RPG Maker 3

Seeing how Square Enix keeps delaying the release of Final Fantasy XII, hit point�Cstarved gamers might just have to take matters into their own hands. Agetec��s latest role-playing-game construction kit, RPG Maker 3, might not be powerful enough to forge something of a FF caliber, but with a little effort, a modicum of ingenuity, and a lot of free time, you can surely make something better than, say, Unlimited Saga.

If you��ve ever dabbled with the previous RPG Maker titles, you��ll be impressed by how user-friendly the interface has become. In a scant hour, you can have a bare-bones game up and running: Map creation is quick and dirty with a new 3D interface, assembling towns and dungeons from a stable of available pieces is a snap, and populating the world with monsters takes only a few seconds. But then again, if you form your game from all the preset libraries, you��ll end up with a fully functional, utterly generic 3D role-playing game.

Customizing your adventure requires a far greater investment of time and effort. If you��re a 12-year-old with an empty social calendar, painstakingly typing thousands of pages of dialogue, slowly designing original spell effects, and editing cut-scenes might sound enjoyable, but the average PS2 owner can probably spend those 200 hours on something a little sexier.

Oddly, the developers failed to include one aspect of the previous RPG Maker titles that users really enjoyed��a

premade RPG quest that showcases just how utterly bizarre, funny, and ambitious your homemade adventures can be. Agetec promises a thriving Web community for the exchange of fan-made games, but the inclusion of a killer quest on the disc would have been sweet.

Ultimately, if you��re among the relatively miniscule slice of the console gaming world who��d actually spend the time to plan his or her own RPG, you��ll get a great deal out of RPG Maker 3. It��s certainly not perfect, but it��s the best version of the constantly improving toolkit to date. Plus, it��s a reason to use that HDD that��s been patiently waiting inside your PS2 for months��..

RPG Maker 3 is merely the latest in an illustrious line of products to put game design in the hands of the hoi polloi. While modern gamers may be familiar with Agetec��s own Fighter Maker, the roll-your-own genre goes all the way back to 1985��s Adventure Construction Set from EA.

Verdict: While much more user-friendly than previous iterations, RPG Maker 3 is still a hell of a lot of work.

Rating: 3.0

Pub. Agetec Dev. Enterbrain ESRB E MSRP $49.99

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.