Phantasy Star Online 2 set for 2013 western release

Super fansite PSO World was given an early heads-up that Phantasy Star Online 2, the free-to-play action online RPG from Sega, will be released in early 2013 in North America and Europe.

The official announcement is to be made early Monday morning. The game"s official website, www.pso2.com, is not yet live as of the time of this writing, and neither is the official announcement trailer for the western release. Both are scheduled to go live on Monday morning.

Phantasy Star Online 2 recently launched in Japan on July 4, 2012, after several closed and open beta phases. It is currently available exclusively on Windows PC, though a portable version for PlayStation Vita is under development, as well as smartphone apps for iOS and Android. The western announcement makes no mention of the Vita or smartphone versions, so it is not yet known if or when those versions will be available outside of Japan.

The full press release, which can be read early at PSO World, mentions these features:

Deep sci-fi fantasy universe filled with lush landscapes, extraordinary creatures, and epic adventures Revolutionary real-time combat and third-person action with devastating combos and counters to master Flexible, class-based leveling system that lets players define their own play-style with distinctive melee, ranged, and magic weapon types Randomized dungeon maps and unexpected mid-quest encounters that ensure each quest is different for each player Deep character creation system with a nearly limitless number of potential appearances Three degrees of humanity to experience across three unique races: the versatile Humans, spiritually-powered Newmen, and artificial CAST