RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Both versions Lord of Apocalypse, Square Enix’s joint Vita-PSP venture, will be hitting shelves come December 17 alongside the Vita’s Japanese release. Famitsu indicated this week that a demo for the PSP version would be available later this month, although an exact date was not given.

Source: Andriasang

In an already crowded holiday season, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim sold in excess of 3.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, roughly half of its seven million unit launch. Apart from setting a record for both the series and RPGs in general, Skyrim also hit a record high for simultaneous players on Steam: roughly 280,000 in the first 24 hours.

As points of comparison, Oblivion shipped about 1.7 million during its launch run, with Fallout 3 shipping 4.7 million and Fallout New Vegas totalling an even five.

Source: 1UP

The closed beta test of Star Wars: The Old Republic draws near, with BioWare issuing registration keys through certain channels: IGN, FilePlanet, and their own social network. Participants must have accounts with any of the above to request a key, and must do so before the end of Friday, November 18.

Upon redeeming your key, which can be done here, you’ll receive a beta test invite by email. BioWare plans to run the beta for four days, with the full game still scheduled for a release on December 20.

Source: 1UP

In slightly saner and still theater-related news, Square Enix has announced Theatrhythm Final Fantasy‘s release date as February 16, with the title to be priced at ¥6,090.

Source: Andriasang

Bidding for the coveted title of “Least Expected Stage Adaptation,” Atlus and Marvelous AQL announced that Persona 4 will see a theatrical production. Titled Visualive Persona 4, the event combines live performances with special effects and will run from March 15 to March 20 at the Sunshine Theater in Ikebukuro. Playing the main character is one Toru Baba, who apparently was in a musical – sorry, musicals, plural – about MAQL’s Prince of Tennis.

I have not yet abandoned the possibility that this is a very convincing figment of my imagination.

Source: Andriasang

Hello all! Thanks for sticking with us, got some news fresh out of the oven for you fine folks. As an aside, going to be out of town for the week of Thanksgiving so the next episode will be uploaded on the 27th. Enjoy the week, have a happy preemptive Turkey Day, and in the meantime let’s get to tonight’s topics:

• Zynga is caught forcing employees to either surrender stock or be fired, so they can turn around and use that stock to hire other people. Pretty sure breach-of-contract lawsuits start more or less like this.
• Steam servers get hacked, and while the damage appears limited Valve kindly reminded people to change passwords and watch credit card activity. See? Was that hard?
• Meanwhile, CD Projekt reveals digital sales numbers for The Witcher 2, offering a glimpse of the effect the Steam Collective has on the market.
• A slight error and some carelessness resulted in Japanese MMO M2 being completely deleted, which ironically is the first I’ve ever heard of the game.
• Sony reveals its complicated UMD conversion process to play PSP games on the Vita. Considering this is currently only in Japan, where the PSP is still an active platform, I can only guess at the the intended audience.
• Ubisoft says “buy Rayman Origins if you want more Beyond Good and Evil,” armed Frenchmen steal copies of Modern Warfare 3, and more!

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Coercion: Our New Business Strategy’ »

Not content with an RTS and upcoming RPG, the Game of Thrones series will also venture into the MMO genre. Developer Bigpoint, known mostly for Battlestar Galactica Online, will be developing the title as a free-to-play, expected to launch sometime in 2012. Less is known about the MMO than the RPG at this point, though author George R. R. Martin is being consulted by the developers of both games.

Source: USA Today

Square Enix revealed the not-at-all-unexpected Collector’s Edition for their upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2. For $79.99, up $20 over the standard package, players get a 20-page artbook, special case designed by Yoshitaka Anamo, and the game soundtrack which spans a hefty four discs. Store-specific preorder bonuses were also detailed: GameStop has an extra costume for Sarah, Amazon throws in a unique boss fight against Omega, and Best Buy includes a hardcover book that fills in gaps between XIII and the sequel.

XIII-2 is set for a January 31 release in the States, with a February 3 launch in Europe.

Source: 1UP

At least, that’s what I’m assuming as an untimely Windows error caused me to lose most of the work on this week’s podcast. Reconstructing as we speak, but unfortunately What Happened This Week won’t be uploaded until tomorrow. RandomNPC and John Boske Productions, proud participants and runners-up in the nationwide Spontaneous Combustion Game, apologize for the delay.

Also, someone tell the Vikings they’re not allowed to lose tomorrow.

In a recent interview, Zelda producer/director Eiji Aonuma commented on the series and its immediate future on the 3DS. Responding to his earlier statement that a Majora’s Mask was being considered, Aonuma stated that Nintendo would like to avoid putting out two remakes back-to-back. He then indicated that the next Zelda on the 3DS would be a new title. While largely unspecified, he did indicate the game would not be a direct sequel to any of the DS Zelda games, though it “takes much of what has been done on previous handhelds.”

Source: 1UP

Square Enix has opened the official site for the Dragon Quest X beta. While registration has not yet begun, the FAQ covers eligibility, the selection process, and some basic info for players new to beta testing. In particular:

• Only Square Enix Members in Japan are eligible to register, with a preference for those players who will actively test for and report bugs.
• There is no time limit for beta applications, and players can continue to apply even after testing begins. Admission is not on a first-apply-first-in basis.
• The beta kit includes a game disc, instruction manual, and a Wii USB memory card.
• Your character will likely not be useable in the final retail version, though testers will get a special item as a bonus.
• Gameplay will cover the prologue and a few boss fights, though players won’t be able to progress in the story.

