Namco announced today that the highly anticipated, epic role-playing adventure Baten Kaitos, subtitled Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, will be available for the U.S. market in November 2004.

Available exclusively for GameCube, Baten Kaitos takes players on an incredible voyage to unlock the mystery of the lost ocean. Amidst a world in crisis, at a time where the mighty continent and the once-vast oceans are a mere legend, players take the role of a guardian spirit that advises and guides Kalas, the story's hero, throughout his expedition. The story unfolds as Kalas meets up with an unlikely companion, Xelha, and the two embark on a quest to overcome a conspiracy for power that threatens to lead the world to its final destruction.

"The beautiful graphics, brilliant 3D character designs by Nakaba Higurashi and unique turn-based battle system sets Baten Kaitos apart from other games in the RPG genre," said Rod Nakamoto, executive vice president of research and development at Namco Hometek Inc. "We're looking forward to giving gamers the chance to experience the adventure first-hand when it hits the U.S. market this fall."

Baten Kaitos features an intense and extraordinary "Magnus" card-based RPG battle and item system that allows players to capture the essence of certain objects, weapons and spells to reproduce them during combat, healing, solving puzzles and more. Additionally, the more than 1,000 types of "Magnus" cards can age through time: foods will ripen or rot and items will rust, gain or lose value with age. This fast-paced and intuitive battle system gives players a simplistic, yet in depth game play experience never before seen within the RPG genre.

An exact European date is still to be announced for Baten Kaitos: Wings and the Lost Ocean. Currently it is slated for a Q1 2005 release. We will keep you posted!