Phantom Brave PSP Announced for US, European Release

The PSP version of Phantom Brave, subtitled as The Hermuda Triangle, has been give a launch timeframe in the United States and Europe.  In a recent press release, NIS America confirmed that US retail and download copies would be available in March, with the European release, also in March, exclusive to PlayStation Network.  As previously stated, The Hermuda Triangle will include all the content from the Wii adaptation, plus new bonuses added for the jump to PSP.

Fallout New Vegas DLC Announced: Dead Money

Barely a month into release, Bethesda has just announced the first downloadable content for Fallout New Vegas.  Dubbed Dead Money, the DLC will find players burned by a deal gone bad.  Partnered with three other captured wastelanders, players must pull off a daring heist, the goal being the treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino.

Dead Money will be available via Xbox Live starting December 21, at the price of 800 MS funbucks.  PS3 and PC availability was not mentioned in the press release, which can be read in its entirety here.

Mass Media 11/17/10

Didn’t I just post media for these games?

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Witcher 2 Set for May Release

Developer CD Projekt announced that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will launch on May 17 of 2011.  The date had been pushed back a few weeks to allow more time for quality control, according to project lead Adam Badowski.  Additionally, details about the game’s Collector’s Edition will be released via streaming conference through the official site, starting 12:30PM EST on November 18.

Source: 1UP

Final Fantasy XIV: Extending Trial Periods Erry Day

In the wake of further details for the upcoming November and December updates, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIV players will receive an additional free month if they register by November 19.  All current players will automatically receive the extension, including those who were eligible for the previous one in October.

The November version update is tentatively scheduled for November 25.  Full details can be found at the Lodestone.

Tidying Up Final Fantasy XIV: Square Enix Gives More Update Details

With the November update coming up, Square Enix has revealed more information about the soon-to-be changes to Final Fantasy XIV.  The updates contain many items players have been requesting since the game’s release, and a list of key adjustments follows:

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Tactics Ogre to Get Downloadable Content

The PSP-bound Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together will be receiving free DLC, says Square Enix.  The content contains extra scenarios and will be hosted on the PlayStation Store, though said scenarios will only be available after meeting certain conditions in the game.

Currently, three scenarios are planned, with the first – dubbed Search for Warren – scheduled for December 1 in Japan.  Although confirmed for the US, Let Us Cling Together has not received a US release date.

Source: andriasang

The Last Story Goes Multiplayer

Developer Mistwalker have revealed a well-hidden detail of their upcoming title, The Last Story. Up to six players will be able to team up or fight each other online via the game’s Raid Lobby, with co-op battles set against select monsters.

Due out in Japan early next year, The Last Story has not received a US release date.

Source: Destructoid

Fallout New Vegas (PC) – Staff Review #2

Man, where to even begin?  Let’s start with big.  Fallout New Vegas is mind-bogglingly big, easily outpacing Fallout 3 in terms of content.  With the hard work of engine development out of the way, Obsidian was free to expand on the template Bethesda provided; a long-awaited homecoming for many of the original Fallout developers.  The team clearly didn’t hold back, and there’s enough game here to overwhelm even the most industrious player.  While the results aren’t quite perfect, New Vegas is a clear improvement in most respects and easily one of the best RPGs this year.

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Mass Effect 2 PS3 Freebie Content Clarified

Addressing the official forums, BioWare’s Jesse Houston confirmed a few details about the upcoming PlayStation 3 release of Mass Effect 2.  Correcting a translation error in an earlier interview, Houston confirmed that all content currently available for 360/PC will be available on PS3.  Of particular note is that most of the substantial DLC content to date – Lair of the Shadow Broker, Kasumi: Stolen Memory, and Overlord – will be included for free.  As with other platforms, retail copies will also permit access to the Cerberus network and its content.

Unique to the PS3 release is the interactive comic, of which few details are currently known.  However, Houston mentioned that it would allow players “to be faced with some of the major choices which will have consequences your Mass Effect universe.”  It was specified that the comic would initially be exclusive to the PS3, given the first game did not appear on the platform.

Houston’s post can be read in full hereMass Effect 2 will be available for the PS3 in January of 2011.

Mass Media 11/09/10

PSN Japan to Get Valkyria Chronicles 3 Demo

The third Valkyria Chronicles title has a confirmed release date for the demo.  So far only confirmed for a Japanese release, the Valkyria Chronicles 3 demo will be available on the PlayStation Network starting November 9.  It reportedly is similar to the version debuted at the Tokyo Game Show, though it will have an extra mission and players who complete it can unlock exclusive weapons in the retail release.

