RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Four treasure chests left in Wild Arms 5. Getting Nine Lives is exhausting, truly. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 08/13/09’ »

With more than sixty passive abilities and fifty active commands, Devil Survivor offers a heckuva lot of room to maneuver when it comes to character customization. But what to use? This week, we’ll take a look at some useful skills and the combinations that players can piece together. Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Part II’ »

It’s been over five years since Atlus’ innovative RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne took the PS2 by storm but, as of October 8th of this year, the wait for a new, original Shin Megami Tensei title will end when Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey arrives on the Nintendo DS in Japan.

Continue reading ‘Dimensional Veils Part, Shine Light on Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey’ »

As with other Shin Megami Tensei games, demons in Devil Survivor are divided into groups, in this case known as races. Each race has an ability unique to them, called a Racial Skill, which can be some of the most powerful and useful in the entire game. And since players get two demonic allies to a team, these abilities can be combined in some very unusual and useful ways. This week, we’re taking a look at these abilities and offering up some advice as to how players can use them to crush some skulls. Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Part I’ »

Atlus recently put up a strange teaser site with a standard-issue announcement-of-an-announcement and a scrambled image. Nosy little investigative reporters have delved into the site’s source code and discovered the text “Shin Megami Tensei: STRANGE JOURNEY 10.08.” Atlus will clarify this on July 24 when they officially announce what the game is.

Until then, you can pass the time by interacting with the scrambled image. You can click on each square and drag it to the side to reveal the picture beneath.

But if you don’t have time to fritter away with the site, you can simply click on the cut to find out what it is.

Continue reading ‘Atlus Posts Teaser Site, Announcement-of-an-announcement’ »

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a game whose ambitious concept tends to be dragged down by a bit of leaden reality. The game presents a highly unique storytelling method, full of branching sub-plots highly responsive to the choices players make, but it can become rather fractured by the time limit imposed on players. The combat system provides a wealth of options, letting players tweak each member’s moveset with a surprising level of control, but the focus on raw levels and the speed by which new demons become old makes it exceptionally difficult to have a consistent strategy. Overall, Devil Survivor is a solid game and a very engaging story, and although it has more than its share of issues, the sense of pressure and the degree to which a player can manipulate the story make Devil Survivor a surprisingly satisfying experience. Continue reading ‘Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor – Staff Review’ »

Hellooooooooo everybody! How are you all this lovely Sunday? Got a nice big chunk of media for you all, featuring, in no particular order: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, Final Fantasy Legend II DS, Mega Man Star Force 3, Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Graces, Class of Heroes, Dragon Quest IX, and Devil Survivor. Click away! Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/28/09’ »

In Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abbadon, you’ll be spending a fair amount of time in the Gouma-Den’s basement, fusing demons with Victor. The process itself is pretty simple, but there are a lot of things you’ll need to know about in order to make the most of the fusion system. So join us as we take an in-depth look at the arcane process of Demon Fusion, and unravel the secrets of Victor’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Devil Summoner 2, Part I’ »

When Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army was released in the winter of 2006, it seemed to be a bit of a black sheep for the Shin Megami Tensei series. The game was much more about the alternate history detective story at the core of its plot than it was about the more traditional mythological influences of the series, and although the combat system still focused rather strongly on exploiting elemental weaknesses, the fact that it was action-based rather than turn-based made the game feel quite different from the normal SMT title. Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abbadon brings the Devil Summoner sub-series a bit more into line with the overarching feel of the SMT series, but still retains most of what made the first game interesting. In short, Devil Summoner 2 is a solid improvement on the series. Continue reading ‘Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abbadon – Staff Review’ »

We have some Atlus goodies for you today with screens from Demon’s Souls, Persona PSP, and Devil Survivor. Enjoy! Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/02/09’ »

Gather ’round y’all, we got a lot to go through today. Atlus is dominating the media for today, and we bet they can dominate it for the week too. All they have to do is stay focused and stop wearing pants. NIS America’s gonna try to put a stop to their fun, though. The three of you familiar with Get Your War On should appreciate that previous bit. Anyway, on to the media: A Witch’s Tale, Ys Online: Call of Solum, Dokapon Journey, Devil Summoner 2, Crimson Gem Saga, Knights in the Nightmare, Class of Heroes, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Dissidia Cross Edge, and Phantom Brave Wii. Continue reading ‘Mass Media 04/08/09’ »

Brand new media for you all, hot off the presses and straight from the Game Developer’s Conference, get it all here folks! Gather ’round for some Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Phantasy Star Zero Mini, Harvest Moon: Makiba no Omise, and My World, My Way PSP. At no extra charge we’re throwing in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2, Little King’s Story, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, Disgaea 2 PSP, and – in a move sure to put fanfic authors out of business (or back to work) – Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Oh, who am I kidding? I… I mean, they are still busy with VII. Anyway… Continue reading ‘Mass Screenshots, Artwork – 03/26/09’ »

Atlus announced today that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona for the PSP will indeed be coming to North America. The remake of the PlayStation title will get a new localization, gameplay enhancements, and content previously unreleased in North America. The game is due out on April 29 in Japan and has been announced for this coming fall in North America.

Atlus seems to be announcing a game a day, and today’s game is Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor for the DS. Continue reading ‘Atlus is Stayin’ Alive with Devil Survivor’ »

Square Enix isn’t the only company going in for portable remakes of late. According to the latest issue of Famitsu, Atlus will be bringing ports/remakes of Persona and Growlanser to the PSP in Japan. Continue reading ‘Persona, Growlanser Go Portable’ »

Atlus has had plenty of announcements in the past day with some good news and bad. For starters, there is a new DS game on the horizon. Titled Dokapon Journey, up to four players can join in on what can best be described as a hybrid between a board game and RPG. It’s all about competition, so playing dirty and finishing a friend’s fight to steal the experience points is all part of the strategy.

Since the game is most fun with multiple people, there are some nice features to help things along. There is built-in AI for solo gaming, and Dokapon Journey features single-cart multiplayer, so four people can play on just one copy of the game. It’s rated E10 for everyone ten and above, and it will hit shelves April 14.

As for the bad news, we couldn’t say it better than the best. press. release. ever. Check it out after the jump. Continue reading ‘Atlus Announces a New Game, Delays a Few, Fights Self-Aware Super Computer’ »

Atlus is proving once again that the PS2 is far from dead with the announcement of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon.  Set in an alternate 1920s Tokyo, Raidou returns to the action by following a trail of masked ninjas and strange insects that unexplainably leads to King Abaddon.

Like many Atlus games, this one will have a limited release, so if you want it, pre-order.  And if you do, you’ll get a free Raiho plushie when it hits shelves on May 12 for $39.99.

In today’s update: Mario and Luigi 3, Devil Survivor, Phantasy Star Portable, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Sora No Tankentai, Phantasy Star Zero, and Dragon Quest IX. Continue reading ‘Mass Screenshots, Artwork 01/16/09’ »

Shin Megami Tensei fans who’ve already blown through Persona 4 now have something else to look forward to. Aeria Games has announced the Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online open beta is now a-go. The open beta for the MMO is free and the game itself will be funded via micro-transactions. SMT: Imagine Online is set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Demon fusion, a staple of the franchise, will be part and parcel of gameplay along with real-time battles and in-depth character customization. Interested gamers can take a look at the official site for further details.

Today we have some sceens from: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, Chrono Trigger DS, and Persona 4. Continue reading ‘Mass Screenshots 12/11/08’ »