KOEI signs Phantom Brave, La Pucelle for Europe

KOEI's European arm has been a hot-burrow of busy bunnies this week as the publisher announces that it's signed PS2 titles Phantom Brave and La Pucelle: Tactics from Japanese firm Nippon Ichi for release in early 2005, and plans to release its own PS2 Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends title in the same timeframe.

Having previously published the critically acclaimed Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for Nippon Ichi in Europe, KOEI obviously feels that the Japanese firm's output is worth continuing to bring across - and has targeted well-received titles Phantom Brave and La Pucelle for its follow-up push.

Phantom Brave (screenshots), which our resident RPG nut Rob describes as a "quirky and finely crafted turn-based strategy in which you, as the ghostly guardian of a ditzy bounty hunter, lead an army of phantoms who can possess objects on the battlefield for a limited amount of time", should be out in Europe in February. La Pucelle (screenshots), meanwhile, which Recurring Rob describes as "a game I haven't played", but which is known to be a tactical RPG set in an alternate medieval Europe, will follow sometime in spring.

Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends (screenshots), finally, is due out in February priced at just £24.99. That's because it's not really a full game, but rather a standalone expansion in the same vein as the Dynasty Warriors "Xtreme Legends" titles, introducing four new legendary warriors with unique branching stories and multiple endings, as well as new skills and items, a modified character growth system, balance and AI tweaks, new difficulty levels, and so on.