It was the first system from Nintendo to offer any sort of online connectivity in the modern sense through the likes of Phantasy Star Online. (nintendowire.com)
Meanwhile the West is still waiting on the release of Phantasy Star Online 2 so fans of the series might not want to get their hopes up for Nova. (segadriven.com)
Development for Phantasy Star II took about a year, starting from that contest. (shmuplations.com)