The DSi and DSXL have had price drops this week – $100 and $130 respectively.

Additionally, Toys R Us, Target and Best Buy are all offering a $20 gift card with purchase of a 3DS system.

What does this mean?  With summer on the way, hand-held systems will start seeing deals like this to sell the system.  There’s not a lot out there in terms of RPGs for the 3DS, but the other titles available, including the ones through Nintendos 3DS store, can make the system worthwhile.  As usual, research the titles before you buy.

Hopefully, similar deals will arrive for the Vita.

Amazon is offering a fairly large deal on PC direct download titles.  Some of these are time-specific, but you can check out the available list here.

Might & Magic Clash of Heroes is $10.49 on PSN until Tuesday.

That’s all I got for this week, folks.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by the Silent Hill HD Collection.  I just can’t quit you.

“Oh what a feeling, to be dancing on the ceiling.” -Lionel Richie

“Lucy in the skyyyy with diamonds.” -The Beatles

“Yeah I’m freeeeeee…free fallin’.” -Tom Petty

“And I’m fallin’… off the eeeedge…of the world. And I just keep on fallin’ yeah.” -Screeching Weasel

“You’re falling out of reeeaaach, defying gravityyyyy. I know you’re out there, somewhere out there.” – Our Lady Peace

“Sadamerareta unmei wo kirisaite. Sora e to nukedasou.” – L’Arc~en~Ciel

“Something is pulling me. I feel the gravity of it all.” -That ending song from Wolf’s Rain

And I guess that’s it. I felt like this list was a lot longer when I was listing these in my head.

…But still!

Update 5/25/2012: Here is a link to my review of Gravity Rush, over at PSLS.

I was at a convention earlier this weekend and saw something both interesting and confusing.  Someone had taken it upon themselves to release roms of games which had not received a North American release with “North American” cover art in the cartridges for the system of intended release.  In other words, Sweet Home, a Japanese-release only horror game for the NES, was available to buy at this convention, but it was not an import.  The game had a Nintendo-style game case, cover art, and would play in a NES.  It was both very geeky in a good way, and very confusing in a digital rights way.

Now if someone were to buy that game for, say, $50 from a dude at a convention; I think someone would pay $5 for an actual release on of our many digital download services.

Titles shipping the week of May 13

Diablo III, published by Activision Blizzard (PC).   What?  Another Diablo clone? Ah, I kid.  Blizzard’s other long-awaited sequel makes its debut this week.  It will no doubt smash records and do hideous things to your available time.  A collector’s edition is available.

Game of Thrones, published by Atlus (360, PC, PS3).  Atlus brings the recent TV show based on the not-so-recent novels to video game form.  Oddly, this will be one of the very few, if not the first, games Atlus does not release in Japan.  A collector’s edition is available.

Titles shipping the week of May 20

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, published by NISA (PS3).  The finale of the Arland-set series of games arrives this week.  Social interaction and Alchemy mixes take center stage of this game.  A collector’s edition is available.

Dragon’s Dogma, published by Capcom (360, PS3).  If you haven’t had the opportunity to try the demo for this game, I urge you to do so immediately.  The demo blew me away on many levels with its fast-paced gameplay, very deep character creator, and the sight of a little girl in chain mail donkey punching a griffin.

Some Advice:  If there’s a collector’s edition you are interested in this month, pre-order the game if you have not done so.  All three companies are very good about limited/collector’s edition being limited and collectible.

Everything else will be much cheaper later.

The Future: The Last Story hits in July; Persona 4: The Golden arrives in October; and Ni no Kuni still needs to be in my hands at this moment.

All release dates are subject to change.  Games available for download will have varying or staggered release dates. The views of this column do not reflect the views of RPG Land.  This column brought to you by Kingdom Hearts Math: Does this Sh!# Ever End?

Best Buy is offering a ‘buy 1 get 1 50% off’ several titles $20 and under, including Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Borderlands.

Best Buy also has SkyRim for $40 this week, and Witcher 2 for $50.

Disgaea 4 is $30 at Amazon.  The Collector’s edition is $40 as well.

That’s all I got for this week.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by cosplayers and the amount of flesh my eyes have seen this weekend.  Not all of it was good.

This week is also light, by the way.

I have often wondered as RPG elements become cannibalized for other games and the video game market, in general, becomes a social mess; how long before I run out of RPG-specific deals to post? Of course, I might just be blathering about nothing, since this is the time of year the market is slow.

Toys R Us is offering a ‘buy 1 get 1 40% off’ on all games under $20.

Amazon is offering Rage for $15 this week, and the Oblivion/Fallout 3 Double Pack for $20.

That’s all I got for this week. Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by wondering when the JRPG collapse happened, and how did I miss it?

“We have been working hard to create an online world in which players will be able to experience the epic Elder Scrolls universe with their friends, something fans have long said they wanted,” said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online

There is currently no release date for The Elder Scrolls Online and few details available. Some of the first details about the game will be revealed in an exclusive cover story in Game Informer’s June issue.

