RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Just in case you thought Pokemon+Nobunaga’s Ambition was some kind of hallucination, the crossover RPG has been set for a March 17 release, pricing at ¥5,800.

Source: Andriasang

Dragon Quest X will reportedly put more of a focus on story, despite being an MMORPG.  Parties will have a designated “story leader” whom story events will consider the main character, with the rest of the party simply supporting in battle.  DQX‘s five continents will also feature various regional plots: an elven land facing destruction for lack of an important ceremony, a kingdom blighted by a mysterious plague, another country where children are suddenly going missing, and so on.

Additionally, it was confirmed that the game will see quests added post-release, and Square Enix is currently developing quests for each job, race, and continent.

Source: Andriasang

Addressing speculation over EA’s download service, Origin, BioWare’s Chris Priestly posted an FAQ on the official forums.  He confirmed that all PC versions of Mass Effect 3, retail and digital, will require use of Origin.  Apart from a one-time authorization there are no special restrictions; no install limits, and only multiplayer mode will require a constant connection.  However, Mass Effect 3 will not be sold on Steam for the time being.  The full FAQ can be read over yonder.

If you should hear a faint screaming in the distance, a far-off cry of anguish that can only be attributed to a man in intense psychological pain, don’t panic.  That’s just me.

In a recent press release, NIS America announced that Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland will see a May release in North America and Europe.  This was paired with the launching of the game’s official site, available here.

Nothing like a week of updates to make a guy feel like he’s treading old ground, but hey, anything worth talking about is worth talking about again.  Tonight’s discussion topics are as follows:

• The Bethesda-Interplay legal mess comes to a close, with Zenimax paying $2mil for Interplay to stop harassing Fallout and claiming the MMO’s going to make it.
• GSC Game World announces on Facebook that development of STALKER 2 is somehow still underway.  Why do all the beautiful things in life have to be undead?
• Zynga acquires another executive from EA.  Poor Zynga… their stock’s lackluster performance has caused them to mentally regress to last year.
• BioWare reveals that Mass Effect 3 will require Origin and will not be available on steam.  Also, they broke their arm in a boking accident.
• Workers at a Foxconn plant in China threaten mass suicide over low pay and poor conditions.  Industry leaders feign shock that they’re still doing business with Foxconn.
• Ars Technica gets a closer look at the Wii U, and learns surprisingly little.
• Diablo III gets a console version, a Gaikai rep makes a silly assumption about the Big Three, and more!

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Is This the 50’s or 1999?’ »

And I thought to myself, “maybe I should wait a day on this Bethesda/Interplay settlement story, see if more details emerge Monday.” But then I thought “nah man, let’s go with it. What’s the worst that could happen?” My fault for assuming this was going to drag on, I guess.

Anyway, the aforementioned settlement’s details have been revealed, with ZeniMax paying Interplay $2 million dollars in exchange for returning the full rights of the Fallout name to Bethesda. Thus, Interplay has no further license to continue with Fallout Online.

Source: Eurogamer

BioWare has publicly responded to recent allegations regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic, where players were supposedly banned for visiting certain high-level areas. The original claim, based on a post from Reddit, was that collecting loot from the planet Ilum before reaching the recommended level range could result in a ban.

Community manager Stephen Reid handled the response, detailing what happened on the official forums. In short, players were only banned for confirmed goldfarming. Several players were given warnings or temporary suspensions for repeatedly raiding Ilum containers in large numbers, but no bans were issued on this second group. Simply exploring the area while underleveled and searching containers is not a violation and, according to Reid, was not treated as such.

Source: 1UP

Title says it all. Konami announced that preorders for Suikoden on the PSP – Genso Suikoden Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki – will include a download code for custom, retailer-specific themes. The official site has a handy guide for which shops carry which themes.

Source: Andriasang

At a recent demo event for Beyond the Labyrinth, Konami and tri-Ace revealed yet more details about the upcoming 3DS RPG. Of particular note are the following:

• Difficulty options include normal, hard, super hard, ultra hard, and hyper hard. The setting can be changed in mid-game, but your clear history will show only the lowest difficulty you used at any point.
• Pressing B will fast forward through event scenes.
• Apart from the previously mentioned outfit editing system, players can apparently import custom creations from outside the game and trade them with others over the internet.
• Save points will fully regenerate your health. You can also partly heal up at special points in the field.
• Party members will converse during battle, and these conversations are logged for reference.
• Estimated playtime is around forty hours.

