[E3] PSO, Shen Mue, Eternal Arcadia - release dates set

At the heart of Sega's push to restore their RPG franchise are Phantasy Star Online, Shen Mue and Eternal Arcadia. It came as no surprise when Sega made the aforementioned titles the centerpiece of their display at this week's game expo, E3.

According to Sega, Phantasy Star Online, the first online console-based RPG will ship worldwide in January 2001. Fans will undoubtedly be disappointed, as it has been reported in the last few months, Sega planned to release the game in Summer 2000.

Shen Mue, the other lauded title in Sega's arsenal received a much more defined date. Sega revealed that Shen Mue would ship in North America on November 14. "Since no game has ever matched the epic scope of 'Shenmue,' there is an overwhelming amount of anticipation," said Charles Bellfield, director of communications Sega of America. "'Shenmue' reaffirms that Sega is still the leader when it comes to innovative and engaging content."

Lastly was the surprise pre-E3 show announcement that Eternal Arcadia would ship in North America sometime in September 2000, only a few short months after its Japanese counterpart's release.

Only time will tell if Sega's trio of RPGs will be enough to battle the Squaresoft titan.

Source(s):

Gamefan Game Informer

Date Updated:
May 12th, 2000

Time Updated:
8:32 PM

JD