Older gamers may remember an old school dungeon-making strategy sim called Dungeon Keeper. The developers of the said title definitely knew what they were doing when it gave gamers a flip-side view of what it's like defending your dungeon against those pesky heroes trying to steal your treasure.

XSEED Games' Dungeon Maker, as you all know, tries to expound on this genre by making its version for the handheld PSP. While Dungeon Maker: Hunting Grounds received a lukewarm welcome in the States, developers from Japan are already winding themselves up for a sequel to the series for the PSP-exclusive RPG dungeon crawler.

Building from the formula of its predecessor, XSEED Games' Dungeon Maker 2 promises itself to be bigger and better with up to 90 building materials (from 50 in the original), plus more magic spells, and items to build your dream dungeon.

From the scan, it definitely seems like a much bigger game than before with new models and characters to choose from and definitely more baddies to vanquish. No official word has been given on when the sequel will be out, but we'll keep everyone posted on this.

Video game Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground from XSEED Games has been available for a couple of days now but interest for the title is still not waning. Quite unsurprisingly since the possibilities being offered by Dungeon Maker are close to being unlimited.

If you are not familiar with this game, Hunting Ground allows players to come up with their own dungeons to attract different monsters. Then you can fight these monsters using various melee and ranged weapons and magic spells, not to mention the ability to summon creatures.

To help you get acquainted with Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground more, here's another gameplay video for the title. This is about the many missions possible in the game and this particular one shows a showdown with dangerous bats and the quest to recover their fangs.

 

XSEED Games' PSP-exclusive game is already shipping to retailers across North America. Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground allows you to create your own dungeon to attract more and meaner monsters, which you can slay whenever you feel like whacking some ugly deformed beast. Here are the key features of Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground that will probably help you decide if this is the building game for your handheld you've been looking for:

• Design and modify a customizable dungeon, floor-by-floor, using simple controls to quickly develop a deep and detailed dungeon.
• Strategically layout and improve your dungeon to maximize its attractiveness and lure in the most sought-after enemies to take their loot.
• Fight real-time battles wielding various melee and ranged weapons, casting magic spells, rendering special attacks, and summoning creatures to defeat the wide variety of monsters including undead creatures, orcs, and dragons.
• Enjoy the vast selection of building materials to customize your dungeon and complete quests to access the rarer items from the wide array of weapons, armors, and accessories to upgrade your warrior.
• Trade dungeons - Utilize network connectivity to trade dungeons with a friend. Show off your dungeon creation skills and explore a friend's dungeon to see what kind of monsters and treasures lie inside.

If you still need more convincing to get the game, feel free to watch the Dungeon Crawling gameplay video right here, or take a look at some of the screenshots we posted a while back. Better yet, you can head on over to the official site of Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground to have a better feel of the game.

What else can beat the tried-and-tested formula of dungeon-crawling? Sometimes, exploring just gets repetitive and tedious. But here's one that PSP owners are probably watching out for: Dungeon Maker: Hunting Grounds by XSEED Games. So here's a gameplay video to fuel those desires.

Just looking at the menu screens, we can say that there's a good variety of objects available for use. You can design the floor as you go, adding new paths to open every dead end. There's a huge overlay map to help you from getting lost, but the interface is pretty neat. When you're satisfied, take the dungeon for a test drive by entering with enemies on.

Outside the dungeon making process, your nice home is waiting for you. Use the storage, eat some food to boost your stats, sleep, save the game - all the functions you'll need are there. Without further ado, here's the video on the embed below.

  

There have been quite a few PSP owners who have been complaining about the lack of building games for the system. Well, if you're one of them, this may interest you. XSEED Games' Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground is slated to be released on June 19.

The game has you assuming the role of a dungeon-maker. Much like the classic Dungeon Keeper series on the PC, you try to attract bigger and badder monsters as you develop your dungeon. The game also boasts of a real-time combat system, which should keep you on your toes. Unlike DK though, it looks like you're playing a good guy in the game. You're only attracting these monster so that you may smite them with your righteous wrath.

The game also allows players to share their created dungeons with others, which should really extend the relayability of the game considerably. That said, we have a few screenshots of the game which look really great. Be sure to keep checking back here for more updates on Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground.

   

More screenshots, artwork, and the packshot after the jump!

 

Now it's been announced, it would be nice to get a closer look at Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground, XSEED Games' PSP version of the tried-and-true paper-and-pen dungeons of old. Darn, those were tedious days.

If you want to explore this dungeon, here's your chance: at the Read link below is the official website for Dungeon Maker, where you will be treated to explanations and some screens. Really, at the center of this game is the creation (and exchange) of dungeons on your PSP, that even the story of the game revolves around the theme.

You, the quintessential Daedalus (not the homebrew emu; look him up in a Wiki), are essentially designing monster and demon honey traps, because in this world, monsters and demons just love to wander around dungeons, itching for you to slay them (and vice versa).

No snarkiness intended: this may be the premise behind Dungeon Maker's storyline, but like we said, it does earn points for carrying a certain bit of the dungeon master legacy with it. Success in this game is earned by designing such intricate dungeons as to attract ever more intriguing (and menacing) monsters, up until the ultimate baddie in the game. Learn more at the Read link.

North America's PSP is about to get an additional dose of JRPG-luvin' in the next couple of months, at least as far as XSEED Games is concerned. XSEED has just announced that aside from releasing Valhalla Knights on April 17, they are now making plans to release Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground, and Brave Story: New Traveller for the U.S. within this year.

In Dungeon Maker, players are placed behind the controls of a novice dungeon-maker. Expect plenty of action as the dungeons you create and customize get bigger, which then lures in stronger and rarer monsters. Other features include a real-time combat system, with players utilizing a wide range of melee and ranged weapons, magic spells, special attacks, and summons.

Lastly, there's Dungeon Maker's network mode, which allows players to trade dungeons with their friends, as well as show their monster's vital statistics via the PSP's wireless connection. Originally released in Japan on September 28, 2006, Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground will be arriving in North America in July.

The second game coming up is Brave Story: New Traveller, which some of you may have seen in its movie form. Based on the novel by Miyuki Miyabe, Brave Story tells the story of a boy and his journey into the world of "Vision", where he hopes to meet the Goddess of Fortune to have his one wish granted. The game, aside from making use of turn-based combat, also features a Friendship system. This system allows the player to form special co-op attacks with their allies based on the strength of their bond. There's also the Growth system, with the main character's weapon constantly evolves as the story progresses.

Originally launched in the Land of the Rising Sun in July 2006, the U.S. release for Brave Story: New Traveller is expected to be by Q3 2007.