Coming Attractions: RPGs

Final Fantasy I & II

Both of these PSP remakes are out on 8th February. The original games have been "completely remastered" for Sony's handheld, so expect redesigned visuals, an updated camera view and 16:9 aspect ratio. There's also a brand new dungeon called the Labyrinth of Time.

As crumbly old fans of the series will recall, the first FF game sees four brave adventures embarking on a quest to save the world by healing a rift in the structure of time. In the second, four brave adventurers embark on a quest to save the world by defeating an evil emperor. Absolutely no idea what the third game's like.

RPGs and cybersex don't mix: Evidence. Good effort though, bloodninja.

Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII

Following I & II in "spring" will be Crisis Core, also for PSP. It's the prequel to the 1997 PSone hit and follows the adventures of a man called Zak. You'll learn about the secrets behind Shinra and the company's plans to pull in profits at any cost, like when Rupert makes us steam the stamps off envelopes and use teabags twice.

There are two battle systems, one action- and one menu-based. This, as game director Hajime Tabate explained last year, is designed to ensure Crisis Core appeals to both hardcore and casual players.

"We're so confident that the game will be easy to pick up that we haven't included a tutorial level," he said. "We've found that casual players seem to use just one type of move while hardcore players string together complex combinations."

Our previewer certainly liked what he saw of the game's visuals and storyline, describing Crisis Core as "technically brilliant and thematically interesting". He wasn't as convinced by the combat, but best wait for the full review.

Did you know: The best-selling instalment in the FF series is Final Fantasy VII, with 9.8 million copies sold worldwide. It's the second best-selling game on PSone after Gran Turismo. These and many other amazing facts can be found in the Guinness World Records - Gamer's Edition, a superb new book out on 8th February. It really is brilliant and any occurrence of my name or face in it is pure coincidence.

Age of Conan

And now to the first of 2008's most promising MMORPGs. The PC version of Age of Conan just been delayed so Funcom can add polish. It's now out on 20th May, by which time you should be able to see your face in it, with the Xbox 360 game "to follow".

Apparently the game will let you explore a "barbaric, lush, mature and sinful universe" complete with "cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilisations" and "7.1 surround audio". There's a host of locations to explore, from dark dungeons and deep jungles to vast valleys and disused leisure centres. A branching storyline is promised along with PvP and PvE, extensive guild features, player-created cities, loads of customisation options and catapults.

"The story and the quests, they have a much more mature theme than you're probably used to in most MMOs, or other types of game for that matter," associate producer Ole Herbjornsen told us. "The locations and the art direction also lend themselves to a more realistic perspective - more gritty, more sinister."

Or as Rob said: "It may be pumped full of human growth hormone, dripping with testosterone and threatening to descend to Gears of War levels of overt homoeroticism at any moment, but Age of Conan is much more than just a buff body."

Hit and myth: Apparently He-man did not start out life as a movie tie-in toy for Conan, as has been rumoured. This is not interesting but it is a good excuse to indulge in some nostalgia. And for our Spanish viewers: Por el poder de Greyskull!

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Not for the children of The Future hours spent poking tiny paintbrushes at poorly moulded pieces of metal. The Warhammer series is going not only computerised but onlinified with PC MMORPG Age of Reckoning.

The game was delayed last year, and will now be out some time between April and June. Following beta feedback it will feature extra careers, cities and community options. Developer EA Mythic also plans to spend the extra time polishing the game's star attraction - Realm versus Realm combat. It's like PvP, but on a much bigger scale.

Warhammer Online should also be a bit of a laugh, if comments from executive producer Jeff Hickman are anything to go by. "MMOs take themselves too seriously," he reckons. "They try to make a world, instead of a game. They try to cure cancer, instead of causing laughter."

The question is whether Warhammer will be a World of Warcraft beater. Or is it. "Who cares?" wrote John. "Will it offer something significantly different to WOW? From what we've seen and played, yes, absolutely."

Record breaker: Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat was the first ever 3D strategy game according to the Guinness World Records - Gamer's Edition, which coincidentally is out on 8th February and brilliant. They don't have any Guinness in their office, by the way, but they do have the world's smallest chess set.

Aion

Another PC exclusive, this time from NCsoft. It's all about the battle between angels (The Chosen) and demons (The Fallen), plus NPC faction the dragons (The Dragons). You can do flying, is the point.

Rob went all the way to South Korea to see the game last February. According to him, "Far from being simply a gimmick that makes travelling around more interesting for players, the ability to fly is a core part of Aion's gameplay."

You can take part in dogfights as well as battles on the ground, and the game will feature PvPvE - described by NCsoft as "an evolving conflict system that manages the complex relationships and alliances between realms, races and guilds, and also controls The Dragons, who are the common enemy of all players". Righto.

Aion is due out in the third quarter of this year.

Looking good: NCsoft claims Aion is "The most amazingly beautiful and detailed MMORPG ever." Judge for yourself by looking at the screenshots and video over on the gamepage.