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RPGs
Age of Decadence – Iron Tower Studio (PC)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Progress has been moving along with a larger demo having come out earlier this year featuring more gameplay beyond that of the combat system with the devs tentatively pointing to a release sometime in 2013 – though that date can always change. As for the game, it’s a post-apocalyptic, old-school flavored RPG taking place on a world where an ancient empire is slowly dying and where dark forces and desperate people are busily carving pieces out of the dust left behind. Discover the past, remain ignorant of its history, or create allies of convenience, it’s all up to you on how this story ends with the decisions you make.
Barkley 2 – Tales of Game (OS X, Windows)
Game site
Q4 2013
What is it?
It’s real, and it has crushed its Kickstarter goal. It’s the sequel to the first game, Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley Saga which you can play for free and this time around, it’s an action RPG. Expect all of the irreverent humor and attitude from the first along with a whole new story inside a 16-bit inspired world that changes around you as players seek out the Cyberdwarf in 666X’s cyberpocalypse.
The Dark Eye: Demonicon – Noumena Studios (PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Based on the popular German tabletop RPG, Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye), this newest RPG adventure will take take players back to its world and apparently be turning away from the party-based mechanics of Drakensang. Instead, it looks to be heavy on the action hinting at an RPG system possibly closer to something like Piranha Bytes’ Risen or Reality Pump’s Two Worlds II. The Drakensang series really stuck with me as a fun introduction to the system, so I’m curious to see what Demonicon will have to offer when it finally comes out.
Dead State – DoubleBear Productions (Windows)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
It’s a CRPG (or ZRPG as DoubleBear likes to call it) with branching dialogue, a huge number of NPCs, turn-based combat, crafting, and zombies…lots and lots of zombies. Players will have their hands full in trying to survive the zombie apocalypse they’re thrown in as they scavenge for supplies, lead expeditions out to find materials needed to upgrade their shelter, and negotiate the verbal minefield laying in wait between the people they’re supposed to save as everyone’s nerves begin fraying apart. This is also a part of the Kickstarter club having also been successfully funded and it’s expected to be out sometime in 2013.
Dragon’s Crown – Vanillaware (PS3, Vita)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Having been pushed from 2012, Dragon’s Crown could be due out in the first half of 2013. I’m still excited for the game that designer, George Kamitani, could be leveraging his experience from the classic fantasy beat ’em up, Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom, into. Players will take up a party of four who will rumble through monsters, treasures, and of course, a dragon or two on their way to glory.
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan – Atlus (3DS)
Game site
February 26, 2013
What is it?
The 3DS is getting its own dungeon crawler with the the fourth entry in the old-school flavored series featuring classic turn-based combat, grid-based movement reminiscent of older PC games such as Eye of the Beholder, and a mapping system relying on the player to create it as they go along. The fourth entry brings in airships and even a Casual mode for those that want to take their time in figuring out the game – or just want to focus more on enjoying it at their own pace.
Grim Dawn – Crate Entertainment (Windows)
Game site
August, 2013
What is it?
Pushing past 2012, the team behind Iron Lore’s Titan Quest are in the home stretch for their game after fielding a successful Kickstarter this past summer. Featuring the kind of old-school, action RPG fun that Iron Lore’s veterans had brought out in their Greek-inspired epic, Grim Dawn takes place in an original, post apocalyptic open world allowing players to roam freely and mash monsters at will while raining loot and skill trees at their feet. Sounds like awesome fun.
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption – Far Studio (Linux, OS X, Windows)
Game site
October, 2013
What is it?
Quest for Glory designers, Corey and Lori Cole, have successfully completed their own Kickstarter to help fund this spiritual successor to the popular series which blended traditional adventure gaming with RPG elements. Rogue to Redemption will still be a 2D adventure featuring a new character, Connor, who will explore a new world as he learns the ropes at Hero-U…which just happens to be built within the ruins of a mysterious castle. Turn based combat, adventure gaming puzzles, and a big story tying it all together make it one for adventure and RPG players to watch for 2013.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory – Compile Heart (PS3)
Game site
March 12, 2013
What is it?
If you’re not familiar with the series, this PS3 exclusive takes place in a cyber-fantasy world were the current console generation is represented in a tongue-in-cheek style among its characters and the environment. In this third installment, Neptunia is pulled in the 1980’s via a mysterious space rift and discovers an alternate world that she must save from the nefarious schemes of the Seven Sages.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII – Square Enix (PS3, Xbox 360)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
The second follow-up to Final Fantasy XIII, this time focusing on Lightning as she emerges from becoming a crystal at the end of XIII-2 to save the world in less than thirteen days. Focusing more on her as a solo action hero, the game appears headed for a more action oriented debut with a larger emphasis on how time flows in her world. Certain actions will cause more time to pass than others, whether it’s in pushing the clock forward or back, giving players more to think about than mashing their way through every battle. It’s a controversial change no matter how you look at it and another gamble for Square Enix on a series chapter that has continued to divide franchise fans and critics ever since it hit North American shores in 2010.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – Capcom (3DS, Wii U)
Game site
March, 2013
What is it?
