Bio: Cortney Stone

Nickname
Cortney "Alethea" Stone
E-mail
alethea@randomnpc.com
Website
Profile
I've been gaming since I was eight, and while my game diet consists mostly of RPGs, I enjoy action and puzzle games as well. I love Final Fantasy games, Mass Effect, Fallout, The Legend of Zelda, Wild ARMs, and many more.

I worked for a few years at "that other RPG website" before deciding to move on for a while. Now I've allowed myself to get dragged back into the gaming industry (damn you, Roku). I really can't stay away from something that synthesizes two of my passions: writing and gaming.

Posts by Cortney Stone

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Bioware Unveils Dragon Age 2, Surprises No One

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Bethesda Announces E3 Lineup

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 by | Posted in E3, Game News

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 Sends 4 Heroes to North America

Thursday, May 27th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Lufia Remake, Etrian Odyssey III Confirmed for North America Via Twitter

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Future Mass Effect 2 DLC Will Bridge Gap to Mass Effect 3

Friday, May 21st, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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

Dragon Quest IX Release Dates Announced for North America, Europe

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Will Arrive in September

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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 Reveals The Last Story Protagonists

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

The Last Story Developer Blog Posts About Knights, Mercenaries

Monday, March 29th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Media.Vision’s iPhone Game Revealed as Chaos Rings

Friday, March 19th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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 Tweets About Fashion

Friday, March 19th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Will Arrive This Summer

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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 Blogs About The Last Story

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 by | Posted in Uncategorized

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.

Square Enix Updates Class Information on Official Final Fantasy XIV Website

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Peter Molyneux Adds Butler to Fable III

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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) Lands on Virtual Console

Thursday, March 11th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

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.

Square Enix Announces Final Fantasy XI Additions for 2010

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Square Enix announced numerous additions and changes to Final Fantasy XI at VanaFest, a special event in Tokyo dedicated to the company’s eight-year-old MMORPG. These changes are set to be released throughout 2010, thus confirming that the game will remain afloat through this year.

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More DLC Incoming for Mass Effect 2

Saturday, February 27th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

It’s been a month since the release of Mass Effect 2, and Bioware has announced that a replacement for the beloved Mako is on the way. The upcoming Firewalker DLC pack will contain the Hammerhead, “a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield” and is armed with “a guided missile system,” and five missions designed for its use.

The DLC will be free to all Cerberus Network members, and it should be out in late March.

Nintendo Fist-bumps Square Enix, Takes on North American Publishing of Dragon Quest IX

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Today, Nintendo announced at the Nintendo Media Summit that it will not only be co-marketing Dragon Quest IX with Square Enix but handling the North American publication of the game as well. The company also said that the game will be out sometime this summer.

Source: Joystiq

Monolith Software Gears Up Xenoblade As All-New Saga

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

In last week’s Famitsu, Xenoblade director Tetsuya Takahashi provided the first details on Monolith Software’s upcoming Wii RPG. It turns out that Xenoblade isn’t a part of the Xenogears and Xenosaga epoch but rather an entirely new game and universe. “Xeno” seems to be only an homage.

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