The graphics in the story mode is a HUGE improvement over the original series, and now with animated cut scenes that are fully voiced to help move the story along. The whole new character design is excellent also and should catch the eyes of the overseas audience as well. On the down side though, it may just be a personal twitch of mine but the voices are dubbed in English from the start. Before you hardcore Japanese fans go grabbing your pitch forks and torches, think of it in the fact that Omiya Soft isn€™t a large studio with a huge budget. The reason why this was done is to cut the costs of having to hire a Japanese and English voice actor team for the game. Plus since the people at Omiya Soft understand that the Japanese market isn€™t where the money is in relation to the number of users, which also was factored into the decision about going English voices from the start. Asides from that I love the new graphical design that they have brought to the Culdcept universe. One last nice small touch is the fact that as you progress in the story you will unlock items to help customize your character avatars appearance, ranging from armor, to weapons. It€™s a nice little visual treat to award those who play the game. Also have not tried this out yet myself but I assume its meant to be used more for multiplayer mode, allowing players that have played through the game to customize their avatars.

Overall, while I have not completed the game yet, I am enjoying my new experience with an old very much. Omiya Soft has done an excellent job of bringing the Culdcept series to the next generation console, and I and many others will be looking forward to their next game. So do a fledgling studio a favor and consider picking this title up if you like board / card games, I can guarantee you will be in for a special treat.

Import Friendly?

Not in the least as it's text heavy like any RPG.