Atlus has brought some of the most memorable Japanese franchises to the United States in the last few years, delivering hit after hit. Their list of accomplishments is quite impressive: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, the Digital Devil Saga series, Steambot Chronicles, Samurai Western, and many other great Japanese imports. Continuing the tradition of delivering compelling game content, Atlus has an impressive line-up of games in the wings for 2006 for a variety of platforms including the Nintendo Wii, DS, Game Boy Advance and the PlayStation 2. Today we talk with the company about many of these promising products :

GameShark: With the pending release of Trauma Center 2 for the Wii, and the re-release of Trauma Center: Under The Knife for the DS, are they any plans for another Trauma Center for the DS?

Atlus: We haven't announced any new entries in the Trauma Center franchise, but we're already kicking around subtitles, one of which I can't tell you because we'll probably end up using it when the time comes.

Incidentally, there was an unusually strong debate in-house about whether or not to go with Second Opinion as a subtitle, though I loved S.O. from the nanosecond I heard it. We almost ended up with Trauma Center: Relapse, which might be more "dramatic," but is nowhere clear as clever. (Yes, I'm still bitter.)

GameShark: Atlus seems to be moving towards the final few games for the GBA system. Over the history of released GBA games, which Atlus title was most popular?

Atlus: Man, we've had a great run on GBA. Riviera, Shining Soul and Shining Soul II, Shining Force, Lufia, Tactics Ogre, River City Ransom EX, Super Dodge Ball Advance... good times for core gamers. That's why I'm glad we're going out on a high with Summon Night, Super Robot Taisen, and Yggdra Union.

GameShark: Are there any plans to resurrect the Ogre Battle series?

Atlus: None that I'm aware of, but never say never, especially with a franchise so highly regarded.

GameShark: Have we seen the end of the Lufia series?

Atlus: Again, never say never, though we haven't announced anything at this time.

GameShark: For the game of Contact, which features will we see used for WiFI?

Atlus: I'm stealing my answer straight from the keyboard of Contact's American producer, Tomm Hulett (and from 1UP.com, to whom he initially gave this response):

"Think of it like a massively-multiplayer mode where nobody has control of their character. Here's how it works: you hook up with a friend and exchange data. Next time you play the game, you can visit WiFisland, where your buddy's character will have set up his own digs. You can chat with the character and hear a custom message your friend has left for you. The more friends you contact, the more modern WiFisland will become, and you'll be able to earn secret items and such."

GameShark: Atlus seems to be making a lot of RPGs for the Playstation 2, is that going to be the same for the Playstation 3?

Atlus: We haven't announced anything for PS3 yet, but will we be publishing RPGs for PS3? Absotootly.

GameShark: Of all the great games that are being released by Atlus soon, which one excites you the most?

Atlus: I'm supposed to love all my children equally, but I'll speak as Gamer Boy instead of PR Boy and tell you that I'm most stoked about Rule of Rose, Super Robot Taisen, Contact, Touch Detective.

GameShark: Are there any plans for X-Box 360 games in the future?

Atlus: I assume there are plans for hundreds of Xbox 360 games in the future.

Huh? Oh, you mean do WE have plans for Xbox 360 games? We haven't announced anything yet, but we're certainly looking at what's coming out in Japan, so don't be surprised if and when we announce our first 360 title.

GameShark:: With crossover games being a bit of a hit as of late, like with Super Smash Brothers, and Kingdom Hearts, how likely is it for Atlus to release a game on the same page of these?

Atlus:: There's a crossover tactical RPG shipping soon in Japan with Growlanser characters in the mix, but it'll never come to the States because of the licensing nightmares involved, which is a dang shame.