May 21^st, 2002 (12:00am) - Eidos Interactive announces a new title for its ‘Fresh Games’ label, Legaia 2: Duel Saga on PlayStation 2. Legaia 2: Duel Saga is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Legend of Legaia, which was released on PlayStation in 1999. Developed by SCEJ (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan), the game will be released this Autumn in the U.S. and Europe. The game is a Japanese turn-based RPG that features real-time backgrounds and voice acting. Eidos will translate and localise the game for the Western market.

“Legaia 2: Duel Saga is a worthy addition to the Fresh Games label,” says Mike McGarvey, CEO of Eidos Interactive. “The game’s unique RPG-style gameplay will be highly appealing to the hardcore gamer.”

The game begins in a small village called Nohl as the player assumes the role of Lang, a rookie member of the Nohl militia. Nohl is located in a very arid land and relies on a magical ‘Water Crystal’ to supply infinite water to the village. One day a tyrant named Avalon steals the crystal from the village. As a result the village becomes shrouded in an evil light and powerful monsters begin to roam the land. With the village’s survival at stake, Lang decides to venture forth into uncharted lands to recover the Water Crystal.

Legaia 2: Duel Saga includes numerous features new to the RPG genre. The game incorporates a unique battle system called ‘Tactical Arts’. This system allows players to enter a series of directional button inputs to call up special attack combos and manoeuvres. Tactical Arts attacks will be accompanied by dynamic camera angles to further enhance the effect. Players will also have access to ‘Origins’ that assist characters in fighting battles and solving puzzles. Each member of the adventure party will have a different Origin available to him or her. These can be used for battling enemies, healing injured party members, and destroying barriers.

Players will also have the option of combining different items to create more powerful and useful weapons and tools. Legaia 2: Duel Saga also has numerous mini-games such as darts games, slot machines, roulette, etc, that enrich the gameplay experience.

For further information, please contact:
Steve Starvis (Head of Communications) or Mark Allen (PR Manager) at:
Eidos Interactive, Wimbledon Bridge House, 1 Hartfield Rd, Wimbledon, London SW19 3RU.
Tel: 020 8636 3000; Fax: 020 8636 3001;
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About Eidos
Eidos is one of the world’s largest independent publishers and developers of entertainment software. Eidos develops and publishes a diverse mix of titles for the PC, PlayStation® game console, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube™ and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. For more information on Eidos and its products visit http://www.eidos.com