Spoiler: They’re not that exciting. If you have any recollection of the Fallout 3 achievements you will see the similarity to these. I’ve never understood why people are excited about unveiled achievements, but I guess it helps people understand what they’re going to encounter. For instance, you’ll be looking for snow globes or something. It also looks like there’ll be a ‘hardcore mode.’ This probably means that there’ll be no HUD and you won’t have a grenade indicator, amirite?! HURR HURR…

In an attempt to push Fallout: New Vegas, Bethesda have released an advertisement solely devoted to making fun of JRPG’s. As you can see, the image features many angry Japanese protestors bearing signs that roughly say: “Why play a game twice when there’s no change to the story,” “I thought you played games not watched them!” and “Wouldn’t it be nice if the main character had a mission aside from wiping out evil.”

In a press release this morning it was announced that Square Enix will team up with Obsidian Entertainment (developers of Alpha Protocol and the upcoming Fallout: New Vegas) to work on Dungeon Siege 3, an action-rpg series originally developed by Gas Powered Games.

When thinking about combining the action role-playing and stealth genres, one might think “wow, that sounds like a great idea!” and of course they’d be right. But they also might get a bit ahead of themselves and think about guys such as Sam Fisher, Jason Bourne, or even James Bond and start to contemplate how bad-ass they’d be in that fantasy of naivety.

Well, Alpha Protocol combines the action role-playing and stealth genres, but not in the way you might think. In this game you are not a Sam Fisher clone nor are you a bad-ass. At least not right away. Some people may tend to forget about the whole “role-playing” aspect and ignore the fact that it takes work to become the ultimate killing machine. Along with that, there will also be some very important choices to be made.

Not simply the choice between good and evil like the majority of role-playing games, but the kind of decisions that tend to blur the lines and truly test the human condition. These choices become very prevalent within each dialogue sequence. They are presented in such a quick fashion that they should be considered more of an on-the-fly judgment aside from anything else. The “Dynamic Stance System” as it’s properly named, keeps the conversations in real time and you only have a moment to think before you act.

Michael Thorton, kicking guys in the face in Asia…

Unlike the typical good, bad or neutral responses that most RPG games apply, these are more based on aggressive, professional or suave stances, which can all interchangeably be considered as good, bad or neutral responses given the context of a conversation. This dialogue system is an amazing way to keep the pace of a deeply enthralling story and what you ultimately decide to do with these snap judgments can lead to a multitude of outcomes in the world of Alpha Protocol. Multiple endings, branching plot points, or even missing out entirely on meeting important characters are just the tip of the iceberg.

The cast of characters in Alpha Protocol is very well represented with their eclectic and captivating vocal performances. Everything from a promiscuous, yet deadly, German mercenary to the almost stereotypical Russian tank of a boxer (think Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV) it seems as though they have all the bases covered. Nolan North even makes an appearance as a borderline psychotic CIA agent who apparently can’t find his keys.  The soundtrack itself leaves a little something to be desired, but other than that the audio in general is fairly average at best.

The first major decision you’ll be making when you begin the game is concerning your main character’s background. Much like in the way of Mass Effect, you begin by choosing a military history of sorts for the story’s protagonist Michael Thorton. You’re given the task of becoming a Soldier, Field Agent, Tech Specialist, Freelancer, or Recruit. All backgrounds start out with pre-selected skill sets with the exception of the Freelancer and Recruit classes, who both begin with a blank slate.

…and obscure office corridors

The difference between these last two character classes is that the Freelancer receives 31 Advancement Points (AP) to do with as you please while the Recruit begins the game with nothing but alternative dialogue options during your training, which can also greatly affect the game’s final outcome. The Recruit class is a much more difficult path to begin with, but if completed it unlocks the ability to begin a playthrough as the Veteran class. This particular class starts agent Thorton off with additional dialogue as well as three tiers on every skill equaling a total of 120 AP points.

AP points are awarded to you once you earn enough experience points by completing specific objectives during your missions throughout the campaign. It is something to note that not all of these pre-selected skill points are locked in place within each character class at the start of your playthrough. You can essentially remove all skill points from any given class at the start if you have the desire to fully customize your agent to suit your needs.

