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PSP software support way down, recovery is likely
We knew software support for the PSP was relatively dire but this chart says it all. According to Siliconera, who've compiled a comprehensive analysis of publisher support, 2006 was the peak while 2007 saw a huge decline. The top six contributing publishers to the PSP's software library have all taken a considerable dip in scheduled titles, but Siliconera also points out that 2008 is actually starting to curve upward. Does that mean we're on the cusps of a healthy and steady recovery? Possibly, as games like Dissidia: Final Fantasy and LocoRoco 2 are on the way this year, and future titles like Resistance: Retribution and The 3rd Birthday are also on the way. The report is a very good read; we suggest you check out the whole thing at Siliconera for an in-depth look.
Limited edition Dissidia bundle to launch in Japan this December
Those who were lucky enough to get invited to Square Enix's DKΣ3713 Private Party had a chance to play a demo version of Dissidia: Final Fantasy. A release date of December 2008 was again confirmed for Japan, as well as a limited edition PSP bundle similar to the Crisis Core bundle released earlier in Japan and Europe. And like other Final Fantasy games released recently, Dissidia will also have its own Potion soft drink. Even though 1UP reports that only 9 Final Fantasy games will be part of Dissidia, PSPHyper, NeoGAF and several Japanese blogs are reporting that in addition to Kefka of FFVI, Golbez of FFIV and Exdeath of FFV were also spotted in the trailer show at DKΣ3713. Meaning now there is at least one character from Final Fantasy I to X, resulting in a grand total of 10 titles. Unfortunately, the trailer was shown in a closed theater, making this difficult to verify. For your consideration: back in March we reported on the above poster which allegedly revealed all the villains for Dissidia -- so far the poster has been right about Cloud of Darkness of FFIII, Kefka of FFVI and Jecht of FFX. Could it be right about Golbez and Exdeath as well? With announcement of Final Fantasy Agito XIII, The 3rd Birthday and now this bundle, Square is sure lavishing a lot of love onto the PSP.
Only nine FF games represented in Dissidia, Kefka spotted in new trailer
One of the most highly anticipated titles for the PSP is the FF mash-em-up brawler, Dissidia: Final Fantasy. We've previously known that one main hero and one villain will represent each game between FF's I through X; however, according to a preview from 1UP, there will only be nine Final Fantasy titles getting representatives. With FFI, II, III, VIII, IX, and X's rosters fully confirmed, there's only room for three more games. FFVII's Sephiroth has been teased in trailers for the longest time, and 1UP's preview also mentions that FFVI's Kefka had been spotted in a new trailer at the recent Square Enix party. This basically points to both VI and VII being confirmed for two of the final three slots. That leaves either IV or V to be cut from the game. Seeing as V is the worst title in the series (feel free to send us your hate mail), most likely it'll be the one to be cut.[Image Source]
Dissidia gets a little more 'cloudy,' also stinks like an onion
After reading that tricky tricky headline, you might be thinking to yourself: "ZOMG, it's Cloud! It's Cloud! It's Cloud! It's Cloud" Then proceed to run around the room overjoyed, plotting out your latest FFVII Yaoi fanfics. As much as we would enjoy allowing you such revelry, we unfortunately will have to break your heart, tear it in two, and then cast Ultima on it. You see, as the picture above suggests, the "cloudy" reference refers to The Cloud of Darkness, the final boss of Final Fantasy III and not our self-loathing, blond hero.Lady Cloud of Darkness is a great choice over Xande (another FFIII final boss) as there is a serious need of more femininity injected in the sausagefest known as Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Hopefully, when FFVI gets added, we'll be seeing Terra with complementary morph skills. Anyway, aside from Cloud of Darkness, a generic Onion Knight will be representing FFIII's heroes. While none of the four Onion Kids are specifically mentioned, the character design, however, looks very similar to the DS remake's Ingus. Now all that's left is to see who's coming from FFs IV, V, and VI.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy site updated with FFX and wallpaper
Not much of an update, but since we are going to have to wait till at least the end of the year for Dissidia: Final Fantasy, assuming the Japanese version and no delays, we are going to take what we can get.The update adds the characters of Final Fantasy X, the father and son duo Jecht and Tidus, into the game. With them comes new screenshots, as well a wallpaper of the Warrior of Light. Final Fantasy VII is still missing, though Sephiroth is confirmed to be in the game. No word yet on who the hero is, but it is most likely Cloud, or possibly Zack Fair. Or Vincent. Or Lucrecia. Or ...[Via PSPHyper]
Dissidia: Final Fantasy script longer than Crisis Core's
Another Japanese magazine, Dengeki Playstation, published yet another interview with the Dissdia: Final Fantasy team. The gang consisting of producer Tetsuya Normura, senior director Takeshi Arakawa and planning director Mitsunori Takahashi were present to answer some burning questions fans had about the game.Takahashi started off by stating only 20% of the game has been shown thus far and a "solid release date" will be announced at an event in August. He asserts that fans who are comfortable with the original RPGs should be a-okay with Dissidia, which is labeled an "Action-RPG plus competitive fighting." Storywise, Nomura said he made Tidus' counterpart Jecht rather than Seymour because Seymour lacked a "proper connection" with Tidus. Arakawa then assured us they are still in the process of "fine tuning the original story details behind the characters' births, relationships, interactions." Arakawa also mentioned an online feature tentatively named "Battling Community" where the focus is "being connected to others trying to discover their own merits" and less focus on "things like battle strength/ranking." Finally, he disclosed a rather startling fact: "the script is double the length of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII." Read the entire translated interview here. [Via Forever Fantasy]
