9/28/07 Issue at Just-RPG

In this issue we have our review of Lair for the PS3 and more!

http://www.just-pg.com

• Lair Review
• Just-RPG Looking for Staff
• New Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess Screens
• And More!!!

Depths of Peril Demo

An all-new, updated Depths of Peril demo is now available.

The demo contains the game's first act and allows you to play as all 4 of the games character classes up to level 7. It also contains a variety of fixes and improvements that were seen in the final version, but is still under 70 MB.

Depths of Peril is a single player RPG with strong strategy elements. Gamers will take the role of the leader of a Barbarian faction and must battle monsters and rival factions, as well as manage trade and diplomacy.

Download the demo from one of the following links:

http://downloads.gamezone.com/demos/d19956.htm

http://www.fileshack.com/file.x/10986/Depths+of+Peril+Demo

http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/depthsofperil/demo/17421.html

Chronicles of Spellborn Q&A

The Chronicles of Spellborn team have put together a little combat Q&A to help gamers understand the game's unique combat system.

Chronicles of Spellborn features a combat system totally different than the traditional MMORPG model. Players have more direct control over combat, so rather than combat formulas determining your "hit" an "dodge" percentage, players instead actively maneuver their character to target and dodge attacks. Spellborn also features a combo system that allows gamers to link together devastating attacks!

Read all about it right here!

Square Enix Wants the U.S.

Square Enix is apparently looking to increase their performance in the U.S. and Europe by 50% in the next three years, according to an article published in the Financial Times.

The United States is the worlds largest and fastest growing gaming market, making it particularly important to the Japanese publisher. Success overseas will help Square Enix to counterbalance the stagnant demand for games in Japan. Only 10 to 20 per cent of Square Enix's revenues came from overseas markets. However, they're hoping to increase that to as high as 50% over the next three years.

"We need to seek co-operation with a US publisher - we need local content," Mr Sasaki, senior vice-president of Square Enix, said at the Tokyo Game Show. "Our strength is in role-playing games and fantasy titles, so it is a bit difficult to appeal to the US market."

Read the full article here: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5fac144a-68a4-11dc-b475-0000779fd2ac.html

Square Enix is pretty big here, but I don't know if it's EVER going to become as big as it is in Japan. Sure, there are a lot of gamers here, but a lot of U.S. gamers prefer shooters, sports games and racing games rather than RPGs... and plenty of American RPG fans prefer American style games like Oblivion as opposed to Japanese ones like Final Fantasy. I know I do...

Still, Square Enix is certainly having less trouble conquering the U.S. market than most North American companies have moving into Japan. The Japanese just don't like our games.

Soul Nomad Ships!

NIS America has announced that their PS2 RPG, Soul Nomad & the World Eaters, has shipped to retailers today!

Soul Nomad is the latest strategy RPG from the most recognized developer in the genre, Nippon Ichi. The game promises unique, in-depth, strategy rich gameplay, featuring over 50 character classes and over 40 team abilities! Despite the complex gameplay, a step-by-step tutorial is included that will help gamers learn the ropes of Soul Nomad.

For more information, check out the official site or look for Soul Nomad at your local retailers.

Wings of the Goddess Prepares for Takeoff!

Square Enix announced today that the next expansion pack for their MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI, Wings of the Goddess, will ship to retailers across North America on November 20, 2007. Service for Wings of the Goddess will officially goes live on November 22, 2007.

Wings of the Goddess will include a new job class, new locations, new creatures, and the opportunity to further explore Final Fantasy XI. Eager Final Fantasy XI fans will have several different options when it comes to purchasing the game:

FINAL FANTASY XI Vana’diel Collection 2008 (Stand-alone product including all expansions)
Platforms: PlayStation 2 system, Xbox 360
MSRP: $39.99 and $49.99 respectively

FINAL FANTASY XI: Wings of the Goddess (Expansion pack only)
Platforms: PlayStation 2 system, Windows, Xbox 360
MSRP: $29.99 each

An all new trailer of the game debuted at Tokyo Game Show and can be seen here: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml

Wii Fit... Funny Video

Prepare for a brief rant... or just go down to the video... it's hilarious!

