10/11/07 Issue at Just-RPG

We've just posted the latest issue on Just-RPG, packed with some exciting content. Make sure to sign up for our Two Worlds giveaway, since it ends next week!

http://www.just-rpg.com/

• BioShock Review
• Conan Preview
• Hard to be a God Screens
• Orcs & Elves Developer's Diary and Screenshots
• Two Worlds Giveaway
• And More!!!

EA Buys BioWare!?

Wow, major news for the RPG industry! Renowned RPG developer BioWare has recently been purchased by Electronic Arts.

BioWare is famous for creating top notch games like Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, with the latest title Mass Effect coming out next month.

EA acquired BioWare and Pandemic Studios for $620 million plus an additional $190 million in other charges. These studios and their 800 employees will now become part of Electronic Arts.

EA CFO Warren Jenson was quoted as saying, "We're very excited about the revenue potential. We see that in both '09 and '10 to be in excess of $300 million."

Will this have an impact on the quality of BioWare's games? Will it change anything about the highly anticipated Mass Effect? Let's hope not. BioWare is one of gaming's most respected developers, so it would be an atrocity to see something hinder their game development. One one hand, having the funding and resources of a massive company like EA behind them could be great! On the other hand, I worry that it might force BioWare into becoming a "slave" company of EA. I fear that BioWare might lose some of their unique identity and start churning out mainstream titles. After all, EA is known for making a lot of games, but they aren't necessarily known for making quality games like BioWare is. We'll have to wait and see...

Read more about this breaking story here!

Spellborn in Europe

The Chronicles of Spellborn’s European publisher, Frogster Germany, has recently announced plans to release the MMORPG on Q1 2008.

This release date will allow Spellborn International to additional QA testing and incorporating more content.

Frogster Studios has also licensed The Chronicles of Spellborn in the Japanese market in one of the largest closings for a single product in Japanese PC game history. Frogster will receive a percentage of future subscription revenues and a non-recoupable advance license fee of more than $1 million USD.

Spellborn International also recently completed a major step in development by performing stress-tests to check server and network stability. During the stress tests the game was able to accommodate more than 500 characters in a single zone.

AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage Official Demo

Lighthouse Interactive and developer ClockStone Software today revealed the official demo for their upcoming Avencast: Rise of the Mage.

Avencast is set for release later this month for PC and recently went gold. It promises to combine Role-Playing elements with a fluid combat system as seen in beat-em-up games.

Michael Schiestl, CEO of ClockStone Software said, "Players will now have the chance to play the demo and experience first hand some of the exciting features in AVENCAST - intense, action-packed combat sequences, and mighty spells that are graphically stunning. Three indoor and outdoor locations are showcased, with over 20 powerful spells to unlock, and loads of items to uncover. This is just a taste of what AVENCAST has to offer. We hope players will enjoy challenging the malicious foes from the world of AVENCAST!"

The lengthy hour and a half long demo will allow players to get a look at the unique combat system and spellcasting in Avencast while they battle their way through demonic armies. A tutorial will also be included to help players learn the ropes of Avencast.

Download the demo here: http://www.blogger.com/

Gods and Heroes on Indefinite Hold

Perpetual Entertainment has unfortunately announced that their upcoming MMORPG for the PC, Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, has been placed on indefinite hold.

The game had recently been delayed for a second time due to the need for further Beta testing, but a recent announcement on the official site explains the sad, sad news. Perpetual has decided that Gods & Heroes is too big of an investment to continue development, and now intend to shift their focus to Star Trek Online.

The development team established some very lofty and ambitious goals when the initial work was started on Gods & Heroes. Recently, we took a step back to evaluate the competitive landscape, the game's current state, and the overall goals for our organization. And while we are truly proud of and pleased with what we have created in Gods & Heroes, we also realize that achieving the level of quality and polish that we are committed to will take a significant investment.

Read the full announcement here on the game's official site.

Monster Hunter 3 for Wi

After a recent Nintendo press conference, Capcom announced that their upcoming Monster Hunter 3 will be a Wii exclusive title.

Oddly, Monster Hunter 3 was initially a PS3 exclusive title but high development costs on the PS3 were a deciding factor to switch platforms. The conference also saw the announcement of several Nintendo first party titles.

Monster Hunter is a major franchise in Japan with both PSP games in the series having sold over a million copies. However, the series has had limited success in North America.

MORE Oblivion

As if Oblivion wasn't big enough, Bethesda has just announced the latest and final bit of downloadable content for their massive RPG.

