For one thing, a huge chunk of the cast is missing from the 10-chapter story — including my favorite unbalanced character, Viola. Also, the plot has been hacked down and rearranged, but that I don't mind because Japanese role-playing game plots often need a lot of paring down. And for some reason, Chopin looks more like the real-life Chopin than he does like the video game Chopin despite the mega-huge pocket watch.

But what really freaks me out is Polka. She looks like an anthropomorphic animal that doesn't know how to comb its hair:

The manga completed its run under Dengeki Comics last year. Kuroi has drawn two other manga that I know of: Kimikiss - Lyrical Contact and D.C. the Origin.

Check it out for yourself without spending a dime. You may as well since there likely aren't any plans to bring it Stateside.

Trusty Bell — Chopin no Yume [One Manga]

In honor of Mother's Day, we celebrate moms in gaming – from the bit parts to the big players. Some are examples of the best parenting you could imagine; and some are so evil, they're unfit to be called "Mom." Join us now as we separate the June Cleavers from the Joan Crawfords of video game mothers.

Mothers in… Role-Playing Games
Role-playing games have the highest number of moms of any video game genre. This is because RPGs have huge, sprawling plots with huge, sprawling towns and a huge, sprawling casts of characters who you may or may not encounter depending on how you play the game. In most RPGs, you see moms as non-playable characters in towns, in flashbacks depicting the hero's reason for revenge. Some RPGs even have them as playable characters or main villains. Sadly, RPGs are also the number one "mom dies" offender, as nearly every RPG features a plucky youth out to avenge a destroyed village that usually has within it a dead mother – or at least one that's been turned into a monster.

There are way more mothers in RPGs than we could count – especially if you're going through side quests, all PC RPGs, all Japanese RPGs that were never released in the US, Final Fantasy X-2 and every single optional flashback for every possible playable character. So we've populated this list with moms who 1) had the most impact on the game's main plot or that 2) appear in the game beyond a single expository cut scene. This leaves us mostly with moms who appear in Japanese RPGs; but be sure to apologize to your dead mother in Fallout 3 for us.

Mada, Dragon Quest V – Mother of the main character: Mada gets kidnapped and becomes the subject of his quest.

Matriarch Benezia, Mass Effect – Mother of Liara T'Soni: Benezia is enslaved and later killed by Shepard in battle, but she makes up with Liara right before dying.

Polka's Mom, Eternal Sonata — Mother of Polka: this country lady is very well adjusted to time loops and apparently never taught her daughter not to talk to strange 19th Century composers she might meet while wandering around at night.

Yohn, Suikoden Tactics — Mother of Kyril: Yohn is a mute demon trapped in the wrong world who sticks around to care for her son, even though he doesn't know who she is for pretty much the whole game.

Gina , Chrono Trigger — Mother of Chrono: In one of the game's endings, Gina accidentally goes into the time portal, thus restarting the whole plot from the beginning.

Jenova, Final Fantasy VII — Mother of Sephiroth (sorta): Jenova is... an alien? We're not even sure she's a she, but "she" spends a lot of time in a jar and looks creepy.

Angeal's Mother, Crisis Core — Mother of Angeal: This small-town lady is very nice to all of her son's friends from the army, even the ones that turn evil and cause her matricide.

Queen Brahne, Final Fantasy IX — Mother of the real Princess Garnet and foster mother to her lookalike of the same name: Brahne gets fat, turns evil, tries to kill her adoptive daughter and later repents and dies in Garnet's arms.

Sarah Sisulart, Lost Odyssey – Mother of Liram: Sarah goes a little crazy and turns herself into an old woman when she thinks her daughter's been killed, but turns back into a hot nerdy chick when she finds out she has grandkids.

Seth Balmore, Lost Odyssey – Mother of Sed: Seth is immortal, but her son isn't, which is sort of weird for both of them. But they're both pirates, so there's some common ground at least.

Best Mom: Yohn… because she's selfless as only a mother can be.

Worst Mom: Jenova… because she's emotionally unavailable. And responsible for Sephiroth.

Mothers in… Fighting Games
Fighting games have a fair few mothers among their playable characters. The plot structure (or lack thereof) leaves room for all kinds of people to enter whatever world championship fighting tournament of the week is going on for various reasons that don't necessarily make any sense. So if you can have a panda, a geisha, a cyborg and whatever the hell Voldo is supposed to be enter a tournament for personal gain, a mother doesn't seem like such a weird contender. Here's a list of a few prominent mommies:

Sophitia, Soulcalibur series – Mother of Patroklos and Pyrrha: Sophitia is an Athenian who fights on behalf of the Greek God, Hephaestus, to regain Soul Edge. The sword entwines itself with her daughter's spirit, forcing Sophitia to spend eternity defending Soul Edge from anyone who tries to claim it. She's protecting her daughter.

