RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Finally got to upload this, would’ve had it earlier if not for an inopportune (though easily fixed) network hiccup.  Anyway, hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful Labor Day weekend!  It’s time for the news:

• Famitsu unveiled a cornucopia of Persona news: a Vita port of 4, a fighting game, and a lot of dancing around Persona 5.  So much speculation, so little time.
• Bethesda does the timed exclusivity song-and-dance with Skyrim DLC, setting a new record by doing so before the game launches.  The power of the money hat is strong.
• Zeboyd Games gets a crack at Penny Arcade Adventures: Really Long Subtitle: Episode 3.  Don’t underestimate them; Breath of Death VII is deceptively good.
• Sony plans another head-mounted TV screen monstrosity.  No, Sony, the “3D” part of it doesn’t make it any more likely to succeed than your last attempt.
• Square Enix plans to boost the staff at Eidos Montreal, Doom‘s 17-year ban in Germany is removed, and more!
• Plus, a spotlight on the recent financial workings of Zynga, Groupon, and LinkedIn: fuzzy accounting practices, pending market headaches, and the SEC asking pointed questions like “Why do all these numbers have asterisks by them?” and “Why did your accountant introduce himself with air quotes?”

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Greetings, all! Sorry to do this on such late notice, but due to company staying later than expected I wasn’t able to record for What Happened This Week and get it edited for tonight. Time is at a premium as always over here, but I’ll have everything uploaded by tomorrow. My apologies for the delay.

Just in case you’re not too busy throwing boxes and trying to bullseye them with the revolver, Eidos recently ran a brief ARG teasing the reveal of DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. With its completion, a proper press release was issued to announce the content: The Missing Link. (more…)

Recent news has put Persona back in the spotlight, with the announcement of a Vita port for Persona 4, a fighting game adaptation, and hints of a possible Persona 5 in the works. Speaking with Famitsu, Persona studio head Katsura Hashino revealed a few scraps of info for each title: (more…)

Sega has announced that 7th Dragon 2020, originally scheduled to release on October 27, now will not hit shelves until November 23. No reason was given for the delay.

Source: Andriasang

Adam Jensen: mechanically augmented supersoldier, pinnacle of augmentation technology, child of the eighties. You know it’s true.

Anyhow, got a smidge of media for you: Dragon’s Dogma and Grand Knight’s History. Check it out! (more…)

This week’s Famitsu carries a veritable Persona news bonanza, starting with Atlus’ announcement of a PS Vita remake of Persona 4, subtitled The Golden. The Vita remake will add, among other things, a new character, additional voice acting, new animation movies, and wireless support to call on others for help while in a dungeon. The Golden is set for a spring 2012 release.

Less expected is Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, a 2D fighter co-developed by Arc System Works. This mouthful of a title is set two years after Persona 4, and reportedly features characters from both Persona 4 and Persona 3. It’s scheduled to hit arcades in spring 2012, followed by PS3 and 360 adaptations in summer of that same year.

Lastly, Famitsu revealed a few of the names currently working on the next main entry, Persona 5. Series veterans are returning in their usual capacity, specifically Katsura Hashino as director, Shigenori Soejima as character designer, and Shouji Meguro as main composer.

Source: Andriasang

Tales producer Makoto Yoshizumi has confirmed, via Twitter, that Tales of Xillia has reached record numbers of preorders for the series. The exact number is unknown, though the PS3 version of Vesperia held the previous high at 140,000 and retailer promo materials indicated that 200,000 or greater was expected.

Xillia is set for a September 8 release in Japan. No US release has been announced.

Source: Andriasang

Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy Type-0‘s release date has been pushed back two weeks, putting the date at October 27. Little reason was given for this, save Square Enix stating that “it hopes to further improve quality.”

Source: Andriasang

Bethesda has arranged a timed exclusivity release over downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Xbox 360 will see “the first two add-on content drops” 30 days in advance of the PC and PS3 versions. No information was given about the DLC covered by the agreement.

Source: 1UP

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, the Penny Arcade-themed RPG series, will finally see a third episode thanks to indie developer Zeboyd Games. Zeboyd, makers of Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World, intend to style the episode after 16-bit RPGs, a departure from the first two entries.