More Dissdia: Final Fantasy details from Famitsu
Earlier in the month, Tidus and Jecht were revealed via Famitsu to be part of the roster of Dissidia: Final Fantasy. PSPHyper now has more details from that same issue of Famitsu. A battle system with HP and Brave points, which is the determinant of your character's power, is elaborated upon. Brave points are used to make HP Attacks, depleting your opponent's HP. Special moves can also be used this way and are earned by leveling up and they are unique to each character. An indicator that helps the player time each press of the button will appear during these special moves.When your EX gauge becomes full, you enter EX mode, which is a Limit Break-esque state that will power up your character and perform up to four types of transformations. Gil, the currency of the Final Fantasy world, has also been revealed as part of the game but what it does is currently unknown. Gliding has also been shown as a means of movement. Despite its RPG roots, Dissdia's RPG elements are limited to leveling up and choices regarding treasure chests and enemies.Nomura also assures us the reason the game is taking so long simply because each character has many moves and transformations, and their team wants to make them look perfect. As reported before, there will be 20 characters in the final cast and currently 50% of the game is done. To learn more, the entire article is available here.
Dissidia trailer shows us FF cameos in action
In addition to this morning's Dissidia: Final Fantasy website update, there's also a new trailer up on the good old internet. The trailer mashes up some old CG footage with some all new in-game looks at Squall, Firion, and Ultimecia. After that, there is even more CG with Tidus running around and a Squall-Sephiroth duel. Quality isn't that superb, but it sure beats seeing nothing at all.%Gallery-12134%
Dissidia: Final Fantasy website updated with story and characters
The Japanese website of Dissidia: Final Fantasy has just been updated with new material. The story, characters, screenshots, credits, and general game information are now available for viewing. Clicking on Story will lead you to a short scene of the Warrior of Light from the original Final Fantasy readying his sword followed by a synopsis of the story. Under Characters you can view characters from Final Fantasy I, II, VII VIII, and IX and their corresponding screenshots. Noticeably absent are the most popular characters, those from Final Fantasy VII and X. Under Info you will find credits and general information about the game. Come check out everything here.[Thanks, salika!]
Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia playable at Square Enix party
Finally! It seems like we're inching ever closer to the releases of Dissidia and Kingdom Hearts on PSP. Dissidia has been playable before, so we're excited to hear that Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is in a state where it can be played as well. Unlike the other Kingdom Hearts spin-off titles, Birth by Sleep looks to most closely resemble the PS2 games -- not just graphically, but in terms of gameplay as well. For many, that's exactly what they're looking for.Invitations to this closed party are incredibly limited, so we're hoping that someone will be fortunate enough to attend the show and report on how both of these games play.[Via Kotaku]
Nomura says Dissidia is half finished
More Dissidia: Final Fantasy news is coming in. Along with last week's look at Final Fantasy X representatives, Tidus and Jecht, comes this week's progress report. Tetsuya Nomura, revered fashion designer in the belts and zippers fetish industry and Dissidia producer, has stated in a new Famitsu mag that Dissidia is currently 50 percent done.We're a bit disappointed to hear that the title is only half done; however, it doesn't come as a surprise. Only about half the cast has been revealed thus far (at least, half a list of protagonists/antagonists) and we suppose we'll be seeing the rest to trickle in within the rest of the year. Check out the magazine scans here for more pics of Tidus and his dad, and, if you can read Nihongo, then check out the interview with Nomura.[Via PSP Hyper]
Square Enix Party announced for August
It appears that the Japanese side of Square Enix is going to hold an event promoting some of the company's upcoming software. The event, dubbed DKΣ3713, will take place on August 2 and 3 in Harajuku in Tokyo. It's invite-only which means there's a huge chance you won't be able to go (read: absolutely no chance if you don't live in Japan); however, SE is giving people the chance to sign up and be selected to receive an invite.Square Enix is giving away 2,400 invites to eager gamers waiting to see the latest on PS3 games: Final Fantasy XIII, Versus XIII, and PSP games: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Dissidia. The application period starts this June 23 and will end July 13. Invites will be selected after those dates. Check out the full list of games here.We won't be in Japan for this, but we hope our (few) Japanese readers will be able to enjoy the festivities. As for the rest of you, let's just look forward to Secret Agent Clank and Space Invaders Extreme next week.
