RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

In a recent press release, NIS America revealed an interesting new addition to their lineup, care of developer Idea Factory: Hyperdimension Neptunia, a game about game consoles and companies personified as cute girls and robots that fight each other.  You take the role of Neptune, seeking to rescue the captive Histoire and save the world of Gamindustri from the machinations of Arfoire.

Take a moment for all that to sink in.  Ready?  Okay, moving on.  Neptunia is bound for the PS3, and players bent on some console-tan action can get started by Spring of 2011.

Fallout Online will launch in the second half of 2012, according to Interplay president Eric Caen.  Speaking with Edge Magazine, Caen confirmed that the game’s beta will begin in 2012, with the retail version to come later that same year.  Although he gave few details about the current state of the game, he remarked that “Even in January 2009, you were already able to move across the world.”   It was also stated that combat would be a small portion of the game, and a large amount of gameplay would center around rebuilding the post-nuclear world.

Although he didn’t say much about Bethesda’s take on the series – or the ongoing legal issues between Interplay and Bethesda – he did comment that Interplay was following Bethesda’s installments, and that Fallout Online would go in another, less serious direction from Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

Source: Eurogamer

The ever-industrious folks over at Atlus just announced Pandora Saga, a new free-to-play MMORPG hitting North America early next year.  Set in a fantasy world plagued by war, as they so often are, the game’s hook appears to be massive realm-versus-realm combat, pitting hundreds of players against each other simultaneously.  A trailer and further information are available at the official site, and a closed beta is set to start in December.

Source: RPGLand

In the wake of criticism over Final Fantasy XIV‘s less than ideal launch condition, Square Enix has announced a series of updates in the coming months.  Some were expected and are itemized in brief below, but one particularly interesting offer stood out: free trial periods for all accounts registered before October 25 will be extended for an additional month.  Players already registered need take no action, as their trials will be extended automatically. (more…)

Keeping in BioWare tradition, Dragon Age 2 preorders made before January 11 will carry bonus content.  Specifically, the preorder versions will automatically be upgraded to the Signature Edition, which includes a unique digital armory, the soundtrack, exclusive weapons, a new playable character, and extra missions; roughly $20 of content according to BioWare, who apparently believe that a game’s soundtrack doesn’t cost more than the game it comes from.  I envy them in this belief.

Anyway, further details are available via the official website.  Dragon Age 2 is scheduled for a March 11 launch next year.

BioWare’s Mike Laidlaw, lead developer for Dragon Age II, gave an interview this week with NowGamer. As one might hope, several interesting pieces of information were revealed about the player-character Hawke, gameplay changes from Origins, and the ever-malleable world of Dragon Age. Bullet points behind the cut: (more…)

Square Enix announced this week that Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded, the latest entry in the series and second to see a DS release, is scheduled for a January 11 launch date. Re: Coded‘s plot has strong ties to Birth By Sleep, which was recently released for the PSP. Dueling portables erryday.

Source: 1UP

It has been said – by me, using that phrase to mask that it was me saying it – that the gaming industry is where good dreams go to die horrible deaths. Less hyperbolic (and more true) is that sometimes a developer’s pet idea just had to go if the game was to see the light of day; at times, the game had to become something else entirely. Come on in and let us discuss some rather noteworthy examples, and see what they say about our hobby-slash-industry. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll find out someone was in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky that you were not expecting. I bet you can’t guess! (more…)

Courtesy of NIS America’s Nao Zook – and the official website – is the announcement that Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland ships to retailers worldwide today. Share your love of funny hats and Gold Standard-breaking sorcery on a PS3 near you!

In a recent panel, members of the Final Fantasy XIV development team revealed more information about the upcoming MMO, and how some facets have changed since beta testing began.  Of particular note are the following: (more…)

Following an earlier teaser site and accidental leak by Sega, Valkyria Chronicles 3 is now officially a go.  The teaser has been replaced by an actual site, which has, among other things, the first official trailer for the game.  Although the site is in Japanese, the key bullet points are easy to pick out: the title is bound for the PSP with a Japanese release date of January 27 next year.

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals has gone gold and is scheduled for an October 19 release, according to a press release by Natsume.  An action-RPG remake of the original Lufia II for the SNES, Curse of the Sinistrals is bound for the Nintendo DS and will retail for $29.99.

By way of the official PlayStation Blog, Atlus’ Aram Jabbari has announced that launch copies of Knights in the Nightmare for PSP will include Yggdra Union for free.  The deal applies to both retail and digital purchases for a limited timeframe, and the Yggdra Union freebie is redeemable via PlayStation Network.  Additionally, Knights‘ release date has been set for November 9.

Modern role-playing games have come a long way, delivering bigger worlds, shinier graphics, and – sometimes – better acting and writing.  Yet ask any old-school RPG fan and they’ll tell you some things just can’t be done with fully voiced characters and state-of-the-art visuals.  Illustrating the point is Eschalon: Book I, the debut title from Basilisk Games and first in a planned three-part series.  With thematic roots in series like Wizardry and Ultima, Eschalon is at once a nostalgia trip and a smart, atmospheric standalone adventure, provided you’re up to the challenge it poses. (more…)

Weekly Shonen Jump has revealed that a sequel to Dissidia: Final Fantasy is in the works.  Dubbed Dissidia Duodecim, the title is set for a 2011 release on the PSP, though no hard date was given.  Little information is known at this point, though the magazine did confirm that Final Fantasy XIII‘s Lightning and Final Fantasy IV‘s Kain will be playable characters.

Source and translation: adriasang

As the title may have oh-so-gently hinted, the PS3 port of Tales of Graces has received a release date.  According to the official site, Graces F will be out December 2 in Japan.  The site was also updated with preorder information, which includes a bonus DVD and costume download codes.

No US release has been announced.

Source and translation: adriasang

PSP-bound dungeon crawler Cladun: This is an RPG will be available on the PlayStation Network September 21, NIS America announced today. The company also opened the official website for the retro RPG, which can be located this-a-way.

Corporate group Index Holdings, which counts Atlus Games as a wholly-owned subsidiary, has recently been doing some in-house restructuring. Among the more notable changes is the complete absorption of the Atlus name by Index Holdings. A spokesperson for IH stated that the group intends to focus on game development, and maintained that this will not affect the planned release of any Atlus titles or their respective branding.

Source: Game Watch

Translation: Adrienne “Sicondera” Beck

Coming straight from Final Fantasy XIV‘s Twitter feed is the announcement that the beta will open up to the public starting Wednesday, September 1 at 2:00 GMT. As a reminder, the full game will be available September 30 for the PC, with the PS3 version expected early in March.

Does more need to be said? Go on, go check it out. And if you happen to see an axe-wielding Miqo’te and her stalwart Hyuran manservant running around, by all means, stop and say howdy.

As people everywhere take sides in the latest gaming brouhaha – used games and alternate means of publishers getting more money for them – a thought occurred. While everyone was arguing over whether this or that represents some moral atrocity against our hobby, I started wondering if the lumbering green monster wrecking everything around us might warrant closer attention.

Yes, we’re talking about the economy. Money, cash, spendola; the globe just took an unbelievable beating thanks to complex financial instruments and we’re wondering why companies are getting silly about money. Why, indeed. (more…)