Michelle Chang, Tekken series – Mother of Julia: Michelle fights in one of the Iron Fist tournaments to rescue her kidnapped mother and then adopts an abandoned baby named Julia. Then Julia goes on to fight in an Iron Fist tournament to save Michelle when Michelle gets kidnapped. Circle of life.

Dural, Virtua Fighter – Mother of Kage: Dural probably started out as a good mom when she was human, but then she got kidnapped and turned into an evil cyborg. That knocks her out of the Mom of the Year running.

Jun Kazama, Tekken series – Mother of Jin Kazama: Jun is the Chosen One, a wildlife activist, and a single mom. Over the course of four games, she somehow found time to save pandas, birth a son, thrash a bunch of her extended family and possibly fake her own death or perhaps dies for real when her house burned down.

Nina Williams, Tekken series – Mother of Steve Fox via in-vitro fertilization: Nina is a world class assassin who gives birth to a son while in cryogenic sleep. Though it appears she couldn't care less that she has offspring, she does neglect to assassinate him. That counts as maternal instinct, right?

Maria, Dead or Alive series – Mother of Helena: Maria is a world class opera singer who had an affair with the head of a sinister corporation. She later took a bullet for her bastard daughter onstage in the middle of an aria… what a way to go.

Crimson Viper, Street Fighter IV – Mother of Lauren: C. Viper is a working mother in the spy profession. Her life's goal is destroying the weapons produced by a sinister corporation, but somehow she made room in her busy schedule to have a daughter.

Justice, Guilty Gear – Mother of Dizzy: No one's really sure how it happened – least of all Dizzy, who was found abandoned at age 3.

Best Mom: Maria… because nothing says "Mommy loves you" like taking a sniper's bullet to the heart.

Worst Mom: Crimson Viper… because she's a workaholic. Did she even call her kid after fights? No!**

Mothers in… Action/Adventure and Survival Horror Games
Here's where the role of the mother in video games become complicated. Because these types of games usually have a more focused plot than fighting or role playing games, adding a mother usually means casting her in a narrow role that doesn't include speaking parts. Occasionally, these moms even wind up as antagonists by default. However small their part, though, these mothers sometimes make an appearance worth mentioning. Here are a few notable examples:

The Queen, Ico – Mother of Yorda: She basically had a daughter so she could sacrifice the kid and live a bit longer. I guess some species do eat their own young, but jeez…

Annette Birkin, Resident Evil 2 – Mother of Sherry Birkin: Depending on how you play the game, Annette either hid the G-Virus in her daughter's locket or cures her daughter of the T-Virus. Either way, she did abandon her kid during a zombie apocalypse. Poor form, Mom.

Amelia Croft, Tomb Raider series – Mother of Lara Croft: Like her daughter, Mrs. Croft has issues with touching ancient artifacts she probably shouldn't. Luckily, Lara learns from her mommy's mistakes and everybody's happy… until Lara has to shoot zombie Amelia when they meet up in Underworld.

Mrs. Sanderson, Chibi Robo – Mother of Jenny: Mrs. Sanderson has real marital problems that cause her to lock herself in a bathroom and threaten divorce, leaving all the housework to Jenny and her toy robot.

Ex-Mrs. Hopkins, Bully – Mother of Jimmy Hopkins: This woman lacks both fashion sense and parental priorities. She ditches her kid at a boarding school to run off on a honeymoon with a new husband and then sends Jimmy a fugly sweater at Christmas.

Maggie Monday, Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse – Mother of Andrew Monday: Like Jimmy Hopkins' mom, Maggie could use some priority adjustment. She lets her son's city get sacked by zombies and then becomes a zombie herself so she can marry Stubbs. This basically leaves Andrew with a wrecked city and a zombie for a stepfather. Thanks, Mom!

Ma Cipriani, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories – Mother of Toni: Toni never called his Ma while he was in hiding. Given that she dates guys who are into paraphilic infantilism, I can see why. Ma puts a hit out on her son and then calls it off in a fit of maternal pride when Tony finally becomes a made man.

Best Mom: Amelia Croft… because not even good moms get it right all of the time and how was she supposed to know that sword would teleport her, her husband would die and her daughter would be left an orphan?

Worst Mom: The Queen… because what she did to Yorda is way worse than what Joan Crawford did to her daughter. You think being hit with wire hangers is bad? Try being turned to stone.

