RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Late last week, Ignition Entertainment issued a press release saying that the company will be publishing Marvelous Entertainment’s Wii RPG Arc Rise Fantasia in North America next summer. It sounds like ordinary news, except that Marvelous had previously selected XSEED as the North American publisher. This isn’t the first time Marvelous has switched publishers; Muramasa: The Demon Blade changed hands from XSEED to Ignition as well.

Source: Reuters

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.

(more…)

Magna Carta 2 was released earlier this week, and DLC for the game became available the next day on Xbox Live. For a mere 400 points, you can unlock three comical cutscenes and a dozen strong weapons for the main characters. The download also adds nine achievements, though you will have to go out and actually earn them through hard work.

More information has surfaced regarding White Knight Chronicles: Awakening of Light and Darkness. The story is set one year after the events of the previous game. The three kingdoms of Balandor, Grid, and Foria are facing difficulties, and the thousand-year-long war between the Islendia Empire and the Asvan Kingdom is spreading across the continent.

(more…)

Spy RPG Alpha Protocol has chosen to remain in hiding for a while longer. Though the game was originally supposed to be released this fall, the release date listed on its official site has been changed to Spring 2010.

Bioware has announced on its official blog that Mass Effect 2 will be released in North America on January 26, 2010. The company also announced some shiny pre-order bonuses for the game. (more…)

Since the release of Kingdom Hearts II, many players wondered what Roxas’s time in Organization XIII was like. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days answers that question: it was like being a real-life cubicle worker, a cog in a corporate machine that grinds away at its work. It’s almost like “Walt Disney presents Office Space.” And like Office Space, it’s at its best when things start to unravel.

(more…)

Once upon a time, Squaresoft and Disney worked in the same building in Japan. Though they shared a residence, they each had their own projects and worked separately. One day, Shinji Hashimoto had a chance encounter with a Disney executive in the elevator and an idea appeared: a collaborative crossover game featuring Disney and Squaresoft characters.

(more…)

Famitsu has reported additional Disney Worlds for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. This time, we’ll see more of Neverland — specifically Peter Pan’s group of Lost Boys — and Captain Hook will return with another scheme. Neverland was featured in the first Kingdom Hearts game, but it was limited to the clock tower and Captain Hook’s ship. Birth By Sleep will also take players to Snow White’s world where they will meet the Seven Dwarfs and her wicked stepmother.

The game also introduces a new special attack called Shoot Lock. Players can hold down L1 and R1 to activate it, then move about with the D-pad and use the circle button to lock on to a target and unleash a special attack.

Famitsu also revealed that Birth By Sleep will include an ad-hoc multiplayer mode in an area called the Mirage Arena. Players can win all sorts of fancy items there and use them in the main game.

Source: Famitsu

Translation: Adrienne Beck

Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Explorers of Sky will be out in Europe on October 20, which is roughly one week after the game will be released in North America.

The Tokyo Game Show is in full swing, and Level 5 is showing off its PS3 RPG White Knight Chronicles. The game is already out in Japan and it should be out in North America sometime next year, but TGS provided the stage for the game’s online component.

(more…)

Bethesda has posted the release schedule for the Fallout 3 PS3 DLC. Broken Steel will be available on September 24, followed by Operation Anchorage and The Pitt on October 1, and Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta on October 8.

Following the DLC deluge, Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition will be available in stores on October 13. The GOTY includes the game and all 5 DLCs in one package. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will retail for $59.99, while the PC version will only set you back $49.99.

Nintendo has confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will be released on December 7, 2009, just in time for the holiday season.

XSeed announced today that the Nintendo DS title The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road will be released in North America on September 29. Known as Riz-Zoawd in Japan, the game will retail for $29.99, and it has been rated E by the ESRB. In the meantime, you can check out the game’s official website.

Square Enix’s PR rep Klee Kuo tweeted this morning that the Japanese release date for Final Fantasy XIII is December 17, 2009. The announcement was just made at the Final Fantasy XIII Premiere Party in Tokyo.

Square Enix also announced that there will be a special FFXIII/Slim PS3 bundle in Japan. No further details were announced, but more should be revealed at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show. Yoichi Wada also stated that Square Enix is aiming to release Final Fantasy XIII in North America sometime in the spring of 2010.

Source: Kotaku

Bioware has finally released more DLC for Mass Effect. Entitled Pinnacle Station, this download adds a remote top-secret Alliance space station to your own Mass Effect universe. This station is home to a battle simulator that rewards the strongest with special armor and weapons, and since the area can be accessed at a fairly early point in the game, players can enjoy the benefits throughout the game. Bioware has promised that Pinnacle Station will add an extra 2-3 hours of playtime to Mass Effect, and it can be yours for 400 Microsoft points or $5.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers has seen plenty of delays and ambiguous release dates, but it looks like it’s safe to put it on your wish list this year. According to Siliconera, this elusive Wii title will be released in Japan on November 26 with a North American release to follow sometime this holiday season.

Yesterday, Bioware announced some of the voice actors for Dragon Age: Origins. Leading the list is Tim Curry, who is lending his well-practiced sinister voice to the game’s calculating villain, Arl Rendon Howe. Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ, both of “Star Trek: Voyager” fame, are also cast members. Mulgrew will be providing the voice of Flemeth, an immortal witch who plays an important role in the player’s survival. The cast also includes Claudia Black from “Stargate SG-1” and Steve Valentine from “Crossing Jordan.”

Bioware has posted a video on YouTube that shows Tim Curry and Kate Mulgrew at work in the studio. Curry also makes a few comments about his character.

I’d like to start this review with a caveat. Normally, I don’t review sequels unless I have played the previous game. This time, however, I’m reviewing Fable II as someone who never played Fable. Though I won’t be able to tell what’s an improvement or a step down from the first game, I’ll be able to present the perspective of someone who is new to the series.

(more…)

News from Gamescom continues to roll in. This time, it’s an announcement from Square Enix regarding the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIII. The game is scheduled to be out this winter in Japan, and Yoshinori Kitase said that the 360 and PS3 versions will be released simultaneously in North America and Europe in the spring of 2010.

Source: VG247