This week has gone by faster than most because it's been a short week for work. In Japan, there are a few holidays that are so close together that they get lumped into one week called Golden Week. This is the most popular time for Japanese to travel, and most people have work off and enjoy Japan. I am no exception. In fact, when this is posted, I'll be enjoying the sights of Kyoto and Nara, two of Japan's ancient capitals. I suppose this spoils the surprise for next week's special report, but expect it to be pretty cool.

With my trip at hand, I have had to work like a madman to prepare things for the trip. I have cleaned my apartment, secured hotels, and planned out a rough schedule for the trip. None of this was easy, but getting hotels was particularly hard. It seems that everyone and their brother goes to Kyoto for Golden Week. I may have grabbed one of the last hotels in the city, and it's going to be tiny. I'm staying in a "business hotel." That's kind of like a western hotel if you stripped out everything but the basics. The plus is they are cheaper, but they don't feature a lot. Honestly, I don't really care. From the pictures (I'm not actually IN Kyoto yet), it looks like I'll be on the floor when it comes to sleeping. Luckily, I'm rather used to that. Living in Japan does that to a man.

In other news, thank you to those that submitted sig pics. The decision to use one here will NOT be easy. I'll be looking for gashapon in Kyoto to send to people in exchange for their hard work. Thank you everyone!

Since I'm not yet in Kyoto, I guess I'll wrap this up here. I guess I'll have a lot cooler intro next week... So, lets get this holiday party started!

The chart was topped by an RPG last week, but this time it's topped by two RPGs! Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song and Fire Emblem: Trial of Blue Flames take the top two spots respectively. Most of the other games manage to hold on, but some are slipping down pretty quickly.

In other chart related news, a new DS game called Nintendogs has managed to take the 4th, 5th, and 7th slots. This is one of the more interesting things Nintendo has created in a while. On the surface, it's a dog sim, but in reality, it's like a virtual pet that you can really play with. They are trying to market it as kind of like a real dog you carry with you in your pocket. From looking at a trailer I saw of it in Tsutaya, the game is pretty durn cool. I'd buy it, but I'm low on time as it is. Even if I DID buy it, which breed to buy? There are tree choices to choose from with more on the way, I believe.

That said, let's see those numbers!

Position	Title	Publisher	Platform
1	Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song	Square Enix
2	Fire Emblem: Trial of Blue Flames	Nintendo
12	Far East of Eden: Tengai Makyo III Namida	Hudson Soft
23	Megaman.exe 5: Team of Colonel	Capcom
26	Egg Monster Hero	Square Enix
28	Pokemon Emerald	Nintendo
14	Tales of Eternia	Namco
36	Shining Force Neo	Sega
37	Wild Arms 4th Detonator	Media Play
46	Megaman.exe 5 Team of Pruus	Capcom

Last week I began coverage of Far East of Eden: Tengai Makyo III Namida, and all information for this game is so long, that it takes two updates to do it all. But for those of you joining me for the first time, here's a recap of last week's story: The hero of the game, Namida, washes up on the shore of a small island town and is discovered by a girl named Ichiyo. He has no memory of his past life, but his current life isn't so bad. Ichiyo's family takes in Namida as a son, and time passes until he turns 17. During a festival of that year, Namida holds a sacred mirror, and it breaks and spews out monsters calling themselves "Ami." The Ami kidnap Ichiyo and plot to take over the world called Tsukusu.

As I reported last week, Namida won't be alone on his quest to rescue Ichiyo and save Tsukusu from the Ami. He will also be joined by the strange Tonkarylin, so mysterious that not even its gender can be easily known. It enjoys bobbing dances and playing the fool, but Tonkarylin surprises people sometimes with its well-timed wisdom. It nearly worships Ichiyo and regards Namida as Ichiyo's servant.

Another ally in the fight is Oni Ichiban, whose name means 'Number One Ogre.' He takes pride in the meaning of his name, but he's not overbearing about it. He's bound by his honor and detests lies. As his name would suggest, he's a bit on the strong side and can swing huge axes and hammers as if they were feathers.

Still another friend is Tametomo, a once-in-generations prodigy from a long line of talented archers. He's cool and genteel, and he gets as many compliments for his looks as his archery.

One final comrade in arms is the lone wolf, Tobei. He is a master of swords, and he keeps his words and emotions to himself.

As for the Ami, they are almost as numerous as the heroes. One such man is Idaten. He's obsessed with being the fastest man alive. Known for his grandiosity and short temper, he has also kidnapped every girl in Nagasaki and kept them in his castle for some unknown reason.

Two more are the brother and sister pair, Taori and Taojirius. Taori doesn't seem like a "bad guy" on the outside with her love of pretty flowers, but on the inside, she's a merciless manipulator. She takes advantage of her younger brother, Taojirius, making him do her bidding.

Taojirius looks fierce, but he is really simple in reality. He adores his older sister, and he will do anything for her. Unfortunately, his devotion to his sister blinds him to the fact that she's only using him.

One final Ami is Nigi. He is a coldly logical nihilist most of the time, but he can be scary and wild when his temper is ignited. Among his powers are a mastery over lightning and fire.

