RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

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.

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.

With E3 coming up in a few weeks, Bethesda has announced the lineup of games it intends to show at its booth. Among the short list is Fallout: New Vegas. This is no surprise as the game is expected to be released later this year.

RandomNPC will be there bringing you the latest coverage from the show floor. We’ll do our best to bring you all the Fallout: New Vegas news allowed by our carry weight limits.

Square Enix unveiled the official North American website for Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light along with its North American release date of October 5. For now, the site is just a simple page with artwork and some screenshots, but a full site is coming soon.

These days, more game companies are using Twitter to make important announcements. Case in point: Atlus and Natsume both recently tweeted announcements of game localizations. Atlus will be bringing Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City to North America, and Natsume will be localizing Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals, previously known as Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods.

Mass Effect 2‘s lead producer Casey Hudson recently told Videogamer.com that BioWare plans to release “a continued stream of DLC” for the game, including “packs that’ll tell the story between Mass Effect 2 and 3.” Hudson also revealed that work has begun on Mass Effect 3, but the company won’t be sharing any details about it for the next few months.

Source: Videogamer.com

Nintendo has finally announced the concrete release dates for Square Enix’s Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. The Nintendo DS title arrives in North America on July 11 and in Europe on July 23.

As you may recall, Nintendo accepted the task of publishing the game back in February.

Via a recent press release, Square Enix announced that Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep will not be out this summer, as previously stated. Instead, the game will arrive in North America on September 7. There will also be a special GameStop exclusive bundle that includes a copy of the game, a Mystic Silver PSP-3000, a movie (to be announced, but it will not be related to Kingdom Hearts in any way), and a 4GB memory stick.

Square Enix has also revealed some of the celebrity voice actors for the game: Mark Hamill, Willa Holland (The O.C., Gossip Girl), Jesse McCartney (Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days), James Woods, and Leonard Nimoy.

Mistwalker recently updated its developer blog for The Last Story once again, this time with artwork and some information regarding the leading male and female. There is a “wall” between the two protagonists that keeps them from sharing their feelings. The blog also says that while the hero’s story is the main focus of the game, other stories will be woven in as well.

In addition, Hironobu Sakaguchi noted on his own blog that The Last Story is in the final stage of development. So far, the company has not even shown screenshots of the game or released much information about it, but that may change in the near future.

Mistwalker’s developer blog for The Last Story updated recently with a post about two classes in the game, Knights and Mercenaries, and showed their concept art.

Knights are privileged authority figures of high social status who swear loyalty to a lord. They spend their time improving their battle skills, and they enjoy job security and respect from the people. Mercenaries, however, live harsh lives as they wander from place to place trying to make a living through fighting. They have lost family members and their possessions, and people do not respect them. The protagonist of The Last Story is a mercenary who aspires to become a knight, but there is a barrier between the two classes that is difficult to overcome.

Remember that vague job announcement Media.Vision posted back in February for developers for an iPhone RPG to be published by Square Enix? Yesterday, Square Enix revealed the game’s name — Chaos Rings — and a few details.

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BioWare just announced via its Twitter feed that it will be releasing a new appearance pack for Mass Effect 2 that contains new outfits for squad members. The accompanying photo, which is also available on the official website, shows that Thane and Jack will also have new eyewear and Garrus’s new outfit lacks the broken section on the collar, unlike his current in-game wardrobe. The appearance pack will be out on March 23 and it will set you back 160 MS points or 160 BioWare points.

The company also announced the release date for Kasumi – Stolen Memory as April 6.

Square Enix announced today that it will release Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep for PlayStation Portable this summer. According to the press release, the North American version of the game will include new features, such as an extra boss and additional multiplayer options.

Mistwalker has added a developer’s blog to the teaser site for its upcoming RPG The Last Story and posted the first details and artwork for the game.

The Last Story will be set on Ruri Island, a small continent surrounded by mountains. Though the main city of Ruri is prosperous and thriving, the rest of the island has been corrupted. Lord Aruganan, the ruler of the island, is trying to utilize the power of magic to fend off invaders. This power will determine the future of the island.  Hironobu Sakaguchi, the game’s director, added that The Last Story isn’t influenced by sci-fi. Instead, Ruri Island is sunny and the materials for technological advancement are scarce.

Late last week while everyone was distracted by Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix quietly added some new information to the official Final Fantasy XIV website. There are now new sections covering the Thaumaturge and Conjurer classes, and all the other classes have been updated to include details on abilities and weapon skills as well as illustrations to show combat stances and roles. There’s quite a bit of information, so click on over and read up.

Because a few players didn’t realize they could change their character’s clothes in Fable II in spite of all the obvious cues in the game, Peter Molyneux has added a butler to Fable III to help them out with their wardrobes. Unlike the mostly-useless butler of Fable II who wouldn’t even fetch a cup of hot Earl Grey, this butler will guide the player through a walk-in closet space and assist him or her in choosing appropriate garments for different occasions.

Molyneux also announced that the butler will be voiced by John Cleese of Monty Python fame. However, he did not say whether this butler would be in charge of the character’s silly walks.

Source: Kotaku

Final Fantasy II (NA), also known as Final Fantasy IV, arrived on Nintendo’s Virtual Console this week ready to renew nostalgia and the confusion over the numbering system for North American Final Fantasy titles. Joining Cecil on his epic journey will set you back 800 Wii Points.