Rumble Roses XX: First details unveiled

In the latest issue of Famitsu, Rumble Roses XX producer Akari Uchida spoke about his upcoming Xbox 360 game, the sequel to 2004's Rumble Roses for the PlayStation 2. Rumble Roses XX was first unveiled at Microsoft's Xbox Summit 2005, which took place in Tokyo this past Monday.

The biggest gameplay change in Rumble Roses XX is the implementation of tag-team battles for some girls-on-girls action. Players will be able to pick a pair of their favorite females and then brawl in battles between teams of two. To give more personality to the tag-team system, the developer of Rumble Roses XX plans to include a "relationship system" in the game. In the chaos that explodes in the ring, an errant slap or chop can sometimes find its way to a teammate. If the team's relationship is strong, one or two mistakes won't be much of a problem. But if the bond isn't tight, a single mistake can lead to the team's breakup.

Rumble Roses will also feature some significant changes with regard to its characters. Uchida says none of the existing characters will be replaced, and he recommends that fans of the series check out the changes to the known roster before inquiring about new characters. The developer is thinking of making each wrestler specialized in a specific fighting style, such as a throw-based fighter or a full-contact fighter. Using the judo specialist Makoto as an example, Uchida revealed that she will be redesigned to fight more specifically in her martial art, thereby using more grapples and fewer punches and kicks.

Uchida assures players that the specialized fighting styles for the characters won't mean that Rumble Roses XX's controls will be complicated. The developer is designing the game so that players can easily play with any of the fighting femmes. To make the action more heated for casual gamers, team attacks and special moves will be executed with just the press of a single button.

Rumble Roses XX will feature more variation in its arenas, something the original PS2 installment lacked. Uchida said that most of the fighting rings in the original Rumble Roses looked pretty much identical to one another, since they were run-of-the-mill wrestling rings. In Rumble Roses XX, players will be able to fight in outdoor stages, such as in a desert or in a pool.

"The previous game featured mud wrestling matches, but this time, we're thinking about a different kind of fun that will be pretty stunning. ... We're focusing more on the volume and play value rather than character storylines," said Uchida, who added that the game will feature many elements that couldn't be included in the previous installment. However, Rumble Roses XX will not feature the continuation of the PS2's storyline, branching off instead to offer an original plot.

When asked how Rumble Roses XX will take advantage of Xbox Live, Uchida confirmed that the game will feature online play, revealing that users will no longer have to bring their friends over to play multiplayer matches. Uchida also revealed that the game should include a feature where players can create their original pro-wrestling organizations with other online users, as well as an extensive customization system that lets players change more than just the costumes and accessories for their wrestlers (Think 1980s movie Weird Science). "Users will be able to customize [their characters] beyond imagination. This is especially the part that we've put a lot of effort in, so please look forward to it," commented Uchida.

According to Famitsu, Rumble Roses XX is currently 27 percent complete. No release date has been announced for the game yet.