RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Rotom is a bizarre little critter. The game introduces it as a Legendary, complete with dangerous-sounding theme music and a reasonably low catch rate, and yet the final product is somewhat unimpressive. Rotom’s original stat distribution focuses strongly on Speed and Special Attack, leaving the other stats to rot; However, with the introduction of the Secret Key, and thus five new Formes for Rotom, the sparky little ghost not only has much improved defenses but actually gains a little bit on the offensive side, too. (more…)

It’s as predictable as the incoming tide; whenever there is a Pokemon game in the main series with two versions, there will inevitably be a third version. A remix of sorts which takes elements of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and combines them to create a more completely fleshed-out game, Pokemon Platinum feels less radical than Pokemon Emerald and Yellow before it, but a lot of that is due to the restrictions the game itself places on its most outlandish and unusual features. On the whole, Pokemon Platinum is a solid title, and does a number of things which are unexpected for a Pokemon game, but it hardly qualifies as an essential purchase for anyone beyond the dedicated Pokemon fan. (more…)

Pokemon Platinum has a number of new Pokemon – Formes, new shapes for old critters that only appear under certain circumstances. Perhaps the Pokemon who changed the most with the introduction of Platinum, Shaymin’s new Forme offers it new moves, new strategies, and one of the most unusual side effects Pokemon has ever seen. (more…)

Over the years, Pokemon has made constant changes to its basic combat system, eventually resulting in a system that is wonderfully balanced and provides a wealth of customization options to advanced players without making things too terribly complicated for beginners. Where Pokemon Battle Revolution goes horribly awry is where it decides to completely shuck all of the secondary aspects of the Pokemon series, such as the plot, the capture-and-train theme, and the sense of growth as a Trainer, in favor of a laser-sharp focus on the combat system. The game becomes dull quickly mainly due to the fact that without anything to support the combat or provide it with any sort of context, it’s just a series of challenges without purpose or direction. To put it simply, Pokemon Battle Revolution is a stripped-down title whose only real saving grace is the inclusion of a handful of systems which really should have been included in the DS titles in the first place. (more…)

Square Enix has long shown a penchant for re-releases and ports, but Chrono Trigger is one game whose long absence from circulation has always been a bit of a mystery. This long-awaited re-release of Chrono Trigger adds in a fair amount of new content while polishing up much of the old with a new translation, new dungeons, and even a new ending. Chrono Trigger DS isn’t a particularly mind-blowing affair, and the new additions will probably cause some die-hard purists to scream a bit, but on the whole, it’s a remarkably solid and entertaining game with a lot to offer both old fans and a new generation of gamers. (more…)

Hot on the heels of Persona 3 FES, Persona 4 invites players to another year of school in Japan. Slightly modifying and improving the mechanics of its predecessor and mixing in a well-written murder mystery to boot, Persona 4 is a very solid game. The biggest problem it contends with is that it has a hard time setting itself apart from Persona 3, as it borrows more than its fair share of game mechanics from the previous game, but can’t quite manage to tie everything together the same way. Still, Persona 4 is an enjoyable, challenging title with a lot to recommend it. (more…)

With the next entry in the venerable Pokemon series looming on the horizon, we thought it’d be a good idea to talk a bit about the changes that are coming to the game. Pokemon Platinum will introduce a number of new features, from revamped sprites, to new Move Tutors, to even a few new Pokemon. This multi-part series on the new additions of Pokemon Platinum will focus largely on advice for the player vs player aspect of the game, but we’ll also talk some about the various new features of the game. The best way to do that, I think, is to talk about individual Pokemon, and the best place to start would be with Pokemon Platinum‘s mascot – Giratina. (more…)

One of the more unusual games to be released for the Game Boy Advance, Boktai: the Sun is in Your Hand is an action RPG that has players relying on the power of sunlight to defeat their vampiric foes. Although Boktai has a lot of charm in visual design and sound, its plot and certain aspects of its combat system fail to impress. Despite these flaws, Boktai is a strange bird with some unique ideas, something that deserves credit in any medium. (more…)

With a glut of free-to-play MMOs on the market, it isn’t easy for one game to stand out amongst the crowd, especially with so many of them using the same happy-happy theme. LaTale may be one more cute RPG out there, but it is definitely one of the higher-quality ones, featuring an entertaining combat system, a reasonable variety of character customization, and some great visuals and sound. The US release of this Korean-made game is a little under-featured, still missing a variety of fairly important sub-systems and a few critical areas and dungeons, but it is at least more or less bug-free and undemanding to run. Although marred by a few missteps, LaTale is a very solid casual MMO that should appeal to players looking for something easy and fun. (more…)

