Bio: John Boske

Nickname
John "Karlinn" Boske
E-mail
karlinn@randomnpc.com
Profile
Just your average, lazy, mildly obsessive-compulsive 20-something gamer/writer, with aspirations of doing either of the latter for pay sometime in the near future. I make no secret of my PC gaming heritage, nor the fact that I use 'heritage' improperly to describe a tendency to favor; I believe the proper word there is proclivity. But I digress.

I do that a lot too, by the way.

Anyhow, until further notice I'm your resident editor person who occasionally deigns to review games, but mostly is just here to keep things running as smoothly and error-free as possible. I have a strong fondness for literature of all kinds, have a man-crush on Warren Spector, and possess a soft spot for those games that offer little more than a really cool idea. I'm also one of the nicest, most laid-back people you're going to find without the aid of "herbal supplements", and I'm told I should be in radio.

If only, my friends. *If only*.

Posts by John Boske

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Resonance of Fate Soundtrack Sampler

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Sega has updated the official site for Resonance of Fate with two songs from the soundtrack, free for download. The tracks, “The Beginning of Eternity” and “Resonance of Fate,” can be found under the multimedia section here.

Out already in Japan, Resonance of Fate is due for a March 16 release in North America, with a European release to follow on March 26.

Hexyz Force Official Site Launch Announcement A-Go-Go

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Atlus has just gone live with the North American website for Hexyz Force, their upcoming PSP RPG. Curiously absent is how to pronounce “Hexyz” (heck-sees, perhaps?) but otherwise the site and more information about the game can be found here.

Hexyz Force is due for a May 25 release.

La Pucelle Ragnarok DLC Announced

Saturday, February 27th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

In another case of Exactly What it Says on the Tin (TV Tropes link redacted for safety purposes) downloadable content for La Pucelle Ragnarok has been announced. According to Nippon Ichi’s Japanese website, Elie/Erie from Marl Kingdom – the girl who owns the Rosenqueen store in La Pucelle – will join your party as a playable character.

More details can be found on the game’s site here, though a release date outside of Japan has not been announced.

Infinite Space Coming Soon to a March 16 Near You

Saturday, February 27th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

As the title may suggest, Sega’s upcoming sci-fi RPG Infinite Space, for the Nintendo DS, has just received a North American release date of March 16. Previously known as Infinite Line, Infinite Space sees players commandeer a starship, customize it, and crew it accordingly.

The odds of it featuring a Turian making air quotes are “unlikely.”

Source: Gamespot

Borderlands DLC’s Chief Weapon is Surprise: It’s Out Now

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Going from no release date to “download now, folks” in record time is the latest DLC for Borderlands. Dubbed The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, the content promises new guns, class mods, vehicles, missions, and enemy types. Additionally, the level cap is bumped up to 61.

The content costs 800 MS funbucks for the 360. Comparable pricing for the PS3 and PC is likely, though the site has not yet been updated to reflect this. Further details, and a trailer, can be found on the DLC’s official website, located here.

Grandia Hits PSN… Now

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Starting today, players can download the original Grandia over the Playstation Network for the PS3 and PSP. It sells for $9.99, which is sure to throw a crimp in the plans of the guy charging $144.99 for an unopened copy on eBay (Buy It Now for $155.99!).

Valkyria Chronicles’ Next DLC Gets Dated

Monday, February 22nd, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Coming courtesy of SEGA America’s blog, the upcoming DLC for Valkyria Chronicles has just been given a release date. Titled The Challenges of the Edy Detachment, the fourth DLC installment is scheduled for a February 25 launch. Not being just a clever name, the content includes six missions set by members of the Edy Detachment; each is based around learning the finer points of sniping, shocktroopering, and other things that don’t properly end with -ing but involve a whole lot of things being blown up.

Apart from members of said detachment, players will be able to use prior Squad 7 characters in the missions..

Resonance of Fate’s Days Until Release Are Numbered

Sunday, February 21st, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Over the weekend, Sega and tri-Ace announced their upcoming RPG Resonance of Fate will be hitting shelves March 16. For reference, that’s one week after the release of Final Fantasy XIII. Just throwing that out there.

2010’s been a busy year for gaming so far, hasn’t it?

Source: 1UP

New Fullmetal Alchemist RPG Inbound

Sunday, February 21st, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Bandai has just launched a Japanese website for another entry into the Fullmetal Alchemist games. Subtitled To the Promised Day, the game will launch for the PSP, though neither a release date or North American release have been announced.

The website can be found here.

