So, what's up with this game? It hasn't been released in Japan yet, has it? The release date there was Jan 12th, and supposedly the US date is August 29th but I;m getting the impression that this has been pushed back. Has anyone heard anything?

Also, what's up with the name change. When we first heard of this game it was called [eM:eNCHANT arM]. Did they americanize it or something? Regardless, I'm really excited for this game. It will be the first TRUE rpg on either of the xbox consoles. Others games call themselves rpgs like KOTOR, Elder Scrolls and Fable, but in reality they are action adventure games just like zelda. The term role playing game originally came from shit like D&D and GURPS, so by old school terms an rpg MUST be turn based. Nowadays devs like to call anything with a fantasy theme an rpg. Enchant Arms will be a real-deal, turn based, get your japanese panties in a bunch, no bullshit RPG... and I say it's about time. Graphics are stellar too.

All in game...

It's been out since the beginning of the year in Japan. You can get if for 30 bucks from play-asia if you have a jap 360.

Damn, really? Sounds as if it made it's release date. And that means there's a good chance it'll make the US release in august. Thanks for the good news.

Does anyone know if there are any reviews of it in english?

KOTOR IS turn-based. They just automatically roll for initiative for you and use weapon speeds from skills and powers.

It's based on the Star Wars D20 rpg.

everyones an expert...

KOTOR first game was the best one. I wasnt to keen on the KOTOR II.

KOTOR is NOT turn based. It is what is called a "probability system". It involves turns, but is not a turn based system because of the fact that you can control when those turns occur. A true turn based RPG plays out like a game of chess, actively changing your tactics based on your enemies moves. But in KOTOR, moves are stacked and the game plays out more like dice. Everyone throws down and you cross your fingers and hope for the best.

i love turn based and im really looking forward to enchanted arms.

i thought the battle system in KOTOR was rubbish, i just couldnt get into it at all.

final fantasy, suikoden etc get my vote.

so does this mean that grandia isnt a "true" RPG? i loved that series and it was from japan. KOTOR, fable, elders scrolls ARE RPGs but there are different types now. just because something is not turn based does not mean its not an RPG.

I understand what you mean but maybe you should say "japanese RPGs" instead of true RPGs. some look at oblivion as the first "true" RPG as you are playing a living ROLE of a character without the distractions and detours that take you out of the story and the character itself.

its all a matter of opinion is all, i enjoy all types of RPGs and i am very excited to how many are headed to the 360 (mistwalker games are top of the RPG list).

as far as reviews, i dont know about american reviews but i do know it faired well in famitsu. im rather excited about this game as well, and yes the name has been americanized so that it is understood easier.

im curious to how they handled the gay character in the game, i wouldnt be surprised if they changed him a bit.

that's because KOTOR II wasn't made by Bioware

The name of this game has always been Enchanted Arms the english title was modified slightly to make more sense to a Japanese audience. If you watch the trailer on the XBLM it makes more sense.

I think the game looks really good, my GF who is a rabid RPG fan is really excited for it. 1up.com got an early copy of the Japanese version and did nothing but complain about how bad they thought it looked They compared it to Grandia III on the PS2 and said THAT looked better. They even did side by side comparisons. I mean Grandia III is a good game don't get me wrong but graphics wise it looks like total trash compared to Enchanted Arms.

sudeki style gameplay please.

We can do without another one of those. Sudeki was good for what it was. The most overly simple action adventure game I have played in a long time. And how bout that 5 second silhouette ending? I would have really liked the game if it had a better fighting system, characters that were likeable, the weapon upgrading system was actually worthwhile, and it wasn't so damn short. I guess I would have liked the game if it was totally different and didn't feel like a chore to play towards the end. It was one of the most overhyped games I played on Xbox.

