11/16/07 Issue at Just-RPG!

This week we're looking ahead at one of the PSP's most anticipated games and taking a look back at a GBA game that deserves a little more attention! Check it out below.

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• God of War: Chains of Olympus Preview
• Summon Knight Review
• Avencast: Rise of the Mage Trailer
• Dungeon Explorer Screens
• And More!!!

Atlus Prepares for the Xbox

Atlus has announced an exciting partnership with Microsoft to become an officially licensed 3rd party publisher for the Xbox 360.
I'm a big Xbox 360 fan, but I also like RPGs. The two don't always go well together, but with any luck the addition of Atlus as an Xbox 360 publisher will strengthen the console's Japanese RPG lineup. Along with this announcement Atlus also announced two upcoming Xbox 360 titles for 2008, including Operation Darkness and Spectral Force 3!

Operation Darkness is a strategy RPG with a strong emphasis on tactics. It takes place in an alternate World War II era where history and fantasy collide!

Spectral Forces 3 is the first in the RPG series to reach Western shores. It promises a classic fantasy story, tons of character customization, and 50 hours of gameplay in an action-packed strategy RPG experience.

I am Beowulf!!!

So the all-new film Beowulf hit theaters today, and of course, I've already gone out and seen it.

Beowulf is a classic tale of heroism, so chances are everyone out there is already somewhat familiar with it. Of course, it had been so long since I read it that I honestly didn't remember some of the finer details very well. Regardless, Beowulf didn't seem to follow the original story very well and the changes that were made were not for the better. In the end, it made the hero Beowulf lose some honor and it turned Grendel's mother into something totally unlike the beast I remember reading about.

Not to mention, the monster Grendel was just awfully annoying. Seriously, I was sooo glad when he finally died.

Still, there are some cool battle sequences to behold and the animation is very well done. And while it might not be particularly true to the original, fantasy fans will appreciate the new telling of this beloved epic.

Go see it if you like fantasy battles, but don't have high expectations.

Orcs and Elves Now In Stores!

Electronic Arts has recently announced that Orcs & Elves for the Nintendo DS is now available in stores across North America.

Orcs & Elves originally appeared as an award winning RPG mobile game created by famed developers id Software. Now on the DS, Orcs & Elves has been enhanced with more levels, weapons and fierce foes.

Taking the role of a young half-elf, players will dungeon crawl their way through a massive Dwarven fortress riddled with ancient treasure, powerful weapons, and waves of ruthless enemies, on a quest to expel the ultimate evil from the mountain’s core.

Interested gamers can look for Orcs & Elves on store shelves now!

AVENCAST Now In Stores

Publisher Lighthouse Interactive and developer ClockStone Software have just announced that AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage is now available in major retail stores across North America and Europe.

AVENCAST is a fantasy action RPG for Windows. It features over 50 special moves and spells, as well as an arsenal of weapons to wield in combat against over 30 horrifying enemies.

Fore more information on AVENCAST, see http://www.avencast.com/.

Interplay Still Kicking

Apparently Interplay has announced that they have revived their internal development studio to begin work on an unnannounced MMORPG project. They are also continuing work at securing funding for the game. and company by leveraging their existing properties.

In other exciting Interplay news, they have announced that Fallout veteran Jason Anderson has joined their team to serve as Creative Director.

While it hasn't been "officially" announced, we all obviously know that they're working on a Fallout MMO, so it only makes sense that Jason Anderson be brought on board for that.

11/14/07 Daily Links

I haven't posted any links in a loooong time and a few key games have come out, like Hellgate: London and The Witcher. I figure it's about time I post something... If you haven't seen any coverage of these games yet, here ya go!

Hellgate: London Review on RPGDot - A solid score of 8.1 for the highly anticipated RPG from Flagship.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions on RPGDot - Not suprisingly, a 9.0 for the PSPport of the classic SRPG.

GameSpot Reviews Hellgate - A second review of the game scores is a bit lower than the first.

The Witcher on RPGDot - A pretty high score for Atari's latest RPG from CD Projekt. I still haven't played this one, but it looks really interesting.

GameBanshee Reviews NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer - An 8.3 score is the result.

1Up Reviews The Witcher - They're not horibly impressed, but it still pulls a solid score.

IGN Likes The Witcher - Enough to rate it an 8.5 at least.

IGN Reviews Hellgate: London - They are NOT impressed with this one and only award it a 6.8. This might be worth a read so you can get the "other" side of the story.

AllRPG Reviews Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions - Um, they liked it... but they're score is confusing. It's explained in the review, though.

GameSpy Doesn't Like Hellgate Either - They complain of bugs, slowdown and game crashes.

Download Full Xbox Games on Live!!!

Microsoft has just announced a new Xbox Live feature that will allow gamers to download full Xbox games on thier Xbox 360 through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

This new feature is in celebration of the fifth year of Xbox Live on December 4th, 2007. When the service first launches, gamers will be able to download popula classics from the original Xbox including Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fable.

This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games, and Microsoft promises that the catalog of games will continue to grow. No disc will be necessary and games can be purchased through the Marketplace for only 1,200 Microsoft Points.

The original Xbox wasn't particularly impressive as far as RPGs go, so I'm not sure what to expect out of this. So far Fable is the only RPG announced for the service and that game is totally mediocre in my opinion. Hopefully the Kingdom Under Fire series goes up for download. Still, it sounds like a pretty cool feature and one that I'm sure I'll take advantage of.

Final Fantasy Music Concert

AWR Music Productions has announced that Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy will premiere Tuesday December 4, 2007 at 8 pm at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Sweden.

Following the performance in Sweden is the only confirmed US concert date on March 1, 2008 at 8 pm at The Rosemont Theatre, performed by the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra Festival Choir. If you're an American fan of Nobuo Uematsu and Final Fantasy music, this is an awesome opportunity if you can make it!

Famed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu will be in attendance at both of these spectacular events which will launch the long awaited series of international concerts. This event will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Final Fantasy series.

The release of the new Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy CD will coincide with the concert in Sweden on December 4, 2007.

Two Worlds on Steam

Two Worlds is now available for purchase on Steam for $31.95. Interested gamers can buy it right here.

Two Worlds is a massive, free roaming RPG available for the Xbox 360 and PC.