RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Nintendo has announced it will be bringing the Fire Emblem footprint experience to Anime Boston, in addition to its appearance at Anime Central. In celebration of the release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, they’ve constructed a life-size display for fans to interact with, which will be present at both the Boston and Chicago suburban events. They have also released preliminary renderings of how the display will appear on the floor. (more…)

Howdy-o, people. With Second Evolution and Last Hope safely behind me, I feel I’ve sufficiently distanced myself from both titles to calmly and rationally tear one of them to pieces. Which one? That would be telling. (It’s Last Hope.) Take a listen, and let us all see how biases form and express themselves. Extreme spoilers beyond this point: you have been warned. (more…)

The latest Lionhead video diary for Fable II has finally given the release date for the upcoming expansion, See the Future. Set for release on May 12, See the Future will cost 560 MS points and offers new quests, new characters, unique equipment and a “back flip trick for canine companions.” Additionally, XBox LIVE Silver members will have the opportunity to join Fable II co-op games during the Multiplayer Unlocked Weekend, which begins May 8 and ends May 11.

Square Enix designer and belt connoisseur Tetsuya Nomura confirmed in a recent Famitsu interview that voice acting for Final Fantasy XIII is nearing completion. Nomura also brought up character designs for Final Fantasy Versus XIII, saying, to the certain frustration of the game’s artists, that the costumes will be hard to recreate in-game.

How fabulous? One might say… Absolutely Fabulous.

Eh? Eh?? C’mon, I know somebody else out there watched that show and doesn’t remember why, but there it is, etched in their brain where other facts should be, like their cell phone number or their manager’s name when they’re asking for a raise.

Source: Kotaku

Playstation Blog has posted a video interview with Tsubasa Inaba, US producer of White Knight Chronicles. Topics included gameplay mechanics, what changes may occur during the US release, voice chat functions, and games that sync with Dark Side of the Moon. So far, none, but Inaba’s confidence remains high. Check out the full interview here.

We interrupt this program to apologize for this interruption. Thank you. With that out of the way, Square Enix has launched a website for an as yet untitled game. There is little to go on other than sirens, explosions, a picture of some semi-futuristic cityscape, and an ominous John F. Kennedy quote. So apparently it’s going to involve some sci-fi/fantasy title with the fate of the world at stake. That narrows it down, doesn’t it?

Check out the website here.

Source: Kotaku

Fresh from reanimating Liberty Prime for Fallout 3: Broken Steel, Bethesda’s Pete Hines has announced a deal with Del Ray Books to publish a series of novels for the popular Elder Scrolls games. (more…)

Not content to just release a sequel to the popular Mass Effect and make gobs of money, Electronic Arts and Bioware are working on an iPhone-based animated entry into their sci-fi series. Debuting on the iPhone, Mass Effect: Jacob’s Story will deliver “top-down, arcade-style space combat” to the small screen. (more…)

Widescreen Games, one of CD Projekt Red’s partners in the console release of The Witcher, has just issued a press release announcing the ‘freezing’ of the game’s production. Widescreen manager Olivier Masclef has cited financial difficulties between the companies attached to Rise of the White Wolf. (more…)

The Nintendo DS is getting a dose of unorthodox yet old-school RPG goodness is the form of Nostalgia, a steampunk-themed adventure courtesy of Matrix Software and Red Entertainment. Towards this end they’ve assembled by a veritable Who’s Who of industry veterans, with experience running the gamut from RPGs, anime, and survival horror. (more…)

Heya guys! Don’t mind me, just dropping off some media. Gotta do something to take my mind off the fact that Liberty-Effing-Prime returns in Broken Steel. Gotta go through the motions of posting pictures trying not to squeal with girlish glee over the fact that Fallout 3’s post-ending content will have a giant American robot tearing the Enclave a new one.

