PSP2:Phantasy Star Portable 2

Phantasy Star Portable 2 logo

Phantasy Star Portable 2 is the sequel to Phantasy Star Portable, officially announced on August 20th 2009. Its existence became known through information on a bonus UMD to be included with a best-seller's rerelease of the original game, which states that the opening movie for Phantasy Star Portable 2 will be included. Confirmation that it was SEGA's 'New RPG' to be revealed on August 20th appeared when leaked magazine scans from Famitsu appeared on the internet.

Development on Phantasy Star Portable 2 started shortly after the release of the first game, and development was concurrent with Phantasy Star Zero until that game's release. Following that, the Phantasy Star Zero team joined up with the Phantasy Star Portable 2 team. The game is currently said to be in the final stages of debugging and tweaking.

It is due for release on December 3rd 2009 in Japan, selling for 5040 yen. It will be available both as a boxed UMD version and a downloadable version that can be bought on the Japanese Playstation Network store. In order to play online, players will need to register a product code (UMD version only, this is automatically done if you purchase and download the game from the PSN Store). This product code will only be valid for a year from release - although the online service itself will last beyond that. A playable Japanese demo version is due to be released on November 1st (on the official site), November 2nd (on PSN) and November 9th (on UMD).

No release details for other territories have been announced, although leaked minutes from a meeting between Sega of America and Sony Computer Entertainment America include a suggestion of selling PSP2 in the US as part of a PSP bundle.

Plot

The story of the game takes place three years after Episode 3. Instead of being a member of the GUARDIANS as with PSU and the original game, you instead work for a private military outfit called Little Wing. Little Wing was created by its parent company 'Skyclad', an unusual business expansion from a company best known for clothing and resorts. The creation of Little Wing sparked fierce controversy within Skyclad, but it's rumored that one of the powerful executives pushed for its establishment.

In the years following the SEED incident, resources within the Gurhal system have become scarce and, as a result, people have been emigrating to outer space. Clad-6, one such resort colony, is an hi-tech wonderland of electronic spectaculars said to shine bright even in darkest space. It is the base for Little Wing and part of it will form the sole city/lobby area in the game.

Being a private military organization, it's no exaggeration to say that Little Wing isn't picky about the jobs they take (it's said they'll even take on criminal work). Still, their star is rising thanks to their excellent performance on jobs.

Two NPCs are known - the human girl Emilia Percival (エミリア・パーシバル) and the newman boy Yuto (ユート). Other NPCs are shown in the opening movie, but not much is known about them right now.

The story is said to contain twice the text and voice content that the original game had, in response to feedback that the original game's story didn't have enough volume and was too easy. Story mode will be divided into 'chapters' and there will be side stories to serve as diversions. How many chapters the game will have is unknown.

Story characters

Emilia Percival

Emilia Percival is a 16 year old human girl belonging to Little Wing. She's a little naive and known to be somewhat lazy. Despite bungling her first job with Little Wing, she became fully involved with the group before she knew it. She doesn't talk about her past, and there seem to be no records of it, either. Her voice actress is Chiwa Saitou.

Yuto Jun Junkers

Yuto is a 15 year old newman boy living on Moatoob. He belongs to the Kashu family, and possesses an excellent 'photon sense'. Due to his secluded upbringing, he's a bit lacking in common sense. He meets Emilia and her group while they are on duty, and from then on joins them. His favorite food is pudding. He is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.

Crouch Müller

Crouch is a 34 year old beast male. He's the man in charge of Little Wing and is responsible for keeping an eye on Emilia, something he doesn't appear to take very seriously. He's said to have been involved in criminal activity in the past, but he doesn't show any signs of it now. His voice actor is Keiji Fujiwara.

Ursula Rollan

Ursula is a 32-year old newman woman who possesses both beauty and brains, being talented in several fields. She's a workaholic with little time for her private life. She knew Crouch and Emilia before Little Wing was created. Her signature weapon is a whip. Her voice actress is Atsuko Tanaka.

Chelsea

Chelsea is a female CAST whose age is given only as 'SE-CR-ET♪'. She is the receptionist for Little Wing and handles the management of the organization. She works hard, but her odd speech pattern sometimes makes it hard to understand her. She's like a big sister to Emilia. Her voice actress is Haruka Tomatsu.

Shizuru

Shizuru is a 20-year old human male described as a 'silver-haired fencer and rival'. Little else is currently known about him. His voice actor is Jun Fukuyama.

Mika

Mika is the 'goddess' seen in the opening movie. Her age is unknown, but she seems to be linked to the ancient civilization. Her voice actress is Sayaka Oohara.

Other characters

Two minor NPCs walking around the Clad 6 colony are known - the male CAST called Basque and the female human called Kunoh.

Characters from previous games will appear, such as Tonnio and Liina. They are wearing new clothes, but do not appear to have aged much (although they are adults, despite their child-like appearances). The GUARDIANS now has a new uniform policy, but it's unknown if every Guardian will be seen to wear it.

