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Final Fantasy XIII announcement possibly due on Nov. 13

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 8th 2009 at 7:30PM }

"A Henchmen Inventor Tent Unto."

Before reading on, why not try to solve that puzzle for yourself? It's an anagram, which means you can mess the letters about to spell a secret message. Here's a hint: It was posted by Square Enix as a tease for Final Fantasy XIII, meaning it probably has something to do with that game. What's that? "A Chevron Non-nineteenth Mutt?" We suppose that's a pretty good guess, but unfortunately, it's the wrongest thing ever. A Final Fan-site recently had better luck uncovering the message's true meaning: "Announcement Nov Thirteenth."

The nature of this "announcement" is still up in the air, though our money's on an official North American release date for the super-anticipated RPG. Though, considering the speed at which the series is growing now, we wouldn't be surprised if Squeenix went ahead and dropped the Final Fantasy XV bomb on us.

Tales of Vesperia voice actor says game is coming to Wii

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 7th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Lock the doors and board up the windows, folks. Considering the seismic backlash to the announcement that the (formerly) 360-exclusive Tales of Vesperia would be coming to the PS3, we fear for what might happen when this story gets out. Japanese voice actor Rikiya Koyama, who provided the voice for Vesperia's pseudo-antagonist Duke, recently mentioned on his blog that, "Tales of Vesperia is coming out on one thing after another: Xbox 360, then PS3, and now upcoming, goes on sale even on the Wii."

While this may deeply excite RPG-loving Wii owners, keep in mind that it's entirely possible Koyama meant to say Tales of Graces, the franchise's next installment which is, in fact, coming to the Wii. Just think about that before you start snapping the pieces of your already-snapped 360 Vesperia disc in protest. Those edges can get pretty sharp.

[Via Kotaku]

Mass Effect price dropped to $10 on Steam this weekend

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 7th 2009 at 11:30AM }

Were you one of the seven people on the planet who managed to resist Mass Effect's "possible alien nudity" siren call? Prepare for your steely resolve to buckle: The game's only $9.99 this weekend on Steam. Despite any qualms we may have had with the game's completely broken inventory system, or the frequent appearance of three-toed sloth-powered elevators, we find it hard not to suggest dropping a Hammy to add this to your collection.

It might even help you decide whether you want to drop six Hammies on the upcoming sequel. Or a Grant and a Hammy, we guess, though that sounds like Denny's menu item. (Great, now we want some Denny's. Thanks for nothing, Valve!)

Gyromancer will end our lives on November 18

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 6th 2009 at 7:00PM }

Looks like we're going to have to start working on that Bucket List a lot sooner than we would've guessed. The recently released English language trailer for Square Enix and PopCap's RPG-puzzle mash-up Gyromancer has delivered a release date for our pending doom: November 18. Not only that, but the trailer's now-readable text has revealed a gameplay mechanic which slipped our attention in the original, Japanese trailer: Monster collection.

So, it's Bejeweled, Final Fantasy and Pokémon all rolled into one, then? Awesome. That's really awesome. We hope you guys have enjoyed reading our humble site, because Gyromancer looks to be addictive enough make us forget to feed ourselves, let alone work.

Torchlight to explore retail shelves in January

by David Hinkle { Nov 5th 2009 at 8:30PM }

Torchlight, the action-RPG from Runic Games, is available right now via the game's official site or Steam. However, early next year, the game will also be available at brick-and-mortar shops, Joystiq sister site Big Download confirms. The news comes from Runic Games' head of PR, who says that a boxed version will hack and slash its way to retail shelves sometime in early January.

Currently, Torchlight is only compatible with Windows, but the team is hard at work getting it ready for Macs and is also preparing the game's first patch and mod tools. If you fancy yourself a fan of the Diablo series and have Steam, then give the demo a chance -- Torchlight was created in part by Diablo and Diablo II co-designers Max and Erich Schaefer, after all.

Gallery: Torchlight

Fragile Dreams: Hello to a new title and screens

by JC Fletcher { Nov 5th 2009 at 5:15PM }

click for moon-sizeToday, XSEED announced a slight title change for the North American release of Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. The company has chosen to go the same route as Rising Star Games and add the word Dreams to the title. Along with the announcement, the company sent out the new logo. It's based on the Japanese logo, but -- to be extremely nitpicky -- loses something with the extra line and the subtitle font.

However, the game, as seen in new screenshots below, still looks lovely. And that's the part that matters, regardless of our petty complaints. The new title does have the bonus of making us think of Johnny Hates Jazz's "Shattered Dreams." Totally great song.

Gallery: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii)

EA announces Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition

by JC Fletcher { Nov 5th 2009 at 9:05AM }

Do you want your copy of Mass Effect 2 to have more mass? EA has you covered with the newly announced Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition, available for $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC. It includes pretty much what you'd expect from a collector's edition: a tin box, an art book, a DVD with making-of footage, and Issue 1 of the Mass Effect: Redemption comic. It also includes some unique weapons and armor for the game that are limited to this package.

Of course, if you've bought Dragon Age's collector's edition, this will be the second set of exclusive Mass Effect items you'll have earned from fancy game boxes! Mass Effect 2 (and this classy variant) will be out January 26 in North America and January 29 in Europe. Check out the full box art and the armor in our gallery.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (PC, Xbox)

Atlus replacing damaged Demon's Souls strategy guides

by JC Fletcher { Nov 5th 2009 at 12:00AM }

Is the print wearing off of the cover of your Demon's Souls strategy guide? It's not entirely because you've been holding it for hours with your sweaty hands, desperately thumbing through the few pages in a feeble attempt to improve your in-game performance. Atlus announced that the cover to the guide, included with the Deluxe Edition of the RPG, is conducive to "unusual cover ink/wear fading."

