Sonic Team has posted announcing the end of the server maintenance on the Episode 1 and 2 servers and with it came the new VR Quest, The Respective Tomorrow. Many players are excited about this quest. Its basically veiwed as the TTF (Towards The Future) for Episode 2.

For more information on this quest, click here!

Now as for the Episode 3 maintenance, some new songs have been added to the jukebox! Try them out sometime the next time your on and about the episode 3 lobbies!

Day light
Wedding March - SAMBA de AMIGO
Recollection - Panzer Dragoon ZWEI
Sona mi areru ec sancitu - AZEL Panzer Dragoon RPG

Enjoy! 

Yes, Sonic Team posted this morning that the PSO Olympics has come to a close. What were the PSO Olympics? Click here to find out!

Now for those who already knew what it was, Sonic Team has posted on the official Episode 3 website with a reminder of the different categories you could win. And good on ya if you submitted one!

' Happening acceptance revolution joining ' prize: In the work which makes the basis of the story feel. As many as 4 scene cartoons ant?
' Entertainment ' prize: In the pleasant kind of work which is laughed unintentionally.
' Me, liking 00! ' Prize: By all means in the work which makes love feel.
Don't you think? ' it persevered well, ' prize: When there is contribution from the immature kindergarten child, we would like to send, is.
' In any case CUTE ♪ ' prize: In the work which in any case pursues only cuteness.
' Intently COOL! ' Prize: In the work which intently pursues only smartness.
' If.. .. ' Prize: When シルファis the man. When レルミトス is the woman....

Now of course Sonic Team didn't put up the winners images up in the lobbies yet, but my guess is they'll upload them onto the episode 3 lobbies for a week during the next server maintenince. (Which hasn't been announced yet) The official Episode 3 website says there will be announcements regarding the PSO Illustration olympics for the next week. We'll post the winners when they are announced!

Good luck to all who entered!

66 Days have passed since the Gamecube version of Episodes I & II got the final Challenge Stage added, and now comes the Xbox's final moment...

Yesterday, Episode II, Challenge Stage 5, the final C-Mode stage to the game was added to the Japanese Xbox servers (EU & US unconfirmed), so now all Xbox players of Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II can finally take themselves to the end of Challenge Mode and total up their end times to bask in glory!

The final 2 areas of Challenge Stage 5 takes place in the Control Tower, where you'll be slaying your way to victory against many familiar faces. Episode II, Challenge Stage 5 is exclusively available online and is playable for teams of 2 - 4 human players only. For more images of Stage 5, visit the appropriate Ragol.co.uk Forum Thread (Comments).

There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during June 29th 2004 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. After this time, a new quest is being added to Episode II.

The quest entitled 'The Respective Tommorrow' takes place on Gal De Val Island, and see's you battle through almost all the levels from Seaside to Seabed, and take down all bosses similar to the style of the massively popular Towards The Future quest which takes place in Episode I.

After completion you are graded on the amount of enemies taken down and the time taken to complete the quest. Remember... co-operation is the key to success! Also amoungst the quest you may stumble across a hidden item in the VR. The plans to a conspiracy of a secret organisations work to do with the laboratory?

The Respective Tommorrow is available from June 29th after this scheduled server maintenance. The quest is playable for 1 - 4 human characters, and is exclusively available for online play. The quest is also only available in Japanese/English translation. The quest can be found at the Hunter's Guild by entering the VR menu. For more screenshots, or to comment on this quest, please enter the related Comments... Ragol.co.uk Forum Thread.

Also with this server maintenance, the Episode III lobby jukeboxes get modified. Sonic Team have not stated what they are doing with them at this time.

[UPDATE] Thanks to Ragol.co.uk forum member Starman for finding out that the tracks being added to the Episode III Jukebox are as follows:

• Wedding March - Samba De Amigo
• Tsuioku - Panzer Dragoon
• Sonamiaueru ed sancito - Panzer Dragoon

If you'd like to sign up for the EXPathon, or would like to know what the hell it is, click here!

Taken from www.playsega.com when you login.

Nothing wrong there I suppose. But aren't Sonic and Co already in game?
And then they go on to say this on the Support page.

Taken from Sega Europe's site

Meet Sonic and Knuckles!

