First English Sakura Wars shots

Nippon Ichi is to bring the popular Sakura Wars franchise out to the West in the form of a Wii edit of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Lovely, previously released on PS2 over in Japan and we have the first screens!

Sakura Wars is a strategy RPG that mixes more traditional strategy-based combat scenes with dating-sim styled character interactions that allow the story to twist and take a different form, with the entire outcome of the game potentially changing as a result of dialogue choices the player will make.

The game is the first in the series to take place in the West, bringing Demons and mech suits to 1928 New York. Yes, it's as crazy as it seems - and it's coming out in the US at last with a fully-translated version of the PS2 original arriving alongside the Wii version.

Check out the first English screens below, and be sure to stick with us for a full preview and review of the final title before it launches in 2010.