The online (Network) mode is made up of several 'planets' and 'colonies', which roughly translate in lazy-MMO slang into 'hubs' which you can buy stuff in or use to travel to missions. Unlike World of Warcraft, there's no gigantic world, raiding or varied content In fact, compare it to any other MMO out there and they'll probably be a better alternative. Unlike EverQuest II, there's no epic storyline. The problem is that the gameplay hasn't changed since then. If you've had the chance to play the first two Phantasy Star Online games, you'll have some inkling of what PSU has in store you walk into an area densely packed with monsters, hammer one or two buttons to beat them to death, walk out with a bit of money, then head back home to synthesise yourself a new weapon,
However, in the arse-backwards development cycle of Phantasy Star Universe, it feels as if Sega have put together not only one of the most disappointing MMOs ever released, but taken us back to the heady days of lacklustre 56k gaming on the Dreamcast.
