Hexyz Force [JP PSP]

[EOJ]

Wow, this game is a surprise. I picked it up because it got good reviews in the Japanese press, and initial impressions from Japanese gamers was very positive. It came out on Nov 12 (same day as Lunar HSS), is developed by Sting and released by Atlus.

Basically, it's a JRPG with 3D graphics and lots of anime cinemas. You choose one of two characters at the start ('light' or 'dark'), and each one has a different path through the game. What impresses me so far is the following:

-Fights are fast, smooth, and lots of fun. Awesome spell effects.
-The weapon upgrade system is easy to understand, and fun to use.  
-You can install the game on a memory card (only takes 82MB) and there are basically no loads in the game
-Character designs are cute and charming
-Good music
-Graphics are really quite lovely. Rock solid 30fps, rotatable camera, nicely detailed and lush cartoonish environments. Nice mix of 3D SD characters with anime character graphics.
-Story moves at a fast pace, very good tempo thus far (typical generic JRPG fare though)

Actually the thing that is perhaps the most appealing is the SD-ish nature of the characters. They look like what I envision final fantasy characters should like on a portable system (i.e. all the FF games on the DS look like ass compared to this game).

Anyway I've only played a couple hours (I'm playing through the 'light' side), but it's great. This is a game that may go unnoticed and will probably end up a cult classic or 'sleeper hit', so pick it up if you're looking for something a bit different from the mainstream over-hyped JRPG.

Official site: http://hf.sting.co.jp/