Suikoden fans unite! Konami has announced that the latest in its renowned RPG series is coming to the DS as Suikoden: Tierkreis. I have no idea what a Tierkreis is, but I do know that I love my portable Japanese RPGs. Bonza!

Tierkreis will mark the franchise's debut on Nintendo's dual-screened handheld, and Konami is promising innovative additions to the core gameplay, along with online community features. Here is a snippet of the press release full of stuff I don't understand because I can't find a copy of any Suikoden game in Britain for love nor money:

With its grand adventure and larger than life scale, this story is told through rich animation sequences and a gripping dialogue, allowing gamers to fully immerse themselves and experience the world of Suikoden. For the first time ever, players will begin with the last three members of the Stars of Destiny and are tasked with resurrecting the other 104 in order to restore order in the universe and defeat the almighty One King.

What I have taken away from this fresh piece of Intel is that if you say "One King" fast enough, you can almost slightly pretend you're saying "Wanking." That alone has proven to me that this game shall -- without a doubt and without blogger's hype -- be the greatest game ever made, bar none.

Full (badly formatted) press release after the jump.

KONAMI ANNOUNCES SUIKODEN: TIERKREIS FOR NINTENDO DS(TM)
The Latest Installment In the Critically-Acclaimed Franchise
Incorporates Rich Animation,
Innovative Features, and an Active Online Community
EL SEGUNDO, CA - September 16, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment,
Inc. today announces
Suikoden: Tierkreis, the latest iteration of the celebrated Suikoden
series, will
mark the franchise's debut exclusively on the Nintendo DS(TM).
Encompassing a variety
of different characters while exploring many exotic locations and
cultures across
the game's universe of parallel worlds, Suikoden: Tierkreis will
expand the bounds
of the handheld RPG. Featuring the franchise's established gameplay
while maximizing
the technological capabilities of the DS to provide all-new online
elements, this
epic RPG consists of many cinematic experiences that will drive the
grand storyline
of the 108 Stars of Destiny as they battle to thwart the powerful One King.
Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, Suikoden: Tierkreis offers a rich
online community
experience that allows players to send their characters on quests that
other members
of the community will complete for them, eventually returning the
player to their
party with new abilities and treasures.
With its grand adventure and larger than life scale, this story is told through
rich animation sequences and a gripping dialogue, allowing gamers to
fully immerse
themselves and experience the world of Suikoden. For the first time
ever, players
will begin with the last three members of the Stars of Destiny and are
tasked with
resurrecting the other 104 in order to restore order in the universe and defeat
the almighty One King.
The Suikoden series launched in 1995 in Japan and was released in the
U.S. on the
PlayStation(R) game console in December of 1996. Instantly hailed as
one of the most
innovative RPGs, Suikoden delivered a unique battle system, an
intriguing storyline
with numerous plot twists and multiple endings to provide a fun
experience for all
RPG fans. Since its debut, the Suikoden series has received numerous
industry accolades
for being one of the top RPG games of all time.