Source: 1UP

BioWare to Launch Dragon Age Legends on Facebook

Not content with preparing for the rise of the machines, Facebook will soon be hosting a new installment in the Dragon Age series.  Dubbed Dragon Age Legends, the title centers around the city of Kaiten in the Free Marches.  Once plagued by a pride demon masquerading as the city’s ruler, Kaiten is again beset by strange circumstances and it falls to you – one of the people who eventually unmasked and slew the demon – to get to the bottom of it.

The beta is scheduled to start January next year, and requires an account with both BioWare and Facebook, along with subscription to the Dragon Age newsletter.  Beta registration and additional information can be found on the Legends homepage.

Happy Halloween From RandomNPC

We hope you’re all having a fun time tonight. We’re currently terrified by the sheer number of recent releases that we need to review, but that means more treats for all of you in the weeks to come! We’ll be extending our Halloween themed reviews into next week, so you can expect even more monster/costume/apocalyptic fun.

Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines – Staff Review

One part tabletop RPG, one part multiple strains of vampire fiction, and three parts of that special Troika blend of high-ambition but low-stability programming; that’s Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines in a nutshell.  A serviceable first-person RPG, Bloodlines is also a newbie’s field guide to the World of Darkness and its modern-day undead secret societies.  How well the game works depends largely on how well you can tolerate subpar coding and questionable design choices, yet buried under the usual PC RPG mess is a versatile story and a cast of memorable, well-acted characters.

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NIS America Announces Hyperdimension Neptunia

In a recent press release, NIS America revealed an interesting new addition to their lineup, care of developer Idea Factory: Hyperdimension Neptunia, a game about game consoles and companies personified as cute girls and robots that fight each other.  You take the role of Neptune, seeking to rescue the captive Histoire and save the world of Gamindustri from the machinations of Arfoire.

Take a moment for all that to sink in.  Ready?  Okay, moving on.  Neptunia is bound for the PS3, and players bent on some console-tan action can get started by Spring of 2011.

Final Fantasy: Four Heroes of Light – Staff Review

Perhaps related to the success of Matrix Software’s DS remakes of Final Fantasy 3 and 4, Final Fantasy: Four Heroes of Light is a stand-alone Final Fantasy game deeply ingrained in the old school tradition. Unfortunately, the developer seems to have taken all the wrong lessons from the old school. Four Heroes of Light does push for overall simplicity of design, and that does capture something of the spirit of older RPGs, but it also features an obtuse interface, inconsistent difficulty, and direction so vague that it borders on the incomprehensible. Four Heroes of Light does do some things right — the class system is interesting, if a bit basic, and the game’s visuals are exceptional — but the game is unfriendly on a basic level and doesn’t offer the player much reward for getting past that.

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Staff Review

Castlevania is one of today’s oldest and most iconic gaming series, with its roots tracing all the way back to the NES. Back in those days, it was a platformer famous for its tricky jumps fraught with traps that usually resulted in an untimely death. With the PlayStation came Symphony of the Night, a game that expanded upon the basic gameplay of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest and incorporated the exploration of the Metroid series to create a very long running and well-liked RPG series. With the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation 2, the series went 3D, and those games are largely considered disastrous by all but the most hardcore fans. With Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, the series tries to merge all three styles of gameplay into a cohesive game, and it largely succeeds, albeit not without copying a few other games along the way.

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Fallout 3 – Staff Review #2

The controversial successor to a short yet venerable gaming dynasty, Fallout 3 generated a lot of backlash amongst older fans. Frankly, there’s a lot of wiggle room as to whether or not Fallout 3 constitutes a worthy sequel (whatever that means) to the Fallout series. The combat system has been changed from an almost tactical turn-based affair to a first person shooter with a sort-of-kind-of turn based option, and the mainline plot is very inflexible, both aspects previously considered hallmarks of the series. However, by not relying too heavily on established conventions, Fallout 3 pushes itself further towards being a stand-alone title, which allows it far more creative freedom.

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Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon – Staff Review

In the world of gaming, it’s fairly common for titles to focus far too much on abstract gameplay concepts and not enough on setting the stage. So often, fighting legendary monsters feels absolutely nothing like being in a fantasy world, as players are simply too aware of the multitude of systems that surround the experience. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is an odd reversal of this issue. It is supremely easy to get lost in the sheer beauty and tragedy of the crumbling world the game presents, only to have that illusion come crashing to the ground when asked to do something practical, like press a switch.

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