When From Software's Eternal Ring was released in Japan, it was met with more than its share of disappointment and criticism. Fortunately, according to online reports, the game's North American publisher is doing what it can to make the action RPG for the PlayStation 2 better for stateside gamers.

"We changed the game speed," Satoshi Shimojima, one of the game's producers, told FGN Online. "The player can move much faster than the Japanese version right from the beginning." RPGamer believes that this will help address the issue of Eternal Ring's haphazard and difficult control scheme.

Shimojima also told FGN Online that the North American version will take better advantage of the storage space offered by the DVD medium. "All conversations in the game will have full voice over," said Shimojima. The previous versions of the game only used voice acting in the cinematic cut-scenes.

One change being clamored for by the public that will not be met is a solution to Eternal Ring's lack of in-game mapping features. Agetec producer Mark Johnson says that adding a mapping feature will make the game too easy. Johnson claims that Agetec wants gamers to play and make their own maps.

Eternal Ring is played from a first-person perspective, with battles taking place in real-time. The game's story follows the exploits a young soldier under the direct orders of the King to solve the mystery of the Eternal Ring. The quest begins by journeying to an isolated island called the "Island of No Return."

Agetec, the North American publisher of Eternal Ring, is predicting a late 2000 release. Count on RPGamer to bring you more details on this upcoming PlayStation 2 title as the news develops.