RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

XSEED announced today that it will be publishing The Last Story in North America. Many had lost hope that this Wii RPG would ever arrive in this part of the world after Nintendo announced some time ago that it had no plans to localize it. Fortunately, their wait is no longer indefinite, as the game will be out sometime this summer.

The Last Story was developed by MISTWALKER studio. which is headed by former Square Enix developer/producer Hironobu Sakaguchi. It is perhaps interesting to note that XSEED founder Jun Iwasaki is the former CEO of Square.

Via its official blog, Bethesda has announced that PC and PS3 players will finally be able to grab Dead Money, the first DLC for Fallout New Vegas, on February 22. The company also revealed that they will release three more DLC packs. These packs “will launch simultaneously” on all three platforms.

NISA has announced that Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel will be released in North America on March 15. There will be a premium edition that includes a soundtrack CD and a hard cover art book. In addition, pre-ordering one of the first 1000 units from NISA’s store will get you a special limited edition Cosmosphere Calendar. Those who are not as fanatical about Reyvateils can opt for the standard version, which includes only the game and none of the swag.

A teaser site has revealed that Tales of Graces F will be coming to North America. The site has almost no information right now, but more should be announced in the near future.

Square Enix has announced that The 3rd Birthday will go on sale in North America on March 29. This version of the game will feature the voice acting talents of Yvonne Strahovski from Chuck and Mass Effect 2 and Jensen Ackles from Supernatural.

The company also recently revealed that Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection will be available this spring.

XSEED Games has confirmed that Ys I & II Chronicles for the PSP will arrive in North America on February 22. You can get your copy as a digital download via PSN or a traditional physical copy via the retailer of your choice, whichever is Ys-ier for you.

In the meantime, check out the official website.

Atlus just announced that it will be bringing Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, the “expanded and enhanced” version of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor for the 3DS, to North America this summer. SMT: DSO builds on the original game by adding voice acting and an eighth chapter to serve as an epilogue. The official website can be seen here, though there isn’t much to see right now.

Atlus has confirmed that “Demons were harmed in the making of this game,” thus allaying fears about an otherworldly alliance that could have compromised the integrity of Overclocked.

Square Enix’s news blitz today included more news regarding Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy. A demo for the game, entitled Dissidia Duodecim Prologus Final Fantasy, is now available at the Japanese PlayStation Store for only 300 yen.

The demo features a story mode, which has a short scenario related to the main story, and an arcade mode, which just pits players against the CPU. Players with a completed save file from the demo will be able to unlock Aerith as an assist character in Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy.

In addition, a trailer revealed three new characters: Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy V, Yuna from Final Fantasy X, and Prishe from Final Fantasy XI.

Source: andriasang

The ESRB recently released its rating for Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. The third game in a series that has become increasingly suggestive, Ar tonelico Qoga has received an M rating for overt sexual content and language.

The game has nude female characters whose breasts and genitals are covered only by hands or beams of light, female characters wearing only their underwear, and a scene that shows bare buttocks. One scene features a male character verbally coercing a female character to strip, and the installation port scenes have heavy innuendo and moaning. There’s also some swearing; the ESRB description says that “‘sh*t,’ ‘a*shole,’ and ‘b*tch,’ appear in the dialogue.” All ESRB ratings descriptions are censored in this manner, so the game may show the words in their entirety.

Via the PlayStation Blog, Square Enix announced today that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is coming to the PS3 with “a new story in store that stems from the previous title, a battle system that is evolved from ‘XIII’ – and more.” No other details were announced, but you can see the game’s logo and the first screenshot here. There’s also an official website for the game, and though it’s simply a splash page right now it confirms that the game is coming to the Xbox 360 as well.

I’d like to start this review with a simple promise: I will not make a single solar pun or reference. It’s just too easy to make comments like that, and I’m sure that most other reviewers have fallen right into that trap. After a while, it’s just tiring. So, here it is, a straightforward review of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

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If you’re a die-hard Final Fantasy IV fan like our own Jordan “J_Sensei” Jackson and you feel like can never have too many copies of the game, Square Enix has you covered. Via V-Jump, the company has just announced that Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years will be packed into one game for the PSP with additional content linking the two stories together. This shiny bundle will be called Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection.

However, this isn’t the classic version of Final Fantasy IV or the DS remake; this version has new graphics with updated effects and character portraits in text boxes. The After Years has updated graphics as well.

Source: Siliconera

Techmo Koei has announced that the PS3 title Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll will be released in North America on February 8, 2011. The game will be available in Europe a few days later on February 11.

Source: Joystiq

Last night at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, Bioware unveiled the first trailer for Mass Effect 3. The trailer, which can be seen here, reveals that the game will be released during the 2011 holiday season.

Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim last night via a shiny but light-on-the-details trailer at the Spike TV Video Game Awards. The trailer, which can be seen at the official site, references the ending of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which makes it a sequel, and reveals that the game will be released on the easy-to-recall date of 11-11-11, or November 11, 2011. It concludes with an invitation to “join the elder council” — meaning, of course, to “like” the game on Facebook. Bethesda also stated via its Twitter feed that the game will use a new engine.

There has been no word regarding whether Patrick Stewart’s voice will be featured in the game.

Final Fantasy XIV has been plagued by a number of problems since its launch two months ago: lag, gameplay that was found lacking by many players, and a slew of negative reviews. Square Enix laid out an extensive plan for improving the troubled game and extended the free trial period twice in hopes of retaining the increasingly disillusioned playerbase.

Now the big boss has stepped in. CEO Yoichi Wada announced on Lodestone, the official Final Fantasy XIV site, that the development team has been restructured. Naoki Yoshida, a relatively unknown but experienced RPG developer, will be the new producer and director. Wada also mentioned that “several new leaders handpicked from other projects” will be joining the existing team. He also stated that the free trial period has been extended until a “concrete plan” for improvement has been formed. Furthermore, the PS3 release has been delayed beyond its anticipated March 2011 release.

Here’s something to be thankful for. Nintendo announced today that Golden Sun: Dark Dawn will be released on November 29, just days after Thanksgiving in the United States.

Set 30 years after the events of the first two Golden Sun titles, Dark Dawn begins with an attempt to save a friend and progresses toward saving the entire world. Playable characters can collect up more than 70 different Djinn and use their elemental powers to solve puzzles.

Is it the shoes? Yes, it is, now that Square Enix has announced three perks for players who subscribe to both Final Fantasy XI and XIV. The first perk is a discount for Final Fantasy XI that reduces the basic monthly fee from $12.95 to $7.00. The second perk gives every newly-created character in Final Fantasy XIV a pair of Hermes Shoes, special footwear that increase movement speed. The third perk lets players transfer their character names from Final Fantasy XI to XIV.

You can find all the details at the official site.

In today’s edition of “But Only in Japan,” Square Enix updated the official site for Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together with fresh information regarding the game’s release date and pre-order goodies. The game will be available as a retail version and a downloadable version on November 11, but only those who pre-order the game in Japan will receive a set of tarot cards that feature artwork from character designer Akihiko Yoshida.

Electronic Arts and Bioware made two significant announcements yesterday at a press conference preceding GamesCom in Germany. Dragon Age 2 will be released for PC, 360, and PS3 in in North America on March 8, 2011 and in Europe on March 11, 2011. The companies also announced that Mass Effect 2 will be released for the PS3 in January 2011.