To celebrate the launch of Phantasy Star Online Episode III C.A.R.D Revolution the legendary Sonic and Knuckles will be making special guest appearances in the European online lobbies.

Get out your calendar and put big red circles around the 21st of June. The SEGA celebrities will be making appearance in the EU lobbies between 22.00 and 02.00.

The server maintenance is over, and first some corrections to the last piece of news regarding this maintenance. The wedding chapel decorations are still up and will remain up for at least one more week it would seem, but don't quote me on that!

Anyways, for those who have been playing Episode II online since the maintenance, no doubt you would have seen something quite amazing about Pioneer 2. Thats right, Sonic and the crew have been hired for one week during the week of his birthday around the ship. Wander around and you'll see Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik! If you don't want to know where they can be found, don't read any further then here...

For those who do, read on! If you've got any snapshots of any of the Sonic Team (wow what a name!) then feel free to submit them in the Comments Thread which accompanies this news post by clicking the word 'Comments' just below the title of the post.

You can find them in the following places:

Pioneer 2:

• Sonic: Tekker Counter
• Tails: Health Center
• Knuckles: Hunters Guild
• Dr. Robotnik: Depository

Principal/Science Station (Level Entry):

• Sonic & Tails: Under Rampway
• Knuckles & Dr. Robotnik: Under Teleporter Flooring

Happy Birthday Sonic!

[UPDATE] For anyone who's turned back and reading this, even though it was a long time ago, i apologise for the mess up in HTML everyone would have noticed in this news posts forum comments thread. It's all up properly now! ^_^

The week of wedding celebrations are to move over for another celebration of a completely different nature! There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during June 22nd 2004 between the times of 14:00 & 17:00 JST/22:00 - 01:00 PST.

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.

After this service has undergone, the decorations accompanying the birthday of SEGA's legendary Sonic the Hedgehog character will appear! It is also rumoured that he may make an appearance along with his friends in the cities of Episode II.

Sonic the Hedgehog officially celebrates his birthday on the 23rd of June! Nothing else was released at this time apart from the information above, not even a screenshot! Tsch! The Wedding Chapel decorations will of course be taken down at the time of maintenance. The birthday decorations are only available for one week from the time server maintenance ends (29th June 2004).

Just from having a peeky at the current polling results which asks 'What do you think to the PSO Olympics?' over half of you are responding by saying 'Whats the PSO Olympics?'.

If you are one of these people, please take the time to redirect yourself to this forum thread which holds all the information you need to know about the event, and enter the event if you wish. Thanks for reading, and for all those who are entering, Good Luck! You have until June 28th!

On June 17 from 10:00-18:00 (Japanese time) there will be server maintence for PSO: BB. The current level cap in the game is lv20 (which means you cannot level up past that point without having to pay for your account). For those people who activate their account in PSO BB now, they receive a 15 day free trial (unless of course they hit Level 20 and then they will be forced to pay for it). ST has been kind enough to prompt you with a message once you reach level 19 warning you that you are about to approach level 20. I'm pretty sure that not many of you play BB but still, handy info to know. Lionheart out!

The Wedding Decorations are now up in Lobby 10 of all Phantasy Star Online servers! Anyone of the following games will notice the difference when logging in next time no doubt with Wedding March music (Similar to the available disk version) being played in all lobbies, and the decorations around:

• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II (Xbox)
• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II (Nintendo Gamecube)
• Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II Plus
• Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

The Sonic Birthday Decorations have now been removed from the Xbox online lobbies replaced of course with these decorations. It is undecided whether the Sonic decorations will appear in the Nintendo Gamecube game lobbies.

These decorations will remain up on the Nintendo Gamecube servers for one week only, being removed on June 22nd 2004 (Maintenance Notice TBA). The decorations remain up for an extra week on the Xbox PSO Servers, by being removed from the lobbies on June 30th 2004 (Maintenance Notice TBA). Please also feel free to discuss the decorations and celebrations further in this Forum Thread!

Congratulations to the finalsts!

Also, on a side note, they've been up for a while but it still must be posted! The following Challenge Mode Stages on PSOX have been added:

May 7th - Episode 2 Challenge Stage 3
May 28th - Episode 2 Challenge Stage 4

There is at the moment a temporary problem with the SEGA of Europe servers it would seem.

