It’s just been announced that Square Enix’s massive space opera RPG, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, will be releasing on June 5th this year in PAL territories on Xbox 360.

Square Enix Ltd. will be bringing the title to Xbox 360 owners looking for a new epic RPG to sink their teeth into, as president and chief executive officer of the firm, John Yamamoto said:

“We are delighted to bringing this exciting new chapter of the critically acclaimed STAR OCEAN series to Europe and PAL territories. STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope is a stunning and captivating adventure, set to delight both fans of the previous adventures and newcomers alike.”

The game features a four-member party system with team-oriented, real-time combat in a universe set after the events of World War III, as “humanity voyages into the stars in search of a new home… and a second chance.”

Japanese magazine Famitsu recently conducted a video interview with Jun Takeuchi, the producer of Resident Evil 5. Capcom’s blog translated the 13 minute video which includes the first-ever shots of actual game play as well as never-before-heard information about the game. The video also gives gamers a short history of the Resident Evil series which began in 1996, beginning with the words “Ever since the dawn of time the most primordial human emotion has been fear.”

Resident Evil 5 is the next installment in Capcom’s popular survival horror series. Takeuchi revealed why they chose to set the game in Africa, as well as what weapons gamers can expect, the role of lighting in the game and a closer look at Chris Redfield’s character in the game.

Setting

With regards to the decision to set the game in Africa, Takeuchi commented “We settled on the fact that we really wanted to show the origins of the virus. So for the setting, we thought how about using the place where humankind was born?”

The team has attempted to take the player outside as much as possible into a range of different situations. This introduced many variations including weather, passage of time and the use of light. “In all of the games up until now, light and darkness have been used as abstract concepts,” Takeuchi said. “This time we wanted to realistically create that light and shadow, and use it in combination with the abstract concept.”

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Following hot on the heels of last week’s DS Lan in Durban, Rebound will be holding a PSP tournament in Johannesburg on the 19th of April.

Meet at 13:00 at the McDonalds at the corner of Kingsway and University Roads (opposite the Campus Square). Games that will be played include Fired Up, Tekken DR and Monster Hunter 2.

There is no limit to the amount of people that can join and the entrance is free, so bring your friends!