RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

More information has come to light since the not-at-all-shocking announcement of Dragon Age 2, some of it from the press release issued today.  Of particular note is that the game will focus on the story of Hawke, a blight survivor and “penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age.”  The release states that the story will span ten years, and that choices made throughout the game will affect the story as you go.  While players can select either a male or female character,  BioWare’s Chris Priestly confirmed on the official forums that Hawke is human; players will not have the option of dwarven or elven characters.

Dragon Age 2 is currently scheduled for a March 2011 release, though an exact date has not been set.

Nintendo and Mistwalker have just launched a trailer for the upcoming The Last Story, available on the official website.  Apart from the usual fare of people running around cutting each other with comically large swords, the trailer shows a substantial amount of gameplay and in-engine cutscenes.

Currently set to release later this year in Japan, The Last Story has not been announced for a US release.

Interplay has launched the official Fallout Online website, located here, which opens with the option to register for the game’s official newsletter.  Those who register are fast-tracked for access to the open beta, whose date has not yet been announced.

Choice is a popular gaming buzzword, typically code for “you can save the village or burn it down.” Rare is the game that gets a handle on the important part of choice, that being consequences; your actions mattering in the long run. Enter Alpha Protocol, Obsidian’s espionage-themed action RPG that boldly declares choice to be your weapon in the murky depths of modern geopolitics. Let’s make one thing very clear at the onset: there is something genuinely compelling about how the story here unfolds, and in that Obsidian has definitely succeeded where so many others failed. However, the cost appears to be a sense of identity, as if the game got so wrapped up in varying sources of spy fiction that it never really decided what it wanted to be. (more…)

Square Enix announced today that the PC version of Final Fantasy XIV will be available September 30 in both standard and Collector’s Edition bundles.  Standard will retail at $49.99, Collector’s at $74.99; the CE bundle includes various goodies – a unique in-game Onion Helm, behind-the-scenes DVD, security token, a friend invitation (Buddy Pass), and a notebook featuring concept art from the game, among other items – but most notably an eight-day early access over the standard version.  Standard subscription rates apply at $12.99/month following the free 30-day trial period.  The PS3 release is scheduled for early March, 2011, but no exact date has been set.

Additionally, the system requirements were listed alongside the release date: (more…)

By way of the official website, Nippon Ichi have announced a new strategy RPG for the PSP.  Dubbed Blue Roses: Yousei to Aoi Hitomi no Senshitachi, the game has a stated release date of September 16 in Japan according to the website, available here.  No US release has been announced.

In an interview with Famitsu, four developers of The 3rd Birthday – Yoshinori Kitase, Hajime Tabata, Motomu Toriyama, and Iasmu Kamikokuryo – broke down a few of the more interesting features of the upcoming PSP action RPG. Creative producer Tetsuya Nomura had a few things to say as well, in a separate interview that was otherwise centered around Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Of particular interest are the following bullet points: (more…)

The official website for Pokemon Black/White has been updated to announce the Japanese launch date: September 18. No word has been given of a specific US release date, with nothing more than “Spring 2011” to go on for now.

Those of you who know your Japanese, or are good at figuring out pictures, can find more information on the website over yonder.

One of the understated bits of E3 news was the announcement of an iPhone port for Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, the PSP re-release of the original Tactics. Square Enix has just announced that the title will be available via the App Store on September 15, though no price has been set.

Source: 1UP

Final Fantasy XIV‘s director, Hiromichi Tanaka, has stated that the upcoming MMORPG will not be released on the 360. He singled out the Xbox Live service, claiming the “closed” nature of Live limited multiplatform development in sync with the PC and PS3 versions. Although it’s unclear whether talks are ongoing, Tanaka did say that they “couldn’t come to an agreement on Xbox Live.”

Considering Final Fantasy XI eventually shipped to the 360, and that XIV is still in beta testing, it’s impossible to say whether this will remain the case.

Source: Eurogamer

We got some hands-on time with Fallout New Vegas, as each of us applied our respective talents to various aspects of the game: Jordan did the talking, Derek did the looting, and I smacked a dude with a five-iron. Obsidian’s Chris Avellone was on hand to answer questions about things we didn’t have time to test. (more…)

Our west coast adventure concluded, we return to bring you yet more goodies straight from Nintendo’s E3 offerings. In this update: Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Dragon Quest IX. (more…)

In the closing hours of E3, Roku and I got a close look at a live demo of the mythical Deus Ex: Human Revolution. For this ardent Deus Ex fan, what followed would answer a lot – and I do mean a lot – of questions, and raise almost as many. Fair warning: for a pre-alpha version, the game looked remarkably intact, so this impression may spoil some of the full game. (more…)

Even at E3, F.O.E. Atlus formally announced a North American release for Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City today. The game is due out September 21, and the official site is available here.

Those of you who know of the tangentally related IOSYS flash are hearing it in your heads right about now. Those who haven’t, well, you got a few minutes?

Square Enix has launched a website listing their titles to be on display at E3 this year. Of particular note: Final Fantasy XIV, The Third Birthday, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts: Recoded, Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light, Front Mission Evolved, Dungeon Siege 3, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Further details and further titles can found at the site, located here.

With the supervision of series developer Gas Powered Games, Obsidian Entertainment will be developing Dungeon Siege 3. The announcement comes from publisher Square Enix, who also stated that the title will launch on PC, PS3, and the 360. No release date or other information has yet been revealed.

Source: CVG.com

As the title suggests, BioWare has just signed a deal with Japanese animation studio FUNimation for a feature-length anime based on Dragon Age. Production is slated to begin in May, with the actual release expected sometime next year. The announcement comes straight from EA’s website, and that sound you just heard was a collective double-take by PC RPG fans and anime fans outside the Venn diagram overlap.

No story or cast information was revealed in the announcement.

As the North American release of Ys Seven draws closer, the developers have launched a promotion-slash-contest for fans to submit their names as possible in-game quest characters.  From now until June 11, anyone who joins the Ys fangroup on Facebook will have their name entered in the drawing; a total of 14 names will be picked at random.

Further details, such as legal requirements for participants, can be found on the official Ys Series Facebook page.

As part of Nintendo’s ongoing quest to make more money, Pokemon Black and Pokemon White now have a North American window for release.  Due out in Japan in September of this year, the upcoming Pokemon titles will see North American store shelves sometime in Spring of 2011.

Source: Shacknews

Nintendo is re-releasing the sequel to Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, the DS-based remake of the original Fire Emblem game.  Like its predecessor, Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo (Mystery of the Emblem) saw no release outside of Japan, and this updated title is set for a DS launch.  No details about particular updates have been revealed, and a US release has not been confirmed.  However, a trailer has been posted on the Japanese Fire Emblem website, viewable directly or at YouTube.

Source: IGN