Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) and its American presence, NIS America, have built a huge reputation over the past couple years as the torch-carriers for the 2D RPG fan, with Ar Tonelico recently offering a great dose of traditional, albeit excellent, action; lots of interactions with cute girls; and an item creation system that is simple and fun.

Here’s a quick look at a handful of titles coming out this year…

Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (release date: April 24, PSP). Here’s what I hope will happen, this game will rock the PSP like the previous NIS games were supposed to. We need more solid, 2D RPGs on the PSP and I’m crossing my fingers that this will be it (and we know there’s a killer app coming too, more on that below). From the site: “Long, long ago, battles were waged with blade and spell. The lush island of Aedis was constantly submerged in bloodshed. Eventually, this hatred and anger gave birth to an entity known as Mugen, which brought an end to all things. Mugen’s dark lightning scorched the land, split the earth, and shattered the vessels of life. The few survivors fled to an ancient relic, the Otherworld Tower. As they entered, some descended into the earth, while others climbed to the heavens. Some, however, still had faith in their land, and remained in Aedis. Thus has the legend this world has passed down. Now they call it a fairy tale, a mere child’s fantasy.”

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (release date: May 29, PS2) is the 3rd in a series of alchemy RPG games by Gust. With a strong focus on item creation and good old-school battles, the 3rd time may be the charm for this great series. From the site: “Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm tells the story of two young adventurers, Edge and Iris. They accidentally discover a fragment of a magical book that can grant any wish, once all 8 pieces are brought back together. On their quest to find all the pieces, they are joined by a rag-tag team of alchemists and warriors.”

Soul Nomad (release date: August 2007, PS2). Is this Disgaea 3? All kidding aside, the trailer makes this look like an awesome SRPG. From the press release: “This latest project from Nippon Ichi Software combines the infamous grid-based strategy engine of Disgaea with the deep game play of a traditional style RPG for a new and unique experience. Crime apparently pays well as players are encouraged to steal, abduct, and kick villagers in the butt to get what you want.” Consider this on my most anticipated list!

Dragoneer’s Aria (release date: summer 2007, PSP). Another PSP RPG coming our way. According to the press release: “Developed by Hit Maker, Dragoneer’s Aria takes advantage of PlayStation® Portable’s advanced hardware providing an compelling story telling with flawless transition between adventure and battles. Players can now battle enemies as a team through PlayStation® Portable’s ADHOC function. Up to 4 players can play at the same time.”

GrimGrimoire (release date: June 2007, PS2). According to the press release: “The fantasy real time strategy game (RTS) is scheduled to release in summer 2007, and is co-developed by Nippon Ichi Software and Vanillaware. In the game, players will take on the role of Lillet Blan, a young magician who is admitted to a prestigious yet mystical magic school; however, on the 5th day of school, everyone mysteriously vanishes. Lillet, awakens the next day to find out she is once again living out the first day of school; however, her memories from the previous days are intact, giving her the opportunity to solve the mysteries behind the disappearances and prevent the tragedy from occurring.” Definitely check out the trailer for this one, it looks amazing.

Disgaea PSP (release date: summer 2007, PSP). Not only is this the Disgaea we know and love, but there is additional content and a new multiplayer mode!!! According to the press release: “Gamers will now be able to play their favorite game on the go. And premiering with the North American release, Disgaea® PSP will feature a multiplayer mode, enabling players to pit their armies against each other. There will also be a brand new Geo Cube feature, which will alter the rules of battle, bringing a brand new element of strategy to the game, and spicing up player vs. player battles. A new story mode has also been added, allowing players to play as their favorite vassal.” Will this lead to perhaps some SRPG presence on Xbox Live with multiplayer? I’ve long thought the future of the 2D SRPG was on places such as Xbox Live where downloadable content would be available at intervals and where there could be human against human battles. It looks like even players who have put more than their share in to the original will have some new things to play with on the PSP version.

Note: all content taken from the NIS America website: http://www.nisamerica.com/