The guys at Kotaku got a chance to preview a little bit of Level 5’s PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles at this year’s Comic-Con.

 While they noted alot some may already know about what we can expect from the game, the part I found most interesting was the fact  that character you create can play along side the main characters in the story and  it will appear in the cutscenes.

The third character in my party was the custom character that each player creates at the beginning of the game. The custom character travels with the party for the entire length of the game’s story, and is also used in White Knight’s online co-op modes.

 I’m a sucker for adding a little bit of myself to a game I’m playing, even if that little bit is slightly tipsy. Not only do you get pages worth of options for tailoring your character’s look to your taste, once a cut scene kicks in you get to see them actively participating in the game’s story.

The character customization  sounds intriguing and deep. I’m sold on that and the turn based battle system, as well, even though Kotaku doesn’t seem to be too impressed.

I love turn-based roleplaying games. It’s only been over the past few years that I’ve really begun to appreciate a good team-based action RPG. What I am still having trouble with is attempts to combine the two formats into some sort of hybrid. I wasn’t all that fond of the Final Fantasy XII battle system, and White Knight Chronicles seems to lack the polish that Square Enix put on theirs. Watching a white circle slowly drawing itself on your screen just doesn’t seem like a fun way to spend several hours battling the forces of not good.

 WKC is set for an early 2010 release in US and EU. Next year is shaping up to be a great year for PS3 owners who want some quality rpgs. I just hope Level 5 can have the game ready before FF13 or else I’ll probably be playing  online by myself.

Read the full preview @ Kotaku