I'm not going to lie, I'm still a critic of the Wii and have yet to give in to all of the hype. Yeah, I occasionally play Wii, and there are a few titles that I've enjoyed quite a bit such as Big Brain Acadmy. Still, even the games that I've enjoyed have all had limited appeal and my Wii goes largely unplayed while I play 'real' games on my Xbox 360, like Blue Dragon and BioShock. I guess I'm still not convinced that it's anything more than a casual game system and a platform for party games. It's great that the system is attracting so much attention, but I'm a hardcore gamer, not a casual gamer. Party games are cool... but for 10 minutes. Wii Play, one of the system's best sellers, is pretty much a pile of crap. Honestly, Wii Sports is awesome considering it's free, but it still has limited appeal and isn't deep enough to hold the interest of a real gamer, who expects some level of depth in a game.

Anyway, my pessimistic views on the Wii probably made this even funnier for me. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. Enjoy!

9/24/07 Links

A few quick links you may want to check out:

Jolt Hates Two Worlds - Jolt has rated Two Worlds for the Xbox 360 an abysmal 2.2. This might be the lowest score I've seen yet.

AllRPG Reviews Jeanne d'Arc - Level 5's latest RPG for the PSP gets a high scoring 9.0.

BioShock Reviewed by GameBanshee - A solid 8.2 is their score, which is actually pretty low for BioShock.

RPGWatch Reviews Nethergate: Resurrection - Spiderweb software's latest title pulls in a 3.0/5.0.

New Lost Odyssey Details

Straight from TGS, Mistwalker has revealed some new Lost Odyssey details.

First off, the game will be an Xbox 360 record setting FOUR DVDs long. Mistwalker's previous title, Blue Dragon, was the original record holder at three DVDs.

The second juicy bit of information is that all voice acting in the game will be lip synced to English. There will still be multiple language options, including Japanese, but all voice acting will be synced to English. The reason for this is that Japanese fans are used to voices not matching lips due to imported American movies. Mistwalker also wanted to show thanks to English speaking fans around the world!

Despite the English lip syncing, the Japanese gamers still win because Lost Odyssey will be released in Japan in December. North American gamers will have to wait until February to get ahold of this highly anticipated Xbox 360 RPG.

9/21/07 Issue at Just-RPG

We've just posted our latest issue on Just-RPG, including an interview with Sony Online Entertainment regarding Legends of Norrath and new information for the upcoming Wii title Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire.

http://www.just-rpg.com

• Legends of Norrath Interview
• Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire Screens and Trailer
• Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness Trailer
• New Pirates of the Burning Sea Screenshots
• Just-RPG Looking for Staff!
• And More!!!

THREE New Kingdom Hearts Titles

I hope gamers out there haven't had their fill of Kingdom Hearts yet, because straight from the Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix has announced three new Kingdom Hearts titles!

All three of these new titles are unique and designed for portable platforms: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep for the Sony PSP, and Kingdom Hearts Coded for mobile phones.

358/2 Days will allow both single player and multi-player modes made possible through the Networking features of the DS. It will be the untold story of Organization XIII's Roxas. Birth by Sleep will feature an entirely new trio of heroes and takes place long before Sora ever wielded the Keyblade. Coded will be the story of Jiminy Cricket trying to organize his records and coming across the strange message "We must return to free them from their torment". The King decided to digitize the message and start an investigation!

No North American release details have been given yet and will be announced at a later date.

Pirates Pre-Order Booty

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that their upcoming MMORPG, Pirates of the Burning Sea, is scheduled to be available for pre-order starting Tuesday, October 23rd at participating retail locations.

Pirates of the Burning Sea promises high seas action and adventure in a bold world of pirates and plunder. Set in the 18th Century, gamers can choose one of three nations – England, France or Spain – or choose the role of a Pirate and battle it out for glory and power. Wannabe pirates that pre-order the game will get a little extra booty:

• An invitation to the “Pre-Boarding Party” allowing them access to the live game up to 15 days prior to launch, and the ability to keep their characters, skills and equipment after launch with purchase of game and paid subscription (characters will have a level cap of 20 during the pre-boarding party)


• Captain’s Best Friend – a blue and yellow parrot


• Mighty Blades - Swedish Rapier, Old World Steel or Musketeer’s Matching Blades (depending upon which fighting style is selected)


• Original Game Soundtrack CD – 60 minutes of pirate themed music (comes in pre-order box)

Pirates of the Burning Sea is scheduled to be available for pre-order in North America on Tuesday, October 23, 2007.

