A smoother, simplified interface than what is found in the console/PC game. Towns now seem to consist of a simple menu allowing you to shop or go to a mission counter instead of having to waltz from section to section of a city just to sell an item. It's faster, it's smoother, and in my opinion, it's better and is perfect for a portable style of play.

Mission counters keep track of what missions you've actually completed. This is nice and gives a sense of accomplishment. Also, completing missions unlocks other missions. It can be argued this happened in the console/PC game, but it came with the caveat of moving to a different area, finding a different mission counter, and then activating the newly "unlocked" mission. This, again, is a streamlined, portable effort that pays off. Less inaction and more diving right into battle.

The storyline takes place between Episode 2 and Episode 3 of Phantasy Star Universe. This means you've completed training under Laia Martinez, but have not yet joined the ranks of Ethan Waber (the hero from the original's Story Mode). You get a new partner to train under you, Vivienne, and a new set of missions in the offline/story mode. There's a lot of voice acting, which is passable, and there are character portraits instead of goofy-looking character models making weird hand gestures. I like it better, plus it's easier to just mash X and scroll through the text if you don't feel like reading/listening. You also get to make a lot more text choices (at least in the few story missions the demo included). They don't really affect anything, but it's a form of engagement and lets you instill just enough personality into your character. Are you smarmy, or polite?

There are new weapons to check out -- lots! I say this knowing I am incorrect, as the online portion of Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus probably has updated to include most of these (I ceased playing about 5 months ago). Compared to the offline portion of PSU:AotI, there are a lot of new weapons. Upgrading your weapons used to be very dangerous in the console/PC versions, but the PSP version seemed to give you upgrade units that will not fail and break your weapon/set its upgrade level back to zero. It's more friendly, since most of the time upgrading your weapons only helps until you find something one level stronger.

So far, no new clothes to put on your characters. I'm sure there is in the retail version, but the demo gives you just the basics. Same with character creation: it's been simplified for the PSP and doesn't give quite the customization options as the console/PC version.

No matter how you paint it, the combat is the same as ever. Square for normal attacks, Triangle for special attacks, or you're just shooting guns or spewing magic spells. No special abilities for the Human or Newman classes, making them severely lacking appeal to gamers all about getting the most out of their character, and from what I could find in the demo, there are fewer classes available but nothing completely original, either. I should say, though, while the combat is the same as ever, it feels more at home on a handheld. It's simple, as handheld games should be. It's just a better fit, since console games are more and more expected to push the envelope for special effects, graphics, physics, and all sorts of nonsense irrelevant to the core gameplay experience. That core being something called "fun", and PSP on PSP delivers that.

What's in the Demo:

A few story missions, a few "online" missions, a ton of drops that may or may not be exclusive to the demo, a level 20 cap for character levels, a level 11 cap for weapons/tech/bullet skills, and a level 5 cap for your class. Why did they cap it? Because you can take the character you create in the demo into the retail version of the game. That's slick.

Phantasy Star Portable is essentially a port of the PS2 version of Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus (in that it's the most graphically inferior version to port), meaning that the more recent classes and weapons are available from the get-go. The timed attacks are present, as are the expanded levels/worlds. There are some new weapons, but seeing as I canceled my Phantasy Star Universe account several months ago (during the 3 or so months of zero updates), I could be wrong and most of the weapons I came across in the demo are, in fact, old. New to me, though, and that's what counts and that's what will count for most people interested in this franchise.

PSP on PSP is incredibly accessible to PSU virgins -- the interface is simplified, you can bring your offline character into the multiplayer mode (which is just ad-hoc, but it begs to go fully internet-compatible), and the drop rate seems to be higher than the console/PC versions.This is based off a demo, though. Whether or not the retail game will hold someone's interest has yet to be determined, but it took off in Japan really well.

If you've played Phantasy Star Universe, there's not a whole lot new, especially if you're still playing online with the console/PC. There's a new story and a few new weapons and rumored missions (again, nothing new from the demo), with possibly more missions to come as downloads, but it's all the same for veterans. If you want Phantasy Star on the go, this is definitely worth checking out. If you're new to the series, this is a great, simplified, and accessible way to try it out. It works really well on a whole as a portable game and, really, this demo proved a lot more fun for me than playing online a few months ago.

Bottom line: this is a pretty good game. Veterans don't need to play it unless they're interested in the story and potential future downloads and newcomers can finally see what the game is about in the most accessible way.

Phantasy Star Portable hits shelves on March 3rd (according to IGN's release schedule).