March 11th

Grandia coming to PSX!

Not quite yet, the game that has "supposedly" been revealed is titled Grandia Digital Museum. It is "supposedly" a showcase of the game universe, with information on characters, game locals, etc., and surprisingly it is for the PSX. Hmmmmmm, could this be a prelude to a PSX release of Grandia, which LunarNET has been predicting all along? Why else would Gamearts release something like this for the PSX? Keep checking LunarNET for further info.

Source: GameAddict

 

Ultima Online Players file Class Action Lawsuit Against Origin and EA!

A Class Action Lawsuit has been filed on behalf of five Ultima Online players. The lawsuit contends that the game has failed to meet the promises made by the games developers, some of these features are listed on the games packaging. One of the major features in question, the promise of "realtime gaming-play", has never been met. Some of our Editors have spent time inside the game, and can atest to the fact that it is anything but realtime.This lawsuit and its outcome will be very interesting to watch, stay tuned to LunarNET for further info.

 

March 10th

Enix develops an N64 RPG!

IGN64 has a couple sentences in there rumor report stating that Enix may be developing an RPG for the N64. They then imply that it may be a Dragon Quest game. Of course no solid info is avilable, but if this turns out to be true, it shouldn't surprise anyone. Enix has never severed there relationship with Nintendo, and in fact have been developing a new Dragon Quest game for Gameboy.

Source: IGN64.com

 

Everquest Beta Testing Sign-ups!

Everquest, Sony's online-RPG, will have sign-ups for Beta Testing beginning on March 13th, sometime on Wednesday. Everquest is a 1000 player simultaneous online-RPG set in a fully 3D world with excellent detail. The Beta Testing should be great fun, and if your computer can handle it(We don't know what the requirements are, but we guessing at least a 166, but probably more) then check it out. All who sign-up for the Beta Test will be allowed to participate in the final Testing Stage. Go to Everquest.com for more info.

 

Shining Force III: Scenario 2 Info!

New information has become available about the next installment in the three part Shining Force III S-RPG game series. Shining Force III: Scenario 2 will star a character named Dion, who also appeared in the first game as a prince. Scenario 2 can be played with or without having finished Scenario 1. If the player does have Save Data from Scenario 1 then the storyline in Scenario 2 will be different. Shining Force III: Scenario 2 is expected for release on April 10th in Japan, no US release information is available.

 

Brave Fencer Part 1?

Square's upcoming action-RPG Brave Fencer is the first game in a two-part series.

 

 

March 7th

 

More on Lunar SSS

More has surfaced about why the Playstation Lunar SSS will be on 2 CDs instead of the Saturn's 1 CD. The most obvious reason came up today, that the Playstation probably uses motion based JPEG compression which is inferior to the MPEG's format of compression. Most likely that is why the Saturn's MPEG Lunar SSS is 1 CD and the Playstation's version is 2 CDs.

 

Working Designs Games Delayed

Lunar Silver Star Story, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Elemental Gearbolt have all been pushed back a month. Lunar is due for a September release, both EG and MKR are both due in May. WD's mystery RPG was also pushed back a month to December.

 

March 6th

Lunar: Silver Star Story aka Lunar Complete will come on 2 cds!

When Lunar:SSS is released later this year for the PSX in both Japan and the US, it will be on two cds. This is unlike the Saturn version which was on one cd. No official reason has been given for this change, but the cause is thought to have something to do with the games cutscenes. The new PSX version will be using the cutscenes from the Sega Saturn Complete version which used MPEG movies, and required the SS MPEG attachment. Since the PSX cannot play MPEG movies(except for one special version), these cutscenes must be stored as FMV(Full Motion Video) for the PSX to replay. Obviously FMV cannot be compressed like MPEG can, thus the need for two cds.

 

Two new RPGs announced for PSX in Japan from Gust!

The first game is titled Cielgris Fantasm, it is an adventure RPG featuring a real time battle system. The games main character is a magician named Laura who uses summon magic. The second game is titled Adventure of Robin Llyod, it is a 3D action RPG, set in the 60's. This game is non-linear, featuring several different quests with different themes. No release dates have been announced yet.

Source: Magic Box

 

 

March 4th

FFVII Sales are Great!

Sony recently claimed that they have shipped almost 9 million Playstations to Europe, and nearly 11 million in both the United States and Japan. The amazing feat is that Final Fantasy VII has sold nearly 20% the amount of Playstation sells, selling over 5 million copies! This is a record breaking feat for an RPG.

Sony Monopolizing?

The Basic Fair Trade Commission in Japan claims that Sony has attempted to destroy used game sales by forcing retialers to fix the prices of most Playstation games.

Source: April EGM

Phantasy Star Collection

While basically the same FOUR Phantasy Stars are intact, there are some minor upgrades in the newest Sega Ages pack. This Collection will feature a Gallery Mode, where players can view artwork from the game, or sample some arranged music, commerical clips and other goodies. Other upgrades include the ability to save to four save slots, in Phantasy Star III, so that you may work towards the different endings without starting over. Another wierd, yet cool, improvement, is that you can have the option of walking at double speed! There is also rumored to be a few added cinema's, but we'll have to wait and see on that rumor when the game comes out in Japan, next month!

Rumored translations for the Saturn

With the Saturn in bad shape in America, games are few and far between, sure we're getting Panzer Dragoon Saga sometime within a month, Magic Knight Rayearth from Working Designs in April, the 1st episode of Shining Force, and Burning Rangers is supposedly coming soon, but what about the rest of the great Saturn games? What about Dragon Force II, Grandia, Shining Force III Parts 2-3, Phantasy Star Collection, Sakura Wars series and many others? Unfortunately, with the lack of management on Sega of America's part(perticularly Bernard Stolar), we'll be lucky to see 1 or 2 of these great games. Most would say they want Grandia over the others, but all of these games are worth a translation, and a GOOD one at that.

Lunar Silver Star Story

Lunar Silver Star Story now has been uped to TWO CDs for the Playstation version. Hopefully we can bring you some movies of the American Lunar SSS soon!

 

March 3rd

Square to publish Parasite Eve and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon for the US!

Sources from SCEA have indicated that Sony will be publishing both these titles for the US. Parasite Eve is an RPG modeled in the graphical style of Res. Evil 2. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is Square's addition to the Mysterious Dungeon series originally started by Chun Soft.

Of course the RPG from Square that is most on gamers minds is Xenogears. CMD and PE most likely mark the end of Sony publishing Square titles within the US, Square wants to start self-publishing titles again. So, the door is left open for Square to translate Xenogears themselves. Whether or not Square will do this is still up in the air. The rumor-mill states that Square may only be looking to titles currently in development for release in the US, and nothing that is currently out. Hopefully this decision does not include Xenogears, which has been one of the most sought-after-for-development-titles by third party publishers for the US.

 

Square's answer to Zelda!

Square has announced a new action RPG, modeled in the same vein as the Legend of Zelda series from Nintendo. The game is entitled Brave Fencer aka Brave Fencer Mushaiden. It will feature fully polygonal graphics. The game is expected for release sometime this summer in Japan.

 

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