Tidus & Jecht revealed for Dissidia
It has been awhile back since we last hear anything related to Dissidia: Final Fantasy. We even broke up the long silence with our "Top 20 Final Fantasy characters that should be in Dissidia" feature. In that feature, we listed Jecht as one of our top draws. Looks like we need not worry. The Final Fantasy X father and son duo are both heading into the mixed cameo fighting game as revealed by this week's issue of Famitsu. Very cool stuff. We wonder who's next, and, will it be another six months again before we hear anything else?
A look at the Final Fantasy supporting cast
Sure, Final Fantasy might be primarily about Tidus, Cloud, Squall and other spiky-haired, androgynous protagonists who may or may not suffer from (false) memory loss, but let's not forget the colorful supporting cast of characters that flesh out your party. In honor of the upcoming multi-world brawler Final Fantasy Dissidia, PSP Fanboy has a gallery highlighting the best side characters in the series. Check it out here.
Top 20 Final Fantasy characters that should be in Dissidia
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/Top_20_Final_Fantasy_characters_that_should_be_in_Dissidia'; Although Final Fantasy Dissidia has yet to be announced outside Japan, we're still fervently watching out for more tidbits on this hotly anticipated title. However, the last we heard about anything officially confirmed in this game was back in December, and with Nintendo coming off strong with another mixed-cameo fighter -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- perhaps the PSP-exclusive Dissidia has been forgotten amongst the Mario and Link duels everyone's been having. Or maybe everyone's just too enraptured in getting their FF fix from the recently released Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. In any case, we're still very excited about this next PSP exclusive from Square Enix, and wouldn't want gamers out there to forget about this megaton game. With little known about the character roster, there leaves a lot of room for speculation. So in all our best efforts, we present this Dissidia feature highlighting the top twenty Final Fantasy supporting characters we want to see in the game. Arguably, in a game like this, a good cast of playable characters is crucial; it's working for Brawl, and it'll undoubtedly go the same way for Dissidia. But why only supporting characters you might ask? Well, you'll find that out soon enough. Start the countdown! >
Rumor: Dissidia poster reveals FF villains
Click for high-resolution image. A promotional poster for Final Fantasy Dissidia has surfaced online showcasing the FF villains from games one through ten. Supposedly drawn by Yoshitaka Amano, this poster is a bit of a "where's Waldo" picture game if you're looking out for all the villains. So far, we can point out: Garland (I), Emperor Palamecia (II), Cloud of Darkness (III), Golbez (IV), Exdeath (V), Kefka (VI), Sephiroth (VII), Ultimecia (VIII), Kuja (IX), and Jecht (X). Can you find them all? [Via N4G]
Direct-feed Dissidia screens get close to new old characters
Everything old is new again in Dissidia for PSP. Final Fantasy VIII's Squall and Ultimecia, and Final Fantasy II's Firion and Emperor are reborn again in Square Enix's upcoming fighting game. Famitsu has scored direct-feed shots of the game, and they look much better than any of the magazine scans we've seen so far. This is one of our most anticipated games for 2008 -- and we can't wait to see more in the upcoming year.[Via PSPHyper]
Scan-tastic: Final Fantasy Dissidia (again)
It's a good day for Square Enix-related Famitsu scans on the web. Another scan of the upcoming PSP brawler Dissidia has surfaced on Jeux-France. As seen in previous scans, Squall Leonhart joins the Dissidia cast. IGN called the game one of the best looking games on the PSP, even surpassing the incredible visual quality of Crisis Core. Looking at these new images, we'd agree.[Thanks, J Chong!]
First Dissidia hands-on impressions
We're so jealous of you IGN-Anoop. You got to attend Jump Festa, and you were able to play the first ever playable build of Dissidia, a brand new PSP-exclusive fighting game. The impressions, unsurprisingly, are overwhelmingly glowing. Here are a few snippets:"Rather than trying to adapt the Final Fantasy characters into some existing fighting game formula, the designers of Dissidia seem to have attempted to create an original fighting engine around the Final Fantasy characters -- at least the characters as they'd probably combat one-another in a Tetsuya Nomura movie." Yes, your characters will perform all the acrobatic moves that you'd find in Advent Children ... or the upcoming FFXIII games."Dissidia also manages to push the PSP to new visual heights. The game is a visual feast, with detailed combatant models, and plenty of lighting effects. Definitely a step above Crisis Core, which already had some thinking that the PSP really was a portable PS2." Really, it looks better than Crisis Core? That game was already pushing the boundaries of the PSP!Please read IGN's full hands-on, and bring a change of clothes. You might be drooling on yourself the entire time.
How Dissidia will control
Click for full-resolution image. Reader Cheun Ngen Chong found the control scheme for Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy Dissidia and translated it into English for us. (The original file can be found at levelup.cn.) The left shoulder button is used for locking on, while the right shoulder button is used for defense. There are two kinds of attacks, one attacking HP and one attacking BP. This is an interesting change for the genre, and we can't wait to see how well it works when actually in our hands.
