10/5/07 Issue at Just-RPG

We've got a really exciting issue this week at Just-RPG, featuring a review of Jeanne d'Arc for the PSP, an interview for the recently released Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire, and a Two Worlds giveaway!

http://www.just-rpg.com

• Jeanne d'Arc Review
• Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire Interview
• Two Worlds PC Giveaway
• New The Witcher Screenshots
• New Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness Trailers
• New Mass Effect Character Profile and Screenshots
• New The Chosen: Well of Souls Character Profiles and Screenshots
• And More!!!

10/04/07 Links

Want to read reviews and previews of some of the hottest RPGs around, but don't have the time to seek them out? Well you're in luck because I did the searching for you... read and enjoy!

AllRPG Reviews Luminous Arc - Atlus' latest DS title pulls in a solid 7.5 from their reviewer who calls this title a "must".

.hack//G.U. Vol. 3: Redemption Review at AllRPG - AllRPG reviews the final G.U. game with positive results! I've never played any of the .hack games other than the first, which didn't impress me at all... maybe I should give them a second try.

IGN Reviews Folklore - The recent PS3 title scores pretty high marks with IGN.

Jolt/RPGdot Reviews Depths of Peril - A review of the recently released indie RPG Depths of Peril has been published for the Jolt sites, who scored it a 7.7.

The Witcher Previewed at RPGWatch - I know, every time I post an article about this game I rant about how I can't wait for it. So, 'll say it again, this game looks amazing! Make sure to read RPGWatch's in-depth preview.

Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire on GameSpot - They weren't impressed with one of the Wii's latest offerings, complaining about issues such as mediocre visuals and poor controls. Too bad, I actually had some high hopes for this one! There's just not much to play on the Wii... unless you like puzzle/casual/party games.

GameSpy Reviews Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire - They liked it more than GameSpot, but not much more.

GameSpy Loves The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - A shinning review of the latest Zelda title awards the game with a score reminiscent of virtually every other game in the series. Chances are, if you're a Zelda fan you already bought the game anyway and will love it regardless of what everyone else says.

1Up's Review of Phantom Hourglass - They're less impressed by the game than GameSpy and feel the series is beginning to lack innovation. Still, they liked it and rate it 80%. This one is definitely worth a read for the skeptical gamer.

IGN Reviews Phaton Hourglass - Our third and final review of the newest Zelda title for the DS, and once again they're impressed. An 'Outstanding' 9.0 is their verdict.

Spiderweb Software is Depressed :(

Spiderweb Software, the independent developer of fantasy RPGs such as Avernum and Geneforge, is apparently going through a fit of severe depression. They're currently holding an October Sadness Sale and you can help cheer them up by purchasing some of their products!

Currently all of Spiderweb's inventory is 10% off the normal retail price, including games, CDs, bundles, and already discounted products. If you haven't had the chance to play indie classics like Geneforge or Avernum, here's a great opportunity to get them! To find out more about Spiderweb Software and their titles, or to cast a ray of sunshine upon Spiderweb and make a purchase, visit here.

http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/

Still Playing Two Worlds...

So, I've gone back to playing Two Worlds. Honestly, the give is bursting at the seams with flaws... yet it's somehow really addictive.

I think it's best left for true RPG lovers. Final Fantasy fans and those spoiled by Oblivion may not like it quite so much, but if you give it a chance it can be a lot of fun. You really have to spend some time with the game to appreciate it. Two Worlds suffers from frame rate issues, horrid voice acting and a clunky inventory system... but it's also a huge game with plenty of things to do.

So, long story short, give it a try. You just might like it!!!

Immortals USA Sees 30,000 in Beta

The team behind Immortals USA has announced that since open beta started sign ups, over 30,000 new accounts have been created!

The early weeks of the Beta have been very successful, allowing the team to fix various bugs, improve server stability, and detect players who were cheating.

"30,000 isn’t a huge number for an MMO" says Steve Wade, Vice President of New Game World, Inc. "But we have done very little in the way of generating hype. Our first month of OB was actually pretty slow. Word of mouth in September really was more than anyone expected."

Everyone who registers for an account will be allowed to participate in the open Beta of Immortals, and accounts created will not be deleted at the end of the Beta. In order to register for an account and download the game, players should visit http://www.immortalsusa.com/. Ope Beta will continue until the game is set for launch at the end of October.

