A few days ago, I caught myself wondering about Mistwalker -- I was (and still am) a big fan of 2007's Lost Odyssey, but the company has been relatively quiet recently. ASH looked promising, but was never released outside of Japan. Blue Dragon Plus, a DS sequel to the ok-but-not-that-great Blue Dragon, was quietly released in February and Blue Dragon 2 (Xbox 360) and Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu (DS) were both announced to very little fanfare.

Well, here's an update: ASH still hasn't gotten a Western announcement, Blue Dragon 2 doesn't have a release date at all, and Ikai no Kyojuu will be released in Japan in October. 

Speaking of Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu (which translates roughly into Great Beast of the Underworld), there's a rough gameplay video after the break. For the first time in the series, players won't be controlling Shu, the hero of other games int he Blue Dragon series. The player-character will be unnamed and fully customizable, and multiplayer options will allow you to play with up to three of your unnamed and customized friends. Apparently, adding multiplayer to Japanese DS RPGs is all the rage now.

If the video doesn't make it obvious, Blue Dragon: Great Best is an action-RPG -- no turn-based battles, but plenty of numbers coming out of heads. The game certainly looks fast-paced and frenetic, but there might be a bit too much yelling for my tastes. I also have to wonder if it might get a little crowded with four players and their accompanying dragons all on the screen.

So, this makes four games in the Blue Dragon series. Did the first one make a strong enough impression for any of you guys to pick this one up (if it ever makes it to the West)?

[Via Gamekyo]