When Square Enix registered a trademark for the title "Radiata Stories" on June 30 of 2004, it left many people wondering what the future would hold for this title. Maybe it would be a brand new, polymorphic concept brand which would not only make its presence known as a video game, but an anime series or a manga as well? While it's unknown if the title will spawn anything other than this single game, it was revealed in September of last year that Radiata Stories would be a tri-Ace-developed RPG for the PlayStation 2. Today, September 6, Radiata Stories ships to North American retailers, nearly an exact year after the title was officially unveiled.

Radiata Stories is a non-linear RPG, akin to titles such as Final Fantasy X-2 and the three already-released Elder Scrolls games. It features a real-time battle system, with over 175 characters to collect. The story to go along with these gameplay mechanics revolves around Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake (renamed from "Ridley Timberlake" in the Japanese version), as they adventure through a world where a war has erupted between the humans and the fairy, or non-human, creatures. Which side Jack and Ridley will find themselves fighting for, be it the humans or the fairies, is entirely the player's choice.

Radiata Stories has been rated "T" for teen by the ESRB, and will be sold for $49.99 at retailers. After being run through the review gauntlet by RPGamer's Derek Cavin at the end of last week, the game earned a 4.5 out of 5. Read our full review by clicking here.