High House Art Preview

The Chronicles of Spellborn team has posted a preview about the new High House models and hand-painted textures that their art designer has been working on. The brief preview is complete with a few images. Read their preview here.

For those not familiar with The Chronicles of Spellborn, there are five different High Houses players can join , similar to political factions. Membership with a High House is permanent, and players can pledge their allegiance only once. Each house will have its own unique personality, set of quests, unique building design and special armor.

Scallywag Up for Download!!!

Shrapnel Games announced today that Chronic Reality's Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa is now available for purchase as a download.

The game can be acquired directly from the Shrapnel Games e-store right here for only $29.95.

Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa is a single-player action RPG, featuring randomly generated dungeons for a unique experience with each play, and four levels of difficulty for the hardcore gamer. Find out more about Scallywag here on the official site.

The Chosen Ships!

Meridian4 has announced that their Action RPG, The Chosen: Well of Souls, has shipped to stores. The game is now avialable at North American retailers and through various digital-distribution outlets for a suggested price of $19.99.

The Chosen: Well of Souls is a dungeon crawling Action RPG for the PC. Gamers will choose one of three characters to play as, and then do battle with a large army of demons hellbent on taking over the world!

"The Chosen: Well of Souls is a value-packed game that should appeal to action-RPG fans everywhere," said Steve Milburn, Director at Meridian4. "Rebelmind has delivered an addictive experience that will have you using swords, axes, pistols and even machine guns to take out the onrushing hordes of werewolves, vampires and demons well into the night."

For more information, see http://www.meridian4.com/games/TheChosen.

Phantom Hourglass Released!

Today Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS.

This latest Zelda adventure has received great ratings in Japan and is already seeing praise in North America.

"The storyline for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass represents a new pinnacle for hand-held video games," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The touch-screen controls make it easy for newcomers but fresh and engaging for Zelda fans."

Phantom Hourglass has players navigate through the game using only the touch screen, making it easy to find your way through. Possibly the coolest feature of all is that players can write notes on their maps to remind them of places they should revisit. How many times have you wanted to do that before? I know I'm always writing things down when I'm embarking on an epic quest... Phantom Hourglass also allows players to join up through a local wireless connection or log-in through the internet.

Fallout 3 Contest

Bethesda has announced a new contest celebrating the 10th anniversary of Fallout.

To honor the occasion they're holding a "Design a Perk" contest where Fallout fans can design a new Perk for Fallout. The winner will have their Perk included in Fallout 3 and will have their choice of either a PC or Console Grand Prize pack that includes all sorts of goodies!

Aside from the grand prize, Bethesda will also be giving away a bunch of other cool stuff to the best of the rest, such as Logitech gear and Fallout 3 stuff, and some prizes will be given away at random... so you might as well sign-up!

Find out more detail about the contest and sign-up here: http://fallout.bethsoft.com/vault/falloutcontest.html

10/01/07 Links

Happy first of October. As the new month starts I've got a few links from the end of last month to share!

RPGDot/Jolt Reviews Blue Dragon - They rate the game a positive 8.7, which is a bit higher than the norm.

GameSpy Previews Hellgate: London - They like what they see, but also encountered a lot of technical glitches.

1UP Reviews Two Worlds - They rate the PC version a 6.0.

AllRPG Reviews GrimGrimoire - A solid 7.5 is the resulting score from NIS America's PS2 title.

AllRPG Reviews BioShock - A bit different that AllRPG reviews something on the PC or Xbox 360. Either way, they award it an impressive 9.0.

Garriot in Space!

Richard Garriot has taken gamers on all sorts of adventures through games like Ultima and Tabula Rasa. Now the world famous game designer is apparantly heading on an adventure of his own... into space!

Garriot will be embarking on his journey with the Space Adventures company as their sixth tourist into space. and has already begun training for the event. He has already begun training for the event that will take place on October, 2008.

We need to be adventurous in mind and stimulate our intellects to answer today's most daunting scientific questions and to invent tomorrow's technological marvels," said Garriott. His father, Owen is a former NASA astronaut and following in his footsteps has always been a dream of Richard's.

Read the full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070928/sc_afp/russiaspacetourismus