RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

More Atelier Ayesha details have been revealed, starting with two characters: Juris Grunden and Wilbell Voll ErsLied. Juris is a dedicated monster hunter, who took up the job largely to pay the bills, though he also seeks to bring down an ancient dragon. Wilbell is a young witch – pointy hat and all – on her pilgrimage and looking to unlock the secrets of flight.

As for combat, Ayesha keeps some elements of prior games, most notably the turn-based battle system; as before, turn order is affected by the actions each character takes. New features include position and distance, which affect the battlefield in various ways. For instance, a close party formation makes ranged attacks easier, but also makes you more vulnerable to the same. Striking enemies from behind also results in a guaranteed critical.

Source: Andriasang

In a recent press release, XSEED Games announced that it will not publish Grand Knight’s History in North America. According to the official statement, “it was determined that development resources required to localize the game were not available, necessitating its cancellation.” The title is still planned for a European release, with Rising Star Games as publisher.

Source: Joystiq

Through official site updates, Falcom has revealed a few more tidbits about Nayuta no Kiseki: a new chunk of world known as the Star Garden, located in the center of Lost Heaven; and the character Seram, knight-accomplice to the mage Zekust, both of whom pursue Noi for the Master Gear she holds.

Source: Andriasang

Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland 3D will allow players to import data from Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 and Joker 2 Professional. Given the latter two are on the original DS, Square Enix will release an import application on the 3DS e-Shop alongside Terry’s Wonderland. The app is free to use, though players must clear Terry’s Wonderland in order to use it.

Source: Andriasang

More DLC characters are on the way for Fire Emblem: Awakening, specifically Micaiah from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and Alm from Fire Emblem Gaiden. Each character will have their own scenario attached, and are priced at ¥300 individually.

Incidentally, Awakening topped sales charts last week, literally selling out in several shops. Media Create reports some four-fifths (81.63%) of stock managed to sell, with total numbers reaching 242,600 units.

Source: Andriasang

With Pokemon Black and White 2 poised to earn Nintendo another gold-plated yacht filled with money, the company has revealed that support apps for the game are also in development. First is the Pokemon AR Searcher, an Augmented Reality shooting game that lets you take pictures, capture Pokemon from said pictures, and import them to Black and White 2. Searcher hits the e-Shop alongside the core game on June 23, priced at ¥300. Second is an updated Pokemon management program, titled Pokemon Zenkoku Zukan Pro, which will be released on July 14 for ¥1,500.

Source: Andriasang

A 3DS adaptation of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is in development, according to Famitsu. The sequel to the original Devil Summoner, Soul Hackers was a Saturn title that later got ported to the Playstation. In bringing it to the 3DS, Atlus will be adding various new features, including an opening animation, shorter load times, battle animations, and “full voice conversion featuring a major voice cast.”

Source: Andriasang

Prior details of upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC are incorrect, according to Square Enix. In particular, content planned for a May release was reportedly priced at 560 MSP for Lightning’s episode and 640 for Snow’s. That information was apparently false, as Square Enix has announced that neither price nor release date have been officially confirmed.

Source: Andriasang

While Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance has been on sale since last month in Japan, Square Enix has announced plans to release a demo verison through the Nintendo e-Shop, starting May 2. The demo drops you in a portion of Traverse Town, controlling Sora and a preset Dream Eater party. Reportedly, you’ll need about 90mb of space and can play the demo 15 times.

Source: Andriasang

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland has been set for a North American release date of May 22. I swear I’m going to get to these games one day, they just look so pretty and colorful.

Source: Joystiq

Reminding people that Final Fantasy XIV is still running, Square Enix has launched a pair of promotional campaigns for the game. The first is for legacy players, those who have paid for at least three months since January, when billing began. Eligible players will be contacted via email and receive a discounted subscription ($9.99 for 30 days), along with 40 character slots at a maximum of eight per world. With the launch of 2.0, these players will also get an exclusive chocobo mount and may have their names listed in the update’s credits.

The second promo is the Welcome Back campaign, aimed at luring players with inactive accounts. Players can reactivate for free between May 9 and May 20, coinciding with updates to the job system and Seventh Umbral Era content.

Source: Joystiq

On the off chance you’re curious, Square Enix has announced that North American preorders for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy will include a custom stylus and character stickers. These include most of the well-known characters – Cloud, Squall, Lightning – and vastly superior ones like Shantotto. Don’t even act like she’s not the best thing Final Fantasy has produced in a long time.

As a reminder, Theatrhythm hits US retailers starting July 3.

Source: Joystiq

The latest batch of Etrian Odyssey IV screens have revealed further gameplay tidbits. Apart from character-specific skills, party members have access to shared Burst Skills, which you learn from books along the way and are set in open skill slots. Their effects range from special attacks to party-wide buffs, for instance raising everyone’s attack strength for that turn. A Burst gauge governs the use of these skills, and naturally is depleted with each use. Additionally, players can create and customize their characters through the guild, and can store up to 30 characters in total.

Source: Andriasang

A sequel to the Level-5/Studio Ghibli title Ni No Kuni is possible, though, according to Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino, it will depend on how well the game does outside of Japan. Speaking with Famitsu, Hino appeared confident the game would do well worldwide, adding that the localization director tapped for the project has considerable experience; this will, however, be their first project with Level-5.

The PS3 version, subtitled Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, is expected to release in the first quarter of 2013.

Source: Andriasang

Level-5 has recruited tri-Ace to develop Little Battler eXperience W, a PSP follow-up to last year’s Little Battler eXperience. It was announced alongside its 3DS counterpart (subtitled Explosive Boost), though little else is known at this time.

Source: Andriasang

Via Famitsu, further details about Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s Snow-centric DLC have been unveiled. Aimed at clearing up some of the mysteries behind the coliseum, the content will also reveal Snow’s mission as an L’Cie. Valfodr shows up in the second half of the episode, serving as a recurring nemesis who grows stronger each time you defeat him.

The content will be available on May 15.

Source: Andriasang

Dungeon crawler Class of Heroes is getting a more RPG-like adaptation, innovatively titled New Class of Heroes. Little information has been given, but the PSP title is set for a July 19 release.

Source: Andriasang

Still more Persona 4: Arena information has been release, not the least of which is a release date of August 2. Reportedly, the home version’s story mode will initially allow access to four characters – the main character, Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko – with others unlocked through gameplay. Preorders will also get a soundtrack CD as a bonus.

Source: Andriasang

Over on the Playstation Blog, Atlus PR Manager Aram Jabbari announced that Atlus has assumed the role of publisher for Dragon’s Crown. With the transfer of publisher, Vanillaware’s 2D fantasy brawler is planned for a 2013 release. Additionally, some Atlus staff will now be assisting with production.

However, Jabbari did state that the game will retail north of $29.99. “We don’t know where that price point came from,” he writes, “but it is a logistical impossibility. We’re all gamers and we all wished it could be so, but it would have essentially destroyed any chance for profitability.”

The post in full can be read here.

In a recent interview regarding Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Tetsuya Nomura dropped a few stronger-than-average hints that there may be more The World Ends With You to come. In particular he said the character Rhyme, who had only reaction voices with no actual dialogue in TWEWY, was given voice casting for KH3D “out of consideration for the future of The world Ends With You series.” Nomura ended the interview by adding that, “Regarding The World Ends With You, I can’t say anything at present… but there probably is something.”

Source: Andriasang