Any E.U. Phantasy Star Online user who tries to connect (Episodes I & II or III: C.A.R.D. Revolution) will be presented with a message when connecting:

No. 102

You could not be connected to the server.

Please check that your provider settings are correct before connecting.

The line was disconnected.

PRESS START

There isn't any scheduled maintenance planned at the moment, so i can only assume it's a technical problem unless it's unscheduled and urgent, but it would seem the problem has been occuring for a few hours now. Also www.PlaySEGA.com is also unavailable at this time.

Hopefully the servers will be back online tommorrow! This doesn't affect any U.S. or Japanese players as those servers are still available to play, but you cannot connect to the E.U. servers also. It's also unknown which platforms this affects. I can tell you it's definately associated with Nintendo Gamecube gamers, but unsure about any Xbox versions.

----- UPDATE -----

All is fine again now, and anyone can play online. Good Ol' SEGA of Europe! However i certainly can't find anything different, so i just suspect a general technical problem server side. Maybe even due to increase of demand since Episode III's release. ^_^

From now til June 22, the US Ep3 players will have access to new quests. Word is these quest are not downloadable unfortunately but nonetheless, don't miss out on this oppurtunity for a new gaming experience.

Also, and this goes in conjunction with the Wedding lobbies, The Gamecube users get the Wedding lobby started 6/15 but the Xbox users already have it now! On 6/15 the Xbox users get special Sonic Lobbies (unfortunately no screen shots are available) so go check it out if you're a Xbox user!

Yes, according to EB games there is a release date for a new Nintendo Memory Card 1019! If you've been skeptical about the Mad Catz (Known as the 16x Memory Card) one thinking it doesn't prevent loss of data, maybe you'd like a Nintendo Memory Card 1019 instead!

If you didn't already know, the Mad Catz 16x saves really fast, so chance of corruption on PSO or any other gave is really pretty much 0%. I don't know if the new nintendo 1019 will save just as fast or faster, because they aren't released! So noone really knows yet!

The Mad Catz 16x is 20.00 $10 cheaper than the nintendo one. Probobly because I know the Mad Catz ones aren't as sturdy as my nintendo memory cards. It's up for you to decide though! This memory card ships to the US on June 14th, and I don't know of a release date for Europe. But I'm guessing sometime by the end of the summer for sure!                                                                                                                

There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during June 15th 2004 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.

Being added to the lobbies of both Episodes I & II, and Episode III are the annual June Wedding Chapel Decorations!

Thats right, between the dates of the 15th - 22nd of June 2004, you can also celebrate the bliss of marriage by either going to Episode I & II's Lobby 10, and Episode III Private Visual Lobbies!

There will be many decorations including a big white bell (Which Sonic Team mention many times!), and Doves flying around the lobbies (Or white pigeons as they call them!). Also the Wedding Ceremony music will be played on entry to these lobbies.

Make full use of them while you can, they're only up for one week!

The fact of the matter is that all day the forum has been pretty darn quiet of European members! Obviously they all got their copies of Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution early on in the day! Expect a quiet little forum for the next few weeks until they all come back and make 'OMG HOW GREAT IS EPISODE III' threads! Well, that's if they like the game anyway!

Anyways, this is just a little note to confirm that Episode III is indeed out today (in GAME stores only) in the U.K. and hopefully everywhere else in Europe (Inc. France, Germany, & Spain) as recognised through online play by the letters E, F, G, and S respectively. Obviously i myself cannot say whether it is or isn't out in other parts of the E.U. because i don't live there!

Fans eagerly anticipating the release of Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II Plus will be in for quite a wait, as there are still no plans to release it anywhere in the E.U. Your better of importing it from Japan where it has been released!

I don't know how much you guys use these but I've completed three more guides. Now there are guides for Challenges 1-6 on Episode 1. There are only 3 more left so within the next couple of weeks you guys will all have access to guides for all of Episode 1 challenge.