Source: Andriasang

It’s just not a week in the industry without some long-forgotten property being dug up, only to be reburied just as abruptly.  Times like these are hell for anybody that was born in time to appreciate the 90s.  In tonight’s episode:

• Interplay and Bethesda reach some kind of settlement which allows Interplay to continue pretending to develop Fallout Online.  The judge was kind enough to deliver the settlement notice to the cardboard box Interplay is currently working out of.
• The ESA reaffirms their support of SOPA, whereas Epic Games  – a member of the ESA – actually comes out publicly against it.  It’s… complicated.
• Vox Media plans to launch a gaming news website, and goes on a talent-poaching spree to staff it.  So how many articles about Japanese dating sims can we expect per month?  This is important.
• Speaking of Japan, Japanese retailers preempt Sony by offering in-store price cuts on 3G PS Vitas.  Sony, if you’re hiding Monster Hunter on us, now would be a good time to show it.
• Social game Shenmue Towns is shut down, dashing the hopes of all five people who were aware Shenmue had a social game.
• By contrast, X-Com makes a surprising comeback in all its brainy, strategic glory as X-Com: Enemy Unknown.  Take that, Shooter Season 2011!
• Kaz Hirai is announced as Sony’s next president, the iOS gold rush (and pending disappointment) continues, we deal with E3 and 2012 speculation, and more!

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Trading Places in Development Hell’ »

And speaking of quirky Japanese things, Famitsu has revealed that Persona 4: The Golden – that being the Vita remake of Persona 4 – will include a few new elements. Players will be able to execute a joint attack with their two party members, and outfit changes will be reflected in combat. There are also new events, namely one at a ski resort and another at an inn.

Source: Andriasang

In its ongoing quest to out-quirk Atlus, Level-5 announced that its girl-centric RPG Cinderella Life will be released on March 8 for the 3DS, retailing at ¥5,040.

Source: Andriasang

At a stage event in Akihabara, Nippon Ichi announced a trio of upcoming titles, starting with the Japanese release of Cave Story 3D. An adventure game and dungeon RPG were the other two, with the Disgaea team working on the latter. Little else was revealed, though both games are expected to launch sometime this year.

Source: Andriasang

In the recent Nintendo Direct event, the company announced, among other things, a release date for the upcoming 3DS Fire Emblem. Titled Fire Emblem: Awakening, the game is scheduled to release on April 19 in Japan. A US launch has not been confirmed.

Source: 1UP

Happy New Year, everybody!  Welcome back, time to round up the news as per usual.  Today’s selection should serve as a healthy reminder that not all publicity is good publicity, as the good David Bowie can attest to. I had to take a short break from posting here for you guys because I had to look after my folks. They’re getting a bit old and need more help than they used to. They also tend to forget to take their meds, which is particularly worrying. I was taking care of this myself until I found a service called Home Care Assistance North County, and now they have a professional assigned to them that helps them with this sort of stuff. Thanks to that we’re back in business!

Now that I’ve explained things and without further ado, here’s what went down over break:

• The PS Vita launched in Japan, moving fewer than expected numbers and with several software glitches.  Even straight-up hardware reviews were mixed, like this one from Joystiq.  Sony is probably relieved that’s all they had to worry about.
• BioWare’s co-founder hints that they’re taking cues from open-world games, including Skyrim, for Dragon Age 3.  Oil, meet water.
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 also sold less than anticipated, which was a total surprise to people that have no idea how sequels work.
• A Firefox add-on subverts DNS blockades like the ones proposed by the Stop Online Piracy Act… before the Act is even released.  No prize for second place, Congress!
• Leaked email chains provoke the internet to converge on one Ocean Marketting (typo intentional) and its hilariously awful one-man operation.  The Mayor of Boston is now a meme.
• Nintendo finally unveils the official Legend of Zelda timeline.  All three of them.  That high-pitched collective cry of anguish you’re hearing is the fandom trying to sort this out.
• Star Wars: the Old Republic finally launches, the Big Three “kind of” withdraw their support of SOPA, and more!

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Shame, What You Have is Gone Tomorrow’ »

If you’re lucky enough to be on holidays then why not spend a little of your time off taking a look at this shiny new media. Today, for your viewing pleasure, we’ve got Ragnarok Odyssey, Code of Princess, Genso Suikoden Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki, and Labyrinth Tower: Legacista.

Continue reading ‘Mass media 12/27/11’ »

Boy, I have to go out grocery shopping on Christmas E…TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS! WOOOOOOO!

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 12/24/11’ »

This week’s Famitsu has revealed that a new .hack game is in development. CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama stated the game takes place one year following the upcoming movie, which hits theaters on January 21. Little else is known at this time, with no formal title, platform, or release date as part of the announcement.

Source: Andriasang

In response to the ongoing problem with Skyward Sword‘s sequence-breaking glitch, Nintendo has launched a program designed to fix save data and correct the problem. The program, listed as the Zelda Data Restoration Channel, is downloadable from the Wii Channel section, and includes instructions on fixing the affected save games.

At present this is for the Japanese version of Skyward Sword only. A US fix is still in development.

Source: Andriasang

Final Fantasy XIII-2 opened its first week with over half a million sales on the PS3, according to sales data from Media Create. The sequel to FFXIII topped the research firm’s weekly chart, with the nearest competitor being Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3G at about 208,000.

XIII-2 is set for a January 31 release in North America, followed by February 3 for Europe.

Source: Andriasang