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It would seem that Cryptic Studios and Marvel Comics have crossed sort of tension they had between them after the whole City of Heroes copyright infringement lawsuits. A strange twist indeed after you consider the speculations of people that the only reason Marvel was doing such a thing was to make City of Heroes look bad, before they launched their very own MMORPG.

It seems fairly evident that the game is still more of an idea than that of something definitive, it has been tentatively titled "Marvel Universe Online" and they hope the game will achieve more than the City of Heroes games could. The main focus of CoH being that the game is fun to play, the companies seem to be contemplating some sort of economy reminiscent to that of World of Warcraf for MUOt.

Slated for launch on the Xbox 360 and PC only, one has to wonder though, how different will this game be from the Heroes universe? Since the game IS going to be set in the Marvel universe, there will be more boundaries to their creativity, but at the same time there will be far more ideas to access from. But I suppose that means no generic, mindless Spider-man and Wolverine clones everywhere, since its likely the two will be NPCs. Or will that still have absolutely no bearing on anything at all? Nothing is set in stone at this point I believe, but personally I hope that if the game does go through, you can choose from the very start whether you want to be good or evil, or even better yet you have to somehow earn the title of good evil. Something along the lines of everyone starts off neutral, and then different reactions to events can help dictate your characters alignment.

Basically what i'm saying is something to the extent of, little old lady is in the street, semi truck is fast enclosing on her, if you don't do something she'll be hit. Push her down ++++++ evil, ignore +evil, help her +good.

Source: 1up

Through chat and the process of shoddily translating moonspeak, we've discovered some things about the game, and the rest we can leave ourselves to speculate about.

New confirmed espers: Gilgamesh and Leviathan.

Extra dungeon: Supposedly you'll navigate it with a three party setup similar to Kefka's tower.

Bestiary and Music player: Confirmed, but who didn't see that coming?

Enchanced Graphics: Confirmed, but again, who didn't see that coming.

Now this is just speculation, but, we think they've also indicated there will be a new element, but there's no actual statement of what it is. It's probable that the element is Water, to go with Leviathan, and it seems likely to me that Bismark will gain Water, Maduin will gain Water 2 or Watera, and Leviathan with teach Water, Water 2, and Water 3. As for Gilgamesh, I really can't even guess. There also seem to be indications of a Monster or Boss Rush mode.

So let's make like schoolgirls and gush and gush and gush about our favorite game.

Source: Jap Site

Lately Namco has been digging far into its latest Tales game, the very first handheld edition (of a nonspinoff) slated for a Nintendo DS launch, and has successfully managed to uncover some new "dirt" - details, that is. Granted there have been only two or three relevant blurbs in regards to new information since Namco's original announcement of the title back in December, but with its October 26th launch date inching toward Japan ever closer, and in a hurry, any news is good news.

The formerly divulged story of Tales of the Tempest begins with fifteen-year-old Caius and his childhood pal Rudia (previously known as "Lupia") setting out together on a perilous quest to locate Caius' biological parents after narrowly escaping a murderous attack on their hometown. The culprit, a monster with the unfortunate name of Spot, ravages the village of Alleula one day while in seach of a mysterious crystal. When the startling truth involving Caius' adoptive father - a respected man who's discovered to be a highly-feared werewolf - gets thrown into the mix, a chain of disasterous events unfolds.

Just like in past entries to Namco's flagship RPG, the battles in Tempest will be based upon a real-time system that relies on quick, action-packed single and unlockable combo attacks executed via a number of unique button combinations. Although the game's combat aspects are said to be greatly influenced by those of the GameCube's Tales of Symphonia, the enemy encounters in Tempest, like in the former Tales sagas, will remain entirely random.

No word has been given on whether or not Tempest will utilize the DS's Wi-Fi Connection for Internet play, but Namco has reported that the system's Wireless Play mode will present multiplayer missions for either two or up to four players to take on. In this mode, each player will gain experience, items and money as they level up, battle and destroy the many vicious creatures lying in wait. Money and items collected therein will then be graciously carried over to the main game.

