It's not often we're able to do this so long before a game is released -- before we've ever even seen the game on a screen other than the Joystiq Blogtop 3000s™ we're assigned -- but we can categorically name Resonance of Fate as our game of the year as of this morning. Why, you ask? Three simple words, friends: Dogs wearing jackets.

New screens of the game, coming from Japan (likely from End of Eternity, the Japanese title of RoF), look, in certain cases, a bit less than thrilling. Sure, the game's CG trailer looked like 95405000 yen, but we're talking still shots of RPG gameplay here -- not exactly life-altering stuff. That being said, well, there's a dog. And he's wearing a jacket!

European gamers are getting their hands on an exclusive special edition of Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Launching on June 5, The Last Hope has already made the trek to North American gamers, but European users have an exclusive pack headed their way to sweeten a possible purchase.

Included in the special edition is the game, a 32-page guide, five Last Hope character cards, a compilation CD soundtrack and limited edition packaging.

While we should be jealous of the bonuses included in the pack, we're more envious of the digistack packing used for the set. Thanks to this special edition, PAL users won't all have to deal with three discs stacked on top of each other, like North American gamers did. Lucky!

New details about tri-Ace's latest RPG, Resonance of Fate, have surfaced, shedding some light on the game's battle system. As if resonating with the fate of most J-RPGs, RoF is your standard turn-based affair, though it does try to shake things up by blending in some potentially strategic damage rules and pseudo-real-time combat (think Eternal Sonata).

The way battles play out is a little something like this (as laid out by 1UP): the player chooses a party member and controls one character at a time. While in control of this character, a timer counts down signifying the duration of this character's actions, which include running around and shooting stuff up. Interestingly, enemies don't have their own individual turns; instead, they attack at the same time while the player's character is currently in action mode. This means enemies can only target the character that's currently being controlled.

Additionally, different damage types add to the strategic gameplay. There are two known types: direct damage, (which is a basic attack) and scratch damage (which is a weaker attack that allows HP to slowly regenerate). We're not sure how this all plays out, but we're assuming there might be more damage types to be discovered later, as the game seems to revolve around guns and ammo (possibly linked to ammo type?). Perhaps, we'll find out more at E3 next month. That is, if RoF shows up.

Sega today released the newest trailer for Resonance of Fate / End of Eternity, and boy is it dramatic. While it doesn't give away anything new about the tri-Ace developed game than last time around, it is, in fact, a proper American trailer and not just footage from a presser in Japan (read as: not in Japanese).

A woman steps from an impossibly high ledge, bullets fly in every direction, a face is pushed, and somewhere in there, things go "totally extreme" and the guitar solo kicks off. The (totally CG at this point) graphics and world give off an almost Cowboy Bebop-esque/future film-noir vibe that we could see ourselves digging. Oh, but the trailer's music? It's awful. It was actually better in the Japanese trailer. You've been warned!

Remember last month when we reported on a few trademarks filed by Sega for Resonance of Fate and Resonance of Time? Turns out our predictions have been validated, as Sega has announced plans to bring the tri-Ace developed JRPG End of Eternity to the US and the company is calling the game ... wait for it ... Resonance of Fate!

The Sega blog is pegging a release date on the title for Spring 2010 -- roughly half a year after its Japanese doppelganger -- and offers scant details on the title. However, it does note quite curiously that this is the first time in history the developer is teaming up with a publisher other than Enix (and recently, Square Enix) to release one of its games. Maybe that has something to do with Square Enix's recent Western ambitions? Who knows! Why not rest your worried head in the gallery below? It'll make all the hurting stop.

There isn't much to see in the debut trailer for End of Eternity, tri-Ace's upcoming RPG for the Xbox 360 and PS3. In fact, we're hesitant to even refer to the trailer as a trailer -- the entire thing is comprised of moving screenshots. Also, every bit of explanatory text included is in Japanese, so we can't make sense of it.

Thankfully we already know End of Eternity follows a trio of characters in a world where Earth has become a toxic place to live and civilization has huddled into large towers for survival. It's a dark vision of the future... where Al Gore was right all along!

Having followed the guidelines for teasing the announcement of a new RPG to the letter (almost as if the guidelines were written retroactively in response to the game), tri-Ace has moved on to the natural next step: the exclusive reveal in Famitsu magazine (before the countdown expires), which is then immediately scanned and made available worldwide.

The new game is End of Eternity, being published by Sega on PS3 and Xbox 360 this winter in Japan. According to Siliconera's translation, the game stars characters named Zephyr, Subject 20, and Vashyron, the last of whom is "employed in a private military firm." The battle system, accordingly with the military theme, involves real-time gunplay elements. Of course, there's been no announcement of an international release, since the Japanese release was announced just now.