When you get into the game itself one of the first things you notice is how the cover system works. Initially it may seem like a pretty decent cover-to-cover system that’s comparable to any other game that uses the Unreal Engine, but unfortunately it seems that a few basic fundamentals were left high and dry. There is no way to vault over small bits of cover. This can be forgivable as it’s not always needed in terms of gameplay, but the major disappointment comes from the fact that some doorway entrances won’t allow you to properly snap to cover. It can lead to a disturbing amount of frustration for someone who is trying to go for a more stealthy approach, considering early in the game your stealth skill is more towards the shallow end of the pool.

Unfortunately the combat system isn’t very cohesive even for RPG standards

The shooter aspect is also a bit on the frustrating side if you aren’t able to invest enough AP points early on. But even so, it doesn’t feel all that well executed to begin with seeing as just because you aim your target reticule at someone, it doesn’t mean you’ll actually hit your mark. Each weapon has its own statistical rating of Damage, Accuracy, Recoil, and Stability and it feels almost impossible to find a weapon proficient enough to be accurate in the middle of a long range firefight. You can always go for a “critical” shot by holding aim on a target for a certain period of time, but you never really get the chance unless you sneak up on an enemy and continue on unseen.

Technically the game has a few drawbacks with its random frame rate issues and the ability to see through walls while crouched in cover. It’s nothing that ever really breaks the game in any significant way, but it’s definitely noticeable. The enemy AI also has its problem of getting stuck within pieces of the environment and the fact that they’re just kind of dumb doesn’t help the situation much either. If a battle with multiple enemies occurs, they’ll typically run around aimlessly and barely bother to find cover. When they do that’s usually when they’ll get stuck. Not to mention the “brawler” type of AI that will not even take a shot at you with his gun, but instead charge you head on like a bull ducking and weaving until you finally land a shot and kill him.

Ultimately after all that’s “technically” wrong with the game it still boils down to how fun the game really is. Alpha Protocol is certainly an entertaining and uniquely deep experience once you understand how important the setup is and how carefully you need to craft your own agent Thorton. With every decision you make you’ll be left hoping that you won’t regret those actions later, and it’s that facet that will keep you more and more involved as the story progresses. In the world of espionage there is always a choice to be made. So let’s hope you make the right one.

As with anything in life, opinions are wholly subjective based on the point of view of the individual.  In terms of video games, there are categories to help fans and players clearly define a specific classification of any given genre.  But there’s always someone with an opinion even when it comes to those defined categories, case and point?  BioWare’s Daniel Erickson, who during a interview with Strategy Informer, offered up his feelings on Final Fantasy XIII, stating, “You can put a ‘J’ in front of it, but it’s not an RPG. You don’t make any choices, you don’t create a character, you don’t live your character… I don’t know what those are – adventure games maybe? But they’re not RPG’s.”

In a way, the Two Worlds franchise is similar to a star child actor. Child actors are often very popular when they first start out, but whenever they try to change their appearance the audience isn’t always so accepting. Such is the case with Two Worlds 2. The first game was universally known for being so mediocre it was comical. Voice acting was absurd, dialogue was worse and the Xbox 360 version had several interface issues. All this combined, makes it very difficult for me to convince anyone that despite the first game’s flaws, the sequel may just turn out to be a very interesting game. In order for Two Worlds 2 to succeed, you’ll have to forgive the past and be open to the idea that everyone improves the second time around.

In fact, developer TopWare Interactive is very aware of the less-than-desirable reputation they’ve inherited. The preview at PAX for Two Worlds 2 started with an explanation for why the first game didn’t fulfill the goals it had set for itself. As it turns out, the original title was planned to be a PC exclusive and it wasn’t until late in development that the publisher decided to also make the game for the Xbox 360. That, coupled with the fact that developer Reality Pump had barley worked with an Xbox 360 before, created a lackluster first installment to the franchise.