Source: 1UP

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will now come in both regular and special limited-edition flavors, with the latter costing $70 to include a gold Wii Remote plus. In addition, both versions from the initial run will contain a bonus music CD, which contains orchestral compositions of songs to be featured on the upcoming anniversary concert tour.

Skyward Sword is set to release on November 20.

Source: 1UP

Alongside the recently-announced Professor Layton and the Last Specter, the series will also see another installment: a sizable RPG under the title Professor Layton’s London Life, to be included with Last Specter.  Little gameplay information exists for London Life, but it is known that Brownie Brown, developers of Mother 3, are working on the title.

Source: 1UP

Torchlight II will be priced at $19.99 on release, on par with its predecessor.  Additionally, the fourth and final class has been revealed: the Embermage, which appears to focus on elemental attacks.  No release date has been given for the game, though the PC version is expected to release before the end of the year.

Source: 1UP

Good evening, folks!  My kingdom for a newsman fedora, but the show must go on.  At least until Deus Ex: Human Revolution lures me back in with its siren song.  Goddamn but that game is hard to put down.  Anyway, let’s get to the news:

• GameStop opens PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution to remove OnLive coupons.  Square Enix, like everyone else, had forgotten GameStop sells PC games.
• MCV conducts a survey of games journalists about the industry, with some surprising consistency in their answers.  Check the full thing out here, it’s worth a read.
• Steve Jobs vacates his position as Apple’s CEO, prompting everybody to panic before he can finish his sentence with “…but staying on the board of directors.”
• BioWare’s Greg Zeschuk gives an interview with VG 24/7; the internet hears ‘RPGs’ and ‘less relevant’ and takes it from there.  Go Team Knee-jerk!  (Full disclosure: I do mourn the absence of big-budget Baldur’s Gate-style RPGs.)
• EA and Starbreeze Studios may be developing a new Syndicate game.  Somewhere, Peter Molyneux is feeling an unexplained pang of regret and loss.
• A Latitude Research survey attempts to dispel old myths about gamers, the .hack series gets a movie when they really need a (better) game, and more!

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It may be a smidge crass to make light of the upcoming hurricane, but on the other hand there has never been a better time to LEAVE THE BRONX! YOU ARE ORDERED TO LEAVE THE BRONX!

I jest because I care, and because MST3K was brilliant. But seriously, best of luck to everybody on the east coast. In the meantime, we have some media for you: Dark Souls, Frontier Gate, Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2, and Ragnarok: Hikari to Yami no Koujo. (more…)

Straight from Bethesda’s official blog comes the release date for the final planned DLC for Fallout New Vegas. Lonesome Road will go live on all platforms starting September 20, taking players into the storm-wracked Divide in search of the original Courier Six and long-awaited answers.

Bethesda also announced add-on weapon and equipment packs, to be released the following week on the 27th. The Courier’s Stash gives players access to content bundles previously limited to pre-order bonuses: Caravan, Mercenary, Classic, and Tribal Packs, each with their own sets of gear. Gun Runner’s Arsenal throws in several unique weapons, mods, ammo types, and crafting recipes. Courier’s Stash is priced at 160 MS funbucks/$1.99 on PSN and Steam, while the Arsenal costs 320 MSP/$3.99.

Developer GungHo Online Entertainment has a demo in the works for its PSP-bound Ragnarok: Hikari to Yami no Koujo. Apart from containing one of the game’s full scenarios, the demo will also let players transfer character data to the main game.

Ragnarok releases in Japan on October 27.

Source: Andriasang

DS RPG Ni no Kuni, a Level-5 and Studio Ghibli collaboration released last year, will see a PS3 version before the end of the year. Specifically, Famitsu reports that the title is planned to launch on November 17 in Japan. There are currently no details for a release elsewhere.

Source: Joystiq

Upcoming tri-Ace title Beyond the Labyrinth, a dungeon-based 3DS RPG, will feature music from Motoi Sakuraba. A veteran composer, Sakuraba has worked on several tri-Ace games before, including both the Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean series.

Source: Andriasang