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Tag: RPG

  • Final Fantasy XV Gameplay Previewed at TGS

    Fans of the single-player Final Fantasy games have been waiting since 2010 for a new numbered title in the venerable series. In fact, given the mixed fan reaction to Final Fantasy XIII, some fans have been waiting even longer for what they would consider a new Final Fantasy.

    At this week’s Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix provided the most in-depth look yet at the upcoming Final Fantasy XV. The publisher released a two-and-a-half minute trailer for the game, which includes plenty of gameplay.

    Final Fantasy XV was first announced at the 2006 E3 conference as Final Fantasy Versus XIII. After years of silence the game finally reemerged at Sony’s memorable 2013 E3 press conference as the next numbered title in the Final Fantasy series.

    Due to the success of Bravely Default, a game inspired by older turn-based Final Fantasy titles, Square Enix has announced it will be taking a long look at the direction of the Final Fantasy series going forward. Final Fantasy XV, however, is still part of the publisher’s recent trend of making Final Fantasy more action-oriented.

    The gameplay seen in the preview features a very minimal user interface comprised of only life bars and floating damage indicators. This could mean that the interface was pasted-on to make the preview seem more like real gameplay, or it could hint that Final Fantasy XV is closer to a character action game than to a turn-based RPG. Fans likely won’t know more on this topic for quite some time – Square Enix hasn’t put out any details to accompany the trailer.

    What is clear is that Final Fantasy XV is set to be the best-looking Final Fantasy game yet. For over two years now Square Enix has been showing off a beautiful tech demo for its new Luminous Studio game engine. The Final Fantasy XV seen in the new preview looks every bit as good as that “Agni’s Philosophy” demo and, even with an inevitable downgrade for consoles, should be impressive when running on a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

  • ‘Child of Light’ World Previewed in New Video

    March is over and the big early game release season has now passed. Gamers will have to content themselves with more Titanfall and Dark Souls II until the next round of big titles are previewed at this year’s E3.

    Another option, of course, is to dive into the ever-growing segment of indie and small downloadable titles. One of the most anticipated of these smaller titles is the upcoming Child of Light, which is scheduled to hit PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC as a downloadable title on April 30.

    Child of Light is a side-scrolling JRPG in development by the same team that created Far Cry 3. A very different game than the Far Cry series, Child of Light is more of a passion project and art showcase.

    The game’s art is certainly something that Ubisoft is heavily touting in its marketing pitch for the game. The publisher today released yet another video showcasing some leisurely gameplay that shows off Child of Light‘s beautiful backgrounds and settings:

    The world showcased in that video is named Lemuria, a land that players will explore as a young girl named Aurora. Players will run and glide through the land on an adventure that Ubisoft claims was inspired by fairy tales.

    The game’s story revolves primarily around light. As Aurora players will explore Lemuria on a quest to bring back the sun, the moon, and the stars – all things that have been stolen by an evil queen. Gameplay involves classic JRPG-style turn-based battles.

    Joining Aurora on her quest will be a firefly named Igniculus. The bright companion will help light Aurora’s way and can be used to solve light-based puzzles littered throughout Lemuria. Igniculus can also be controlled by a second player, bringing a bit of co-op to a genre that is classically single-player.

  • ‘Bound by Flame’ Launch Date Announced

    Spiders Studios today announced that Bound by Flame will be released on May 9. On that date the game will hit PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

    Bound by Flame is a classic high-fantasy RPG action game featuring classic fantasy monsters such as dragons and liches. Players will take on the role of a mercenary named Vulcan tasked with hunting down evil wizards. The main character is possessed by a flame demon, forcing players to choose whether to give in to the demons power or walk a more righteous path.

    The game is Spiders’ follow-up to its 2013 cyberpunk RPG Mars: War Logs. The studio is becoming well-known for its moderately-budgeted RPGs and though none of the studios’ games has had the quality or imagination to make it a classic, the speed with which the studio publishes games means that it may eventually stumble onto greatness.