Things are different this time around. Two Worlds 2 has been designed as a multiplatform game from the start. There’s a different engine team for each version of the game, so any technical glitches from the first game will not likely  reappear in the sequel. The game has also been developed with the Xbox 360’s limitations in mind, so the performance will be consistent and stable throughout your playthrough (the demo certainly was). I think that’s enough apologizing though, let’s move on to the actual game.

Two Worlds 2 takes place in a fictional fantasy world made up of four islands. The expected components of said fantasy world are also present: elves, orcs, wizards, magic, dungeons, castles, etc. Continuing from the previous Two Worlds’ narrative, your character is jailed due to actions that occurred in the original game.. You don’t spend much time there though, due to the efforts of a band of Orcs that break you out shortly after your arrival.

The representatives demoing the game made sure to leave out specific details on what the story is about, but mentioned brief bits of information hinting at a world-wide war instigating the chaos found in the world. From then onwards, the demo focused more so on showing off the mechanics and pieces of the world instead of playing through the first few hours.

The first gameplay mechanic demonstrated was magic. Most games today deal with magic in a very rudimentary and mundane way. You acquire a spell that takes a certain amount of mana to use and does the same effect every single time. TopWare decided to give magic a more creativity-based design. Instead of generic spells such as “fire”, the player gets to make their own enchantments. Each asset of a spell is defined by a card. One spell has a main card, and six subsidiaries, with each supplement affecting the main card in a different way.

The example they showed was a “projectile” with “ice” and “extra damage” supplements. They cast the spell on a rock and the expected outcome occurred (i.e. Nothing happened). Afterwards, they took the same spell and added on “multiple” and “ricochet” supplements. Now the spell shot off in three different directions and ricocheted at least once off of whichever object it hit first. These supplements can also be stacked; meaning if you happen to find ten ricochet cards, your spell will ricochet ten times before dying out. The spells can also become more advanced; one spell they concocted spawned multiple companion fighters once their projectile hit its target. At the same time, the developers ensured that the magic system will not be overpowered. Cards such as ricochet or damage can stack, but some of them have a limit to how many times you can increase their effect. For example ricochet caps at ten, while damage can go on well past twenty. Regardless of restrictions, this type of spell system seemed open to a lot of mix-and-match opportunities unique to each player.

From there I got a brief explanation of how weapon modification and upgrading would work. Most RPG players follow a predictable path of weapon management: collect a whole bunch, go to the store, pick the most damaging one to keep and sell the rest. Two Worlds 2 wants to stop that repetitive play style. Their way of combating the monotony is by making every weapon/armor in the game degradable. So if you have a sword you don’t plan to use, you can break it down into core elements. For example that sword you don’t need will become two pieces of iron. Those pieces can then be used to upgrade and improve a sword you already have. This means players can stick with the weapon and armor set they find the most aesthetically pleasing and continuously upgrade it for the entire game, no matter where they go.

Speaking of which, there’s a lot of locations to visit in Two Worlds 2. No geographical map was shown, but it was explained to me that the entire world was spread over 60sq kilometers and four islands. Some islands are large enough to be labeled continents, while others are smaller archipelagos. It has always been difficult for me to understand how real-world measurements translate into video-game world, but it seems clear that Two Worlds 2 will have plenty of worlds to explore.

It’s not just that the world is huge, each location is very different and distinguishable from the other. Over the hour demo, I came across an Asian-culture inspired castle, thick swamplands, beautiful beachside and a desert themed castle with beggars and authoritative guards. Each location looked radically different from the last; it was hard to believe it was from the same game. Needless to say, each area of the map will feel very unique when compared to the other three.

The final part of the presentation was about multiplayer and cooperative elements. Two Worlds 2 will support full two player co-op through a separate cooperative campaign. However, the characters in co-op are story relevant, and are different from the main character in the single player. For this reason, you won’t be able to transfer your single player save data to multiplayer. There’s also a different world to discover in Co-op. So instead of having a tacked on “single player +1″ (or more) adventure, players will get to experience an entirely different campaign and environment in the cooperative mode.

The more interesting multiplayer game type was the one least explained. Entitled “village mode”, each player is assigned his or her own village. As you (and your friends) continue to take quests in this village the economy will grow. The player who owns that particular village will get to decide what type of work it will specialize in.

