Upcoming Xbox 360 RPGs

Continuing the multi-part series of articles to attract viewers to the latest upcoming RPGs, here is a list of some of the titles coming from Microsoft's camp, as well as a short description.

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- Two Worlds -- Utilizing the popular "Star Wars: Knights of Old Republic" combat system, Two Worlds is a game where the player truly decides the outcome of world around them in a style which has yet to be seen in any production, through a variety of meaningful choices. Xbox 360 and PC owners will be able to play with each other online. Various editors will be also attached, with players being able to create their own adventures and even their own expansions to the game itself.

- Operation: Darkness -- Using a big a chunk of the Xbox 360's capable power, Operation Darkness is a Strategy RPG that blends fiction with historical facts. Not much has been revealed since it's debut at last year's Xbox Summit 2005, but it is expected at this year's Tokyo Game Show.

- Lost Odyssey -- Produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of Final Fantasy) and composed by Nobuo Uematsu (famous for his music across most of the franchise), Lost Odyssey tells the tale of a man named Kaim, who has been sentenced to live for 1,000 years, of which the story follows his trip through the many generations that he is a part of, becomes a part of different families, makes and breaks relationships, and gets into fights. Expect a playable version of this game to be at TGS 06.

- Blue Dragon -- Another title featuring the duo of Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, as well as the art of Akira Toriyama (of DBZ fame), and features two of the creators of Chrono Trigger. The main character, Shu, has the ability to transform his shadow into a blue dragon, who, along with his friends that can also use different shadow creatures, embarks on a quest to save the world. Microsoft is hoping this is the title that helps them become successful in Japan.

- Far East of Eden Ziria -- A traditionally Japanese role-playing game, FEEZ takes place on the island of Tsukusu, and the story centers around a developing relationship between the amnesiac main character Namida and mysterious heroine Ichiyo. Elements of Japanese folklore help to deepen the storyline.

- Bioshock -- A highly anticipated Action/RPG hybrid that's a spiritual successor to the classic System Shock 2. You can check out our preview article here.

- Elveon -- Utilizing the brand new Unreal Engine 3.0, Elveon is based around the rise of the Elvish civilization (the title literally means "The book of Elves"). The gods have left the to-be paradise of Naon in a rush. The Neamas, the elves of the ancient times and fellows of the gods have remained there all alone. A smouldering conflict is gaining more and more importance and a new era starts which is marked by envy, malevolence and relentless wars that prevent the gods� descendants from entering upon their inheritance.

- Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom -- A sequel to the Xbox franchise of the same name, "KUF: Circle of Doom" hopes to stand apart from its predecessors by offering an open-ended game with a focus ultra-realistic detail and streamlined RPG elements (as well as using the Xbox 360's ability to allow a huge amount of troops onscreen at once), all wrapped up in what the developers hope to be a very approachable and fun game for everybody. The game also features an four-player online multiplayer mode.

- Mass Effect -- From the creators of the instant-classic "Knights of the Old Republic" and "Jade Empire" BioWare, comes another highly-anticipated game with a story that revolves around an ancient alien prophecy stating that, every fifty thousand years, machines come to the galaxy to harvest all organic life, and the time of their return is approaching. "Mass Effect" is a planned trilogy, and hopes to revolutionize cinematic gaming as we know it, with a brand-new fluid conversation system and huge worlds to explore.

- Phantasy Star Universe -- Another Phantasy Star Online title that will feature both a multiplayer online mode and a single-player offline mode, this time around, PSU will also feature the ability to dual-weild weapons (a weapon in each hand), have a brand new combat lock-on system similar to that of the famous Zelda series, a 40-hour+ offline story (although your customizable character can only be used online, so that means you can't level up your character offline and throw him into the online world), as well as player-controlled vehicles that can be customized in some way. PSU is expected to be released by the end of next month across all platforms.

- The Lord of the Rings: The White Council -- Based on the LOTR books and another staple in the franchise, "White Council" takes Tolkien's world and wraps it around an Oblivion-esque environment, players will be able to choose between a Man, a Hobbit, a Dwarf, or an Elf as their character. This was taken from White Council's website from the game's executive producer, Steve Gray:

"The action takes place in a massive open world where you can go anywhere you want, and the characters in this world are powered by an incredible simulation AI based on the same technology used by the makers of The Sims 2. The story of the game is built around a series of Story Quests. You can choose to follow specific Story Quests, embark on a range of other types of quests, or set off on your own adventures in the massive open world environment."

Little has been revealed for the title aside from some art pieces and a small video fan teaser.

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It's obvious that Microsoft has made a big roundabout from where they were 5 years ago, to a company that cares about all of the genres rather than the restrictive Mature, action-oriented audience. Expect some previews to be coming through the floodgates at RPGSite as these titles near their scheduled release dates.