Another week, another Grimrock update - this week also with a rather nifty desktop wallpaper. A sample from the update:

Anyways, besides adding bugs, we’ve been eliminating them aplenty this week. A lot of nasty ones too. For example there was a brief moment when all of our monsters were immortal but since it made the game a little too difficult, we had to fix it. Oh, and regarding difficulty, the game now has a setting for combat difficulty! If you feel like you want to concentrate more on the puzzles and adventuring and just glide through the combat, just switch it to easy! Also, keyboard bindings should work now pretty universally across any sort of keyboard, language or key and if you accidentally hit caps lock during an intense combat it won’t be a problem. The fabled “oldschool mode” that disables the automap was implemented and we’ve also added a little more spice to the spells and the key art of the game is looking mighty fine too!

Joystiq has a photo of a redemption card packed in with a new boxed copy of Reckoning that shows EA is using the common technique of free DLC to new purchasers to encourage new sales rather than used. Those that purchase Reckoning new can access a sixth faction, titled the House of Valor:

According to the insert included in our copy of the game, online pass owners (read: those who purchase new copies of the game) will get access to "seven additional player quests" throughout the House of Valor faction questline. It's unclear whether the PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the game contain the same stipulation, but we've reached out to EA for clarification.

Looking at the official forums there's a massive (over) reaction and the developers posting were apparently getting ready to post a FAQ but were caught off guard with this early release of the information. Nevertheless, it was confirmed all new copies will offer access to the House of Valor regardless of platform - we'll post links when they release the official FAQ.

In the meantime, Gametrailers has a new trailer titled A New World to Discover offering a 3 minute tour of Amalur.

The Bioblog has a new Special Forces trailer for Mass Effect 3, accompanied by a blurb written by Patrick Weekes called 'So Your Friend is a Vanguard':

You’ve taken a defensible position. A Singularity is blocking the side doorway to keep you from getting flanked. Everyone is ready to turn the street ahead into a veritable killzone as soon as the enemy comes around the corner.

And then your friend zips halfway across the battlefield in a burst of blue light like Leroy Jenkins and you’re all left sitting there going, “Umm… so… should we run after her?”

Don’t panic! Everything is going to be fine. You’re just experiencing a common condition known to the BioWare Dev Team as “Someone’s Playing a Vanguard.” And we can help you through it.

This news is a day or two old but I'm just catching up. If you've opted in to the new Steam beta patches for Skyrim, a minor update has been released:

Update 1/26: A new version of the Beta Update (1.4.20) is now live on Steam. It addresses the following:

• Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first

Joystiq has a piece titled Ultima: Most.Important.Gamer.Series.Ever which sounds reasonable to me:

Hey there. Whatcha playing? No, actually, don't tell me. You're playing Ultima. You don't know you're playing Ultima, but you are. If you're playing an open-world game, you're dealing with Ultima. If you're playing a massively-multiplayer game, you're dealing with Ultima. If you're playing a game with a morality system, Ultima. Even something as simple as three-dimensional graphics – either in perspective or overall representation – have ties to Ultima. How?

Soldak has a Drox Operative update covering the rather cool idea of subraces that develop and evolve. Here's a lengthy snip to understand the concept:

Subraces are usually a powerful, but very small group within one of the main races in Drox Operative. These subraces won't exist at all at the beginning of a new game, but can come about in various ways. Some just happen randomly due to evolution, some are created by their parent race in response to dangers, and some are just accidents. Because they are individually more powerful than an ordinary person of the race in question, they are often used for their talents and abused because they are different, but they are also generally feared. So it's not a huge surprise that when given a chance they rebel and are willing to die for their freedom.

Their rebellions can be very nasty affairs for both sides. The government is likely to quell the rebellion with deadly force and the subrace rebels will likely use their talents to gain their freedom. This of course is where the player comes in. You actually have a choice, which side do you help out? Do you help the oppressive government that you already have a relationship with or do you help out the dangerous rebels?

If the rebellion is successful, the subrace will become a fully functioning new race in your sector of the galaxy. This means they will start building ships, have a functioning economy, scout and colonize planets, and start diplomatic relationships with the other races. This will definitely be disruptive to the sector. There is now a new force to deal with, they are powerful, and they tend to be pissed off due to their mistreatment. This also means if they are ultimately successful, you better hope you backed them when they asked for help.

Rock Paper Shotgun has interviewed Swen "Lar" Vincke on Dragon Commander and on the move of Larian Studios to become self publishing.

