RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Namco Bandai announced today that Tales of Graces will be making the jump from the Wii to the PS3.  Dubbed Tales of Graces F, the port will feature high-definition graphics, new special attacks, and a new outfit for female lead Sophie.  Meanwhile, the PSP will be receiving Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3, which will feature some 80 Tales characters and is currently slated for a Japanese release next year.  The third and final announced Tales entry is also bound for the PS3, though no title was given.

No US releases were announced for any of the three.

Source: 1UP

Dragon Quest IX players are cordially invited to participating retailers for a downloadable special event map, which may be traded with others via the Tag Mode feature.  Specific GameStop, Best Buy, and Simon Mall locations will be carrying the maps, which mark dates and times for Dragon Quest events near their respective stores.

Further details on upcoming events are accessible via the official site.

Nippon Ichi unveiled several screenshots of the upcoming PSP port of Phantom Brave, alongside plenty of juicy tidbits about what to expect from the added content.  Apart from features added in the jump from the PS2 to the Wii, the PSP version will include an additional scenario not present in earlier versions of the game.  The new scenario, accessible after clearing the game, features Marona and Ash chasing down the heroes they recruited to help save the world and telling them they’re no longer needed.  This segment will include five heroes from other Nippon Ichi games, including Unlosing Ranger from ZHP and Prinny from Disgaea.

Phantom Brave PSP is due for an October 28 release at retailers and as a direct download.  No word has been given about a US release.

Source: adriasang

Atlus is creating a brand new traditional RPG for the Nintendo DS, according to this week’s Famitsu.  Dubbed Radiant Historia, the game is due out November 4 in Japan, pricing at 6279 yen (or $71.97, so sayeth the wise currency converter.)

Continue reading ‘Radiant Historia Coming Soon to Japan, Announces Atlus’ »

Following the port-heavy schedule for the PSP, Persona 3 Portable builds on what was already a great game, adding new features, more combat options, and a huge whack of new plot in the form of new Social Links. Unfortunately, not all the alterations really work, as there has been some excessive tinkering with the game’s balance, and the technical limitations of the handheld platform have resulted in an oversimplified interface that causes some serious issues with suspension of disbelief. The end result is a game which feels a bit overworked, but has the potential to provide an excellent experience.

Continue reading ‘Persona 3 Portable – Staff Review’ »

If it gets one degree hotter I’m gonna kick someone’s ass.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 07/24/10’ »

BioWare announced today that new downloadable content is coming for Mass Effect 2.  Tellingly dubbed Lair of the Shadow Broker, this latest DLC pits Shepard and company against the titular black market of information.  Little is known about both the Shadow Broker itself and the content, although BioWare did announce that the player would team up with Liara, who stayed out of the party in Mass Effect 2 to focus on dealing with said organization.

More details and screenshots can be found on the official website.  A release date has not been stated.  Although their involvement has not been indicated in the content, Cerberus has nonetheless prepared to reset its “days since our last Resident Evil-style program failure” sign back to zero.

Square Enix confirmed today that a PSP remake of Tactics Ogre will get a North American release.  Dubbed Let Us Cling Together for the US version, the remake is headed by key members of the original Tactics Ogre team: director Hiroshi Minagawa, character designer Akihiko Yoshida, game designer Yasumi Matsuno, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata.  Yes, that’s basically the Final Fantasy Tactics/Vagrant Story team.

No release date was given in the press release, possibly because the team was busy trying to keep their good guys from killing too many good-aligned creatures.  Zero-alignment angels erryday.

Source: 1UP

Steadily working through their back catalog, Square Enix announced today that their 2000 action-RPG Legend of Mana will be available via PSN in Japan, starting July 28.  Price is set at 600 yen, requiring 365mb of hard drive space.  No word has been given about whether it will be available in North America.

Source: 1UP

At a recent NIS America press event, Souhei Niikawa – best known as the producer of the Disgaea series – announced that the company will from now on limit the number of releases per year.  Niikawa stated the move is intended to allow developers to focus on game quality and customer satisfaction, though the exact limit was not specified.  Three upcoming titles were announced as part of this new policy:

• Cladun: This is an RPG, according to the press release, is an action-adventure built around a retro dungeon crawl.  Bound for the PSP via PlayStation Network, Cladun will feature character creation, randomly generated dungeons, and multiplayer through the PSP’s ad-hoc feature.  The current release timeframe is fall of this year.
• Zettai Hero Keikaku, a strategy RPG centered around creating your own superhero, was simply referred to as Z.H.P. in its own press release.  The Disgaea team will be developing  Z.H.P., which is currently set for a winter launch on the PSP.
• Ar Tonelico 3 got a formal title: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel.  Billed as the final installment in the Ar Tonelico series, the PS3 title will have more action-oriented gameplay.  The release window for North America and Europe is spring of 2011.

