Potentially Useful Information For Your Many Adventures
Electronic Arts and Bioware made two significant announcements yesterday at a press conference preceding GamesCom in Germany. Dragon Age 2 will be released for PC, 360, and PS3 in in North America on March 8, 2011 and in Europe on March 11, 2011. The companies also announced that Mass Effect 2 will be released for the PS3 in January 2011.
Strip away the sci-fi veneer of futuristic settings and you’ll often find traditional stories buried underneath. Ion Storm’s Anachronox is little different, building its planet-hopping adventure on the back of a washed-up detective story set in a weird, wild future. Burdened by buggy gameplay that had problems when it was released, it nonetheless stands out even amongst modern titles. With skilled story direction and a few unique twists on the formula, Anachronox boasts more character and ingenuity in the first hour than most entire games manage. It’s just a shame the game insists on getting in the way.
Continue reading ‘Anachronox – Staff Retroview’ »
In an update on their official blog, Bethesda revealed more of the voice talent and their roles for the upcoming Fallout New Vegas.
Continue reading ‘Bethesda Announces Fallout New Vegas Voices’ »
Nippon Ichi announced today that three games currently in development are being canceled, citing a low likelihood of ensuring quality and turning a profit on the titles. The news comes in the wake of the company’s first quarter earnings report, revealing a 40% sales drop over last year; the titles are being stopped as part of a restructuring effort to counteract this. While the company still edged out a narrow 32 million yen profit in the first quarter, time spent on the three games effectively results in a 21 million loss.
The names of the canceled titles were not released, though presumably the next Disgaea, on track to debut at the Tokyo Game Show in September, is not among them.
Source: IGN
Sega announced today that Shining Hearts, the next entry in its long-running series, is headed for the PSP. The game tells the tale of swordsman Rick, who works at an island bakery along with a hunter, a magician, and a priestess. When a mysterious, emotionless girl washes ashore with no memory of what happened to her, Rick and his bakery pals team up to help her out. While plot advancement opens up new areas of the island, players can engage in various sim-based activities along the way, from villager quests to sailing to material-collection minigames.
Shining Hearts is set for a winter release in Japan, though no US release has been announced.
Source: 1UP
I’m led to believe that hating on Japanese RPGs is the “in” thing right now. Yes, they were pioneering and revolutionary back in their heyday, that magical time around the fourth and fifth console generations (and specifically the SNES and PS1) when cartoony, sprite-based graphics were the norm and any semblance of an intricate plot was head and shoulders above the competition. Imagine how the effect of new technology help people to enjoy games more. to know how technology affected online casino as well, visit this website now. You’ll probably get mind blown in whatever you are gonna see.
That said, Arc Rise Fantasia is a fairly standard JRPG. Brooding protagonist with oversized sword, quiet, sheltered healer girl, semi-fantasy setting, colorful character designs, it’s all there. And it’s better than the haters would lead you to believe.
Continue reading ‘Arc Rise Fantasia – Staff Review’ »
XSEED just launched the official website for the PSP-bound Ys Seven, located here. Apart from the usual menagerie of background info, preorder links, and collector’s edition extras – CD soundtrack, 60-page art book, and cloth map – the site lists the game’s release date as August 17. The standard and downloadable versions will cost $29.99, while the CE will retail for $49.99.
Namco Bandai announced today that Tales of Graces will be making the jump from the Wii to the PS3. Dubbed Tales of Graces F, the port will feature high-definition graphics, new special attacks, and a new outfit for female lead Sophie. Meanwhile, the PSP will be receiving Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3, which will feature some 80 Tales characters and is currently slated for a Japanese release next year. The third and final announced Tales entry is also bound for the PS3, though no title was given.
No US releases were announced for any of the three.
Source: 1UP
Dragon Quest IX players are cordially invited to participating retailers for a downloadable special event map, which may be traded with others via the Tag Mode feature. Specific GameStop, Best Buy, and Simon Mall locations will be carrying the maps, which mark dates and times for Dragon Quest events near their respective stores.
Further details on upcoming events are accessible via the official site.
Nippon Ichi unveiled several screenshots of the upcoming PSP port of Phantom Brave, alongside plenty of juicy tidbits about what to expect from the added content. Apart from features added in the jump from the PS2 to the Wii, the PSP version will include an additional scenario not present in earlier versions of the game. The new scenario, accessible after clearing the game, features Marona and Ash chasing down the heroes they recruited to help save the world and telling them they’re no longer needed. This segment will include five heroes from other Nippon Ichi games, including Unlosing Ranger from ZHP and Prinny from Disgaea.
Phantom Brave PSP is due for an October 28 release at retailers and as a direct download. No word has been given about a US release.
Source: adriasang
Atlus is creating a brand new traditional RPG for the Nintendo DS, according to this week’s Famitsu. Dubbed Radiant Historia, the game is due out November 4 in Japan, pricing at 6279 yen (or $71.97, so sayeth the wise currency converter.)
Continue reading ‘Radiant Historia Coming Soon to Japan, Announces Atlus’ »
Following the port-heavy schedule for the PSP, Persona 3 Portable builds on what was already a great game, adding new features, more combat options, and a huge whack of new plot in the form of new Social Links. Unfortunately, not all the alterations really work, as there has been some excessive tinkering with the game’s balance, and the technical limitations of the handheld platform have resulted in an oversimplified interface that causes some serious issues with suspension of disbelief. The end result is a game which feels a bit overworked, but has the potential to provide an excellent experience.
Continue reading ‘Persona 3 Portable – Staff Review’ »
BioWare announced today that new downloadable content is coming for Mass Effect 2. Tellingly dubbed Lair of the Shadow Broker, this latest DLC pits Shepard and company against the titular black market of information. Little is known about both the Shadow Broker itself and the content, although BioWare did announce that the player would team up with Liara, who stayed out of the party in Mass Effect 2 to focus on dealing with said organization.
More details and screenshots can be found on the official website. A release date has not been stated. Although their involvement has not been indicated in the content, Cerberus has nonetheless prepared to reset its “days since our last Resident Evil-style program failure” sign back to zero.
Square Enix confirmed today that a PSP remake of Tactics Ogre will get a North American release. Dubbed Let Us Cling Together for the US version, the remake is headed by key members of the original Tactics Ogre team: director Hiroshi Minagawa, character designer Akihiko Yoshida, game designer Yasumi Matsuno, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata. Yes, that’s basically the Final Fantasy Tactics/Vagrant Story team.
No release date was given in the press release, possibly because the team was busy trying to keep their good guys from killing too many good-aligned creatures. Zero-alignment angels erryday.
Source: 1UP
Steadily working through their back catalog, Square Enix announced today that their 2000 action-RPG Legend of Mana will be available via PSN in Japan, starting July 28. Price is set at 600 yen, requiring 365mb of hard drive space. No word has been given about whether it will be available in North America.
Source: 1UP
At a recent NIS America press event, Souhei Niikawa – best known as the producer of the Disgaea series – announced that the company will from now on limit the number of releases per year. Niikawa stated the move is intended to allow developers to focus on game quality and customer satisfaction, though the exact limit was not specified. Three upcoming titles were announced as part of this new policy:
Niikawa also made mention of the next Disgaea title, bound for the PS3 in Japan. Few details were given, but he affirmed that more information would available “by the time
Tokyo Game Show comes around.”
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