Mothers in… Shooters
Here's where you barely see any moms at all. The shooter genre is reserved for masculine things like guns and aliens and spies and other stuff that doesn't leave much room for maternal influences. You'll find a lot of dads in shooters, though – but Father's Day isn't for another month, so sit tight.

*SPOILER WARNING: BioShock, F.E.A.R. 2, Metal Gear Solid 4*

Jasmine Jolene, BioShock – Mother of Jack: Jasmine was Andrew Ryan's mistress and a "dancer" which is 60s code for "prostitute." Even if she didn't accept money for sexual favors, she was certainly in a hurry to accept money for her freshly-conceived embryo. That's worse than the fairy tales where parents trade firstborn sons for magical enchantments.

Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum, BioShock and BioShock 2 – Mother of all the Little Sisters and the Big Sister: Tenenbaum didn't give birth to any of the poor darlings, but her research created them. She eventually stepped in to foster them and shower them with toys and secondhand cigarette smoke to make up for the brainwashing.

Eva, Metal Gear Solid 4 – Mother of Liquid and Solid Snake (kinda): Eva would have gladly had Naked Snake's babies the ol' fashioned way, but the Patriots had other plans. She eventually serves as surrogate mother to the clone babies Liquid and Solid and starts calling herself Big Mamma to compensate for having nothing to do with mothering them.

The Boss, Metal Gear Solid 3 – Mother of Revolver Ocelot and the US Special Forces (which one do you think she's more proud of?): The Boss probably had no business leading the Battle of Normandy while nine months pregnant. But despite being a bad mom to Ocelot, The Boss wins major motherhood recognition as a Mother Goddess figure to at least half the cast of the Metal Gear Solid series.

Alma Wade, F.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin – Mother of Paxton Fettel, Point Man and countless telepathic clone soldiers: Alma became a mother at the tender age of 15 against her will. It's hard to tell if she harbors any feeling for her offspring conceived in captivity – bloodlust sort of obscures any tender intent. However, in Project Origin, Alma's grown up a bit and appears to have invested in being mother to the protagonist's baby, which she deliberately conceives.

Best Mom: The Boss… because out of this sorry lot, she's easily the best role model.

Worst Mom: Jasmine… because she sold her only son to his father's enemy before the son was even born. That's like the opposite of mother-like behavior.

(Dis)Honorable Mentions
Sora's Mom, Kingdom Hearts — She has one line and the whole first part of the game is about her son trying to build a raft to run away from home. Clearly the parenting thing isn't working out.
Mother Brain, Metroid — "She," if that's what that thing in the jar can be called, is an alien with no maternal feelings whatsoever.
You, Fable II, The Sims games and Harvest Moon games — Even if you play as an upstanding paragon of parental vigilance, you're going to be guilty of neglect at least half of the time in these games.

At this point, you're probably wondering why Cooking Mama isn't anywhere on this list. Apart from the lack of a convenient genre into which to cram the game, there's no evidence that Cooking Mama is even a mother. Do you see her kids at any point in the game? For all the player knows, she's just calling herself "Mama" so she doesn't have to call herself a chef, the poor self-hating hash slinger.

That's all we've got for the best and worst mothers in video games. Think we missed somebody important? Drop a line in the comments. And don't forget to call your mom on Mother's Day!

**CORRECTION: C. Viper occasionally does call her daughter after fights. But the workaholic ruling still stands.

Unfortunately, since we weren’t able to see the characters fighting in the game before we recorded, we had to make some guesses about the way in which lines would be used in battle situations. Sometimes we got it right, but sometimes we didn’t. So, in the end, it was necessary to edit some lines slightly. But, overall, I think it came out sounding pretty good.

Overall she sounds incredibly enthusiastic about the whole project, to the point where I'm actually mulling over picking up the PS3 version for another play through.

RPG Eternal Sonata Composes New PS3 Features Tomorrow [Official PlayStation Blog]

Thanks to Sara for passing along the newsletter image with the date on it. Much appreciated!

Santa Clara, Calif – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today announced Eternal Sonata™ for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. An award-winning role-playing game inspired by the life of legendary composer Frederic Chopin, Eternal Sonata is set to arrive on the PLAYSTATION 3 system this fall with new quests, new playable characters, new music and more.

A unique role-playing experience, Eternal Sonata lets gamers travel with 19th century composer Frederic Chopin as he explores a magical dream world during his final hours among the living. Utilizing a breathtaking cel-shaded graphics engine that gives form to the ethereal beauty of Chopin’s music, the game transports players to a vivid world inhabited by brave heroes, fearsome monsters and stunning environments. The game’s fast-paced battle system features an innovative“light and dark” mechanic which allows players to execute different special attacks depending on whether they stand in light or shadow, and transforms enemies into new and fearsome forms. Combining turn-based and real-time elements, this system allows for creative strategy and engaging action in each encounter, breaking new ground in the role-playing genre.

