Super Mario RPG is one of my favorite RPGs ever. After I finished this masterpiece on the Super Nintendo years ago, I have always wondered if Square-Enix would release a sequel to this excellent game. Sure, SMRPG has spiritual sequels, like Paper Mario, and the Mario & Luigi francises, but I want a true sequel. A sequel that has all the characters from the original (especially Geno :D) and some new ones. Now, according to French gaming magazine "Role Playing Game," a Super Mario RPG sequel is rumored and being talked about in Square-Enix's headquarters, and its going to be released for the Nintendo DS. After I read that, I was completely shocked, a true sequel to one of my favorite RPGs is going to be released for the DS, I think I just died and gone to heaven, but the words "rumored" brought me back down to earth. I continued to read on, and apparently, the rumored Super Mario RPG 2 is going to include some Final Fantasy characters. Awesome.

Well, not completely awesome. I would rather have characters from the Dragon Quest universe in the Super Mario RPG sequel. Dragon Quest and Super Mario worked out perfectly before (Itadaki Street DS). And they both have a similar cartoon-like sty|e, which almost makes them perfect together. But still, Final Fantasy characters would work out well, I just hope its not the characters from Final Fantasy VII-XII. Why? You may ask? Its because they don't fit in well. I think those characters should stay in the Disney/Final Fantasy crossover "Kingdom Hearts". I would rather not see Mario fight Sephiroth, well, not now at least. Instead of the characters from VII-XII, lets have the characters from I-VI, for two reasons. 1: Its because Final Fantasy I-VI have been released on the previous Nintendo consoles (NES and Super NES). And 2: They would fit in more perfectly with the Mario universe. Come on, who wouldn't love to see the King of the Koopas, Bowser, work with the villianous clown, Kefka, and the Dark Knight, Golbez, to destroy Mario and friends? I would pay top-dollar to see that. And of course, characters from the Final Fantasy universe can help Mario with his quest, like the Light Warriors from the original Final Fantasys, Cecil from Final Fantasy IV, Bartz from Final Fantasy V, and Locke from Final Fantasy VI. But of course, this is only a fanboy's dream, like myself.

Now, if Square-Enix can combine these characters of old and new with Super Mario RPG's gameplay, music, cartoon graphics and story, then we will probably have one of the best fanservice and handheld RPGs ever made. Now, the only thing I could do is wait for Square-Enix to confirm this rumor (About a 99.8% of them not confirming) and wait for the game to be released, maybe with a late 2008-2009 release. Maybe this rumor is too good to be true, but we can only hope.