    Spiders is promising a new video highlighting the game’s combat will be released sometime “in the coming weeks.” Until then, enjoy the oddly-narrated preview video released last month:

  • New ‘Diablo III’ Class Previewed, With Trailer

    The first expansion for Diablo III, Reaper of Souls, is now less than two weeks from release. Already the add-on has had a significant impact on the game with patches overhauling Diablo III‘s loot system.

    Another important change coming with Reaper of Souls is the addition of the new Crusader class. Blizzard this week revealed a bit more about the Crusader and its abilities in a new video preview. The class is depicted as very melee-focesed with tank-like abilities and sacred buffs for co-op gameplay.

    The narrated trailer explains that Crusaders are defenders of Zakarum faith in Diablo lore. The characters are partial to heavy weapons and even heavier armor. The cursaders’ beliefs tie-in significantly with the story of Reaper of Souls, which sees the Black Soulstone stolen by former Archangel Malthael.

  • ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ Delayed to 2015

    Last year’s PlayStation 4 announcement event and E3 provided gamers with a wealth of new wonderful-looking games for the next generation of video game consoles. As seen in the delay of Watch Dogs, however, many of these games are likely to push past their planned release dates as the reality of next-gen development cycles closes in on studios.

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the latest of those games to be delayed past its planned release date. CD Projekt RED today issued an open letter to fans and investors informing them that The Witcher 3 has been delayed until February 2015.

    From the letter:

    We recently reexamined what we had achieved thus far, and faced a choice about the game’s final release date. The decision we made was difficult, thoroughly considered, and ultimately clear and obvious. We could have released the game towards the end of this year as we had initially planned. Yet we concluded that a few additional months will let us achieve the quality that will satisfy us, the quality gamers expect from us. Consequently, we have set the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for February 2015.

    The letter went on to apologize to Witcher fans for the delay, stating that the game will “prove to be worth the wait.” CD Projekt also addressed the studio’s investors, maintaining that the delay is “valid is business terms” because the studio believes quality is ultimately the most important factor in a game’s success.

  • Gigantic Bosses, Death Previewed in ‘Dark Souls II’ Launch Trailer

    Tomorrow is one of the biggest video game launch days in recent history. In addition to the intensely hyped Titanfall for Xbox One and PC, the sequel to beloved hardcore action RPG Dark Souls will launch tomorrow, gluing gamers to their previous-generation consoles as they collectively uncover the game’s secrets.

    Though Dark Souls II is highly anticipated by a devoted subset of gamers, the marketing from the title has been odd. Trailers and screenshots from the game in development often did not portray the game’s visuals in the best light and the blacksmith-forged Dark Souls II armor cosplay debuted last summer looked similarly weird.

    The launch trailer, released today, is a different story. Aside from a rather peculiar choice of music, the trailer provides everything Dark Souls fans could want: imposing bosses, an oppressive atmosphere of danger, and lots of death.

  • ‘Child of Light’ Co-op Previewed in New Video

    Once this month’s big game releases are out of the way (Dark Souls II, Titanfall, Infamous: Second Son, and more) April brings with it a few smaller game releases. One of these games is Ubisoft’s Child of Light, a downloadable RPG from the team that created Far Cry 3.

    Child of Light puts players into the shoes of Aurora, a young girl tasked with taking back the heavens from an evil queen who has stolen the sun, moon, and stars. Aurora and her sidekick firefly, Igniculus, will journey across art-focused landscapes and combat creatures through traditional JRPG-like turn-based combat system. Players will also have to navigate light-based puzzles to progress or unlock secrets and collectibles.

    One of the more interesting features of Child of Light is that the RPG actually has limited multiplayer co-op. Two players will be able to take on the game together, each controlling either Aurora or Igniculus. A new preview video released today shows how this co-op mode works, complete with a few more glimpses of the game’s beautiful art:

  • ‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’ Finally Released

    The odds were stacked heavily against South Park: The Stick of Truth. First of all it’s a South Park game, meaning it has a long pedigree of mediocre licensed games that came before it. South Park Studios, however, was determined to make The Stick of Truth the first really good South Park game.

