Do they really mean "canon", or 'cannon"?

What malformed issue could come of the union of two mighty empires? Square Enix and tri-Ace, two of the most celebrated RPG developers, will shortly display the results of their squalid affair with the release of Infinite Undiscovery.

tri-Ace, creators of the Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile series, have been basking in the praise of critics and gamers for their slick efforts in contributing to the console-based RPG legion, and have stood happily accused of innovation, being one of the pioneers of seamless battle and field integration. Of course, we've all passed a lot of water since then, and the sleek, well-fed monster that is Square Enix has - shall we say "absorbed"? - many of these revolutionary features into their own flagship RPG series Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Still, it'll be very interesting to see what the undisputed king of console RPGs and the daring young rebel can cook up between them. Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 in September, Infinite Undiscovery's answer seems to be: something very cool.

Two features in particular got me pricking my ears in interest; the dynamic environment and situation battles. The world of Infinite Undiscovery responds instantly to every single action or discovery the player makes, altering permanently in a variety of ways both immediate and far-reaching, resulting in an unpredictable and unique experience on each play through. No details yet on how this will manifest, but I'm envisioning that some small changes - like crushing a flower - will have only an aesthetic effect, whereas others may close off certain portions of the map, change the nature of certain quests, and limit future options. If expansive enough, this system could make for a fascinating game with plenty of replay value; although somewhat aggravating to those of us who like to see and do everything.

The situation battles, a feature found in many RPGs, place certain strictures on your battle style. For example, a battle from the back of one vehicle, attacking enemies on another, will restrict the player to long-distance and magic attacks only. Infinite Undiscovery promises that the situation battles will come thick and fast, requiring you to select your four party members wisely from the pool of 18 characters to ensure the abilities you have available match the conditions. Some examples revealed so far include avoiding the attacks of a fire-breathing dragon and escaping a tsunami.

It seems the Xbox 360's greater power is giving tri-Ace room to play. I am somewhat baffled by the assertion that to successfully navigate Infinite Undiscovery's landscape, players will need to use not only their sense of sight and sound, but scent too. Excuse me? I remember Hideo Kojima speculating on a peripheral that would allow the use of scent in video games after the Dual Shock controller gave him access to the sense of touch in the original release of Metal Gear Solid on Playstation. Don't tell me someone's managed it...? Levity aside, I can't imagine how this will work well; I suspect it will degrade into a coloured cloud fest ala It's a Dog's Life.

Story-wise, it's your usual RPG fare of destiny and crossed paths with the fate of the world hanging in the balance:

Known as the throne of the gods, the moon rested peacefully in the heavens. Man enjoyed great prosperity by harnessing the power of the celestial body. Until one day... A sinister force ensnared the moon with chains and fastened them to the surface, bleeding the life from the planet. The enchained lands were transformed into withering wastelands, and their once carefree inhabitants now lived in fear. Behind the world's plight were the Dreadknight and his menacing horde, the Order of Chains. Deep in a forest, in one of the Order's prisons, a young boy named Capell was being held captive. His captors called him the "Liberator," though he had no clue as to what they meant. On the third day of his imprisonment, he was rescued by a spirited young woman named Aya. She was a member of a small band of brave warriors who had gathered under the banner of Sigmund the Liberator to free the world from the iron grip of the Order. Upon meeting Sigmund, he was surprised to find a man who shared his very face and appearance. This meeting would change Capell's life forever and shake the foundation of the world itself.

With the lush visuals and full cinematics you'd expect from both companies, and a score from Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile composer Motoi Sakuraba, expect Infinite Undiscovery to impress on its September 5th release across PAL territories.