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Shop Watch February

By Russ | January 30, 2009 at 9:52 pm

It’s like the DS is huge.

Gauntlet for the DS, shipping Feb. 1. Eidos expects this game to ship this date. I expect it to be fun. Both are probably going to be great expectations.

My World, My Way for the DS, shipping Feb. 3. The power of selfishness compels you in another of Atlus’ additions to their ever-growing arsenal of strange RPGs.

Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the PS3 and 360, shipping Feb. 10. Sega brings together a ton of games – including Beyond Oasis, Phantasy Star II, III, and IV and some of the Shining series – to make this the best collection of Sega games until the next one comes out.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the DS, shipping Feb. 16. The second remake of the first Fire Emblem game comes stateside courtesy of Nintendo.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for the DS, shipping Feb. 17. Square-Enix attempts to keep up the Dragon Quest momentum until the release of Dragon Quest IX.

Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? for the PSP, shipping Feb. 17, supposedly. Not an RPG at all; merely just good. It’s not often an RPG character gets a decent non-rpg game. NISA gets vague about the release date just like they would an RPG, though.

Blue Dragon Plus for the DS, shipping Feb. 24. Ignition enters the DS RPG foray with the sequel to Mistwalker’s 360 rendition of Final Fantasy V. No longer a typical RPG, Blue Dragon Plus takes the shadowy path of the strategy genre.

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II, shipping Feb. 24. Atlus puts together another special package in the vein of Luminous Arc 2, complete with CD soundtrack. This time though, the soundtrack and game rock.

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, expected to ship Feb. 24. Space is the final puzzle frontier in D3 Publisher’s second soon-to-be sleeper hit.

Star Ocean: Last Hope, shipping Feb. 24. Square-Enix caps off the month by pushing up their initial March release. Try not to remember it’s all just a game and enjoy the initial exploration attempts of mankind via Edge Maverick. Will Star Ocean break Square-Enix’s current-gen streak of retail mediocrity?

Some Advice: I hope you like gaming on the go or on the can, because that’s where February and March are going to be. The whole year may follow the handheld route with occasional console titles thrown in for good measure. Nothing here screams early adoption outside of Ys and the Prinny game, and even those will warm shelves for a little bit. Blue Dragon Plus will see small quantities initially and bargain bins eventually – Galactrix, despite the previous game’s following, will follow suit. The rest of the titles will eventually settle comfortably at the $20 – $30 mark in a few months, with Star Ocean hitting $40 like its 360 brethren.

The Future: Atlus refuses to let the RPG genre on the PS2 die at NISA’s hands and announced Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon for May 12, 2009. They’ve stated very limited quantities in their press release and essentially a pre-order only mentality for the title. Muramasa: The Demon Blade will be hitting the Wii mid-July. White Knight Story is still oddly absent from the PS3’s RPG lineup, which contains no platform specific RPG titles so far for the year.

I guess all of the above means if you hate handhelds and Star Ocean, OneChanBara: Bikini Zombie Slayers is the clear winner for February.

All games (with the exception of those marked as street-dated) will be in stores one day after their release. Release dates also tend to be shipping dates. All release dates are subject to change.

Topics: Dragon Quest V, Fire Emblem DS, Legacy of Ys Book I & II, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, My World My Way, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs K, Shop Watch, Star Ocean 4