RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Corporate group Index Holdings, which counts Atlus Games as a wholly-owned subsidiary, has recently been doing some in-house restructuring. Among the more notable changes is the complete absorption of the Atlus name by Index Holdings. A spokesperson for IH stated that the group intends to focus on game development, and maintained that this will not affect the planned release of any Atlus titles or their respective branding.

Source: Game Watch

Translation: Adrienne “Sicondera” Beck

Coming straight from Final Fantasy XIV‘s Twitter feed is the announcement that the beta will open up to the public starting Wednesday, September 1 at 2:00 GMT. As a reminder, the full game will be available September 30 for the PC, with the PS3 version expected early in March.

Does more need to be said? Go on, go check it out. And if you happen to see an axe-wielding Miqo’te and her stalwart Hyuran manservant running around, by all means, stop and say howdy.

As people everywhere take sides in the latest gaming brouhaha – used games and alternate means of publishers getting more money for them – a thought occurred. While everyone was arguing over whether this or that represents some moral atrocity against our hobby, I started wondering if the lumbering green monster wrecking everything around us might warrant closer attention.

Yes, we’re talking about the economy. Money, cash, spendola; the globe just took an unbelievable beating thanks to complex financial instruments and we’re wondering why companies are getting silly about money. Why, indeed. (more…)

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Atari announced today that they are developing Neverwinter, an online RPG based around the titular Dungeons & Dragons city.  In-house online developer Cryptic, perhaps best known for City of Heroes/Villains and Star Trek Online, is at the helm of the project.  While the game shares some of the locations with BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights series, Atari’s Neverwinter will tell its own story, wherein the city is blighted by civil war and a plague outbreak.

Cryptic did not explicitly say Neverwinter is massively multiplayer, though it will require an online connection and players can form five-player teams to work through dungeons and quests.  Solo players can recruit computer-controlled allies to clear the same areas, while a content creation system called Forge will let players generate their own storylines and such.

Neverwinter is set for a late 2011 release on the PC. Further information can be located on the official website.

BioWare recently launched the official website for Dragon Age 2, which proudly sports a shiny new cinematic trailer and additional information. (more…)

Strip away the sci-fi veneer of futuristic settings and you’ll often find traditional stories buried underneath. Ion Storm’s Anachronox is little different, building its planet-hopping adventure on the back of a washed-up detective story set in a weird, wild future. Burdened by buggy gameplay that had problems when it was released, it nonetheless stands out even amongst modern titles. With skilled story direction and a few unique twists on the formula, Anachronox boasts more character and ingenuity in the first hour than most entire games manage. It’s just a shame the game insists on getting in the way. (more…)

In an update on their official blog, Bethesda revealed more of the voice talent and their roles for the upcoming Fallout New Vegas.  (more…)

Nippon Ichi announced today that three games currently in development are being canceled, citing a low likelihood of ensuring quality and turning a profit on the titles.  The news comes in the wake of the company’s first quarter earnings report, revealing a 40% sales drop over last year; the titles are being stopped as part of a restructuring effort to counteract this.  While the company still edged out a narrow 32 million yen profit in the first quarter, time spent on the three games effectively results in a 21 million loss.

The names of the canceled titles were not released, though presumably the next Disgaea, on track to debut at the Tokyo Game Show in September, is not among them.

Source: IGN

Sega announced today that Shining Hearts, the next entry in its long-running series, is headed for the PSP.  The game tells the tale of swordsman Rick, who works at an island bakery along with a hunter, a magician, and a priestess.  When a mysterious, emotionless girl washes ashore with no memory of what happened to her, Rick and his bakery pals team up to help her out.  While plot advancement opens up new areas of the island, players can engage in various sim-based activities along the way, from villager quests to sailing to material-collection minigames.

Shining Hearts is set for a winter release in Japan, though no US release has been announced.

Source: 1UP

XSEED just launched the official website for the PSP-bound Ys Seven, located here. Apart from the usual menagerie of background info, preorder links, and collector’s edition extras – CD soundtrack, 60-page art book, and cloth map – the site lists the game’s release date as August 17.  The standard and downloadable versions will cost $29.99, while the CE will retail for $49.99.

Namco Bandai announced today that Tales of Graces will be making the jump from the Wii to the PS3.  Dubbed Tales of Graces F, the port will feature high-definition graphics, new special attacks, and a new outfit for female lead Sophie.  Meanwhile, the PSP will be receiving Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3, which will feature some 80 Tales characters and is currently slated for a Japanese release next year.  The third and final announced Tales entry is also bound for the PS3, though no title was given.

