Suikoden, Blue Dragon headed for DS

Japanese role-playing game fans on the go will soon have a few more options to choose from, as a pair of prominent franchises are set to make Nintendo DS debuts in North America. Konami today confirmed that it would be bringing Suikoden: Tierkreis to the US, while Ignition Entertainment will release Blue Dragon Plus in Europe and North America.

When Suikoden first arrived on the original PlayStation in 1996, one of the Konami role-playing game's claims to fame was the inclusion of 108 playable characters. The "108 Stars of Destiny" motif has endured throughout the series, but it's returning with a twist. Suikoden: Tierkreis will give players control of the last three remaining Stars of Destiny. At the outset, the goal is to resurrect the remaining Stars for a climactic battle with the One King.

Konami is promising the game will feature the series' established gameplay conventions, but it will also add new online and community functions to the mix. Players will be able to send their characters on quests, which will then be completed by other gamers. When the quest is complete, the characters will return with new powers and loot. Unfortunately, Konami did not disclose a release window for Tierkreis' debut on the DS.

As for Blue Dragon Plus, the game is a follow-up to Mistwalker's 2006 Xbox 360 role-playing game and will arrive in March. The game picks up the original's story one year after the defeat of Nene. However, not all is well, as the protagonist Shu now is faced with the coming spectre of a three-headed dragon. Ignition is promising a 30-hour single-player campaign, punctuated by more than an hour of full-motion video cutscenes.

For more on these games' origins, check out GameSpot's reviews of Suikoden V and Blue Dragon.