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.

8/31/07 Issue at Just-RPG

We've got a really exciting issue for our last update of the month of August. This week we have a Persona 3 review, another great giveaway, and screens and trailers of the hottest games!

Check it all out here! http://www.just-rpg.com

• Persona 3 Review
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Giveaway
• Just-RPG Looking for Staff
• New BioShock Screens and Musical Score
• New Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness Movie
• New Soul Nomad & the World Eaters "Character Creation" Trailer
• And More!!!

Eye of The North Live!

NCSoft has announced that they have released their first expansion to the award-winning, subscription-free Guild Wars franchise, Eye of the North!

Gamers who purchase Eye of the North can access its content through any of the multi-million-selling Guild Wars campaigns-Guild Wars, Guild Wars Faction or Guild Wars Nightfall.

Eye of the North advances the story told in the original Guild Wars campaign, and is set in unexplored areas of the continent of Tyria. It contains various new features, including 18 multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all 10 Guild Wars professions, 10 new Heroes to aid them in their adventures, 40 new armor sets, and more items, weapons, and titles.

The expansion is now available at the Official Guild Wars In-game Store and at Plaync.com. You can also pick it up from retailers in North America and Europe for $39.99.

8/31/07 Links

As August draws to a close, I've got some links from the last few days to share with everybody! Many of the articles are from recent conventions, such as PAX or GC.

The Witcher Impressions at Joystiq - Impressions from PAX, along with some beautiful screens!

Mass Effect Update from GameSpot - Some new combat details from the recent Games Convention.

Joystiq's NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer Interview - Another article from PAX, this time interviewing Obsidian's Nathan Davis about their upcoming game.

Strategy Informer Loves BioShock - Well, who doesn't? They award the game a near perfect 9.7!!!

Review of Loki on Strategy Informer - A second review from SI, but this one isn't as glamorous. A 6.3 is their verdict.

Dungeon Runners New Content

Dungeon Runners, the free to play MMORPG from NCSoft, has released their first update for the game!

This update is lovingly called "Chunk #1" and delivers PVP action, multi character support, item linking in chat, and new game content while maintaining the popular free-to-play status. Chunk #1 also includes 70 new quests, improvements to player controls, several new armor sets and various new skills.

The main feature of Chunk #1 is the PVP action, which is set to round out the game. Chunk #1 provides two PvP session types including group practice PvP and group-versus-group death matches!

Dungeon Runners can be downloaded for free at http://www.dungeonrunners.com/join.html.

Mass Effect Release Announced

Today Microsoft announced the official release date of Mass Effect to be November 20, 2007, meaning Mass Effect will be the top of every RPG fan's Christmas list!

Mass Effect is developed by BioWare, creators of the hugely popular Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It promises to involve players in an engaging sci-fi storyline, a unique game universe, and deep gameplay experience. Mass Effect will feature a multi-directional story, allowing gamers to play a part in how the game unfolds.

Mass Effect will have an estimated retail price of $59.99 and is exclusively available for the Xbox 360.

Two Worlds - So far, so good!

I received Two Worlds in the mail today (finally!) and I have to admit I blew the entire day addictively playing the game.

So far I'm enjoying it a lot. The game is extremely open and allows for you to freely roam the countryside, embark on quests, battle enemies, and spend hours acquiring new skills and items. It's a lot of fun for fans of game's like Morrowind or Oblivion.

So far I'm not at al sold on the whole "you can shape the world" aspect of the game, which was one of the most hyped features. I'm many hours into the game and haven't really made much of an impact aside from completing quests. I've been given very few choices aside from whether or not I want to pick up a quest. Hopefully that will change as the game progresses.

I definately see some problems with the game, but right now I'm still having fun. I'll make up my mind later.

Now that I spent the whole day playing Two Worlds, I have a lot of catching up to do on other things. Anyway, so far so good!

Blue Dragon Released!

The highly anticipated Xbox 360 RPG from Mistwalker, Blue Dragon, is now shipping nationwide.

Blue Dragon comes from some of the most acclaimed developers in the industry, including Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z fame, and musical talents of the one and only Nobuo Uematsu.

Blue Dragon promises an epic tale with innovative gameplay features, including customizable shadows abilities and charge attacks. It will be the first North American title from Mistwalker and one of the few Japanese RPGs on the Xbox 360.

