In interviews with various Japanese publications, Monolith Soft has shed some more light on its two upcoming titles, Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Boese (Beyond Good and Evil) for PlayStation 2 and Baten Kaitos for GameCube. The battle system of the former will not differ dramatically from Episode I's, however various adjustments like greater speed will be made. Also, the reason why Shion does not wear glasses anymore will be explained in the game. It was also confirmed that players will be able to carry over their save data from Episode I to the new game. This will definitely not be a waste of time and effort, according to the developers. Shion's brother Jin Uzuki will make his debut as a playable character right from Episode II's very beginning. Furthermore, visible characters on the map will be able to perform various motions.

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Boese will be available in Japan at the end of this year.

The CG movie sequence Masataka Kurasawa did for Monolith's second major title Baten Kaitos will be 2 minutes and 20 seconds long. Contrary to the Xenosaga games however, Baten Kaitos' visuals will not be entirely done in real-time 3D, as the development team wants to use as many hardware resources as possible to generate special effects. The title will also feature full voice acting. Unlike Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution, Baten Kaitos' card-centered battle system will be in real-time, rather than turn-based. As each turn will come with a time limit, quick decision-making is key to victory.

Baten Kaitos will be available in Japan sometime in December.

• Quiter
• GameSpot