Critically acclaimed upon its original 2007 release, Eternal Sonata was selected as“Best Role-Playing Game” by GameTrailers.com and received“Best Artistic Design honors from IGN.com at E3 2007. The game was also chosen as a runner-up in the role-playing game category at the Spike TV 2007 Video Game Awards.

Eternal Sonata will launch for the PLAYSTATION 3 this fall and is currently available in stores for the Xbox 360. For more information, please visit eternalsonata.namcobandaigames.com.

New Details on Eternal Sonata's PS3 Port [Eternal Sonata]

I can’t speak for any other territories, but I believe Eternal Sonata is only announced for the PS3 in Japan right now... We have no plans to release the game on the PS3 in the US at this moment.

So no plans "at this moment." But tomorrow? The day after that? Next month? Who knows?!

Namco Bandai Eternal Sonata PS3 Japan Only [videogaming247 Thanks, nekotails!]

The Neverending Story

You've probably heard the plot synopsis before. Frédéric Chopin lies on his death bed after a long struggle with pulminary tuberculosis, and in his last moments he visits a fantastical world where everyone has a music-themed named and the terminally ill can cast magic. He meets a girl named Polka who is dying and wants to do something good for the world before she goes and gets caught up in an epic struggle against Count Waltz of Forte, who is using medicine to turn his citizens into mindless, magic-using monsters. Along the way you meet a host of colorful characters including Allegretto and Beat, a pair of orphans trying to help the poor in the port city of Ritardando, Jazz, Falsetto and Claves, members of the Andantino resistance, and twins Salsa and March, who are seeking to protect the Agogo forest from the dangers of Forte's strip mining.

The game packs plenty of social commentary in a tiny package. From class struggles to drug use, ecological concerns to unfair taxation, Eternal Sonata has it all. It's a bit much, really, to the point where I was rolling my eyes every time a new issue came to light. Messages in video games are great in moderation, but this is just a bit much.

You Talk Too Much

Speaking of a bit much, the exposition in the game is downright yawn-inducing. Whenever a character starts talking to themselves you know you are in for a good five minutes worth of dialog that usually says the same thing, over and over again. At one point Chopin questions the nature of reality and dreams, and I literally fell asleep in the middle of it. Boring, weighty dialog that just bogs down the game tremendously. There's a death scene that I swore went on for ten minutes, and the character was completely alone at the time. I never wanted a person to die as much as the character in question. You'll see.

Shot Through The Heart

While we're on boring and repetitive, let's talk about combat. Now combat in Eternal Sonata is a mix of real-time and turn based that is actually quite pleasing at first. Your character's turn comes up, and then once you initiate an action you have a certain amount of time available to act, after which the turn passes on. Characters can use normal attacks to build up combos which are then used to augment the power of special attacks. Later on you can chain special attacks once you have a certain amount of combo points, making for some interesting and downright awesome amounts of damage racking up. Quick, easy, and a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, every area you wander into only houses two or three types of enemies with established attacking patterns, so after you've f aught a similar group three or four times you end up doing the exact same thing, over and over again. After the 10th similar group it starts getting really old, and almost frustratingly easy if there is such a thing.

Aside from the nifty combat style, Eternal Sonata is pretty much your standard RPG. Your characters level, learn new powers, gain enhanced stats, etc. Your equipment is good until you find the next upgrade, and as long as you keep up with equipment and take care of every monster you run into the whole game is pretty easy. Of course I am only about 23 hours in right now, and I've still got a major boss fight or two left, but so far it's been smooth sailing.

You're Beautiful, It's True

Where the game really shines is presentation. It's no secret that I've been in love with the game since I saw the first screenshots, and the real thing holds up just as well. Environments are vibrant, colorful, and full of just as much character as the characters themselves. You can take a screenshot during any of the cutscenes and have yourself an image suitable for framing. My only real complaint with the graphics is that the characters all look the same, albeit with different hair styles and colors, but that's pretty much the same with any anime-inspired look.

Rock Me Ama...Nevermind

A game about Chopin better have good music, and Eternal Sonata delivers, to an extent. The Chopin portions are simply amazing. Each chapter of the game is named for one of the composers more famous works, and at certain points in each chapter the piece will play in full, along with a brief history behind the music complete with still photographs and illustrations from places Chopin lived. From the five or so pieces I've collected I've learned more about the man's life than any music appreciation class I've ever taken. In case you are really, really pathetic, Namco Bandai will sell you a code to unlock all of the music for a small fee via Xbox Live. Seriously, if you do this you suck.

