RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

NISA has announced that Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel will be released in North America on March 15. There will be a premium edition that includes a soundtrack CD and a hard cover art book. In addition, pre-ordering one of the first 1000 units from NISA’s store will get you a special limited edition Cosmosphere Calendar. Those who are not as fanatical about Reyvateils can opt for the standard version, which includes only the game and none of the swag.

The ESRB recently released its rating for Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. The third game in a series that has become increasingly suggestive, Ar tonelico Qoga has received an M rating for overt sexual content and language.

The game has nude female characters whose breasts and genitals are covered only by hands or beams of light, female characters wearing only their underwear, and a scene that shows bare buttocks. One scene features a male character verbally coercing a female character to strip, and the installation port scenes have heavy innuendo and moaning. There’s also some swearing; the ESRB description says that “‘sh*t,’ ‘a*shole,’ and ‘b*tch,’ appear in the dialogue.” All ESRB ratings descriptions are censored in this manner, so the game may show the words in their entirety.

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:

• Cladun: This is an RPG, according to the press release, is an action-adventure built around a retro dungeon crawl.  Bound for the PSP via PlayStation Network, Cladun will feature character creation, randomly generated dungeons, and multiplayer through the PSP’s ad-hoc feature.  The current release timeframe is fall of this year.
• Zettai Hero Keikaku, a strategy RPG centered around creating your own superhero, was simply referred to as Z.H.P. in its own press release.  The Disgaea team will be developing  Z.H.P., which is currently set for a winter launch on the PSP.
• Ar Tonelico 3 got a formal title: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel.  Billed as the final installment in the Ar Tonelico series, the PS3 title will have more action-oriented gameplay.  The release window for North America and Europe is spring of 2011.

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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This week’s issue of Famitsu offered the first look at Gust’s upcoming RPG Ar tonelico 3, which will be released in Japan for the PS3 on January 28, 2010.

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