As reported last week, Far East of Eden: Tengai Makyo III Namida was released on April 14 in Japan for 7800 yen. In the meantime, you can check out some character artwork of all the characters here. You can find screens here.

Nippon Ichi has decided to expand the Marl Kingdom series a little further, and this time it's going to be on the DoCoMo i900 series phones. Marl no Oukoku no Ningyou Hime, which translates into Marl Kingdom: Doll Princess, features an old mansion called the "Doll House." In it lived an old doll-maker and his granddaughter. The granddaughter, Cornett, made friends with all the dolls, and they made friends with her. Oddly enough, all these dolls have souls just like a regular person.

Cornett always carried a doll with her around in town. People thought she was odd for doing it, but nobody hated her or shunned her for it as Cornett was so cheerful and friendly.

Every day, Cornett would go looking for food for her dolls, as they apparently need to eat. One one of these trips, she took her very best doll friend, a fairy named Kururu, out in to the forest, and so begins the story of the "Doll Princess."

As for the characters, the heroine is the 16-year-old Cornett Espoir, who has a lot of friends that all happen to be dolls. She's a cheery girl, and she isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in. She likes singing and playing the trumpet, and she's also quite skilled at cooking.

All heroes and heroines need rivals, and for Cornett, her lifelong rival is Etoile RosenQueen. Also 16 years old, She is the daughter of the richest family in town. She's known for suddenly showing up and lording her wealth over Cornett, but then she'll go away, laughing haughtily. She enjoys fancy clothes, bragging, winning, and money.

Kururu, a living fairy doll, is one of Cornett's friends and is a self-declared caretaker. She is little, but she likes getting involved in incidents that are really too big for her. Kururu likes cherries and taking care of Cornett.

Ferdinand Marl E is the 17-year-old crown prince of Marl. Rather active, he enjoys sneaking out of the castle to go hunting in the forest or to go shopping in the town. His father passed away two years ago, and is mother is acting as regent until he turns 18. He is supposed to find a wife by that time "or else." He enjoys hunting, swordsmanship, and good cooking.

Marjoly is a witch that thinks she is the "greatest beauty in the world." She doesn't let on that she's actually over 100 years old. As a witch, she really is the greatest in the world, but she tends to be a little on the dense side. She likes looking at herself in mirrors, cackling, and pretty young men.

Crowdia is one of Marjoly's servants and is also a witch and a skill swordswoman. She has a set of black wings that allow her to fly. She enjoys reading, talking to birds, and vegetable salad.

Gao is another of Marjoly's servants, and she isn't one for minding details. She's wild and strong enough to wrestle dragons and win! She likes training, eating, and sleeping.

Myao Karukansky is yet another of Marjoly's witch servants. She's easy going, but she's more than a little self-centered. She looks like a child, but she has the power to summon dragons. She enjoys having pets (dragons included), sweet things, and fish.

Marl Kingdom: Doll Princess will be available on January 24th for the low fee of 300 yen per month.

The latest chapter in Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis is available for download for those owning a DoCoMo 900i or 901i series cellular phones. This time around, the Turks get a "paid vacation," but it's spent in the slums. While there, they run into a flower girl named Aeris.

This newest chapter was available for download on 4/25, and it comes at the usual 525 yen.

Slated as a "companion piece" to Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, Ys: Oath in Felghana, has been given a release date of June 30 by Falcom. The limited edition will contain a lot of goodies. Among them are not one, not two, but eight music CDs that all come in their own special hard case called the Premium Music CD Box. The tracks include arrangements of Ys: Oath in Felghana's music, and the Complete Sound Works of Ys III, a set of seven CDs.

Japanese gamers with X-Box consoles will soon have another RPG to play. Sudeki will see a release on July 14 in Japan. The game was designed with its own special graphics engine, and was famed for its gorgeous visuals. For those unfamiliar with the game, it takes place in a world split between a country of light and one of darkness. Players control four different characters, one at a time, but they can switch at will. Battles feature combo attacks similar to those found in action games and gun action like that of FPSs. Sudeki also features a high degree of customization with players being able to decide weapon/armor upgrades and who gets experience points after battles.

Square Enix has opened a site for the the third title in the Full Metal Alchemist series called Full Metal Alchemist 3: Kami wo Tsugu Shojo. This translates into "The girl who succeeded God."

As for plot, this newest game is a completely original story that is unconnected to the anime, but the creator of the original manga, Hiromu Arakawa, has provided character designs and approved the script. As far as gameplay goes, the biggest new feature will be 2-player mode. It will also be able to switch between Ed and Al, the two protagonists, with the press of a button. The game will also feature videos done by the same team responsible for the anime and upcoming movie.

This week, I've got some letters from staffers. Since this week's kind of special, I thought I'd answer some mail from inside RPGamer, and it seems that a common question involves my bathing habits.... Well... I said I'd answer almost anything, so here goes! Let's get to some letters!

I should also mention that last week's column had a mistake in the Culture Corner. A reader pointed it out, and it was promptly fixed. Thanks for the correction! I was asleep at the wheel when I wrote that bit...