May has never seemed so far away. Anyway, we got us some A Witch’s Tale, Fallout 3: Broken Steel, Harvest Moon: Makiba no Omise, Harvest Moon: Welcome to the Wind Bazaar, Magna Carta 2, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga, and Ys Online: Call of Solum. Care for a gander? (more…)

The Red Menace might have had enough nukes to saturate every square inch of the United States, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they did. The Pitt, a downloadable questline courtesy of Bethesda, suggests just that; the Capitol made such a meaty target that the Soviets didn’t spare a direct strike for a nearby industrial center. As it turns out, they didn’t really need to: what once was Pittsburgh now crawls with gangs, disease, feral mutants, and oppressed workers living at the mercy of a cruel despot and his army of hired thugs. A hijacked radio beacon calls the player’s attention to the plight of an escapee from what is now known as The Pitt, and the adventure begins. (more…)

Somebody call for a media update? No? Well too bad, ’cause I just spent all day hauling it around and I am not putting this back on the truck. Here’s what we have: Aion: Tower of Eternity, Tales of Graces, Tales of Vesperia PS3, Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu, Final Fantasy XIII, Magna Carta 2, Shining Force Cross, Elminage II, and Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga. There’s a Warhammer joke in there somewhere, but somebody already used it on the space elf dudes from Star Ocean 4.

…augh, I just realized I should’ve titled my review “Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.” That would’ve been perfect. Librarians were awesome. Anyway, to the pictures: (more…)

Nostalgia is powerful. It can help keep memories of games long gone, but also color those memories one way or another. Maybe that old game really was as good as you remember, or maybe when you pick it back up again it’s just not going to do it for you. With the PSP release of Star Ocean: Second Evolution, fans, foes, and newcomers alike will get the chance to test one of Tri-Ace’s older titles and see which way they really roll. Calling Second Evolution a remake is a bit of a stretch, but several convenience tweaks, quality voice acting, and a vastly improved script make it a far more accessible and enjoyable title than its Playstation predecessor. (more…)

No rest for the weary or wicked, eh? Incidentally, I just tried to bypass a Fallout 3 crashing problem with a custom Pipboy radio station by just playing Winamp in the background. This, sadly, chopped up the framerate like so much meat at the mercy of a certain butcher some of you may know. The moral of the story is Fallout 3 and Whitesnake do not get along. Anyway, more media for you fine folks: Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment, Tales of Graces, Crimson Gem Saga, Tales of Vesperia for the PS3, Blood of Bahamut and Arc Rise Fantasia. (more…)

Throughout the 80s and most of the 90s, the role-playing genre was dominated by fantasy settings, standard sword-and-sorcery affairs time-locked in various medieval or feudal societies. There were occasional bouts of innovation, such as Wasteland, one of the earliest RPGs to touch on the idea of life after a nuclear holocaust. Still, they were few and far between, and most were doomed to obscurity. (more…)

Sometimes you have to take a step back to keep going forward, or so Tri-Ace would have players believe with Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The latest entry in one of their signature series, Last Hope is a precursor to the first Star Ocean and deals with mankind’s first forays into uncharted space in search of a world capable of sustaining human life. While the overall gameplay has taken clear strides for the better, the package is underscored by a series of minor to major nuisances — not the least of which being a story prone to ridiculous plot twists — leaving it less a series reboot and more one missed opportunity after another. (more…)

Howdy folks! Just got a fistful of media for you, a few screens and artwork of Growlanser PSP and End of Eternity. If the latter doesn’t involve the Restaurant at the End of the Universe somehow, I’m going to be a sad panda. Anyway, to the images: (more…)

Gather ’round y’all, we got a lot to go through today. Atlus is dominating the media for today, and we bet they can dominate it for the week too. All they have to do is stay focused and stop wearing pants. NIS America’s gonna try to put a stop to their fun, though. The three of you familiar with Get Your War On should appreciate that previous bit. Anyway, on to the media: A Witch’s Tale, Ys Online: Call of Solum, Dokapon Journey, Devil Summoner 2, Crimson Gem Saga, Knights in the Nightmare, Class of Heroes, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Dissidia Cross Edge, and Phantom Brave Wii. (more…)

Got some more goodies for you. A couple snappies of the recently announced Fable II: See the Future and the less-recently-announced Blood of Bahamut, alongside shots of Dragon Age Origins. Even money suggests the good guys are the ones not wearing helmets. They usually don’t. Anyhow… (more…)