While it is indeed a rehashing of the North American release with the two added "ultra bosses" and a japanese script there is one reason to want the international version above and beyond being a japanophile and that would be the international disc. This little goody that came packed with the game on it's second japanese release had a full listing of materia, character descriptions, maps and I believe (though I can't be sure) strategies for the game. Sadly it is in japanese so only those with far superior linguistics than most of us or those with masochistic bends need apply. As for a question, how about the Growlanser series. Do you know anything of this series of games that will, barring any further push backs, be gracing our fair soil sometime this October. I personally can't wait to put it through it's paces. Thanks for listening to the rambling from my skull.

Fyr

Googlemesh,

I know I'm a little late on chiming in on the delayed game front, but school work has quelled my rage long enough. Growlanser, Shin Megami Tensi: Nocture, and of course Star Ocean: Waited Until the End of Time have all really got me questioning how software companies can justify this. Now, if I was to ask for an extension on my homework, my teachers would scoff at me, but programmers can move back release dates more than once? I mean, how many times has Growlanser been delayed now? It has to be at least 4 times.

So, I've developed a not-so-genius way to vent my rage and frustration. I bought Star Ocean, even though it was delayed a billion times and haven't touched it. It's still in the wrapping. I've opted to play Phantom Brave (great, not as great as Disgea) and Megaman before it. I'm even considering buying the X-men game and playing that before Star Ocean. I will therefore have a psychological advantage over the game when I finally decide it to pay it some attention. I'll show them...

And finally a question: Have you played the new Megaman game yet? I'm about 20+ hours in and am enjoying myself a ton, even though the story sucks. Amazing how much you miss a straight forward RPG after the Action RPG onslaught.

Blane

In response to the Duke of Otterland, the Fullmetal Alchemist anime series will begin airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim at the beginning of November, and the first DVD of it is set for a January 2005 release in North America. Hence, it will make some sense to release a game based on the series.

As for recent Dragon Quest games... I seem to recall that we already got the most recent game in the main series already. It also seemed that it didn't do as well as Enix hoped, which may explain why we didn't get DQ4's remake, which came out later than DQ7 did in Japan.

P.S. Whatever happened to Torneko 3? It's game page only lists the release date in Japan as "2003" instead of a date.

--
R. Bemrose

My friends and I recently got our hands on X-Men Legends, and we've been having a blast. Sad thing is, I suspect we're nearing the end of the game. We really get into console multi-player RPGs, and this title turned out to be more of an RPG than I first expected. But like I said; we're almost done with it.

Now we've played Phantasy Star Online's nifty offline mode. We got bored with that when our guys grew past level 100 and moved on. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a game we enjoy, but after a while it invokes quite a lot of fighting. Sometimes it's little things like one of us taking off with the chalice and leaving the other players to the poison air, and others it becomes immature bickering over stats and equipment. So...we only pick that one up once in a while. Legend of Zelda: Four Swords was another title we've tried, but one of my friends and my sister beat it and we all just kind of lost interest. We attempted Tales of Symphonia, but it was just too boring for the people who weren't the first player. So after we beat X-Men we'll probably just go back to playing Super Smash Bros. Melee all night.

So I'd like to ask; are there any good multi-player RPGs around that we might have missed? I'd really appreciate some suggestions or info.

Also, I believe the quote on the home page is from Mega Man X Command Mission, which despite it's horrible dub is still a pretty fun game.

Thanks for your time,
Shane McCloud

I could complain about seveal games being delayed. Shin Megami Tensei being, of course, the big one, especially as I've reserved it. I might complain about Growlanser only because I've fully paid for the bastard (the deluxe version, I should mention). I might mention Duke Nukem Fourever, but that's like saying Bush looked like a deer in headlines at the presidential debates. It's just not funny anymore.

No, I'm complaining because I still have yet to see Sakura Taisen come, or even be officially announced in the states. I mean, what's the deal? The only dating sims you can buy in the United States are ones involving the word "my massive man sausage" and have the words "English versions uncensored!". (OK, there was "Thousand Arms", but I couldn't get beyond the grating battle music.)

How may games let you woo multiple women and then take them out onto the field of battle? How many games involve giving chocolates and has a cute lady in glasses (oh, girls in glasses, how I love thy sex appeal) who can build stuff? Yes, I know that "eventually" we'll get Sakura Taisen 5, but at least give us 1 to we have some clue as to what the hell is going on in this odd universe. (Though cowgirls in miniskirts riding horses is cool.)

Sega, I know your pissed off at us ever since we actually made a sequel to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", but how long does your wrath last? Forgive us, and let us have Sakura Taisen before I'm so old I'm the only one left who remembers what "Star Wars" was like before Greedo shot first.

John Hummel

PS: One question if you wish to use it. When is the world going to see a game like "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball", but with the beefcake for the girls? I mean, where were the guys in speedos? I don't want to see it, but at least I could believe that Tecmo was at least being fair to the ladies too.

• Koudelka
• Shadow Hearts

• Shadow Hearts: Covenant
• The ability to say "the first one" and be understood.