Enjoy! Jump onto our Twitter and Facebook pages and share your own thoughts.

It’s all Western RPGs this week.  With all the cross-platforming going on, I can really see how PCs and digital distribution take the deals cake.  It would be nice if console digital distribution could follow such prices.

Buying a copy of Mass Effect 3 at Target will net a $20 gift card.

Amazon has PC downloads of Deus Ex for $7 or $8 depending on the version you want, and Dungeon Siege III for $5.  Amazon also has Mass Effect 3 for $40.

That’s all I got for this week.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by lack of funds in the face of exclusive Transformers.

Stay tuned for our first Earthbound discussion soon! Share your thoughts/questions/comments/gripes with us via the Twitter and Facebook links to the left!

Update:
So now there’s apparently a YouTube version:

All PS3 and 360 games $39.99 or higher are $10 off at Toys R Us this week.  You’ll need a coupon, though.

Best Buy has Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Star Wars: The Old Republic for $40.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by plush Lucifer.

Mass Effect 3‘s ending apparently leaves much to be desired.  If reports are true, more people need to pay attention to their American Lit classes.  But hey; Mass Effect 3 is $40 at Best Buy this week.  Find out for yourself.

Dead Island looks to still be $20 at GameStop.  This was going on last week – it may be a permanent price drop.

Amazon.com has the limited edition of Fate/Extra for $30 this week.  If you don’t care about bells and whistles (or collecting), I’d recommend saving $5 via PSN.

At K-Mart, if you buy a PS3 you can get Mass Effect 3 for $30.  Not a bad game to start on your new system.

That’s all I got for this week.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by The Answer.  It’s grind time, baby.

Dead Island is $20 at GameStop, which means it just fell into my price range.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is $30 at Amazon and $40 at Target.

K-Mart is advertising 10% – 50% off clearance games this week.  There are no titles given, but Nier and Tales of Vesperia are at several K-Mart bargain bins near me.

Toysrus.com is offering a ‘buy 2 get 1 free sale’ on select clearance games. Here’s a list.

That’s all I got for this week.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by maxing out all my social links.  But only in Persona 3 FES.  Real life? Pshaw.

Everything Janelle knows about Xenogears: “It’s a game that has a famous story that I know nothing about, and one of Yasunori Mitsuda’s best game scores, which I know a bit about because I’m a soundtrack nerd. The game is also famous for having giant robots, but what role they play exactly is a mystery to me. I’m really shocked that I’ve been this blind about Xenogears for this long, considering that it came out in the PlayStation’s RPG boom. and it looks like a long, detailed experience that I’m excited to sink my teeth into.”
A little bit of real info about Xenogears: Right in the heart of what many call Squaresoft’s “Golden Age,” Xenogears hit the PlayStation in 1998. Though it features two different takes on a turn-based battle system, Xenogears is best remembered for its long, detailed story and gripping narrative. And its second disc.

Everything Heath knows about Earthbound: “It’s part of the Mother series, came out on SNES in the mid 90′s, stars a boy named Ness. It’s pretty famous for being quirky and cute, with a lot of wackiness, from what I gather. There’s a funny lookin’ character named Mr. Saturn, if I’m not mistaken, but I know nothing about him. The game has a big, surprisingly dedicated group of fans. Other that that, I don’t really know much about the game itself. I’m excited to finally play it.”

A little bit of real info about Earthbound: Part of a series called “Mother” in Japan, the Super Nintendo RPG Earthbound was actually the second title. A third emerged on Game Boy Advance a few years ago, as well as a dual pack containing the first two Mother games, but Earthbound remains the only member of its franchise to make it stateside. The Mother series was written by Shigesato Itoi, a copywriter famous in Japan for composing slogans and ad copy for hundreds of famous products and films.

So check back right on our homepage, RPGLand’s Twitter thing, and Facebook page for updates on our progress as well as our continued thoughts on the game. We’re planning a couple of podcasts about it, in which we discuss our progress through these legendary games.

I love survival horror games very much, and I understand Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is not of the genre. Yet, it’s crappy online entices me every other day.  And I get slammed in every match because I’m a piss-poor player.  It’s like being in a bromance, but without the -mance.  There’s no love.  Only a kill/death ratio of .75 and no online trophies to back up my hours logged in.

Having said that, I want to see another horror/RPG.  C’mon, Sacnoth; wherever you may be.  Make my day.

Titles shipping the week of April 2

Confrontation, published by Focus Home Interactive (PC).  Looks to be an action RPG for the PC.  Not much came to attention about this title – I may have to check out a demo.

Fallout 3 & Oblivion Double Pack, published by 2K Games (360, PC).  I think this was mentioned quite some time ago.  These are the regular, non-DLC versions of the games.  For those whom have yet to play the titles, the package might be a good introduction.