RPS: Yes, the game does seem quite different to your previous offerings, can you explain why you went that route?

Vincke: I have this little notebook here full of game ideas that I’d like to do, and I’ve tried pitching them to publishers, several times, and I’ve never managed to get funding. Since we’ve said that we will now go completely independent it was time to take a look in the little notebook and see what we’re going to make. Out of that came Dragon Commander. It’s a blend of genres that I’ve always liked to play – my gaming education was in the Amiga times, and the C64 before that – and I remember playing this Cinemaware game, Defender Of The Crown, which was something I liked, and it was a genre that faded away. But if you put modern production values on that, and add all the innovations of the intervening years on that, then you have something appealing. And in any case I would like to play it, so we said “okay let’s bet on that”. It’s risky! I pitched it to the usual suspects and they all looked at me… suspiciously, let’s put it that way.

CD Projekt has made some big announcements as expected - you can watch the video here if you want to experience it first hand.

Details on the X360 version were revealed, as well as the release date of April 17th. From VG247:

The RPG, originally released for PC last year, will contain combat controls specifically optimized for the Xbox 360 controller, along with three additional hours of quest content in the form of two new adventures for Act 3. Three new characters will also be introduced in the extra content, which will also be making its way onto PC as a free download.

Witcher II on 360 will also include all previous content released for PC, as well as the “Dark” difficulty setting and Arena mode.

Those "three additional hours" that are also coming to the PC will be in the form of an Enhanced Edition - also for release on April 17th. Here are some details from GOG:

GOG.com is pleased as punch to announce that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, developed by sister company CD Projekt RED, will be coming to PC on the 17th of April! Just like when CDP RED updated the original Witcher to The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, this comes with scads of upgrades and extras for you to enjoy. The good news is that anyone who owns The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings before the 17th will receive the upgrade to the Enhanced Edition for free!

In celebration, we’re offering The Witcher 2 on sale for 15% off, starting now, for the next two weeks.

In case you didn’t hear the news from CDP RED, let’s go over what’s new and awesome about the Enhanced Edition:

New major adventures set in new locations. These consist of an underground system of chambers beneath Loc Muine and a temperate coniferous forest in the Loc Muine mountains, and a secret cave passage. These new adventures will add several hours of story-based gameplay to the game.

New major characters to the Witcher story. One of them is Brigida Papebrock Dame. This noble woman comes from the Temerian family Papebrock and is a 30 year old lady-in-waiting of the Temerian court. The other characters are secret--for now!

All new animations and cut scenes, including a new, three and a half minute pre-rendered cinematic depicting the assassination of King Demavend of Aedirn. BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee Tomasz Baginski brings this key historical event to life, setting the stage for the story told in The Witcher 2.

GOG.com will also be adding the Witcher comic book to our list of goodies on the 17th as a free gift to everyone who owns the Witcher 2; further, there will be a new game map, game guide, manual, and soundtrack available in your free goodies on that day as well.

The Witcher 2 is already a game that has won--in scientific notation--a gazillion awards. Come this April 17th, it’s going to get even better!

Here's the latest Reckoning Answers from the Team:

Q: Amalur has 10.000 years of History and I was wondering if learning/reading more about the history/story of a place/person could sometime give you an in-game reward of some sort: clue about a secret item/place, new dialogue choices, etc... – By Cjail01

A: In the Age of Arcana, the mortal races have learned to use Lorestones -- magical objects created by the Fae that can store a person's knowledge, experiences, and stories. These stones are hidden around Amalur and contain stories about Amalur, past and present. Lorestones come in sets, and most are themed around a given area. As a reward for exploration, you will receive a permanent bonus when you uncover the entire story of a set of Lorestones. – By Erik "DoctorSpooky" Caponi, Principal Narrative Designer

Following on from their other recent lists, IGN has The Best Role-Playing Games of 2012 - at least, according to them. Mass Effect 3, Diablo III, Game of Thrones, Reckoning, South Park, Torchlight 2, several jRPGs and, my personal choice, Risen 2 make the list:

Quick quote: "Risen's transformation into a swashbuckling pirate adventure hints at a more accessible approach to role-playing than Gothic developer Piranha Bytes usually takes."

GOG has added Square Enix to their catalogue, which means Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition is now available through the service.

Is Chris Avellone the most profiled developer ever? Anyway, A site called CelebritySC has an interview/profile, mostly focused on his background and work:

How do you resolve creative disputes during the game development process? Please provide an example scenario.

