RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

30 Second Hero eh? That’s what my ex used to call me. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 08/25/10’ »

I am proud of the Qwib-Qwib, and I will not flee because of petty insults. Continue reading ‘Mass Media vos Qwib-Qwib 08/18/10’ »

Final Fantasy XIV is sucking me in. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 07/02/10’ »

Title says it all. Natsume just announced that the DS-bound Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar is set for a July release, with the game expected to show for the first time at E3 in June. In addition to the usual raising animals and harvesting crops to build up their town, players are tasked with running a store and selling items raised from their farms. The game will have a multiplayer mode, allowing players to trade items between each other.

As with prior Harvest Moon games, Grand Bazaar comes with a preorder bonus in the form of a plush horse when ordered through GameStop.

Schaaaaaaaadenfrauuudeeeeeeee~ Continue reading ‘Not So Mass Media 04/29/10’ »

Star Ocean The Last Hope International is heading towards 8/10 territory. Continue reading ‘Not So Mass Media 02/14/10’ »

Natsume announced over the weekend that Harvest Moon: Leaf Valley will be released for the PlayStation Portable this April. In Leaf Valley, players are charged with helping the townspeople stop the Funland Corporation from bulldozing the title village and replacing it with an amusement park. Basically, it’s “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” but with farming instead of Ice-T.

Leaf Valley is set to retail for $29.99. An exact release date has not been announced.

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.

La Pucelle Ragnarok needs an English release date. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/20/09’ »

How come when it’s us, it’s an abortion, and when it’s a chicken, it’s an omelet? Continue reading ‘Mass Media 11/11/09’ »

Natsume’s upcoming Harvest Moon: Animal Parade now has a release date of November 10, retailing at $49.99 US. Players who preorder through Gamestop will receive a bonus “limited edition” plush duck.

My opinion on balloon boy. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 10/17/09’ »

XeroZohar: Delicious Cactuar
CactuarJoe: No eating! Not allowed!
XeroZohar: Awwwwwww. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 10/09/09’ »

Natsume has announced that Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming will be released in the next few weeks, likely hitting North American shelves in the last week of August. The Nintendo DS title shares some characters with the previous Harvest Moon installment Island of Happiness, and will spearhead the upcoming release of several further entries: Sunshine Islands, Animal Parade, Sugar Town, and Littlest Shop.

Natsume has made no comment as to whether Myron Reducto, of the law firms of Freezoid, Zarog & Skon, had a hand in creating Littlest Shop by way of shrink gun.

Source: Siliconera

These days it’s not altogether uncommon to see strange genre mashups. In 2007 Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords managed to successfully combine RPG elements and puzzle games in what is perhaps the most unusual combination out there. However, it was by no means the first. As early as the SNES era you could find games that defied genre boundaries, with Harvest Moon being not the earliest, but the most successful example. Continue reading ‘Game Changers: Volume 17 – Harvest Moon’ »

Natsume has announced a North American release of Harvest Moon: Magic Melody for the Wii, in an exclusive deal with Gamestop for the US and Canada. Although an exact date is not yet known, a late August launch is expected according to Gamestop’s release schedule.

Source: Siliconera

That girl in the veil from Rune Factory 3 is totally adorable. Just pointing that out. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 07/23/09’ »

This is not the greatest media update in the world. No, this is just a tribute. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 07/09/09’ »

The latest issue of Famitsu has revealed that yet another Rune Factory title is in the works, this time for the Nintendo DS. Entitled Rune Factory 3, it has a couple of new special features. The first is an item called the Transformation Belt. By donning this piece of gear in battle or in town, the main character, Maisu, will be able to turn into a monster. Townspeople will react differently to him while he’s a monster, and he’ll also gain special combat abilities.

Another new addition will be special seeds called active seeds. These seeds, once planted, start growing immediately and will mature into a plant monster that will fight along side the main character.

Source: Famitsu, IGN

Translation: Adrienne Beck

You’re better off not knowing the lengths it took me to get these up. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 07/02/09’ »