No US releases were announced for any of the three.

Source: 1UP

Dragon Quest IX players are cordially invited to participating retailers for a downloadable special event map, which may be traded with others via the Tag Mode feature.  Specific GameStop, Best Buy, and Simon Mall locations will be carrying the maps, which mark dates and times for Dragon Quest events near their respective stores.

Further details on upcoming events are accessible via the official site.

Nippon Ichi unveiled several screenshots of the upcoming PSP port of Phantom Brave, alongside plenty of juicy tidbits about what to expect from the added content.  Apart from features added in the jump from the PS2 to the Wii, the PSP version will include an additional scenario not present in earlier versions of the game.  The new scenario, accessible after clearing the game, features Marona and Ash chasing down the heroes they recruited to help save the world and telling them they’re no longer needed.  This segment will include five heroes from other Nippon Ichi games, including Unlosing Ranger from ZHP and Prinny from Disgaea.

Phantom Brave PSP is due for an October 28 release at retailers and as a direct download.  No word has been given about a US release.

Source: adriasang

Atlus is creating a brand new traditional RPG for the Nintendo DS, according to this week’s Famitsu.  Dubbed Radiant Historia, the game is due out November 4 in Japan, pricing at 6279 yen (or $71.97, so sayeth the wise currency converter.) (more…)

BioWare announced today that new downloadable content is coming for Mass Effect 2.  Tellingly dubbed Lair of the Shadow Broker, this latest DLC pits Shepard and company against the titular black market of information.  Little is known about both the Shadow Broker itself and the content, although BioWare did announce that the player would team up with Liara, who stayed out of the party in Mass Effect 2 to focus on dealing with said organization.

More details and screenshots can be found on the official website.  A release date has not been stated.  Although their involvement has not been indicated in the content, Cerberus has nonetheless prepared to reset its “days since our last Resident Evil-style program failure” sign back to zero.

Square Enix confirmed today that a PSP remake of Tactics Ogre will get a North American release.  Dubbed Let Us Cling Together for the US version, the remake is headed by key members of the original Tactics Ogre team: director Hiroshi Minagawa, character designer Akihiko Yoshida, game designer Yasumi Matsuno, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata.  Yes, that’s basically the Final Fantasy Tactics/Vagrant Story team.

No release date was given in the press release, possibly because the team was busy trying to keep their good guys from killing too many good-aligned creatures.  Zero-alignment angels erryday.

Source: 1UP

Steadily working through their back catalog, Square Enix announced today that their 2000 action-RPG Legend of Mana will be available via PSN in Japan, starting July 28.  Price is set at 600 yen, requiring 365mb of hard drive space.  No word has been given about whether it will be available in North America.

Source: 1UP

At a recent NIS America press event, Souhei Niikawa – best known as the producer of the Disgaea series – announced that the company will from now on limit the number of releases per year.  Niikawa stated the move is intended to allow developers to focus on game quality and customer satisfaction, though the exact limit was not specified.  Three upcoming titles were announced as part of this new policy:

• Cladun: This is an RPG, according to the press release, is an action-adventure built around a retro dungeon crawl.  Bound for the PSP via PlayStation Network, Cladun will feature character creation, randomly generated dungeons, and multiplayer through the PSP’s ad-hoc feature.  The current release timeframe is fall of this year.
• Zettai Hero Keikaku, a strategy RPG centered around creating your own superhero, was simply referred to as Z.H.P. in its own press release.  The Disgaea team will be developing  Z.H.P., which is currently set for a winter launch on the PSP.
• Ar Tonelico 3 got a formal title: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel.  Billed as the final installment in the Ar Tonelico series, the PS3 title will have more action-oriented gameplay.  The release window for North America and Europe is spring of 2011.

Niikawa also made mention of the next Disgaea title, bound for the PS3 in Japan.  Few details were given, but he affirmed that more information would available “by the time
Tokyo Game Show comes around.”

A man of enduring mystery and glowing robot eyes, Mass Effect 2‘s Illusive Man is largely a question mark voiced by Martin Sheen.  Come this January, however, Dark Horse plans to flesh out his origins in a four-part miniseries dubbed Mass Effect: Evolution, courtesy of the team behind the popular Mass Effect: Redemption. (more…)

NIS America has just launched the official English website for Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland.  Available here, the site is paired with the announcement that this latest entry in the Atelier series will be available in Fall of this year.