    Next, of course, came the bankruptcy of the game’s publisher, THQ. The Stick of Truth was caught up in the piecemeal auction of the failed publisher one year ago, leading to an acquisition of the project by Ubisoft (one of the best outcomes South Park Studios could have hoped for, really).

    Despite the numerous delays caused by the THQ situation and the exacting nature of South Park Studios, developer Obsidian managed to finish the project and deliver a JRPG-like game with the unmistakable look and humor of South Park. The Stick of Truth is now out in North America and the censored version of the game (minus some abortions and anal probings) will be released in Europe on Friday.

    Reviews of the game have been mostly positive despite some complaints about bugginess and missing polish, which is nothing new for Obsidian titles at launch. The new launch trailer released today should help everyone else decide if the game will be for them. It shows just how faithful The Stick of Truth is to the South Park series – for better or worse, depending on your perspective.

  • ‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’ Censored For Europe

    The release of South Park: The Stick of Truth is only one week away. After a year of delays and teases, South Park fans will finally be able to see the series translated in all of its glory into an RPG. At least, South Park fans outside of Europe will be able to.

    A review guide for Stick of Truth that surfaced online today shows that the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) console versions of the game will be censored.

    According to the document, seven separate 20-second scenes have been removed from the European console versions of Stick of Truth. The missing scenes include two in which characters (including Randy Marsh) receive an abortion and five in which various characters are “actively” probed in the anus.

    South Park Studios, which has dealt with censorship before, is handling the matter in much the same way it does for censorship on the TV show. Instead of simply changing or blurring out the content, the entirety of the content will be removed and replaced with an image background and description text penned by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Knowing the studio, the text should be very colorful, descriptive, and possibly funnier than the uncensored version.

    In addition to the censorship revelation, the review guide also contains a long list of fixes for Stick of Truth that will be coming in a day-one patch. The fixes include glitches, animation improvement, and some optimization. Hopefully the patch will prevent the sort of launch bugs that Obsidian games are somewhat infamous for.

    via All Games Beta

  • New ‘Bound By Flame’ Trailer Previews Classic Fantasy Action

    Spiders Studio today released a new preview of its upcoming fantasy RPG, Bound by Flame. The game was announced last summer and is one of the many games coming to the PlayStation 4 this year.

    Bound by Flame puts players in the shoes of a mercenary possessed by a flame demon. Players can choose to give into the demons demands and gain pyro power or resist it to gain a different type of heroic power while they journey across “dark fantasy universe” and battle a diverse lineup of ugly creatures.

    Today’s new preview sheds a bit more light on the game’s story. The game’s hero (or heroine) is named Vulcan. After becoming possessed, Vulcan must hunt down seven evil wizard “icelords” who command an army of the undead.

    A new trailer for the game shows a bit of this story, as well as some gameplay battles. It is, however, narrated by a loud and constant movie trailer-type narrator:

    Spiders has a recent history of ambitious game development. The studios recent titles like Of Orcs and Men and Mars: War Logs brought plenty of inventive ideas and story elements for fantasy and sci-fi games, but were lacking in execution. Mars: War Logs, for example, was delayed for consoles as the studio overhauled the game’s English voice-overs.

    Even so, Spiders’ games always seem to have the potential to turn into real classics. By going back to basics with a classic fantasy setting and gigantic monsters Bound By Flame could be a solid western RPG with plenty to offer.

  • Ubisoft’s ‘Child of Light’ JRPG is Coming April 30

    Back in September Ubisoft announced Child of Light, an upcoming side-scrolling JRPG from the developers of Far Cry 3. The game’s whimsical tone and ambitious art style surprised many who may have expected Ubisoft to grind away at yet another Far Cry sequel game after the success of Far Cry 3.

