Did you hear about Phantasy Star Zero for Nintendo DS?

Phantasy Star Portable is expected to release in Japan on July 31, 2008. Phantasy Star Portable is set between Episode 1 and Episode 2, filling in the gaps of what was left off. Phantasy Star Portable adds two new characters into the story, Vivienne and Helga Neumann. Lets now take a look at new information that has been posted on the japanese site.

Story Mode & Multi Mode

Phantasy Star Portable comes in two modes: Story Mode & Multi Mode. In Story Mode you will play an original storyline alongside Vivienne. Whichever actions you take throughout the story will result in different endings. Story Mode will also include famous voice actors for each character and beautiful dramatic movie scenes.

In Multi Mode, you can have up to 4 people in a party. Unfortunately, Phantasy Star Portable will only allow ad-hoc mode, which currently isn’t a very effective choice here in the U.S. However, if you do plan to import this game, please check out X-Link for PSP.

Types

Phantasy Star Portable starts you off with 3 basic “types” or otherwise known as classes. You will be able to choose your type at the character creation screen. The first 3 types are Hunter, Ranger, and Force. After some playthrough, you can then achieve advanced types which are:

• FighMaster: Specializes in Meelee
• GunMaster: Specializes in Guns
• MasterForce: Specializes in Technics
• AcroMaster: Specializes in Speed and One Handed Weapons
• Protranser: Specializes in Traps?

Certain weapons will tend to drop more based on what the leader’s type is.

Missions & Lobbies

The biggest difference compared to the console version is the lobbies. In Phantasy Star Portable, lobbies are now on a map screen. You can just select where to shop and quickly start missions faster than ever before.

Phantasy Star Portable will also provide a special website to download missions. These missions will appear on the mission select screen.

My Room

My Room will not be customizable as it was on the console version. Instead, it will feature a logbook of monsters and items you have collected. It will also include a dictionary and mission history screen.

The dictionary will explain a a brief synopsis of the characters, items, and storylines that exist within the Phantasy Star Universe Saga.

While playing through the game, a “title” can be obtained by acquiring certain conditions. Having a “title” can help boost experience points, rare drop rates, money, and even boost photon art leveling. At the bottom right corner of the screenshot, you will see the percentages of what has been boosted.

Each monster you fight gets added to the monster logbook. It will display how many monsters of each type that you have killed. My Room also includes a weapon logbook of each weapon you have acquired with a picture and description of it.

You can purchase a certain item that will evolve your partner machinery into a different model including this model already featured in Ambition of Illuminus.

New Bosses

Bil Degoras

Phantasy Star Portable introduces the new Boss named “Bil Degoras”. This horned beast is found somewhere in the caves of Moatoob. When it strikes the ground, small creatures will arise from the earth to attack!

Helga

You will fight Helga in her SEED form. But what is her special relationship with the SEED?

Vivienne!?

A shocking twist! Vivienne can also be a boss depending on your actions in story mode. Watch out for her SUV attack!

Weapon System

PSUPedia has compiled a list of new weapons that will appear in the game. These weapons are currently exclusive to the portable version. With all the weapons and items included from both Phantasy Star Universe and its expansion pack, this game will have the most items available.

Rare Drops

Rare items now drop to all players in Multi-Mode. If you are hunting for a certain rare weapon, you will not need to worry if someone else gets your item. All party members will get the same item! Also enemies and boxes will only drop weapons and shields, including photon art disks. To make things even easier, you will no longer need to find materials to synthesize weapons.

Weapon Grinding

The grind system allows you to upgrade the strength of a weapon that you have. In portable, you will no longer ever fail a weapon. Instead, the strength and PP that is added to a weapon is now randomized.

[via JP Phantasy Star Portable Site Translation w/banken & Espio Kaos Translations of Shougai PSO]

Il Cabo Base has a brand new mission featuring pure fire enemies with one light. So bring your ice weapons and hope for the crossbow Cubo Musrana to drop. Also the Lab Set Room Decoration will drop. You can get to the new mission by heading to Galenigare Lake, by doing the mission System Defense then Desert Terror.

Screenshots
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This new story mission introduces a new character that will extend the Magashi storyline even further, but before you meet this new mysterious person you must fight your way through the depths of AMF Central Command.

Farewell to Mother 1

This mission isn’t terribly difficult, but will have different gates to open. Here are some general key points you should remember while playing this mission:

• If a door has a switch next to it, wait until Maya’s cut-in-chat dialogue appears. If it does not appear, move onto the other door switch.
• If you head in the wrong direction, you will walk yourself into a trap that depletes HP, and Maya will shout.
• Remember that each time you play this mission, you may go a different path.
• You will fail the mission if Maya dies. Be sure to have Star Atomizers on hand in case Maya just forgets to heal, generally she will heal as often as possible.

Block 2

In Block 2, walk forward and a conversation will appear, after its over chose the right door by waiting for Maya’s cut in chat to appear. If you choose the wrong direction you will see a trap in the room followed by spawns that just slow you down.

If Maya’s face appears, your going in the right direction

Block 3

Again, fight the enemies in the room and choose the correct path. If you chose the wrong one, traps will appear on the ground. Depending on the correct door, you will either receive key 1 or key 2. If you receive Key 1, take the portal back to the Key 1 and Key 2 gate and skip this spawn. If you get Key 2, head back to the Key 1 and Key 2 gate and skip the spawn and head to block 4.

Skip this spawn if you are trying to obtain S Rank

Block 4

Choose either right or left depending on whenever Maya’s face appears. As you head through just kill the enemies, kill the Seed-Argine, and you will finish the mission and obtain your rank.

After your done, sit back and enjoy this new character!

S Rank Guide: In order to S rank this mission you must complete it in the fastest time possible. You can generally get this by using neutral and light weapons with the highest damage per second possible. If you have Photon Arts that are speedy and quick, you should have no problem. The time to complete this mission is 12:00 minutes. You should try to skip the enemy set that appears next to the Key 1 and Key 2 gate. You should also skip boxes and healing pads as those will waste your time.

= This walkthrough is incomplete and is in progress=

The most anticipated update for PC/PS2 servers is the Photon Arts Leveling update. Its now official, and here are the changes for each Photon Art type:

• Skill Photon Arts will level 2 times faster
• Bullet Photon Arts will level 3 times faster
• Technic Photon Arts will level 2 times faster

Also there will be a new story mission called, Farewell to Mother, and a new regular mission called “Seal of the Dark God” which will pit you against a much harder Dark Falz compared to the one in Maximum Attack G.

After todays GM question and answer session, it was announced that Maximum Attack G extension will come probably around June 20th. Now the extension is slated to begin August 1st.  Sonic Team has given the green light to allow a second MAG event with a fresh leader board.

Here is a recap of the answers that has been given at today’s session:

• Mag Extension starts August 1st
  
• MAG Rewards around 1 to 2 weeks after Extension
• In MAG extension, the same character will not get 2 Spread Needles, but the same account can get up to four.
• Level 140 Cap around Early July
• Those who “hacked” the game to get on leader boards are likely to get banned.
• Jaggo Sonichi will be back
• New Story Mission in next update.
• Details of the June 6th update will be announced Tuesday
• They will credit your account if you were billed again during the free period
• New Billing Servers will be ready in a few weeks
• They will turn off the authentication bypass when billing server is fixed
• The next event, “Dengeki” may start in Early August
• Masterclasses may arrive after “Dengeki” Event
  

And those were the answers to the questions you asked.

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