Asda Story, perhaps most famous for its offer of $30 for those players who found it wanting during its beta period, is a game hampered by a large number of bugs, a very poor translation, and an uninspired overall design. Asda Story is one of the more “Me Too” free MMOs on the market today, offering bland combat, very basic quests, and little or no story. There are a few bright spots, as Asda Story does offer some unique variations on player interaction and sports an interesting visual style. But for the most part, Asda Story really shows its youth – there’s not enough content, not enough polish on the translation, and, at the moment, not a lot of reason to play it. (more…)

Widely considered the crown jewel of the Castlevania series and a classic of gaming, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night took what had been a very traditional side-scrolling platformer series, shifted the gameplay focus to exploration, and infused it with RPG mechanics. Symphony of the Night was a significant change to the series, moving it towards more RPG-influenced gameplay, a trend which has increased as the series has gone on. Time has not been particularly kind to this game, as later entries in the series eclipse it in terms of having deeper gameplay and plot, but with such fluid animation and a wonderful soundtrack, the game still has something to offer the modern gamer. (more…)

Is it just me, or is everything breaking down? A month or so ago, my laptop’s AC adaptor decided to die in spectacular fashion, along with my DS Lite. And now Karlinn has suffered a similar fate, as his computer appears to have vomited all over his lap. My personal feelings on the matter? Technology hates us. But enough of that, here’s what those of us who have yet to be destroyed by our mechanical overlords have been up to this week. (more…)

Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is a dungeon crawler that seeks to induce nostalgia for the very earliest RPGs; games that, if given half a chance, would happily hand a player their own teeth in a bag. The game’s designers have succeeded in producing a tough, classically-styled RPG, but its high level of difficulty, slow-paced plot, and one-dimensional cast is going to make it fairly impenetrable to anyone without a pre-existing love of dungeon exploration and turn-based combat. As far as dungeon crawlers go, Etrian Odyssey II is better than the vast majority, but this particular sub-genre remains a very insular and traditional one, and Etrian Odyssey II isn’t going to change any of that.

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Bioware released some new information today about its long-in-development RPG Dragon Age: Origins. We’ve got details about the game’s combat system, story, and release date. Take a peek inside for the most explosions and dragons this side of a 70s van. (more…)

Some interesting details have come to light about Microsoft’s action-RPG sequel, Fable 2. The game has apparently been completed, but the bulk of new information is about Fable 2‘s online play. Apparently, the online part of the game features a great deal of co-op play, allowing players to invite other players into their game by way of purple orb items. It seems players can not only battle, but possibly even marry and have children.

Any members of the viewing audience been following this season of Doctor Who? I’ve been watching episodes as they air in Britain in order to avoid the Sci Fi Channel and their horrible, horrible edits. The BBC showed the season finale last night, and good mother of God. I expected (spoiler removed), but (spoiler here, too)? And (spoiler), (spoiler), AND (spoiler)? It was absolutely (not a spoiler, just obscene). Anyway, on to this week’s Quests!

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Given the huge amount of speculation that continually swirls around the Chrono Trigger series, recent rumors of a port of fan-favorite Chrono Trigger seemed, at first, to be easily enough dismissed. However, with the unveiling of a new site, complete with clock and Nintendo DS logo, these rumors would now seem to be confirmed.

Unfortunately, details are scarce at the moment. All we really know is that Square Enix plans to bring the first entry in its classic time-travel series to the Nintendo DS. We’ll keep you up to date on the latest information as it becomes available.

[Minor Update: There appears to be a North American version of the CTDS page, which could indicate a high probability of a localized release. Maybe.]

In a world where the world’s military has come under the control of a madman… One man. Will make a difference. This week. In Current Quests.
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Under normal circumstances, when a Japanese company releases an expansion for a game, the rest of the world is left out of the loop. Thankfully for us in North America, Persona 3 FES is a rare exception to the rule. Offering a number of changes to Persona 3, FES adds some nice bonuses to the initial package, while adding on a good deal of new content and doing some overall re-balancing. FES‘s changes range from the nice but inconsequential (new costumes), to the significant (an all-new 30 hour epilogue), to the inexplicable (Mara), but overall, FES is a solid and worthwhile addition to Persona 3.
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