Digimon World 4 ships

Digimon World 4, the latest game based on the television franchise Digimon, is now doing battle in stores. Publisher and developer Bandai has shipped the action role-playing game to retail for the Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.

In the game, players will police the virtual reality as a member of the Digital Security Guard investigating a breach in the digital world. The intrusion has denied the digital populace all access to the "real" world, and it's up to the gamer to discover what happened to Chief Leomon, who has disappeared while investigating the mysterious new Death Valley server.

There are four playable digimon to choose from, including a digimon new to North American fans. Each character can be upgraded to bolster their strengths, and can also "digivolve" into more potent forms to defeat enemies. The game supports a four-person multiplayer mode, allowing buddies to scour areas cooperatively.

Digimon World 4 is rated E for Everyone and retails for $29.99. For more information on the game, read GameSpot's recent Hands-On Preview.