The rest of the game music, however, suffers in comparison. At best it is generic, though a few pieces do stand out. I don't care how talented a game composer you are - you go up against Chopin, you lose.

As with any Japanese game translated into US English, voices are pretty hit or miss. Some are done very well (the man himself), while others are at first cute but quickly become grating (March.) Japanese with subtitles is the way to go, as any anime fan worth their salt will tell you.

This Is The End

Eternal Sonata is a truly beautiful game graphically and musically, and the concept certainly deserves points for originality, but the rest of the game didn't follow suit. It's certainly worth purchasing, but don't go into it looking for and innovating RPG or you'll be disappointed.

Hopefully, this news doesn't come as too much of a shock for Namco Bandai themselves who were "not aware" of the PS3 version of the game just a few months ago and that portable defibrillators are on hand at the publisher's HQ.

Eternal Sonata also on PlayStation 3 [Jeux-France]

Clerical error or something far more sinister?! It's hard to think "sinister" when one is discussing an RPG occuring in the mind of a dying Polish composer or rolling things up with a katamari, so we'll remain simply skeptical of the listings. Maybe we will know more after our trip to Tokyo next week.

Thanks to our tipsters for the heads up.

NEW ETERNAL SONATA COMMUNITY SITE STEPS UP TO THE PODIUM

Eternal Sonata fans rejoice as NAMCO BANDAI Games has dimmed the house lights and drawn back the curtains on Endless Nocturne, a new interactive community site for their upcoming RPG title, Eternal Sonata for the Xbox 360. Aspiring maestros around the world are invited to create their magnum opus for fellow composers, and receive musical "Notes" for their submissions of fan art, contributions to the community forums, and participation in polls, quizzes, surveys, and other Eternal Sonata-inspired assignments and creative opportunities. Accomplished artistes can then exchange their Notes in the Endless Nocturne shop for Eternal Sonata posters, custom signed artwork, soundtracks, copies of the game, or even the ultimate musical prize — an iPod or Zune MP3 player. Artisans and aficionados alike can join the Eternal Sonata community now at www.endlessnocturne.com.

Eternal Sonata is the RPG to own this Fall as its intuitive and strategic combat system, featuring a blend of real-time and turn-based battle, keeps the action flowing and takes into account elements such as light and darkness. Boasting an intriguing story told through real-time cut-scenes, an unforgettable cast of characters, and incredibly detailed environments to explore, Eternal Sonata is set to deliver one of the most engrossing RPG experiences of the year for the Xbox 360.

For more information on Eternal Sonata, please visit http://eternalsonata.namcobandaigames.com

People who play games and people who love classical music are not necessarily sharing [the] same type of interests. Most people in Japan know the name of Chopin; however, most of the people who know of Chopin think he is just some kind of a great music composer without knowing any more about him. Most of them have heard Chopin's music but not a lot could put his name to it immediately. By creating a colorful fantasy world in Chopin's dream, I was hoping that people would get into this game easily and also come to know how great Chopin's music is.

Eternal Sonata (or Trusty Bell as it is still called in the corner of this clip) continues to wow us with it's stunning graphics and this short bit of the prologue doesn't disappoint. The first half is really nothing more than two characters speaking to each other and sure I can't understand a word of Japanese, but boy howdy is it gorgeous.

The second half, which is included after the jump, shows a portion of the story we haven't seen to much of yet. That is the storyline which ties the whole game together; the composer Chopin on his deathbed, whose fevered dreams define the game's main story. Instead of being in an open field, we are taken into in interior scene that is highly detailed and every bit as beautiful as it's simpler counterpart.

This is really shaping up to be a must have 360 title for me. So far, the few RPG offerings we've seen for the system have been pretty dull. Perhaps Eternal Sonata can break the mold and give us a truly in-depth RPG experience. Flynn De Marco

Given that PlayStation fans have already had their fill of three Katamari titles, combined with Microsoft's desire to expand its library with non-shooters and the paltry PS3 install base, an exclusivity deal, timed or no, makes good sense. Namco Bandai and Microsoft seem like great corporate pals. I bet MS would've even let them publish Frame City Killer without a peep!

I guess we'll know if and when the PLAYSTATION 3 is getting a new-gen Katamari at E3. Exciting times, aren't they? Michael McWhertor

On A Roll, Or, How Microsoft Secured Yet Another Exclusive—Beautiful Katamari—From Namco Bandai [N'Gai Croal's Level Up]