After completing the guides for Ep1, I have intentions of writing an Srank weapon Guide (it will entail all 14 different types of weapons, what their stats are and what they can be grinded to, etc) as well as a guide on the special attacks you can put on Sranks (how many Photon Drops it takes for what, what I recommend on what weapon, etc). I am also going to do an Ep2 Cmode guide set. These will be much more detailed because the maps aren't random on Ep2, it's always the same monsters in the same place so I'll be able to say what monsters will appear in each room so you can be prepared better! Anyway, I hope these guides help you (I really don't know how many Cmode players there are at this site), I'll get back to you when i finish the Ep1 set.

Lionheart out!

The day is just around the corner. After mass confusion courtesy of Sonic Team & SEGA of Europe, Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution finally get's it's E.U. release exclusively for the Nintendo Gamecube. Hopefully there will be mass celebration as the day goes on tommorrow!

Of course if you're in the United Kingdom, you'll only be able to buy the game from GAME Retail stores or from www.game.uk.com online due to an exclusive deal. To my knowledge there are no other such deals with the rest of the E.U.

Before you buy the game, here's some of the games essential needs to play:

• You MUST own a Nintendo Gamecube Memory card with at least 32 free blocks on. You cannot play the game without this, online/offline! It's also recommended that you use an Official Nintendo Memory Card to save your character data on due to many Forum users posting their hatred for unofficial memory card data corruption in the past!
• A Broadband Adapter or Modem Adapter is required to play Phantasy Star Online, online. These are sold seperately. In the U.K. it is fairly hard to come by a Broadband Adapter, while Nintendo of Europe have previously stated that on this day they will replenish stores with many BBA's. Modem Adapters are much easier to come by and are available from most good retailers. These are sold seperately.
• Also to play online you will need the appropriate phone line (Not included with the Broadband Adapter, included with the Modem Adapter), and possibly an adapter for your phone line plug if you are using standard BT Phone sockets in your home instead of RJ-45 which is what comes provided.
• Online play also requires an ISP (Internet Service Provider). Many are available, and if you are reading this at home on your computer, you obviously already have one! It is recommended that you do not use AOL for your ISP otherwise it is much harder to play the game online via. your Nintendo Gamecube console. It can be done by Internet connection Sharing, but could prove costly. I recommend you contact your ISP to ask them whether online play is possible. Many will provide this service so don't fret! You will also need to contact them at sometime to gain some details abvout your internet connection if you don't know them already, including your Dial-Up and DNS numbers.
• You'll also need a valid credit card in the form of either VISA, MasterCard, Switch, Switch/Solo, or VISA Delta. This is required to pay for a Hunters License (Below), and can be done by anyone. Go nag your parents if you don't have one!

Remember: When registering your copy of Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution for online play, use the same Access Key and Serial Number that you registered to play Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II online with. That way when buying a Hunter's License you can play either game online at the sametime using the one Hunters License. If you do not then you risk having to buy 2 seperate Hunters Licenses to play either game online!

Of course if you never owned Episodes I & II in the first place this doesn't matter, but if you buy it afterwards the same applies, use the Episode III Access key & Serial Numbers to play Episodes I & II online using 1 Hunters License.

For first time online players you register for online play and for a Hunters License through either your Nintendo Gamecube console or PC by logging onto www.playsega.com. For there you can buy a Hunters License which allows you to play online for 30 days or 90 days depending on which package you order.

It is probabily for the best if you play Episode III online before June 22nd so you can play as many of the limited time quests as possible before they are taken down again (Maintenance times TBA). These include the 1 Player Download quests and 2 Player Online quests, only accessible through online play. For more information on these quests Click Here.

Also as the Foremost Phantasy Star Online Resource, there are many items of interest you might be interested in reading up to become the number 1 player that there is! Why not take the time to view the many Episode III features here on Ragol.co.uk:

• C.A.R.D. Database
• Hero Cards
• Dark Cards
• Item Cards
• Monster Cards
• Action Cards
• Support Cards
• Episode III Guides
• Episode III Rank Calculator

Also look forward to many more features on the game after it's release! Now there's nothing you should be left in the dark about when playing Phantasy Star Online, Episode III, whether it be online, or offline! If there's something you still need to ask about, there's only one place to do it... the Forums!

Now go grab your copy of Episode III (yes i'm aware of the time), but with well under 12 hours until the stores open for release day... who could wait! Now there's absolutely nothing else to say apart from... Happy Hunting!

