Phantasy Star Portable 2

Phantasy Star Portable 2
Developer(s)	Alfa System
Publisher(s)	Sega
Director(s)	Yuya Kimura
Producer(s)	Satoshi Sakai Tetsuya Sasaki
Artist(s)	Akikazu Mizuno
Writer(s)	Ryohei Uno
Composer(s)	Hideaki Kobayashi Fumie Kumatani Kenichi Tokoi
Series	Phantasy Star Universe
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable
Release	JP: December 3, 2009 NA: September 14, 2010 AU: September 16, 2010 EU: September 17, 2010
Genre(s)	Action RPG
Mode(s)	Single-player, Online multiplayer

Phantasy Star Portable 2 (ファンタシースターポータブル2, Fantashī Sutā Pōtaburu Tsū) is a video game for the PlayStation Portable, produced by Alfa System and published by Sega. It is the sequel to Phantasy Star Portable and was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on December 3, 2009. The North American version was released on September 14, 2010 while the Australian version was released on September 16, 2010, followed by the European version the next day.

Plot

Phantasy Star Portable 2 takes place three years after the events of Phantasy Star Portable. The humans, have now defeated and sealed off the SEED. However, because material resources in the Gurhal galaxy have been depleted, the Gurhalians plan to migrate using technology based on "sub-space sailing theory". The player character is a member of Little Wing, a private mercenary group on the space colony resort of Clad 6.^[1]

Gameplay

The player starts by designing and customizing his or her own character by choosing facial features, gender, body and vocal features. Though much of the gameplay features will be similar to its predecessor, there will be some notable differences. Photon Points are no longer attached to weapons, but characters instead. Photon Charges have also been removed from the game.^[1]

Features

Players are able to transfer over their character from Phantasy Star Portable to the game. However, not all data can be carried over. Data that can be transferred over includes the character's name and parts of the character's original appearance. However, the character's level and items cannot be transferred over. As a bonus for having done so, however, players acquire a photon saber that is named "Exam", as well as one of four armor units depending on the class that they have chosen. Furthermore, NPCs mention at times that the player is a former GUARDIAN.^[1]

Unlike Phantasy Star Portable, Phantasy Star Portable 2 features an infrastructure play mode allowing players to form a party with other users through an internet connection, similar to Phantasy Star Online, Phantasy Star Zero, and Phantasy Star Universe. This service does not require a monthly subscription, as many other titles in the series do.^[2]

Characters

Main Character

Can be either female or male, depending on the player's preference when creating the character. You start out as the latest member of Little Wing. You are also Emilia's partner. The savefile from Phantasy Star Portable or "Phantasy Star Portable 2: Trial Version" can be imported over to Phantasy Star Portable 2, with extra items being granted. The player will also get the Former GUARDIAN achievement, which means that the main character could be the very same main character from the original game from certain perspectives.

Emilia Percival (エミリア・パーシバル, Emiria Pāshibaru)

Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō (Japanese); Stephanie Komure (English)

The protagonist of the story. A 16-year-old human girl (later on 17) who is one of the members of Little Wing. Has an innocent and bubbly (badly put, naive) personality, with strong tsundere tendencies. Starts off as an ordinary member, but later gets dragged into a saga that would change her life completely. She does not talk about her past and there are no records of it either. She mentions that her age is just an estimation, she might be one or two years younger than her stated age. Her default weapon is a rod. In the aftermath of the battle, while telling Mika not to go, she calls her "mother". She gets officially adopted by Kraz and Ursula in the ending, thus changing her name to Emilia Muehler instead. In the True ending, Emilia along with Main Character are heading to an unknown destination, hoping to be reunited with Mika.

The savefile from Phantasy Star Portable 2 can be imported into Valkyria Chronicles II in order to unlock Emilia for use in Valkyria Chronicles II.

Kraz Muehler (クラウチ・ミュラー, Kurauchi Myurā)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

A 34-year-old Beastman who is both the leader of Little Wing and Emilia's guardian. Despite his position, he is mostly seen as an irresponsible old man (old man as called by Emilia) who likes to read erotic magazines. He is also somewhat dense as he threw away the present Emilia got for him, not realizing it was a present meant for him. However, he can show a serious side to him when the situation calls for it. He cares for Emilia a lot but he does not show it on his face. Once an esteemed, famed detective, but one would not know just by looking at his face. He lost his family in an incident years ago. Marries Ursula in the ending. His default weapon is a pair of handguns (Twin Handguns category).

Yut Jun Yunkers (ユート・ユン・ユンカース, Yūto Yun Yunkāsu)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro

A 15-year-old Newman boy who is from the Kasch tribe. Emilia encountered Yut on the planet Moatoob while on a mission, and he attacks them (with Main Character, Tonnio and Liina) all of a sudden. He was defeated and Emilia decided to save him and bring him to Little Wing's headquarters. While Yut was unconscious, the home of the Kasch tribe was razed to the grounds by Shizuru Shu's group. Unofficially became a member of Little Wing when he woke up, after Emilia treated him to delicacies he had never tasted before (especially pudding which he seemed to have taken a liking to), thinking that they are people that he can trust. Shares a sibling-like bond with Emilia.

