Boundary Gate

		Originally a PC-FX title released in February of this year, Boundary Gate makes a fairly quick translation to the Playstation. NEC has not released any of their original PC-FX titles on other consoles before Boundary Gate but they may start to do so since the FX has a declining sales curve in Japan. NEC might want to borrow a page from SNK and start developing software for release on the Saturn and Playstation in conjunction with their PC-FX. The subtitle of this game is Daughter of Kingdom. The main character in the game is a white haired princess who has to keep her father's kingdom together through adventure, interaction and lots of fighting. What else is new?

		The in-game movement is reminescent of Might & Magic and Bards Tale (these are two very old Commodore 64 and PC games) with the sides of walls scrolling past you as walk through towns and wilderness. Boundary Gate improves on this generic 'maze engine' by adding 360 degree panning and wide open spaces to explore. There are many doors in cities that you can enter to encounter the various characters in the game. For example, when you enter an inn, the owner will greet you and ask if you wish to stay the night. In a nice touch, subtle animation is apparent in all of the characters that you encounter. The innkeeper will move his arms and act jovial as he questions you.

		If it looks like every other monster that you meet is bigger, stronger and mightier than you are, then you'd be correct. There are a lot of tough beasts in Boundary Gate that you'll encounter in towns (yes, in populated towns) and the surrounding countryside that will give you pause. Since the battles are fought in real time with each slash, stroke and blow animated in good detail, adventurers will have to make their decisions efficiently. A good tactic to use in Boundary Gate is to build up your party as quickly as possible by defeating some lesser monsters. You should then outfit your guys with the best armor that you can afford with the gold that you score for better protection against the tougher beasts.

Boundary Gate promises at least 50 hours of game time. While this is well and good, one can't help but think that NEC has saddled this rpg with old technology. The movement in towns harken back to the early days of RPGs and the graphics don't impress as much as they would have 2 years ago. On the FX, Boundary Gate was a welcome release because it represented a genre that has not been explored in depth yet. Lunatic Dawn is the only other 'pure' RPG on the PC-FX. Boundary Gate's appearance on the PS is puzzling. The Playstation is home to the master of the RPG genre - Square. Few can come close to the quality that Square has trailblazed and Boundary Gate simply can't compete with the high expectations that recent titles like Final Fantasy VII and Saga Frontier have set.

The large amount of games available on the PS will also leave a mediocre title like Boundary Gate easily passed over. No one will miss it. NEC may experience lower sales of Boundary Gate on the Playstation than they had on the PC-FX. Although the storyline in the game is good, the plain visuals and the competition on all fronts make Boundary Gate another face in a mob-sized crowd.

		The voluminous fighting in the game is viewed from a behind your character perspective. As you hack, slash and cast magical spells, the screen will light up with sparks and luminescence from your magic.