"This alpha's gonna be epic"

Dragon's Dogma Online will equip a sword and shield and head out into battle later this month on the PlayStation 3, publisher Capcom has announced. Sign-ups for an alpha will open on 7th April, with the stress test running between 20th April and 28th April. Those of you lucky enough to gain entry will be able to download the client from 15th April.

The sampler will contain a fair amount of content, including four job types: the Hunter, the Fighter, the Priest, and the Shield Sage. You'll also be able to acquire your very own Pawn. There'll be four different fields for you to explore in total, each populated with plenty of scaly creatures we're sure.

Don't worry if you've stashed your PS3 away, as a PlayStation 4 beta will follow at a later date. Of course, with no word of this game heading overseas, you're probably going to have to make do with YouTube videos and Twitch streams of this in action. Still, if we shout loud enough, maybe Capcom will hear us. Guys, c'mon – we want to play this!

[source dd-on.jp, via gematsu.com]