To update it, click here (English). You'll need to install this software otherwise when you come to run the game, it just won't!

Also (Again, only if you ARE β testing), then get over to the city of Karaizu (クライズ) at the Guardians Colony where 'Toshi' can be met!

If you are a BETA Tester during this closed BETA period, then i hope you have a lot of fun, while the rest of us sit in and... well, cry ;_; Regardless, be sure to stick around with Ragol.co.uk, as we'll be here to update you everytime something new is gonna happen, as always ^_^ Aren't we nice! Happy Hunting!

It's that time of year when the genetically modified bunnies have roamed the earth to deliver egg-shaped chocolatey goodness to all the hunters & hunteresses!

So, who are we to ignore the festivities? No we're not sending out bunnies of our own, but instead bring you a simple message:

Happy Easter!

- From all the staff at Ragol.co.uk

Episode IV has today recieved new updates - Yep, it's two brand spanking new quests!

The two new quests are aparently from the 'War of Limits' series - A series of quests which see's you pushing back enemies from around various parts of the crater zones in the episode.

The quests were added today during server maintenance which saw bugs in the Episode IV team quest, 'Point of Disaster' get fixed too. Happy Hunting!

It seems to have come from nowhere, but 'the_importer' has gotten in contact with Ragol.co.uk, and Battle Angel has posted in our forums to tell us of their sightings over on SEGA of Japan's 'SEGA Link', which states that there is a Phantasy Star Universe closed BETA - And it all starts today!

Being unannounced on the official Phantasy Star Universe website [Update: It has now been announced on the official website!], it seems as if it's only being offered to those who are current SEGA Link subscribers, though as the webpage (English) reads, SEGA are currently in the process of conducting an application period for the closed β test trial from April 4th - April 17th 2006. From those that apply, the BETA test will only be compromised of a maximum of 10,000 BETA testers. If SEGA recieve more then 10,000 applications (Which they will most likely get of course) then applicants will be drawn from a lottery style drawing (So keep those fingers crossed!). Therefore the actual BETA testing will start sometime shortly after April 17th.

The BETA test is for the Windows PC version of Universe as SEGA will not be conducting a BETA test on the PlayStation2 version of the game.

To take part in the BETA testing, you must be a resident of Japan, have a SEGA Link account (BETA Activation code is sent via. E-Mail through SEGA Link), and it also mentions a utilization charge... so not a free BETA maybe?

Below are the recommended hardware specifications Phantasy Star Universe Closed β requires:

• Operating System
  • Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4 or later)
  • Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later)
• CPU
  • Pentium 4 1.6GHz or above
• Memory
  • 256Mb or Above
• Graphics
  • NVIDIA GeForce4 or ATI RADEON 8500 or Above
• Hard Disk Space
  • 3Gb
• Internet Connection
  • Broadband
• Accessories
  • Keyboard or external gaming controllers are required

It came from nowhere (Although sources do say that it has been publicly coming our way for the last five days!), but hopefully this means a release date is finally drawing nearer, and therefore a European release (And maybe BETA too?) not too long after!