resurrection of the dark dragon

It looks like someone at THQ was listening. Both Magic Box and Shining Force Central posted some tantalizing news about a new Shining Force game for the GBA entitled Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon. Gamespot has the announcement as well, but according to SFC the screens they attached to it are the same ones as Shining Soul 2. Although boasting that they have the first available screens, it isn't uncommon for Gamespot to include screens of a related game if the "real" ones aren't available. Dark Dragon is supposed to be a remake of the Genesis game released way back in 1992, including some new enhancements like a more detailed battle system, new characters and a "unique card system". Could this be something along the lines of the Laws system in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance?. In any case, the release of a title like this for the GBA would definitely be a dream come true for me.

But before everyone gets too excited, Moogie at SFC notes that THQ may have simply renamed Shining Soul II for its European release, probably to avoid the poor sales met by Shining Soul. Resurrection of the Dark Dragon is set for release in Europe in April, with no North American release in sight. I suppose I'll just have to sit here and pout as details become available.

As if the Phantom wasn't bad enough, Apex Digital and Alienware have partnered to create a PC "console" that was revealed at CES last week. Known as the ApeXtreme DISCover, it will apparently play PC CD-ROM games and DVDs right out of the box. I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, such as how games will be patched or how the graphics will carry over to your standard television. It seems to me there's a growing trend in the marketplace where some people have taken it upon themselves to try and bridge the gap between PCs and consoles as if it's a necessary thing. HardOCP has some more details if you're interested, including a photo; personally I think the thing doesn't have a chance, regardless of the $300 US price point. (Thanks to Evil for the original scoop on this one.)

Just in time for CES, some more rumours have circulated about the Playstation Portable's price point. Evil estimates the conversion to be around $450 US. This is in line with the original estimate of about $550. With its release expected in November, could this thing be destined to fail? I doubt Nintendo has much to worry about, but that doesn't mean they should rest easy. I trust that the next Gameboy will be better, but more importantly realistic.

Gamespot has a great two part interview with Feargus Urquhart, formerly of Black Isle studios and now lead developer at Obsidian Entertainment. He talked about the demise of Black Isle and the screens of Fallout 3 that appeared soon after. He also noted that Interplay seems to be responding to the uproar surrounding the cancellation of the game, and there is a real possibility of development restarting, although he'd much rather see a team dedicated to the full realization of the franchise to complete it. Personally, I'd rather see the game left alone unless it's going to be done right. Obsidian is currently collaborating with Bioware on their first project, which is an as yet unnamed RPG for both PC and consoles. I suggest reading this interview, because aside from the bitterness towards Interplay, it's a great discussion on PC RPGs and the threat of consoles that makes me curious to see where Obsidian will be taking us in their first game.

Update: SFC has confirmed that Dark Dragon is indeed a brand new game for the GBA. More appropriate screens can be seen at Gamekult, which are more of the same set that were posted at Magic Box with their announcement.

So I threw you the obvious