Thanks to IGN PS2 for their information on the unveiling of Sega's Virtua Fighter Cyber Generation for PlayStation 2/GameCube, as the semi-secret game formerly known as Virtua Fighter Quest "takes the form of an action-RPG title, rather than a versus fighter." 1UP also has a preview and in-game screenshots of the game, now due in Japan in Summer 2004, which "on the surface... seems to have only a passing connection to the original Virtua Fighter games." However, it turns out the teenage lead characters are collecting 'Virtua Souls', which "...contain fighting data from legendary fighters of old who took part in a tournament to name the world's best fighter", and when you "collect a Virtua Soul... you'll end up being able to perform a special skill, recognizable as moves from the Virtua Fighter series."

Thanks to GameSpot for their guest editorial discussing why randomized enemy encounters in videogame RPGs aren't as bad as they're made out to be. The author argues: "The most common charge is that random battles are 'unrealistic.' To this I counter that the RPG experience is inherently unrealistic." He goes on to comment: "A more valid argument is that random battles 'pad' gameplay. I'm not going to argue with this, but I am going to say that RPGs need that padding... With battles cut out, there isn't really anything to fill the gameplay void." He ends by floating compromise solutions for when "it's simply annoying to be assaulted by all manner of enemies when you simply want to make it to the next town", suggesting: "Adjustable [encounter] rates or ways to abbreviate battles, especially with radically weaker adversaries, would be one way to speed things up."

Thanks to Game Informer for their hands-on look at Sword Of Mana for the Game Boy Advance, as Square Enix follow up Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which has sold almost 500,000 copies on Nintendo's handheld in the US alone, with this portable RPG, which GameNow describe succinctly as "...a retelling of the age-old black-and-white Game Boy release Final Fantasy Adventure... essentially a prequel to the rest of the Mana series." The official site has more in-depth information, and GameNow points out "most of the original Mana games team is working on this one", suggesting "RPG fans can't really go wrong" with the December 1st-released title. What other Square Enix games would you like to see on Game Boy Advance?

Thanks to GameSpot for their article discussing the results of a survey of over 1,000 Japanese gamers, conducted at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Among the more telling trends was a definite lack of interest in Western-developed games: "The percentage of respondents currently own non-Japanese software? Just over 1 percent. And only 4 percent expressed interest in buying such software in the future." The survey also revealed the true dominance of the RPG in Japan, as "...39 percent of respondents identified it as their favorite genre. This is far ahead of every other genre: strategy gaming, the second most popular choice, tallied only 7 percent of the votes." Finally, although it may be that Tokyo Game Show attendees "tend to be hardcore gamers", thus skewing the results, "ownership of [Xbox] ranked lower than five consoles that aren't even in production", including the Dreamcast and Saturn.

Thanks to GameSpot for their 'GameSpotting' guest editorial, focusing on the alleged inferiority of the RPG genre, and the 'hybrid' games which use these RPG elements to great effect. The writer suggest: "Unlike most games, there is almost no skill required in RPGs - no hand-eye coordination, no button-timing", and while calling RPGs "inferior to other kinds of games", still finds addiction and praise in the "sense of power and accomplishment that comes from seeing your puny character grow from a weakling into an ass-kicking machine." But he finds hybrid titles, such as "first-person shooters [that] are starting to incorporate upgradable skills and character classes", to be examples of a "RPG renaissance", suggesting: "Game developers are starting to realize that almost every game can include and would benefit from RPG elements."

Thanks to 1UP for its illustrated primer to Final Fantasy X-2, illustrating the PS2 RPG sequel that debuts in the U.S. on Tuesday. Advance press reviews vary somewhat, but fan reviews of the import version have been overwhelmingly favorable, with the GameFAQs messageboards also harboring a handy pre-release guide to "give you a feel of how the game is played". 1UP illustrates the 'dress-up' angle of FFX-2 well with their expose of "the new Job system and the costumes it entails", showcasing the Cher-like variety of outfits Yuna, Rikku, and Paine wear, and finally, Futurama fans may rejoice, because Bender himself, John Di Maggio returns in FFX-2 as the voice of Wakka. Update: 11/16 15:48 GMT by S : GameSpy has just added their own review of the game, giving it 3/5 ("It's not quite what you may be expecting.")