Niikawa also made mention of the next Disgaea title, bound for the PS3 in Japan.  Few details were given, but he affirmed that more information would available “by the time
Tokyo Game Show comes around.”

A man of enduring mystery and glowing robot eyes, Mass Effect 2‘s Illusive Man is largely a question mark voiced by Martin Sheen.  Come this January, however, Dark Horse plans to flesh out his origins in a four-part miniseries dubbed Mass Effect: Evolution, courtesy of the team behind the popular Mass Effect: Redemption.

Continue reading ‘New Mass Effect Comic Details the Illusive Man’s Backstory’ »

NIS America has just launched the official English website for Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland.  Available here, the site is paired with the announcement that this latest entry in the Atelier series will be available in Fall of this year.

A recent promotional pamphlet for the upcoming Pokemon Black and White revealed some interesting features.  First is the “Pass By” mode, activated when players with dormant DSs get close enough, allowing the handhelds to connect.  This will provide bonuses for both players, though exactly what bonuses are not yet known.  Second is a video chat option, unlocked by progressing through the campaign; a “Live Caster” tool will allow two players to connect over WiFi, or four over a local wireless connection.

The third feature, not actually mentioned in the pamphlet, is an eerie glowing red eye that wonders if it will dream when it shuts down.  Expect Skynet Facebook compatibility in short order.

Black/White is due out in Japan September 18, with a US release date penciled in for Spring of 2011.

Source: Joystiq

Publisher Del Ray announced today that a book based on the Deus Ex universe is in the works, to be written by sci-fi/steampunk author and scriptwriter James Swallow.  Dubbed The Icarus Effect, the novel aims to bridge the plot of previous games with the upcoming Human Revolution.  Little is known about what grand conspiracy lead characters Anna Kelso and Ben Saxon will have to foil, but there’s an outside chance of it involving Space Illuminati trying to reverse-engineer a weaponized form of tapioca pudding developed by space aliens cloned from the drunk guy ranting about needles in Hong Kong.

Deus Ex: The Icarus Effect is set for a 2011 release.

Source: Gaming Angels

*I know some of you got that.

See the subject?  Yeah, pretty much that; a shiny new trailer from Atlus for the upcoming Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City. Feature teasers and gameplay footage abound, along with the first recorded usage of “tempestuous” by anyone on the internet in the last thirteen months.  The trailer is available in the media section of the official website, or you can just saunter by the YouTubes and check it out.

Etrian Odyssey III will be available starting September 21 of this year.

The itch for a tenth run of Xenogears is striking me.

Continue reading ‘Not So Mass Media 07/11/10’ »

More information has come to light since the not-at-all-shocking announcement of Dragon Age 2, some of it from the press release issued today.  Of particular note is that the game will focus on the story of Hawke, a blight survivor and “penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age.”  The release states that the story will span ten years, and that choices made throughout the game will affect the story as you go.  While players can select either a male or female character,  BioWare’s Chris Priestly confirmed on the official forums that Hawke is human; players will not have the option of dwarven or elven characters.

Dragon Age 2 is currently scheduled for a March 2011 release, though an exact date has not been set.

Nintendo and Mistwalker have just launched a trailer for the upcoming The Last Story, available on the official website.  Apart from the usual fare of people running around cutting each other with comically large swords, the trailer shows a substantial amount of gameplay and in-engine cutscenes.

Currently set to release later this year in Japan, The Last Story has not been announced for a US release.

Interplay has launched the official Fallout Online website, located here, which opens with the option to register for the game’s official newsletter.  Those who register are fast-tracked for access to the open beta, whose date has not yet been announced.

In a move that surprised no one, Bioware announced today that Dragon Age 2 is in the works. So far, the developer has only posted a teaser site with some concept art and a few vague game details, but a teaser trailer will be posted on August 17.