RPG Video Games

Mean-streaked tacticians are called upon to fling minions and raise hell in Overlord: Dark Legend, a motion-controlled action-strategy game based on Triumph Studio's dark-humored Overlord. Retaining the play style of its predecessor, Dark Legend combines the third-person squad management of the GameCube's Pikmin with the good-to-be evil sensibilities of the computer classic, Dungeon Keeper. Although released alongside the direct sequel on home computers and high-def consoles, the Wii's Dark Legend follows an exclusive, original storyline. Players take the starring role of a forgotten, youngest child, whose siblings plot to take over the kingdom. The hero will not remain forgotten long, as he takes up the armor of the Overlord and takes command of the powers of destruction,

Of course, it's actually the Overlord's minions that do all the dirty work. Minions are distinguished by their color, and four main types are available in Overlord: Dark Legend. Brown minions take the part of the belligerent infantry; boots on the ground to cause chaos by hand. Reds can set their surroundings aflame in no time. Green minions specialize in stealth, serving as excellent assassins, and otherworldly Blues use magic to heal others and avoid harm. In the Wii's edition of Overlord, motion controls are used to pick minions up and fling them into battle or toward a task. Players can also use the Wii Remote to grab and shake a minion violently, causing it to become charged up and ready to explode -- a walking time bomb at the player's command. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Square Enix's action-oriented extension of the long-running Final Fantasy series continues in Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, as players once again explore a strange world in which mysterious crystals protect inhabitants from a shroud of poisonous gas. Gamers can choose from four races and two genders as they create their unique protagonist, a character who returns from a 16th-birthday ceremony to discover a fellow villager under the grips of "crystal sickness." The story then takes players on a Legend of Zelda-esque adventure full of overworld exploration, puzzle-filled dungeon crawling, side quests, and real-time battles. The ultimate goal is to track down a cure for the mysterious illness by completing specific tasks and battling monsters to procure special items. Echoes of Time also includes a multiplayer component that lets up to four gamers band together in more than 60 quests and mini-games. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Rune Factory: Frontier is a character-driven, farm-based life simulation game, similar to its stylistic forebear Harvest Moon, but takes place in a fantasy land of magic and monsters, similar to a traditional console role-playing game. Players set out to tame a wilderness by clearing the land, working the fields, and growing crops. The player's settlement encourages other people to come live nearby, and the community to grows large and strong. Beneath the ground, however, it's a different scene. Players can explore dungeons, fight and capture monsters, and recover quest items before returning to the happy community above ground.

The first Rune Factory game to be created for a console system, Frontier is a sequel of sorts to the DS original, and features a return of the lead character, Raguna. The hero will need to find a bride, choosing from more than a dozen worthy bachelorettes to woo along a dating-simulation path of the gameplay. Farming is a larger part of play than in earlier Rune Factory games, too. In such ways, Frontier is more similar to Marvelous Entertainment's earlier Harvest Moon games, previously published in North America by Natsume. However, officially no longer bearing the Harvest Moon title, Rune Factory: Frontier is brought to the U.S. by Japanese import specialist Xseed games. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Namco's "Tales" series of action RPGs makes its debut appearance on the Wii in this spin-off of the 2004 title Tales of Symphonia. Taking place two years after the original game combined the worlds of Slyvarant and Tethe'alla, Dawn of the New World puts gamers in charge of a new hero named Emil, who must help deal with all the sociological problems caused by the merging of the two worlds. The game takes advantage of the Wii's graphical and motion-sensing capabilities, and the series' trademark real-time battles are bolstered by a new "free-run" system, dynamic unison attacks, and a strategic elemental system. Gamers embarking on their quest can capture and collect more than 200 unique monsters, each capable of garnering experience points and growing into stronger -- and in some cases, completely new -- creatures. Dawn of the New World also features unlimited party combinations, meaning players can customize their traveling party with any number of monsters and people, including key characters from the original game, such as Lloyd and Collete. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

In the creature-creating game Monster Lab, the right parts in the right combination are the key to mastering a spooky world of combat and role-playing. Players earn new monster parts as they hone their skills under the tutelage of three different mad scientist specialists, by competing quests of exploration and combat in six areas. A mission-driven storyline leads players to continually uncover ingredients for new, more powerful parts, while the game's random monster generation system creates different computer-controlled opponents for essentially every fight.