Lumia Waber is also confirmed, now as a 17 year old. She belongs to the GUARDIANS Research Division. She looks up to and respects Ethan, now feted as a hero of Gurhal for his part in sealing the SEED, but is intimidated by the weight his name now carries.

New content

The game is said to have more all-new monsters, and three times as many missions as the original game (according to the game's producer, Satoshi Sakai). It will include new items as well (similar to the original game). Also stated is that there are 'fully redone character designs' for the game's default characters, although they can of course be customized to the player's liking.

New monsters

JP name	EN name	Attribute	Notes
スヴァルティア	(Svaltia)
エビルシャーク	(Evil Shark)		Originally appeared in PSO.
パルシャーク	(Pal Shark)		Originally appeared in PSO.
ダカマヅリ	(Dakamazli)
タヴァラス	(Tavaras)
ヴァルガタス	(Valgatas)
ブナリ甲３型	(Bunari type-Koh3)
ジェリス	(Gelis)		Can change attribute.
グラビットＳ７	(Grabbit S7)
スティンギー	(Stingee)
アスターク	(Astark)		Originally appeared in PSO Ep.IV.
サベージ・ウルフ	(Savage Wolf)	?	Originally appeared in PSO.
バーベラス・ウルフ	(Barbarous Wolf)	?	Originally appeared in PSO.
ナノノドラゴ	(Nano Dragon)	?	Originally appeared in PSO.
ファズンタル・セグンタル	(Fazuntal Seguntal)	?
サンド・ラッピー	(Sand Rappy)	?	Originally appeared in PSO Ep.IV.
ポイゾンナスリリー	(Poison Lily)	?	Originally appeared in PSO.
シノワビート	(Shinowa Beat)	?	Originally appeared in PSO as 'Sinow Beat'.
シノワゴールド	(Shinowa Gold)		Originally appared in PSO as 'Sinow Gold'.
イルギル	(Ill Gill)	?	Originally appeared in PSO.
モグ・ボッゴ	(Mog Boggo)
レオル・バディア	(Reol Badia)		Boss of the new Seabed Plant area.
ドラゴン	(Dragon)		Originally appeared in PSO. Boss of PSO Forest.

Existing monsters will also return. Known to be returning right now are Vahra, Gol Dolva, Go Booma, Sageeta, Ubakrada and Komazli (and more). De Ragan is also returning. There will be new boss monsters, including the Dragon from Phantasy Star Online, who will become the boss of the returning PSO Forest area.

Furthermore, so-called 'boosted enemies' will appear in PSP2, inspired by a similar concept in PS0. These will randomly appear and will be identifiable by an aura around their feet. There will be three types of boosted enemy and they will be tougher than their regular versions, with a higher item droprate to compensate.

New areas

At least four new areas are stated to appear:

• Seabed RELICS. You will visit this area early on in the storyline.
• Seabed Plant. A facility run by the Inhert company. Reol Badia is the boss of this area.
• An unnamed snowfield area.
• An unnamed desert area with palm trees, possibly on Moatoob.

Other areas from PSP and PSU (and AOTI) will appear as well. Known to appear right now are: Raffon Meadow, Raffon Lakeshore, Saguraki C.D., the Pavilion of Air, COG Temple, Old Rozenom City, Galenigare Canyon, PSO Forest and PSO Caves.

New missions

JP name	EN name	Ranks	Type	Story/Multi mode
海の底の古代遺跡	(Ancient Seabed Ruins)	C-S	Free	Unknown
多脚兵器破壊指令	(Multi-legged Weapon)	?	Free	Unknown
カタパルトジャンプ	(Catapult Jump)	N/A	Battle	Multi mode only.

Existing missions will also return, sometimes with tweaks to their length and enemy placement (and AI). As an example, Plains Overlord will now feature Gol Dolvas. In addition, there may be missions released on PSU that will tie-in with PSP2 (much like how Innocent Girl was released in Japan to coincide with PSP1's release). Whether PSP2 itself will get any special tie-in missions is unknown.

There will be over 300 missions in PSP2, including battle and challenge missions.

New items

The game will contain a drastically increased item lineup, with over 2000 items available to collect.

Several new weapons have been seen in screenshots, including weapons that appear very similar to PSO's Last Survivor and Magical Piece. The names of these weapons are as of yet unconfirmed, and other details are unknown.

JP name	EN name	Type	Grade	Notes
ラストサバイバー・レプカ	(Last Survivor Repca)		B	Originally appeared in PSO as Last Survivor.
ディランスレイヤー	(De Ran Slayer)		?	Originally appeared in PSO as Dragon Slayer.
エクスカリバー	(Excalibur)		?	Collaboration item with Fate/Stay Night.
心乃臓	(Soul Viscera)		?	Collaboration item with Hoshin Engi.
トゥブ・ナスル	(Toob Nasul)		C	Yuto's signature weapon.
ロンギヌスの槍	(Longinus Lance)		?	Collaboration item with Evangelion.
ダブルセイバー・レプカ	(Double Saber Repca)		?
アブソリュートブレード	(Absolute Blade)		?
スヴァルティアトマホーク	(Svaltia Tomahawk)		?
ミクのツインネギセイバー	(Miku's Twin Leek Saber)		?	Collaboration item with Vocaloid.
干将・莫耶	(Kanshou Bakuya)		?	Collaboration item with Fate/Stay Night.
ナイトメアダスト	(Nightmare Dust)		?
イグザム	(Exam)		C	Save transfer reward item.
ミクのネギセイバー	(Miku's Leek Saber)		?	Collaboration item with Vocaloid.
蛇腹アルビーノ	(Snake Albino)		C
シデンジヒケン	(Shidenji-hiken)		?
ミクのネギライフル	(Miku's Leek Rifle)		?	Collaboration item with Vocaloid.
タルラッピーバズーカ	(Barrel-Rappy Bazooka)		B	Based off the PS0 Rappy design.
グッレラスサジタリウス	(Gurrath Sagittarius)		?
オブシディアン	(Obsidian)		?
ハッパ	(Plantain Leaf)		C	Originally appeared in PSO.
クラーリタ・ヴィサスＩ	(Klarita Visus I)		C	Emilia's signature weapon.
マジカルピース	(Magical Piece)		?	Originally appeared in PSO.
ミクのネギウォンド	(Miku's Leek Wand)		?	Collaboration item with Vocaloid.
シールド	(Shield)	Shield	?
ソウルシールド	(Soul Shield)	Shield	?
アルテミス	(Artemis)	Shield	?
アートジャベリン	(Art Javelin)	?	?	Collaboration item with Mx0.
怒れる焼きマシュマロ	(Inflamed Marshmellow)	?	?	Collaboration item with Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.

New clothes and parts

In addition to the all new 'default' outfits characters will come with, there will be at least 50 new articles of clothing and parts in the game. This will include clothing sets based on the outfits of NPCs, including Yuto, Emilia, Kunoh and Basque.

JP name	EN name	Clothes/Parts	Type	Notes
ラブリングフェザー	(Loveling Feather)	?	?	Collaboration item with Mx0.
プラチナ・タイガー	(Platinum Tiger)	?	?	Collaboration item with Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.
プランクエポック	(Prank Epoch)	?	?	Collaboration item with Hoshin Engi.
プラグスーツ・シンジ	(Plugsuit: Shinji)	Both	?	Collaboration item with Evangelion.
プラグスーツ・レイ	(Plugsuit: Rei)	Both	?	Collaboration item with Evangelion.
プラグスーツ・アスカ	(Plugsuit: Asuka)	Both	?	Collaboration item with Evangelion.
初音ミクドレス	(Hatsune Miku's Dress)	Both	?	Collaboration item with Vocaloid.
騎士王の甲冑	(Knight-King's Armor)	Both	?	Collaboration item with Fate/Stay Night.
赤原礼装	(Red Formalwear)	Both	?	Collaboration item with Fate/Stay Night.

New PM types

PSP2 will include new PM types, including 'Dragon' and 'Retro' type PM models. Depending on their type, PMs will also reduce the amount of damage received from certain elements.

There will be 60 PM models in the game, with evolutionary devices found in shops and through other means.

Download content

The Japanese release of PSP2 will feature year-round downloadable content similar to the first game's Japanese release. This content will take two forms:

• Download missions - these will be distributed free and in a similar manner to the original game. If you log into the Internet Multi mode, you will automatically be updated with the latest download missions. For players who can't or won't go online, the missions will be available from the official site as well.
• Download items - these will fall into two categories, free and paid-for. These items will not be game-breaking and there are no plans to introduce means of getting more EXP, Meseta etc. through paying money. Sakai has stated that these items will be completely new items patched into the game - if you do not have the data to display a particular weapon on your PSP it will appear as a common weapon of that weapon type for you instead (similar to AOTI weapons for v1 users or AOTI Supplemental Update weapons for PS2 users).

Storage

In PSP2 there is no distinction between storage and the common box, instead, there is only 'common storage'. This can be accessed by all of your characters, and will hold 1,000 items maximum. Items that stack will stack up to 999 for convenience. Furthermore, you can send items to this storage from anywhere in-game for no cost, allowing you to easily offload items should your inventory be full.

Achievements

Game achievements will be returning in PSP2. Similar to PSP1, you will be able to see more achievement conditions by unlocking conditions (for example, unlocking an achievement to hit level 30 may allow you to see the condition 'reach level 40' for another achievement).

There will be 250 achievements in the game.

Collections

Collections will return from PSP1. Unlike PSP1 (and like PS0), collections will be shared across all characters. The currently known types of collections are:

• Weapon collection (details weapons you have obtained)
• Enemy collection (details enemies you have defeated)
• Clothing & parts collection (details articles of clothing and parts you have obtained)

Collection percentages will not be affected by download items, so it is possible to attain 100% completion without having to buy the paid-for download items.

