E3 06: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team Preshow Hands-On

LOS ANGELES--Previously released in Japan as Pokémon Fushigi na Dungeon Blue, this latest game in one of Nintendo's most successful recent franchises is an action RPG that doesn't play quite like its predecessors. In it, you must first answer a series of fairly personal questions, after which the game delivers its response and assigns you to a pokémon. It's surprisingly astute, this portion, or at least that's how it seemed. It identified us as quirky, for example. But this isn't just a psychoanalysis. Your choices ultimately determine which type of pokémon you become.

You awaken transformed a pokémon of some sort. Presumably you were a real kid before it. Your goal is clearly to change back, but to do that you must find some answers--and become a lot stronger. Increasing in power involves taking out rival pokémon by any means necessary, often with the help of your partner pokémon.

The gameplay itself seems solid. The action seems like it's in real time, but nothing moves until you choose to move first. The feeling is brisk and up-tempo, letting you quickly scour randomly generated dungeons for new loot.

There seems like lots of story to this one, especially judging by the lavish home your mysterious player character resides in. Lots of little Pokémon-specific plots are also clealy apparent, However, the gameplay itself may be what keeps fans of the series coming back. The whole familiar cast is here, from Pikachu to Magnemite. What's more, this version will apparently be compatible with the Red Rescue Team version of this game, enabling some unusual cross-compatibility between the DS and the Game Boy Advance.

Look to GameSpot for more on this game as it unfolds.