Each of the three other mad scientists represents one of three monster types, biological, mechanical, and alchemical. In "rock, paper, scissors" fashion, each type is more powerful than one of its rival types and less powerful than the other. The 3D monster battles play out in a turn-based fashion. Different parts offer different defensive, offensive, and special abilities. Between the fighting and exploring, players complete action mini-game "experiments" to make their monster parts more powerful. Monster battles can also be waged between two player-controlled creations, in a special head-to-head mode.

Monster Lab players take the role of a mad scientist -- or, at least, an apprentice mad scientist -- who is selected to join forces with three others, each with a different monster specialty. The big boss in town, Baron Mharti, has his own mad methods, which include cruel tyranny over people in the local village. By exploring the land, uncovering new ingredients, experimenting on parts, and developing powerful creatures, the apprentice character aspires to one day master an army strong enough to stand against the evil Baron and set the villagers free from his oppression for good. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Well cultivated on previous Nintendo systems, Natsume's Harvest Moon series takes root on Wii for the first time with Tree of Tranquility. As in most other games in the farming-RPG series, players begin by taking over a run-down homestead with great potential, but this game's old farm is on an enchanted island that's lost its magic. The Mother Tree that once gave life to the island seems to have withered away. Where crops once flourished, the land is now rough and dry.

The game makes use of the Wii Remote for many farmstead actions. Different tools, such as rakes, shovels, and watering cans, can be "equipped." Tools are used by mimicking their real-life motions with the controller. It's up to the player's character to bring life back to the island -- one plot at a time, and one friendship at a time. By bringing nurture and hard work back to the farm, and helping neighbors to do the same, the magic may yet be returned to the island. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Randomly generated dungeons and turn-based battles are highlighted in the second Wii title set in the Final Fantasy universe. A yellow, bird-like Chocobo migrates from a successful stint on the DS handheld to console in this exclusive release, featuring the distinctive artwork of Toshiyuki Itahana (Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales). You must retrieve, of all things, lost "memories" by delving into dungeons created by a mysterious lad named Raffaello. Succeed and the town's populace just might remember who and where they are.

In true Final Fantasy tradition, your Chocobo character can specialize in ten different job classes, ranging from a knight to a white mage, allowing him access to special powers and abilities in combat. In between dungeon treks, you can visit shops in town to purchase helpful items and equipment. Other features include online card duels via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, hidden dungeons and job classes unlocked by finding assorted letters, and arcade-style mini-games accessed from the Mog House. The latter includes such motion-driven activities as gardening, fishing, and darts. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

A popular series in Japan, Baroque makes its U.S. debut as an action role-playing game with dark, religious overtones. Players will journey into a foreboding tower filled with horrific monsters, mutated humans, and mysterious angels. The world is essentially a distortion of reality that finds everything in a constant state of flux. How this happened is a complete mystery -- as is the lead protagonist's past. The only thing the protagonist knows is that he must venture into the Neuro Tower to atone for a past sin. He can save the world, so he is told, by battling the bizarre creatures lurking within each randomly generated room and reaching the tower's bottom floor. To defeat the monsters, these so-called "meta-beings," players will be able to find and use an assortment of weapons and items. While Baroque's content is the same on PlayStation 2 and Wii, the latter features motion controls, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and progressive scan support. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The first Wii release to exclusively use the Nunchuk for controls, Opoona is a role-playing game featuring whimsical, bulbous characters and a cartoon-like art style. Young Opoona and his family are separated after their spaceship crashes on Planet Landroll. Before Opoona can begin the epic trek to locate his family, he must first befriend the local populace and enlist in various jobs to contribute to the close-knit community. When Opoona learns that evil creatures known as Dark Rogues are threatening the planet, he vows to stop them using skills passed down to him from generations of noble warriors called "Cosmo Guards." Opoona's primary attack involves flinging an "energy bonbon," a spherical projectile controlled with the Nunchuk's analog stick. Together with his new friends, Opoona will engage in numerous real-time battles while searching the world for his revered relatives. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The first Wii title from publisher Square Enix is an offshoot of the company's Dragon Quest series of role-playing games. Instead of leading a party from a third-person vantage point, players will instead trek across dungeons, forests, and other atmospheric locales from a first-person perspective. Combat is more action-oriented than in previous games, as players wield the Wii Remote like a sword, hacking and slashing at slimes, golems, and other fantastical creatures while blocking their attacks with a shield. More powerful weapons and even magic spells can be acquired as players fulfill quests, compete in mini-games, and discover new areas. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide