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The title pretty much explains it. Square-Enix announced a December 21st, 2006 release date for Seiken Densetsu 4: Dawn of Mana for the PS2 at the recent Tokyo Game Show. Dawn of Mana and its recent DS companion Children of Mana mark the first new entries to this legendary series since Legend of Mana for the PS1, released in 2000 (this is not counting Sword of Mana, which is a recent a remake of the first game in the series).

Of course, we don't know when Dawn of Mana will see an NTSC or European release. Final Fantasy XII is being released in the US seven months after its Japanese counterpart, but it took Square-Enix close to a year to release the English version Dragon Quest VIII after its Japanese predecessor. We can only wait and pray.

Source: RPGFan

As many of us are aware, Square-Enix last week announced a Final Fantasy XII-based spinoff aimed for the Nintendo DS; news of this separate side-story that's soon to be unleashed into the franchise of games that were once purely independant of one another has already left most fans either beaming with joyous anticipation or fliching in agony. With this weekend's Tokyo Game Show steadily approaching, Square-Enix has taken it as their cue to unload a bit more information regarding their latest duel screen RPG.

Known as Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, the game features a plot - one heavy on air pirates - that, according to developers, "does not tie with or take place before the stories of Final Fantasy XII..." The appearance of the characters Vaan and Penelo from the original title has already been confirmed; aside from being co-leads, the presentation and exploration of their relationship has been looked upon as an allegedly impossible aspect for inclusion in Final Fantasy XII, thereby warranting the exchange's involvement in an alternate game. If that wasn't enough, Japanese reports have implied that Revenant Wings is actually nothing more than just the beginning of the couples' adventure, indicating an even larger expansion to the so-called Final Fantasy XII series.

Much like the battle menus in the currently unreleased Final Fantasy III DS, Revenant Wings will make use of the handheld's touch screen capabilities by relying on the bottom screen for battle. Specifics on exactly what this entails have not been covered. With airship travel an obvious requirement, Square-Enix seems to have hatched a plan to stuff as many of the flying, boatlike vehicles as they possibly can into the tiny cartridges: Not only is any and every airship in Final Fantasy XII all but guaranteed to have its spot in Revenant Wings, but the game itself will feature its own personal throng of the crafts as well.

Motomu Toriyama, who's past (and present) work consists of Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy XIII, has taken the director's seat for Revenant Wings. The character designs, each of which possesses a slightly younger mien than those in Final Fantasy XII, are the creations of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance's Ryuma Itou, and the soundtrack will be constructed from music by composers Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics) and Kenichirou Fukui (Einhander and Front Mission 5). Finally, Revenant Wings is produced by Yasuhito Watanabe (Drakengard), Eisuke Yokoyama (Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King) and executive producer Akitoshi Kawazu (Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles).

Latest Scan

Sources:
Square Insider
GAF

What with the Tokyo Game Show only a few meager days away, it's no surprise that several new game titles, all ripe for media discussion, seem to be rolling out of the floodgates left and right as of late. Among them is yet another chapter in Square-Enix's long-running Mana series - having recently recovered from somewhat of a hiatus - for the Nintendo DS, entitled Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana.

Unlike the past installments of Kouichi Ishii's popular RPG franchise, Heroes of Mana is set to feature a battle system composed of the role-playing genre's traditional elements along with new real-time strategy. Placed in the shoes of a young Pedan Kingdom soldier named Roger, players will experience an implemented gameplay method similar to Square's own Bahamut Lagoon, including an airship that serves as a mobile base and monsters that can be summoned to assist the characters during battle.

No info concerning a launch date for Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana has come into sight, but this weekend's TGS may prove to provide us with many more in-depth details. Until then, North American gamers in particular can take solace in the fact that the October 30th release date for Children of Mana - and its more classical gameplay - is not too far off.

In the meantime, why not pop on over to GamesAreFun.com and check out some juicy new scans á la Seiken Densetsu 4: Dawn of Mana, the RPG Square-Enix has allegedly declared to be the developer's last major game for the PlayStation 2.