This last bit of content is called Fighter's Stronghold and allows you to defeat the attacking marauders and become lord of Battlehorn Castle. Here are the game's features:

• A fully detailed castle for you to explore
• Knights of the True Horn patrol the castle and do your bidding
• Secret treasure vault
• Upgrade the furnishings in every area of the castle
• Hire a vintner to create special wines to enhance your fighting abilities
• Hire a combat trainer to spar with
• Hire a taxidermist to craft lifelike trophies for your great hall
• Purchase an ancient Dwemer Forge that buffs your Armorer skill

Fighter's Stronghold will be available for download starting October 15th for PC and Xbox 360. They will be giving it away free for one week, so make sure to jump right on top of it!

I've downloaded all of the Oblivion content now... and as much as I love Oblivion, part of me was glad to finally have the game behind me. Ah well, Oblivion, I can't quit you!!!

Puzzle Quest Now on Live!

Puzzle Quest, the innovative puzzle/RPG from D3, is now available for download on the Xbox Live Arcade!

Puzzle Quest was highly praised by reviewers when it originally appeared on the PSP and DS. Now D3 and Microsoft will be opening up the game to a brand new audience of players! Developed by Infinite Interactive and based in the popular Warlords universe, Puzzle Quest combines addictive gem swapping, puzzle gameplay with deep RPG elements of storytelling, character building and exploration.

While I really enjoyed Puzzle Quest, I originally played the DS version, and many of the problems with the game stemmed from the platform itself. For example, using the stylus as a gem selector seems natural enough, but it's also far too easy to accidentally miss and select the wrong piece. Splitting the content among the two screens also caused some problems because it made it difficult to keep track of exactly what was going on. This makes me even more excited about the 360 version!

The Orange Box.. Gotta Have it!

Totally un-RPG related, but The Orange Box comes out today. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's the latest installment in the acclaimed Half-Life series. Although, it's more than just a single game... it's an entire package that includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1 and the all new Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Not to mention the multiplayer Team Fortress and the interesting new Portal.

I'm particularly excited about this release because I never actually got around to playing Half-Life 2 at release. I've obviously played the classic Half-Life (and dabbled in some Team Fortress), which is probably my favorite FPS of all time due to its exciting storytelling, out of this world weaponry, and fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat gameplay. Other games have successfully mimicked this same formula, but Half-Life is the the original. Unfortunately, life, crappy computers, and various other games have kept me from experiencing the sequel.

Considering I've been wanting to check out Half-Life 2 for quite a while now, The Orange Box is a great deal that I can't afford to miss out on!!! For those that are interested, The Orange Box is available for Xbox 360 and PC with a price tag of $59.99.

NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer in Stores Now!

Atari has just announced that the highly anticipated Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of The Betrayer has shipped to retailers in North America.

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Mask of the Betrayer is the expansion to the critically acclaimed Neverwinter Nights 2. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms universe shortly after the events in Neverwinter Nights 2. In addition to more than 25 hours of new gameplay, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer allows characters to advance above level 20 and provides over 100 new spells and feats.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer is available for PC with a suggested retail price of $29.95.

10/09/07 Links

Make sure to check out these recent RPG-related reviews!!!

AllRPG Reviews Phantom Hourglass - AllRPG has posted their take on the latest game in the Zelda series, awarding the game an 8.0 score.

Eternal Sonata on AllRPG - AllRPG has also recently posted an Eternal Sonata review. They liked this one slightly better than the above game, rating it 8.5.

RPGDot/Jolt Review Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria - RPGDot doesn't normally cover a lot of Japanese games, but they seem to like this one.

Part 2 of RPGWatch's Witcher Preview - Yep, the second part of a length preview. Part 1 was posted a while back...

FFT: The War of the Lions Ships

Square Enix has announced today that Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for PSP has shipped to retailers across North America!

The War of the Lions is an enhanced and improved version of the PlayStation classic, Final Fantasy Tactics. It includes never-before-seen cinematic sequences, an entirely new English translation, new jobs, new characters, 16:9 widescreen presentation and new multi-player functionality.

Final Fantasy fanboys will be excited to hear that Balthier from Final Fantasy XII and Luso from the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced II will be added into the game.

The game is already receiving solid reviews from sources such as GamePro and Game Informer. Look for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions at retailers today for $39.99.

http://na.square-enix.com/fftactics/

Secret of the Solstice Beta

Outspark has announced that their upcoming, free MMO Secret of the Solstice is now entering closed beta!

