Final Fantasy-Xiii.net has managed to get a bootleg of the FF Versus XIII trailer, and cheesy italian aside, it's shiny. Super shiny. Drool-worthy shiny. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
So last night I logged into my email to find our omgRPG invite to the Wrath of the Lich King beta. The install is about to finish (on my work machine, shhh don't tell the evil overlords) and soon I will step into the world of the future with my trusty screenshots at my side. I think I will start with the Death Knight to begin with, and then afterward hunt down an Inscription trainer for my Warlock. But obviously I'm taking requests. What do you want to know more about beta-wise?
Hot on the heels of yesterday's Final Fantasy IV release for the DS comes a rumor that we may be seeing yet another classic from the series on the PS3: FF VII. PlayStation Lifestyle is reporting an insider rumor that Final Fantasy VII is being revamped and will come exclusively for the PS3. The new version is said to include updated graphics and possibly new content. Looks like we will have to keep our ears open for an announcement at the TGS.
Today Eurogamer posted an interview with Peter Molyneux, the brain trust behind Dungeon Keeper, Black and White, and most recently Fable 2. Mostly, the conversation seems to be fairly straitforward, topics discussed ranging from Lionhead's relationship with Microsoft, to exactly how finished Fable 2 will be when it ships. Then comes the nugget of goodness that sent me into a tailspin.
In talking about game development within the Fable series, the question arose, "there seems to be a lot of MMO mechanics in Fable 2. Are MMOs something you've been thinking about recently?" Amongst the features in Fable 2 is the ability to step into someone else's world and see how their decisions in the game affected the town they live in, to walk around their house and sit on their couch and eat their virtual munchies. Most of the time developers deflect a question like this and move on, but not Molyneux. With a flourish toward the PR rep standing by, he responded, "Well, there's someone in this room to make sure that I don't say too much about that question. I have been looking at MMOs. I love the interaction, and I'm fascinated by the idea of really feeling secure and cool enough to actually do it."It's a lovely thought, Molyneux's vision connected to a truely interactive experience. Perhaps there will finally be an MMORPG that is completely devoid of traditional morality and allows us to play with the concepts of good and evil while slaughtering our best friends at the same time.
So, I didn't get to play Fable 2 this year. Part of it was time. There was always a line for it on the floor and I had something like 50 different DS titles to wade through. The other part of it is that I never played the original Fable, and so felt somehow unworthy.
Don't look at me like that! When Fable first came out, I had a terrible computer and no Xbox. When the Lost Chapters came out, I had an Xbox, but my computer was still terrible and I had no time to play it.
More to the point, I had no idea what Fable was really about. Nobody I knew left that game talking about a great story or even fun things they did, just how much of the promised features got cut and how it's weird your main character ages when no one else does. If there's something about Fable that makes it worth my time to go back and play now, you may inform me of this in the comments. Maybe I just had lousy friends. At the time, it just didn't seem like a game worth prioritizing.
Ah, but now Fable 2 is on the way. All I really know about the game this time is that you get a dog that makes Peter Molyneux speak very excitedly.
Not much I can say other than holy shit, the beta is open. We talked about it yesterday, but now it's official: invites have begun. It's just the first round, and although I'd love to say those of us with BlizzCon keys should expect an email soon, I didn't get into the last expansion beta even with a key, so it looks like this might also happen this year. While we all spend the day staring at our email clients, here's a couple of headlines from around the net to whet your appetite. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't click the jump.
If you have gotten into the beta, we'd love to hear from you. Email us with your impressions, news, and insights to omgrpgemail@gmail.com.
E3 officially ended today, but it started with an event I have literally waited months for: a morning appointment at the Bethesda booth to play Fallout 3 for 30 minutes. There are not many RPGs that are going to deliver any significant entertainment value in 30 minutes, which can make RPG demos of otherwise good titles at shows like this a real drag. Fallout 3 is quite the exception, owing both to its unusually open setting and the high level of freedom offered the player. Thirty minutes with this game was so entertaining that I believe the full copy will give me a heart attack from sheer joy.
Read on for hands-on impressions of the demo event, full press kit assets, and plenty of limb-crippling. After I've had a little time to think over the show's many (many, many) games, there'll be more wrap-up coming later, too. For now, though: Fallout 3, the premiere RPG of this year's E3.
When the news broke Friday that Flagship Studios had fired most of its employees, we all assumed the developer was sunk. Later that day, Hanbitsoft seemed to intimate that they were going to take control of Mythos, and that Comerica would call in the marker on Hellgate: London. Yesterday Flagship CEO Bill Roper released an announcement letting the world know that Flagship is still alive, if not still afloat. They have dug deep and found the funding to keep their doors open, even if the building is empty.
Flagship Studios has announced today that despite rumors to the contrary, the company is still operating. "It is with deep regret that I must announce that Flagship Studios has laid off most employees. However, the core management and founding team members are still at Flagship." said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. "The past five years have been an incredible experience for us, but unfortunately, we couldn't sustain the size of the company any longer."
Flagship Studios owns the rights to all its technology and IP, including Hellgate: London and Mythos. Due to the current situation, Flagship will not be taking any new subscribers for Hellgate: London, and all current subscriptions will not be billed. Flagship wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to those that have supported the company and games over the past five years.
[via Voodoo Extreme]
The Gamepro forums are chock full of players that have announced their dedication to one console over another. Kevin Bowen is no exception, only he is taking it one step further. He is calling on a boycott of Final Fantasy XIII for the simple reason that it is no longer PS3 exclusive. Is he joking? Is he for real? All I know is that he is hilarious.
[via Joystiq]ConWatch: E3 Day 2 Round UP -- Lots of Trailers + Fallout 3, Eternal Sonata, MAG, Last Remnant, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion
Jul. 16The second day of E3 was fairly light on the RPG news, but there were still a few gems worth mentioning. Here's what we gleaned as we scoured through the coverage, stuck our eyeballs to the live feeds, and cursed our day jobs that we couldn't be there alongside Lynxara.
* Todd Howard of Bethesda sat down to go through some of the gameplay in Fallout 3 with IGN's Live Wire. All I can say is oh, my GOD I need to spec Bloody Mess and soon. We'll have our own impressions on the game for you later on in the week. Until then enjoy a bit of a tease.
More juicy E3 RPG news and trailers after the jump.