This release is an enhanced version of Monster Hunter 3 featuring new creatures along with a few other tweaks. The Wii U version will boast HD quality graphics, multiplayer, and online play. Players can even transfer their progress from the Wii U version to the 3DS one if they have both to earn their rep as a hunter by going on quests after the biggest game.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – Level-5, Studio Ghibli (PS3)
Game site
January 22, 2013
What is it?
This collaboration between RPG devs, Level-5, and the animation genius of Studio Ghibli will finally be coming over to a localized release in January for the PS3. As for the story, it sounds like the kind of stuff the House that Miyazaki Built would go for. A young boy grieving over the loss of his mom is suddenly visited by an animated doll who opens the door to another world where he might be able to find the strength to bring her back. A short, but titanic, demo was released featuring the combat system and a little of the puzzle solving that will be in the full game. It’s a little rough around the edges, especially if you haven’t had any experience with a real-time combat system before, but should be a winner for fans of Studio Ghibli’s art and storytelling chops.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity – Nintendo (3DS)
Game site
March 13, 2013
What is it?
Already out in the Japan, it’s making its way to North America letting even more players become Pokemon in this “roguelike” iteration of the popular series as they explore dungeons, meet other Pokemon, and take part in a story tying it all together. It will also use the 3DS’ camera to discover new dungeon entrances by simply scanning stuff all around you, so those half-eaten pancakes or steaming mug of coffee might actually be invitations to loot and leveling.
Shadowrun Returns – Harebrained Schemes (Android, iPad, Linux, OS X, Windows)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Shadowrun’s original creator, Jordan Weisman, and his team at Harebrained Schemes have regained the license to the popular pen and paper RPG and thanks to a wildly successful Kickstarter, are well on their way to building a new game drawing from over 25 years of tabletop history allowing fans to move on from Microsoft’s multiplayer-only attempt from 2007. Taking place in the 2050s which was covered by the SNES and Genesis Shadowrun titles as part of the first edition (the current, 4th edition tabletop game takes place in 2074), players will take on missions as street samurai, deckers, or even as spell slinging shamans in a cyberpunk future where you should never, ever, deal with a dragon.
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers – Atlus (3DS)
Game site (Japanese)
Spring 2013
What is it?
An enhanced port of the game which was initially released on the Saturn in Japan in 1997, this 3DS version will feature all of the demon collecting and fusing that the series is renowned for. This side story to the main series takes place in a city on the cutting edge of tech blending virtual reality, a young group of hackers, and a mysterious incident that involves the appearance of a female devil who has no idea who she is. This makes it the first time that the game will officially make its way over to the West.
South Park: The Stick of Truth – Obsidian Entertainment (OnLive, PS3, Windows, Xbox 360)
Game site
March 5, 2013
What is it?
The RPG expertise of Obsidian is taking South Park into a game with a “billion” costume changes as players head into a quest as a new kid to the neighborhood. Soon, they’re pulled into a neighborhood-spanning LARP to keep the Stick of Truth from the hands of evil and hopefully find enough coolness to stand with Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny. Both series creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are heavily involved with the game ensuring that fans will have plenty to look forward to when it arrives next year.
Tales of Xillia – Namco Bandai (PS3)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
Already out in Japan, the 13th flagship installment to the Tales series is coming to North America in 2013. This time, the game will feature two protagonists at the start that players can pick from – Jude Mathis, a medical student, and the mysterious Milla Maxwell – and see the story from their perspective offering a lot of replayability for Tales completionists that want to see everything. It sounds like another epic Tales adventure for players in the West that have been eagerly awaiting the return of the series in the nearly two years that it has been out in Japan.
Unchained Blades – FuRyu (3DS)
Game site (Japanese)
January 3, 2013
What is it?
The 3DS release of FuRyu’s JRPG which had been out for Sony’s PSP. It’s been described as a grid-based, dungeon crawler similar to the Japanese releases of Wizardry for you old school types out there. The voice acting, though, seems little out there.
Underrail – Stygian Software (Windows)
Game site
2H (second half) 2013
What is it?
An isometric, post-apocalyptic indie RPG inspired by games such as Black Isle’s Fallout titles, this sticks the player inside an underground society where railway stations have become city-states – much like those in 4A Games’ Metro 2033. Players will be able to shape their character in any way they want with a massive selection of skills ranging from picking locks to scary psi powers. There’s also plenty of scavenged loot to be found – if they can survive the brutal monsters dwelling underground. A demo is out with updates and players can even help fund development which will also buy them access to the Alpha and the finished game. Great customization, tough encounters, and can’t wait to grab the full version.
Wasteland 2 – inXile Entertainment (Linux, OS X, Windows)
Game site
TBA 2013
What is it?
It’s the long awaited sequel to the iconic PC game that kicked the post-apocalyptic ball into what would later inspire the Fallout series. The legendary Brian Fargo got most of the old Interplay team back together including a few extra hands such as Obsidian’s Chris Avellone to help flesh out the prose thanks to an incredibly successful Kickstarter drive proving that there’s still a lot of old-school love out there. Full disclosure – I was a backer and I can’t wait to see this in my hands.