The Skinny: Sony's booth at the Tokyo Game Show is usually stocked with new heavy hitters from Japan's hottest developers, but this year was different. Western developers clogged up most of the space, and Level-5's flagship role-playing game for the PlayStation 3, White Knight Chronicles, took a backseat. Since the team is in crunch mode trying to get the game ready for its Christmas Day release in Japan, the game wasn't playable at this year's show. Still, we've got new details to report on this epic adventure.

1. In the beginning of White Knight, you create an avatar who will accompany the main character, Leonard, on his quests. You'll define the character's main attributes and appearance, and level this character in the offline mode.

2. Players can take their avatar online to join three friends in a separate multiplayer quest. Money, leveling and items earned can be shared between the online and offline modes of the game. Players can send online game invites to friends who are questing offline. While online party members can communicate via emotes and text chat (eww!), it's unknown whether White Knight Chronicles will support voice chat. Japanese gamers are typically not fans of voice communication in games, so we're hoping SCEA gives Level-5 a nudge before the game is released stateside.

3. White Knight Chronicles features an active battle system in which users create their own combo strings. This should make for some interesting battle strategies, yet keep things simple once enemies are encountered on the battlefield.

4. Some battles will prove too difficult for your party -- such as boss battles against giant monsters -- and Leonard has a secret ability that can help turn the tide. By building up a gauge in battle, Leonard can transform into a towering White Knight to equal the score. Since the ability can only be used for a limited time, planning the right moment to strike in White Knight form is imperative. Leonard isn't the only one with this special ability, so we're expecting to encounter numerous enemy knights throughout the game.

5. Level-5 is known for crafting beautiful and fantastic worlds, and from what we've seen of the main world of Balandor, White Knight Chronicles will be no different. Towering castles, bustling towns, mobile cities built on creatures' backs -- we can't wait to see all that Level-5 has in store.

The Big Question: When will White Knight Chronicles land on U.S. shores? If we're lucky, bet on a late 2009 release. Level-5 added extra content to Rogue Galaxy on the PlayStation 2 while the game was being localized, so hopefully this game will get the same treatment. And we demand voice chat for online play. Emotes are just fine, but this isn't the Dreamcast and Phantasy Star Online. Get with the times, Level-5!

This preview is based on a developer presentation during Tokyo Game Show 2008.