A Japanese store listing for the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 RPG, FolksSoul, showcases some of the game's myriad of features: 720p visuals, 7.1 Dolby Digital Sound and PSP connectivity. Wait, what was that last bit again? Connectivity between PSP and PS3 has always been hinted at before, but we haven't seen an actual game utilize it in a meaningful way. (The PSP also had connectivity features with certain PlayStation 2 games, but the feature was used quite sparingly.)
How will the upcoming PS3 game, FolksSoul, connect with PSP? It's unclear right now. However, if one looks back at the history of this intriguing RPG, one can see that it was originally titled Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms. Does that name ring a bell? It should. The first Monster Kingdom was a PSP-exclusive RPG. As revealed in our interview with Atlus, Monster Kingdom was always meant to become a larger franchise. Could this cult RPG be part of the connection we're looking for?
See also: New Folks Souls images for your enjoymulation
Note: You may be interested in reading our extensive hands-on preview.
The PSP has no shortage of RPGs in its library. Yet, why have none found true success on the platform? The role playing games that have been arriving on Sony's portable have tended to be formulaic, generic, and littered with technical flaws (such as painful load times). However, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner is a great step in the right direction. While it may not provide truly original gameplay, or characters, it's executed in fine technical form, making it easily the best RPG on the system so far. While it certainly has its share of flaws, anyone longing for an accessible, addictive, and well-crafted RPG will want to seriously consider Jewel Summoner.
Sammy Matsushima, Project Lead from Atlus USA, and Clayton Chan from Atlus, both took some time to talk about the upcoming PSP-exclusive RPG, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner, which comes out next week. Don't forget to check out our previous coverage of the game, including an early hands-on preview.
PSP Fanboy: Monster Kingdom took more than a year to bring stateside. Why did Sony skip publishing the game for the US market? What has Atlus done that Sony may have been unable to? Sammy Matsushima: Without going into too much detail, when the title was released in Japan, we contacted SCEI about the rights for a US release. The game was created by GAIA, which is headed by Mr. Cozy Okada, a former lead game designer at Atlus Co. Ltd., so we thought it would be natural for us at Atlus U.S.A. to bring the game over. The reason it took us some time to bring it over is due to development schedules and that we took a lot of care in doing the localization right.
Every Saturday night PSP Fanboy gives your PSP a fresh coat of paint. Well digital paint that is, in the form of background images. This is a good week for RPG fans, we have two RPG backgrounds and a popular anime background.
Did you read my hands-on of Atlus' upcoming PSP-exclusive RPG, Monster kingdom: Jewel Summoner? The game has some serious talent behind it, especially in the music department. The RPG features works from celebrated composers, listed below:
Shinji Hosoe (Ridge Racer series)
Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII)
Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenosaga)
Kenji Ito (Sword of Mana)
Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter II)
Masaharu Iwata (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Tsukasa Masuko (Shin Megami Tensei series)
Yasuyuki Suzuki (Doshin the Giant)
Ayako Saso (Phantom Kingdom)
Takahiro Ogata (Shin Megami Tensei NINE)
The soundtrack to the game features 44 tracks from these famous composers, and samples can be heard on Atlus' newly opened official website for the game. The game hits stores on February 13th. Expect a full review closer to that date.
I wrote up an exclusive hands-on with Atlus' upcoming RPG, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner. This video, provided by GameTrailers.com, gives you a better look at the first few hours of gameplay that I went through. Once again: notice the complete lack of load times.
The kind folks at Atlus sent us a review copy of their upcoming RPG, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner. I have to admit that the first few hours of gameplay have me genuinely impressed, and I can't wait to play even more.
Monster Kingdom comes from the developer behind the cult-favorite RPG Shin Megami Tensei. While the game shares some gameplay mechanics with this hardcore RPG, don't expect to see the dark themes that were present in the SMT series: so far, no one has been crucified. Because of the game's somewhat cheery, and generic anime storyline, Monster Kingdom feels more like Pokemon than SMT. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Elaborate costumes? Check! Magic seals? Check! Monster battling and androgynous men? Check! Well, according to my checklist Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner is indeed a Japanese RPG. While it sounds similar in title, this game has nothing to do with Capcom's Monster Hunter series. According to RPGamer the game features monster breeding, wi-fi battles and trading, over five hours of voice acting and a soundtrack featuring ten loved RPG composers. The game comes from Cozy Okada of Shin Megami Tensei fame.
For the curious, Gamespot has new screens of this Atlus RPG. If after seeing those screens you're anxious to play it as soon as possible, have no fear. You can get grabbed by the jewlies soon since Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner hits store shelves this February.
I'm not too sure how import friendly any of these games are, and quite frankly, there are a few of them on the list I'm not familiar with at all. However, with the incredibly cheap prices of King's Field and Myst, it looks like I may have to pull the trigger.
Click here for the full page of recenly discounted games across all platforms.
Every Saturday night PSP Fanboy gives your PSP a fresh coat of paint. Well digital paint that is, in the form of 
