Originally, Saiyuuki (alternatively spelled Saiyuki), or Xi You Ji in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese tale, better known by its translated title, The Jouney to the West. It has had many adaptations in game and anime/manga forms in the past, one of the most famous being... Dragon Ball! The story revolves around the pilgrimage of Sanzouhoushi (aka Xuang Zang or Tripitaka), a buddhist monk sent by the Emperor to collect sacred scriptures in India. He will meet on his journey various tales characters like the monkey king Son Gokuu (Sun Wu Kong) or Chohakkai. Koei's RPG version of Saiyuki is a simulation RPG with isometric view 3D fields, à la FFTactics. The characters are of course similar to the tale's, with the exception that Sanzouhoushi can be male or female depending on your choice at the beginning of the game. The spells are relying on the (Chinese) traditional five elements: Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. Also, the game's beautiful character designs are from Akihiro Yamada who designed the characters of Enix's Mystic Ark.

Since the title is already a year and a half old, the only reason why Koei would show it off at E3 is an upcoming North American localization of the game, which will probably be announced during E3. Till then, see for yourself what the game looks like by checking out some screen shots and the Japanese packaging!

Source:
• IGN PS2