    Today Ubisoft announced that Child of Light will be launched on April 30 in the U.S. This date means it will dodge the crowded game release month of March, which includes Ubisoft’s other JRPG, South Park: The Stick of Truth. Child of Light will be released as a $15 downloadable title for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC.

    In Child of Light players will take control of Aurora, a child on a quest to bring back the sun, moon, and stars from an evil queen. Along with a firefly companion named Igniculus Aurora will explore the world of Lemuria and battle creatures in turn-based battles.

    An earlier preview of the game has shown how Child of Light will use light as a theme and puzzle mechanic. Today’s new gameplay trailer shows Aurora in action as she beats on monsters and flies around, collecting gems and dodging traps:

  • ‘Shadowrun Returns’ Expansion Coming February 27

    As one of the earliest Kickstarter video game campaigns, Shadowrun Returns has been quite a success story. Developer Harebrained Schemes managed to more than quadruple its Kickstarter goal and then finish the solid strategy RPG in a timely fashion. The game provided fans with a solid (if a bit short) campaign and a platform on which to build their own Shadowrun stories.

    This week, Harebrained Schemes announced that the first expansion for Shadowrun will be coming to PC on February 27. The DLC, titled Shadowrun: Dragonfall, is now available for pre-order through Steam. Android and iOS versions of the expansion for tablets will be released at a later date.

    “The response to Shadowrun Returns has been the highlight our year, from our audience posting their wonderful reviews, to the gaming media who awarded us all of these 2013 honors, to the amazing community of content creators using our editor to create their own awesome stories,” said Jordan Weisman, founder of Harebrained Schemes. “Shadowrun: Dragonfall continues the high standards set by Shadowrun Returns, while adding in new features for the game and the editor that we hope will help draw fans even deeper into the Shadowrun universe.”

    Dragonfall will feature an all-new campaign set in the Free City of Berlin. New weapons, enemies, and upgrades will also be a part of the expansion, as will the ability to save at any time – a major feature that was lacking in Shadowrun Returns.

    Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Official Trailer (1080p) from Harebrained Schemes on Vimeo.

  • ‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’ Creation Detailed in New Video

    The probable March 4 release of South Park: The Stick of Truth is just weeks away now. The game has taken a long journey to get to store shelves, starting out as a delayed project of THQ, the publisher that went bankrupt and was sold off piecemeal one year ago. From there, Ubisoft took control of the project and delayed its release two more times before settling on its current release date, which finally seems to be sticking.

    Despite the delays the project has continued to excite South Park fans with its blend of the show’s humor and animation mixed with JRPG inspirations. Through all of this South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker stuck with the project, providing hands-on support and vowing to create a video game worthy of the South Park name.

    Today Ubisoft and South Park Studios released a new behind-the-scenes look at how The Stick of Truth was developed. The goal was always to make a game that matched the exact look of the show, and the developer at Obsidian seem to have accomplished that thanks to a perfectionist streak at South Park Studios:

  • Star Wars: The Old Republic Is Getting Space Combat

    Star Wars: The Old Republic is still chugging along as it attempts to keep its current players and attract new players and subscribers to the game. It has done this through a number of new expansions to the game, but the latest expansion may just attract players who want a return to the gameplay seen in TIE Fighter.

    BioWare announced today that Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Starfighter is now available to preferred early access players. The new expansion gives each player a customizable starfighter in which they can take into 12v12 matches.

    The Galactic Starfighter expansion was made available to subscribers back in December, but now it’s available in the hands of more players. The expansion is still rolling out, however, as it won’t be generally available to all players until February 14.

    Check out the below trailer to see a glimpse of what Galactic Starfighter brings to the The Old Republic:

    Image via GamersPrey/YouTube

  • ‘Final Fantasy VIII’ Out Today on PC

    Square Enix today announced that Final Fantasy VIII has been released as a downloadable title for PC. The game can be found on Steam and currently costs $12.