The example given was one town maxing out its weaponry skills, allowing the best weapons to be bought and sold, and another, focusing on an armory and housing the best armor possible. Any stats gained or gear obtained in this mode would transfer over to the cooperative element. It seemed very complex, but very intriguing at the same time. They said that the village mode would be explained further E3 later this year, so be sure to stay tuned for more information on that when it hits.

Overall, I left the Two Worlds 2 demo feeling very impressed. I wasn’t a particular fan of the first game and couldn’t even make it to the end of the demo before deciding it wasn’t worth my time. When taking into account the unfortunate development history of the first game and how promising everything in the demo looked, it seems possible that Two Worlds 2 may very well be the biggest surprise release of this year. After all, many child actors are only remembered for their early career, but some eventually break through the mold and star in big blockbuster hits throughout their adult life (Shia LaBeouf). Maybe that will be the case for Two Worlds 2? Be sure to follow our coverage of this game up until release, which is expected to be later this year.

If there’s one genre that feels a bit lackluster for the Xbox 360’s library, it’s role-playing games. While we don’t have much to showcase the Japanese RPG market, Mistwalker has stepped up to change that by introducing Blue Dragon; a game that was released in Japan late last year, which will arrive in the states August 28th. Thankfully, we no longer have to rely on articles for our Blue Dragon quick-fix, as of July 11th, Mistwalker released a demo. However, if you’d like to know more about Blue Dragon without ruining that golden first play experience, feel free to read on.

The demo includes two dungeons to play through, both with a sixty-minute time limit. The first dungeon exhibits Shu and his companions entering Master Nene’s fortress. Master Nene is an extremely old man seeking to extract Shadow powers within the invading rivals to benefit his own. After entering, you’ll play in a 3rd person perspective roaming around the factory-like environment filled with various baddies. Encountering these enemies will initiate battle mode, where you and your teammates square off against one to four monsters in traditional turn-based combat. While it may keep the standard turn-based format close to heart, it does withhold unique gameplay mechanics whilst in-battle to stray itself away from your average JRPG.

Each member of your party has different types of shadows. Shu, the protagonist in this story, has the vigorous Blue Dragon shadow by his side. Everyone else has similar shadows, but in a different species. You fight foes by controlling shadows to perform physical and mental capabilities, so you’re not literally using your party members to fight. Shadows have a variety of customizable abilities and classes. For each character, you choose your shadow’s class which range from different kinds of melee and caster classes, such as Sword Master, Guardian, Monk, Assassin, Black Magic, White Magic, Barrier Magic and Support Magic. Since you can switch a character class at any time, it’s interesting to mess around in other classes. Each class has its own set of abilities which are also customizable, giving you a choice to fine-tune a character to what you want.

Although most of these abilities activate passively, such has HP/MP modifiers, you also have skills that may be used on your turn as well. Whether it’s Meditate, a monk skill that allows you to heal yourself, or even something simple as a Steal command for assassins, there’s a lot to toy around with that’s designated to your class in Blue Dragon without seeming over-complicated. What’s also easy to understand is the level design. Master Nene’s fortress is untroublesome to maneuver around, as is the Ancient Ruins dungeon; you won’t see yourself getting lost. You won’t get confused with the controls as well, as they are laid out in an understandable way.

The game looks especially stunning in both its in-game and cinematic works, showing Akira Toriyama’s work at his finest. However, Akira isn’t the only big-named developer on board. Nobuo Uematsu, widely known as composer for the Final Fantasy series, is present for the musical score. If you didn’t know already, Mistwalker also contains many developers from the one-hit wonder, Chrono Trigger.

With so much potential, we cannot wait for Blue Dragon to be released in the states. Although the story doesn’t necessarily unfold within the demo, it gives us some hints on what’s to come. From what the demo shows, it’s going to be tough to keep your eye off Blue Dragon. Other than a few framerate issues, Blue Dragon seems to be pulling together nicely, and will certainly be putting both fists up for best RPG of this year.