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The world certainly is full of oddities. Gackt, a very popular singer in Japan, recently reached an agreement with Square-Enix concerning the game Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. More specifically, the deal entails the following:

• Gackt will provide music for the game, including two songs entitled 'Redemption' and 'Longing'.
• He'll be reserved a place in the game itself as an "important character". Instead of using a CG likeness, Gackt will be filmed by a camera and then entered among the computer generated scenes.
• Gackt will receive a custom clothing design by illustrator Tetsuya Nomura, and he'll be able to wear the same outfit on his next concert tour.

This won't be the first time Gackt has had a major part in a video game title; he starred in the main role in the beat-em-up Bujingai: The Forsaken City last year and has served as the physical inspiration behind a number of other characters. It's currently unknown just what significance Gackt's presence will have in the game, especially with Dirge of Cerberus only three months away from its January 26th launch date.

Source: Games Are Fun

The latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine shined a bit of light on some more details surrounding Konami's newest PlayStation 2 addition to their beloved RPG series, Suikoden V.

To kick things off, the traditional six member parties will make a triumphant return, having been downsized to four in Suikoden IV. The battle formations, although a little more free in structure than in previous titles, will also make a comeback. Among the different formations possible is a six-character arc and a setup of three rows consisting of one, two, and three party members.

As fans of the series are aware, Konami has always made a point to include characters from past Suikoden titles within the worlds of newer games. Following suit, it's been confirmed that Georg Prime (Suikoden II) will make an appearance in Suikoden V, leading to the conclusion that the game takes place within a timeframe similar to that of the first three installments.

Confirmations regarding new characters have popped up left and right as well. There's the Knight Captain Felid, who's married to the queen, Alshtat. Limsleia is his daughter; she's also the sister of the hero. Party members mentioned are Miakis, Galeon, Kyle, and Fuwala-fuwalu, yet no details on the latter four beyond their names have been provided. A highly gifted mage named Zerase will additionally become part of the entourage through the 108 Stars of Destiny, and the group's strategist, a woman known as Lucredia, will be assisted by Shius, a soldier, and Lelei, Shius' partner.

Japan is expected to receive Suikoden V in stores on February 23, 2006. Konami has announced a North American release for the game, but no date has been revealed.

Source: RPGamer

Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of Marvelous Interactive's popular Harvest Moon series, prompting a celebratory announcement of three new installments.

First off, Shintarou Mashima, president of Arte Piazza and the development team behind Innocent Life - Shin Bokujou Monogatari for the PSP, stated that the game will feature concepts of both "big adventure" and "slow life of the future". In addition to the flagship series' normal role-playing and farming and life simulations, the controlled character will have to solve a number of riddles relating to a legend spoken within the town. Innocent Life is looking at a Spring, 2006 release date in Japan.

Meanwhile, Rune Factory - Shin Bokujou Monogatari, slated for release on the Nintendo DS, will attempt to steer the series in a slightly different direction: In previous Harvest Moon titles, players were able to tend to crops and livestock on farmland devoid of any notable dangers, save the occasional rainstorm or hurricane. Rune Factory, however, will add monsters into the mix, allowing players to either capture them or fight them off in an RPG battle fashion. The game will be available in Japan sometime next year.

Finally, Bokujou Monogatari Online (Harvest Moon Online) has yet to receive a concrete announcement regarding the platform for its release, although Marvelous Interactive has said that a PC version is possible. No launch date has currently been set.

Source: RPGFan

By now most gamers in the US are familiar with the recent bill passed in California intended to further restrict the sales of graphically violent video games to minors. This has seemingly acted as a cue for other states to follow its lead, beginning with Florida senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who introduced a similar bill this week.

Diaz de la Portilla's bill, more specifically, is nearly identical to the bill approved by California governer Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both provide corresponding examples of what constitutes a violent video game, and the limit on fines for breaking this law as well as the required 2-inch-by-2-inch label reading "18" on the covers of adult-themed games are virtually the same. Apparently the only difference between the two bills is that, under Diaz de la Portilla's legislation, anyone under the age of 18 will be forbidden to access violent games within arcades in addition to stores.

Video game legislation is becoming quite a hot topic among state leaders. Tighter laws regarding violent games have garnered heavy support on both sides of the political spectrum in recent years, and further debates aren't expected to cause a division along party lines.

Source: GameSpot

Famitsu magazine recently revealed new details concerning the two latest Mana games: Seiken Densetsu 4 and Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana.

The former, according to producer Koichi Ishii, will feature the Havok physics engine used in many recent games including Half-Life 2 and Max Payne 2. The engine will allow for innovative interaction with surrounding environments and objects, giving the feel of a much more realistic world, Ishii hopes. Titles on both the PlayStation 2 and XBox gaming systems have experienced the depth of the Havok engine in the past, as has the PC, but the console on which Seiken Densetsu 4 will be launched has yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, several story, battle and character details from the upcoming Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana have been announced in spades.

The game begins on an island located at the very center of the world, known as Illuja Island, where the familiar Mana Tree has stood since the beginning of time. But an unspecified disaster strikes, killing many residents of Illuja. Three young survivors manage to gather at the base of the Mana Tree, and their adventure begins.

The heroes of the game consist of the following:

• Frick: A young man who, many years prior to the disaster, was rescued by a wandering swordsman who inspired him to learn swordsmanship for himself. Frick's attitude is quite upbeat and cheerful, but his whole family is killed in the disaster on the island.
  
• Tumble: A former dancer and acrobat for a traveling circus, Tumble is very mature for her age, enough to cause others to believe she's much older than she actually is. Both her parents and her brother are killed in the island's disaster.
  
• Pop: A fearless and laid back individual, Pop often speaks and acts before he thinks. Although this leads others to think he's immature, he despises being treated like anything other than an adult. Pop's father dies in the disaster, but his mother passed away years before when giving birth.

The game will once again feature many of the battle traits present in the previous titles. Among the weapons included in Children of Mana, the sword, bow, and flail have been confirmed. The former two will function as normal while the flail will have the added advantage of longer range attacks than the sword and the ability to grapple far off enemies and objects. The length of the main quest itself is estimated to be around 25-30 hours.

Development is currently 60% complete and is scheduled to be finished just in time for its Japanese release sometime this winter. No word yet on a North American release date, but the title Children of Mana has been trademarked by Square-Enix in the US.

(Thanks go out to href="http://www.cavesofnarshe.com/forums/ipb/index.php?showuser=529">laszlow for the links)

Source: RPGamer
Children of Mana Details

Following an agreement made with Wayport, a wireless Internet provider, Nintendo announced yesterday their plan for allowing easy and free access to wireless online play on their DS handheld: 6,000 McDonald's restuarants across the US will soon become Wi-Fi Connection hosts, permitting gamers to play Internet-enabled DS games against people all around the Net while in the comfortable vicinity of fast food.

Yes, you read that correctly.

As stated by Nintendo, players need only start up an online compatible DS game at one of the participating McDonald's to play, sans any fees or extra hardware - it's guaranteed to be simple and cost-free. The timing of this announcement comes as little surprise given the upcoming releases of the first two online games for the Nintendo DS, Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, both due to ship to North American stores on November 14th. Other future titles, including Metroid Prime Hunters and Animal Crossing: Wild World will also make ample use of Wi-Fi Connection.

McDonald's is only the most recent corporation to catch the DS fever. Other businesses, such as Starbucks and a growing league of game shops, will also participate in hosting wireless Internet for public gaming.

Source: GameSpot