GameTrailers at TGS

GameTrailers has announced that they will be attending the upcoming Tokyo Game Show September 20 - 28.

Users can log-in to GameTrailers.com for the latest trailers, announcements, interviews, developer walkthroughs, press conferences and more, and straight from TGS! GameTrailers promises to do around the clock updates, so gamers get the latest info.

They've even dedicated a special page on their site to the upcoming show, so check it out starting September 20th for the latest TGS news!

You can be sure there will be plenty of RPG announcements at this years TGS, because the Japanese love their RPGs! Although, the big question will be whether or not the games make it to North America...

Rockin' to The Witcher

The Witcher is highly anticipated among RPG fans here in the U.S., but apparantly the game is really big in Poland.

The Polish special edition of The Witcher is going to include a CD full of music tracks inspired by the game. All of these songs are professionally recorded by popular Polish bands, and all are about the dark fantasy world of The Witcher!

Vader, the international Death Metal star, will be featuring the song "The Sword of The Witcher" on this special edition music CD as well as on his own upcoming CD.

Check out Vader's video here. It's actually pretty cool and has plenty of scenes straight from The Witcher!

If that's not enough, check out The Witcher's official YouTube page here for more trailers and music videos.

Growlanser: Heritage of War Ships!

Atlus has announced that their latest title, Growlanser: Heritage of War, is now shipping to retailers across North America!

Growlanser is a strategy RPG for the PS2, and the latest addition to the popular series. To honor the hardcore fans, Atlus is releasing a deluxe Limited Edition set with several unique collectibles. The complete package includes a 100-page full color art book that features material from the entire Growlanser saga, a multimedia DVD featuring additional video content and Growlanser trivia, lenticular cards, commemorative pins, and a Growlanser keychain.

Atlus has also announced that there will be only one print run of Growlanser: Heritage of War, so if you're interested in it make sure to get it before it's gone!

The Chosen is Golden!

Meridian4 announced today that the Action RPG, The Chosen: Well of Souls, has gone gold and will ship to stores on October 01, 2007.

The Chosen will be available for purchase at a variety of retailers as well as from some online distributors, such as TotalGaming.net for only $19.99.

Key features for The Chosen: Well of Souls include:

• 3 original playable characters, each with their own distinct skills and abilities
• Over 200 different types of armour, weapons and magic items
• Over 12 blood-curdling quests with hordes of werewolves, zombies, vampires and demons
• Modify skills and allocate experience to develop your hero
• Seizing demons during battle allows you to use them to fight for you
• Improve weapons strength and effectiveness through ancient magic
• Call upon mystical creatures to help battle the forces of evil

For more information check out the official site here, or check Just-RPG for new screens of the game.

9/17/07 Links

I managed to dig up all sorts of good reading material over the weekend. As the holiday season approaches we're starting to see a LOT of different gaming releases. Fortunately, it looks like a lot of the big ones are pulling out good reviews.

Jolt/RPGDot Review Loki - Their verdict is that it's an average action RPG.

IGN Rates Eternal Sonata - An early review for this highly anticipated Xbox 360 RPG. They award it a solid 8.3 out of 10! Looks like this is beating out Blue Dragon for best Japanese RPG on the 360.

Heavenly Sword Reviewed by GameSpot - They praise the game for its looks and action, but criticize it for the short length. Overall, though, they give it an 8.0 out of 10, so not shabby at all!

Soul Nomad & The World Eaters on AllRPG - AllRPG rates this PS2 RPG a solid 7.0.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology Reviewed by AllRPG - A second review from AllRPG, this one covering a PSP RPG. A similiar score of 7.5 is awarded.

CVG Interviews Molyneux about Fable 2 - The head of Lionhead talks about the upcoming Fable 2 and life at Lionhead.

CVG Reviews Two Worlds - The review covers the PC version of the game, which is supposed to be somewhat superior to the Xbox 360 version. My experience is with the 360 version, which is highly flawed but very addictive! CVG rates it 7.3.

IGN Takes a Look at The Witcher's Races - A look at the various races gamers can expect to encounter in The Witcher.

Hellgate: London Pre-Order

Planning on pre-ordering Hellgate: London? EA and Namco Bandai have just announced three more reasons that you should!

Gamers in North American who pre-order either the regular or collectors edition of Hellgate: London will receive three special treats just in time for Halloween! First off, buyers will receive a key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 07, 2007. Secondly s one of four exclusive dye-kits that will give your hero's gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween. Lastly, pre-ordering gamers will be eligible to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription to Hellgate's premium service for $149.99.

