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"Not long ago, war was waged on this cosmic stage." So begins the prologue to Project Sylpheed. It has been 500 years since humanity first left the solar system in search of new worlds. Though time has passed, and civilization has expanded through space, the human propensity for violence has not been left behind. Through their conquest of the galaxy, humanity has built space colonies. But resources have dwindled with every attempt at expansionism. And with them, so has the regard for human life.

Doris Egan, the highest-ranking chairman of the ADAN Freedom Alliance, has declared war on earth's unified government. Her father, Daniel Egan, fought for his planet's independence, and his dying wish was that she continue the struggle to overthrow the Terra Central Government. On July 5, 2632, on the Planet of Hargenteen, a squadron of aircrafts belonging to the ADAN Freedom Alliance undertake a suicide mission to destroy the Terran transport convoy bringing precious supplies to the Base. As Katana Faraway, a trainee pilot of the Terra Central Armed Forces, you are responsible for protecting the convoy from the attack that sets off the 100 Day War.

Project Sylpheed centers upon the drama created by three close friends becoming separated and turned against each other amidst the tumult of the 100 Day War. The protagonist, Katana Faraway, must come to terms with being pitted against his close friend Marcus. Will their friendship survive the intensity of wartime conflict? In the introductory video posted this week by GameTrailers, Marcus sheds a manly tear from being turned against his childhood compatriots. The driving electronic background music by Einhander's Kenichiro Fukui will be joined by pieces by Kumi Tanioka and Junya Nakano when the game ships next month.

Developed by Game Arts, the creators of Silpheed for the Sega CD, and produced Square-Enix, the upcoming XBox 360 game will introduce the player to free-roaming 3D dogfights, allowing for a variety of new combat tactics. As evidenced by the demo already released through XBox Live, the game offers full-scale exploration in a three-dimensional environment. In addition, your ship can perform various special manuevers, such as a speed thrust, 180-degree turn, and barrel roll--handy when blasting through legions of opponent spacecraft. Should a hail of incoming fire make it impossible to dodge incoming projectile attacks, an energy field can be activated to enclose the ship in a protective sheath, though it too is subject to attack and destruction. In terms of available weaponry, pilots start out with a generic nose-gun, but as the player progresses through the stages, their arsenal includes lasers, homing missiles of varying strength, even bombs. The intense action and freedom of exploration promises to keep players on their toes when the game debuts July 10.