Thanks to GameSpot for its coverage of pictures and details of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII, as a Japanese print magazine released a very short preview ahead of "an official presentation of the game" on November 19th in Tokyo. According to the piece, the game "...will take place in a fantasy world where there are other races aside from humans, and flying vessels fill the sky", and "main characters in Final Fantasy XII are a boy named Van and a girl named Arche." The available media also contains a CG shot of "a soldier riding on a chocobo", for those worried their favorite winged creature would be excluded from this instalment.

Cobol Junky writes "After many months of development, the PC version of Star Wars:Knights Of The Old Republic has finally been finished. KOTOR for the Xbox has been a huge success, and the PC version will most definitely do just as well. Expect it to be on store shelves Tuesday, November 18th." This was among my favorite Xbox titles to date. I'll probably snag a copy just to replay it on the light side, and at high res.

Thanks to GameSpy for their preview of Wrath Unleashed, LucasArts' hex-based action strategy videogame. This PS2/Xbox title, being developed by The Collective, has some similarities to a gaming classic, as the writer explains: "If you're like me and were born in the '70s, you may yet remember Archon... Wrath Unleashed revisits and updates the original. With a shorthand mythology regarding elementals, it offers a hexagonal board game with an RPG heart." The game, which is also reminiscent of Archon co-creator Paul Reiche's under-rated The Unholy War for PlayStation, is described as a "promising mix of elements", and Wrath Unleashed's preview concludes: "The balance between action and strategy is a tricky one in games such as this ... but it does offer a distinctly old-school feel and plenty of options for different gamers."

Thanks to Ferrago for their story confirming a film version of popular PC RPG Dungeon Siege is in the works, from the same creators who gave us the 'horrific' House Of The Dead movie, in which Sega's ghoulish gun-game series was shifted to "an island off the coast of Florida, [where] a techno rave party attracts a diverse group of college co-eds." The German producer and director of the forthcoming Dungeon Siege film, Uwe Boll, also currently working on the Alone In The Dark movie starring Christian Slater, breathlessly proclaimed: "Based on the success of House of the Dead, I believe Dungeon Siege contains major crossover potential because of its unique blend of action and fantasy, on the order of Lord of the Rings."

Thanks to GameSpot for their report that the eagerly-awaited Final Fantasy XII won't ship until at least April 2004 in Japan, according to Square Enix, who "updated its profit estimates for the full fiscal year, lowering that figure by almost 20 percent" as part of this news. The article points out that "two of [Square Enix's] major RPGs will [now] not be showing up until the company's next fiscal year", since Dragon Quest VIII [aka Dragon Warrior VIII] is already confirmed as shipping later in 2004, although a PlayStation 2 remake of Dragon Quest V has just been announced for this fiscal year in Japan. In more fortuitous news, the company also announced that "its TV toy game, Shinken Dragon Quest... [has] been selling beyond expectations in Japan."

Thanks to IGN Pocket for their article on the forthcoming Japanese launch of AM3's Advance Movie player for the Game Boy Advance. According to the piece, the player will come standalone, or "...bundled with episode one of the cartoon [Detective Conan] for a total cost of 3800 yen [$33]", and some time after that, "...gamers will be able to purchase blank Smart Media cards for 1800 yen and begin downloading content from their PC, using a Smart Media writer to get the content onto the blank card", though "cost should run between 100 and 500 yen [$1-$5]" for each download. Finally, following some "impressive video sequences" seen at the Tokyo Game Show, it's confirmed that "this technology... is also being applied to actual [GBA] games, with Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories being the first example."

jasoncart writes "The trouble with MMORPGs is a humorous account of one gamer's struggle to find and assume his place in the rapidly evolving societies which form a part of the online RPG explosion. Ultimately, it is also a lament for the loss of direction that is the scourge of the genre."

Thanks to GameSpot for their large feature charting a comprehensive history of Capcom's Mega Man. The article explains: "Mega Man recently celebrated his 15th anniversary, and the Blue Bomber is showing no signs of giving up the fight for everlasting peace", and goes on to document more than 30 Mega Man-related titles, from the original NES version, which sported "totally appalling box art" in the States, through the 3D stylings of the Mega Man Legends series, and the VR-styled RPG gameplay of the Mega Man Battle Network series. The mammoth article ends on the hopeful: "Here's hoping Capcom sees fit to grace a current or future system with a good, honest 2D - or 2.5D, at the very most - Mega Man IX."

