RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

On my last evening at E3, the gang and I got our hands on League of Legends: Clash of Fates, Riot Games’ upcoming online SRPG. Whatever else can be said about the good folks behind this game, they are nothing if not gracious hosts. The game demo was a private party at a nearby bar, with food and drinks on the house. As for the game itself, it’s based on Defense of the Ancients, a popular mod for Warcraft III where players select hero units and square off amidst a larger ongoing battle. We were set up in a LAN group of about ten people, and once we all chose our heroes we were divided into two teams and dropped into the beta map. Continue reading ‘League of Legends Impression 2’ »

By now, anybody who cares has seen the trailers for Bioware’s upcoming fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Origins. We laughed, we cried, we wondered how in the world they thought adding Marilyn Manson to scenes of mass violence and armored dudes sneering at each other would help it sell. At E3, the gang and I got a closer look at the actual game, and while there was little to sway people one way or another, I did get the impression that there is cause for hope yet. Allow me to elaborate. Continue reading ‘Dragon Age: Origins and the Curious Marketing Strategy’ »

After receiving a radio transmission and heading through a swamp, the hero finds him or herself inside a rather large mansion and face to face with a friendly Ghoul in a rather bad situation. Raider-like enemies will be invading at any moment, and despite a healthy supply of video cameras that give him a small command post of sorts, the mansion is in a very sorry state and these foes have no problem busting down the rotten walls in order to accomplish their goals. Of course, this isn’t a typical Ghoul. He has turrets, attack dogs, and a fair bit of extra firepower too, but he could still use a hand. The player is thus conscripted and charged with various tasks that range from fending off hoards of enemies as they bust their way in to igniting explosives in order to seal up holes. Continue reading ‘Fallout 3: Point Lookout Impression 2’ »

White Knight Chronicles is one of those games we heard about a lot a while back, then…not so much. The biggest draw, or at least what set it apart, was the hero’s ability to become a huge knight and fend off giant enemies in a clash of massive scale. Of course, the real question is how well this actually plays out. Continue reading ‘White Knight Chronicles Impression 2’ »

When you’re assembling your MMO gear, you just gotta ask yourself one question: is it glowy and spiky enough? Is it glowy and spiky enough?! I didn’t think so! In a related story, we have imagery from Ijji’s upcoming MMORPG Soul of the Ultimate Nation. Take a look why don’tcha! Continue reading ‘E3 Media: Soul of the Ultimate Nation’ »

Demon’s Souls is a hard game to describe. On paper, it sounds completely different than it does in person, and that’s a good thing. Until I had my hands on the game, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was something I wanted to play, but after trying it, it’s on my must-have list. Continue reading ‘Demon’s Souls Impression’ »

While poking around Konami and hoping the psych profile thing for the Silent Hill remake isn’t as gimmicky as it sounds, I got a quick taste of Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment for the 360, a prequel to the original for the PlayStation. It’s been a while since I got a taste of a good, turn-based strategy RPG, such that I probably would’ve gotten creamed by the giant enemy worm if it hadn’t been half dead when I started playing. Continue reading ‘Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment Impression’ »

Hidden behind the line of eager players waiting their turn to play Zelda was a playable demo of Mario and Luigi 3: Bowser’s Inside Story. Like the Zelda demo, it had several smaller segments, but I only opted for the Bowser one. Continue reading ‘Mario and Luigi 3: Bowser’s Inside Story Impression’ »

Hey, everything else hooks up to that accursed site, so why not?

Hiya folks! Gathered here is roughly fifty-seven minutes of our E3 Away Team knocking heads over corporate theater and glitchy alphas of unreleased games. Alethea fangirls over Mass Effect 2, J calls out Project Natal, Roku does his postapocalyptic janitor thing, and I wish I’d brought more microphones. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder what it takes to get better acoustics. The answer to that is “More than you’d think.” Anyway, give a listen, won’t you? Continue reading ‘E3 2009: Our Podcast is Now Compatible With Facebook’ »

 E3 2009 [56:38m]: Download

While putzing around on the show floor, Alethea, Roku, and I got our mitts on a playable demo of Point Lookout, the next DLC release scheduled for Fallout 3. While Alethea was busy getting her sea legs, and Roku contented himself with playing the post-apocalyptic janitor, I took my work seriously and was prepared to thoroughly dissect this latest riveting plunge into the human psyche. Or just shoot mans with a gun. Yeah, mostly that. Continue reading ‘Fallout 3: Point Lookout – Impression 1’ »

Though E3 is over, the gaming world is still bewildered over the announcement of Final Fantasy XIV. Only a trailer was shown and information is  scarce, but nevertheless there are a few details about the game. Our own Jordan Jackson spoke with a representative of Square Enix on the last day of the show about the next installment of Final Fantasy.

Continue reading ‘Final Fantasy XIV Becomes Slightly Less Mysterious’ »

For those that braved the line, Nintendo showed off three demos of the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. They were a dungeon scenario, a train, demo, and a boss fight. And if you happened to still be on the show floor at the end of the day on Thursday, you could knock out all three in one fell swoop. Luckily, I planned on taking the red eye out of town, so I can tell you about all of them. Continue reading ‘Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Impression 2’ »

E3 may be over, but there’s lots of media for you to feast your eyes on today including the first piece of concept art for the upcoming (and still unnamed) Zelda game for the Wii. You’ll also find Spectrobes Origins, Golden Sun DS, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky, Muramasa,  Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/05/09’ »

What’s unique about this impression is that it didn’t even take place at the show. Instead, the developer, Riot Games, threw a party at the Lucky Strike bowling alley just down the street. The party, billed as “booze, bowling, and brawl,” was very hip and swanky.

Continue reading ‘League of Legends: Clash of Fates Impression 1’ »

Sega had a big booth, full of shiny games, and among them was Alpha Protocol. While I didn’t get to see much of the plot, I definitely saw the battle system. It plays much like a mixture of Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid, with stealth playing a major role in combat. Players can also utilize a number of special abilities, including offensive, defensive, and passive skills. Two were highlighted on the show floor. One cloaked your player, and the other allowed for multiple enemies to be killed in rapid succession. Continue reading ‘Alpha Protocol Impression’ »

I did not get to spend much time with The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, but I did get enough playtime to form an impression. Nintendo’s demo was set to time out after three minutes, and as always the booth staff closely monitored people so that the line could move quickly.

Continue reading ‘Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Impression 1’ »

I’ve never been a huge fan of fighting games, and my experience with them has been largely limited to Super Smash Brothers. But Dissidia: Final Fantasy interests me for obvious reasons — I love the Final Fantasy series — so I gave it a try at Square Enix’s booth.

Continue reading ‘Dissidia: Final Fantasy Impression 1’ »

While passing through Sony’s booth, I happened to spot a game that’d I’d been interested in for quite a while: Level 5’s White Knight Chronicles. As soon as a station became available, I picked up a controller and tried it out.

Continue reading ‘White Knight Chronicles Impression 1’ »

Every year, people ask the same question. “Who won E3?” This is, of course, the hardest question to answer. Winning is very subjective. If you are a fan of shooters, you will think Microsoft won. Casual gamers will think Nintendo took top honors. To decide the winner, one must look at the announcements. Continue reading ‘Editorial – Who Won E3?’ »

Some screens and art from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Continue reading ‘Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Screenshots, Artwork’ »