For those who adventured on the Dreamcast, GameCube or Xbox, online mode plays a lot like the original Phantasy Star Online. Rather than a massively multiplayer online game (like World of Warcraft on PC) the game puts you into teams of two to six players that quest through dungeons, fighting enemies in action-based battle. The exploration is speedy, and the battle can get really intense if you fill up the party up to its maximum of six players.

Fans of PSO looking for more of the same are going to be delighted with the minor improvements found in PSU, but ultimately it's more of the same. In a five-year time-span, we were hoping for it to have evolved more than "barely at all." There are only three character classes, for example: Hunters (warriors who fight with bladed weapons), Rangers (guns) and Forces (magic).

Sega decided to not open the entire game up just yet either, even though all quests are available in the story mode. In fact, one of the three planets is completely inaccessible at this time. The online experience therefore feels limited, especially if you've already been through everything offline. Still, even with its downsides, it can be a great deal of fun with the right people. The game's interface is rather clunky, and although you get used to it, some things are just more of a hassle than they should be - such as browsing other users' shops. We expect there to be a fair amount of potential in raising your character over the long run, but at the same time we're not totally optimistic given the glitches and general lack of improvement over PSO.

Visually, the game's grounded by its PlayStation 2 origins - for the Xbox 360, we were hoping for it to be a lot cleaner around the edges. When the action gets hairy, the game can stutter, too. Thankfully, when playing, you're treated to some enjoyable music - a suitable mix of techno and orchestra. Serious problems with voice chat bugs also plagued our time online; hopefully these get ironed out soon. We haven't encountered any serious lag issues so far. You'll have to spend $9.99 a month to play, as well.