White Knight Chronicles II sallies to US this summer

One of the first games Sony trotted out to exhibit the power of the PlayStation 3 was Level-5's White Knight Chronicles. And while the traditional Japanese role-playing game didn't prove to be a dashing figure for US critics, D3Publisher said today that it would be releasing the game's sequel exclusively for the PS3 in North America this summer.

White Knight Chronicles II picks up a year after the events of the original game, the full campaign of which will be included in the sequel. Again set in the magical realm of Balandor, White Knight Chronicles II sees the return of many of the same characters as in the original, including primary protagonist Leonard.

Though the setting remains much the same, Level-5 has made a number of tweaks under the hood. White Knight Chronicles II will include more than 400 weapon and armor pieces, which will come in handy for the game's retooled combat system. Level-5 also added new options to the game's online multiplayer functionality, allowing gamers to create their own custom avatars, as well as introducing new skill types and spells.

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of White Knight Chronicles II.