    As the follow-up to the beloved Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII is often cited as a step back for the Final Fantasy series. The game’s story is generally incomprehensible, featuring floating military schools, sorceresses, spaceships, gunblades (literally swords with gun barrels attached), a bland love side-plot, gigantic invisible cities, an orphanage, and some nonsense called time compression.

    The game’s battle system is also significantly more complicated than the one seen in Final Fantasy VII, implementing a system where spells tediously drawn out of monsters can be “junctioned” to various character stats to varying effect. The system is complex enough that smart players can easily break it, making the entire game simple to beat.

    Final Fantasy VIII was also a high-water mark (or low, depending on your view) for the summoning animations seen in Final Fantasy games. The summoning of “Guardian Forces” in VIII was accompanied by ridiculously long animations, the longest of which was well over one minute. The new PC launch trailer for the game today shows off some of those summons, as well as many of the CG cut-scenes that amazed gamers in 1999:

    Square Enix has tweaked the game for its PC release, allowing players to gain a collection of magic through a free “Magic Booster” rather than take hours to draw it from low-level monsters. The new version also includes Steam achievements and the Chocobo World tie-in game that was not originally available in the west.

  • ‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’ Gets (Another) Release Date

    After months of delay, South Park: The Stick of Truth finally has a new release date. The game will hit PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on December 10, 2013.

    The Stick of Truth was originally set for a March 5, 2013 release date before it was delayed along with other THQ games. When it became apparent that THQ was going under, the entire future of the project was thrown into jeopardy. During the THQ auction this January, the rights to Stick of Truth were bought by Ubisoft.

    Developed by Obsidian, The Stick of Truth is an RPG that utilizes real South Park assets and has been written by South Park Studios itself. The game puts players in the shoes of the “new kid” who joins South Parks’ large cast of characters as they battle underpants gnomes, hippies, and other baddies from South Park’s 16 seasons on TV.

    A new trailer for the game accompanied the release date announcement, showcasing the fact that Stick of Truth might be the first South Park game to actually capture the feel of the series:

    In addition to the release date and trailer, Ubisoft also announced a collector’s edition pre-order pack for Stick of Truth. The “Grand Wizard Edition of the game comes with a 6-inch tall statue of Cartman in his “Grand Wizard” garb, a full map of South Park itself, and some in-game abilities for different classes.

    Grand Wizard Edition

  • ‘Bound by Flame’ Combat, Enemies Teased in Trailer

    Last month, developer Spiders unveiled its latest RPG project, Bound by Flame. The game is a fantasy RPG due out for the PlayStation 4 in which players take on the role of a mercenary possessed by a flame demon. By giving in to the power of the demon or rejecting it, players will level up in different skill trees. Decisions will also alter game scenarios, possibly including encounters. Bound by Flame will have enemies that include shadow dragons, liches, the undead, and unnamed ice creatures.

    Given that the skill tree system in Bound by Flame is similar to that seen in Mars: War Logs, it’s a safe bet that the combat will also be similar. Spiders is claiming that the game’s combat is “rich and spectacular,” and has released a teaser trailer showcasing its vision for the game:

    Judging from Spiders’ last project, Mars: War Logs, Bound by Flame probably won’t be a genre-defining, next-gen spectacle the way The Witcher 3 is expected to. However, Spiders is developing games, and western RPGs in particular, in that wide space left open between large-budget triple-A titles and the burgeoning indie market. If the developers have a good story to tell, provide an interesting setting, and manage to tighten gameplay to the level implied in the trailer, they might be able to carve out a niche for $20 to $30 console RPGs.

  • Sony Announces Two More Indie Games At PAX

    PAX Prime took place over the weekend and Sony held a small event showcasing some of the indie titles headed to its platforms. Most of the games shown at the event were already shown at E3 or Gamescom, but the company did announce two new titles headed to PlayStation platforms.

    The first game is called Cosmic Star Heroine, and is the latest game from retro RPG developer Zeboyd Games. The developer may be most famous for Cthulhu Saves The World, but they also made the final two Penny Arcade Adventures games as well.

