Though installments are few and far between, many hardcore RPGers consider Phantasy Star games to be as beloved as any release in other big name series, such as Zelda and Final Fantasy. Perhaps the most popular installment to date, Phantasy Star Online, enjoyed a nice but brief run on Sega¡®s ill-fated Dreamcast console, in addition to a small resurgence on Nintendo¡®s GameCube--albeit just as short-lived.

Thankfully, Phantasy Phanatics don¡®t have to wait much longer for the chance to dive back into this classic series. With Phantasy Star Universe, due out on the 24th of this month, Sega¡®s very own Sonic Team hopes to reel gamers back in with the latest addition to this classic franchise. I had the opportunity to take the PC version¡®s closed online-only beta for a spin, and overall, I think PS fans will find they have good reason to be excited about Universe.

Just as with any online game, a unique appearance is key to distinguishing your character from the gaggle of other gamers running amok. Human, Beast, Newman, and robot CAST types are available for players to choose from, and seeing as how I¡®m a superficial male, I decided that if I was going to spend hours every day staring at my character, it had better be a female with an ample pair of... eyes. Eyes are very important to me. The typical selections are available: race and gender; faces; hair color; eyebrows; different colored hairstyles; and eyes, of course. You can also use the body proportion meter to adjust your... eyes... among body weight, height, et cetera. You can also pick your shoes, your socks, your voice type, all that good stuff.

Of course, aesthetics are only the first layer on character¡®s proverbial cake. Each race has certain characteristics that help set it apart from the others. Humans are the most versatile of the bunch; CASTs are proficient with ranged armaments; Newmans use magic; and Beasts excel at close-range damage.

Once you¡®ve created your avatar, you¡®re deposited into your room, where all sorts of events can take place. There are two items of interest to note, the first being a storage container. This, as you might imagine, is used to store items for your character. The nice part is, any character you create on your account as access to this bin. If you find an outfit (or whatever) you want to use with another character, simply deposit the item, load the other character, and retrieve your loot.

The second item you¡®re given is a small, floating robot that sees to whims such as store items and redecorate your room¡®s furniture with items purchased in city shops. Fun, but not a really interesting purpose for your little droid, called a "p machine." So what should you do with the little bugger? Feed it. By feeding your p machine with items from your inventory, you¡®ll boost its stats such as Ranged, Striking, TECHNIC, and Armor. Each p machine has certain tastes, so make sure you give it items it actually wants. Over time, your p machine will grow until it takes on a humanoid appearance. At this point, it can accompany you in battle.

Inevitably, you¡®ll make some friends online. What do friends do? Why, hang out in each others¡® rooms, of course. You can¡®t just walk into another player¡®s room, however. In order to gain access, you¡®ll need to procure a keycard to whichever room besides your own you wish to visit. Cards can be exchanged when standing in close propinquity to another player. If you¡®re interested in seeing who¡®s been frequenting your crib, you can use a vision phone to do that.

Hanging out in lobbies and rooms to share decorating tips with your little friends can be fun, but the time will come when you¡®ll want to do some missions. Many mission types weren¡®t available--it was a beta, after all--but those that were allowed for up to six players to tackle objectives together. Your party doesn¡®t have to be formed before the action starts; individuals can join and leave as they please, which is nice. Many missions came with level-based pre-reqs, so as to keep players from having too difficult a time completing objectives.

The combat in PSU is entirely real-time. I¡®m a fan of that system, but many PS diehards may not be. The point of combat in PSU is to be fast and furious, and that¡®s what Sonic Team was able to accomplish. The purpose of the missions I was able to taste test were rather straightforward: kill stuff. After the smoke clears and the dust settles, you can go after item drops (use pre-defined settings to decide who gets the loot, or use the first-come-first-serve system) and then you move forward.

In addition to grabbing as much loot as you can hold, you¡®re also awarded meseta (PS currency) and mission points after each conflict. MPs are used to boost your class level, which opens up better abilities for your character to use. You gain experience by fighting and killing monsters, of course (who gets the most experience after the battle is over? depends on who did the most damage); Mission Points are just used as a separate way to upgrade the player class. Each player class has access to certain special abilities (called photons). The Hunter class, for example, focuses on melee photons; Rangers use photon "bullets" (each class has a special name that equates to "photon art," or "skill"), and the Force class focuses on TECHNICS. Photon Arts can be upgraded through frequent use, which is a popular system in RPG games these days (and for good reason, in this writer¡®s opinion).

While my online adventures in Phantasy Star Universe seem rather limited (I pretty much just ran around killing stuff), there¡®s a full single player experience to enjoy in the retail version of the game, as well as story-based missions in multiplayer. I had a good time with the beta, but don¡®t be jealous: PS fans will get their chance at the game in just a week¡®s time.