Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy demo have date with America

Dragon Quest VIII fever burned through Japan late last year, but Americans looking to hook up with one of Square Enix's most popular role-playing games were left cold. A little more than a month later, the publisher gave US RPG fans news they were dying to hear: Dragon Quest VIII is coming to America.

However, Square never said when it would be hitting stateside. Fear of not getting to play a US version of DQ8 this year were laid to rest today when Square announced the PlayStation 2 game would be available November 22.

The choice of date was no shot in the dark--November 22 is also the day the Xbox 360 launches. After Bill Gates pulled out his six-shooters last May and announced that Halo 3 would launch the same day as the PlayStation 3 (date still to be determined), Sony, with less time to work with, did its best impression of Microsoft's business strategy by revealing that Dragon Quest VIII would be bundled with a playable demo of one of its highly anticipated games, Final Fantasy XII. This obviously won't tank 360 sales, but it could pull a few consumers who were on the fence back over to their PS2s.

In Dragon Quest VIII, the first to be in 3D, players try to save a kingdom trapped in enchanted vines cast forth by an evil jester. The American version features new voice-overs, a soundtrack played by a full orchestra, and improved animations. The franchise has been a sensation in Japan, and has sold more than 40 million units worldwide.

Dragon Quest VIII, developed by Level 5, is rated T for Teen and will retail for $49.99.