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My feelings are that if a remake were to work well then all the core members of the original team must be reassembled, all the artists and designers.
The 3D remake of what I consider to be the second best pre-CD era Final Fantasy games is heading to Europe this summer. Final Fantasy IV DS adds a layer of 3D shine to the characters many of us have known for years as 2D sprites, bringing Cecil, Kain, Rosa, and that damn spoony bard to life like never before. I wish they could be more specific than Summer 2008 for the Euro release, but with it heading stateside on July 22nd I am sure European fans will have it around that date, one way or another. To commemorate this vague release window, Squeenix gives you many pictures to print out and tape to your DS so you can pretend you're from the future.
nintendo ds
The Nintendo DS remakes of both Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V look likely to make their way to U.S. shores soon, as a pair of recently filed trademarks have popped up on the US Patent and Trademark Office's web site. Filings for "Chapters of the Chosen" and "Hand of the Heavenly Bride" were submitted over the past two weeks, matching very closely to the subtitles of both DQ IV and V respectively.
The ESRB just published its E10+ rating for Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen but Square Enix has yet to make official a U.S. release. The Japanese re-release of IV happened last November, with V planned for this summer.
Sit down folks, Square Enix has announced a new mobile cell phone game called ELLARK. It's a "free online RPG" and is launching in Japan this June on all three major Japanese carriers. Not many details, but we're betting nice hairdos are involved.
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Until the PS3 was launched, regarding the 360 and PS3, it is true. I agree that maybe Japanese game technology is behind because there were no previous experiences, or a base in that PC market in Japan back then. Since then, things have changed. Now, I think it has come to a point when the PC architecture and technologies have advanced...
The original spoony bard makes his triumphant return to the states as Square Enix announces a July release date for the Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy IV! Finally you'll be able to associate voices to your favorite characters in the all-new CG cutscenes! Utilize the new Augment System to assign special abilities to your characters! Experience a remixed version of Nubuo Uematsu's original score! Train and customize your Whytkin using mini-games and let it fight to the death for your amusement! Watch me get so excited that I just reiterate the bullet points in the press release below! *composes himself* The game is due out on July 22nd, and Square Enix already has a website set up for the game at http://na.square-enix.com/ff4/ . Okay, so it's more of a picture than a website, but they'll get there, I promise.
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The latest issue of Famitsu Weekly reveals that Square Enix will be bringing Atsushi Okubo's manga series Soul Eater to the Wii. The series, which will be adapted in video game form as Soul Eater: Monotone Princess, just began airing as an anime series.
The Wii version currently has no date, but looks to be on the action oriented side, rather than a more hardcore RPG.
Soul Eater Announced For Wii [Jeux France]
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Gloom and doom! Those living in the US are starting to feel (or maybe, totally feeling) the effects of a downward economy. How will it affect gaming? According to analyst Hiroshi Kamide at KBC Securities Japan, "A recessionary environment is negative for the electronic entertainment industry, but we believe the core gaming market to be more resilient than its casual counterpart." So, core gamers will keep buying, while casual gamers won't. Good news for some companies, bad news for others! "The casual market looks more exposed to an economic downturn, due to its non-essential nature," continues Kamide. "The sector remains 'hit-driven', which provides a positive outlook for the companies with strong core title line-ups." Big games like Metal Gear Solid IV should still perform. What's more, Kamide adds:
Square Enix still isn't revealing which platform tri-Ace's upcoming RPG will appear on. (Hey, maybe they don't know yet!) In the new issue of Famitsu the game's platform is listed as TBA. Other new info? Star Ocean 4 is actually a prequel, and the developer originally wanted to call the game Star Ocean 0. Apparently, players will also have a party, and the game's battle system will be similar to past titles. tri-Ace is considering networked functionality, but nothing's set in stone so far. No release date, either. 