"We're excited to get our most passionate players into the early Beta test, and to reward them with a special look once the game goes live on Halloween," said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios.

Hellgate: London comes from some of the core developers of the Diablo team from Blizzard. It promises a deep, story-driven campaign with over 40 hours of gameplay and both online and offline capabilities. It combines RPG depth with the fast action of a shooter and may very well represent the evolution of the action RPG genre!

I've had a bit of gameplay time with Hellgate: London and have to admit I was very impressed. I'm definately looking forward to this one, so stay tuned to Just-RPG and The RPG-Geek for more info!

Lost Odyssey North American Delay

Fans of the upcoming RPG Lost Odyssey will have to wait just a bit longer.

The game, which was initially supposed to be released worldwide by the end of 2007, is now slated for an early 2008 release in North America. Japanese gamers will fortunately still be able to pick up Lost Odyssey in December 2007. Lost Odyssey is a Xbox 360 exclusive RPG from Mistwalker, developer of the recent RPG Blue Dragon.

Blue Dragon received rave reviews in Japan but has been highly criticized since its North American release. One can't help but wonder if Mistwalker has decided to delay the North American release of their second game in hopes of avoiding those same problems...

Persona 4 on PS3!

Atlus has recently announced that they will be revealing a new Persona title shortly after the Tokyo Games Show.

Other than the initial announcement that the title is in development for the PS3, no details have been announced yet. However, due to the recent success of the series in the U.S., gamer shouldn't be surprised if this new installment in the series eventually makes it to North America.

For now we just have to wait...

Eternal Sonata for PS3

After much speculation, Namco Bandai have finally confirmed that Eternal Sonata will be heading to the PS3. Few details have been announced, but the game will be at the upcoming Tokyo Games Show, although only in video form.

The PS3 version promises to have new features not found in the Xbox 360 version of the game, but, no specific new features have been revealed. The PS3 version is due in Japan sometime in 2008 and the Xbox 360 version is set for release in the U.S. today!

Check out http://eternalsonata.namcobandaigames.com/ for more Eternal Sonata info. In the meantime, check out Just-RPG's recent preview of Eternal Sonata for the Xbox 360, and come back soon for our upcoming review of the game!

DQM: Joker Goes Gold!

Square Enix has announced that Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker for the Nintendo DS has gone gold!

The game will ship to retailers by November 06, 2007, and fans who pre-order the title will recieve a free, lmited edition Nintendo DS screen wipe and map! DQM has a suggested retail price of $39.99.

You will play the game as a young hero locked in a prison by your father, the leader of an organization known as CELL. You find yourself released under orders to enter the Monster Scout Challenge, and frm there embark on a journey starting with a single monster and a scout ring, only to discover the dark and mysterious intentions that surround the competition.

DQM : Joker promises over 200 different Dragon Quest creatures and the ability to synthesize customized monsters to create al new ones! Gameplay will be an innovative mix of the monster arena battle from Dragon Quest VIII and traditional Dragon Quest gameplay.

9/14/07 Issue t Just-RPG!

Here's the latest from Just-RPG!

http://www.just-rpg.com

• Two Worlds Review
• New The Chosen: Well of Souls Screenshot
• Knight Online Expansion Moradon: The Resurrection Screenshots
• Soul Nomad & the World Eaters "Special Attacks" Trailer
• Just-RPG Looking for Staff
• And More!!!

Eschalon Info

Eschalon, an RPG from developer Basilisk, has been generating a bit of a buzz around many of the indie RPG sites. It's recently been brought to my attention that we haven't done any coverage of this game, so I thought I'd make note of it here. After all, it's looking like a pretty solid title, and we always wish the best of luck to indie developers out there!

Eschalon is set to be a trilogy, with the first title Eschalon: Book I currently being developed. The game promises a high level of strategy in a tile-built, turn-based game world where the result of absolutely every action is rolled, calculated or statistically determined. Eschalon also promises unlimited character development based on 24 unique skills and 8 character attributes.

Old school fans will definately want to keep their eye out of Eschalon: Book I as it seems to be shaping up to be a traditional, yet epic adventure in the vein of titles such as Wizardy, Fallout and Ultima. The official site below has plenty of info on the game along with some nice looking screens to give you an idea of what to expect. Also, don't forget to check out the impressive trailer of Eschalon on GameTrailers.

Eschalon site:

http://basiliskgames.com/book1.htm

Eschalon trailer:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22805.html

Knight Online Expansion Goes Live!!

K2's has announced that Moradon: The Resurrection, the latest expansion for their MMORPG Knight Online, has just gone live!

This patch is the newest and largest expansion to date, and includes all sorts of new features that Knight Online fans will love! These features include a revamped and redesigned Moradon Castle, and new hunting areas to adventure, trade and meet fellow Knights. Other highly anticipated features include a new battle arena and a new clan communication system.

K2 has compiled a thorough list of the expansion's new features for us, which you can check out below. For more information, visit the game's official site at http://www.knightonlineworld.com/.

Bigger and Better Moradon
There is more area to explore and hunt in the new Moradon. The actual size of the town and the area to hunt monsters has been greatly increased! In order to leave Moradon though, you will have to attain level 35. This will allow players to join clans and learn more about teamwork earlier in the game.

New Quests to Complete
There are new quests to train players how to upgrade weapons and armor! Check with [Blacksmith] Heppa in Moradon to learn more. There are also quests to acquire new ranks of Knighthood and to obtain a pet to fight alongside you!

Pets
By completing a quest from [Familiar Trainer] Kate in Moradon, players can receive a pet egg that will hatch their new companion! Pets can fight alongside their masters, transform into other monsters, use skills to increase their master’s statistics, and even help gather treasure from fallen monsters!

The New Knight System
There are now 3 levels of knighthood in this new expansion. Once a clan has reached rank 3, they will be able to complete a quest in order to attain the rank of Squire. After reaching 252,000 Clan Points and completing the next quest, they will be able to become Knights. Finally, after amassing 1,080,000 Clan Points and defeating a very difficult foe, they can reach Royal Knighthood.

Each Knighthood level has 5 ranks and depending on how many Clan Points the clan has acquired, the clan will rise from rank 5 to rank 1 in each level. Once they have become rank 1, they can complete the quests listed above to advance their Knighthood level.

New Clan Communication Feature
There is a new clan communication feature called “Clan Notice”. Players will be able to post notices that the entire clan can see to organize events or important information that the clan needs to be aware of.

New Items
Through the new Juraid Mountain event, players will be able to attain precious gems of a multitude of colors that can be placed into the Chaotic Generator to exchange for special NEW unique items only available through this process! These new uniques include earrings, rings, belts, armor and weapons such as the String of Skulls and the Hero’s Valor!

Class Skill Changes
Mages and Rogues have had a few skill changes in the new expansion. Mages have had changes to Frozen Blood, Ice Staff, Lightening Staff, and Blink while Rogues have had damage output increased on their Blood Beast, Blinding, and Beast Hiding skills.

The Moradon Battle Arena
Ever wanted to challenge another party or clan to a battle but don’t want to change zones? Well now you can with the new Moradon Battle Arena! This new PvP enabled area inside of Moradon has no level requirement and everyone is an enemy except for people in your party.

New Event Dungeons and Wars
PvP in Knight Online just got even better with the addition of the Border Defense Wars and Juraid Mountain! There are low-level (35-45) and mid-level (60-69) Border Defense Wars which take place during specific times in the day. The objective is to be the first to destroy the other nation’s monument. If the monuments are not destroyed, the winner will be determined by the number of kills.

Juraid Mountain is a high level (70-80) PvP event where the objective is to fight through 3 separate rooms to reach the center room where the Boss must be defeated. The 2 nations will start at opposite ends of the map and work their way to the middle. The winning nation in this event will obtain precious gems which can be turned in to the Chaotic Generator for some very rare unique items!

The New Clan Point Contribution System
This new expansion allows Clan Leaders to have more control over their clan. Clan members also have a chance to contribute more and take more responsibility in the clan. There are two types of Clan Point contribution systems that can be chosen by the Clan Leader. The first is manual contribution where a set contribution amount can be determined by the player. The second is automatic contribution which pulls a percentage of National Point gain from each member of the clan to contribute to their Clan Points. Clan Points are used to determine Clan Rank and Level. Clan Points can also be used to purchase capes for the clan. If a player quits a clan, the clan will lose the total amount that the member has contributed. The member will only get a 30% refund of their total contribution as well.

Training Dummies
There are 3 different levels of training dummies located in Moradon for players to check damage levels and skill use (level 30, 60, and 80). There are also fixed and moving targets for players to practice on.

Clan Symbol Flags in Moradon
The top 5 clans in each nation will have their clan symbol attached to a flag that is flown in Moradon. Now everyone on the server can see which clan ranks supreme!

Fortune Teller
Curious what the future holds for you? If so, for 10,000 Noahs you can get your fortune from Fortune Teller McKin in Moradon!

Infinite Undiscovery Announced!

Square Enix has just announced the upcoming release of Infinite Undiscovery, a fantasy RPG for the Xbox 360.

Infinite Undiscovery comes from acclaimed developer tri-Ace, the makers of the popular Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile games. In Infinite Undiscovery, gamers will explore a real-time world that is influenced by the player's choices. There will also be real-time action sequences similar to that of the Star Ocean series.

Few details on this new game have been revealed, and no release date has been given. Look back to Just-RPG for more info!

New Disgaea Cover Art

Nippon Ichi has released an updated Cover art for the upcoming Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. This version of Disgaea will be available October 30, 2007 for the PSP.

Check out this new cover art below (click to zoom in):

Legends of Norrath Standalone

Since the announcement fo the Online EverQuest CCG, Legends of Norrath, there has been a lot of hype for the game.

The game will be integrated into EverQuest and EverQuest II, and steeped in EverQuest lore and allow players to win cards while playing the MMO and trade cards in for special items.

The whole concept of the card game sounds really interesting, but one of my initial fears was that Integrating it directly into EverQuest would limit their player base. However, this fear has been resolved as Sony Online Entertainment has announced that the game will also be availible through a standalone client where you can play directly with players in EverQuest or EverQuest II.

To check out the standalone, head here: http://download.station.sony.com/patch/download/ccg/LegendsOfNorrath.exe

BioShock Sets Records!

2K Games has announced that their recent hit, BioShock, has become the highest rated Xbox 360 game on Metacritic.com.

Metacritic.com is a popular site that aggregates review scores from the leading video game publications and websites. Publications such as IGN, GameSpot and GamepSpy and 1Up have combined to give BioShock an overall review score of 96 out of 100!

2K has also announced that the BioShock demo on Xbox Live become the fastest title to surpass 1 million downloads. If you haven't tried BioShock yet, I suggest you check out the demo right away!

Gamerankings.com also has BioShock listed as the highest rated game on the Xbox 360, and currently one of the top rated games of all-time on any platform.

9/11/07 Links

I've managed to gather up a few random links for today. Several of the articles were actually published last week, but if you haven't seen them yet, they're still worth a read!

GameBanshee Reviews Two Worlds - They call it mediocre.

TeamXbox Reviews Two Worlds - They award the game a measly 5.1 score.

IGN's Two Worlds Review - Not a particularly high grade from them, but still higher than many of the reviews out there.

GameSpot Previews Hellgate: London - Read their thoughts and impressions on the highly anticipated RPG here.

Heavenly Sword rated by GameSpot - And they seem to like it, awarding it a solid 8.0.

Oblivion GotYE Ships!

Bethesda Softworks has announced that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition for PC and Xbox 360 is now shippint to retailers across North America!

Oblivion Game of the Year Edition includes the critically acclaimed original version of Oblivion, along with the official expansion, The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, and the downloadable content, Knights of the Nine.

Gamers who never had the chance to experience Oblivion now have the perfect opportunity to pick up the complete game in one handy little package. Those who played the original but missed out on the downloadable content and expansion may also want to pick up Game of the Year Edition because it conveniently includes the extra content without the hassle of downloading it. Players who have already ventured into Oblivion can continue their existing games while playing Game of the Year Edition.

Oblivion has recently become a Platinum Hit on the Xbox 360.

New Red Stone Details

K2 Network has recently revealed some new detais about their upcoming MMORPG, Red Stone. These new details highlight the quest system and the transformation system.

Red Stone promises many innovative components, but one of the most unique is the game's quest system. This system branches out over three distinct types of quests: Main, Title, and General. Below are the K2's official description of the three distinct quest types:

Main Quest
The Main Quest starts when you begin the game and continues as you advance through the game on your search for fragments of the Red Stone. The Red Stone Main Quest line guides you on an adventure across the continent of Prandel, following rumors and cryptic hints about the location of this mysterious object, which is said to grant power and wealth to whoever possesses it.

Title Quests
Various NPCs in the game will send the player on Title Quests, and upon quest completion, will bestow certain Titles on the player. Titles come with benefits – for example, one could earn the title of Banker, which enabling bank access, or Master Monster Distinguisher (say that three times fast!), which allows you to see the types and levels of monsters your are fighting. The Red Stone Title Quests will teach your character useful abilities and beneficial skills.

General Quests
Consisting of standard NPCs asking for basic assistance, General Quests encourage you to explore the world of Prandel and gain experience completing tasks. Completing the Red Stone General Quests will not only provide your character with rewards such as items, experience and gold, but will add purpose and direction to your adventure!


K2 has also revealed information on the interesting transformation system. This feature allows characters to transform into other character classes, effectively giving gamers control of two complimentary sets of abilities. You can transform in order to take advantage of the benefits of each class. Each character class has two forms that complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses

Tabula Rasa Release Set

NCSoft has announced the official release date for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.

The game has recently reached gold master status and will launch commercial service in North America and Europe on October 19, 2007. Pre-order customers will begin their three-day head start on October 16.

A standard edition box of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa will be available at major online retailers at an expected retail price of $49.99. While the Limited Collector's Edition box from major retailers will have an estimated retail price of $69.99, and includes a variety of extra goodies.

For more info on this highly anticipated MMORPG, check out http://www.rgtr.com/.

9/6/07 Issue at Just-RPG

We've just posted our latest issue on Just-RPG! Check it out here: http://www.just-rpg.com.

• Eternal Sonata Preview
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Giveaway
• New Disgaea PSP Video
• Soul Nomad & The World Eaters Trailer
• And More!!!

Pokemon Sells Big

Nintendo has announced that their recent Pokemon titles have fueled the success of the Wii and DS!

Pokemon games are almost always among the best selling games around. Partially boosted by Pokemon sales, the Nintendo DS and Wii were again the two best-selling videogame systems in the United States in July. According to the independent NPD Group, through July Pokemon Diamond is the best-selling video game of the year on any system, while Pokemon Pearl ranks No. 3. Wow, two of the top three best sellers are Pokemon!?

Young and old gamers alike are enjoying Pokemon, and the next-gen systems have opened the door to countless new Pokemon fans.

Shivering Isles Xbox 360 Disc!

Bethesda Softworks Announces The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Xbox 360 Retail Disc.

The game has been available on for PC and for download through Live for several months now, but gamers who don't have access to Xbox Live will finally be able to play the critically acclaimed expansion to Oblivion.

Shivering Isles includes an additional 30 hours of gameplay and allows gamers to explore an entirely new Plane of Oblivion - Sheogorath.

The retail disk also features the Knights of the Nine content, such as the new faction and items, and all additional downloadable content, including the Thieves Den and Mehrunes Razor. Shivering Isles for Xbox 360 will be available in retail stores in October!

Additionally, Oblivion Game of the Year Edition will ship to retailers nationwide next week for PC and Xbox 360. The Box art for the Xbox 360 version of Game of the Year Edition and the new Xbox 360 Shivering Isles retail version are available below. Click to zoom in!

DQM Pre-Order Freebie!

Square Enix has officially announced that will be a special pre-order item for Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker.

Gamers who pre-order Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker will recieve a DS accessory that contains a handy screen wipe inside. Additionally, the screen wipe has a navigational map of the Green Bays archipelago from the game.

If you want to get your hands on this freebie, pre-order the game at Amazon.com, EBGames, GameCrazy or GameStop.

You can get a glimpse of the item below (click for zoomed view):

Depths of Peril Now On Sale!

Soldak Entertainment announced today that Depths of Peril for Windows PCs is now available.

Depths of Peril is a single player RPG with strong strategy elements. Players will take on the role of a barbarian leader who must protect the barbarian city of Jorvik, complete quests, battle monsters, and compete with rival factions!

Depths of Peril can be purchased at:
http://www.soldak.com/content/blogcategory/29/66/

RPGLand Jeanne d'Arc Giveaway

RPGLand is giving away THREE free copies of Jeanne d'Arc, the latest RPG for the PSP from acclaimed developer Level 5.

To enter, all you have to do is answer a few short questions and send them them off for the RPGLand staff to review! They'll pick the top three responses and award them with a free copy of Jeanne d'Arc! Be funny, creative and original to increase your chances of winning. The contest deadline is Thursday, September 13, so you still have plenty of time to sign up and win. Good luck!

Sign up for the contest here: http://rpgland.com/contest/jeannecontest.html

Hellgate: London to Include Xfire

Xfire, announced today that their voice chat functionality will be included in Flagship Studios' highly anticipated upcoming PC RPG, Hellgate: London.

Xfire's peer-to-peer communication system allows gamers the ability to chat with fellow gamers without the hassle of a standalone voice server. It also allows gamers to log in to Xfire from Hellgate: London, enabling them to easily add fellow Hellgate gamers into a voice chat room where they can chat as they play.

"By integrating Xfire's voice chat feature into Hellgate: London, we are able to strengthen our online community and make it even easier for our players to connect together online," said Tyler Thompson, Technical Director of Flagship Studios. "The Xfire package will bolster the overall gaming experience for our users."

Xfire supports more than 800 of the most popular games worldwide and is eight million users strong.

09/05/07 Links

Here are some of the latest gaming opinions from sites like IGN and RPGLand!


IGN Reviews D&D Tactics - They're not impressed with it.

Neverwinter Nights: Mask of the Betrayer Previewed by Jolt - A first look at the highly anticipated RPG!

GameTap's Fallout 3 Interview - A Q&A with the game's lead designer.

RPGLand Reviews Wild ARMs 5 - A solid 7.5 is their verdict.

RPGLand's Jeanne d'Arc Interview - They sit down with the folks from Level 5 to discuss their PSP RPG.

Trapped in Gaming Fantasy Land!

So I've been neglecting this Blog the last few days. Fortunately there hasn't been a lot of noteworthy RPG news as of late, so it's not like you've missed anything.

I've been distracted by two recent gaming releases, Two Worlds and BioShock. Just-RPG will have full coverage of these two games shortly, but for now, here's a few thoughts of mine.

BioShock... well, it's every bit as great as what all the reviews are saying. The graphics are gorgeous, the gameplay is deep and intelligent, and you'll find yourself immersed in the game's eerie atmosphere. This is a must play for pretty much everybody!

Two Worlds is both highly flawed and highly enjoyable. There are a lot of frame rate problems and the interface is clunky on the Xbox 360. On the other hand, the character building is deep and allows for plenty of customization through stats, skills, equipment and magic power ups. The world is also massive and filled with quests to embark on and areas to explore. So far it's a lot of fun, but probably best suited for hardcore RPG fans.

That's all for now. Like I said, Just-RPG will have full reviews of both games in the coming weeks. Considering how lengthy it is, the Two Worlds review may take some time. With any luck, I'll be able to pull myself away from these games long enough to do some updates over the next few days.

09/03/07 Links

Here's a few noteworthy links I came across today and over the weekend. Click away and enjoy your reading!


Dungeons & Dragons Tactics on GameSpot - An unimpressed view of the game, awarding it a 5.0.

GameSpy Review D&D Tactics - And they're even less impressed than GameSpot.

AllRPG likes Wild ARMs 5 - They liked the fourth installment better, but they still give it an 8.5!

AllRPG Reviews Brave Story - The PSP RPG from Xseed gets a positive 8.5 score.

Jolt/RPGDot Review BioShock - Wow, a near perfect review! 9.9.

9/01/07 Links

Several new releases lately, so we've got some fresh new RPG coverage for you! These are definitely worth reading.

GameSpy Crushes Two Worlds - I'm not going to lie, I almost didn't post this article because it seemed so ridiculously unfair. Still, you readers deserve to hear the full spectrum of opinions, but take this one with a grain of salt.

GameSpot's Two World's Review - GameSpot provides a much more balanced review of the Xbox 360 version of game with a 7.0 final score.

GameSpot's Second Two World's Review - This one is slightly higher and takes a look at the superior PC version of the game.

GameSpot's Wild ARMs 5 Review - A positive look at the latest installment n the popular PS2 series.

Wild ARMs 5 on IGN - IGN has a similar analysis of the game as GameSpot.

Heavenly Sword Reviewed by 1UP - Mostly good things to say about it too!

Lair Gets No Love from IGN - The first review of the game I've read and they don't seem too impressed. Ouch, 4.9!

GameSpot's Review of Lair - A second a similarly negative review of the game. A shame, PS3 fans were really excited about this one.