We simply discuss it. When a conflict arises between two people of the same level, then their superior breaks the tie. It rarely comes to this as long as the hierarchy is well-established and everyone is aware of who has the final say. For example, if a conflict arises with a mission in a game, and the Systems Designer, Level Designer, and Narrative Designer disagree, the systems designer is the one who can make the call over the others because they are in charge of moment-to-moment gameplay. After that, the level designer is the next highest because they take the systems and put them in the context of a level – last on the totem pole is the narrative designer, whose job it is to give context to the level in the larger world.

A demo has been released for Neocore's RTS/RPG, King Arthur II - The Roleplaying Wargame. Word is the 1.7Gb file offers around 60 minutes of gameplay. Here are some mirrors, courtesy of Blue's:

The demo is available on this page and mirrored on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, GamesDot.org, and Strategy Informer.       

RPG Gamer participated in Q&A Round Table discussion with members of the KO:A team.
As always a snip:

On Fate and Destiny:

Fate and destiny play into both the game's storyline and its mechanics. In terms of the story, the main character is the first mortal in the world to have awakened from the dead. Everyone else in the world has a deterministic fate that they cannot escape, but the player character has been released from fate via resurrection. This provides a lore-based rationale for why the main character is special. In terms of gameplay mechanics, the Destiny system allows players to choose their own fates by picking from any class that's available based on the abilities that the player has chosen. There's also the Fate Shift mechanic, which allows the player to store up fate via defeating foes in combat. When the fate bar is full, a Fate Shift can be executed, making time slow down for the enemies and making the player powerful.

In other KO:A news there has been a 24th Community Q and A newsletter released.

A sample:

Q: Amalur has 10.000 years of History and I was wondering if learning/reading more about the history/story of a place/person could sometime give you an in-game reward of some sort: clue about a secret item/place, new dialogue choices, etc... – By Cjail01

A: In the Age of Arcana, the mortal races have learned to use Lorestones -- magical objects created by the Fae that can store a person's knowledge, experiences, and stories. These stones are hidden around Amalur and contain stories about Amalur, past and present. Lorestones come in sets, and most are themed around a given area. As a reward for exploration, you will receive a permanent bonus when you uncover the entire story of a set of Lorestones. – By Erik "DoctorSpooky" Caponi, Principal Narrative Designer

And in this comment on Eurogamer Ian Frazier  says that Skyrim is KO:A's biggest competitor:

The biggest concern at Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer Big Huge Games right now is you're still playing Skyrim.

According to lead designer Ian Frazier, if you and lots of other gamers are still playing Skyrim, you may not be interested in Reckoning, out next month.

Reckoning is a huge, open world high fantasy RPG. Sound like a game you've played?

"Frankly, Reckoning is either going to do well enough that we're going to be in a good place or people are going to go, nope, I'm still playing Skyrim, I'm not interested, in which case we're hosed," Frazier told Eurogamer.

And finally, there's a third visonary news letter, this time penned by Art Director Todd McFarlane via Totally Gaming Network.

Demo Impressions for this game can be found at many websites. I'll mention one of them and list the others.

A demo impression can be found at TeamXbox.   A snippet:

It would seem that this demo is the first hour or so of the game. So, one of the first things out of the gate, it’s time to make your dude! Fairly standard character creation options, two genders, four races, eight or so faces, and some hair, hats, nothing really special, except no class choice… which is one of the things about this system that stands out. As you play you pick fate cards that give class style buffs, almost it seems as it suits you and the situation. Now it is time to learn how to slice and dice, which is really what shines early on in this demo. It does a very nice job giving you all the various combat options, at a pace that allows for some play with each one.

Another preview can be found at Action Trip

The next preview comes from Dual Shockers

And then there's the previews:

Levyathyn

Attack of the Fanboy

Gaming Union you have to scroll own half a page or so

Newbrereview

The Paranoid Gamer

The last demo impression coming from

Games Eye View

This is the first year where you could cast a vote specifically for Indie RPGs. If you are curious enough to find out which games received the awards, check out our article.

Here is a snippet from the Gamers' Choice:

It isn't a typical action/RPG but rather a hack'n'slasher that has very carefully stripped away unnecessary elements and substituted some innovative ideas, such as the optional shrines that allow players to choose additional challenges in return for more XP. XP unlocks slots for "tonics" - potions that improve stats or provide other benefits. Instead of the usual inventory management, you only carry two weapons at a time but the loadout can be swapped around and each weapon has five upgrade levels.