I've got around to working on some maps as well as a guide on battles phases! Including some maps, so have a look in the Episode 3 section of our guides!

I'm also working on a Modem Setup guide, however there are still some bugs to work out, but I'll have it up soon enough. Also, keep checking the card database for updates! If you find any bugs in these guides, please post in this thread.

Thanks! And Congrats to all the EU players out there who managed to get a copy of Ep3! We'll see you in our official server! (EU:Alphard/6-01)

Make up your mind Sonic Team!

This is a primary warning to all those who are thinking, eh, i'll wait till next friday to get Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution for my Nintendo Gamecube, since it's not being released until then...

Sonic Team have changed the date on PlaySEGA.com once again back to the original date of June 11th 2004! GAME were obviously right for sticking with their guns on that release date, and because of this it's caused mass confusion, definately in our forums! Putting it simply, Episode III gets released across Europe in 2 days time!!!

Pre-Order direct from GAME quick, and you'll also qualify for a free strategy guide for the game at no extra charge! Point your browser to www.game.uk.com quickly and pre-order A.S.A.P. before they run out, otherwise head down to a store tommorrow! By Pre-Ordering you also qualify for Double Reward points on your purchase (For all GAME Reward Card Holders - Also applies to online Pre-Ordering).

If you don't Pre-Order, you'll miss out on it all! Just make sure you don't miss this chance to get yourself before they all run out! :P

Also global users may wish to make a note of the below mentioned server maintenance if not already memorised concerning the E.U. release of Episode III.

Remember...... THIS FRIDAY!!!

There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during June 11th 2004 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.

During this time Sonic Team will be gearing all the Episode III servers for the European release of Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution on June 18th 2004 for the Nintendo Gamecube. Being adjusted are items within the language settings for online play, such as the Word Select feature. Also below are the key letters (In English) that you should be aware of to inform you of what language each player speaks when online:

• J = Japan
• E = English
• F = French
• G = German
• S = Spanish

Also available now until June 22nd added especially for us European players are all the limited time quests mentioned several news posts below. Not long left now to go, just 9 Days! Have you Pre-Ordered yourself a copy yet?

I know it's a bit late, but I want to state the facts about this tournament. After decswxaqz posted what he had heard about the G-1 Grand Prix only being for Japanese players, (Note: This wasn't confirmed, like he said) I decided to get on Episode 3, go to one of the Pre-Ships, and battle a computer, just like Lee-Yoshi mentioned in his article you could battle a computer there. (Hehe, noone was there anyways =P) And blow and behold my rank changed to "CUP". I had a look for myself and it seemed most American players in the lobbies also had the very same title. I don't know who started this rumor, but hopefully ST will shed some light.

EU players couldn't connect to the servers last night betweeen the times of 2am to 5am GMT time for some unknown reason. I know there is noone on EU Episode 3 servers yet but this was also the same case when I connected on Episode 3 last night. If you're a US or Japanese player, you probobly saw this:

I tried again this morning and the EU servers were back. Just thought I'd mention this so noone panics. We all know Sonic Team has enjoyed toying around with you guys, especially with the release of Episode 3 next friday. At least its not going to change anymore! So like Lee-Yoshi mentioned below; Pre-Order your copy now from GAME because they'll be gone if you wait too long!

There will be server maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers during June 8th 2004 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.

Being added to the Episode III servers are a load of old limited time quests which have been added and then taken away before many got the chance to experience them! The list below are the quests being re-added:

Exclusively Online Quests (Designed for 2 Human Players only):

• Poly- tongue present る? !
• Dremaga
• EGM
• Ripple

Exclusively Online Download Quests (Designed for 1 Human player only):

• Famitsu Cup
• Kids soul
• Preacher of seashore
• Beautifully Ino'lis
• Game Informer

It is thought that these are being added for all us European players so we don't miss the chance to experience the pleasure of the quests with the games release so close! All of the above mentioned quests are again only available for a limited time: June 8th 2004 - June 22nd 2004. There is no change to Episodes I & II.

It's also on that note that i should remind you all that Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution will FINALLY see it's European release on June 18th (Next Friday!). U.K. consumers should be aware if not already that you will only be able to buy the game from GAME retail stores! Pre-Order now. It's Just 11 Days Away!

