XB PSO Fees...

[rummy]

...

I thought it might be something like that, but I figured they couldn't possibly be that lame. Sonic Team are such boobies. Spyware is so much cooler.

[Shin Johnpv]

Originally posted by Master
All of these pay to play, and have to have live to play offline, these are all SEGA's decisions.

yes you can blaime MS

MS is the one RUNNING Xbox live

MS was the one who first said one flat fee to play ALL GAMES



MS should have told sega no
no online fees

instead they didnt

people sure as fuck can blaime MS for this

[Den]

It sounds like you don't need to have to own Xbox Live to play offline at all.

From the official xbox.com webpage;

The award-winning Phantasy Star Online (PSO) sparked a worldwide gaming phenomenon. Now, the world of PSO is coming to Xbox and Xbox Live. The first online roleplaying game available on Xbox, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II will feature all-new gaming modes and new content. For the first time ever, PSO gamers around the world will be able to communicate online using the Xbox Communicator headset.

New character classes, weapons, enemies, items, and quests are only a portion of the new content awaiting discovery. With the new split-screen feature, four friends can adventure through the main quest, as well as the other game-play modes, on the same Xbox.

Episode I includes all of the content from the original PSO and Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 (PSO Ver. 2), while Episode II brings a new, full-length adventure. The evolution of the original, revolutionary gaming experience continues.

An Xbox Live account is required to play Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II. To play the game online, Xbox Live subscribers will be required to buy a Hunter's License, which will give gamers the ability to travel on wild adventures with other Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II gamers. It also provides access to a plethora of online exclusive content, such as seasonal quests, downloads, and rare, in-game items. The Hunter's License is free of charge for the first two months and, after that, will carry a service fee of $8.95 per month.

No mention of needing Xbox Live for offline play.

Get Ready for a New Kind of Roleplaying: Experience the first online roleplaying game available on Xbox.

Chat with Fellow Gamers: The Xbox Communicator headset is fully compatible with PSO, enabling gamers across North America to talk to each other with ease.

Obtain Your PSO Hunter's License: A Hunter's License is required to play with or against other PSO gamers online. The Hunter's License is free of charge for the first two months and, after that, will carry a service fee of $8.95 per month. If you do not want a license, feel free to enjoy the offline game-play modes.

Cooperate or Compete with Others: Play with up to three players, cooperatively or competitively, with all-new, split-screen capabilities.

Test Your Skills: Assess your endurance abilities with the Challenge mode, or prove yourself as the supreme champion of player-versus-player combat in Battle mode.

Download New Content: Discover new, downloadable quests via Xbox Live.

Embark on a Single-Player Quest: Choose the Offline mode to experience the same, exciting PSO world in a single-player game.
Experience PSO—Old and New: Enjoy all the game play from PSO and PSO Ver. 2 as well as a brand new adventure.

Find New Monsters & Treasures: Challenge new, more powerful monsters in intense, real-time combat. Embark on new quests, explore new dungeons, and acquire new, rare items.

http://www.xbox.com/pso2/default.htm?

Still no mention of it. Thats some hope for people that may be interested in playing the game offline.

[Mode7]

Re-read your first quote.

[ferricide]

(A) MS said that games that require maintence (like RPGs) would possibly have outside fees soon after the initial announcement. how have i known for like, over a year, that xbox PSO might have a hunters licesne fee?

if MS is running the servers and MS is doing the content upgrades on PSO, then i can see being mad about the extra fee. but you're getting the same thing you do on the GC version ... the money is going to sega and it's paying for new quests, servers, etc.

i honestly don't understand how to untangle the issues inherent to xbox live. but this has been a possibility from the get-go.

i'm still with the guy who says that you're paying $50 for a bunch of games vs. $35 for one. and i don't have any interest in the other xbox live games, really (i kinda like UC but i'd never subscribe just for that.)

and yes, it's 100% confirmed that you won't be able to play offline without XBL. got that straight from MS yesterday.

[GameCynic]

Originally posted by Shin Johnpv
MS is the one RUNNING Xbox live

OMG its teh end of the world! There is one whole game that requires a monthly fee!

[unit003]

I got some extra info from pso-world...

According to this news the XBox version of PSO will require a XBox-Live account to be able to access even offline mode. This will probably not affect many of those who do plan on playing many other online games. One thing to note is the requirement to purchase a hunter license still with Sega in order to play online. So this does dispel the rumors of the XBox version being cheaper, sadly. The reason for requiring XBox live for offline play was since the JP release was a Pack-In for XBox live which of course would require the XBox live service so due to time constraints there was no time to take this requirement out without delaying the US release.

There's another article about it here at gamespot. There was talk about the Voice Chat system in which you will hear only the 7 closest people to you in the lobby. The users you currently can hear will have a speaker icon floating above their heads.

The Xbox version will be on the same Quest release schedule as the Gamecube version. One thing that differs is in the US servers for the Xbox version will not be linked with any foreign servers for security reasons. Microsoft expects PSO for Xbox to begin shipping to retail stores around February 25th and expect it to be on the shelves 2-10 days after.

The game comes with 2 free months of credit towards your hunter license.

Here is the official Press release:

"Microsoft Games Studios today announced that it will distribute SEGA's "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" for Xbox in North America. The award-winning online role-playing series, which had more than 400,000 registered online users on the SEGA Dreamcast, arrives on store shelves this coming March and will be playable through Xbox LIVE?. In addition, the Xbox Communicator headset is fully compatible with "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II," enabling gamers from across North America to chat with each other with ease.

To play the game online, Xbox LIVE? subscribers will be required to buy a "hunter's license," which gives gamers the ability to travel on wild adventures with other "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" gamers. It also provides access to a plethora of online exclusive content such as seasonal quests, downloads and rare in-game items. The hunter's license is free of charge for the first two months, and after that will carry a service fee of $8.95 per month.

Developed by famed SEGA game designer Yuji Naka and SONICTEAM, "Phantasy Star Online Episode I and II" features two games in one: Episode I contains all of the content from "Phantasy Star Online" and "Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2," while Episode II brings gamers back for an all-new adventure on the planet of Ragol. Gamers will search unchartered areas, battle unique monsters and discover numerous items. Both episodes can be played online or offline with up to four gamers. Additional game modes include Challenge and Battle. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is also supported in "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II." An Xbox LIVE? account is required to play "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" both offline and online. "

now if this also means that I can play anyone from japan, then I guess this totally negates my reason for playing this version becuase they were the type of players I felt safe playing around with. Looks like M$ lost me there...

I'll have to find a GC keyboard adapter now

[Den]

Christ! For every step forward, console online gaming goes two steps back!

Xbox fixes the problems I had with the GC version, but now I can't play with people from Japan? I guess one day a company is going to create an online action/rpg that I can really be enthusiastic about again. I'm getting the game because I want to experience what PSO will be like with the new features, but Sonic Team has really showed just how shitty a developer they are. I'd love for Smilebit or Overworks to do an online Action/RPG for the Xbox.

tries to think positive

At least Sonic Team isn't developing Spike Out.:jest:

[burgundy]

Is it me, or has Sonic Team degraded into the most stagnant, boring dev team this side of 3D0?

[Kinopio]

online gaming is a rip-off anyway you cut it. i totally stopped giving a fuck once companies started charging. once nintendo releases some online games in the year 2027, I'll play them because they stated that they won't be charging.

Originally posted by burgundy
Is it me, or has Sonic Team degraded into the most stagnant, boring dev team this side of 3D0?

you aren't alone. they've totally sucked the past 2 years.