Collaborations

Collaborations with famous characters and companies are planned. These will take the form of missions and in-game items of various kinds, including weapons, room decorations, and clothing.

Shounen JUMP

Six creators of manga appearing in the Shounen JUMP magazine will be designing items and clothing for PSP2. These manga are:

• Mx0 (Art Javelin weapon and Loveling Feather outfit)
• Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Inflamed Marshmellow weapon and Platinum Tiger outfit)
• Hoshin Engi (Soul Viscera weapon and Prank Epoch outfit)
• Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar
• Shaman King
• To Love-Ru

Fanta

Fanta can room decorations will be available in the game, and Fanta-themed weapons will be made available through a campaign on the official Japanese Fanta website.

Dokodemo Issho

A third collaboration is with Toro and Kuro, Sony mascot characters in Japan and characters in the Dokodemo Issho series. They can be unlocked as partner characters by meeting specific unknown conditions, and there will be room goods based on them as well.

Pizza Hut

This collaboration will introduce Pizza Hut themed items, such as special weapons and room decorations based on Cheese-kun. It will also feature a special rare block available through a teleporter that will randomly appear in missions. This Pizza Hut Gurhal block will be a shop where one can buy Pizza Hut themed items, including a special Pizza Hut uniform outfit.

The concept of the Pizza Hut rare block is similar to the Coco Hut rare block from Phantasy Star Zero.

Other collaborations

Various other collaboration items will appear in PSP2. These include:

• Plugsuits (of Shinji, Rei and Asuka) and the Lance of Longinus from Evangelion.
• Saber and Archer's clothes and weapons from Fate/Stay Night.
• Costume and leek weapons from Hatsune Miku.
• Sayo Yuuki from the Castle of Shikigami series makes a cameo as a prayer maiden.

Game balance

Level cap

The level cap for PSP2 characters is level 200, as opposed to 100 in the first game. It will take approximately twice as long to reach level 100 in PSP2 compared to the original, and level 100 to 200 is considered 'further education'. Type caps, as well as the overall Photon Art level cap, will be 30 (although different types will have different caps for individual types of Photon Art).

Mirage Blast

Mirage Blast is the special ability for human and newman characters, available at level 10 and above as a counterpart to the SUV weapons and Nanoblasts possessed by CASTs and Beasts respectively. They have been developed in the past three years, applying the technology of the ancient civilization to slot units to allow Humans and Newmans to summon mythical creatures. It is somewhat based on Phantasy Star Online's Photon Blasts - special attacks that summoned Photon Mirages for a variety of effect.

There will be 6 types of Mirage Blast, one for each element. Mirage Blasts take the form of units that must be equipped, similar to SUVs. They can be used when the blast gauge is full. A B-grade or above line shield will be required to use Mirage Blast units, but it is unknown if there will be several units of varying power for each Mirage Blast effect. The currently known Mirage Blasts are as follows:

JP name	EN name	Attribute	Description
ヌイ	(Nui)		Performs a simple, forward attack.
コンル	(Konru)		Performs a linear, ranged attack.
カンナ	(Kanna)		Performs an aerial attack.
トイトイ	(Toitoi)		Performs a circular attack.

SUVs and Nanoblasts

These special abilities will be usable from level 10 onwards, just like Mirage Blasts. Previously they required level 20 to use. Different nanoblasts will be unlocked through levelling up, however - you won't be able to access them all at level 10. The following table lists the blast badges and their level:

Level	Blast badges unlocked
10	Defense (purple), Accuracy (yellow)
20	Attack (red)
30	Hurricane (silver)
40	Impact (gold)
50	Invulnerability (blue)

The effects of the Hurricane and Impact nanoblasts are unknown. They will use the new, sleeker, nanoblast look while the original nanoblasts will use the old look. In addition to the silver and gold blasts, there is a black 'Berserk' nanoblast that can only be accessed by meeting certain unknown requirements while using the silver or gold nanoblasts.

There will be new SUV weapons available for CASTs to use, the known ones are as follows:

JP name	EN name	Grade	Notes
ヴィヴィアンパニシャー	(Vivienne Punisher)	?
ビグスインパクト	(Bigs Impact)	?
エアライドクラスター	(Air Ride Cluster)	?
フレイムパンツァー	(Flame Panzer)	?

Elemental attributes

Whereas previously, only melee weapons had elemental attributes attached, now ranged and TECHNIC weapons will also have them. Combining the same-element TECHNIC bonus with a TECHNIC weapon of the same element will provide an even larger bonus, and some rare TECHNIC weapons are said to come with innate TECHNIC boosts, similar to PSO - an example of this was seen at TGS, where the Plantain Leaf weapon came with the special effect 'Ground Power UP'.

Ranged weapons will only get their elemental attribute from the weapon itself, elemental bullets no longer exist. Furthermore, elemental %s will only affect the attack power of the weapon (whereas in PSU and PSP they affected the total ATP of a character and weapon together).

