07.21.03 - 2:16 PM
Baten Kaitos Staff Announced At today's fan event in Tokyo, Monolith Soft introduced fans to the key staffers behind its original GameCube RPG Baten Kaitos. The game will be produced by Namco's Shinji Noguchi and Monolith Soft's Kiyou Nomura. Its directors will be Tri-Crescendo's Hiroya Hatsushiba and Monolith's Yasuyuki Honne. The scenario will be handled by Masato Katou (script writer of the Chrono series), while Motoi Sakuraba (best known for his Star Ocean and Tales series soundtracks) will compose the game's soundtrack. Last but not least, Masataka Kurasawa, who previously worked on Onimusha, will be in charge of the movie sequences. Interestingly enough, Monolith president Hirohide Sugiura mentioned that his company - despite being owned almost entirely by Namco - is interested in developing software for other companies as well. Baten Kaitos will be available in Japan this December, with a US release expected, though not announced. Xenosaga Episode II Details Apart from Baten Kaitos, Monolith Soft's fan event Episode 2003 in Tokyo was obviously focused on Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Boese (Beyond Good and Evil) for PlayStation 2. Monolith president Hirohide Sugiura promised that all the questions raised in Episode I will be answered in the new game - good news for fans hoping for some resolutions. As already seen in various screenshots released over the past seven days, he mentioned the aim of the different character design was to make characters look more realistic. He also promised that problems like the game system and balance of Episode I will be addressed in Episode II. Furthermore, much like Episode I received, it was confirmed that a limited edition premium box of the game will be available. Apparently Monolith is trying to finish the development of Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Boese in Japan by at the end of this year, instead of next year as originally speculated. Media All that new information not enough for you? Well, hang on, since we have a ton of screen shots for both games, plus some more artwork for Xenosaga Episode II, and just for fun, more screens showing off the new features in Xenosaga Episode I Reloaded: While that should be enough to satisfy anyone's hunger for news and media, we'll still bring you the latest on all of Monolith Soft's games as it happens.
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| Chris Winkler |