Sony Online Entertainment sends word that Untold Legends: The Warrior\'s Code has gone gold and is on-target for a March 13 release date. That\'s almost exactly a year after the launch of the PSP and the first in the Untold Legends series. The first time out, Untold Legends was a decent action-RPG, but a bit boneheaded and low on the charisma points. This time out, SOE has taken great pains to make Warrior\'s Code more appealing on virtually every level, plus it now features true online multiplayer.

This time out gamers take control of a shape-shifting warrior battling an evil overlord of unimaginable power. The evil overlord\'s minions are ravaging the land, and other shapeshifters have begun to disappear. It\'s up to you to save the world.

OK, so maybe it\'s still a bit light on the narrative significance (we\'ll have to wait to play it to really tell), but the enhancements cannot be disputed. Warrior\'s Code features a new graphics engine and visual style that is much less generic than the first game\'s graphics. Monsters scale to the power of each party, keeping the game challenging throughout.

The menu and organization systems have received a facelift, which should make Untold Legends an easy game to play. These enhancements have been carried through to the enhanced online multiplayer. Cooperative online dungeon crawls will be assisted by a real-deal game lobby, a matchmaking system, and a macro-chat tool. In a game like Untold Legends, it\'s crucial to have some basic communication with your teammate, if not full voice communication.

Of course, with all of the new features, it would be a shame to fix the things that didn\'t need fixing in Untold Legends. The original Untold Legends utilized a very nice bite-size mission format that made it excellent for on-the-go gaming. It also featured a deep weapon customization system that kept it interesting beyond its time.

In all, Untold Legends was a first-gen PSP title that showed plenty of promise, and I\'m glad to see a sequel. If the enhancements SOE has advertised come through as expected, this should be on every PSP owners Spring gaming list.

Untold Legends: The Warrior\'s Code will be out for PSP on March 13.