I check the Inquisitor page every few days and, every now and then, the official Facebook page - what I'd missed was a stream of comments and responses under some screens posted last August on that Facebook page. So, here's a selection of replies from "Inquisitor (RPG)" over a period of months that gives a much better sense of the situation. The last was January 18th, bringing us right up to date.

Last August, on the possibility of new things in the English version:

Unfortunately not. The original developers from Wooden Dragon went their separate ways a long time ago and so there is no one to add any new content to the game.

We'd previously heard that all the "in game" text had been translated but now it becomes clear there's a lot more to do - only one of the three class translations has actually been added to the game:

We still want to launch the English beta this October and if everything goes right the game should be released by the end of this year. The English translation is done already, all priest's texts are in the game, now we have to get paladin's and thief's texts into it as well. It is a bit complicated and lengthy due to the way the texts were translated, but it's nothing we won't handle:-)

Late October and other issues are getting in the way:

And we are glad to hear that. But I'm afraid that the English version won't be released this year after all - even though I promised that. The release of Gyro13 and server crash recovery took more time than I originally assumed and since the beta test (= check of English translation in the game) will need some time, I don't think there is a chance to make it all by the end of this year. At least it will give us time for other things (like to translate the Inquisitor prequel novel).

Someone suggests they release the game with the one class that is finished but that won't work:

As the original development team practically doesn't exist anymore, we can't do any changes in the programming code, so to release the game with one playable character only isn't really an option. Moreover, to release any part of the game in English, a thorough test is necessary to fine-tune the translation directly in the game. For that we need a web interface, as I assume, for testers to submit their corrections. And we still don't have that either. We have to wait for Lukas to find some time for that. Meanwhile, I've finished the Book of Armor and Weapons that is currently waiting for proofreading.

Early January now and they haven't actually progressed:

As far as the ingame text is concerned, there is no progress whatsoever. But we discussed it over... a few... glasses of beer with the guy that wrote the whole text in Czech and learned about what we should be careful about when transfering the translation of priest's texts to other characters. And as far as other texts go, the proofreading of the Book of Armor and Weapons should start soon and the Revelation of Ezekiel should be translated by the end of this week.

January 9th and we learn only one person is working on it, although again it isn't clear how much actually remains to do:

Well, yes, I'm the only one who is working on the translation, but it's the translation of "other" texts that is left to be done, the ingame text was translated quite some time ago and while I'm waiting for a programmer to prepare a system that would allow us to adapt the priest translation for paladin and thief, I'm making use of this time for the translation of some supporting texts (halfway through Codex Inquisitorium now).

January 18th and everyone who preordered should get a beta invite...eventually:

Yes, I assume that everyone who will have Inquisitor pre-ordered at the moment the beta is ready will receive an invitation to it.

RPGamer posted a short interview a couple of days back with Piranha Bytes' Björn Pankratz to discuss Risen 2:

After the huge sandbox world from Gothic 3, Risen was a return to the more focused, story-driven design seen in Gothic 1 and 2. Risen 2 appears to be much the same way. Would you ever consider making a game as large and open-ended as Gothic 3 again? 

BP: We have always tried to learn from the experiences we made with our past games. We could imagine designing a world with a similar size to that of Gothic 3 again, and we almost did so for Risen 2. We believe that we can now tell a more captivating story by gathering the threads at certain points and adding twists. For that reason, we created an open world, but also implemented many more story elements this time. 

Spotted at Ultima Aiera.

A new Inside Reckoning video has been offering insight on the sound and music.

In other news, the official forums are offering an opportunity to Ask the Reckoning Visionaries, collecting questions for Curt, Ken, Todd and R.A. Salvatore to answer. We'll post the answers when they are released.

Lastly - and I'm not sure if this is already known - Reckoning has an in-game Achievement system, regardless of the platform:

Reckoning has an in-game achievement system that is the same regardless of what version you are playing. Where the difference comes in is where you can view the list of achievements. For the PC version, you can view it in-game (and on Steam). For the XBox 360 and PS3 versions, you'll be able to view your full achievements list on your PlayStation Network and/or XBox Live profiles.