Hitting an enemy with an attack of the same or opposite attribute will display a flashy special effect. This is to make hitting an enemy's weakness more satisfying. An example of this is that if you hit a fire attribute enemy with an ice attribute weapon or attack, a spray of ice crystals will appear.

Enemy difficulty

Enemies will be tougher than in the original game, supposedly requiring players to make good use of the new battle features such as shielding and dodging. Furthermore, enemies will be stronger in multi mode than in story mode. Soloing in multi mode has been described as 'hell', while a 3-person party is 'just right' and a full, 4-person party is 'a little easy'.

Some surprising enemies have been made much tougher, but further details are unknown.

Photon Points (PP)

Unlike other games in the PSU universe, PP is now a character stat rather than a weapon stat (similar to PS0 and PSO's TP). There are no Photon Charges and PP will have to be regenerated through melee attacks and natural regeneration. Sonic Team have stated that their intention with this change was to make players change their strategy, forcing them to mix up normal attacks with Photon Arts instead of overly relying on Photon Arts. It is unknown how exactly PP will work for regular (non-charged) ranged attacks and TECHNICs.

Units

Instead of using the Head/Arm/Body/Extra slot system of PSU, PSP2 will use a 'free slot' system that appears to be similar to PSO and PS0. This will allow players, amongst other things, to combine an SUV unit with an aura producing unit, as well as stack units such as Cati/Power.

Scape Dolls

Similar to the US release of PSP1 (and unlike the JP version), Scape Dolls will no longer be available to buy from shops. You can find them as item drops though, and other items may be used to trade for them.

Battle types

There will be fewer types in PSP2 compared to PSP1. Currently, four types are known - Hunter, Ranger, Force, and Braver. These appear to be the only types in the game. Hunter, Ranger and Force remain specialists in their respective fields (melee, guns, techs), while Braver is an all-rounder hybrid class. The following table shows their Photon Art caps:

Type	Skills	Bullets	TECHNICs
Hunter	30	15	15
Ranger	15	30	15
Force	15	15	30
Braver	20	20	20

Type Extend and customization

As you level up your type, you earn extend points which can be put toward upgrading the grade of weapons you can equip. The cost of upgrading weapon proficiencies is cheaper if the weapon type falls under your type's area of expertise, but there is nothing to stop you from, say, getting the ability to wield S-rank Swords on a Force. You can rearrange your weapon proficiencies, so there's no way to permanently ruin a character through non-optimal equipment choices. However, even with a maxed-out type, you will not be able to wield every weapon at S-rank.

There is also an ability customization option that you can use to purchase special abilities to apply to your type, similar to PSU's GAS system. Examples of customization options include HP Boost, ATP Boost, Wild Blast (charges the blast gauge faster) and PP Guard Save. As you level your type, the abilities available to you, as well as the maximum number of abilities you can equip, will increase. The rare drop boost from the previous game (which was tied to the achievements you had earned) is now available as a type customization ability.

Accuracy and damage

When attacking with ranged weapons, accuracy (ATA) will factor into the damage caused.

Item drops

Unlike in PSU, where the same (single) item drops for all players, and PSP1, where all players receive a copy of the item drop, PSP2 will have seperate drops for each player (this is similar to PS0's system). Each player will only see their own drops, and these can be different from those of other players (one player may get a monomate, while another may get a weapon from the same enemy, for example).

If a player gets a rare drop with a high (30%+) attribute, the find will be broadcast to the rest of the party via a scrolling message.

Equipment requirements

Unlike previous PSU games, whose weapons and line shields had specific stat requirements (ATP, ATA, DFP etc.), all equipment in PSP2 will be restricted by level, and you won't be able to equip items that are too high-level for you.

Status effect changes

Silence no longer exists in PSP2, instead it has been merged with the Shock status effect. Shock will now prevent both melee/ranged attacks and casting.

Grenade trajectory

Grenade weapons in PSP2 no longer have a parabolic trajectory, but now have a straight line trajectory instead. The speed at which they impact has also been increased to make them easier to use.

The city

Unlike other PSU games, PSP2 only has one 'city' area, the 'Little Wing control district' located on Clad6. Unlike the original PSP, this city will be rendered in full 3D instead of using the overhead map system of the first game. You can chat and perform lobby actions in this area. The maximum number of players that can enter the city is 4 (per game, presumably), and there is no capability in the game for large-scale communication as seen in PSU's cities.

Mission counter

PSP2 has only one mission counter, located in the Little Wing control district. From here you will be able to access all of the game's missions, including battle and challenge missions.

It will also be multifunctional, including the ability to view images of item drops and enemies that appear in a particular mission. You can also get an estimated mission clear time for each mission from the counter.

Grinding

Grinding weapons in PSP2 is now performed with Meseta instead of Grinders. The amount you pay depends on the grade of the weapon and the number of times it has been grinded already. As with other games, weapons can be grinded 10 times, and stat gains will be randomized as in PSP1. Unlike PSP1, there is no chance of failure on any weapon, so many weapons will be added that change after being grinded 10 times. There are also secrets to grinding not yet shared...

