RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

The PSP is about to get a bit more metal, or so XSEED announced today.  All launch packages of Ys I & II Chronicles will be 80s-themed “Hair Metal Packs”, which contain bonus soundtrack CDs and will retail for $29.99, with the downloadable version five bucks cheaper.  The hair metal theme is a tribute to the jdk Band, Falcom’s in-house rock band who made their debut the same year as Ys I in 1987.  Among those preordering is notorious Russian mob kingpin Konstantin Brayko, who was last seen selecting music for a confrontation with a rogue US agent.  We at RandompNPC suggest he run, run so far away, that he run, run all night and day.

(Spoiler alert: he couldn’t get away.)

Chronicles will launch in February.  Hair spray, eyeliner, and a spot on VH1’s “Behind the Music” twenty years later are not included.

I’d like to start this review with a simple promise: I will not make a single solar pun or reference. It’s just too easy to make comments like that, and I’m sure that most other reviewers have fallen right into that trap. After a while, it’s just tiring. So, here it is, a straightforward review of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

Continue reading ‘Golden Sun: Dark Dawn – Staff Review’ »

Nippon Ichi’s retro RPG Classic Dungeon, better known as Cladun: This is an RPG, has officially become a series with the announcement of a sequel.  Not much in the way of details have been revealed, other than the expected new jobs, equipment, magic, and so on.  However, it is known that Cladun 2 will see a March 24 release in Japan.

Source: Dengeki

Atari and developer Bedlam Games announced that Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale is coming soon to Xbox Live, PSN, and PC.  A multiplayer action-RPG, Daggerdale has players hacking and slashing their way through the Mines of Tethyammar, and presumably the plot will involve daggers at some point.  Or dales.  Anyway, Atari lists the release date as Spring 2011.

Source: Joystiq

Mistwalker’s developers recently sat down for an interview discussing more details of The Last Story, and a few choice pieces of information stuck out:

Continue reading ‘The Last Story Details: Camera Control and Lots of Dialogue’ »

In a press release today, Nintendo of America announced that Dragon Quest VI will indeed see the light of day in North America.  Originally released back in 1995, DQVI is headed for a DS update and will be available in the US starting February 14.  Check out the press release in full courtesy of Business Wire.

Square Enix has launched the (currently Japanese only) official site for the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, which is available somewhere in the vicinity of here.  Apart from untranslated information, it also hosts a trailer and some tasty screenshots.

Would’ve loved one more d-word in there, but oh well.  Dissidia Duodecim has received an official release date of March 3, 2011 in Japan.  No date has been set for releases elsewhere beyond “sometime in 2011.”

Source: Famitsu

An iPhone adaptation of Secret of Mana will be launched before the end of the month, according to producer Masaru Oyamada.  Posting on Square Enix’s official Facebook page, Oyamada assured fans that “we’ll release it soon in this month. I swear it’s soon! I swear again IT’S REALLY SOON!” (emphasis his).  No price was announced, but in the comments for that post Square Enix replied “Less than CHAOS RINGS. Not $0.99.”

The post itself can be read here.

In a podcast hosted by BioWare’s Chris Priestly, producer Jesse Houston announced that Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 is officially done and ready for its release next month.  Houston stated that the PS3 adaptation was built on the engine to be used for Mass Effect 3 with content and assets from 2 reconstructed in the new engine.  Controls have been reconfigured to adapt to the PS3 controller, though players can also switch back to the 360 setup.  Apart from reiterating much of what’s known currently – pack-in DLC, the interactive Mass Effect comic, no disc swapping – he also confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will launch on the same day for all three platforms during the 2011 holiday season.

The podcast in its entirety can be heard on the official blog.  Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 will hit US stores starting January 18, and European retailers on January 21.

The next set of content for Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (or Wheel of Fortune in Japan) has been released, titled True Knight.  As previously stated, DLC for Tactics Ogre is free to download.  Square Enix also revealed a few details about the third DLC.  Twelve Heroes centers around a surprise attack on your town, and will be available starting January 4.  Both of these scenarios will only be available after clearing the main story.

