Rethinking the JRPG protagonist

This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.

It's been more than a decade now, but I'm pretty sure my favorite JRPG protagonist is Lenneth Valkyrie of Valkyrie Profile.

Lenneth stands out to me not just as a strong leading lady, but as a professional. She spends much of the game recruiting the world's most fearsome warriors, and she's not afraid to condemn those she doesn't like to the Nordic version of hell. Not even a love interest -- the comparatively wimpy Lucian -- is enough to dull her edge.

In the succeeding years... (Continue Reading...)

GOG sale: Krondorian betrayals, masquerades, steamworks and magick obscura

GOG's weekend sale caters to those who appreciate substantial, fantastic heft -- enough to fuel a novelization or two. The download service is offering a 30 percent discount on four Activision-published RPGs, including Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (pictured) at $4.19, and the Feist-fueled Betrayal at Krondor Pack, which includes an additional betrayal in Antara for $4.19.

The same discounted price also applies to Return to Krondor, a divisive sequel that spent years in tumultuous development, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, Nihilistic Software's flawed take on the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name.

The connection between Arcanum and Vampire? Arcanum's now-defunct developer Troika went on to finish Vampire: The Masquerade -... (Continue Reading...)


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