PSO2’s PC arrival is a footnote in an announcement for the eight-year-old MMORPG’s Xbox One launch, following open and closed betas on the console. Right at the bottom, past the cafe redesign and buck-wild $60 Sonic The Hedgehog collaboration, and there it is - Phantasy Star Online will hit the Windows Store by the end of May.
Notably, these new PSO2 localisations represent a long-awaited North American release. Sorry, Europe - at time of writing, there’s no sign of a localised edition for us. The NA version won’t be region-locked, mind. If you want to play PSO2 in English, without relying on fan servers with community-sourced translations, it’s right there to grab - American or not. I’m only really familiar with the first PSO myself, picking it up as a wean with utter disregard for the “Online” part of “Phantasy Star Online”. See, my folks had canned out Xbox Live sub after catching me overhear some unsavoury language in a Halo 2 lobby, so my time with Phantasy Star was startlingly barren - walking lonely fields, tapping my laser sword against giant dogs. Good times. Self-proclaimed PSO2 regular Dominic Tarason, who wrote on the game’s incoming PC arrival last year, is who you’d wanna ask for deets on the sequel - an “over-the-top anime Diablo or Destiny, with scads of loot, a powerful character creator, and lots of very different classes to play”, wrapped in a ludicrous plot that bounces between high-fantasy, space mecha, and contemporary Earth-locked shenanigans. A’ight then. PSO2 hits the Windows Store for free next month, with full cross-play support between PC and Xbox Players. Still waiting on word of that elusive European release, or any hints of a PC launch on Steam or otherwise.
