RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Just in case you think BioWare needs to show more things from Mass Effect 2, here comes the latest trailer featuring one of the new recruitable characters: Samara, an Asari biotic who appears to be more morally flexible than a certain other Asari squadmate. The trailer doesn’t suggest much other than that she’s quite powerful and engages in rather Jediesque biotic duels with another Asari.

Whether she’ll have the high ground, however, remains to be seen. In the meantime, the trailer can be found via Gamespot.

Legend has it that Shiren’s the kind of guy that likes to roam around. Be that as it may, the official website for Atlus’ upcoming Shiren the Wanderer has gone live, and can be found here. According to the site, the Wii title is expecting a February release in 2010, although a specific date has not been announced. The game’s trailer can be viewed either through the website or courtesy of the YouTube.

It probably has no relation to this song, which is a shame.

When I accepted the review assignment for Adventures to Go, I expected that it would be an easy review that would fit well into my schedule. I could pick up the game, play through an order or two, and set it down for a while. No need to play for hours at a stretch, no deep storyline to follow, and minimal gameplay mechanics to learn.

Continue reading ‘Adventures to Go – Staff Review’ »

With the release of Diamond and Pearl, the Psychic type got flooded with Levitating Pokemon. All four of the Legendary Psychic-type Pokemon introduced carry Levitate, making competition between them for the same spot very fierce. Uxie, being the most defensive of the three sprites, is a bit outclassed by Cresselia, unfortunately. He just can’t keep up with the instant recovery she gets through Moonlight. While Uxie does still have the Rest / Sleep Talk combo and ten points in Defense over its rival, Cresselia can Sleep Talk too, in some cases even better than Uxie, given her huge advantage in HP. To use Uxie properly, the best thing to do is to be creative; his defenses are by no means weak, and his support options are still rather impressive.

Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Competitive Pokemon XVIII: Uxie’ »

In a recent interview, BioWare’s Christina Norman unveiled a few more tidbits about Mass Effect 2, especially as pertains to biotics in general and the Adept class in particular. Bullet points under the clip:

Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 2: Adept Redux and Save Import Details’ »

That Ys game is a PSP remake of a PC remake of Ys III. Just pointing that out.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/28/09’ »

Vector, Inc’s free-to-play online RPG Seventh Dragon will be available on PC and Mac platforms come December 1. In addition to desktop computers, the game will also be accessible via netbooks and iPhones. The game’s persistent online world will allow players to issue instructions to their characters when going offline and check back later to view their progress.

A certain Mog House butler could learn a thing or two from this. Yes, I’m talking about you, Mister let-my-plants-die-again-even-though-the-crystals-were-right-there-on-the-table. Never trust a moogle gardener, folks.

If any of you readers need a Christmas gift idea for me, I could use a new PS3 controller.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/27/09’ »

Shiren the Wanderer 3 remains the title despite the localization, so as not to screw up our tags. Carry on.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/25/09’ »

The official PC requirements for the upcoming Mass Effect 2 have been posted. BioWare asked for a lot from players’ computers in the past with Mass Effect and the recent Dragon Age, and this is no exception. Take a gander, if you are so inclined:

Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 2 PC Specs: Single-Core Processors Need Not Apply’ »

Although not likely to feature singing man-eating plants, Harvest Moon: My Little Shop is available today on WiiWare. Selling for 1200 WiiBucks, the game centers around a shop and farm the player inherits from their grandparents, using what they grow at the farm to sell at the shop. Clearly, a game for those interested in seizing the means of production without involving antique political theory or those pesky Bolsheviks.

Players waiting to click their way through the next installment of the Diablo series better get comfy. Blizzard’s executive vice president of game design, Rob Pardo, recently confirmed that Diablo III is unlikely to be released before 2011. “We always announce all of our games too early,” says Pardo, but adds that “we know that our fanbase is not going to hold us to a fiscal calendar.”

Today’s lesson, of course, is that when one of your eleven-year-old games is still a competitive sport in Korea, “when it’s done” carries a bit more weight.

Source: 1UP

Phione has a rather unique status in the world of Pokemon, being the only critter to be bred from a legendary Pokemon, Manaphy. Phione, as one might expect, is a bit like Manaphy’s excitable little sister. She can’t do everything her big sister can – or indeed, even most things – but by god she’s gonna try anyway. Phione’s greatest strengths lie in its powerful ability and a movepool that, while disturbingly small, still manages enough type coverage to be effective. It doesn’t get Tail Glow, Heart Swap, or even most of the more mundane moves Manaphy gets, but Phione can still make a decent try of using the same tricks as the big jellyfish.

Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Competitive Pokemon XVII: Phione’ »

La Pucelle Ragnarok needs an English release date.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/20/09’ »

Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada announced at the recent Montreal Games Summit that the company will be collaborating with its Canadian studio, Eidos Montreal, on an unspecified future project. No details have been given, save that Wada described it as the firm’s first “truly global game,” specifically the first game involving both Square-Enix and one of its recently acquired Eidos subsidiaries.

Eidos Montreal is currently developing Deus Ex 3 and Thief 4 alongside this third title.

Source: Develop

Ever on the hunt for something everybody else hasn’t done yet, Atlus recently announced that 3D Dot Game Heroes will see a Playstation 3 release in North America. Safe money suggests 3D pixels will never look so good without DirectX10 help.

Atlus have slated 3D Dot Game Heroes for a May 11, 2010 release, retailing at $39.99 US.

*May not be an actual word. Consult your nearest dictionary for details.

Bioware recently announced that it has added more DLC for Dragon Age: Origins. Entitled Return to Ostagar, this addon allows players to return to the site of the Battle of Ostagar to seek revenge against the darkspawn and lay claim to a king’s armor and weaponry. They’ll also have a second chance to add Dog to their party.

The DLC will be “available this holiday season,” according to the official site.

Remember when we said that there is a new Estpolis game in development? It’s actually a remake of the 1995 SNES game Estpolis Denki II, also known as Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. This time, it will be for the Nintendo DS and it’s a 3D action RPG with full voice acting. At least they left in the puzzle-driven dungeons.

The bottom screen of the DS will show the map and face panels for party members. Players can change characters by tapping a face panel with the stylus. The top screen shows the action. Players can execute attack combos by switching between characters during battle.

Estpolis will be released in Japan on February 25. There has been no word whether the game will make it to other regions. If it comes stateside, who wants to bet that Johnny Yong Bosch will voice Dekar?

Source: IGN

Hello again, ladies and gents. Dragon Age: Origins is on a few of our playlists, and while I was waiting for it to arrive, I wrapped up my mandated quarterly playthrough of an older Bioware/Black Isle joint. It goes without saying that the Baldur’s Gate series is critically acclaimed, but it’s got problems; big ones that not everyone can overlook. I wonder sometimes how I got past them, how it became one of my favorite series. Was it in spite of its flaws, or because of them?

Do note that this was recorded a few days ago, just prior to the game arriving. In any case, let’s chat, shall we?

Continue reading ‘NPCast 14: Baldur’s Gate – Better Living Through Ham and Cheese’ »

Ain’t no stopping Jimmy Hopkins.

Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/17/09’ »