Phantasy Star Jun Senoue Rock Remix coming to PSO2: New Genesis in Phantasy Star 35th Anniversary Event

Did you know that this year marks the 35th anniversary of the Phantasy Star series? It’s come a long way. To celebrate, Sega have released a brand new rock remix of the main theme for PSO2 New Genesis, featuring beloved Sonic musician Jun Senoue and arrangement by NGS community staff member GWIZOFTHESTARS. You can listen to it right now on YouTube, and if you log into NGS between now and November 21st 2023, you’ll receive this same remix as a music disc (Not a physical disc, like a CD) that you can play within the game and a poster to be displayed within your creative space. Both items will be absolutely free as long as you log in within the event period. Keep logging in every week to see more gifts, which will be revealed later.

In addition, there will be more music remixes soon to be revealed on the official PSO2 NGS YouTube channel and the various official social media pages: (Facebook) (Instagram) (Discord) (I’ll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I start calling Twitter “X”). Between November 7th and November 21st, the final day of the event, there will also be special movie concerts, which will play on the big screens in the in-game central city hubs, such as Aelio Town. If you’re playing NGS, you won’t want to miss any of this.

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is free to play and available for PC on Steam, Windows Store, and Epic Games Store as well as on Xbox, PS4, and PS5. All versions of the game are all cross platform, meaning you can play with anyone on any system. You can read more from the official website.

Are you already playing PSO2 NGS? What do you think of this new NGS theme remix? How long have you been a Phantasy Star fan and which game did you start with? Tell us all about it in the comments below.

Japanese Man Arrested for Allegedly Sending SEGA Death Threats Over Losing In Online Games

Today’s lesson we learn is that some people play games to relax, while other people play to blow off steam. On the other hand, 54-year-old Toyokawa, Japan resident got so heated, he decided to go and e-mail SEGA death threats. The man was arrested on March 16th.

It seems that the man sent SEGA over 12 threatening emails that ranged from setting “the company on fire”, “kill employees” and even as far as “kill the family and children of employees.” Big yikes. According to Watanabe himself, he was upset because he had “lost in an online game and was frustrated”.

What game was he playing? Who knows, as its not detailed but considering he sent the emails from his mobile phone I would assume an online mobile game published by SEGA.

[Via: Kotaku, Source: Yomiuri]

Rumor: SEGA working on Phantasy Star Online 2’s successor as their next ‘Super Game’, will use NFTs

Its not hard to see that SEGA’s Phantasy Star Online 2 has been a massive success for the company, so much so that it recently that it got a graphical update with Phantasy Star Online: New Genesis. But the company is already ’embracing the future’ with them planning the successor, if this new rumor is to be believed. The rumor comes from Japanese user Makino180 that says:

  • Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis will be supported for only 5 more years.
  • Phantasy Star Crew’s 3rd Division is in planning stages of the next “Super Game” and is aimed to be finished in under 5 years.
  • Phantasy Star Online veteran Satoshi Sakai will spearhead the project
  • Plans are to make the next “Super Game” running on Microsoft Azure Cloud Servers.
  • SEGA is thinking of using NFT Blockchain technology for its monetization to prolong the value and wants to spearhead the future of Gacha Games which will implement a possible SNS Distribution of virtual items.
  • Initial Budget for this “Super Game” is 5 times the budget of normal SEGA AAA Games!
  • The main audience of the new “Super Game” is the Western audience.

While gamers dislike NFTs, Blockchain technology, it seems that companies and developers see a avenue for them to be used in games. What is your thoughts on the rumored, next, “Super Game” by the developers that made Phantasy Star Online 2?

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis launches free update on June 9

The Phantasy Star Online 2 team have now confirmed that Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis update will go live on June 9! Here is the update posted on the PSO2 blog:

“Scheduled Launch Date:
After the maintenance on June 9, 2021 (Wed)

Due to the PSO2:NGS launch, the scheduled maintenance that would have occurred on June 9 (Wed) will be moved forward by about one or two days. More information will be announced at a later date.

Global Maintenance Announcement
 Due to the change in the maintenance schedule, there will be changes to the dates and the content of the “The Road to NEW GENESIS Event” countdown login bonus event. More information will be announced at a later date.

Note: There are no changes to the amount of SG distributed.

We will hold campaigns to celebrate the launch, so be sure to check them out! 

Thank you for your continued support of PSO2:NGS!”

It really looks like SEGA has been hitting it out of the park with all the new announcements!

 

Phantasy Star Online 2 coming to Epic Games Store next week

Phantasy Star Online 2 used to be exclusively available on the Microsoft Store for PC players. SEGA has expanded their support to Steam and soon will also have the free-to-play game on Epic Games Store by the end of the week. February 17th, 2021, for those keeping notes.

SEGA has also been teasing that Phantasy Star Online 2 recently launched the newest Chapter 6 update; which means its a perfect time to launch on a new platform. The real question for me is when is this game launching on Sony consoles like PlayStation 4/5? What about the Nintendo Switch version titled: Phantasy Star Online 2: Cloud?

SEGA News Bits: Our Favorite SEGA & ATLUS Games of 2020

On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry share what they thought were SEGA’s best offerings, and reflect on the year as a whole. How was a year without Sonic? What did SEGA’s 60th anniversary have to offer? Click play and hear our thoughts!

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

Phantasy Star Online 2 launches on Steam on August 5th

Phantasy Star Online 2 has been available in North America for several months, but only for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. All that changes on August 5th when Phantasy Star Online 2 releases to Steam for PC. Along with the date announcement came a slew of special rewards which allow you to wear costumes and decorations from Half-Life, Team Fortress and Portal. This isn’t the first time SEGA and Valve joined forces, as fans might remember when Renegade Ops and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed crossed paths with Valve franchises.

