"Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II Plus" is an updated version of "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II", launched by SEGA for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003. It was developed to address a security gap that allowed personal computers to emulate the server when connected to the GameCube Broadband Adapter, thereby facilitating unintended server use and possible hacking. Alongside this fix, SEGA added additional content for offline gameplay such as the Episode II Challenge Mode, previously online quests 'Seat of the Heart', 'West Tower', 'East Tower', 'Central Dome Fire Swirl' and assets from 'Fake in Yellow' quests. Despite having additional protection against cheats, the gameplay remained unchanged from the original, allowing seamless character and item exchanges between the two versions.
SEGA re-released in 2003 an updated version of Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003 called Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus.
Early in the effort to run unsigned code on the GameCube, people found that when playing PSO and connecting to a server using the GameCube Broadband Adapter, a regular PC could be made to pretend it was a server which would fool the game.
After making the connection, data could be streamed back to the GameCube, making it easy for hacking and false servers. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus was created in mind to fix this problem. Along with this problem, SEGA included extra content for offline with this game including:
- Episode II Challenge Mode, which was perviously only online.
- Perviously Online only quests, Seat of the Heart, West Tower and East Tower are now available offline.
- Central Dome Fire Swirl, a downloadable quest for the Xbox, is now available offline.
- The downloadable goods from Fake in Yellow quest are now available offline.
Aside from some extra cheat protection, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus ran exactly the same as the original version and all data from characters, items, ect, can be swapped between the two instantly.