Kessen III to invade Europe in summer 2005

Kessen III is due out on PS2 in Europe in the summer of 2005, KOEI's European subsidiary announced this morning, boldly proclaiming that, "Kessen III will be considered the game that redefined the Kessen series."

Although details are relatively scant, we've been told that the storyline will follow the rise of Oda Nobunaga and his allies, and will be supported by over 120 minutes of movie sequences - which is an utterly ridiculous (and very impressive) amount of CG.

In gameplay terms, Kessen III will allow players to take direct control of any unit while it attacks, instead of relinquishing command to the Group Control Engine, and that players will be able to control an officer or the entire unit. We're also told to expect a lot more depth than previously - for example, 110 suits of armour and 80 helmets to buy and trade, and three difficulty settings.

Other than that [looks around desperately], er, it will be developed by KOEI's internal team in Yokohama, Japan, and produced by Kou Shibusawa, who has previously worked on The Romance of the Three Kingdoms titles, Nobunaga's Ambition and Crimson Sea. And that's your lot - apart, that is, from these three screenshots.

We should have more on Kessen III in the coming months.