Game Changers: Volume 4 – EverQuest
Type “World of Warcraft” into Google and you’ll come up with some seventy million results. That’s more than double the population of Canada, in case you were wondering. Now type in “EverQuest” and you’ll get a measly seven million results. With World of Warcraft boasting of some eight million users, EverQuest‘s comparatively tiny 450,000 users at its peak may seem like nothing, but back in the early days of the internet that was a lot, and without EverQuest, the Behemoth known as World of Warcraft would probably not have come to be.
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Demon Blade Changes Hands
Until this week it was expected that Muramasa: The Demon Blade would be published in North America by XSEED. Monday, it was annouced that this was no longer the case and today it was revealed that Ignition Entertainment would be handling the localization.
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Fallout 3: The Pitt – Staff Review
The Red Menace might have had enough nukes to saturate every square inch of the United States, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they did. The Pitt, a downloadable questline courtesy of Bethesda, suggests just that; the Capitol made such a meaty target that the Soviets didn’t spare a direct strike for a nearby industrial center. As it turns out, they didn’t really need to: what once was Pittsburgh now crawls with gangs, disease, feral mutants, and oppressed workers living at the mercy of a cruel despot and his army of hired thugs. A hijacked radio beacon calls the player’s attention to the plight of an escapee from what is now known as The Pitt, and the adventure begins.
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Fable II Getting Bundled
Curious about Fable II but don’t have a 360? Microsoft is bundling Fable II and Halo 3 with an Xbox 360 Elite for $399.
Source: Kotaku
Bethesda Says What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas
At a press conference in London, Bethesda announced the next game in the Fallout series will be Fallout New Vegas. So far, we know that it is not a sequel to Fallout 3 but is instead just another game in the same universe that will have similar gameplay. Bethesda is working with Obsidian Entertainment to bring the title to the 360, PS3, and PC. More details have been promised soon.
Source: Kotaku
Strategy Session – Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Part I
For this week and next, we’ll be looking at Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume here on Strategy Session. This latest incarnation of the series can get devilishly complicated, particularly late in the game, so we’re going to be starting off slow. We’ll start with some basic tactics, such as the Formation system and the recurring importance of revive skills and items in the Valkyrie Profile series.
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Mass Media 04/18/09
Somebody call for a media update? No? Well too bad, ’cause I just spent all day hauling it around and I am not putting this back on the truck. Here’s what we have: Aion: Tower of Eternity, Tales of Graces, Tales of Vesperia PS3, Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu, Final Fantasy XIII, Magna Carta 2, Shining Force Cross, Elminage II, and Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga. There’s a Warhammer joke in there somewhere, but somebody already used it on the space elf dudes from Star Ocean 4.
…augh, I just realized I should’ve titled my review “Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.” That would’ve been perfect. Librarians were awesome. Anyway, to the pictures:
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Star Ocean: Second Evolution – Staff Review
Nostalgia is powerful. It can help keep memories of games long gone, but also color those memories one way or another. Maybe that old game really was as good as you remember, or maybe when you pick it back up again it’s just not going to do it for you. With the PSP release of Star Ocean: Second Evolution, fans, foes, and newcomers alike will get the chance to test one of Tri-Ace’s older titles and see which way they really roll. Calling Second Evolution a remake is a bit of a stretch, but several convenience tweaks, quality voice acting, and a vastly improved script make it a far more accessible and enjoyable title than its Playstation predecessor.
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Sacred 2 Golden
cdv Software Entertainment confirmed today that Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has gone gold for the Xbox 360 and will be heading to stores on May 12. In the UK, Deep Silver has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions will ship out on June 5. Eager fans can check out the game’s official site.
Mass Media 04/15/09
No rest for the weary or wicked, eh? Incidentally, I just tried to bypass a Fallout 3 crashing problem with a custom Pipboy radio station by just playing Winamp in the background. This, sadly, chopped up the framerate like so much meat at the mercy of a certain butcher some of you may know. The moral of the story is Fallout 3 and Whitesnake do not get along. Anyway, more media for you fine folks: Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment, Tales of Graces, Crimson Gem Saga, Tales of Vesperia for the PS3, Blood of Bahamut and Arc Rise Fantasia.
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Legacy of Ys: Books I & II – Staff Review
The Ys (pronounced like the word ‘ease’) series has had a long and successful career in Japan with the seventh numbered entry announced, several remakes, and at least two spin-off games. Until recently, the only Ys titles ever translated for North American release were 3 and 6. Atlus decided to change all that by bringing over Legacy of Ys: Books I & II, a DS remake of the first two games.
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Game Changers: Volume 3 – Fallout
Throughout the 80s and most of the 90s, the role-playing genre was dominated by fantasy settings, standard sword-and-sorcery affairs time-locked in various medieval or feudal societies. There were occasional bouts of innovation, such as Wasteland, one of the earliest RPGs to touch on the idea of life after a nuclear holocaust. Still, they were few and far between, and most were doomed to obscurity.
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Vandal Hearts Shuns Shelves
Konami has announced a new entry into the Vandal Hearts series, but in an interesting twist the game will not be heading to a store near you — or near anyone else for that matter. Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment will be coming to Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, in August and September respectively.
Flames of Judgment is set as a prequel to the original Vandal Hearts. It promises new game mechanics along with the fast-paced tactical gameplay of its PlayStation predecessors as well as current-generation graphics. The plot revolves around Tobias Martin, a young orphan determined to defend his homeland in the face of a brewing war.
Crimson Gem Saga Takes a Shine to the Web
Atlus has announced that the official website for their upcoming PSP title Crimson Gem Saga is now live. The site features screenshots, character profiles, and basic gameplay information. The game itself will be available on May 26.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope – Staff Review
Sometimes you have to take a step back to keep going forward, or so Tri-Ace would have players believe with Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The latest entry in one of their signature series, Last Hope is a precursor to the first Star Ocean and deals with mankind’s first forays into uncharted space in search of a world capable of sustaining human life. While the overall gameplay has taken clear strides for the better, the package is underscored by a series of minor to major nuisances — not the least of which being a story prone to ridiculous plot twists — leaving it less a series reboot and more one missed opportunity after another.
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Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume – Staff Review
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume represents a bit of a step back in time for the series. Where Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria led the series in a more optimistic direction, Covenant of the Plume returns to the tragedy and gloom of the first game in the series, choosing the theme of sacrifice in contrast to Silmeria‘s hope. The game is designed rather well, and the plot is extremely well written, but an overall lack of consistency and an unfortunate rehashing of artistic elements from earlier in the series drags the whole thing down rather badly.
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BioWare Makes Bid for Betas
Dragon Age: Origins may have been pushed back to late 2009, but fans and modders who’d like a look at the game are being invited to particpate in the Dragon Age toolset beta. The toolset will eventually allow players to create and share user-made levels for the game. BioWare hopes to attract a wide range of testers so both experienced and novice modders are invited to apply at the beta site.
