Phantasy Star Online 2 Heading West Early 2013

With the recent release of Phantasy Star Online 2 in Japan, Sega has already been talking about heading west with their new game, the date? Well, it isn't set in stone yet, but they're planning on an early 2013 release for the game to both the EU and NA regions. This is good news as it was speculated by fans that it would a) take several years to pass over or b) not come over at all. But since the release is scheduled only a year away, it means you won't have to wait too long for you to play and understand what is being said in game.

 The game is for both the PC players and PSVita players alike, it also is the first in the series to go completely free to play, at least in the Japanese version, where all you do is download it and you can pay for things like character slots or other cosmetic items. Luckily they do have some experience with mmos and the free-to-play market, since they did buy the company Three Rings last year, who are what you can call vets at this point with their games ranging from Spiral Knights to Puzzle Pirates. All which boast, at least in my opinion, a well designed take on a free to play, and not pay to win approach.

Some other good news is that there is already a teaser site up for the US market to check out, but not one out for the EU market yet. At least not one that I could find. With that is some information about the game and some of it's key features which you can check out below:

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AN EPIC ONLINE ACTION RPG!
Play Phantasy Star Online 2 and experience revolutionary combat in an action-driven, free-to-play multiplayer online RPG from SEGA. Take a journey into an immersive sci-fi fantasy narrative and explore mysterious worlds to unravel their secrets. Join fellow adventurers and fight against the legions of darkness to banish them from the galaxy.

KEY FEATURES:

REVOLUTIONARY ACTION COMBAT
Engage in intense real-time combat and third-person shooting action
Master devastating combos and counter attacks
Assault your enemies with fast-paced aerial attacks
Utilize weapon-based skills to optimize your battle experience

THE HERO YOU WANT TO BE
Create a unique character with comprehensive character customization tools
Choose your destiny as one of three races: the intrepid Humans, the biologically engineered Newmans, or the robotic CAST
Develop yourself with a flexible class-based leveling system and your choice of specialized companions
Define your own play-style with distinctive weapon types for melee, ranged, and magic combat

DEEP SCI-FI FANTASY UNIVERSE
Discover lush worlds filled with beautiful landscapes, extraordinary creatures, and epic adventure
Group up with friends to explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy
Complete randomized encounters during your journeys
Experience challenging boss encounters
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So pretty much, I am happy that the game will be making it's way to the west, and better yet in English, and I may put a hold on my play time in the Japanese version to just waiting for the English one to come out for me to play. What about you guys, especially those who are playing the Japanese version; are you going to quit where you are now and wait, or keep playing the game and then switch when the localized versions are out?