In what was the biggest pop for me during Xbox’s E3 2019 showcase, Sega announced that Phantasy Star Online 2 was finally being released in the west!

Originally launched in Japan in July 2012 for PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita, Phantasy Star Online 2 had been teased for a western release for YEARS, leaving only heartache and sadness in its wake.

The original Phantasy Star Online was a smash hit on the SEGA Dreamcast as a groundbreaking MMORPG set in a sci-fi universe using the Dreamcast’s built in modem. You could go it alone or, preferably, with a group of like-minded space rangers taking on all kinds of big baddies while picking up all sorts of equipment and, most importantly, feeding your MAG.

Subsequent titles made their way to the states, with versions ranging from the Nintendo GameCube to the Sony PSP. The Xbox 360 also got an entry in the series with Phantasy Star Universe.

Granted, if one were to be resourceful, you can play Phantasy Star Online 2 in the States right now, it just takes a little work. First, you need to create an account on a site that’s all in Japanese, then download a patcher program to translate the game into English (and you better believe I have done just that).

video courtesy of Kotaku’s YouTube Channel

Phantasy Star Online 2  hits the Xbox One and the PC (with crossplay) here in the United States in Spring of 2020.