Valkyria Chronicles “Best PS3 SRPG” “Best PSP Game”

Critically acclaimed PS3 strategy RPG Valkyria Chronicles has been proclaimed the “best PS3 strategy RPG” by the Guiness Book of Records.


Whilst the prize is admittedly of rather dubious value considering Guiness’ ability to evaluate games apparently extends no further than cribbing scores from review aggregator sites, few could object to some positive publicity for Valkyria Chronicles, which was unfortunately developed by Sega.

Of perhaps even less value is Valkyria Chronicles 2‘s receipt of Gamespot E3 awards for best RPG and best PSP game – considering Gamespot’s reputation in this area this may attest to little more than the size of Sega’s marketing budget.

And yet still Sega refuses to make a proper sequel for the game.

Dragon Age 2 Announced

A sequel to Bioware’s hit Dragon Age RPG has been announced, indicating more superbly executed if completely staid epic RPG adventures are to be expected.

Some generic details have just been released:

• Embark upon an all-new adventure that takes place across an entire decade and shapes itself around every decision you make.

• Determine your rise to power from a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land.

• Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.

• Go deeper into the world of Dragon Age with an entirely new cinematic experience that grabs hold of you from the beginning and never lets go.

• Discover a whole realm rendered in stunning detail with updated graphics and a new visual style.

Additionally the sequel will star a “a new hero” and will be set in a new part of the world established in the original.

No release date or platform details have been released, but previously Bioware singled out February 2011 as a signiciant date for the series, perhaps suggesting a likely release date.

Once the news of the sequel settles in, the question on the mind of many players will doubtless be “what the hell happened to Morrigan?”

Whether there is further DLC in store for the original or the sequel will be connected to the original somehow in this respect looks set to be the subject of some speculation.

Final Fantasy XIV PS3 Delayed by “Many Technical Problems”

The strain of porting the graphical finery of the PC version of Final Fantasy XIV to the ageing hardware of the PS3 appears to have proven too much for Square Enix – after delaying the PS3 version’s release to March 2011, 6 months after the PC version, Square Enix has admitted they are struggling with a host of technical problems trying to get the game running on the PS3.

Lamenting the delay, producer Hiromichi Tanaka frankly admitted the port was not going well:

“Yes, it’s a shame. We understand the wrath of players and the developers are sorry because they did everything they could to have a simultaneous release date, but unfortunately they have encountered many technical problems on the development of the game for PlayStation 3.

We strive to release the game as soon as possible. If possible, we would publish the game sooner.”

This from the man who claimed players “wouldn’t notice” any difference between the two platforms:

Q. Can you enjoy both PC and PS3 versions at the same quality?

A. They don’t really look all that different. There’s no “3D Surround” [Nvidia multimonitor 3D gaming], of course. The textures are a quarter the size, and the resolution halved, but you won’t really notice.