News

It looks as though Namco is next in line for bringing a flagship RPG series to the Nintendo DS, this time with the continuation to the developer's groundbreaking Tales saga, entitled Tales of the Tempest, unspecifically planned to release in Japan sometime in 2006. Namco has also provided fans with the newly launched Tales of the Tempest website, although it's exclusively in Japanese for the time being.

Tales of the Tempest places the player in the shoes of fifteen-year-old Caius Qualls from the village of Alleula. Sadly, he discovers one day that the man he looked upon as his adoptive father is not exactly human, but instead a beastman - a fact revealed in the midst of an attack on the village. The residents of Alleula quickly become wary of Caius and his father, thus refusing to aid the two in escaping from the chaos. Caius, however, succeeds in evading the enemy along with his friend Lupia, then sets out on his own quest to track down his real parents. According to Namco, the handheld title is sure to be packed with unique action-based gameplay, much like all the Tales games before it, thereby ensuring frequent use of the DS's touch screen.

As many gamers are aware, Tales of the Tempest was only one of four titles trademarked by Namco earlier this month; the three that remain shrouded in mystery are Tales of Doom Sign, Tales of Two Faiths, and Tales of Howling. Currently there's no further information available regarding these three proposed games.

Source: RPGFan

Grandia III, the long-awaited and quick-to-become-a-hit RPG following its launch in Japan this past August, only recently received a massive hint through the ESRB in late October at a North American release, helping end months of dispute over whether or not the game would ever get here - although most figured it would. Yesterday evening, in response, Square-Enix USA finally put the finishing touches on the game's official domestic website, opening it to the hoards of eager fans inhabiting the partial western world. If anything, it serves as undeniable proof that Grandia III is currently in the localization process.

In actuality, the Flash based site doesn't display too much in the way of features at the moment, consisting of little more than the Grandia III tagline ("Claim the power of the gods... before your enemies do") along with the promise of a brand new trailer on December 22nd. In the meantime, the latest gameplay trailer - now in English - has been let loose, yet appears to be somewhat sparing in terms of new material.

Grandia III is expected to cross North American shores around the first part of March, 2006. It's unknown if the reported timeframe is set in stone, therefore delays remain likely. Thus far no word on a potential European release has been made, but considering past installments it's probably only a matter of time.

Sources:
IGN
RPGamer

Phantasy Star Universe, the highly anticipated PlayStation 2 and PC installment to Sega's Phantasy Star series and the sequel to the critically acclaimed Dreamcast online RPG, is no doubt gaining more and more hype as its release date slowly but surely approaches. Sonic Team has thrown fans yet another bone this week by way of an update to the game's website which features some brand spanking new movies and gameplay screenshots. But that's not all; a bit of tidings involving a next-gen version of the large multiplayer title has been bouncing about the rumor mill lately, stirring up information on a possible XBox 360 release. Sega has not yet commented on the legitimacy of these reports.

As far as pre-launch preparations go, Sega Link ID registration - necessary for accessing the title's online mode - is now open to gamers in Japan. Fans who register between the dates of November 25th and January 31st will also be given an in-game item, free of charge. As an added bonus, anyone who preorders Phantasy Star Universe will receive an artbook full of the series' concept works and a CD soundtrack. However, both offers are currently exclusive only to Japanese gamers.

Phantasy Star Universe is set to arrive in Japan on February 16th, 2006, followed by a May release in North America. Europe has not been given a concrete launch date as of yet, but the game is expected to reach its shores at some point within spring of next year.

Sources:
CVG
RPGFan

Tactica Online, a strategy-MMORPG set to come out on the PC, needs you! The development company Imaginary Numbers began recruiting players on Friday for the upcoming beta test of the game, and the offer is still open for anyone to join.

Imaginary Numbers has, from the beginning, designed Tactica Online to be very different from other online RPGs. This is reflected in both its accurate portrayal of the Renaissance era of European history and its unique tactical gameplay. Likewise, most everything players' characters do - through regular gameplay, missions, and campaigns - influences the world, no matter how major or minimal.

Unlike a number of MMORPGs, Tactica Online features turn-based battles fought between squads. Combat is said to be fast-paced and the time taken to select a move or attack each turn is limited, thereby elminating any slow progression within this massive multiplayer game. Controlled characters also lack the ability to level up; the player instead uses experience gained from completed missions to "purchase" new skills once they're unlocked.

Although beta testing won't begin for another couple of weeks, anyone interested can find further details and sign up by hopping on over to the Tactica Online website.

A new twist in Konami's Suikoden series of RPGs arrived in North America today. "Suikoden Tactics" ("Rhapsodia" in Japan) is a significant deviation from the typical style of the rest of the series. The game will feature a tactical scenario style of combat instead of the traditional turn-and-party based system, and is also the first in the Suikoden timeline to cover the same events as another game, namely, Suikoden IV.

Sources:
IGN
SARS

Personally, I'm not sure what to think until I've played it. I really didn't like Suikoden IV, and I think the release of another game with a completely different style is a way for Konami to gauge reaction to gameplay innovations before implementing them in the series proper (and risking backlash like that which accompanied Suikoden III's new combat system). If this is the game that gets the series back on track, it will certainly be ironic.

Mother creator Shigesato Itoi has revealed on his official news site that his much beloved RPG series is far from dead, contrary to some fan speculation. In fact, its third title, Mother 3, is expected to see a release on the Game Boy Advance this coming spring!

This news provides quite a surprise given how long Mother 3 has been in the making, as well as how long it's seemingly been cancelled. Fans no doubt remember the title as the series' formerly intended 3D debut, originally announced for the Nintendo 64 - a few years prior to the console's launch - as a follow-up to the largely successful Mother 2 (known as EarthBound in North America). Hopefully the third chapter will now see the light of day, although no official word concerning the game has yet been made by Nintendo.

Spring 2006 is likely the date reserved for the game's Japanese release - so far there's no mention of a North American or European date.

Source: GameScience