He lacks common sense because he lacks proper upbringing and education, so he tends to behave instinctively, much like a beast. It is revealed that he's a half-Newman, half-Beast as a result of his parent's heritage (A Beast father, and a Newman mother). He stated himself that many people said that his Newman blood seemed to be stronger, giving him slightly more Newman-like physical features while he has the more physically fit features of the Beast as well. His signature weapon is a spear, while he's shown using a bow in the opening movie of the game.

Lumia Waber (ルミア・ウェーバー, Rumia Wēbā)

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi

The 17-year-old younger sister of famed GUARDIAN and hero, Ethan Waber. Originally appeared in Phantasy Star Universe as a 13-year-old civilian who becomes a GUARDIAN-in-training during the story. She now works in the GUARDIAN's Investigation Unit, and while on a mission encountered Emilia's group. She doesn't like Emilia and vice versa upon their first meeting, but later on sees her as an equal and friend (more of a rival) after they worked together to rescue the people in said mission. Respects and is very proud of her brother a lot, but at the same time, feels pressurized by the weight of the Waber name because people kept comparing her to Ethan. Specializes in TECHNIC usage as shown during her entrance cutscene in Phantasy Star Portable 2. Her signature weapon is a rod as well, further showing her intended position as Emilia's friendly rival.

Ursula Laurent (ウルスラ・ローラン, Urusura Rōran)

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka

A talented 32-year-old Newman female with both beauty and brains, she knew Kraz and Emilia from before Little Wing's creation. A workaholic with no time to spare for her private life. Kraz and Ursula used to be an item, until they broke up due to her workaholic attitude. Gets married to Kraz in the ending. Her signature weapon is a whip.

Chelsea (チェルシー, Cherushī)

Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu

The beautiful receptionist of Little Wing, her age is a complete mystery. An always-cheerful CAST that speaks with a very queer accent (supposedly an exaggerated version of the Beijing dialect, though it is changed to a French accent in the US/European release), she has known Emilia for a long time and appears as an elder sister to her. She cares for Emilia a lot as well, as seen from her planning of Emilia's birthday celebration. Used to be a soldier before becoming a dancer and receptionist for Little Wing, so she could hold her own in a battle as well. She has a 'secret weapon'; an SUV that resembles a bottle of champagne. Through a side quest, it is revealed that she used to hold a high ranking of Instructor in the army as well, and Platoon Commander Curtz seems to be afraid of her.

Mika (ミカ, Mika)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ōhara

A mysterious woman with a holy air around her, she exists inside Emilia as a complete individual (instead of a split personality). Emilia can freely communicate with her but not everyone can see her. The only people known (other than Emilia herself) that can see and hear her are Yut, Main Character, and Shizuru Shu.

Nothing is known about her except for the fact that she is from the Ancient Civilization, meaning that she is not as young as she looks. She has a caring and gentle personality while occasionally making jokes. She looks about 24 years old, as heard from the conversation between her and Emilia, and is visibly upset when Emilia casually made the comment "Ah, you are younger than you look!" Later revealed to be one of the many wives of the Sun King, Kumhan. She was trapped in a facility a long time ago and possessed Emilia's body in order to save the girl; hence the reason why Emilia said she had died once.

Shizuru Shu (シズル・シュウ, Shizuru Shū)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

A mysterious 20-year-old male human with ulterior motives. Initially known as "the man in black", he appears as a very arrogant individual who thinks of Emilia's groups as weaklings who don't even deserve to cross blades with him. The antagonist of the game. It is revealed that he is the son of Representative Natsume Shu of the Inhert Corporation, and that he was possessed by the Ancient Sun King, Kumhan, hence his change in personality (Shizuru used to be a kind and polite teenager). In a confrontation, Shizuru himself managed to dispel Kumhan out from his body after stabbing himself with his sword. However, if the player manages to get an S grade and answering the right choices on all story missions, Shizuru will dispel Kumhan using the Alive program rather than stabbing himself and will join the party to defeat Kumhan. In the true ending of the game, Both Shizuru and Natsume were about to be arrested for researching subspace, but was later suspended thanks to Little Wing and the Guardians and continues the research.

• Items and achievement not included for a demo character import.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity

On August 8, 2010, the official Phantasy Star Portable 2 site revealed Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity.^[3] The game contains a new character named Nagisa (Voiced by: Nana Mizuki), and the addition of a fifth race, SEED infected humans called Dumans. It was released in Japan only on February 24, 2011.^[4]

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[5] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of two nines and two eights for the original,^[7] and one ten and three nines (37/40) for the Infinity version.^[16]

References

External links

• Official site (Japanese)
• Phantasy Star Portable 2 at MobyGames