Your room

Your room customization will make a return in PSP2. Room decorations and redecoration tickets will both appear, but the move passes allowing you to move your room to another planet will not, and neither will player shops.

Through the visual phone tutorials, glossaries, item collections and achievement listings will be available, as well as statistics on various things (monsters defeated, missions cleared etc.). This is also where you will enter passwords to obtain collaboration items.

Prayer maiden

Sayo Yuuki from the Castle of Shikigami series makes an appearance as a prayer maiden on Clad 6. Her role is similar to the shrine maiden seen in Shitenkaku on PSU, but instead of changing your Photon Fortune (as that does not appear to exist), she will instead give you special bonuses, such as increased HP or rare drop rates. You can pay 100, 1000, 10000 or 100000 meseta. Presumably this affects the chance of getting a better bonus.

In multiplayer modes Sayo can only be used by the party leader, however the bonus she gives will apply to all party members.

Battle changes

New moves will be available in battle, some seemingly inspired by Phantasy Star Zero. Among these are an emergency dodge, charged shots for ranged weapons and shields similar to Phantasy Star Zero, but available as single handed weapons (since PS0 did not have the same dual wield system PSU and PSP have).

Emergency dodge

Allows you to evade enemy attacks by executing a forward roll. During the dodge you will be invincible for a period that is longer than PS0. However after the dodge you will not be able to move for a period that is also longer than PS0's dodge. Executing a dodge consumes PP.

You dodge by holding down a direction with the analog stick, then quickly tapping the circle button. The circle button will also be used for picking up items and keys as in other Japanese versions of PSU.

Charged shots

Allows you to fire a more powerful shot by holding down the Triangle button. You can move while charging, and when fully charged you can fire the shot by releasing the Triangle button. Only works with ranged weapons, and the firing animation changes for a charged shot. Consumes a large amount of PP, to the point where you cannot simply rely on charged shots, but must also use regular shots.

Depending on the kind of ranged weapon, the charged shot may provide benefits such as increased range or attack power.

Shields and Exact Guard

Shields are a new weapon type appearing in PSP2. They are left-handed weapons that can be equipped with any right-handed weapon. They are used by holding down R to guard against enemy attacks. Guarding consumes PP and reduces incoming damage. By timing your guard to match an enemy's attack, you can perform an Exact Guard that will deal counter damage to the attacking enemy, as well as reduce the PP consumption of the block and damage taken to zero.

Since shields cannot be used with two-handed weapons, you can also block attacks with all two-handed weapons except Rods. However, you can only perform an Exact Guard with a shield equipped - you will only get a damage reduction with two-handed weapons.

Attacks can be cancelled through guarding. Photon Arts, however, will require specific timing to cancel.

Chain system

The Chain system allows players to deal more damage to enemies. Unlike the PS0 version of the Chain system, you do not need other characters to perform attacks with you to build up a chain. Instead, you build up a chain by hitting an enemy with normal attacks, and the Chain will then increase the amount of damage certain attacks known as 'Combo Finishers' do to it. The following attacks are Combo Finishers:

• Photon Arts (i.e. skills)
• Charged Shots
• TECHNICs assigned to the triangle button.

Although you do not need other people to utilize the chain combo system, you can cooperate with other players in building up a combo.

Photon Arts

The Photon Art system will be undergoing a major overhaul in PSP2. Instead of levelling your Photon Arts through use as with the original game and PSU, you will now level up your PAs by obtaining and using discs that have a level attached to them, upgrading your PAs by finding discs with a higher level. These discs will be found in missions, shops, as achievement rewards, and as item drops.

You will also be able to learn every single Photon Art in the game on a single character on PSP2 - there is no more 36 PA limit. PSP2 has 136 Photon Arts in total (down from 158 in PSP1).

Elemental bullets do not exist in PSP2, due to the changes in how elemental attributes on weapons are handled. There will be a bullet that will increase the effective elemental % of a ranged weapon, though.

The level cap for Photon Arts in PSP2 will be 30, the same as in the original PSP. Some adjustments have been made as to how Photon Arts work based on level:

• Single-handed melee Photon Arts remain the same (1 attack at 1-10, 2 at 11-30).
• Two-handed melee Photon Arts now have 2 attacks at 1-10 and 3 at 11-30.
• Each bullet's power, accuracy, range and attribute has been increased.
• Depending on the bullet's level, the number of bullets you can fire will increase.
• TECHNICs have been upgraded so that PSP2's LV1-30 will be visually equivalent with PSU's LV11-40. Their visual effects are being adjusted so as not to blind other players when cast.

A minor change to melee Photon Arts is that the color of the photon trail they leave when used has been changed.

