RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

German website World of Players has dug a surprising amount of information from a PC Games preview of The Witcher 3. The major details are as follows:

• No quicktime events (oh, thank god).
• Geralt can target specific body parts in combat, using action points or some variant thereof.
• Players will be able to hunt animals for crafting materials; Geralt’s senses allow him to track these creatures.
• You’ll use horses and boats to get around, along with more traditional fast-travel options from known locations.
• Players will not be restricted by invisible borders; the game’s three main areas will be accessible at the start.
• Saves from previous Witcher games will be importable, which affect character relationships but not the main story.
• Speaking of the main story, it runs about 50 hours, with side content pushing that closer to 100.
  
• The Witcher 3 will have a tutorial at the onset, unlike its predecessor.
• PC and console UIs will be designed differently.

The game is planned for a 2014 release on PC, PS4, and likely the next Xbox.

Source: Eurogamer

Title’s got the gist of it. The 3DS remake of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor will hit European retailers this April, to be priced at £34.99.

Source: Eurogamer

PC patch notes for Skyrim 1.9b contain the usual laundry list of bugfixes and tweaks, but along with that was the implementation of Legendary skills. That is, skills that reach 100 can be designated as Legendary, which “reset the skill to 15, return its Perks and allow the skill to affect leveling again. This effectively removes the overall level cap.”

Presumably there is some benefit to doing so, though the patch notes do not go into detail. See the full list of changes for yourself here.

Amidst a sneak peek of the Devil Survivor 2 anime, it was revealed that the game will see a 3DS port subtitled Devil Survivor 2: Break Code. No release period was specified, though more details will be featured in the March 28 issue of Famitsu.

Source: Gematsu

If Light Yagami was a military strategist, he’d be Shu.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 03/03/13’ »

Amidst the buildup for E3, Final Fantasy director Shinji Hashimoto announced that Square Enix is preparing to develop a Final Fantasy for PlayStation 4. Naturally, few details were given at this time; Hashimoto indicated the company would reveal more at E3 this year.

Source: Gematsu

Speaking of setting matters right, Square Enix plans to launch Final Fantasy XIV for PC and PS3 this summer. The game went into beta testing on the 25th, and for the curious, the offical benchmark has been released and is available here.

Source: Gematsu

NIS America has announced that Time and Eternity will see a release in North America and Europe. Imageepoch’s time-travelling RPG centers around a princess whose wedding goes afoul when assassins kill her would-be husband. To set matters right, she reveals the secound soul hiding within her, which allows her to travel back in time and find John Connor before the T-1000 stop the assassination.

Time and Eternity hits US and EU PS3s this summer.

Source: Gematsu

Not to be outdone, NIS America announced a release window for Disgaea D2 in North America and Europe. Laharl and company will make their return this fall, under the full title of Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness.

Source: Gematsu

Square Enix has revealed that the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix will launch in North America and Europe this fall.

Source: Gematsu

In a recent interiew, Blizzard production director John Hight indicated that Diablo III will have some form of offline play. This was mentioned in the context of multiplayer, with Hight saying that “You can have four people on the same screen—no split-screen, we just zoom the camera out. Or if you’re offline.” As a reminder, the PC version requires a constant connection, largely for the Real Money Auction House.

Hight also said the PS3 version was further along than the PS4, given the team has only just been introduced to the PS4’s controller.

Source: Eurogamer

Nippon Ichi has announced that Zillions of Enemy X: Zetsukai no Crusade, a card-based RPG, will hit Japanese stores on May 23 priced at 7,140 yen.

Source: Gematsu

The much-talked-about beta test of Final Fantasy XIV: Let’s Try This Again will begin on February 25 according to Square Enix. The playable area will be limited to Gridania and its surroundings, with limited storyline quests, sidequests, and a level 30 instanced dungeon among the content to be tested.

Source: Gematsu

With the North American release of Etrian Odyssey IV a known quantity (February 26), Nintendo of Europe confirmed the game would hit European markets this spring. No specific date was given, however.

Source: Gematsu

Square Enix has announced that, having released on the Wii back in August, Dragon Quest X will make its Wii U debut starting March 30. Priced at 6980 yen, the title will be available in both retail and download versions, and both will include 20 days of free play. A beta test is planned for March 6, and players will be able to transition their beta characters to the full version.

Source: Gematsu

Valhalla Knights 3 will launch on Japanese Vitas starting May 23. No specifics were given on a worldwide release, though prior announcements indicated a fall 2013 release for North America.

Source: Gematsu

With the US release mere weeks ago, Fire Emblem: Awakening will reportedly hit European markets on April 19. Keenly aware of the delay, Nintendo of Europe head Satoru Shibata said both he and the company “sincerely apologise” for the extra time taken. As recompense, Nintendo will be releasing a unique Fire Emblem 3DS XL bundle in Europe, which includes Awakening in the package.

Source: Eurogamer

As long as we’re talking portable releases, Nintendo released a chunk of 3DS news, among which was the existence of a new Mario and Luigi RPG. Formally titled Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, the game reportedly takes place in Luigi’s dreams, and will launch sometime this summer.

Source: Eurogamer

After more than a year of basically no information, the Vita HD release of Final Fantasy X is officially back on the table. At the Japan-based Vita Heaven event, Square Enix released a small dollop of game footage, which appeared to be a render of the characters in battle. See for yourself via the YouTubes.

Sour apple sake!

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 02/16/13’ »