RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

The countdown on Final Fantasy XIII‘s official North American site is finished, and as promised, there is a new trailer that is available in both standard and high definition with a full screen option. The new trailer shows some of the amazing graphical prowess that Square Enix is so famous for along with several scenes displaying the rapid pace of combat. It’s not earth shattering, but it’s certainly pretty and worth a look.

Atlus is proving once again that the PS2 is far from dead with the announcement of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon.  Set in an alternate 1920s Tokyo, Raidou returns to the action by following a trail of masked ninjas and strange insects that unexplainably leads to King Abaddon.

Like many Atlus games, this one will have a limited release, so if you want it, pre-order.  And if you do, you’ll get a free Raiho plushie when it hits shelves on May 12 for $39.99.

Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time will be available for both the Nintendo Wii and DS on March 24.

Final Fantasy XIII‘s official site in North America has a countdown. In five and a half days, we’ll be treated to a new trailer, and by doing some snooping of the flash, it looks like there will be a HD version.

PSP-owning Star Ocean fans can rejoice; Star Ocean: Second Evolution heads to shelves today. The game features a new 16:9 aspect ratio, new fully-voiced anime cut scenes, and a refined battle system. All this can be yours for $39.99.

With games like Etrian Odyssey under its belt, Atlus is making a name for itself in the dungeon crawler genre. Keeping with that tradition is Class of Heroes, a first-person RPG for the PSP. (more…)

The latest pages of popular boys’ manga magazine V Jump show a new playable character for Final Fantasy XIII.  His name is Sazh Kalzroy, and we know that he loves green, weilds two pistols, and has the cutest baby chocobo in the history of the large yellow birds.  Also of note, he and Barret Wallace of Final Fantasy VII share the distinction of being the only playable black characters in a Final Fantasy game.

Source: Kotaku

Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the first game in the series to be on the Xbox 360, will hit North American shelves on February 24.

Square Enix has opened a portal website for all of the games in the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection. So far, there are sites for Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. There are some pictures on the first one, but the other two are essentially just placeholders.

In an interview with Jeff Gardiner of Bethesda, Eurogamer confirmed that the level cap will be raised to 30 when Broken Steel, the third piece of downloadable content for Fallout 3, hits in March. The first expansion pack, Operation Anchorage, will be available for download this month.

Source: Eurogamer

If you live in Europe, own a PS3, and have been dying for more Netherworld action, Square Enix has you covered. Disgaea 3 will be published by Square Enix on February 20 for the few people that didn’t import it already.

A sequel to Magna Carta is going to the 360. We’d tell you more, but that’s all we know.

Source: Destructoid

The newest pages of Famitsu have plenty of battle details for the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII.  (more…)

As if we didn’t need another reason Japanese gamers are luckier than pretty much everyone else, the details of new features in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, the Blu-Ray release of the sequel to the much acclaimed Final Fantasy VII, have finally been announced. The movie will have 30 minutes of additional footage, and each copy of the movie will have a playable demo for Final Fantasy XIII. If that wasn’t enough, there will also be trailers for Final Fantasy XIII: Agito and Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Source: Magic Box

Mistwalker has canceled Cry On, its third Xbox 360 project. When asked about the cancellation, game developer AQI responded “[We] decided to cancel the project after analyzing the current market environment and forecasts for the future.  We deeply apologize for troubling those who were awaiting its release.”

In the end, the name was fitting, since all we can do now is Cry On.

Source: 1up

Tabula Rasa was set to go free to play on Jan 10, but developer NCSoft decided to go ahead and make it free a little early. There is still plenty of new content despite the fact that the servers are going down Feb 28 of next year.

A lot of people have accused Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers of being vaporware, especially since a second Wii title, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time was announced with next to no mention of the earlier game.  Well, those that pre-order Echoes of Time when it hits Japanese shelves on January 29 will be treated to a new trailer for Crystal Bearers.

Source: IGN

When Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ in Japan, the little extra bit that gave it the plus was a PS2 remake of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which was originally released on the GBA.  Sadly, we never got either Final Mix in North America, but at least we get the remake of Chain of Memories as Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories for those of us that never played it on the GBA or just feel like going through Castle Oblivion again. (more…)

Her name is Vanilla. Hopefully, she won’t be as plain as her name suggests.

Source: The Magic Box

Atlus just announced, The Dark Spire, a new first-person RPG for the DS. The game features two different modes of play. One is more modern with stylized textures and palettes, and the other is a more classic style that resembles the earliest first-person games from the genre.

The Dark Spire chronicles the adventures of a group as they try to conquer the powerful Archmage Tyrhung in his tower to get their hands on his most precious treasure, a jewel of unrivaled value and power.

Fans looking for something in the vein of Etrian Odyssey can look for The Dark Spire on March 10 of next year for $29.99.