• 1-10 - Blue
• 11-20 - Red
• 21-30 - Yellow

New Photon Arts

JP name	EN name	PA type
インフィニットストーム	(Infinite Storm)
グランドクラシャー	(Grand Crusher)
ソウガチョウセッカ	(Souga Chou-sekka)
ヴィヴィ・デッザ?	(Vivi Dezza?)
ブレードデストラクション	(Blade Destruction)
ドゥース･スカッド	(Dus Scad)

TECHNICs

TECHNICs in PSP2 are undergoing a major overhaul compared to previous PSU titles. Several TECHNICs are being changed or added, and many others are being removed from the game entirely. The following table shows the changes:

JP name	EN name	Change
アグタール	Shifta	Being renamed to Shifta (シフタ) in the Japanese release (originally named Agtal). Will boost both ATP and TP.
アグディール	Jellen	Being renamed to Jellen (ジェルン) in the Japanese release (originally named Agdeel). Will lower both ATP and TP.
デブバール	Deband	Being renamed to Deband (デバンド) in the Japanese release (originally named Defbal). Will boost DFP, EVP and MST.
デフディール	Zalure	Being renamed to Zalure (ザルア) in the Japanese released (originally named Defdeel). Will lower DFP, EVP and MST.
グランツ	(Grants)	Added. A light attribute attack TECHNIC.
ダム・グランツ	(Damgrants)	Added. A continuous light attribute attack TECHNIC.
ゾディアール	Zodial	Removed.
ゾルディール	Zoldeel	Removed.
ディーザス	Dizas	Removed.
ギ・レスタ	Giresta	Removed.
レ・グランツ	Regrant	Removed.
レティアール	Retier	Removed.
レンティス	Rentis	Removed.
メギスタール	Megistar	Removed.

Furthermore, you will be able to perform a three-cast combo of TECHNICs. This is only available for wands and rods, TCSMs cannot combo. The advantage to this system is that each successive cast shortens the casting time: the first has the normal casting time, the second has 70% casting time, and the third has 50% casting time. You will also be able to use Exact Attack with these combos.

You can cast the same TECHNIC three times or you can mix in another tech. However, if you are using a rod, you cannot mix techs from the front and back palettes. For example, if you have a rod with Foie + Barta and Zonde + Diga, you can combo with Foie -> Barta -> Foie or Zonde -> Diga -> Zonde, but not Foie -> Zonde -> Foie.

Another change is that TECHNICs capable of hitting multiple enemies, such as Rafoie, will now be capable of hitting boss enemies multiple times.

Armor Palette

The action palette will be expanded in PSP2, allowing players to set 6 line shields (similar to how they would set weapons) and then switch between them quickly.

Exact Attack and Counter

Both Exact Attack and Exact Counter are confirmed to appear in PSP2. The change made to Exact Counter in the AOTI supplemental update (invincibility while performing an Exact Counter) is also being introduced.

Shortcut Orders

Similar to Phantasy Star Zero, you will be able to issue orders to NPC allies telling them to focus on such things as attacking, firing, or healing. There are seven such orders:

JP name	EN name	Description
フリーオーダー	(Free order)	Instructs NPCs to engage in battle normally, using the weapon they are most proficient with.
アタックシフト	(Attack shift)	Instructs NPCs to focus only on attacking with their weapon proficiencies and not to worry about healing.
シューターサイト	(Shooter sight)	Instructs NPCs to attack using long-distance ranged and TECHNIC attacks.
ヒールオーダー	(Heal order)	Instructs NPCs to focus on healing; only a minimal effort will be put into battle.
フォローシフト	(Follow shift)	Instructs NPCs to follow behind and provide the player with backup fire using ranged weapons and TECHNICs.
ブラストチャージ	(Blast charge)	Instructs NPCs to charge their blast gauges and say when they are full.
ブラストリリース	(Blast release)	Instructs NPCs to use their nanoblast/mirage blast/SUV weapon.

You can open the Shortcut Order menu using the Select button. In Story Mode, this menu will appear as the default menu (instead of the shortcut message menu).

New modes

PSP2 will contain new modes of play, including Battle, Challenge and Extra.

Battle

Battle is a 'competitive mode' i.e. Player versus Player. It will involve directly fighting other players. There will be several 'rules' that dictate how you fight against each other. Currently one rule is known:

• Catapult Jump - this rule is a 2v2 fight that involves attempting to capture energy poles, as well as the opposing team's base. You can also jump from island to island using the Catapult pads found around the area. Monsters also appear in this mission.

Other types of battle are listed, but details on them are unknown:

• Great Threat
• Catapult Chase
• Thirteen's Room
• Who will step on the switch?
• Like an Arrow of Light
• Lightning Deathmatch
• No Walls
• Battle Royale

Challenge

Challenge is a 'cooperative mode'. Further details are unknown, such as whether it will work like PSO's Challenge mode or whether it will be more similar to the GUARDIANS advanced missions.

Playing a challenge mission will require working together with other players. Your levels and equipment will be restricted.

