Weekend Demo for Phantasy Star Universe
Get on to Xbox Live now if you want to play the new Sega online game before it comes out.
In the world of role-playing games, there are singleplayer ones, and, increasingly, there are online multiplayer ones. Sega is taking the novel approach of mixing the two in its new RPG Phantasy Star Universe, and you're invited to test drive the online components starting this weekend.
Until Sunday, 15 October, you'll be able to download the Phantasy Star Universe multiplayer open beta from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The beta testing period will run until 18 October, giving you about five days to squeeze as much out of this preview as possible. You'll need to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber to take part.
Less exciting though no less notable is Sega's announcement of the Guardians license - a fancy name for monthly service fees. The fee runs at around £7 a month and is required for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 2 owners for access to the game's online features.
For more on Phantasy Star Universe, visit Sega's official site at phantasystaruniverse.com. You can also check out our recent interview with the Phantasy Star Universe team.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo