RandomNPC - Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Microsoft dropped a pretty big bomb when it declared that Final Fantasy XIII will not be PS3 exclusive in North America or Europe. In the Land of the Rising Sun, you’ll still need Sony to play the newest installment. There have been rumors on the internets that this final exclusivity might not actually be exclusive. To clear things up, Motomu Toriyama, director of Final Fantasy XIII had this to say:

“There will absolutely not be an Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII for Japan.”

There you have it. Square Enix is showing no love to the 360 in Japan.

Source: Kotaku

All you NISA-loving TRPG fans should be able to pick up Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice most anywhere. It officially hit stores yesterday for the slightly reduced price of $49.99. And if you pre-ordered, enjoy your official soundtrack.

This week gamers can get their hands on more retro RPG goodness for the Virtual Console. Ys Book I & II, originally a 1990 compilation for North America released on the TurboGrafx16, is now available for 800 points. Players take on the role of Adol Christin as he searches for clues about an ancient kingdom and seeks to piece together the mystery of Ys. The game features an orchestrated soundtrack and voice acting and is rated E for Everyone.

Additionally, our very own Nerdboy will be liveblogging his Ys playthrough this Saturday. Check back here on Saturday afternoon for a look into his epic adventures.

Natsume’s celebrating ten years of Harvest Moon, and the series’ latest entry ships out today. Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS is rated E for Everyone and has a suggested retail price of $29.99.

The good news is Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars is coming to the Virtual Console. The bad news is it’s only going to be in the PAL territories. This is part of the Hanabi Festival in Europe, where rare, Japanese only games see a temporary release on the Virtual Console. Considering it has already graced the downloadable service in Japan, the Americas are now the only ones that don’t get to enjoy Mario’s famous ’stache.

Source: Kotaku

PAL gamers have more goodies coming their way. Nippon Ichi announced today that Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PlayStation 3 will be making its way to Europe. The game will be hitting North American shelves next week on August 26. PAL gamers will have to wait a little longer, though, as the release is scheduled for early 2009.

Bethesda has finally set a date for the highly anticipated Fallout 3. It will hit North American shelves October 28, and amazingly enough, those in Europe will not have long to wait before they can get their hands on it. The PAL release is October 31.

The latest pages of Famitsu have some details regarding the PSP release of Parasite Eve: the 3rd Birthday. Square Enix is always happy to create new genres, and it seems this game will be a 3D gun action game. Project director Hajime Tabata called the game a “true third person shooter” and said it would be different from Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Continue reading ‘Parasite Eve 3rd Birthday Details’ »

Konami has announced in the latest issue of Famitsu that the next Suikoden will be heading to the Nintendo DS. It has also dished out a few plot and character details.

Genso Suikoden Tierkreis begins with a momentous battle between the 108 Stars of Destiny and a (as of yet unnamed) foe, who brings them to their knees, leaving only four remaining Stars. Players will take on the role of a young lad from the village of Shitoro, whose job is to fight off monsters and bandits. Not much is known about how the young hero becomes involved with the 108 Stars, though, as always, players will get to hunt for them. Parties will consist of four characters. Character classes will have a key role in battle as those of the same type will be able to combine their attacks for special magical or weapons-based combos.

The game is reported as being 50% complete. As of yet, there’s no word on a release date or a North American release.

Source: IGN

PAL gamers who are waiting to get their Star Ocean fix can rejoice. Square Enix announced today that Star Ocean: First Departure for the PSP will be headed to Europe this October. Originally released by Enix on the Super Famicon in 1996, the original Star Ocean never made it to North America or Europe. More than a decade later, the remake features a new game engine, new fully-voiced animated cut scenes, and more character interaction.

Atlus announced today that it would be handing out pre-order goodies along with Yggdra Union. Fans who reserve their copy at GameStop or GameStop.com will receive a CD soundtrack with 56 tracks, all completely remastered from the original GBA release.

Yggrda Union for the PSP is due out September 16. For a closer look at the game and a rundown of all the new features for the PSP version, see the game’s official site.

The Xbox 360 has long been the black sheep of the console war in Japan, but it got a bit of a boost this week with the release of Tales of Vesperia. The latest installment of the Tales series debuted on the charts at #4 selling 108,000 copies in its first week. The 360 meanwhile quadrupled its normally low weekly sales numbers, moving 20,000 units rather than the regular 5,000.

Tales of Vesperia is one of five RPGs on the top ten for the week of August 4-10 in Japan. Phantasy Star Universe for the PSP took top spot with 148,000 units sold (for a total of 490,000). Fire Emblem DS was close behind with 145,000 in its first week on the market. Dragon Quest V DS stands at #5, selling 73,000 units this week, putting its total sales past the one million mark. And Summon Night 2 for the DS, also released this week, managed to sell 30,000 and grab spot #7.

Source: Gamekyo

Australia recently reversed its decision to deny Fallout 3 classification, essentially banning it from distribution in the country. The game had to undergo some minor censorship, but it’s not as bad as it could be. The following is directly from the report from OFLC, the committee that assigns ratings Down Under. Continue reading ‘Aussies Rejoice! Fallout 3 Changes Minor’ »

Natsume is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Harvest Moon series by releasing the newest two on the same day. Of those, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS has gone gold. It will hit shelves on August 26 for $29.99, and those that pre-order will get a free chicken plush.

Australian gamers who were disappointed last month when Fallout 3 was refused classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification due to in-game drug use, can finally breathe sigh of relief. The game was resubmitted and has now officially received the classification of MA 15+ for “strong violence, drug references and coarse language.” MA 15+ is the highest rating available for video games in Australia. While higher, adult-only ratings exist for films, they cannot be applied to video games. There’s been no word yet as to what cuts or edits were made to the game.

The shiny DS remake of Final Fantasy IV has been on US store shelves for nearly three weeks now, but PAL gamers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Square Enix announced today that the game will be released in PAL territories on September 5. Eager fans wanting a full rundown of the new features can check out the official site.

Atlus games are notorious for being hard to find about a week after they hit shelves. People pouring over used game bins for Disgaea or Odin Sphere will be pleased to discover these two games will be easier to find soon. Both will be joining the Greatest Hits series and getting the $19.99 price tag and red bar across the top in September.

Source: Kotaku

Codemasters announced today a new addition to the Rise of the Argonauts staff. The game’s score will be composed by Tyler Bates, known for his recent work on 300 and the Showtime television series Californication. Continue reading ‘Argonauts Score Sets Sail’ »

Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead Studios announced today that Fable II is headed to the US on October 21 and to the UK on October 24, with further international releases in the coming months. On August 13 the previously announced pub games, which allow players to wrack up loot they can later use in Fable II, will be available on Xbox Live for 800 points — or for free with pre-orders at participating retailers.

Square Enix announced today that Chrono Trigger DS will be headed to Europe and to PAL territories, both of which missed out on the game the first time around. The game is due out in December 2008 in North America and is set for early 2009 in Europe.