E3 06: The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch impressions

The original Legend of Heroes game rolled back the clock about ten years. It showed us that - given a great-looking PSP facelift - classic-style role playing has a place in our pockets. Legend of Heroes II plays it so close to its six month-old sibling that it's tough to even tell them apart.

Turn-based battles are the center of any old-school RPG game, and you'll find plenty of them here. Those of you who played the original can tune out now - there's nothing new to report. You'll run into enemies wandering around the fields and dungeons of Pleasant Fantasy World #3702B. Touch one and you'll be launched into battle - on a separate screen, of course.

There you'll have a stack of time-tested (or is that bog-standard?) attacks, spells and screen-filling special movies to throw down with. Probably the coolest thing about the battles is that distance is a factor, and everyone has to boogie over to their targets. Over time, your characters will charge up their aggression into a convenient little bar (the "Deadly meter"). When it fills up, you can let loose - what else - a flashy special attack. It worked well before and should again.

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