Wild ARMS 5 Ships

XSeed Games has announced that they have shipped Wild ARMS 5 to retailers across North America!

Gamers can prepare to once again enter the world of Filgaia with an all new storyline and characters and the return of the beloved HEX system. Wild ARMS 5 marks the 10th anniversary of the Wild ARMS series.

Wild ARMS 5 is available for the PS2 in stores now for $39.99.

Where's My Newsletter?!

Just in case anyone has been wondering why they haven't been receiving the weekly Just-RPG newsletter lately, I have an answer for you!

Unfortunately, we've been having some technical trouble with our newsletter and it is temporarily unavailable. With any luck our newsletter will be back up in time for our next issue, but that remains to be seen.

Rest assured, the Just-RPG newsletter isn't gone... it's just on hold. Stay with Just-RPG and RPG-Geek for more updates.

The Last Legion

Being a sucker for historical fiction and fantasy films, I went out to see The Last Legion the other night. For those unfamiliar with it, The Last Legion stars Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth and chronicles the legend of Excalibur, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the rise of King Arthur.

To be honest, I didn't know a lot about the movie, so I didn't have horribly high expectations.

Most of The Last Legion was incredibly predictable, and therefor hard to enjoy. The film also features some extremely cheesy moments, many of which surround the female member of the legion. This character tried very poorly to hide her sexuality and was surrounded with several awful cliches. First off, it's pretty cliche to have an attractive female character pop in and join your party for no reason. Secondly, this female character was also the best fighter of the group, which the film makers seemed to think was really creative. The third cliche is that this single female character ended up becoming the love interest of the hero, despite no chemistry between them.

Anyway, the acting is also poor and the story takes quite a while to pick up. When it does get moving, though, there are a handful of neat fighting sequences. And, if you're like me, you'll appreciate a new King Arthur and Excalibur related tale.

In short, The Last Legion isn't awful, but it's not really worth a trip to the movies unless you're a sucker like me. Otherwise, avoid it altogether or just wait for a rental. If you haven't seen it, King Arthur, starring Clive Owen, is a similar and superior flick.

8/27/07 Links

I've dug up a few random articles for today. Blue Dragon, which seems to be a bit of a disappointment, is a hot review right now, along with Jeanne D'Arc for the PSP, which is pulling in higher scores.

Strategy Informer Rates Blue Dragon - A disappointing 6.8 score from our strategy-loving friends. Once again, a score much lower than Xbox 360 fans were hoping for. The reviewer claims Blue Dragon is "average in the extreme".

1Up Reviews Jeanne D'Arc - Level-5's latest RPG for the PSP gets a positive 8.0 rating.

Blue Dragon Reviewed at 1Up - Another disappointing grade of 6.5 for Blue Dragon.

GameSpot Reviews Jeanne D'Arc - A second review of the PSP RPG awards the game the same grade.

Heavenly Sword Graded by IGN - This action title is among the most highly anticipated on the PS3. IGN gives is a solid, but un-impressed, 7.0.

Check out Eternal Sonota

A while back I posted about how there is now an Eternal Sonata demo up for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Since that time I went ahead and downloaded the demo myself to give them game a try.

I'd been hearing a lot of good things about the game, but it seemed that a lot of the hype for it was being overshadowed by games like BioShock and Mass Effect. The lack of JRPGs on the Xbox 360 has probably resulted in a somewhat small following for games of the genre on the system, and the fans that ARE out there are probably wrapped up in the hype for Blue Dragon right now.

With that said, Eternal Sonata deserves a lot more attention. For starters, the battle system is deep and fun. It features special abilties that have a different effect depending on your location, the option to customize the abilities of each of your characters, and allows you to avoid annoying random battles. It's also pretty straightforward to catch on to, with hot keys that are used for using items, attacking or using specials. The hybrid turn-based/real-time battle system is a lot of fun so far, and I can't wait to jump further into the game.

Secondly, the game is absolutely gorgeous. The music... the artistic style... and the extreme level of detail... it really is a work of art! I can't possibly say anything that will do the game justice, so you'll have to experience it for yourself.

The final game is set for release in late September. Be sure to give the demo a try first!