Square Enix's attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Final Fantasy VII with their Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series of games hasn't been going too well so far, especially in North America. The Vincent Valentine vehicle Dirge of Cerberus for the PlayStation 2 was mediocre at best, and the mobile game Before Crisis featuring the Turks still hasn't made it to North American shores. Basically we have a slipshod shooter and Advent Children, a well-crafted yet ultimately shallow CGI movie. Now, Square Enix has released Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP, a true prequel to the PlayStation original, which follows the career of Cloud's inspiration, soldier Zack Fair. Has the rebirth of FFVII finally delivered compelling gameplay, or are we better off just replaying the original?
Loved or Loveless? Activating combat mode...
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* Three Races Pack (800 points): All three new races in one slightly discounted set.
* Lilty House, Selkie House, Yuke House (300 points each): Houses that produce new adventurers of the other three races in the Crystal Chronicles world.
* King's Change of Clothes (100 points): Crazy eyepatch pirate outfit for the King.
* Chime's Dress-Up (100 points): A new outfit for your assistant Chime.
* Sacred Shrine (200 points): A shrine that lets warriors temporarily buff themselves up.
* Gorgeous House (100 points): A big house that many different people can live in.
square enix
Square Enix announced today that it would be bringing Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon exclusively to the Wii on July 8. Cost to you? Only $39.99! The action-RPG features the previously feathered designs of Toshiyuki Itahana and, based on the trailer for the Japanese version, will be so horrifically adorable that you'll want to rip your face off just like that guy did in Poltergeist after he ate that maggot-y chicken leg.
Beyond the painfully cute aesthetic, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon promises mini-games and online card battles that we're sure Wii fans won't tire of for a least another six months. Further details on the story and gameplay systems are after this.
As you might have read earlier, I attended last night's launch of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII at Sony's Metreon Center in SF. While the lucky first hundred people got t-shirts, and some even won some great raffle prizes, anyone was allowed to go up and get their complimentary Shin-Ra Electric Power Company ID card. Being firmly in the "anyone" crowd, I stepped up to claim what will sure to be a valuable money maker on eBay some day. They snapped a quick photo and then we got to wait about twenty minutes while the thing processed and Voila... we were presented with our nifty prize in a little labeled envelope. As you can tell from my photo, I am an employee not to be trifled with.
square enix
Scores of Final Fantasy fans queued up for the official Square Enix launch party for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, but we're a bit disappointed in the lack of ill-fitting costumes and obscenely sized swords present at the event. Flynn's report on GayGamer of the launch festivities may be lacking in comically enormous weapons and crowd-pleasing spiky hair, but it is full of tales of dedication. The first two fans in line braved a eight hour drive and a nine hour wait in line to be the first to score some Crisis Core. Hopefully, these two were rewarded beyond a simple limited edition t-shirt.
More photos of regular Joes sporting gargantuan swords await you at GayGamer. Just don't go expecting to see droves of fandom friendly outfits. Bummer.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Launch Party [GayGamer]
Yes, Square Enix does make games with out the words "Final" and "Fantasy" in the title. Sigma Harmonics is the company's newest original IP. It's a Nintendo DS title, is 60 percent finished and is slated for summer release in Japan. The game is a RPG complete with leveling up (no surprises there!) and is held sideways while playing (interesting!). Though, Sigma Harmonics is an adventure RPG that has a murder mystery story divided into chapters. Every new chapter, a new mystery happens! We're intrigued. Another scan after the jump.
Microtransactions Wii-style have already gone live, now that WiiWare has launched in Japan. While we knew that puzzler Mojipittan was going to feature pay-to-play DLC in the form of extra puzzles, the add-ons for Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King were a bit mysterious. Fortunately, Siliconera knows the score, writing today that downloadable races, costumes and dungeons will be available for 100 to 300 Wii Points each. Can't wait to see what the full tally will be to download the fully featured game, given that the base version starts at 1500 Wii Points. That's going to be some entertaining math!
Extra content in My Life as a King explained [Siliconera]
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