RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Cladun: This is an RPG is a game with very clear goals. An action RPG dungeon crawler with an old-school aesthetic, Cladun is designed to be played in short bursts, and very little else. The game’s largest issues arise from the inconsistent application of these old-school elements and a certain lack of a consistent overarching theme to the game. Though Cladun’s combat system is a fairly basic, some might say rigid affair, its sub-systems are surprisingly complex, a fact which does cause some problems in a game meant to be played in small servings. Overall, Cladun is a solid game, but it never quite reaches the point at which it transcends the conventions and cliches that the story makes fun of. (more…)

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. (more…)

Square Enix’s support of the iPhone continues unabated, as the company announces the release of two classic games for the App Store. The first, Final Fantasy Tactics, is actually a release of the updated PSP version, and has a projected release date of September 15th. The second is Secret of Mana, the classic multiplayer Super NES title, which unfortunately has no release date as of yet.

In a move sure to surprise some of the lawyers involved with the controversy surrounding this game, Interplay announced that Fallout Online will be accepting Beta applications starting immediately. Head on over to the game’s official site and take a look.

Fallout Online has been at the center of a legal dispute between Interplay and Bethseda for a while now, with suits and countersuits calling the eventual release of the game into question. In fact, Interplay previously announced that it would be attempting a Beta in 2012, making this announcement all the more surprising.

Following up on the DLC train, BioWare announced the release of some new content for Dragon Age: Origins. Called Leliana’s Song, it covers the story of a young Bard named Leliana and her mentor as they get involved in some nasty underworld schemes. The DLC includes fully voice acted cinema sequences, and a vaguely defined reward that will transfer to your Awakening and Origins campaigns.

Leliana’s Song will be available July 6th, and will cost around about $7.

Following on the heels of the announcement of a new Zelda game for the Wii, Nintendo has announced via its Twitter feed that it will have company on the 3DS in the form of a remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo also put forth the names of a couple of first and third-party titles that will be appearing on their new handheld, including Kingdom Hearts and Paper Mario. Unfortunately, none of these titles received much more than a name drop, so stay tuned for updates as they become available.

Apparently eager to learn from last year’s lackluster E3 conference, Nintendo started off its show with quite the fan-pleaser: a new Legend of Zelda game. Called The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword, Nintendo brought out Shigeru Miyamoto to demonstrate how the controls had been streamlined since Twilight Princess, and how the game used the Wii Motion Plus accessory. He also showed off a couple new items, including a whip, and an item called the Spying Beetle, which allows players to see ahead in an area.

The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword will be available for purchase sometime in 2011.

In a move sure to please fans of the series, Nintendo revealed a release date and a subtitle for the upcoming DS continuation of the Golden Sun series. Now known as Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the game will be on store shelves this holiday season, though no more exact date was given.

Today, BioWare announced a couple of new toys for both the PC and Xbox360 versions of Mass Effect 2. The first is a 90-minute demo, featuring the opening cinema and mission of the game, and will allow players to save the progress they make on the demo for use on the full game.

The second, and probably more interesting announcement, is that new DLC will be available for the game come tomorrow. Called Overlord, it adds five new areas to the game, as well as two new achievements. There wasn’t much in the way of further details, but the content will put players back 560 points, either in Microsoft or Bioware’s Internet Funbucks, depending on which platform you’re on.

This week, we’ll be talking about the various skills and abilities available to your demons, and which to use. There’s a lot to digest here, so let’s get started! (more…)

One of the best ways of constructing an exceptionally powerful party member in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is by intelligent use of the Password system. By manipulating this system, the player can bring in demonic allies from other player’s games, re-use the normally single use Demon Sources, and in general, snap the balance of this game like a toothpick. This week, we’ll take a look at some basic strategies for abusing passwords for fun and profit. (more…)

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey uses a pretty basic version of the traditional Demon Fusion system, with a few interesting quirks. This week, we’ll go over some of the basic functions of the Fusion system, working up to the more complex tricks you can pull with it later on. First off, we’ll look at the basic mechanics themselves. (more…)

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, the most recent addition to the rather scant roll of the series’ mainline continuity, is a game with significance for the series as a whole. As the central pillar of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the mainline entries have always been fairly old school dungeon crawling affairs, considerably darker than the numerous side stories that have spun off of them. It has been a major point of curiosity to see which direction Atlus would take the series: outward into the younger, more upbeat world of spinoffs such as Persona and Devil Survivor, or back inwards, towards the darker, more chaotic entries of the early series. Interestingly, Strange Journey seems content to pick its own path, taking to heart many of the upgrades the series has seen in interaction and depth of character, while maintaining the disturbing, often sharply critical edge the older Shin Megami Tensei games had. The end result doesn’t quite have the same bite as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, but Strange Journey‘s excellent story, solid character customization scheme, and exceptional dungeon design mark it as an excellent game in its own right. (more…)

A constant fan-favorite, the target of this week’s Strategy Session has largely clung to its position in the tier system through sheer popularity. It isn’t as overpowering as some other Dragons, and it tends more towards the jack-of-all-trades master-of-none role. And yet, people have consistently voted with their Pokeballs; Dragonite is OU. This week, we’ll see if we can’t pick a focus for this fluffy orange-yellow lizard. (more…)

Over the years there have been signs and portents of a remake of Pokemon Gold and Silver, fan favorites in the series due to its sheer size and the fact that it was the first game to expand the Pokemon universe beyond the confines of the Kanto region. The final result, Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, is every bit as fully featured and chock-full of Pokemon goodness as the originals, but unfortunately, they also carry over some of the less desireable quirks of Gold and Silver. Most serious of these are bothersome balance issues, and a plot which is flat even by Pokemon standards. On the whole, HG/SS isn’t a bad game, and makes some definite strides in the areas of sound and visuals, but it probably won’t be of much interest to anyone but fans of the series. (more…)

Borderlands presents an interesting mash up of First-Person Shooter and RPG elements, which eventually come together to produce a unique sort of combat system with a lot to offer. Unfortunately, a clunky interface, flatlined plot, and a certain monotony when it comes to environments drag the game down significantly, becoming glaring issues towards the end of the game. On the whole, Borderlands is a solidly built game, and it works well for gamers looking for something a little bit different, but it’s not a particularly compelling or amazing title. (more…)

As many players find out in their path through Glory of Heracles, which abilities a player decides to put on which character determines a great deal of their combat potential. This week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the more powerful Abilities, and some of the more basic and useful skill combinations. (more…)

For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be taking a look at some strategies for Glory of Heracles, and the wonders that can be performed by a party of immortals. We’ll start off simple, taking a look at the characters you’ll have to work with, along with some of the basics of combat. (more…)

Over the course of the last decade or so, North America has seen a remarkable influx of games and series which, in the past, had been exclusive to the east. From Shin Megami Tensei to Fire Emblem, the widening acceptance of gaming in general has allowed for a much broader cross-section of Japanese gaming to be seen on our shores. However, there still remain a number of long running series which have yet to make the jump across the pond. Glory of Heracles, whose first game was released in 1987, is one of these, and although the game contains many elements that are carried over from earlier entries in the series, the fact that this is the series’s first international release works strongly in its favor. (more…)

Continuing our look at the Pikachu evolutionary line, this week we’ll be looking at the electric mouse’s final evolution, Raichu. The big mouse has some unique strategies, mostly thanks to its improved defense and speed, but still has some serious issues. (more…)