Sega has opened the official website for its recently unveiled PlayStation 2 and PC-based RPG title Phantasy Star Universe. As previously reported, the game will take players to the Grahl System, which consists of three planets. While traditionally fierce battles have been fought in this solar system, the Final War was fought 100 years ago. In the aftermath of this war, the Grahl System Federation was founded and an army set up. Since then the solar system has been at peace. As Phantasy Star Universe's story begins, the people are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Federation's foundation. Just as the game's protagonist Ethan and his little sister Lumia are enjoying this marvelous activities, an alien race known as SEEDs appear and attack. On the Guardians Colony where the aliens also appear, panic breaks out and one Guardian after another is falling, leaving only Ethan to search for his sister. The third character revealed so far is Karen Ela, Ethan's supervisor in the Guardians organisation.

While Sega's official website just like the first official screenshots confirm the existence of an online mode, the developers are also promising a large amount of event and movie scenes, a deep story and character development.

Phantasy Star Universe will be available for PlayStation 2 in Japan sometime this winter.

• Official Phantasy Star Universe Website