Jon and I have really been bummed over the imminent closure of PSU for the PC. :( We're continuing to look into replacement games.

I did a google search and found this blog page about "where do we go now from PSU?" It gives a few Korean game suggestions that look great, though I'm a little bit wary since there's plenty of Asian-made games that look very pretty but are lacking in substance...

Of the three mentioned, I'm currently favoring Tera Online. Fun selection of races and classes, and the developers are trying to make it so that all race/gender/class combinations are available. One of their selling points is also the "targetless" gameplay, in other words more like PSU where your positioning and aiming have to be done manually.

And I am SO playing female Castanic. I've wanted to play a demon chick for a while now!! But not completely sure on a class yet. (This is something my MMO group has to work out, as ideally, I'd like us to be a well balanced team like we were in PSU.)

I watched several videos on Youtube that showed various aspects of play, from large scale PvE to boss battle parties, and it really looks like the kind of game that my friends and I can get into. Sure, the gameplay could get repetitive, but remember: we stuck with PSU for over THREE YEARS. Didn't complain one bit even though we hardly got any new content, and it was all about grinding instances over and over.

One thing I like about the other two games mentioned on the blog page is that they have some really over the top animation, like the Photon Arts in PSU. Unfortunately, Continent of the 9th is only in Korean and shows no sign of being translated into English. And Dragon Nest, while the gameplay videos looked REALLY fun, is very limited in terms of character customization.

Unfortunately, all the games mentioned above are more fantasy oriented. There are fewer good sci-fi MMOs, and even fewer that have a more 'action RPG' feel!

Our favorite sci-fi MMO after PSU would have been Tabula Rasa. I stopped playing before because I was trying to keep up with Raccoon, and I just didn't have the time to match his pace. I'm more casual a player, my MMO group only plays 2 nights a week! But it doesn't matter anyway, because TR is already gone, long before its potential could truly have been lived out. Jon and I really enjoyed it despite my time issues... a shame I never got to play more than a month before it was gone.

Now we are looking into Earthrise which in some ways looks like it could be Tabula Rasa's spiritual successor, with an awesome post-apoc sci-fi setting. Also, classless, skill-based system, or so I have heard! So it's something we'll be keeping an eye on (both of us signed up for beta... but if we don't make it, the game will be out by Q2 2010 in any case!)

There will only be one Phantasy Star Universe, though, and I'll miss it so very much. :(

I feel like I'm "mourning" Reina and her world, in some way... It sounds silly but I truly was fond of her, and all her history and achievements. I wish I could find a place where I can play her again, work out her expanding history like I've done other characters in the past. (Ryshassa has come and gone through several games by now, for example, and exists pretty much independently of any game at this point!)

Maybe Reina's new home won't even be a MMO, at least for now. We'll be hard pressed to find one close enough to PSU, unless it's another Sega Phantasy Star game. Phantasy Star 0 is nice, but no green hair for humans! (aww!) and the classes are more limited, more like PSO than PSU.

One way or another we'll work something out, for sure... Just gotta get over the disappointment phase, and look toward new games and hobbies with my friends!