Thanks to GameSpot for their preview of Irrational's PC RPG sequel, Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich. According to the first look at this previously unannounced title, a follow-up to the popular tactical role-playing game which featured "a stable of superheroes based on classic 1960s Silver Age comics", this sequel boasts an enhanced 3D engine and Nazi tentacle-bots, as "...the Freedom Force team must travel back in time to World War II to battle a new supervillain named Blitzkrieg, who is the defender of the Reich."

Thanks to GameSpot for their story revealing Korean MMORPG Lineage II has racked up significant amounts of initial subscribers in its native country. According to the article about the Unreal-engine PC sequel, "in the game's first five days in release, publisher NCsoft has tallied more than 130,000 paid users." However, SirBruce's subscription page points out that many subscribers to the initial, 4-million subscriber Lineage: The Blood Pledge "play in 'PC baangs', Internet cybercafes in [South] Korea that buy Lineage access from the company and then sell it at hourly rates to customers", making subscriber comparisons with games like Star Wars Galaxies more difficult. Elsewhere, GI.Biz reveals the PlayStation 2 is the most popular console in Korea, although only 600,000 strong, with 92.5 percent preferring it over the 60,000-selling Xbox, as "...players cited the lack of Korean language software and poor customer service as their key problems with the Xbox."

Thanks to IGN PC for their hands-on preview of the PC version of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, which is currently due to ship on the 18th November. Apart from increased game resolution (up to 1600x1200) and texture detail, "about thirty new items will be added to the game, including two new lightsaber types", and "the space station around Yavin (from the first film) is a new locale" for this conversion of BioWare's immensely popular Xbox RPG. GameSpot also has a brief preview of the PC version, and elsewhere, IGN Xbox has an interesting, but very unconfirmed rumor that a sequel to KOTOR "...is not being developed internally at BioWare, but in Orange County at Obsidian Entertainment", the Black Isle-rich company who recently announced a co-development deal with the KOTOR creators.

Thanks to 1UP for their 'Pray For It' article discussing an ideal, but unfortunately fictional game of their dreams, Grand Theft Auto Online. In envisioning "taking the basic template from Grand Theft Auto III and just adding more than one enterprising thug", as well as players banding together ("Once you get your own criminal operation started - kind of like a clan or guild - you can start enlisting the newbies to do jobs for you"), the author gets into a sure-to-be-controversial mini-rant regarding a perceived lack of diversity: "What's wrong with online RPGs is content. Why are they all fantasy games?... Who decided that you couldn't make an online RPG about anything?"

Thanks to Kikizo for their article discussing Phantasy Star Online Episode 3: C.A.R.D Revolution's showing at the Tokyo Game Show, where it was "one of the most popular playable games." PSOWorld has a detailed FAQ page on this forthcoming GameCube RPG, which offers "strategic combat using a turn-based card system." They also carry news of a special PSO Online Trilogy box set in Japan, and confirm that on PSO Ep.3's November Japanese release, the monthly subscription fees for the other Phantasy Star Online titles "...will carry over and work for PSO Ep.3, meaning no additional fee for Ep.3." The same may be true for the US release in Q1 2004, although Western response seems muted thus far - is this where you want to see the Phantasy Star series going?

Thanks to GameSpy for their article officially revealing the return of classic RPG series The Bard's Tale, following recent rumors that a new title was in the works. However, screenshots of the title, from former Interplay boss Brian Fargo's new company, inXile Entertainment, reveal a radically different top-down view, as the game, due out at the end of 2004, "is being developed primarily for the PS2", and "is using an improved version of the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance engine." There are also noticeable similarities to the classic original series, as: "The plan calls for the game to start near the original town of Skara Brae, an ancient ruin in the Orkney Islands on the northern tip of Scotland." Update: 10/01 22:34 GMT by S : There's now an interview with Brian Fargo about the new Bard's Tale title, also courtesy GameSpy.