If there's one thing that generates more anticipation than a new game announcement, it's the announcement of a forthcoming new game announcement. Though it may draw some opprobrium from know-it-all blogs (who will write about your tease even whilst bemoaning it), a teaser website is the ideal catalyst for heated speculation. Be miserly with your information, but be sure to cover some basics: Mention the developer (eg. tri-Ace), the targeted platforms (eg. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) and, of course, whether or not the RPG in question is new (see: www.newrpg.jp) or old (see: Square Enix).

Step 2: Initiate a countdown

What good is anticipation if it's not represented through a visual countdown? Modern web technology accomodates a wide range of temporal measurements for your countdown, allowing you to mark the agonizing wait with as much precision as you prefer. If your game's reveal is around the corner, why not opt for days? Of course, you can also resort to counting down the years if your project is a little early or Final Fantasy XIII. Protip: Make the most of your countdown before it's down for the count by counting down to another countdown!

Step 3: Toss fans a fricken bone

Your unflappable fans deserve something special for visiting your teaser page. Now, be careful, you don't want to give the whole thing away! Why not titillate with a piece of art from your RPG? Go with something ambigious and comforting, like a ruined fantasy landscape or a team of pointy-haired adventurers battling a recently unsealed ancient evil.

Next week: How to promote Famitsu review scores, which will be much higher than anyone else's!

[Via Infatuated Gamer]

The more we see of the upcoming tri-Ace developed, Square Enix published, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the more excited we seem to get. Not only is the Star Ocean series one of the most beloved, classic role-playing franchises still kicking around, both the CGI and in game footage of the game look impressive. Honestly though, we just get overly excited when effeminate heroes jump out of their spacecraft pilot seats to stare blankly at a monitor and luckily this trailer showcases that move twice. 'Round these parts we call that, "Supreme pimp pointing." Star Ocean: The Last Hope lands Stateside on February 24.

Star Ocean: Second Evolution, as the title implies, is a remake of the second Star Ocean game released back in 1999 on the original PlayStation. It is a direct sequel to another PSP remake released earlier this year, Star Ocean: First Departure. Besides the updated graphics, what other new elements can RPG lovers expect? Read on to find out.

We're going to say what needs to be said; no one named Edge should be that adorable. However, Star Ocean: The Last Hope stars an adorable character named Edge. The Deadline trailer above, released in Japan, showcases some of the locales gamers will visit when Star Ocean: The Last Hope hits the Xbox 360 on March 3, 2009. The latest trailer also shows off some impressive combat, combos and ... okay, seriously though a dude named Edge shouldn't make you want to hug him. Guys named Edge force you to hug them, awkwardly. On a related note, the game looks extremely pretty in cut scenes and in action. Definitely something to look forward to if you're down with Japanese role-playing games.

They just keep coming today, huh? This deal is even more limited time than the ones posted earlier today: for about three hours from the time stamp on this post (or while supplies last), you can purchase Star Ocean: First Departure for only $25.98. Wanna read more about the game? Check out our full review. They are going fast, so head over to Amazon soon if you like this deal.

[Thanks, David B.!]

Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One shipped in Japan just a few days ago, racking up 80,000 sales in its first week and finishing in second place in the charts (to, um, Grand Theft Auto IV).

With a triumphant Japanese launch under its belt, Square Enix is now turning its attention to us, and has opened an understated teaser site to announce the localization and release date of the game in the U.S. As previous evidence has hinted, it'll be known as Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume in North America, and will release on March 17th. Is the DS the greatest system for RPGs since the SNES or what? That's rhetorical, because it clearly is.

Also, the beautiful Japanese boxart would be welcome here, if anybody from Square Enix is reading!

[Update: A Square Enix press release informs us Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride will reach the States on February 17th! Too. Much. RPG. Goodness.]


[Via Siliconera]

RPG fanatics have probably heard this tale before, but there's a bit of history behind the very first Star Ocean game. Back in 1995, a majority of the team that created Tales of Phantasia (which was released stateside on the Game Boy Advance back in 2006) left Namco due to creative differences. The team moved onto Tri-Ace, whose debut title was Star Ocean. One of the last games for the aging Super Famicom, the RPG pushed the console to its limits in terms of the cartridge size and graphics. The game even had limited voice-acting, which was unheard of (no pun intended) in those days. The question is, does this remake of the first game in the classic franchise have what it takes to stand out in the portable gaming market?

Just announced at the Microsoft press briefing during the Tokyo Game Show, Star Ocean: The Last Hope will land in North America on March 3 after it debuts in Japan on February 19. Microsoft also announced that the title will be made available in European and Asian markets but did not announce specific release dates.

Developed by triAce and published by Square Enix, Star Ocean: The Last Hope joins the list of strong Japanese style RPGs to find life on the Xbox 360.