For the time being, there continues to be no word on a domestic Tales of the Tempest release for North America or Europe.

Opening and gameplay screens demonstrating Wireless Play mode

Tales of the Tempest official Japanese site

The title pretty much explains it. Square-Enix announced a December 21st, 2006 release date for Seiken Densetsu 4: Dawn of Mana for the PS2 at the recent Tokyo Game Show. Dawn of Mana and its recent DS companion Children of Mana mark the first new entries to this legendary series since Legend of Mana for the PS1, released in 2000 (this is not counting Sword of Mana, which is a recent a remake of the first game in the series).

Of course, we don't know when Dawn of Mana will see an NTSC or European release. Final Fantasy XII is being released in the US seven months after its Japanese counterpart, but it took Square-Enix close to a year to release the English version Dragon Quest VIII after its Japanese predecessor. We can only wait and pray.

Source: RPGFan

It's true. According to CNN, Sony reduced the MSRP of the 20-gig PS3 (that's the lower-quality version) by 12,200 yen, or around $105. Sony is going to allow retailers to price the 60-gig version of the system themselves, using the MSRP of the 20-gig version as sort of a starting point.

However, as far as we know, this price drop applies only to Japan, whose original price of the 20-gig PS3 was approximately $515 (now it's closer to $410). There is no word on any price drops anywhere else in the world as of yet, however, and we can only hope that Sony will also make a similar announcement applying to the North American and European releases of the PS3.

By way of our lovely Scotsman, Del S (and not by way of his less lovely brother), enjoy a new collection of fanfics!

Today, we have a fanfiction update. And it's a rather large update when you look at it really... Ten fics from six people in three sections.

In Final Fantasy V, comes MogMaster's first of two offerings, "Battle on The Big Bridge." Following Galuf as he clashes with Gilgamesh, MG captures the personalities of both characters rather well: Gilgamesh is a complete moron.

In Final Fantasy VI, comes the vast majority of the update: Another from MogMaster, this time the grainy piece "The Roses of Death," following Siegfried and expanding his backstory as he fights through endless battles, on the field and in the mind. And if a serious and gritty long fic such as that isn't enough for you, Sherick's 23-part, 45000-word epic "Afterstorm: A Story of Honor," is the next offering. Set some time after the end of the game, the party reunites in the face of a new threat to the stability of the world. Both fics contain some violence, so be well warned if you're eating.

If, perhaps, all that might be a wee bit too hard hitting, there are two fairly light hearted and entertaining pieces from Bezdomny. The first, "Leisure," sees the party have some fun and games before getting on with saving the world. The second, "Words of Wisdom from Married Men," explores what it truly means to make one of the greatest commitments of all through the thoughts of the cast.

For a little look back into the in-game past comes L. Cully's latest offering. Of the usual high standard, "The Good Neighbours" follows a girl who should be familiar by the end as her life goes through continuing changes.

Next in the FF6 section comes onelowerlight's story, "The Final Battle," an intresting story capturing Kefka in all his arrogance and the party in all their courage. And last, but not least, comes Lothar Goldfist's first offering, "Reflections," a fic that explores ground dozens have dared to tread, but from which few find true success, and is in no way reliant upon that, providing an extremly stable and well written plot.

In Final Fantasy VII, comes a first for CoN: A crossover. Lothar Goldfist gives us another fic that knows where the landmines are, stepping around the booby traps of not explaining how it happens very well, or relying solely upon the crossover to move the plot forth, this fic uses the crossover as a foundation rather than an entire package to create an excellent piece of fiction.

And finally, an action packed fic, "A Warrior's Redemption" by Artlies. Following a legendary soldier of the Shinra army as he is given a questionable order too far, he refuses to follow the command, and makes his way home, leaving a trail of blood and carnage in his wake.

Read them, enjoy them, and comment here (or in the original threads!). And if you feel inspired, why not write and submit your own fanfiction work at the site submissions section of the forums?