Chrono Trigger is still an exhilarating RPG to play - this is no small feat considering the game was released thirteen years ago. The compelling characters, intriguing storyline, solid battle system and unforgettable musical score makes Chrono Trigger DS a worthy addition to any RPG fan’s gaming library. The Wireless Play mode and extra dungeons are a nice addition but nothing special. The game warrants the buying price alone for the simple reason that it’s Chrono Trigger and that it retains the title as one of the greatest RPGs in gaming history.

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Chrono Trigger has long been revered as one of Squaresoft’s (now Square Enix) most epic RPGs that graced the SNES system. The game was produced by the “Dream Team” with credits given to Hironobu Sakaguchi, Masato Kato, Akira Toriyama and Yasunori Mitsuda. Shortly after a mediocre PSX port, Final Fantasy Chronicles, fell short of its mark with its dreadful loading and slowdown issues, no announcements were made for any potential re-releases. After a long seven year waiting period, Square Enix has revisited one of their most critically acclaimed RPGs that features touch screen controls, a brand new dungeon, an extra ending and a brand new Wireless Play mode.

Chrono Trigger tells the tale of Crono, the unspoken hero who meets Marle, the spunky, tomboy-ish princess at the Millennium Fair. After browsing through various attractions, he travels through time to rescue Marle after a scientific experiment goes awry. As one might expect, he is soon thrust on an epic quest to save the world and rewrite history along the way. Crono teams up with many allies: Lucca, a childhood inventor friend, Frog, a silent but noble swordsman, Ayla, a brash tribal leader, Magus, an optional ally who is an enigmatic figure, and Robo, a machine from the distant future. Each character is equipped with unique abilities and tech skills used effectively to destroy wave of enemies and large bosses.

The game utilizes the Active Time Battle system. From the start, you can select either an Active system (enemies are free to roam and attack during your turn) or the Wait system (enemies are frozen giving you ample time to choose your attacks). Most enemies are visible on screen (with exception to those hiding or waiting for an ambush) with no random battles. A new dual screen mode is featured in Chrono Trigger DS that clears the screen of menu clutter from the original game. Attacks and tech abilities can be selected by using either the stylus with touch functionality or the standard DS controls. Rather than holding down A or B, Crono runs by default instead of walking. In the DS mode, enemies are segregated by text boxes on the lower screen that are roughly divided to show their name and relative positions. Though the DS stylus control scheme is appreciated, most will end up sticking to the tried and true control scheme.

New features in Chrono Trigger DS include an extra ending, a monster training arena, and the inclusion of two brand new areas: Lost Sanctum and the Dimensional Vortex. The Lost Sanctum, found in two separate time periods, is a rather mediocre addition that fails to add anything valuable to the overall storyline of Crono’s journey through time With respect to the Vortex, it offers a satisfying dungeon romp filled with monsters, new items and new spoilers that fills the gap for a few mysteries from the original SNES game. Accessible at the End of Time warp gate is the Arena of the Ages, known otherwise as the monster training area. You can send your monster to battle against NPC foes in a Prize match or online with a friend via a Wi-Fi connection in an Inter-dimensional battle. Prizes are awarded for victories that vary depending on the entrance fee paid before battles in the pit begin. Conversely, you can train your monster by giving it an item and sending it to a specific era on its own. Once that is done, you can return to it at a later time to check its boosted stats.

On the visual front, the game sports familiar environments, sprites and special effects from the SNES original with cut scenes ported from the PSX version. Chrono Trigger DS doesn’t push the DS to its graphical limits but is still acceptable nonetheless. The dialog has been revised for the more modern gamer; thus replacing parts of the original script. More than a decade after its release, famed composer Yasunori Mitsuda was re-enlisted by Square to manage and oversee the game’s soundtrack prior to its release. With credits attributed to Nobuo Uematsu as well, the music still sounds as epic and inspiring as it did from its original heyday.

The biggest disappointment comes from the lack of multiplayer co-op. Training your monsters in the Arena of the Ages and Wi-fi battles with your friends is largely a forgettable ordeal. The Dimensional Vortex and new areas to explore are a nice addition but they’re nothing special compared to existing worlds found within the game. However, Chrono Trigger is still an RPG masterpiece that should be enjoyed by hardcore and casual role-playing fans worldwide.

• Persona 4 (PS2) - bonus CD soundtrack included in every copy; Persona 4 Visual Data, full color, 100 page 7''x10'' art book included in pre-orders
• Luminous Arc 2 (DS) - bonus CD soundtrack included in every copy; Luminous Art book, full color, 7''x10'' featuring characters from the entire series included in pre-orders
• Eternal Poison (PS2) - bonus CD soundtrack included in every copy; Librum Vespera full color, 5''x8'' art book included in pre-orders

The bulk of the content on the disc is the original 80+ hour Persona 3 game, dubbed "The Journey" in FES. You play as a transfer student who quickly discovers that his school is the epicenter of a phenomenon known as the Dark Hour, a "25th hour" during the day where time stops for the unaware and a huge tower named Tartarus erupts from the school, the source of an evil plague of beings known as Shadows. Only once you realize you harness the ability to wield the titular entities called personas do you join a crew of your fellow persona-wielding classmates to climb Tartarus and cleanse it of the Shadows over the course of a school year.