Read more about the Steam rewards at the PSO2 website, and in the meantime mark your calendars for August 5th!

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis releasing 2021, updating original game system and graphics engine

Today’s Xbox Game Showcase had a surprise for SEGA fans. What initially looked like episode for Phantasy Star Online 2 turned out to be a complete overhaul to the existing game entitled Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. Dubbed “the latest entry in the series” and released to celebrate the original PSO’s 20th anniversary, the game will update PSO2’s game system and graphics engine and is planned to release on a global scale, including Japan and North America.

The official accounts have said your progress will carry over. The game will release to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows 10 in North America and for Japan it is set for PlayStation 4, Windows PC and the cloud (PC and Switch). More information as we hear it, and in the meantime check out the official website.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode 4 releases August 2020 on Windows 10 and Xbox One

IGN’s Summer of Gaming event has revealed that Phantasy Star Online 2 will be seeing a western release of Episode 4 to Windows 10 and Xbox One this August. The free-to-play game currently has three episodes localized, with the fourth venturing into some very weird territory. The Phantasy Star Wiki describes Episode 4 as follows:

Two years after the end of the previous episode, the player character finally wakes up from their cold sleep. ARKS has undergone an administrative overhaul, with the player and Matoi sitting on a special position called the Guardian. Additionally, ARKS has discovered a planet that resides in another dimension, which is none other than Earth. However, this discovery brought new cases onto the table, such as the sharp influx of new ARKS members and the sudden appearance of enigmatic creatures known as Phantoms on the planet.

Check out the official trailer after the break!

Don’t Forget: Phantasy Star Online 2 releases to Windows 10 PC in North America

Phantasy Star Online 2 has been available on the Xbox One for a few months in North America, but very soon the game will also be hitting Windows 10 PC. How soon? The release date is set for May 27 at around 5 AM PDT, after scheduled server maintenance, and you can download the game today, May 26, at 11 PM PDT.

The game will feature crossplay with Xbox One players, so there will already be a sizable community already enjoying the game. Want more? Phantasy Star Online 2 is a Play Anywhere title that features cross-platform play and progress. Xbox One players can keep their progress on Windows 10 PCs by accessing the game using the same Microsoft Live ID used to play on Xbox One.

There are a number of special events and item giveaways planned, so check out the PSO2 blog for all the details on how to obtain the goodies. See you online!

Phantasy Star Online 2 North American Open Beta Starts March 17 on Xbox One


If you are looking to get back into Phantasy Star Online 2, they will be opening up the servers for a ‘open beta’ starting on March 17 at 5:00 p.m. PT. According to the twitter account you’ll be able to use the old ‘closed beta’ client with an update that goes live on March 16 at 10:00 AM PDT. I assume that the new client will go live for anyone that didn’t play it during Closed Beta.

The sad part is that we still don’t know when PC gamers will be able to join the fight, but I guess this is a way to get PSO gamers on Xbox consoles.

The History of Sega Japan R&D Part 5: The Road to 2020 is Complete

It was 2015 when I posted the four part retrospective of Sega of Japan’s game development. 2015 was the year where they announced a new initiative and went as far as to make their previous corporate divisions their own separate companies. Such as Sega Games, Sega Interactive for arcades and so on (which they are already undoing again in April). Sega Game’s new president, Haruki Satomi, promised that he would right the wrongs of the past, gain back the trust of consumers and also shareholders with their “Road to 2020” initiative. Of course this encompasses the evolution of their Japanese in-house studios, which are arguably the core of Sega.

Phantasy Star Online 2 will be coming to Steam

If you have a gander at the online manual for the North American release of Phantasy Star Online 2, you will notice that the PC version is listed as coming to Steam along with Microsoft Store version.

Launch PC game version

When the download is complete, you can proceed to launch the game by doing the following:

  • Steam
    • Open the Steam client and search for “Phantasy Star Online 2” under the “Library” section, then click “Play.”
    • If you opted to create a desktop shortcut, simply double click on the shortcut to launch the game.
  • Windows 10
    • Open the start menu and search for the “Phantasy Star Online 2” app shortcut.
    • If you opted to create a desktop shortcut, simply double click on the desktop shortcut.

As you already know, this weekend will be the start of the Phantasy Star Online 2 closed beta, from February 7 to the 9th only on Xbox One.

Phantasy Star Online 2 won’t be region locked, at least for now…

We are getting closer and closer to the release of the Phantasy Star Online 2 closed beta, which launches on February 7th. While Phantasy Star Online 2 is only officially coming out in North America (at least this Microsoft published servers), some European fans have asked if they will be blocking players from outside of the North America:


Quite frankly, I don’t see why Microsoft doesn’t just open this server to anyone that wants to play it in English. I mean, technically anyone can join the Japanese servers and is it bad to have a popular game? I think it would be good for Microsoft’s brand more than anything.

[Via: Siliconera]

Phantasy Star Online 2 closed beta starts February 7, 2020

If you are excited for the Western Xbox One closed beta, which starts on February 7th and goes through the 8th, then you’re in luck since we got more details about the event including ‘exclusive closed beta missions and items’. According to Microsoft you will be able to pre-load the game on February 3rd, if you want to start playing the first nano second the game goes live. You can sign up for the closed beta via the ‘Xbox Insider Hub’. 

Closed Beta Test Schedule

  • Starts: Friday, February 7th, 5 PM (PST)
  • Ends: Saturday, February 8th, 11:59 PM (PST)
  • Official Website: Opens Friday, February 7th, 10 AM (PST)

The beta will also have ‘Urgent Quests’ during the closed beta which include the following missions: