Category: RPG

Alpha Protocol: Obsidian Evolves Trailer

A few weeks ago, I posted a trailer for Alpha Protocol, the stealth/action RPG from Obsidian, creators of KOTOR 2. That trailer pretty much blew me away, and their new trailer for the game, in which Obsidian discusses its evolution, keeps me interested as well. I have to say that I’m really curious about how this game is going to come together in a way that mixes story, RPG elements, and spy tactics.

So far it looks promising. Keeping my eyes on this one for sure. What do you guys think of what you’ve seen?

Mass Effect 2 Leaked Gameplay Footage

I’m not always the biggest fan of watching handheld shaky-cam-o-vision, but I couldn’t resist it when it comes to Mass Effect 2. They showed off some level building techniques at GDC recently, and someone in the audience filmed it. In this day and age, you can’t expect that to not happen, right?

It’s definitely interesting to see them show the different stages of putting a game together, from cut scenes to level design. Already, it seems like there have been improvements made to the shooting mechanics. Man, I can’t wait to see more of this game.

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Trailer

I’ve never played the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, but I hear that it’s a solid and really fun handheld title, if not one of the better Zelda titles. Nintendo has just introduced a new DS Zelda game, Spirit Tracks, which might just continue the goodness. I have to say that some of the gameplay on here looks like a sweet time. Count me interested!

Did any of you play Phantom Hourglass? Thoughts?

Whoops, The Pitt is Kind of Borked

pittLots of people are excited about the new Fallout 3 DLC, the Pitt, which released today for the XBox 360 and PC. Or at least they were, until it all turned out to be a big crazy mess.

Apparently, many who have downloaded the new pack on the 360 have experienced everything from freezing machines to graphical glitches galore. It’s so bad that some places in the game even feature floating red exclamation points where missing textures should be. Yikes. Bethesda is now investigating and setting out to fix the problem.

I understand that this kind of stuff is complicated, but how does something go so fundamentally wrong with a release like that? I mean, back to the point I made earlier about micro transactions- if you’re going to charge me money, at least make it somewhat workable. So, was anyone excited about The Pitt DLC? Has anyone had these problems?

Source- Kotaku

GamerSushi Asks: Extend the Story?

ff7-acOver the weekend, I got sick as a dog. For real. Burritos and stomach viruses do not mix, and apparently I don’t go well with with those two, either. Anywho, my brother was in town visiting, and since our options were limited to anything I could do while plastered to a couch, we chose to partake in the glorious fight scenes of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

All complaints about the movie aside, the fight scenes are some of the coolest I’ve ever seen in any medium, but beyond that, the movie itself is total fanboy service in terms of the content it delivers. I mean, really, they revisit nearly every single major or minor character and even give you a glimpse at life after the events of the story. Hell, they have the main bad guy show up again.

This got me wondering- what other franchises or video games would you love to see get the Advent Children treatment that Final Fantasy VII got? If you could have a ridiculous fanboy-loving movie sequel to any game that allowed you to see what happened to your favorite characters, and even threw in pants-wettingly awesome action sequences, what would it be? Go!

Bioware: Mass Effect 2 is Bigger and Better

me2Even though we all knew it was going to happen, Mass Effect 2 has finally been officially announced for the Xbox 360 and the PC, so it’s time for us all to stand up and take notice.

Not only is it now official, but Bioware is also bringing out the big funs, saying that Mass Effect 2 is going to surpass the original through better combat, more customization and a rocking story. While I know that it’s every company’s job to hype their product like this, I can’t help but get giddy about the prospect of another game set in Mass Effect’s universe. This is easily my most wanted game for 2010.

So who is on board the hype train with me for Mass Effect 2? Does anyone believe that it will surpass the first?

Source- Kotaku

Top 10 Final Fantasy Songs

Man, watching things like this really reminds me how much I love the Final Fantasy series. Square really has created a long lasting tradition of great music in their flagship series, so I’m hoping that Final Fantasy XIII continues to deliver the great medleys.

It’s actually pretty cool to compare this list to Anthony’s Top 5 Final Fantasy Musical Pieces from a few months back, which is entirely different. Though to be fair, this video only chose one song per game. So which on this list is your favorite? Did any get left out?

The Wonderful World of RPG Cliches

chronotriggerI am a rabid fan of RPG’s, and have been for quite some time now. I love playing an engrossing story, leveling up, and collecting loot. While these games used to be priorities in my gaming schedule, they’ve gradually grown a little weak, and perhaps, a tad too predictable. Let’s face it, if there’s one thing that we know for certain about video gaming, it’s the basic generic plot that most RPGs tend to follow.

GamesRadar has put together a hilarious, awesome and totally accurate list of 30 Rules Every RPG Must Follow in an attempt to outline just how cliche the stories of these games have become. Everything from the hero’s village being destroyed all the way to the mythical “ancient race”, they nail them perfectly.

I’d have to say my favorite bit is the one about the family sword that is passed down from generation to generation that also happens to be the worst sword in the game. What were your favorites? And what’s the last RPG you played?

Source- GamesRadar

Review: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

dqiv5Before there was Final Fantasy, before there was Mass Effect, there was Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior previously). Dragon Quest was the RPG that focused on gameplay, grinding and consistency. It left the cinematics and mind-blowing graphics to other JRPGs, focusing on creating a fun world to explore with awesome monster designs and old-school notions. It’s actually more popular in Japan than Final Fantasy is. Shocking, no?

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen was previously released in the United States in 1992. On the NES. If you were wondering why you never played it, that would be the reason. Sad to say, its also my reason. But now we have the DS release from this past October. Bringing the game into the new century with a few tweaks here and there and updated visuals, this is a must have for any RPG gamer.
Continue reading Review: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

First Old Republic Webcomic Is Live

swtorBioware is hard at work on The Old Republic, the MMO continuation of the KOTOR franchise. Right now, this is the only MMO that I’ve ever really been tempted to play, and the more content I see, the more I just salivate and have to avoid the Internet altogether. Seriously, this game might ruin me.

In preparation for the inevitable albeit mysterious release date of the Star Wars MMO, Bioware has published the first TOR webcomic. By the time the game comes out, there will be six total. Perhaps when the second one comes out, we’ll have a better idea of when this game might launch.

As far as webcomics go, I’m a big fan of the art, and it looks like it’s setting us up for a pretty grand and epic space opera once the game hits. While many of the commenters hilariously feel the need to gripe about what is just a bit of a prequel piece, I enjoyed it. What do you guys think?

Source- Star Wars: The Old Republic

Yuusha 30: The 30 Second RPG

The design philosophy behind the Halo series is “30 seconds of fun” on an endless loop. Yuusha 30 for the PSP is a game that takes this idea almost entirely literally. I heard about this over at BloodworthGT’s GameTrailers page today, and I find it to be incredibly fascinating, from a game design standpoint.

In Yuusha 30, the main premise of the game is that it is an RPG that is only 30 seconds long. You see, an evil wizard is casting some badass spell that is going to wipe out the entire world. As the hero, you have only that amount of time to level up and become strong enough to beat him, before it all comes crashing down. The result is total madness. Observe the first level:

If you thought that was nuts, it actually gets even more insane with each additional stage.
Continue reading Yuusha 30: The 30 Second RPG

Dragon: Age Origins Trailer Makes Me Happy

I can’t remember the last time I’ve played an honest-to-goodness fantasy game. Most RPG’s that I pick up these days are more sci-fi in nature, or steampunk, or anything else that decidedly does not have uber-awesome dragons and dudes in chainmail slugging it out in epic battles. This new Dragon Age: Origins trailer definitely has all of that and more, and really kicks up my excitement for the game to a new level. Anyone else geeking out with me?

First Mass Effect 2 Teaser Trailer

And the hype begins. Bioware has released the first official Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer, and it is just that. A tease. Also, it’s incredibly short, but packed with some potentially interesting stuff. All I’ve got to say are these two things: do, and want.

Watch it and discuss!

Square Enix: More Big Time Delays

squareWell, talk about a bummer. While we’ve already lamented at the numerous (and now almost comical) delays of many high profile Japanese developers, it seems that more are in store for Square Enix.

Some game-breaking bugs were recently found in Dragon Quest IX for the DS, enough so that the game is being delayed from March in Japan until July 11th. Unfortunately, these bugs may not be just specific to DQ IX, but may be reaching across to several other Square Enix games- including Final Fantasy XIII. While Square would not say whether or not Final Fantasy XIII would be delayed as well, they allowed for the possibility that something like that could indeed happen.

Once again, this is unfortunate news if it turns out that FF XIII is delayed yet again. We’ve already waited how long for this game?

Source- Andriasang

Bioware: Dragon Age Will Have 6 Unique Prologues

dragonageI heart me some Bioware, it’s official. Their new game Dragon Age: Origins is slated for later on in 2009, and I couldn’t be more excited about the awesome fantasy potential in the game. These are guys are master storytellers, and it seems like they’re ramping up to give us quite a treat.

They even revealed today that the game is going to sport 6 unique intros, depending on what class of character you select. Each of these prologues is going to sport several hours of gameplay that define your character’s origin story, with choices that will effect the main narrative and how it plays out. Some classes are of noble lineage, and others are on the fringes of society. All of this takes place before the actual game starts. Basically, it’s like the origin choices you make at the beginning of Mass Effect, only this time, you get to play them out and see your character’s past.

See the classes and situations after the jump!
Continue reading Bioware: Dragon Age Will Have 6 Unique Prologues

The Halo RPG Video

Heck, they already made a Halo RTS. Why not a Halo RPG, Final Fantasy style?

While this video isn’t terribly original, it’s pretty well done and mildly entertaining. A bit too long though. The trick to a good short is knowing when to stop the joke, and these guys kind of went overboard. All in all, it’s worth a watch.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CtNE0qjSDU[/youtube]

Star Wars: The Old Republic Trailer

Here’s a new trailer from Bioware’s MMO, The Old Republic. While it may seem like just a regular old “making of” featurette, there’s actually a good bit of stuff from the game as it goes on. The more I see from this game, the more it ratchets up the “do want” meter that exists somewhere inside of my brain. Curse you Bioware!

Source- Kotaku

GamerSushi Asks: Your Gaming Weekend

vcIt’s a special weekend here in America. A sacred one, if you will. You see, there’s this thing called football, and apparently a big showdown is happening tonight that we are all going to stop and marvel at. By the way, go Steelers.

However, the weekend is also the time for gaming. So what games have you guys been working on lately? Me, I’ve been doing some Left 4 Dead versus still, but the gaming gem I’ve been having a blast with lately is Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3. How nobody is talking about this game, I have no clue, but it might be the best PS3 exclusive out there, I’m thinking. It is also the best Strategy RPG I’ve played since Final Fantasy Tactics, and quickly becoming one of my favorites this gen.

Seriously, if you haven’t heard anything about it, it’s great. Beautiful art, addictive gameplay, a great step in innovating the SRPG genre. So what about you guys? What are you playing?

Final Fantasy XIII Kick-Off Trailer

Just when I thought I wasn’t interested in Final Fantasy XIII any longer, Square-Enix goes and releases a brand new kick-ass trailer for it. Seriously, after seeing the same one for the last 3-4 years, it’s nice to see some sweet new footage, along with some really exciting battle gameplay. I guess I’m back on the hype train again.

What do you guys think?

Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage DLC Trailer

The Fallout 3 DLC which so confusingly this week is now being enjoyed by gamers far and wide. Up until now, I’ve only seen screenshots of the thing, which is why it was nice of to Bethesda release this shiny new Operation Anchorage trailer to whet our appetites for some RPG shooter action.

I have to say that I’m an extremely huge fan of the ninja. So who all has played this? Thoughts?