RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

If you missed out on Neverland Card Battles on October 28 because you were waiting in line  for your copy of Fallout 3, here’s your chance to take another look at it. A demo, which includes opening cut scenes, a tutorial, and a playable level, is now available through the PlayStation store on the PSP.

Neverland Card Battles for the PSP brings the mechanics of tabletop card games into a strategy RPG. It’s rated T for Teen and retails for $29.99.

Gamers who happen to be in Melbourne this weekend for the eGames Expo will be the first English-language audience to get a look at Little King’s Story. The upcoming Wii title by Rising Star Games boasts an unusual mix of RPG, simulation, and real-time strategy elements. Players take on the role of king and must manage their townspeople and expand their kingdom. The game will be playable at the convention for the first time outside of Japan. The rest of us will have to wait until early 2009 to get our hands on it.

Mario and Luigi 3 will be hitting stores shelves in Japan on February 11. No word yet about a North American release.

Source: Gamekyo

A couple more RPGs have hit shelves this week. Eternal Poison for the PlayStation 2 is now available for a suggested retail price of $39.99 and is rated T for Teen. For something on the lighter side there’s Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia for the Nintendo DS. It’s rated E for Everyone and goes for a suggested retail price of $29.99.

Square Enix updated their 2009 release date list today. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for the Nintendo DS will head to stores on February 17 and has been rated E10+. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, also for the Nintendo DS, will ship out on March 17.

After a one week delay, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon for the Wii will be available in PAL territories tomorrow. It’s rated 7+ and is selling for a suggested retail price of 39.99 Euros.

Fable II fans who can’t get enough of the game’s score can soon get their own copy. On November 25, the soundtrack, which will include twelve tracks from the game, will be available at retail outlets and on iTunes.

Fable II‘s score was composed by Russell Shaw, of Fable and Black & White fame, and also features a main theme by Danny Elfman, who has written music for Spider-Man, The Simpsons, and Big Fish. Over ninety musicians were involved in the recording process, including the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra.

In the Latest issue of Famitsu, Atlus has announced their upcoming DS title Devil Survivor. The game is set in Tokyo, which has been besieged by demons. The city’s core has been cordoned off by Japan’s Self-Defence Force and is left without electricity or telecommunications. Players take on the role of a seventeen-year-old boy. With the help of his friends Atsuro Kihara and Yuzu Tani, he will use his portable game machine “COMP” to make contracts with demons and take on the forces that have invaded Tokyo. And there’s not much time to spare: in seven days Tokyo will be destroyed. (more…)

As was reported last July, Valkyria Chronicles for the Playstation 3 had some downloadable content made available in Japan. It was announced today on the official PlayStaion blog that  both the new mission and “Extra Hard” mode  will be coming to the US and to Europe in early 2009.

Valkyria Chronicles is heading to store shelves today. It’s rated T for Teen and sells for a suggested retail price of $59.99.

PC gamers who want a little more bang for their buck can look forward to JoWooD Productions’ upcoming RPG collection. It will include Gothic 3, Spellforce 2, and Dungeon Lords for only 29.99 Euros and is due out at the end of November. There’s no word yet whether this collection will remain exclusive to Europe.

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Source: Dengenki

Hot on the heels of its North American release, Fallout 3 is now available across Europe. UK and Australian gamers will have to wait an extra day and claim their copies on October 31.

Square Enix announced today that Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon for the Wii will be delayed by one week in PAL territories. Chocobo will now begin his dungeon crawling on November 7.

OGPlanet annouced today that La Tale has expanded with new content. Eleven new zones including the Snowfield, the Dark Forest, and the Crytal Mine have opened up for players to explore as well as two new instance dungeons: The Moon of the 16th Day and the Pyramid Treasure Vault. In addition, players can now purchase pets as well as well as stat-boosting items for their faithful companions. New game systems have also been added in the form of Enchanting and Upgrade, which will allow players to improve their equipment. Greater character customization will also be enabled through the Beauty Shop.

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Source: Famitsu

Whether you’re interested in shooting mutants in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, or fighting monsters using mystical cards, there’s something for you today.

Those who didn’t go to Fallout 3‘s midnight launch can pick it up during regular store hours as of today. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are going for a suggested retail price of $59.99 and the Windows version for $49.99. The game is rated M for mature.

Neverland Land Card Battles for the PSP has also hit store shelves and retails at $29.99. It’s rated T for Teen.

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Source: Game Watch

Namco Bandai has announced that their upcoming Wii RPG Fragile will be released in Japan on January 22 for 7,140 yen. So far there’s been no word about a North American release.

Source: Game Watch

Gamers in the mood for a little dungeon-building need look no further. Master of the Monster Lair for the Nintendo DS is now on store shelves. It’s rated E10+ and sells for a suggested retail price of $29.99.

For fans who can’t wait to get their hands on Fallout 3 (and who don’t need to be up early on October 28) Bethesda and Best Buy have teamed up for a special midnight launch of the game. Select stores in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago will be opening their doors at midnight. There will also be a special launch party  at the local Best Buy in Rockville, MD, home of the Fallout 3 team. There will be a live broadcast on DC 101 FM as well as game kiosks, giveaways, and contests. In addition, members of the development team, including Todd Howard, Fallout 3 game director, will be there to meet with fans and sign copies.

Eager players who plan to attend one of the eleven midnight launches can start lining up at 3 p.m. on Monday, October 27.  See the full list of locations below.
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