IGN asks their editors to choose their most anticipated games for 2012, resulting in a list of 20 games across a variety of platforms. A handful of RPG / RPG-ish games made the cut, such as Reckoning:

Ryan Clements: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning launches on February 7th. Now only weeks away, this massive RPG shows more promise than most other games hitting the market this year. It glitters with loot and gold, it carries magnificent lore penned by R.A. Salvatore, and it hammers the player with battles steeped in strategy. There is no greater joy than exploring a new, fantastical world with a character of your creation, fateless and shrouded in magic. 

In light of the X-COM "re-envisioning" on the way, the Rampant Coyote is asking what classic game youd choose to remake, which I thought was a cool discussion topic:

Me? I’d be terrified about it, but I’m going to pick Ultima 7. Knowing full well that some folks will accuse me of heresy, what I’d like to see changed beyond upgraded technology and UI would be the combat system. Something more like “turn-based with pause” from the Infinity Engine games (Baldur’s Gate, etc)  with better AI and a slower pace so things like actually casting spells in combat would have a chance to succeed.  Since nobody ever seemed to feel that combat was really that good in the first place in Ultima 7, I don’t think that sort of thing would violate the spirit of the game, or the series.  I would also like to see stat-check style mechanics supplement (not entirely replace) the elements of the game that were more twitch-driven… dodging fireballs and that kind of thing. This way even those who prefer a more thoughtful pace in their RPGs wouldn’t get badly penalized for not playing it like a an NES game. And really, what made Ultima 7 work so well was the world and the story, not the RPG mechanics… which to me always felt a little half-baked.

Eurogamer talked to Ian Frazier,  the lead designer for the game. Ian Frazier maintains that the bugs in the demo won't be in the final game.  The demo seems to be based on a three-months old build and was made by another company. A quote from Ian Frazier:

There's a lot of tension about the demo, which we didn't build in-house," Frazier told Eurogamer. "It was branched off our code about three months ago. It got a lot of bug fixing. We sent them what we had, but there are a lot of bug fixes they didn't get. So we're all nervous, like, the demo's really buggy.

"But all the time the demo was worked on is time we spent de-bugging the main game. It should be clear from the reviews the main game is in way better shape. That's been a source of nervousness."

In other KO:A news R.A. Salvatore has been interviewed by Amazon.com
It mainly centers around the setting in this game, where Salvatore explains that he has been trying to create a world e.g cultures that the gamers can relate to.

Ken Rolston has made a newsletter. Here's an excerpt:

The first time I could play Reckoning's combat, even in its early, limited form, I could tell how amazing it was ... how much better than I could imagine. I could dodge and roll and dash for handy corners, keep my enemy off-balance and moving to re-target me. And everything happened so fast. It took me a while to adjust. I've never enjoyed console action games, so it was a steep learning curve. That first experience with an early build was the answer to all my role-playing tactical movement dreams. But it didn't even begin to scratch the surface of the other RPG combat delights that Reckoning had in store for me.

IGN has played through the upcoming Mass Effect 3 demo and is "talking about major spoilers" in a new video preview.

A debatable topic if there ever was one but 1Up has a piece titled How Diablo Saved the Computer RPG, looking back at market at the time, the release of Diablo and why it was successful (with some dodgy assertions). From the opening:

It's safe to say that by 1995, the computer role-playing game was dying. RPGs were losing traction to the wave of games modeled after two recently innovative titles: 1992's Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty and 1993's Doom. After the success of those two titles, the computer game industry as a whole shifted to producing more real-time strategy games and first-person shooters. The dwindling audience that enjoyed turn-based role-playing games full of mechanics, simulations, and obscure details were then being swayed by turn-based strategy games like Civilization II.  

By this time, traditional first or third-person RPGs were still being released, but pretty much no one except Europeans bought them. One of the bigger successes in the genre came from a small studio in Maryland: The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall from Bethesda Softworks. Yet that was more of an anomaly -- Bethesda saw better traction from shooters like Terminator: Future Shock and its sequel SkyNET. Even the stalwart Ultima series -- Lord British's saga of isometric RPGs in a fully fleshed-out fantasy universe -- abandoned its core principles in pursuit of the action-driven market. Ultima fans generally felt betrayed when Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle -- a party-based RPG with a vast world -- was followed up with Ultima VIII: Pagan -- which featured a lone hero in a much smaller setting that bizarrely featured platforming elements (most likely in pursuit of luring action and even console gamers to the Ultima series).  

Spiderweb is looking for beta testers for the upcoming Windows version of Avernum: Escape from the Pit. As always, only apply if you genuinely have the time and patience for beta testing.