RPG

A re-release in much the same vein as Final Fantasy Anthologies, Final Fantasy Chronicles bundles two of Square Soft's most beloved SNES RPG titles -- Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger -- in this PlayStation release. Final Fantasy IV, known in the US as Final Fantasy II, follows the exploits of Cecil, a Black Knight and former leader of the Red Wings who questions the orders of his king and is demoted because of this. From here, he embarks on a journey that will span worlds and decide the fate of the entire kingdom.

Battles are turn-based, but introduced to the series is the Active Time Battle (ATB) concept, which forces players to be quick with their decision-making because, despite the turn-based nature of the title, enemies can attack at brief intervals. The player's party can consist of as many as five people at one time and throughout the adventure, characters will leave and join up with the party. The characters themselves are divided into classes and possess specific attributes and skills. Kain, for example, is able to use a jump ability in battle while Rosa wields white magic. Known as the "Easytype," the original US release excluded particular items, abilities, and spells, all of which have been restored for this release, dubbed "Hardtype." As part of the update, new FMV cutscenes are interjected throughout the game.

Released late in the SNES system's lifecycle, Chrono Trigger documents the adventure of a young boy named Crono and his misadventures through time. During the Millennial Fair, Crono meets and quickly befriends a woman named Marle. While visiting Crono's inventor friend Lucca however, Marle is inadvertently sent into the past and Crono and Lucca must set off after her. Dubbed the "Tech System," the game allows characters to combine elemental attacks in order to produce Double and even Triple Techs; powerful offensive and defensive techniques. New Tech skills can be learned as the character increases in level.

Unlike Final Fantasy IV, battles in Chrono Trigger are not initiated at random, allowing players to avoid enemies (who are in plain sight) as they see fit. New animated cutscenes have been included as part of the update, as well as an Extras Mode that houses any additional extras unlocked by attaining one of the game's twelve different endings. A Theater, Music Box, Art Gallery, and Bestiary are just some of the options available, allowing players to view unlocked movie and ending sequences, listen to music from the game, view stills of the main characters, and read up on monsters, bosses, and techniques. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland marks a significant shift in focus for the series, becoming more of a "life simulation" than the "farm simulation" it once was. Unlike previous incarnations where the main objective was to resurrect a dying farm and ultimately turn a profit, this PS2 title presents players with a slightly more desperate predicament: The land upon which the village is built has been earmarked for the development of a new resort complex. Construction begins in exactly one year and in that time you'll have to find a way to save the village. Incidentally, there are nine different ways that this can be achieved, providing nine different game endings.

Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland is also the first title in the series to make use of 3D environments, and has included a user-definable camera that can be manipulated as needed with the aid of the right analog stick. The game also makes use of "cel-shading" -- a technique that has become synonymous with cartoon-style games.

Among the most significant changes are that annual events are no longer celebrated; the axe and hammer have been removed from your inventory; the variety of crops has been reduced, and land no longer needs to be cleared before crops can be planted. Also, the shipping bin has been eradicated, requiring that you take your crops to town yourself. With the emphasis no longer on your farm, relationships now become more important than ever; though, you can now only court the local ladies and not marry them. Cooking and the collection of recipes remain an integral part of the gameplay.

A standard day on the farm still revolves around checking the weather report and then tending to the animals and crops, but days now elapse significantly faster. Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland also features 20 new characters with which to interact, each with their own unique personalities, likes and dislikes, and birthdays which must be remembered at all costs. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Natsume's unusual series of farming games comes to Game Boy Advance with the release of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. As in previous titles, players can go about their day as they see fit, with the overall goal being to become profitable while planting and harvesting various crops or raising livestock. After a hard day's work overseeing the day-to-day operations of the farm, players can visit the city to talk with the locals, spend some time fishing in a nearby pond, or embark on various other side-quests and mini-games. Romance is also part of the series, and characters can eventually marry, have children, and own pets. Friends of Mineral Town also interfaces with the GameCube version of Harvest Moon: It's a Wonderful Life, allowing players access to specific events and other bonuses. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

In the distant future, only superior tactics will save Earth from being lost to heartless alien invaders -- though good platform jumping skills, a steady aim, and a bit of luck won't hurt either. Future Tactics: The Uprising is an action-strategy game set thousands of year from now, featuring a young hero named Low who may rise to save humanity from becoming but a footnote in the history of a race of off-world oppressors.