Applications will start being accepted in mid-November. An exact date was not specified. The beta site can be found this-a-way.

Source: Andriasang

In a recent earnings report, Nippon Ichi revealed that strong sales of Disgaea 4 helped the company outperform its expectations for the first half of the fiscal year. With a previously forecasted net loss of 10 million yen, the company instead reported net earnings of 122 million. Considerable DLC sales for Disgaea 4 further bolstered these numbers, seemingly unhindered by the PSN outage earlier this year.

In spite of the change in numbers, Nippon Ichi has not adjusted its annual forecast figures, citing aspects of upcoming products that have not been finalized.

Source: Andriasang

With the holiday season underway, Square Enix has announced plans to bring a handful of classic RPGs to the US Playstation Network. Chrono Cross touches down this Tuesday, with Final Fantasy V coming November 22 and Final Fantasy VI behind it on December 6. The two Final Fantasy games are based on the PSOne versions, including the new cinematics.

Source: VG 24/7

November is upon us, as is daylight savings time for those of us that practice it for some reason. I, for one, look forward to driving to and from work in perpetual darkness, only occasionally seeing sunlight through the office windows.

Let us proceed with the news, which includes the following:

• Groupon goes public, setting records not seen since Google’s IPO. Of course, it’s only been one day and doubts persist about the company’s long-term growth prospects, but I’m sure it will all work out just fine. (Note: I’m not a financial expert and my opinions should not be construed as advice.)
• Silicon Knights sees substantial layoffs, reaffirming what happens when you fail to make Technoviking: The Game look interesting.
• Richard Garriott warns that Blizzard “needs to watch out for the Zyngas of the world.” Yeah, I’m sure they’re quivering behind the giant forts they’ve constructed purely out of money.
• Grand Theft Auto V finally launches its official trailer, with not a single carjacking or crazy stunt in sight. I’ll bet Pepperidge Farm remembers when GTA games were fun.
• In truly unexpected news, GameStop plans to sell tablet PCs in stores. Preorder yours today for bonus exclusive DLC for Microsoft Office!
• Ultima takes a long, strange trip into BioWare, Spike TV’s VGA includes games that aren’t out yet, we learn the terrible secret of Bro Con, and more!

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Groupon to Buy Britannia Manor’ »

Gentlemen, behold!

Continue reading ‘Mass Weirdia 11/05/11’ »

Dragon Quest X will let you form parties with either live players or AI-controlled characters. On the live end, the game’s invitation system lets the invited player indicate how long they’ll be able to join, and players can automatically follow each other in the field. Players can support other parties who are currently in combat, specifically through a special command that boosts said party’s tension.

As for computer-controlled members, they can be used to bolster a solo player or fill out gaps in a shorthanded party. AI characters are recruited at the town pub, and will follow you in a line as in previous Dragon Quest titles. Interestingly, players can register themselves as AI characters for others to recruit. Your game session ends at this, and when you return you’ll be briefed on your character’s activities; any experience earned in this fashion will be kept.

Source: Andriasang

Konami has set the release date for Beyond the Labyrinth as January 19, retailing at ¥5,800. The official site for tri-Ace’s 3DS RPG also went live, and can be located over yonder.

Source: Andriasang

It all comes down to this: Courier vs. Courier, Trouble in the Rubble, the Exchange on the Interchange. Lonesome Road starts with no fanfare other than questions lingering since Fallout New Vegas began. Ulysses, the original courier slated to deliver the fateful Platinum Chip, offers you nothing more than the reason he turned down the job. The Road itself offers more, from the usual DLC bonuses to a suitably epic climax, guest starring a friendly face from the Mojave. While the content certainly has its high points, it commits you to a linear slugfest and short-changes the narrative where it should have put the most effort. It’s engaging in the beginning, but for content that promised answers it’s not well prepared to give them.

Continue reading ‘Fallout New Vegas: Lonesome Road – Staff Review’ »

Happy Halloween, everybody! Hope you’re all full on candy already, because we’re fresh out. We do, however, have plenty of delicious DOOOOOOOOOOOM to go around! Help yourself!

In today’s obesity-causing episode:

• Shooter Season 2011 rolls on as Battlefield 3 launches to great scores attached to surprisingly critical text. Also, install to your hard drive or the game looks like this.
• Nintendo announces a sizable loss for the year, that may have largely been a fluke in currency exchange rates. Clearly, doom is just around the corner.
• Zynga’s new properties are eating into their existing userbase, while one of the company’s officers leaves for Las Vegas. Given Nevada’s unemployment rate, somebody’s in a gambling mood… or they didn’t like what they saw at Zynga.
• Sony states that the PSN hack “woke up dormant customers,” perhaps figuring such a statement might distract people from the Vita’s cumbersome saving mechanism.
• Bethesda loses its preliminary injunction against Interplay, and so development of Fallout Online can continue in the magical fantasy world that only Interplay inhabits.
• EA, who once claimed Origin was not a competing service to Steam, starts picking up publishers to commit to Origin. Look, EA, just… let’s not do anything crazy, okay? Put Mass Effect 3 back down and let’s talk.

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Doom For Everyone!’ »

Another week, another fun computer problem. The joys of not being a professional broadcaster… this time I actually had almost the whole thing done when an untimely Audacity crash erased the recording. As if that weren’t enough I spent most of Saturday dealing with an unseated heat sink. Oy. Anyway, new WHTW to come tomorrow. Sorry for the delay folks!