When I spent some hands on time at E3 2009 with the prequel to the original Vandal Hearts on the PlayStation, I was told that the game was due out in September. That looks to have changed now, with the latest batch of screenshots attached to a document indicating that the game would be hitting Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network this winter, which last time I checked does not include September. no matter how hard you try to fold it.

The date comes with the announcement of new details that...well, they aren't technically all that new. There'll be 20 playable maps, and characters in your party progress in the skills you use the most, meaning that by the end of the game you'll have a party tailored to your personal preferences. There's also the bit about multiple endings, which adds a bit of replayability to the game, at least until someone figures out exactly what to do in order to get each ending and we all make a note to save just before that.

The release also boasts new screenshots, which considering they include the same image I used for my previous Vandal Hearts post, might not be new either. I've included them anyway, just in case they are new to you.

What Is It?
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network prequel to the original Vandal Hearts strategy RPG series that appeared on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It features young Tobias Martin, driven to fight for peace, revealing a much greater danger to the world of Sostegaria than the battle between its rival kingdoms. Insert dramatic music here!

What We Saw
The demo level I played saw the hero and his party being ambushed by a plucky villainess and her crew. After battling it out with her cronies a giant worm creature burrowed out of the ground, causing her to flee and I to put down the controller, as I only had a limited amount of time to play.

How Far Along Is It?
The graphics were clean, the sounds and effects in place, and I saw no obvious bugs to speak of. The game is due in September, so if it isn't close to finished by now it should be.

What Needs Improvement?
The Character Designs: I'm not quite sure what you'd call this art style, but it definitely isn't Vandal Hearts. It's a weird sort of Code Lyoko-ish style that I'm not sure I can get used to. It's almost somewhat...unsettling. The Konami presenter said that they were paying close attention to criticisms of the art style, though I doubt they'll be overhauling it completely between now and release.

On Screen Indicators: Still being polished up, a couple of attacks my characters had at their disposal weren't properly indicating where they would hit, causing me to off one of my own party members by mistake. Oops.

What Should Stay The Same?
Quick and Easy Combat: While at first the number of options might be daunting, the new Vandal Hearts has a relatively simplistic control scheme for a game of its type. Within five minutes of picking up the controller I had a handle on what was going on, quickly moving about the board dispatching my foes before bravely running from a giant worm.

Everything But The Characters: Aside from the character designs, the game itself is looking quite sharp. In fact, I wasn't originally planning on playing the game at Konami's booth but the colorful imagery drew me over.

Final Thoughts
It's odd, seeing a game that was one of the most epic experiences on the original PlayStation reduced to a downloadable title, but then perhaps reduced isn't the right word. The main adventure is supposed to clock in at around 12-16 hours, and with downloadable content this could wind up being the most expansive Vandal Hearts title yet. Hopefully the less-than-endearing character designs don't cripple it.

Between scads of game demos to play, a mandatory social hour and the opening speeches, it almost feels like a mini Game Developers Conference. Only, it's all Konami all the time.

This year's offerings included a lot of lesser-known and possibly mundane DS games, a few Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network titles that might be worth attention, and tantalizing glimpses of games yet to come.

Here's what we came away with:
Insurgents Contributed To Development Of Six Days In Fallujah
Saw Preview: Condemned or Dragon's Lair?
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – A Makeover Not A Remake
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment Preview: Fails To Spark Interest
Ant Nation DS Preview: Baby's First Strategy Game
Konami Warns Of Zombie Apocalypse On XBLA, PSN

Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is actually a prequel to the original Vandal Hearts, coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. With multiple endings and player characters that supposedly adapt to the user's style of gameplay, Flames of Judgment won't have to suffer the test of nostalgia. But it will have to live up to modern expectations of SRPGs instead of the ones that we judged the original Vandal Hearts by.

What Is It?
Flames of Judgment is a strategy RPG that serves as a prequel to the original PlayStation SRPG Vandal Hearts. It's an Xbox Live/PlayStation Network downloadable game, which is not all that common for the gameplay genre. The story follows stereotypically plucky youth, Tobias, and his friends as they fight for the peace in the land of Sostegaria.

What We Saw
The demo level takes place in a haunted battlefield in a forest area where the hero's party gets jumped by skeletons and wolves. I watched one journo play through the level and win, which took about half an hour. When it was my turn, I played through the level and tried to lose by getting the main character killed. I managed it in only 15 minutes, but that didn't result in a demo fail and the power went out on that side of the venue before I could get all five party members killed.

How Far Along Is It?
The demo build didn't look too rough and certainly wasn't buggy, but the game won't be out ‘til September.

What Needs Improvement?
Not Enough Nostalgia Appeal: It's been a long time since Vandal Hearts and I'm not sure that it has the cult following that would demand that changes to gameplay be kept to the minimum. Even if it did, why not remake the game completely to capitalize on that fanbase?

Slow: According to the press release, the classic combat of Vandal Hearts has been streamlined so that it "combines the speedy RPG pace of the original […] with improved user mechanics" – but I didn't really get that feeling from the demo. There were only about three menus to navigate through during a turn phase (four, if you're changing weapons) to move a character and then have them attack or cast a spell, but the characters moved so slowly, the combat phase didn't really feel as fast as other SRPGs of the day.

No Flanking Bonus: One of the things I like best about newer RPGs is the concept of a flanking bonus. If I manage to get all my units surrounding an enemy, I should get a major damage bonus when attacking that enemy. Because Flames of Judgment isn't a remake, there is no excuse for failing to include this and perhaps some other updates that the SRPG genre has adopted over the years.

What Should Stay The Same?
It's On Console: The absolute biggest gripe of many SRPG fans is that you can only get your fix on a handheld device. This is doubly bad because many SRPGs don't have the hang of quicksaves, so the games don't necessarily work very well on handhelds despite always being made for or ported to handhelds.

It's On XBLA And PSN: The game deserves a tiny bit of street cred for being different in terms of distribution if not for being innovative on other fronts.

It's Pretty – Kind Of: The characters lack the cutesy appeal of many portable SRPGs, but the colors are rich and vibrant. So at least you have something to look at while your character takes a bit too long to cross all those squares before attacking.

Final Thoughts
Honestly, I'm having trouble putting this game in context, especially since the power failed during the demo and the information provided in the press packet (see below) doesn't really give many details about what makes Flames of Judgment special or awesome. I don't even know if there's any kind of multiplayer or plans for DLC support.

I do know that SRPGs are a genre that either you love or hate. The fact that Flames of Judgment is a prequel to a classic won't change that; it'll just draw in a few of the gamers who loved the original Vandal Hearts. I have a feeling they're going to be disappointed.