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Square Enix Has A New RPG Out For iOS Today
Just in case you were worried that Square Enix hasn’t released enough pricey mobile games over the past few weeks, here’s another! Above is a trailer for Drakerider, a new RPG for iOS and Android. [Update: Apparently Square Enix is only releasing the game on iOS in the U.S.] You can download the first chapter…
By Jason Schreier Published September 6, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Voice of Kingdom Hearts‘ Riku Will Soon Appear in a “Nude Men” Special Issue
There’s an assumption that only women appearing in revealing magazine spreads in Japan. That’s incorrect! Hunky dudes do, too. Hunky dudes like video game voice actor Mamoru Miyano. The 29-year old has done a lot of voice work. He debuted as the voice of Riku in Kingdom Hearts, before moving on to the character of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 6, 2012 -
Kotaku East
How Video Game Roles Are Helping a Disgraced Star’s Comeback
When players enter the world of Sleeping Dogs, one of the first characters they meet is Wei Shen’s childhood friend, Jackie Ma. The voice actor who plays Ma was one of Hong Kong’s biggest stars—that is, until his private sex photos were leaked online. In 2008, superstar Edison Chen sent his laptop in for repairs.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 6, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The New Final Fantasy Sounds Interesting and in Need of More Time
Square Enix has a very bad habit of showing games way too early. Its latest reveal, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, is only thirty percent finished. Meaning? It’s 70 percent unfinished. So unless Square Enix works faster than it has in the past, it could be a while before, wait for it, Lightning strikes again.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2012 -
Relax, They’re Not Really Turning Final Fantasy Type-0 Into a Dating Sim
At Final Fantasy‘s 25th Anniversary event yesterday in Japan, Square Enix thought it’d pull a fast one on the audience, putting Final Fantasy Type-0 director Hajime Tabata up to revealing the concept for something called “Tokimeki Final Fantasy: Suzaku Magic Institution Peristylium: Oh no! I’m in Love With the Crystal’s Divine Guardian.” Aka a dating…
By Owen Good Published September 2, 2012 -
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Has Screens and a Video It’d Like to Share, Too
If thought yesterday’s news of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was all you were going to hear out of this series as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend, well, you’re wrong. Square Enix this morning uncrated another 17 images—nine of them screenshots, the rest concept art—plus that new trailer showing gameplay, for its rebooted…
By Owen Good Published September 1, 2012 -
A Brand-New Final Fantasy XIII Means Exciting New Creatures to Kill
Fears of a new chapter in the Final Fantasy XIII saga bringing another 40-80 hours of battling the same old beasts were put to rest this evening, as art director Isamu Kamikokuryo showed off a series of decidedly different mythical beasts for Lightning Returns, from gigantic dragons to decaying undead. While I rather enjoyed Final…
By Mike Fahey Published September 1, 2012 -
Culture
Soak in The Beauty of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII‘s Concept Art
Final Fantasy XIII heroine returns with, well, Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The game is set in the world of Nobus Partus, 13 days from its demise. Here is a first look—a first good look—at the game’s stunning concept art. The urban setting of Luxerion looks very intriguing. Check it out in the gallery above.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2012 -
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Makes Major Changes to the Series’ Formula, Ends Trilogy
Final Fantasy XIII heroine Lightning will be back in a new game, Square-Enix announced today. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. This one is going to be a very different Final Fantasy Series director Motomu Toriyama began a presentation in Tokyo by showing an image of a rose, saying roses have many meanings. He then said…
By Jason Schreier Published August 31, 2012 -
Double Your Final Fantasy XIII Pleasure with This Limited Edition Pack
Over in Hong Kong, PlayStation’s Asia branch just announced a limited edition Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2 pack. The bundle includes both games (with English and traditional Chinese subtitles and the original Japanese voices) as well as eight eight post cards. It’ll be out September 13 in Hong Kong for HK$558 or US$72.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2012 -
Surprise Ending of The World Ends With You Remake Teases Sequel
Looks like we might be getting a sequel to The World Ends With You after all. A new teaser image at the end of the iOS version, sent in by Kotaku reader Michael, hints that the franchise could continue soon, and translator Brian Gray confirmed its legitimacy on his Twitter account today The past few…
By Jason Schreier Published August 31, 2012 -
You’ll Get Final Fantasy Versus XIII, When It’s Good and Ready
Square Enix is being tight lipped about Final Fantasy Versus. And from the sound of it, that game could still be a while off. According to Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada, who recently spoke at a Final Fantasy anniversary event in Tokyo, said that Square Enix was “diligently making Final Fantasy Versus XIII“, but added,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Tight Lips on Final Fantasy Versus [Update with Character Drawing]
At Square Enix’s 25th Anniversary event today in Tokyo, company honcho Yoichi Wada took the stage and briefly mentioned Versus. Very briefly. Here’s what he said (via Japanese Final Fantasy blogger Marshal.Alloc): “I cannot say any more than, ‘We are making Versus!’ Please wait a little longer.” This raises all sorts of questions: Is the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Square Enix is Releasing 11 Pounds of Final Fantasy (No, Really)
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy. And what better way to say Happy Anniversary than with a FF box set? That weighs 11 pounds? And costs US$445? The box includes the PlayStation disc versions of all the numeric Final Fantasy games from FFI to FFXIII. It also comes with a Crystal ArtWorks…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Sink Or Swim, This Man Deserves A Medal For His Work On Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn producer and director, Naoki Yoshida wowed audiences with the beauty and splendor of the revamped game at the GamesCon event two weeks ago. On stage and off, Yoshida has been proudly and enthusiastically showing expectant fans what he had in store for them in A Realm Reborn. He should…
By Toshi Nakamura Published August 30, 2012 -
A Superior Way To Play Video Games For “Free”?
Square-Enix explains why they’re letting users of their new Core Online service play some old games for free, so long as they watch about a minute of ads for every 10-20 minutes of game time. Quoted from their FAQ. More details on how Core Online works here
By Stephen Totilo Published August 29, 2012 -
Money-Grubbing Square-Enix Is Now Letting Us Play Some Of Their Old Hits For Free*
Old Conventional Wisdom: Square-Enix is ripping us off left and right New Conventional Wisdom: They’re, um, letting us play some of their old games for free. They’re nice people, after all. Look, Square-Enix is such a big company that they can encompass both Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy. They can price-gouge and demonstrate the wonderful…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
How Sleeping Dogs Tried To Avoid Chinese Stereotypes
Set in Hong Kong, Sleeping Dogs didn’t just look to the city’s rich cinema tradition for inspiration. It also tried looking to the city itself. But when you are mixing fact and fiction, you must be careful not to stereotype. Here’s Sleeping Dogs producer Dan Sochan to website CVG on attempting to overcome that challenge:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Disappointed by The World Ends With You iPhone Port? Chin Up.
After a drip-fed countdown, Square Enix revealed that The World Ends With You was being re-released. On iOS. For twenty bucks. The good news is that the port—pricey as it is—ain’t bad. The better news? Square Enix hints at more The World Ends With You. The game’s director Tatsuya Kando said in the upcoming Famitsu:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
New Final Fantasy Isn’t Called “Lightning Saga”. Well, Duh, and THANK GOODNESS!
Square Enix is readying a new Final Fantasy game, which has been referred to as “Lightning Saga”. It’s probably going to be Final Fantasy XIII-3: SOMETHING SOMETHING, but as Yoshinori Kitase pointed out today on Twitter, “The title isn’t Lightning Saga.” Phew! Rather, Square Enix will be unveiling the game’s title at its upcoming Final…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 28, 2012