Lunar Remake Goes Gold, Gets Release Date

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony has gone gold, according to XSEED Games, and has a North American launch date of March 2. The standard and downloadable editions will retail for $29.99, while the Limited Edition – which includes the soundtrack and bromide collector cards – is listed at $39.99.

In the press release, XSEED reminded players that those who’ve finished the demo will have bonus starting equipment for the full version.

3D Dot Game Heroes Gets Customized

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Upcoming Atlus joint 3D Dot Game Heroes will feature a character editing system, allowing players to build their heroes from the ground up. Coming courtesy of the Playstation Blog, Atlus PR and sales manager Aram Jabbari announced that the system will let players design not only their in-game appearance, but also movement and attack animations. Jabbari also stated the North American version will come pre-stocked with more custom creations than the Japanese release, and that players can share their creations on the 3DDGH community website.

3D Dot Game Heroes is scheduled for a May 11 release.

Fable III Details: Hold Hands, Morph Weapons, and Live Like a King

Sunday, February 14th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

At Microsoft’s X10 event, Peter Molyneux revealed that Fable III will feature three major changes from previous entries to the series: in-game touching, your weapon morphing along with your character, and the challenges of ruling a kingdom. (more…)

Final Fantasy XIII 360 Bundle Announced

Friday, February 12th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

With the worldwide launch of Final Fantasy XIII drawing ever closer, Square Enix announced through the game’s Skynet Facebook page that a special 360 bundle will be released with the game. Along with the game and 360 console, the Special Edition bundle will include a 250gig hard drive engraved with the Final Fantasy XIII name, an exclusive faceplate designed by Tetsuya Nomura, two wireless controllers, and exclusive downloadable avatar items.

The bundle is available for preorder now, and will be available in stores along with the standard retail version on March 9.

Mass Effect 2 (PC) – Staff Review

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 by | Posted in Action RPG Reviews, Features, PC Reviews, Reviews

Say what you will about Bioware, but they take no task lightly. By any measure Mass Effect was an epic affair, and topping that in a believable fashion – while integrating the characters and choices that made the first game meaningful – must have posed nearly countless problems for the team. To say they pulled it off is a gross understatement; Mass Effect 2 is a vast improvement over its predecessor in nearly every respect and a superb middle chapter in the series. (more…)

Bethesda Releases Teaser for Fallout: New Vegas

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

In a press release today, Bethesda announced the launch of their first teaser for Fallout: New Vegas, the Fallout 3 spinoff in development by Obsidian. As is often the case with teasers, little about the game proper was revealed, though a cutaway shot offered a glimpse of a surprisingly well lit Las Vegas strip. The teaser in its entirety can be found on Bethesda’s Fallout homepage.

New Vegas is confirmed for the PC, 360, and PlayStation 3 platforms, with a release planned for fall of this year.

Harvest Moon: Leaf Valley Coming to PSP

Monday, February 1st, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Natsume announced over the weekend that Harvest Moon: Leaf Valley will be released for the PlayStation Portable this April. In Leaf Valley, players are charged with helping the townspeople stop the Funland Corporation from bulldozing the title village and replacing it with an amusement park. Basically, it’s “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” but with farming instead of Ice-T.

Leaf Valley is set to retail for $29.99. An exact release date has not been announced.

Get Fabulous in Resonance of Fate Via In-Game Boutique

Saturday, January 30th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Upcoming tri-Ace joint Resonance of Fate will allow players to customize the look of their characters. An in-game store provides options for outfits as well as hair and eye color. Multiple options are available for party members, and these changes will persist for combat and cutscenes.

Resonance of Fate is out now in Japan as End of Eternity. The game will reach North American stores this March.

Source: Kotaku

New Pokemon Series Coming This Year

Saturday, January 30th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

According to a press release from the Pokemon Company, a new Pokemon series is in development and is expected to be released later this year in Japan. Few details have been given, though the series will be for the Nintendo DS, and it will feature new Pokemon.

The press release can be found on the company’s Japanese website. A US release has not been announced.

Mass Effect 2 DLC Network Explained

Monday, January 25th, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

With Mass Effect 2 mere hours from release, BioWare co-founder and vice president Greg Zeschuk broke down how the game’s content distribution network will function.

(more…)

Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver Gets Preorder Bonus Figurines

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 by | Posted in Game News

Starting February 1, players who preorder the upcoming Pokemon HeartGold or SoulSilver games will receive one of two limited edition figurines as a bonus. HeartGold players will receive a figurine of Ho-oh, while SoulSilver‘s bonus is a figurine of Lugia. Catching them all, in this case, requires a preorder of both versions.

Source: Kotaku