While rooted in the iconic, turn-based play of conventional console tactics games, Future Tactics adds elements of action more common to 3D platformers. The game is turn based, but instead of merely sending their characters to a destination, players are in direct control as their heroes run and jump around the battlefield. Similarly, using the game's numerous ranged weapons requires the player to aim and shoot from a first-person perspective.

Since a successful attack so often relies upon a clear shot, line-of-sight is a top concern, both when attacking and defending. If Low can see an enemy well enough to take aim, that enemy may get a bead on him as well. Future Tactics' deformable environments add to this uncertainty, as seemingly protective cover might wear away with a few well-placed rounds.

Designed to offer tactical challenges with the feel of a 3D platform shooter, Future Tactics: The Uprising allows players to survey the battlefields and develop a plan of action without a lot of abstract number-crunching. The game features 18 characters, 19 missions, and a tweakable two-player "Battle Mode." A "Boot Camp" tutorial is also included, to help ease new players into the game. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

In the distant future, only superior tactics will save Earth from being lost to heartless alien invaders -- though good platform jumping skills, a steady aim, and a bit of luck won't hurt either. Future Tactics: The Uprising is an action-strategy game set thousands of year from now, featuring a young hero named Low who may rise to save humanity from becoming but a footnote in the history of a race of off-world oppressors.

While rooted in the iconic, turn-based play of conventional console tactics games, Future Tactics adds elements of action more common to 3D platformers. The game is turn based, but instead of merely sending their characters to a destination, players are in direct control as their heroes run and jump around the battlefield. Similarly, using the game's numerous ranged weapons requires the player to aim and shoot from a first-person perspective.

Since a successful attack so often relies upon a clear shot, line-of-sight is a top concern, both when attacking and defending. If Low can see an enemy well enough to take aim, that enemy may get a bead on him as well. Future Tactic's deformable environments add to this uncertainty, as seemingly protective cover might wear away with a few well-placed rounds.

Designed to offer tactical challenges with the feel of a 3D platform shooter, Future Tactics: The Uprising allows players to survey the battlefields and develop a plan of action without a lot of abstract number-crunching. The game features 18 characters, 19 missions, and a tweakable two-player "Battle Mode." A "Boot Camp" tutorial is also included, to help ease new players into the game. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

A spin-off from the hugely popular Dragon Quest series of role-playing games, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is similar to the Pokémon or Digimon style of creature-breeding battle games. The game takes place in Green Bays, a series of islands that teem not with ravenous, cheesehead-wearing Packer fans, but with more than 200 classic Dragon Quest monsters. Green Bays is home to the famous monster scout challenge, in which competitors scout monsters, synthesize new beasts, and pit them against one another in head-to-head battles.

Players take on the role of a boy who is sent by his father, Warden Trump, to infiltrate the monster scout challenge. The overall goal is to develop the strongest group of monsters by capturing, training, and synthesizing as many beasts as possible. Multiplayer modes let gamers battle and trade creatures via a local wireless connection, or players can use the DS's Wi-Fi capabilities to participate in both continental and global tournaments in the Wildcard World Cup. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Players guide three distinct heroes through the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons lands known as the Forgotten Realms, to correct a mistake and perhaps save the world in the process. By accidentally meddling in an age-old feud between two powerful, demonic hordes, the player's characters have allowed both abysmal armies into our plane of existence. Now the noble characters are honor-bound to make amends, and banish the demons from Faerun once more.

The player directly controls one of the three characters and can switch between them at nearly any time. These characters represent the fundamental AD&D archetypes: the burly fighter, who can take at least as much punishment as he dishes out, the agile rogue, who can pick locks and sneak about for surprise attacks, and the resourceful sorcerer, who specializes in a variety of ranged combat spells. Demon Stone is designed to call on the diverse abilities of each of these three characters, so using the right hero for the right job is an important part of play.

Characters gain experience and new abilities as they progress through the adventure, but Demon Stone players won't spend as much time number-crunching as they might in other AD&D games. Most of the statistical arithmetic that drives the combat system is applied behind the scenes. While Stormfront's collaboration with AD&D license holder Wizards of the Coast helps ensure that Demon Stone's rules system is accurate to the pen & paper standards, the focus of this game is squarely on the action.

Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone is not the developer's first hack-and-slash console RPG. EA Games' well received The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, based on the Peter Jackson film, was also designed by the studio. Stormfront's previous work with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons license yielded a series of home computer games in the early 1990s, as well as 2001's Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Pokémon Pearl expands the series by offering trainers a new area to explore and the chance to catch three new creatures. Single-gamers may choose between male and female characters at the beginning of the game, and then begin their quest to become the League Champion. Players must work their way through Shin'ou, a previously unseen area that is based on the landscape of Hokkaido in Japan. Gamers must take on and defeat members of Team Galaxy, a new threat in the Pokémon universe. Pokémon Pearl enhances the series by allowing players to transfer creatures from their Game Boy Advance to the DS using the GBA game slot. Through a wireless connection, gamers may challenge friends to a duel, trade creatures, and talk with friends at the Pokémon Union. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

This original GBA game is set in a grim distant future where humankind finds itself at odds with an invading alien race known as the Krill. Players take the role of a brave operative who works as a double agent, and thus gains a unique perspective on the ongoing conflict. The game's storyline branches according to decisions made.

In addition to the plot, the hero's weapon is customizable as well, as it can be upgraded with more than 50 collectable "Gun Data" power-ups. The Sigma Star Saga plays out on six different planets. Along with the third-person exploration and shooting, players encounter classically styled side-scrolling shooter sequences as they travel from mission to mission. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Dirge of Cerberus is a third-person shooter starring the sullen, enigmatic Vincent Valentine from Square's Final Fantasy VII role-playing game, which debuted on the original PlayStation in 1997. Taking place three years after the PlayStation hit, Dirge of Cerberus focuses on Valentine's vendetta against an underground assault team known as the Deep Ground Soldiers, who have been terrorizing the recovering city of Midgar from its darkest depths. The title refers to Valentine's weapon, a handgun with carvings of the mythological creature Cerberus on its three barrels -- one for each of the hell beast's heads. Players will use this firearm and more to shoot down armies of robotic troops while trying to rescue Midgar's imprisoned citizens along the way. Each defeated enemy offers a varying amount of experience points, allowing Valentine to increase in level and become more powerful as the game progresses.

Valentine can perform a number of acrobatic moves, from rolls and crouches to jumps and melee attacks, while battling his enemies. Targeting foes is simplified with an automated lock-on feature, but players are free to execute more precise shots by holding down the shoulder button to access a targeting reticule. Staying true to the Final Fantasy VII legacy, players can acquire potions to restore lost health, new weapons to battle enemies, and material to perform magic-based attacks, one of which allows Valentine to transform into a powerful beast. The game also includes cameos from a number of Final Fantasy VII characters, including Yuffie, Cait Sith, and the indomitable Cid Highwind, and features a cinematic storyline that delves deeper into Vincent Valentine's murky past. After completing the solo campaign, players can continue the action online in team deathmatch, survival, and cooperative modes. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Based on the popular Japanese series of SNES role-playing adventures, Minstrel Song brings the Romancing SaGa to North American PS2s, along with the new features, deeper presentation, and graphical and audio updates expected the a jump from 16- to 128-bit processing. While 2D pixilation is replaced by 3D polygons, the series strives to retain its non-linear storytelling and simple charm. As one of eight playable characters, gamers lead a party of heroes in a quest to prevent the re-awakening of Saruin, a supernatural villain who has been imprisoned for the last millennium. These heroes are aided by the guidance and advice of a traveling minstrel, who seems to come and go mysteriously. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Ten years after the original PlayStation's Final Fantasy VII debuted to critical acclaim, Sony's handheld receives an exclusive prequel entitled "Crisis Core." The storyline focuses on Zack Fair and his dealings with a young Cloud Strife, an opportunistic Shinra Company, and the troubled Sephiroth. The action is viewed from a third-person perspective as players guide Zack across an assortment of 3D environments while engaging in random battles against multiple enemy types.

Combat involves initiating a choice of melee or magic-based attacks as a three-reel slot machine, referred to as a "Digital Mind Wave," spins in the top corner of the screen. Each reel displays a character or a number, with each spin resulting in a potential status upgrade depending on the combination. Players might automatically replenish health or magic, for example, or gain a more powerful attack during the encounter. Throughout Zack's journey, players will interact with characters both new and familiar, gradually learning more about the events leading up to the planet's rapid decline. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide