Stephanie Fernandez, Localization Producer of Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) for the PS3, blogged about the exclusive content we can expect from this latest incarnation of the JRPG title. There will be additional story elements incorporated into the game as well as new characters, new quests, new dungeons and new music.

Good news, PlayStation 3 RPG fans: Namco Bandai finally announced that the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata will have two more playable characters, Serenade and Prince Crescendo, as well as new story sequences to make them fit into the game's storyline. It's a great way of rewarding gamers who waited patiently for their favorite title. We do hope that this announcement will bode well towards other Namco Bandai titles that are currently listed as Xbox 360 exclusives, such as Beautiful Katamari.

If ever those other titles get released for other consoles, will they have extra content as well? We're still waiting for the announcement of the PlayStation 3 and Wii versions of the Prince's game, Namco Bandai.

Xbox 360 owners in Europe can now try out a demo of Namco Bandai's Eternal Sonata. This role-playing game is being distributed in PAL territories by Atari and is now available at retailers across Europe.

The demo features an early part of the game and follows Polka, Allegretto and Beat as they explore the path to Tenuto, Tenuto Village and Heaven's Mirror Forest. Players will be able to sample Eternal Sonata's unique features including the game's innovative combat system.

Mathieu Piau, Atari Europe's product manager, had the following to say:

Trying to communicate the sheer magic of this game with words and screenshots is a challenge, but with the downloadable demo gamers can see for themselves exactly why Eternal Sonata is turning heads. I'm certain that once players get behind the controls of this beautiful role-playing game, they'll be left wanting more.

This week on shelves, we've got another plentiful supply of nice releases that we can sink our teeth on. The PC and the Nintendo DS are getting the bulk of fresh launches, but the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 titles are making up with quality games such as Eternal Sonata and Stranglehold respectively.

The Nintendo Wii also has a new fill of quirky but fun titles that the young and the young at heart will be happy to tinker with. Overall, it's another good week for the industry so get ready to bust out that wallet and empty to on the cashiers.

Coded Arms Contagion. Konami's explosive sequel to Coded Arms is here and it's set in a VR world of a military training program. Randomly generated levels and square rooms are gone to give way to a heavier emphasis on story over action.

• Sony PSP - September 18, 2007
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Konami

Eternal Sonata. Looking for that big RPG on the Xbox 360? Wait no more because Eternal Sonata is dropping in on the 17th of September. Destiny, deception and courage all come to play in this highly-anticipated tale of good versus evil.

• Xbox 360 - September 17, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Namco Bandai
  

Stranglehold. Both the Sony PlayStation 3 and PC platforms are finally getting its taste of John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's bullet-riddled blast Stranglehold. Based on the movie Hardboiled, you'll walk the tough streets of Hong Kong and Chicago to rough up the bad guys with some well-deserved police brutality.

• PlayStation 3, PC- September 18, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (PS3), US$ 49.99 (PC)
  
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Midway Games

The rest of this week's line-up comes after the jump!

Buy: [Coded Arms: Contagion]
Buy: [Eternal Sonata]
Buy: [Stranglehold]

Even the most rabid Japanese RPG fans who'll jump at anything with anime-esque characters and teenagers who save the world would have to agree that Eternal Sonata on the Xbox 360 is not like other video games we've seen before. Swords and magic against monsters inside Frederic Chopin's head? Only the folks from Tri-Crescendo can come up with that.

On the latest blog post from Eternal Sonata's devs, producer Shinji Noguchi discussed how important it was to create the game's scenario and how much effort they invested in making the game unique. Being the company's first Xbox 360 title, "Eternal Sonata represented a shift to new hardware and a new style of graphics," according to Noguchi.

It does seem like it was a tough task to create the legendary composer's subconscious, but the initial scenario easily went through. eternal Sonata devs were able to focus more on other aspects after the ingenious setting was improved early in development, said Noguchi.

One problem they encountered, as Noguchi cited on the blog post, was how programmers had trouble making female protagonist Polka's hair flow realistically. Plenty of other issues sprouted up, but the producer was proud how they handled all hurdles with creative solutions.

The creativity and experience that Tri-Crescendo acquired after previous projects resulted in "a fun and innovative battle solution," added Noguchi. He's hoping that people enjoy the game, since there were lots of challenges and barriers to overcome before Eternal Sonata came into fruition.

When asked about the availability of Eternal Sonata for the PS3, an Namco Bandai spokesperson only had this to say: that they are not aware of a PlayStation 3 version at the moment. But their official website now says otherwise.

And that's not all. Beautiful Katamari is also listed for both the PS3 AND the Wii.

Remember the previous rumors about Beautiful Katamari leaving the PS3 in favor of the Wii? It looks like our dear beloved Prince had a change of heart and decided to - once again - roll over to the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3.

If this isn't a typo (like the supposed Killer 7 for the Wii), this should be a definite sign of good things to come.

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*Update* As QJ reader teeg commented below, it turns out that Namco Bandai has indeed updated their site and took out the listings. That was pretty fast! So, all we can assume now is that the listings of Sonata and Katamari for the other next-gen consoles were nothing more than a simple typo. Glad things are cleared up now!

Thanks for the heads up, teeg!

All eyes of RPG fans with Xbox 360s are on Tri-Crescendo's Eternal Sonata, but director Hiroya Hatsushiba calls out: open both your eyes and ears. The game is not just a representation of Frederic Chopin's subconscious, but also a vessel to familiarize gamers with the legendary composer's music.

As if it can't be stressed out enough, Hatsushiba posts on the IGN blog that, "Our goal in incorporating Chopin’s music into Eternal Sonata was to bring this beautiful music to a new audience." Hatsushiba goes on, saying he acknowledges how gorgeous the game looks as a gamer but everyone should experience Eternal Sonata with their ears as well.

The songs aren't randomly thrown in for production value's sake. "Chopin’s songs acts as a central theme for each chapter," he continues. That isn't to say the game's soundtrack is something you'll find in the records of old, because additional compositions were added to widen the variety of music. According to Hatsushiba, the devs toyed around with contemporary instruments like guitars and drums, but ultimately settled to classical-style for the perfect atmosphere.

Just a couple more days to go before Tri-Crescendo's Eternal Sonata will finally arrive on North American shelves. If you're still unconvinced that Chopin's deathbed makes for a perfect RPG setting, then here's a gameplay video showing how much action can happen inside the magnificent composer's mind.

Thanks to the power of Microsoft's Xbox 360, the combat is fluid even while spectacular effects explode on screen. Some would say Japanese RPGs can only go so far when it comes to over-the-top attacks and spells, but to see is to believe. It's difficult not to be excited after seeing Eternal Sonata's flare and insane combos.

While waiting for the game's September 17 release, check it out by watching the video below:

Because we can never get enough of Eternal Sonata (Trusty Bell in Japan), here are more videos packed with the game's pseudo real-time, turn-based combat. Both are quite brief, but Xbox 360 owners who love role-playing games will be left drooling.

If that doesn't sound good enough for your Japanese RPG fix, light and darkness on the field also affect which attacks and skills your can use. It's hard to tell how that happens in Chopin's mind, but sure opens up opportunities for sweet combos anyway. The first video is all about various characters unleashing their insane streaks in different circumstances.

Next up is 15-second TV spot to tingle your senses. It never hurts to see more gameplay footage even if it's short, right? Then check out the videos embedded below.

Other video after the jump!

Fans of the JRPG genre will be pleased with this latest update of Tri-Crescendo's Eternal Sonata for the Xbox 360. We've got a handful of gameplay videos this time, and we finally get to see Chopin fight!

These videos are part of the newly-started series of blog updates of Eternal Sonata over at IGN, and for this week the three main characters are in the spotlight: the famed composer Frederic Francois Chopin, the beautiful but feared Polka, and the brash Allegretto.

It's great to finally see Chopin whack monsters with his baton, and manage to pull it off gracefully. Well, we won't spoil the videos for you so you better just check out the anime-styled (and great-sounding) goodness that is Eternal Sonata in the following videos.

On a sidenote, fans who can't wait for their Eternal Sonata fix can now download the Allegretto Picture Pack from Xbox Live to help ease (or worsen) the wait until the September 17 release date. The Allegretto Picture pack includes cool avatars of Allegretto, Beat, March, Salsa and Viola. In case you haven't downloaded the previous Polka Picture Pack yet, it's still available for the taking in Xbox Live. If you get them both you'll be able to receive new avatars for all the ten characters of Eternal Sonata.

More videos in the full article!