Earlier this week we posted part one of EA’s behind closed doors demo of Dragon Age: Inquisition, which saw expansive outdoor environments and a bloody massive dragon. Today’s latest video takes the action indoors to Redcliffe Castle.
The latest gameplay demo gives us a better look at the extensive tactical options available for those of you that don’t want to play the game like a button-bashing action title. Ordering party movement, creating choke points and using elevation for an advantage are all shown off. There are also a few story scenes to enjoy along with some of those trademark Bioware decisions to make on the fly and it looks like your group is just as unruly as ever.
The game’s certainly proving to be a bit of a looker too -although we prefer the lush outdoors of the previous demo- especially when compared to the rather dog-eared first two games. Be sure to check outy the new video and let us know if you’re going to give the game a chance or are you just working your way through the backlog until The Witcher III arrives? Continue reading Dragon Age: Inquisition – 15 Minutes Redcliffe Castle Gameplay →
Want to see the difference between the original PS2 game and the upcoming HD remaster for Kingdom Hearts 2? Well, be sure to check out the new interactive trailer which sweeps between the old and new versions. In addition to smoother textures, it seems that Square-Enix have taken the time to add some extra colours as shown by some metallic greys now replaced with gold or rust coloured textures.
The first Kingdom Hearts remaster proved to be a big hit and reminded us why we loved the original so much all those years ago. The next instalment will include remasters for Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix Edition, Birth By Sleep (formerly released on the PSP) and a cutscene compilation of Re:Coded. With Kingdom Hearts 3 probably not arriving until late 2015 at the earliest, you have lots of time to check out the originals first. Continue reading Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Comparison Trailer →
This generation of consoles hasn’t had the best run for licensed tie-ins or traditional RPG experiences. And now, as it winds to a close, the two genres get one last chance in an odd-sounding hybrid. A South Park RPG.
How do you fit South Park into an RPG experience? Simple, just have the kids pretending to be on an epic adventure with elves, mages, wizards and warriors. Adults may know it as LARPing (Live Action Role Playing (like in the movie Role Models), but to the kids of South Park, they’re simply playing outside.
Continue reading South Park: The Stick of Truth (Review) →
Square-Enix really want you to give Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII a chance. The new trailer for game number three in the XIII series is keen to show you the large numbers of quests available, the expansive maps and the reformatted combat. Oh and chocobos and moogles naturally.
Having had a hands-on with the game, I can say I enjoyed the new combat, which ditches the ‘press X to win’ mentality by assigning individual attacks/spells to the face buttons with more to choose from by changing your schemata (like the dress-sphere’s in FFX-2). And with 80 schemata to choose from -and all of them being customisable- it would seem like we’re finally getting some tactical depth in the series for the first time in years. Old stalwarts may still dismiss the lack of a traditional turn-based approach, but this is an improvement over the last two games, and is slightly turn-based in the sense that you can only dish out a few attacks at once before waiting for a meter to recharge. Continue reading Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Guided Tour Trailer →
On the one hand, we’re a bit annoyed to see South Park: The Stick of Truth delayed again. But on the other, we think the March 4th release date will give it some room to breathe. It was never going to stand a chance in the Christmas rush to be honest, even with that interesting December release date.
To keep you interested, Ubisoft have released seven minutes of gameplay showing a mix of cutscenes, turn-based combat and even a little peak at the equip screens, complete with ‘Weapon strap-ons.’ The more we see of the game, the more it looks like it might actually fulfill its potential, as it seems to be nailing the look and humour of the show. Who would have thought we’d be turning to South Park for a traditional turn-based RPG experience though? Continue reading Ubisoft Release Seven Minutes of South Park Gameplay →
RPG fans rejoice! The Vita is getting some much-needed love in the form of the excellent Rainbow Moon. This will be a port of last year’s PSN exclusive and will now feature cross-save support.
SideQuest Studios told the US PS Blog that the game will run at a slick 60 FPS and will include 30 new features, bug fixes and improvements. They elaborated by saying, “XP counters in the victory screen can now be skipped, items can be used directly from the quest vendor, and left-stick control has been improved, reducing the chance of walking in unintended directions while in battle mode.“
As a player of the original, improved movement on the battlefield sounds like good news and will hopefully reduce the number of wasted turns. Cross-save support sounds great, especially if you never got around to finishing the original and the game should be an excellent fit for the Vita as you’ll be able to whip it out for a quick grind anywhere. SideQuest are also currently in talks with Sony to get a discount for owners of the original PSN game and cross-buy could be on the cards too. Continue reading Rainbow Moon Coming to the Vita December 3rd →
Despite the recent Tokyo Game Show giving players a chance to explore an open world portion of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, visitors to the Eurogamer Expo were stuck indoors in a strictly linear series of combat tutorials. With the combat system being my biggest grievance with the FFXIII series though, this is exactly what I wanted.