    Here’s the official synopsis:

    Save the entire galaxy (all of it) with Agent Alyssa L’Salle, along with her bizarre band of adventurers. Cosmic Star Heroine is inspired by the great ’90s RPGs we all know and love, including Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star, and Suikoden. Prepare for ample amounts of pixel art, retro music, and a fair share of space adventures.

    Cosmic Star Heroine will be available on both the PS4 and PS Vita.

    The second indie title coming to the PS4 and PS Vita is called Road Not Taken. it’s being developed by Spry Fox, the guys behind games like Triple Town and Realm of a Mad God.

    Here’s the official synopsis:

    Explore a mysterious woods in an effort to better understand life’s surprises. Road Not Taken is a new, puzzle roguelike with dozens of hours of play. No two adventures will be alike, and death is waiting around every corner.

    [Image: PlayStation/YouTube]

  • ‘Bound by Flame’ Announced For PlayStation 4

    Earlier this year Spiders studios released Mars: War Logs to mediocre reviews. The downloadable RPG contained an ambitious mix of cyberpunk and western RPG elements, but was limited by its low budget. Spiders tried to fix the game for consoles with some better voice acting, but the game ultimately did not catch on.

    Now, Spiders is trying once again with an RPG titled Bound by Flame. The studio announced the game earlier this month at the Gamescom conference for current-generation consoles, and today announced the game will also be coming to PlayStation 4. Though the game is coming to the Xbox 360, Spiders has not announced the game for Microsoft’s Xbox One.

    Bound by Flame puts players in the shoes of “a mercenary possessed by a flame demon.” Gamers will decide to receive power from the demon or resist it, gaining a different type of “heroic” power. Like in Fable and other “moral choice” games, character models will be transformed as players grow more demonic.

    In contrast to Mars: War Logs, the Bound by Flame appears to have a more traditional fantasy setting. Spiders is promising “impressive” enemy creatures such as “shadow dragons,” “liches,” and “ice creatures.” The game will be similar to Mars: War Logs in that it will have three skill trees for players to talent into.

    Spiders stated that Bound by Flame will be out on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PC some time in “early 2014.”

  • Luigi’s Habit Of Falling Asleep Anywhere Is Starting To Get Dangerous

    For three videos now, Nintendo has made light of Luigi’s apparent narcolepsy. Sure, it may be a main gameplay mechanic in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, but it’s still a dangerous condition. The latest video advertising the game doesn’t do anything to address any health problems that Luigi may have.

    In the latest, and what appears to be last, video, Mario and Luigi are hanging out by the pool. Luigi hops in only to fall asleep on a floating pool raft. That could be dangerous. Does Mario try to save his brother though? Of course not. Mario instead opts for the dream world instead of staying behind to ensure his brother remains safe. It may be the year of Luigi, but Mario apparently still doesn’t respect his own flesh and blood.

    All joking aside, this video series has been a wonderful look into the kind of world Nintendo might create if it kept on making live action ads like this. I can only hope that ads for Super Mario 3D World feature a live action Mario wearing a cat suit.

    Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is out now for Nintendo 3DS.

  • Nintendo Continues To Advertise Mario & Luigi: Dream Team In The Best Way Possible

    I love Nintendo’s silly live-action ads. I like to think that most kids who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s love them as well. There was a time when Nintendo didn’t make many of them, but the silly live-action ads of yesteryear are finally making a comeback.

    Last week, Nintendo revealed the first TV ad for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and it was incredibly silly. It’s latest ad campaign for the title features the same live-action antics of before, but now it’s tied into a contest to win a 3DS XL and a copy of the game.

    While I do appreciate the use of people dressed in costume, I would absolutely love to see a return to what we got in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Unfortunately, Lou Albano is no longer around to play Mario, but I’m sure Nintendo could find a suitable replacement.

    Mario & Luigi: Dream Team launches August 11 exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.