RandomNPC - Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

It is a story for the ages, repeated in mead halls and around campfires for generations. It is the story of one who ascends to near-godhood on the driving forces of hype. His armor gleams like the luster of filtered screenshots. His voice resounds with the thunder of a thousand preview trailers. At the pinnacle of his glory, the world holds its breath and waits for his first majestic assault. (more…)

When you’re a kid, summer vacation is the best time for swimming, riding bikes, and playing outside until after sundown. But for Luso, the main character of Final Fantasy Tactics A2, summer vacation is about leading a clan, fighting monsters, and saving another world. It is the making of an epic “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” essay. (more…)

With two Harvest Moon titles due out this summer and a milestone anniversary coming up, Natsume is gearing up for a celebration, and there’s no better way to celebrate than to hand out goodies and slap special 10th anniversary branding on game packaging.

Both Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii have the special branding, and select retailers will be giving out collectible plush toy farm animals from the series as pre-order bonuses and gifts with purchases. There will also be a special Harvest Moon DS kit that includes a protective cover, stylus, and screen wipe.

* Money may not be real-world currency.

There’s always a catch. Pre-order the upcoming Xbox 360 title Fable II, and you’ll be able to download the Fable II Pub Games for free when it arrives on Xbox Live next month. Pub Games includes “Keystone,” a Craps and Roulette hybrid; “Spinnerbox,” an incarnation of the notorious one-armed bandit; and “Fortune’s Tower,” a press-your-luck game. Winnings from these gambling endeavors can be transferred later to the pockets of the player’s character in Fable II and give the would-be hero a financial boost.

Those who loathe pre-orders can pick up Pub Games for 800MS points on Xbox Live or wait until the release of Fable II, which will include the virtual casino.

Shin Megami Tensei fans, get out your datebooks. As you may know, Anime Expo 2008 is right around the corner, set for July 3-6 in the summer heat of Los Angeles. Never one to miss out on the fun, Atlus USA has scheduled a special panel at the expo called “Shin Megami Tensei: Behind the Scenes” for July 5 at 6:30 PM. The panelists are Senior Project Manager Yu Namba, Editor Nich Maragos, and voice actors Yuri Lowenthal and Karen Strassman. The four will discuss the history and development of Shin Megami Tensei, including production and localization issues.

Attendees will receive a special present from Atlus. Though the invitation has been extended to everyone, only 500 SMT fans may participate in the event.

The Wild ARMs series has never been known for stellar quality, but the games — excluding the second installment, which left many fans with PTSD — are still the objects of affection for many RPG connoisseurs. Naturally, players have certain standards and tolerances when it comes to Wild ARMs games. They know they aren’t getting a perfectly polished game, just an above average one that gains appeal largely from nostalgic references.

So when a longtime fan recognizes that the newest Wild ARMs title isn’t up to the series’ standards, you know it’s bad.
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Right from the beginning, Mass Effect presents itself as an epic RPG with a lush opening movie, some intriguing character development, and a sci-fi story that piques your interest. But then you’re dropped on a colony under attack, and suddenly there are genocidal robots with guns trying to blast you right off the miserable planet you’re desperately trying to save. That’s when you know that Mass Effect is also a no-nonsense shooter.
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If you’ve been following game news lately, you’ll know that Kevin McCullough is the latest non-gamer to take aim at our hobby and prove that he can really miss the mark when it comes to understanding what we do. (more…)

New year, new quests! For most of us at least. Some of us are still working on quests from a couple of months ago.

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It’s fairly common for video game enthusiasts to have dreams about whichever game they are currently playing. Sometimes aspects of real life will become blended with the game inside the dream. Some people may even have nightmares in which they are trapped within the game.
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Another week, another update on what everyone here at RandomNPC is doing.

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I was recently invited to participate in a podcast with some of our friends from RPGLand. We discussed game reviews — everything from writing to understanding scores to dealing with backlash from readers and game publishers.

Go ahead and check it out.

What is reality? What are dreams? How can we tell the difference between the two? What if our eyes are clouded by what we think is reality, and our dreams are actually brief glimpses at the real world — short moments where the clouds part and the light breaks through? Or are dreams merely excursions into other realities? If a dream were a reality, how would you live in it? What are life and death, and how do they relate to dreams and reality? Is death itself a dream? Is life the only reality?

If that paragraph made you cringe or roll your eyes, Eternal Sonata is not for you. If, however, you are intrigued — or morbidly curious — read on.
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Have you ever stared at a website and wondered what the staff are planning, what they are working on, and what they are about to post right at that moment? Me neither. But those of you who nodded enthusiastically at the first sentence are in luck. This is the first of what we hope will be a weekly feature here — updates on what each staff member is working on for RandomNPC. (more…)

Over the course of the series, Wild ARMs has seen many changes for better and for worse. In Wild ARMs 5, much of what makes the series so beloved comes home for a nostalgic reunion and a blissful marriage of classic and modern elements. (more…)

Some of you have been wondering just who we all are anyway. Does Roku run the whole show by himself, or does he have a crew of trained monkeys? The answer is that there is an experienced team backing this site. (more…)