This generation has been great and all, but there’s one thing that no one can deny: we’re severely lacking in traditional RPGs that you can play somewhere besides a handheld. The Wii has not been exempt from this either; sure, you’ve got a few tactical RPGs and some action RPGs, and even a few rogue likes, but outside of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years–a WiiWare title that’s like the Mega Man 9 of classic RPGs–there hasn’t been anything brand spanking new to get our attention within the genre.

Ignition, in conjunction with Marvelous Entertainment, aim to change that, as they are bringing Arc Rise Fantasia, a very promising looking turn-based RPG that I’ve been keeping an eye on for ages now, to North America in summer of 2010. The title, developed by Image Epoch (Luminous Arc and its sequel) is turn-based, but has some new twists to it that should keep battles fun and engaging. You are not required to use all of your party members like in most turn-based RPGs, but can instead pick and choose until you use up your Ability Points–there are lots of bonuses for using certain members for certain things too, so there’s a deeper level of strategy than in your traditional turn-based title.

“In Arc Rise Fantasia, we’ve implemented a fun and quick paced battle system to give gamers an enjoyable RPG experience” said Hiroyuki Kanemaru of Image Epoch. “Ignition Entertainment has a great track record with bringing established Japanese experiences to new western audiences and we’re delighted to be able to team up with them to publish Arc Rise Fantasia.”

Check out the first screens for the North American version below, most of which show off characters or some of the bright and colorful effects of the game.