Dying will fail the stage, it is unclear if Scape Dolls will work or not. If a player dies and you retry the stage, a grave marker with various details about the death (time, cause of death, last comment etc.) will appear. You can access this grave to receive a random item, such as a Monomate.

Extra

Extra missions will involve some sort of gimmick, but other than that, nothing is known about them.

Network play

Unlike the original game, Phantasy Star Portable 2 will include infrastructure mode allowing for true internet play; this mode will be called Internet Multi Mode. According to Satoshi Sakai, players will be able to be matched up in a four-player party through a matching counter. You can create a game from a list of rooms, add a comment to that room, and then you will enter the city - other players can then join (although you cannot join a game when a mission is in progress). You can also search for other players and exchange partner cards so you can play with friends. In addition, there will be multiplayer-only missions that require more than just 'slaying monsters'.

Internet Multi Mode has been confirmed to be free to play. Character data will transition flawlessly between story and multiplayer modes.

Communication

Multi mode will include an on-screen software keyboard to allow players to communicate via text chat. This keyboard will allow you to enter alphanumeric characters and symbols in addition to Japanese kana (in the Japanese version, it remains to be seen how this will work in any localized version). Pre-configured shortcuts will also be available to use. The shortcuts and software keyboard will be available by using the Select button.

As only 4 players can be in the city area per game, there is no capability for large-scale communication in PSP2. Furthermore, PSU's Cut-in Chat system will not appear in PSP2.

Ad Hoc mode

Ad Hoc mode for local multiplayer play will also be included and will work like the original game's Multi Mode.

Miscellaneous

Interface redesign

The interface has undergone some changes. The most obvious change is that instead of gray, the HUD background now appears to be a bluish color. In addition to this, PP is now displayed under HP due to the change in how that works, and the blast bar is now a circle around the player's colour icon (similar to the Photon Blast bar in PSO).

Item drop boxes

Item boxes have been changed in PSP2 to a style similar to the octahedron (eight sided) boxes found in Phantasy Star Zero. Red boxes for rare items will make a comeback, but for even more rare items (described as 'super rare') there will be a rainbow-colored box. Exactly what constitutes a super rare item isn't known.

There will be a special sound effect whenever a rare or super rare item drops. The two will have different sound effects.

Variable framerate

To combat slowdown, PSP2 will implement an auto frameskip system. When the processing load becomes too heavy, the game will automatically drop frames to prevent slowdown. This system is confirmed for Multi Mode at least. Due to this change, Multi Mode will run at a maximum of 30FPS (like story mode), whereas it was fixed at 20FPS in the original game.

Save data transfer

PSP2 will allow for save data from the original PSP to be transferred over to PSP2. However this transfer does come with some limitations and restrictions which are listed below:

• The following are transferred: race, gender, underwear color, eye color, lip color, proportion, your PM's name and type, and the parts/clothes you are wearing.
• The following are NOT transferred: character and type levels, voice type and pitch, anything appearance-related not listed above, accessories, items (in inventory or storage), meseta, Photon Arts, achievements and your item collection.

As a reward for transferring your save data, you will receive the saber (Exam), and one of four random 'effect units'. These units are based on your 'initial type' (the type of your new, transferred character), and they are:

• Cosmic Particle C - Hunter
• Brightness Circle C - Ranger
• Whitill Wing C - Braver
• Flower Art C - Force

You will also receive the Former Guardian achievement - a likely reference to the end of the PSP1 storyline (and the fact that while you play a Guardian in PSP1, you will belong to Little Wing in PSP2).

Low HP alert

When your character is at low HP and is in danger of dying, the edge of the screen will glow red to alert you.

Install

The game has a feature to install the data it reads the most to the Memory Stick, allowing for faster load times and less stress on the disc. This was a much requested feature and it is recommended that you utilize it. Character, weapon and other often utilized data will be installed. How much space will be required for the install is unknown.

Voices

The selectable character voices have been completely redone. This includes the combat voices for recurring NPCs such as Tonnio and Liina, and new voices suitable for smaller characters will be added. The old voices will not appear in the game.

Character creation

The hair color options in the game have been changed to allow for more bright and vivid colours, such as the default female newman's pink hair.

Client Orders

These will be requests you can take up from various NPCs. Little is known about this system right now, but you will be able to track which jobs you have accepted from which people.

Traps

Unlike PSU's ground traps, traps in PSP2 will float in the air, similar to those found in PSO and PS0.

Radar map

The radar map has been slightly changed. It will now display an area's start and end, as well as differentiating between open doors you have passed through, and those you haven't.

External links

• Official Japanese PSP2 site
• Official Japanese PSP2 blog
• Phantasy Star Fan Blog (good for PSP2 news)
• Sega Nerds - Phantasy Star Portable 2 seen in promotional poster
• 1UP - Phantasy Star Portable Gets A Sequel

Gallery

• 

  Cover art

• 

  Emilia Percival

• 

  Yuto

• 

  Default human male

• 

  Default CAST male

• 

  Default newman female

• 

  Default beast male