Source and translation: andriasang

By way of an official site, Namco-Bandai formally announced the next Tales entry.  Tales of Xillia is bound for the PS3, with a Japanese release sometime next year.  Tales veterans Kosuke Fujishima and Mutsumi Inomata have been confirmed as character designers, and the game will feature both male and female leads: Shuto Matis and Mira Maxwell, respectively.  Of further note is that two directors will helm the project.  Asano Inoki directed the Symphonia sequel, Dawn of the New World, while Naoto Miyadera had previously worked on both Symphonia and Abyss.

A trailer is available via the site and YouTube.

Source and translation: andriasang

Citing “slow sales and industry criticism” of titles released this year, Square-Enix announced a substantial cut in their full-year net profit forecast, down from 12 billion yen to 1 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31.  Related to this is the aforementioned delay of the PS3 launch for Final Fantasy XIV,  previously set for a March release.  Additionally, the company stated that Deus Ex: Human Revolution would also be pushed back for all platforms, aiming for April instead of its intended first quarter target.

Source: Reuters

Spellbound Entertainment just announced downloadable content for Arcania: Gothic 4. Dubbed Fall of Setariff, the DLC adds story centering around the titular city, which is apparently plagued by the same demon that once possessed King Robar III.  Players can import their heroes from Gothic 4 or develop new ones, and they will also be able to “experience the story from a different perspective and play as different characters.”  Setariff is expected to add ten hours of content, packing in new quests, enemies, environments, and so on.

Further details are forthcoming, though no official release date was given.

Source: The Gaming Liberty

If you’re a die-hard Final Fantasy IV fan like our own Jordan “J_Sensei” Jackson and you feel like can never have too many copies of the game, Square Enix has you covered. Via V-Jump, the company has just announced that Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years will be packed into one game for the PSP with additional content linking the two stories together. This shiny bundle will be called Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection.

However, this isn’t the classic version of Final Fantasy IV or the DS remake; this version has new graphics with updated effects and character portraits in text boxes. The After Years has updated graphics as well.

Source: Siliconera

Techmo Koei has announced that the PS3 title Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll will be released in North America on February 8, 2011. The game will be available in Europe a few days later on February 11.

Source: Joystiq

Last night at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, Bioware unveiled the first trailer for Mass Effect 3. The trailer, which can be seen here, reveals that the game will be released during the 2011 holiday season.

Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim last night via a shiny but light-on-the-details trailer at the Spike TV Video Game Awards. The trailer, which can be seen at the official site, references the ending of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which makes it a sequel, and reveals that the game will be released on the easy-to-recall date of 11-11-11, or November 11, 2011. It concludes with an invitation to “join the elder council” — meaning, of course, to “like” the game on Facebook. Bethesda also stated via its Twitter feed that the game will use a new engine.

There has been no word regarding whether Patrick Stewart’s voice will be featured in the game.

Final Fantasy XIV has been plagued by a number of problems since its launch two months ago: lag, gameplay that was found lacking by many players, and a slew of negative reviews. Square Enix laid out an extensive plan for improving the troubled game and extended the free trial period twice in hopes of retaining the increasingly disillusioned playerbase.

Now the big boss has stepped in. CEO Yoichi Wada announced on Lodestone, the official Final Fantasy XIV site, that the development team has been restructured. Naoki Yoshida, a relatively unknown but experienced RPG developer, will be the new producer and director. Wada also mentioned that “several new leaders handpicked from other projects” will be joining the existing team. He also stated that the free trial period has been extended until a “concrete plan” for improvement has been formed. Furthermore, the PS3 release has been delayed beyond its anticipated March 2011 release.

Hope you’ve got a media appetite, folks! In today’s update: Dragon Quest Victory, Emil Chronicle Online, Front Mission Evolved, Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity, Sangoku Chaos, Shining Hearts, and Venus & Braves PSP.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 12/09/10: Big McLargeHuge Update’ »