The Daily Poll has changed once again since the G-1 Grand Prix has ended. Bit of a bummer really since not long after, it turned out that only Japanese Hunters could enter the flaming tournament! *Sigh*

Oh well, wotcha gonna do ey? The Results to the question 'Will you enter the G-1 Grand Prix Tournament?' were as follows:

1. Yeah! My partner and I will make an awesome team!
    29.6%
2. Maybe...
    25.9%
3. Nah, I'm too new to the game.
    44.4%

This new poll asks of your opinion on the recently announced Phantasy Star Online Olympic's! Don't know what i'm on about? Scroll down below, or click, read up, and have you're say in this Ragol.co.uk Forum Thread.

Taking the errors, hacking and other problems with online play within the world of PSO to the next level, SEGA have added an online complaint form to their U.S. website (SEGA.com).

This form has been added to the Episodes I & II, and Episode III: C.A.R.D Revolution Hunters License websites in America so that if there are any problems that ANYONE experiences while playing PSO online on the Nintendo Gamecube, then you, the user can report it to Sonic Team using this form and hopefully seeing an improvement in the service provided in the near future!

On the form are fields asking questions such as your Real Name, Username, Guild Card Number, E-Mail, Abusive Users Username and Guild Card Number, Time, Date, Location, and Event occured. Under the 'Nature of Occurance' handy Drop-Down list are the options: FSOD (Frozen Screen), Verbal Abuse, SPAM, and Other...

It is asked that everyone who does have a problem with any of the following Nintendo Gamecube games while playing online should report them using this form for the benefit of everyone, and of course to improve the game for all to enjoy ^_^

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

And of course all thats needed now is the link to the online form: CLICK HERE

The world of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst is growing like never before! In fact it's become so crowded, Sonic Team have even had to add a whole new ship! '12:Pisces: 01-01' was opened yesterday on the 3rd of June 2004. All PSO:BB players please also take heed of the server maintenance that takes place today (June 4th 2004) at 18:30 until 19:30 (Japanese Time).

Also as promised by Sonic Team the free download is now available from the SEGA website. For efficient use, i've included the link below here for anyone who is interested to download free of charge. There is no charge to BETA test the game at all. For steps on registration, visit the updated article 'Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst - All the BETA!'

Click this link to Download Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst BETA Trial.

Off-Site Link (SEGA-Online). 386 MegaByte file. Comes as a .exe file. Microsoft DirectX 9 Required to play.

The merger between SEGA & Sammy have gone one step closer. The companies will officially merge in October of this year.

As far as the in-house developers go, there's apparently nothing to worry about! They are simply being shuffled about and reorganised so that if anything they are more efficient, but the SEGA we all know and love will still remain intact the way we know them.

Beside this text is the new logo the company will be using. Erm... i'll let you decide on what to think of it!

More on the merger as it appears!

Ragol.co.uk Forum member Mr. Shoe UK one day decided he would contact SEGA of Europe to enquire about the ever extending release date of Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D Revolution on Nintendo Gamecube in the U.K. On this day, the people in question actually replied! They said:

"The release date for Phantasy Star Online Episode 3 is now 18th June.
However it is only available from the retailer GAME you can order it through
their website www.shop.game.net or from their high street stores."

Here is where the story ends. What did we learn from this story? Well that the game has had it's release date extended again to the 18th of June across Europe, and that as previously confirmed by GAME UK, Episode III will infact only be sold in GAME stores, and on their website in the U.K. What are you waiting for, the release date is actually getting closer and closer and is only 16 days away!! Run rabbit, run rabbit, run Run RUN!

The GAME news story has been imported in Article form for those who wish to read up on that time! Click here to see it! Episode III can be Pre-Ordered from GAME UK online by clicking here.

Just a short notice about server maintenance. There was server maintenance yesterday on the Nintendo Gamecube servers to accompany the addition of the G-1 Grand Prix! The tournament takes place in the now added lobbies 'G-1 GP/PRE01 - 04'. This tournament is only available for Episode III players. Details on all tournament events & goings on can be found in this article. There was no addition to the games of Episode I & II.

Also the server maintenance is now over on the Blue Burst website & game servers. The problems solved can all be found here (English).