And because Atlus knows that you've grown attached to your ~~security blanket~~ strategy guide, the company will only ask you to send in the cover and first page if you'd like a replacement, and not the whole book. Full details on the replacement program will be posted here.

Square Enix files U.S. trademark for Fantasy Earth Zero

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 3rd 2009 at 4:40PM }

You could be forgiven for never hearing about Fantasy Earth Zero -- in addition to having a cookie cutter RPG moniker (following the role-playing trope/noun/number formula), it's only available in Japan, though China and Taiwan are currently in a prolonged beta testing period. However, if a recent Square Enix trademark filing is any indication, the free-to-play, microtransaction-supported MMO will be heading stateside at some point in the future.

The trademark filing was expectedly scant on details about the game, so we suggest watching the three-year-old debut trailer we've posted after the jump. It, too, doesn't provide many hard-and-fast facts about the MMO but after watching it, we feel like we can safely vouch that, yes, the game does include Fantasy. Possibly in an Earth-like setting.

[Via Superannuation]

Continued →

Review: Dragon Age: Origins

by Randy Nelson { Nov 3rd 2009 at 10:20AM }

Hearing the term "RPG" more than likely brings games such as Tales of Vesperia, Persona or, for some of you, Fallout 3 to mind. Not since the earliest days of this current console generation and a little game called The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have we seen a fantasy role-playing game of this caliber rooted in swords and sorcery you'd find in The Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons or even World of Warcraft.

The long wait for a true successor to the fantasy throne ends today with the arrival of Dragon Age: Origins. The latest title from Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic developer BioWare is a testament to the company's mastery of the art of building the worlds, characters and stories that constitute a "classic" -- and that's exactly what this excellent experience is.

Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins

Continued →

Torchlight demo released on Steam for frugal fantasy fans

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 28th 2009 at 11:20PM }

Your money is precious, like a precious, precious flower, made out of a precious crystal of some sort. We understand your hesitance to drop a wad of cash -- or in this case, a lone $20 bill -- on unfamiliar IP. Fortunately, so does Runic Games, developer of the recently released top-down RPG Torchlight.

The studio has answered the call of the "try it before you buy it" contingency and added a demo for the game to Steam. It's there right now, and it's free, and it has Diablo-ish sensibilities. If that's as enticing to you as we think it is, you can click right here and make it your own.

3D Dot Game Heroes being localized by unknown 3D game publishing heroes

by JC Fletcher { Oct 27th 2009 at 2:45PM }

"No need to import," the 'SonyPlayStation' Twitter account reports. "3D Dot Game Heroes for PS3 is DEFINITELY coming to NA! Spread the word, more to come." And here we are, spreading the word.

From Software's gorgeous, retro-inspired action-RPG will be released in Japan in November, but until now, we've heard nothing about localization. And as Zelda fans and (shameful) Spelunker fans ... and fans of the retro-but-high-def aesthetic that From has assembled out of blocks, we've been listening intently.

Sony's Jeff Rubenstein told Joystiq that SCEA will not be the publisher, but the actual publisher allowed the news to be "leaked" on Twitter. He couldn't say who the publisher was or when we could expect the game, though he told us that more info will appear on the PlayStation Blog. We would speculate that it's the company who published the last (surprisingly successful) From Software PS3 game, Demon's Souls, and who deals almost exclusively in this kind of niche Japanese product: Atlus, whom we're contacting right away.

[Image credit]

[Thanks, HeavyToka]

Dragon Age: Origins contest offers $12,500, global dominance

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 26th 2009 at 1:50PM }

Hardcore fans of brutally violent role-playing games will soon travel from their homes in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and handful of other nations to compete in the Dragon Age: Origins Warden's Quest tournament. Ten teams of four players from across the globe will be vying for $12,500 in cold, hard cash, and bragging rights for their respective nation. Nuclear weaponry is no longer the world's most valuable asset -- leet video game skillz, however, are.

The teams will be going head-to-head, receiving points based on the amount of experience and kills they've accumulated, as well as how much of the game they've played through. Low-scoring teams will be eliminated, giving the whole event an Olympic games meets Thunderdome meets Nick Arcade feeling that's really working for us.

PS3's Dragon Age: Origins back on track for Nov. 3

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 23rd 2009 at 2:40PM }

Speaking during a live chat on the PlayStation Blog, Bioware's Ray Muzyka announced the latest North American release date for the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon Age: Origins. To be specific, the PS3 version will no longer be the latest in showing up on store shelves. So long, "later in November" and farewell to you, November 17! All three versions -- that's PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 -- of BioWare's "dark heroic fantasy" will hit North America on November 3.

European PS3 owners, however, still need to hang on until "a bit later in November." Don't worry, that brief disappointment will make eventual platform parity feel like something amazing again!

PlayStation UK Blog brings BioWare doctors in for Dragon Age live chat

by Xav de Matos { Oct 22nd 2009 at 9:00PM }

BioWare fans should start polishing up their Dragon Age: Origins related questions, because the good Canadian doctors from the famed studio will be on hand for a live chat with fans this Friday, October 23, on the PlayStation UK Blog.

Beginning at 7PM BST (2PM EDT), BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck will be on hand taking questions about its latest role-playing game. The hour-long event will give fans a chance to ask about upcoming content, exclusive bonuses and what it's like working with ~~that evil clown from Steven King's It~~ Tim Curry.