Xbox owners have a lot going for them; their system has faster loading times, cleaner graphics, custom soundtracks, plus the arm muscles that develop trying to re-locate the monstrosity. Unfortunately RPG fans have had to move to the friendly climes of the PS2 for their sword swinging joys. KOTOR not withstanding, almost no quality fantasy games have graced the Mean Green Machine. Three games from three very different producers seek to change that in 2004.

Probably the most anticipated game is, of course, Sneakers 2, currently in development by Satan himself. Regrettably the Father of All Lies refused to issue any press statements at this time due to scheduling conflicts with his position as Chairman of Fund raising for the Republican Party, so we’ll have to content ourselves with a few lesser games.

If there is anything gaming legend Peter Molyneux is famous for, it is his vision and the ultimate lack of follow through of his grand ideas. Ask anybody who’s played Black & White and they will tell you in one unanimous voice, “It was a game.” There is just something about games that allow you to raise your own ape deity that splits the gaming community down the middle; it seems that Mr. Molyneux inspires intense emotion from fans and critics alike. Love him or hate him you must respect the idea of his much anticipated (and delayed) RPG, Fable. A game three years in development, Fable seeks to be the last RPG you’ll ever need. Other games give you a character with a pre-set moral code and that affects the way you interact with the world. Nice, but not very satisfying for the ego. Fable, on the other hand, begins your character as a child who is affected by the world around him and the choices you make. For example: young Billy goes out to play in the meadow on a sunshiny day when, all of the sudden, a giant monster begins to attack his town.

Do you:

Coming fresh off their hit game, “Nobody’s Heard of Us” Climax, a UK based game company, has created a very loud buzz for their role-playing entry, Sudeki. With graphics slightly reminiscent of Phantasy Star, Sudeki is an unconventional RPG with deep roots in very familiar territory. It’s game play looks to be a mix of Final Fantasy, Zelda and Star Ocean, which if properly balanced could be a very good thing. The Final Fantasy series strong point has always been an engaging storyline with fantastical elements, and Sudeki developers seem to understand this fact. With four characters including a female mage, a young gunslinger, heroic knight and Gothic huntress there is plenty of room for (generic) growth. Really though, very little is known about the story, but as soon as I find out I'll post it up. What is known is your on the fly command of your characters in battle, and the way each one handles a little differently. With your mage or huntress (think archer) you switch to first person when attacking, a nifty idea that allows you to target your arrows and magic manually. Star Ocean fans will by happy to know that this all unfolds in real time and even menus are accessed on the fly, with the action going into slow down. Climax looks to be a top contender this year with this beautiful and unique game, I personally cannot wait.

BioWare did the impossible last year by making a Star Wars game that didn’t feature a Hoth level or destruction of your fond cinematic memories. KOTOR was hands down the best RPG of last year, in addition to being the only one worth remembering for the Xbox. Not content to sit on their laurels (and piles of cash) they did something few companies in their situation would do. They began work on a completely original RPG that has nothing to do with a pre-existing license. I applaud them for not changing a few locations and pushing out a sequel to KOTOR next Christmas, a lesson many companies * cough Naughty Dog cough* need to learn.

Jade Empire keeps the basic feel of KOTOR and builds upon it a lavish world based on, in their own words, “Ancient China, as it might have been, had the legends been true.” I recently was able to see a very early demo of Jade Empire and I was amazed. Already the graphics look better than 50% of the games I bought last year and the character interaction allows for multiple paths, (and some demo specific humor I hope makes it to the final product.) The game allows to create your own martial artist or to start with a prefabricated character, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. Customization is so complete that you can even choose your own voice set. Another neat feature is the chance to recruit characters to your cause and then send them on missions, a feature woefully underutilized in Final Fantasy Tactics. These missions can bring new story elements, more treasure or possibly more characters to your cause. The battle system seems creative, allowing for martial combat, magic, or weapon fighting, all of which can be switched on the fly. To get a rough idea how this works think of the style switching of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, but imagine it to be good. BioWare has an amazing track record when it comes to licensed properties and a solid reputation for MDK, so it should be interesting to see how they do on a completely original RPG.

With this many RPG's on the horizon it looks to be a banner year for Xbox RPG fans; I personally have filed for divorce and quit my job as a pro wrestler scriptwriter to prepare myself for this round of life stealing games. Hope to see many of you in the unemployment line. MD