It's Japanese, but you get the idea.

P3's combat may at first glance look like a typical turn-based RPG, but it has a few key differences that make it unique. First, you only directly control your character in the four-person battle party. You can give them general commands to focus on healing or attacking a specific enemy and while it works most of the time there will be instances where they don't quite do what you wanted. Also given that you and your members are made up of high school students that still have studying on their minds, tiredness can set in, which puts the character at a significant disadvantage. This is bad news because many of the fights in P3 – boss or otherwise – are rather brutal and require both adept strategies and focused, healthy party members to win.

The most significantly unique trait of Persona 3 is of course in its titular persona system. Personas come in the form of characters from myth and legend and when equipped on your character give him specific weaknesses, strengths, and special moves. Your character is the only one who can choose from well over one hundred personas and choosing the right one for specific situations is a key part of the battle strategy due to the system of strengths and weaknesses. Hitting an enemy's weakness gives you an extra turn and knocks the enemy to the floor – knock them all down and your party can perform a devastating and satisfying "all-out-attack" that cannot be blocked. Of course, if you get hit by your own persona's weakness you too will fall down and waste a turn, leaving you wide open for attack - the pendulum can swing the other way at any moment in P3, which keeps battles tense.

Don't mind if I do.

P3 does not forget that you are cast in the role of a high school student and the social aspect of which is simulated in its Social Links system. Akin to a dating simulator, the Social Links or S. Links allow you to hang out with your fellow classmates and other dubious characters in amusing cutscene sequences. How you react to their problems is key to how you grow in these relationships and as the S. Links level up, so does the arcana or class of persona they represent, which will give your corresponding personas an experience boost when you fuse them in the Velvet Room. Seeing your friends to the end is encouraged as not only will personas of their same arcana know all of their abilities right off the bat, you'll also have access to fuse a special high level persona that you wouldn't be able to otherwise. When you don't feel like hanging out, you can always study, sing karaoke, or watch a movie – all designed to increase your personal attributes which will allow you access to more S. Links. Everything you do outside of Tartarus has an effect inside of Tartarus, so there is plenty of incentive to keep yourself occupied.

While the bulk of the content in The Journey is the same as the original release including the superb-to-adequate voice acting and strangely infectious soundtrack, this FES edition contains a new S. Link in the form of a particular character from the original, makes certain other S. Links easier to complete, adds a number of new personas, and other things like new cutscenes and costumes. Additionally, you can carry over your save data from the original game and import your personal statistics/persona compendium for a new round in FES, which is a wonderful bonus for those of you who spent hours mastering the fusion system and collecting your favorite personas.

Look after him - he's your baby.

Despite some setbacks in its new content, FES is still a worthwhile experience for those who have already played Persona 3 to death. Its $30 price point is chump change to experience a 80+ hour main game with a dearth of new content and a flawed but playable 30+ hour extra chapter.  Persona 3 is easily one of the best RPGs to come out of Japan in years and FES is without a doubt its definitive form.

Namco Bandai has released a new trailer regarding their announcement of Tales of Vesperia at the Jump Festa 2008 event.

The game will feature cel-shaded graphics with character designs and animation managed by Kosuke Fujishima and Production I.G. The platform and release date details have yet to be announced.

Check the link to download the trailer, or just hit the jump to view.

1. Typical RPG music - check.
2. Language I still don't know - check.
3. Characters with anime-look - check.

It started as a Fox TV show that was canceled after 11 episodes, found a huge fanbase with the DVD release, was made into a movie last year (Serenity), and might finally be ending up as a MMO video game to be made by Multiverse.

According to Wired News, who has the exclusive on this:

The online version will move away from those central characters -- after all, there's only one Mal Reynolds. In an MMORPG, "everybody has to have their own story," says Multiverse co-founder and executive producer Corey Bridges.

"Television series can be really good properties to turn into MMOs, because when you make a TV series, not only do you need great characters, but you need to create a full, rich, compelling place," Bridges says. "If you're doing science fiction, you have to really think it out and create an incredibly rich environment that is compelling in its own right, and worth exploring and going back to week after week. That's what Joss Whedon did with Firefly."

Check out the article for full details. I've never gotten into a MMO game, but I'm a huge Firefly fan so I might at least check it out; especially if it ends up being free like the rest of Multiverse (probably wont happen).