Nobunaga Online beta begins this week

Koei has announced that Nobunaga's Ambition Online, its upcoming PlayStation 2 massively multiplayer online RPG, will start its beta testing phase on December 18 in Japan. Like previous games in the Nobunaga series, the latest entry takes place in feudal Japan and features several warring factions. Players can align themselves with one of these factions while creating a character from one of several classes, including a traditional samurai or mage.

Nobunaga's Ambition Online is scheduled for a March 2003 release in Japan. A North American release has yet to be announced.