It was no surprise after the success Squaresoft has had in North America that Enix reopened the doors of their North American office late last year. However, besides an initial promise of Dragon Quest VII, Valkyrie Profile, and nearly half a dozen unnamed games, the American offices have been very quiet. Not anymore.

Enix of America has announced their first four games to be released this year, and luckily three are role-playing games. The first is Tri-Ace's Valkyrie Profile, the smash-hit PlayStation game in Japan. Enix is aiming for a Fall release of this two CD game with over 60 hours of gameplay. You can check out our Valkyrie Profile section here.

Another RPG announced was Torneko: The Last Hope. This game is the continuation of the adventures of Torneko from Dragon Quest IV, or Taloon as he was called in the North American release, Dragon Warrior IV. This game melds classic RPG labyrinth exploration, randomly-generated dungeons, an intriguing plot, and character design by Akira Toriyama, who created Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The game includes hundreds of items, over a hundred monsters, and a full orchestra score by Koichi Sugiyami. Torneko: The Last Hope is hailed as easy to pick up and very hard to put down. Enix is aiming for a Fall release of this title.

Finally, Enix announced Dragon Warrior I & II. Wait, those games have been out for over a decade. Now, though, Enix is releasing these two classics as one cartridge for the Game Boy Color. Not only will they be released as one package, but, as is Nintendo's policy on NES ports, these games will be enhanced. The character detail has been increased, and the backgrounds and overall look has also been enhanced. The games will also include cinematics that were not in the original games. Enix was able to keep the same music to give old school players feelings of nostalgia. Those who played the original NES releases and those who are new to the RPG will be able to live the adventures of the descendants of the legendary hero and rid Alefgard of evil once again.. this Fall.

Keep in mind that this is not necessarily the complete list for 2000, as Dragon Warrior VII still has a chance of making it to the North American market before the end of the year as do other titles. Since Dragon Quest VII seen many delays and has still yet to be released in Japan, it is most likely a precaution not to formally announce even a quarter that the North American release will come in. Luckily, Enix has given RPGamers plenty to look forward to this Fall in the meantime.