I guess the phrase "true RPG" is a bit opinionated. Perhaps "classic RPG" would be a better way to describe what I'm talking about. I've never played Grandia, so I can't comment, but just because a game isn't a classic rpg in my eyes doesn't mean that I think it sucks. I'm just trying to convey how I feel about RPG gaming on the xbox consoles. Everyone says "Sure, we've got a few good RPGs", and while I'll agree that we have a few good fantasy games, not a single title on either console has satisfied my RPG craving, because I am looking for a classic japanese turn-based RPG. That's all I meant.

I'm pretty excited for eM as well. Looks to be what we've been missing, the story sounds decent, the cinematics look great and I hear that character development is pretty good as well. I'm suprised that some people complain about the graphics. While I don't see any crazy bump or specular mapping, the textures, colors and detail look phenomenal.

Gay character?

there is a trailer on XBLM??!

i also saw a weekly show video from 1up where they compared eM to grandia 3, they showed a clip from eM showing the city most of us have seen in pics/vids (colorful city with carnival and balloons) just to cut to a clip of grandia 3 showing ugly brown dirt ground and A rock. i was looking at this and thinking WTF are these people smoking, at least make an effort to do a good comparison.



like i said, i understood what you meant, but times have changed and there are many different versions of RPGs now and im not including games that just "include RPG elements". I agree that while nothing really crazy is being done graphically (i do see some bump mapping) it is a very solid and clean looking game.

and yes, of the 3 main characters shown (guy in blue with black hair, blonde guy in colorful outfit, and main character) the blonde guy was reported to be gay by 1up in the same video that i was describing to twisted. maybe they were just expressing their opinion of him but i swear i remember them mentioning of how he is there for the "comic relief" and then mentioning the game not hiding his....ummmm.....preference

wait wait wait, let me get this straight.

Are you telling me that RPG stands for Roll Play Game and not Role Play Game?

so you'd like to say final fantasy 10 isn't an rpg? its not "turn based" so to speak as turns don't alternate. your characters stats effect the turns and its possible to get 7 or 8 turns before your oppenent moves if the stats work out that way. same holds true for the Suikoden series. like others mentioned, KOTOR is an RPG without doubt, if you can't see that then you need to recondsider your definition of an RPG.

yeah it was one of the E3 videos... There's been a Japanese one available in that marketplace for quite some time now but the game makes a lot more sense in english.

Never played the Suikoden series, but FFX and all the other recent FF's still use a turn based system. Your stipulation seems to be that the turn has to be "I go, game goes, I go, game goes". In FF, you have a speed stat which determines how fast your turn bar fills up, and when it's filled... it's your turn. Still 100% turn based. The important part is that the stategy concept of the old turn based games is still there, and the battle still plays out as chess.

KOTOR is NOT turn based, it is probability based, like a game of dice and for me that just doesn't cut it. I never said it wasn't a good game nor did I dismiss the fact that it's a fantasy game in which the role of a character is played... but simply fulfilling those requirements doesn't constitute an RPG in my eyes. Perhaps it does for you, and that's fine... but it does not mean I need to reconsider my definition of an RPG. I'm not going to change my opinion simply because you don't like it.

get a copy of suikoden 1 + 2, IMO those two are MUCH better then any of the ps2 suikoden games to come out. they are some of the best rpg's i've ever seen.

and your argument about ffX being turn based doesn't hold true, i have heard a name for it and its an evolved turn based. the turn ratio is NOT 1:1, your speed vs opponent speed can cause the turn ratio to be 5:1 or better, its effects more then turn order. (actually, ff7 was the same way now that i think about it) the older pre ff7 final fantasy games where true turn based where the speed effected the order, but it kept the 1:1 turn ratio your talking about.

Just to add real quick.

Both FF games and the KOTOR series is turn based combat. The difference is that KOTOR is real time, and FF goes to the battle map and lines up the players vs. the enemies.

KOTOR's damage is dice rolled, however FF has a hit percentage system to determine damage, and they work out similarly (sp?)

So argue and debate all you want, but both series of games have some basic commonalities that make them both RPG's. Anyone who says otherwise is just being obtuse.

Go get the Korean version of it... it has Japanese voice overs but English text/menus