The game is developed by Korean developers DnC Entertainment and promises unique character classes and thousands of ways to customize. Here's a description:

Set in the fantasy world of Xen, Secret of the Solstice takes players to a time where a great king and his two daughters embark on an adventure against all odds. On their 18th birthday, one of the daughters, Adeline, received a special gift from her parents – the Solstice Sphere, a mysterious and powerful relic entrusted to her father by the gods. But it was far from a glorious occasion. A series of horrific events would soon take place and ultimately drench the land of Xen in the suffering it knows today.

For more information about Secret of the Solstice, or to sign-up for the beta, visit: http://www.outspark.com/sos

The Seeker

I went out and saw The Seeker over the weekend. I'm not going to bother going into a lot of detail about it, but I'll give it my recommendation.

I wasn't as impressed with it as I have been with some of the recent fantasy films, like Stardust, but it was still a fun movie to watch. The storyline was pretty predictable and many aspects of it seemed a bit silly or cheesy. However, it's a great film for younger audiences and tells a fairly interesting little tale.

It's not a 'must see', but it's worthwhile if you're a fantasy fan or if you've got a boring night ahead of you with nothing else to do. Otherwise, I'd still suggest seeing it, but it can wait for a rental.

Xbox Live Happenings

As an Xbox fan, I just wanted to notify gamers of some noteworthy happenings on Xbox Live.

First off, two new demos of interest have been added: Bladestorm and Conan. I haven't played Bladestorm yet, but it's in the same vein as the Dynasty Warriors series... only based in Europe. As for Conan, I've played through the demo and really enjoyed it. Conan is a hack n' slash adventure similar to God of War in many respects.

Both games will be available on the Xbox 360 and PS3, with Conan heading for release later this month and Bladestorm coming next month.

The second noteworthy piece of news is that Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is almost ready for launch on the Xbox Live Arcade! This highly addictive and deep game was originally released on the DS and PSP and will be available for download on Live this Wednesday for 1200 points.

I've already played (and loved) the DS version of Puzzle Quest, but I still plan on getting the Xbox Live version. It's a really fun game, and I prefer console gaming as opposed to handheld gaming anyway, so I look forward to the Xbox release!

New Xbox 360 Deal

If you don't have an Xbox 360 yet, now is looking like a really good time to buy one.

Microsoft just announced that by the end of October the acclaimed Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance will both be included for the recently reduced prices of $349.99 for Xbox 360 and $449.99 for Xbox 360 Elite.

If I didn't already own an Xbox 360, I'd probably run out and buy me an Elite since it's got the nice big hard-drive. The previously listed bundles are both a really great deal in my opinion seeing as the prices have been lowered and they include two solid games. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a really great multi-player Action RPG featuring a massive cast of Marvel characters.
RPG fans need more reasons to buy an Xbox 360 this holiday season? Here's a few: BioShock, Two Worlds, Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata. Let's not forget about the upcoming Mass Effect from BioWare and the previously released Oblivion.

I'm a Wussy

Want to hear a sad confession? I still haven't beat BioShock.

The game is absolutely amazing, but the eerie atmosphere of the game and the edge-of-your seat suspense makes it a game that I find hard to play for long durations. Yes, I'm a pansy!!!

Of course, a few other games have distracted me since I've started BioShock. The main distraction being Two Worlds, which is flawed but so ridiculously huge that it managed to kill a lot of my time. There's also the fact that I'm all about exploration, so I've wasted a lot of time in BioShock exploring to make sure I've seen every nook and cranny in Rapture. If it weren't for that, I probably would have completed the game weeks ago.

Ah well. I'm almost done... wrapping it up now.

The Chosen: Well of Souls Demo

Meridian4 has announced that a demo of their recently PC RPG released The Chosen: Well of Souls is now available!

The demo features the game's first level in the city of Kamieniec. During the demo you’ll meet up with some of the locals and battle against armies of inhuman beasts! All three of the game's heroes are available to choose from: Khan, the warrior and master of the sword; Frater, the monk and great alchemist; and Elena, the hunter and excellent marksman.

This horror themed Action RPG is perfect for the Halloween season and can be downloaded from one of the following locations:

http://www.fileplanet.com/files/180000/181300.shtml

http://downloads.gamezone.com/demos/d20052.htm

For more information on The Chosen: Well of Souls, visit: http://www.meridian4.com/games/TheChosen