To celebrate the fact that the Olympics take place in Athens (Greece) from 13th August, Sonic Team are giving you the chance to do something completely irrelevant (But still fun and cool!)!

Brace yourself, for it's the PSO Illustration Olympics!

Sonic Team are giving you the chance to get your picture seen on the Official Phantasy Star Online Feedback (Minhiro) website (English), or even in the Episode III game lobbies! All you have to do is simply draw a picture of relation between Phantasy Star Online (Episode I, II, or III), and the Olympics!

From the 1st of June 2004, on the Hunters License webpage for all japanese Episode III players, a webpage will appear (That's today! Head over there to see it, or continue reading!). Also being prepared are more webpages for when the competition closes, so you can vote for your favourite!

To enter this brill competition, take note of the following rules:

• You can send it in the Post or E-Mail to the address below as long as it will reach it's destination before the closing date.
• You do not have to be a player of Phantasy Star Online, Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution. Players of Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II & Plus can also join in!
• Pictures have to be of a suitable nature, otherwise will not be publicly exposed.
• The picture is non-returnable, whether sent by post or E-Mail.
• The picture should be made in the Ratio of 4:3 (Similar to what you see on Widescren TV's) as in the picture below.

N.B. If it's not in this size then it will be altered to fit.

There are many different categories of which your picture can be entered for, and in each category there will be a Gold Medalist, a Silver Medalist, and a Bronze (Copper) Medalist! In other words, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd awards, with prizes, including the chance to get your piccie in the lobbies of PSO, Episode III (Most likely during the time of the olympics!)!

• 'Happening acceptance revolution joining' Prize: Based around the stroy of the game (E.g. Cards from Weapons?).
• 'Entertainment' Prize: Where Sonic Team and everyone else can laugh at your picture (Not of how bad the drawing is, but the nature of the picture of course!).
• 'Me liking 00' Prize: A loving picture.
• 'Don't you think it persevered well?' Prize: Where there is a contribution from Kindergarten aged kiddies!
• 'In any case CUTE ?' Prize: Where the picture is judged on the cuteness of it!
• 'Intently COOL!' Prize: Where the work is nothing else but cool and smart!
• 'If...' Prize: In the words of ST: When シルファ is the man. When レルミトス is the woman....

When you've created your work of art, send it over to the people who matter!

E-Mail: Send it via the world wide web to the following address: Gcevent@sonicteam.com

Please also include the following:

• Name
• Address
• Age
• Telephone Number

Please also compress the image you'll be attatching with the E-Mail to approx. 100Kb, and send it in the form of a .jpg, .gif, or .png.

Post: If you feel safer posting it, or if your in Japan, send it on a postcard (Although your drawing may be a bit bigger then that!) along the the address below:

〒 144-0043
The Tokyo Ota Ku Haneda 1-2-12
Corporation sonic team
"Open space illustration collection person in charge of everyone"

Please again also include the following:

• Name
• Address
• Age
• Telephone Number

The closing date for all entries is 28th of June 2004. There is nothing written about Japanese only entries, so i assume it's open to players across the globe. Good Luck to all who enter! Do us proud ;-)

There will be 2 sets of server maintenance on the Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst servers on June 2nd 2004 (Japanese Time).

At this time, please do not connect to the servers as character data may not be retained, however you will not be automatically disconnected. Until there is a time announced for the end of the server maintenance, please do not connect to the games servers.

Firstly there will be maintenance on the actual website of PSO: Blue Burst (English). Imparticularly, the Game ID Registration section. DO NOT sign up or login during the time of this server maintenance. Changing is the sign in/registration information of new BETA testers. This will take place from 10:00 (Japanese Time) on June 2nd 2004. Maintenance will finish when it's finished! Please again do'nt login during this time until it's safe to do so.

Secondly there will be some more in-game server maintenance on June 2nd 2004 from the time of 14:00 (Japanese Time). Again, at this time, please do not connect to the servers as character data may not be retained, however you will not be automatically disconnected. But by request of Sonic Team, please respect this notice.

Everyone should also be aware by now of the server maintenance that takes place everyday between the times of 10:00 & 13:00 (Japanese Time).

Xbox Players please also take notice if not already done so of the game server maintenance mentioned 3 news posts below:

"There will be additional server maintenance at the following times: