Eternal Arcadia

The Dreamcast's library of first-party RPGs has yet to inspire awe in fans of the genre, but that'll change this winter when we get Eternal Arcadia, the first of the two high-profile role-playing epics Sega's readying for U.S. release (the other being PSO). As a member of the Blue Sky Pirates, you take on an enemy nation bent on conquering the world with its airship armada. When you're not bumming around towns on the standard 3D field map, you're soaring between floating islands in your airship, which you guide with the analog stick while the L and R triggers control altitude. Battles are random and turn-based, and you'll nab special moon stones you can mold into weapons or wield as magic spells. Eternal Arcadia is lush, with expressive characters and a soaring musical score. But it's not just the presentation that's convinced us this'll be a triple-A title. Members of the Phantasy Star team are crafting Eternal Arcadia, and you can't ask for a better design pedigree than that.