E3 2004: Agetec Booth

Armored Core: Nexus
For anyone who knows anything about Armored Core, they probably know it's the longest-running mech-based series EVER. What they'll find out eventually if they don't already know is that they can experience the series' origins for what it is in this all-in-one upcoming package. For the first time, Agetec will be revisiting past missions from all previous Armored Core titles, and fitting it all into one disk called Revolution. Paired with a second disk (dubbed Evolution), From Software (the series' makers) will be including new content that will include new missions, new customization features, and even a new dual analog control system for players not already familiar with the series' well versed "slow" control system. At present, it can only be estimated that this double bundle of joy for new and especially veteran Armored Core fans alike, will hit shelves in the summer.

Kuon
Melding genres to better diverse their nature is the way to go sometimes, and just the way From Software sees it this year. Coming up with a new and original concept, From Software has set to present later on this year Kuon: a different kind of horror than what game players are used to. What can best be described as, "When Eternal Darkness Met Fatal Frame," Kuon is a story set in an ancient Japanese period where a teenage daughter's enigmatic father disappears into an old castle. Now on the search her father, both his daughter and a follower of his will find that the castle is more than it seems. Mutated creatures are abundant, as both playable characters (Utuski, the girl, and Sakuya, the follower) can utilize magic abilities such as the summoning of spirits to do one's bidding in warding off this evil. Kuon's arrival date is presently unknown.

Echo Night: Beyond
Agetec had first introduced gamers' everywhere to a game known as Echo Night on the PlayStation in 1999. Then, you played as a man who had to investigate a haunted ocean liner while aiding restless spirits along the way. Now, Agetec plans to do it all over again, or at least something like it. Echo Night: Beyond continues in a new game setting. This time you'll take on the role of Richard, whose space shuttle has crashed outside the Lunar Station. With Rich's passenger (his fiancщ) now missing in action, Richard sets inside the base to find her. But, beyond these doors is a haunted space station overrun by both good and bad ghosts. Using a first-person view, Echo Night will play within a very claustrophobic atmosphere that can be see from within Richard's space outfit only. Also putting forth a heart meteoric system that decreases every time Richard comes in contact with an evil spirit, and a system in which you'll need to find things for souls longing for them, Beyond should be an interesting adventure experience to look forward to come next month.

Wild Arms Alter Code: F
Fans of Wild Arms rejoice! The original Wild Arms, which debuted on the PlayStation in 1997, is being redone this year with something else in mind. Not a remake in the sense of the same game with a few more features, but more like a brand new game all together, Wild Arms will revamp the story for a brand new age in Wild Arms gameplay. Though returning will be the game's three original heroes (Rudy, Jack, and Cecilia), Wild Arms Alter Code: F will have an additional cast of three new characters Ц Emma, Jane, and McDullen. Now bringing this new Wild Arms into a full-fledged 3D state, Alter Code: F will also be reminiscent of 2002's Wild Arms 3: both in battle and graphical abilities. Wild Arms Alter Code: F does not currently hold an official release, but expect it sometime this fall.