Source: EuroGamer

With more and more previously existing role-playing games undergoing the portable treatment nowadays, it's not too astonishing to find Disgaea series developer Nippon Ichi Software making it's fervor to remake the PlayStation 2 strategy RPG, Makai Senki Disgaea (Disgaea: Hour of Darkness), for release on the PlayStation Portable crystal clear. The company has planned to launch the handheld RPG into the palms of Japanese gamers on the 30th of November - naturally, in two separate forms: A first print limited edition priced at around 6,800 yen (roughly $58.42 US), and the standard version available for 4,800 yen ($41.24 US). As is typical this early on, no scheduled domestic launch has yet been spoken of.

Apart from the sparsely decorated Makai Senki Disgaea Portable teaser site, very little in the way of enlightenment on the highly acclaimed title's PSP incarnation has been revealed. Fortunately, the game's fully functioning official website, as well as its included illustrative content, is expected to appear online August 30th.

Source: RPGFan

Namco Bandai, in an interview examining the history and future of the Xenosaga RPG series, revealed that the third installment, due out near the end of the month, is intended to be a mixed bag incorporating the many requests of fans and the creator's own ideas, ultimately ensuing in what the company perceives as the perfect handling of the game's mechanics and storyline.

Like past installments, Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra is said to feature a large volume of cutscenes; noticably more than Episode II, but quite a bit less than the visually overloaded Episode I. According to Namco Bandai, this "middle ground" helps to produce the best pacing to balance the story and gameplay.

It's been additionally confirmed once again that Xenosaga Episode III indeed marks the end of main character Shion Uzuki's story arc, yet no word was given on whether the upcoming game will introduce a new one. Interestingly enough, although the company previously announced that the newest title may also be the final chapter of the series itself, very little was declared in regards to that prospect during the interview.

The Xenosaga series was at one time expected to last up to six installments, but because of lackluster sales of the first two games the length was shortened down to three. Fortunately, Namco Bandai currently appears to be on the side of fans by seemingly allowing the series one more shot at success - an outcome that should be determined by the overall sales of Episode III. As the company recently beamed, "if reactions are good - who knows!"

Aside from the main series, the company remains undecided on whether any of the three Japanese-exclusive titles - Xenosaga Freaks, Xenosaga: Pied Piper, and Xenosaga I & II DS - will ever make their way to the West. However, the company has divulged plans to put together an English rendering of a movie on the Japanese Xenosaga website as a means to further illustrate the events which took place during the single year between Episode II and Episode III.

Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra is set to launch in North America on August 29th.

Source: RPGamer

Because we obviously haven't been spoiled nor teased well enough yet, the folks at Square-Enix have kindly dropped a new Final Fantasy III DS promotional movie - shown exclusively in Japanese retail stores until now - right onto us, and it hurts so good (be sure to click "MOVIE" after the intro).

Among the images and scenes depicted, the CG video offers us a short glimpse of the characters' physical alterations when in the guise of their different job classes, and although a very small portion of the video is dedicated to actual gameplay footage, the real bulk contains cutscenes and impressive FMV.

Movie Screenshots

Secondly, for those looking forward to the next Dragon Quest/Warrior Monsters title, Square-Enix has additionally unloaded a rather generous helping of screens honoring the Nintendo DS's upcoming Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker.

Of the same league as Pokémon, the Dragon Quest/Warrior Monsters series allows players to fight with and against a variety of monsters that are reared like pets - a practice that, in the real world, would surely make one legally unfit to care for even a sea monkey. Joker, as previously announced, will be the very first of its type to feature online play, ultimately leading to creature swapping and GP tournaments (where players have their monsters battle other players') on a global scale.

So far, the separate release dates for Final Fantasy III DS have been delayed at least three times, making the current schedule set for August 24th in Japan, September in Europe, and November in North America. As for Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, no solid Japanese date has yet been established, and no word on a possible Western launch has been so much as mentioned.