Square Enix announced the release of Dragon Quest VIII—Journey of the Cursed King for the PlayStation 2. Dragon Quest VIII is the latest installment in the video-game franchise, which has sold more than 40 million units worldwide. Utilizing state of the art polygon technology, not only the map, but all of Akira Toriyama's characters are created in 3D.

The player can freely run around in this wonderfully animated world as far as the eye can see," Dragon Quest VIII has received a number of upgrades for its North American release. The game has added voice acting by popular British actors, a new menu system, a completely orchestral game soundtrack, new battle abilities, and revamped animations.

If that's not tempting enough, the company is also including a playable demo of the much-anticipated Final Fantasy XII. Dragon Quest VIII is rated T for Teen and retails for $49.99. For more information, check out Dragon Quest's official website.