So after a cutscene that made little sense without the relevant context, I’m thrown straight into a tutorial. Given that Lightning Returns is making bold steps to move away from the ‘bash X to win’ mentality that has plagued 90% of the battles in the last two games I was certainly keen to get stuck into the lesson.
Lightning fights alone in this game, so forget the notion of parties. Stop! Come back, long-suffering Final Fantasy fan. To give combat the depth of a team you have various Schemata outfits to choose from. If you think of the interchangeable dress-spheres from the divisive FFX-2 on the PS2, you’ll find the concept easy to follow.
Continue reading Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Hands-On Preview) →
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix. Square Enix’s marketing department really need to sort out the names they’re giving to the Kingdom Hearts games. Remember the good old days of Kingdom Hearts followed by Kingdom Hearts II?
This latest HD collection is packed with content. The Final Mix version of the first game includes material not seen before in Europe, the console version of Chain of Memories also never made it to these shores before now. A HD compilation of all the cutscenes from the 3Ds game, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (my personal pick for most poorly-named of the series) is also included.
Form would suggest that a second compilation with KHII will be announced next, possibly including the PSP exclusive, Birth by Sleep. Maybe the Nintendo titles Re: Coded and Dream Drop Distance will get a mention too. So, you never know, we might actually have a clue what’s going on in the story by the time Kingdom Hearts III turns up in 2015. Continue reading Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX Launch Trailer →
It’s going to take some hands-on time to convince us that Square Enix is doing the right thing by steering the Final Fantasy series in a more action-orientated direction. But after the disappointments of the last two FFXIII titles, we’re willing to listen.
This new dev diary goes behind the scenes at Square Enix, giving us some more details about the game’s story, locations and more. The staff are also keen to emphasise that new players will be able to pick up the story too. Even so, we’d advise checking a few wikis first. Who knows which of the last game’s multiple endings they’re resuming from.
Unlike the last two games, players will only be controlling Lightning this time around, but there will be lots of familiar faces popping up throughout the story. Third time’s a charm though right? Lightning strikes one last time February 14th. Continue reading Dev Diary – Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII →
Got a hangover? Then this new trailer for Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness is probably going to make your face hurt. Coming to the PS3 later this year, the tactical RPG from NIS America looks set to be as crazy and colourful as ever.
It’s a little early in the day to make sense of it all to be honest, but this could fill the RPG-shaped gap in the Christmas lineup until Tales of Xillia 2 arrives next year. Continue reading Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness Gets New Trailer →
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Well, it’s a royal mess of a name and will mess up your alphabetised collection something rotten, but there’s still something about Square Enix’s upcoming RPG that pulls us in. We prefer to think of it as hope rather than blind belief they’ll get it right this time.
A more-action orientated approach will annoy purists, but games like the excellent Tales of Xillia prove that you can have it both ways. Plus, you’ll visit the last known home of the Moogles, although we don’t think you’ll be allowed to massacre the cheeky little sods. Pre-order the game and you’ll get a Cloud outfit from FFVII, it’s like Square Enix are actively taunting fans that have been howling for that remake. It’s double date time this Valentine’s day as Lightning arrives for her last hurrah February 14th. Continue reading Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII – The Savior’s Choice Trailer →
Now that the possessive minions have stopped deleting videos from Youtube we can bring you the remaining trailers from last week’s Spike VGAs. First up is the long awaited new trailer for South Park: The Stick of Truth.
The eagerly awaited THQ and Obsidian RPG is looking like a decent tie-in for a change. The crappy 2D animation has been left intact, rather than force the game into an unnecessary 3D model. The traditional turn-based battles draw from the frequently obscene history of the series to provide spells and summons that feature lots of familiar characters doing some nasty, nasty things. We’re looking at you Mister Slave.
Cartman is the star of the show once again and provides a bucket of laughs during this all too brief two minute look at the game. The game is currently pencilled in for a March release next year, we’re keeping our fingers crossed it won’t see any further delays.
Continue reading South Park: The Stick of Truth Trailer 2 →
Popular PSN RPG, Rainbow Moon, will be released on PS Vita next year. Publisher eastasiasoft have just announced the news and Marcus Pukropski, CEO of the game’s developers, SideQuest Studios said, “We’ve been asked this question many times, I’m so very happy to finally announce that we will bring Rainbow Moon to the PS Vita. All the feedback we have received for Rainbow Moon during the last few months has been tremendous, and I hope that today’s announcement will make a lot of PS Vita owners and Rainbow Moon fans happy.” Continue reading Rainbow Moon Heading to Vita In 2013 →
Gaming reviews, previews and features by Brendan Griffiths
The No Sleep Gamer 