• Multiparty Area (A maximum of 12 players together)
• Camp Ship (Where you jump into a mission)
• Casts can skate
• Rapico?
• Third Person Shooting
• Wired Lance (New Hunter Weapon)
• You can morph every part of your face in character creation.
• You can morph separate parts of your body.
• You can add tattoos, and face paint.
• Change eyebrow color different from your hair color.
• Casts can change their armor color to any color of the rainbow.
• BOOB sliders
• Face type morphing
• Gun Slash (All Classes)
• Game Pad or Mouse or Keyboard

Sony Japan has decided upon a date to restore the Japanese Playstation Store. This date is now slated for July 6th, 2011 JST. Japanese Playstation Network users will have access to the following features:

• Full functionality on PlayStation®Store
• In-game commerce
• Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
• Full functionality on “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity™” across all compatible devices
• Full functionality on Media Go

In addition the company will offer a Welcome Back package for registered users after the service is restored.

• Japan’s Welcome Back PS3
  • The Last Guy
  • LocoRoco Cocoreccho!
  • echochrome
  • WipEout HD
  • Hustler King
• Japan’s Welcome Back PSP
  • What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord? 2 PSP the Best
  • Everybody’s Stress Buster
  • PATAPON2 PSP the Best
  • LittleBigPlanet Portable
  • LocoRoco -Midnight Carnival

Kazuo Hira has just announced Sony is beginning to roll out restoration to the Playstation Network service. The first phase of restoration includes signing on to Playstation Network and Qrocity services with online gameplay on the PS3 and PSP, including access to services like Netflix and Hulu. This phase also includes friends list, chat functionality, trophy comparison, and Playstation Home.

Once you sign onto the Playstation Network, either through the console or through validated email address, you will be asked to change your password. Sony plans to restore services to Playstation Store in the future.

Sony’s Welcome back program offers the following games for the US for free.

• United States + Europe “Welcome Back!”
  • LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
  • ModNation Racers
  • Pursuit Force
  • Killzone Liberation

You have up to thirty days after the Playstation Store is up to claim two out of the four free games listed above.

Japan’s Announcement

Meanwhile in Japan, the service restoration announcement was split into two distinct regions. They listed that the service restoration as previously stated is only for the European and American regions. The Japanese  and Asian regions themselves will have to wait “a few more days” before their restoration information is announced.

[via psn]

PSP Users

To sign in you must change your password first. On your PC, go to Playstation Network, click sign in, and enter your previous password. It will then send you an email to reset your password which can take up to 24 hours to receive. After you change your password, you can sign into the Playstation Network on your PSP and accept the new Terms of Agreement.

Sakai updated information about the Battle Mode. There will be various games to play in battle. This screenshot features “Catapult Jump” where players are split into two teams and must collect “Energy balls” and acquire bases. It sounds pretty much like capture the flag so far… He also wants you to check out future “Weekly Shonen Jump”  to see rest of the collaboration items.

[via pspo:2 blog]

Collaboration

These scans show off the Love Ring Feather Outfit and Art Javelin, some of the exclusive collaboration items appearing in PSP2. We have been wondering if these collaboration items will appear outside of Japan. Some of the Japanese mange listed have no western publishers, and surely copyright issues will hinder their appearance. Hopefully Sega of America will make exclusive items for our version as compensation, (but we know they always take the laziest way out of doing things considering psp1 doesn’t have DLC).  Also don’t forget to check out Sakai’s interview with Dengeki Magazine.

Additions from Aug 22nd

Shougai PSO updated some minor info.

• A “Battle”, “Challenge” and “Extra” mode
• Download Content will be Available for Japan
• Level 200 cap
• The “Titles” system is back
• Customization of “My Room” will be available in some form, details uncertain.
• 2000 items available

[via g heaven]

On July 10th, Sonic and Tails once again visited Phantasy Star Universe. This time they went around on each planet playing various missions to get to the next lobby. You could easily find them by waiting inside the lobby they would end up in after they completed a mission.

This year Sonic’s stats were a Human Male Acrofighter. He carried  457435 meseta, 3 Crea Daggers, and 3 Al Tip. His photon art was a level 50 Hikai Shuha-zan. Tails on the other hand carried the twin daggers Aldaga Steg, and the single dagger Shiratsuno-zashi, and 2 Rapid Streac. He wore the armor Castest line with Vijeri / Resist. For photon arts he has a level 40 Renga Chujin-shou and a level 50 Hikai Shuha-zan.

It is interesting to see how as of July 2009, no player can legitimately achieve single and twin dagger photon arts at level 50.

Sonic Birthday on Phantasy Star Universe 2009
Click on Some Images for Larger Size

Here we have someone riding on the Sonic bandwagon,
but the yellow name gives it away

Almost like a memorable scene from Emerald Coast,
except the whale is replaced by the mob of rabid fans.

Tails made it on the beach after struggling to swim.

Tails raced Sonic with the Duel in the Ruins mission.
Tails’ team came out first.

Tails on Parum heading off to the Guardians Colony

Sonic says goodbye to take a supposed “nap”…

Critical server outage for Xbox 360, and Ps2/PC servers. All servers are currently down.

April 9th: Due to vandalism to fiber optic cables in San Jose, California, PSU will have network issues until repairs are made. The message boards and games will still remain online in the meantime. -sfgate

P.S. This monitor is extreeemeely bright.