Xenoblade Chronicles, published by Nintendo (Wii).  GameStop has exclusive rights to the retail version of this game, though customers can also order through Nintendo.  I guess it was the only way the game would be made available.  Xenoblade Chronicles is considered to be one of the best Wii RPGs around.  That’s not a hard thing to imagine, considering the titles available.

Titles shipping the week of April 16

Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, published by NISA (Vita).  All Disgaea titles will find their way to Sony machines eventually.  At least players can now grind infinitely while in motion.

Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, published by Warner Bros (360, PC).  The second Witcher game makes its debut on the 360.  This was previously a PC-only title, but the company behind the Witcher games has apparently been looking to bring the series to consoles.  Or at least the 360.  The PC version was pretty decent, but also pretty hard.  It will be interesting to see how 360 players handle it.

Titles shipping the week of April 30

Tera Online, published by Atari (PC).  Another MMO adds its hat to the ring.  Tera supposedly features true action, skill-based gameplay.  It’s hard to see what Tera will actually bring to the MMO genre, especially since it hasn’t been released and is already touting “A Vibrant Online Community.”

Some Advice:  Xenoblade Chronicles has a 50/50 chance on whether or not it will hit the bargain bin.  Almost all GameStop-exclusive titles wind up in there eventually.  However, it GameStop were to wise up and only stock 10% above pre-orders, then the game may be hard to find.

Aside from Xenoblade Chronicles, the month might as well be called pass month. Any title of interest will be much cheaper later.

The Future: The Wii sees more love with The Last Story; Dragon’s Dogma pulls a Zone of the Enders; Borderlands 2 contains 96.5% more Wub-Wub; and Ni no Kuni needs to be in my hands.  Now.

All release dates are subject to change.  Games available for download will have varying or staggered release dates. The views of this column do not reflect the views of RPG Land.  This column brought to you by Call of Duty players on a Resident Evil game.  Players need to step the f*** back, y’all.

Toys R Us is having a ‘buy one get one 40% off’ on video games, DVDs and CDs.  Additionally, the media can be mixed and matched.  Not bad if you can’t find that second title you’re looking for and have a movie of interest a shelf away.  Additionally, points cards across Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are 15% off.

Amazon has Mass Effect 3 for $50 this week.

As does Target.

Best Buy has Kingdoms of Amalur for $50 and Final Fantasy XIII-2 for $30.

GameStop has a Spring Sale going on:

White Knight Chronicles II also comes with a remastered version of the first title.  $20 for two PS3 games is pretty good.

Atlus dropped the prices of several games last Tuesday:

• Class of Heroes $15
• Crimson Gem Saga $15
• Hexyz Force $15
• Knights in the Nightmare $15
• Riviera: The Promised Land $10
• Persona $20
• Persona 2: Innocent Sin $30
• Persona 3 Portable $20
• Yggdra Union $10

New retail copies of Crimson Gem Saga and Hexyz Force are about $60 apiece on Amazon, just as an FYI.

And that’s all I got for this week.  Amazon may price match some of these – the store wound up price matching Target’s ‘B2G1′ free sale last week.

Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by fighting Death in Tartarus.  Stupid party agility.

First up, due out in August, is Legasista for PS3 (via PSN only). Here’s a trailer:

Next, due out in the Fall, is Mugen Souls, also for PS3.

The first quarter of 2013 will see The Witch and the 100 Knights drop, also for PS3.
There don’t seem to be many videos of the game, but I’ll tell you this much, it’s a new game by the team that made the two PSP Prinny titles, and North America probably won’t get the sexy pre-order artwork.

Thanks, NeoGAF

Actually, Target has decided to be fairly amazing this week.

All games between $14.99 and $59.99 are on a ‘buy 2 get 1 free’ sale.  The least expensive game is, as usual, the free title.

Nintendo 3DS systems are on sale for $145.

Toys R Us is offering Final Fantasy XIII for $35 and SkyRim for $40.

Amazon’s PC download deals for the week are:

• Mass Effect – $6
• Mass Effect 2 – $6
• Mass Effect 2 Deluxe – $9
• Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 Deluxe – $12

That’s all I got for this week.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by me.  Hi there!

Until 3/31, buy Final Fantasy XIII-2 and get Final Fantasy XIII for free at Amazon.  The deal is for either system.

The PlayStation version of Grandia is now $6 on the PSN.  Grandia is a cute, if long, game.  Thankfully the excellent battle system helps it along.

The PSN will be hosting a huge Final Fantasy sale this week which will start March 20.  The sale will feature the PSOne and PSP titles.

Gold members on Xbox Live can get half-off Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerfall, Torchlight, and DeathSpank: The Baconing until Tuesday morning.

Atlus has reprinted Radiant Historia on the DS.

That’s all I got for this week.  Happy Hunting.

Disclaimer: Deals may not be available in all stores. Deals may stop and any time. Prices in each store may differ. You can try different stores to mitigate this, and always ask if a store has the item before leaving the store. You might be able to get a raincheck. Many deals are in-store only, except where specified. This column brought to you by Raspberry Coke.  It tastes so bad, yet I cannot stop drinking it.