Mistwalker 360 Exclusive Blue Dragon Gets Western Date

Microsoft has announced official Western release dates for its Mistwalker and Artoon-developed Xbox 360 exclusive RPG Blue Dragon, coming to Europe on August 24th and North America four days later on August 28th. Microsoft notes that the game is a "combination of realistic environments, anime-styled characters, unique battles and a deep, compelling storyline" being produced by an all-star team including former Square Enix creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, character designed by Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama, and scored by Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. In the game, players take on the role of Shu and his band of four friends exploring the world and combating evil forces by using magical powers to control their phantom shadow creators that take on the forms of minotaur, phoenix, dragon and more. The anticipated title debuted at number four in its mid-December Japanese release -- a somewhat significant victory for the console in the region -- and will be published by Microsoft Game Studios in August in both Western territories.