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Steam summons Final Fantasy 4 PC redux
Following hints from earlier today that the Final Fantasy 13 trio may be coming to Steam, we discover that an earlier entry in Square Enix's classic roleplaying franchise has already taken up residence on Valve's ubiquitous digital distribution platform. Final Fantasy 4, a game initially released in the United States as Final Fantasy 2, can now be purchased from Steam at a price of $16. According to the game's listing, this new PC version of Final Fantasy 4 boasts "fully voiced, dramatic cut-scenes," a new system for charting in-game dungeons and an "inspiring score" which can be accessed in-game via a new jukebox feature. This latest iteration of Final Fantasy 4 utilizes the same super-deformed polygonal characters first seen in the 2007 Nintendo DS remake, but with graphics that are optimized for the PC. For more information and a full rundown on the game's technical requirements, visit the Final Fantasy 4 Steam listing. The game is currently available exclusively for PC, and Square Enix has yet to mention additional versions for the Mac or Linux operating systems. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy IV out now on Android
After battling onto iOS late last year, Final Fantasy IV took a bit more active-time to reach Android. The Square RPG is out now for Android 2.3.3 and up, priced $16/£11. This version's a tad different from the one released for the SNES as Final Fantasy II outside of Japan. Key cut scenes are underlined by voice acting, and dungeon maps start off blank in case the game hasn't branded itself onto your memory cells over the last 20 or so years.
Final Fantasy 4 now on iOS
Final Fantasy IV's DS remake incarnation is available now on iOS. Unlike the original for the Super NES from 1991, this one includes some spoken dialogue and a mapping feature. The game also features Square Enix's premium pricing for an iOS product at $15.99.The game works on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. For gamers who were around during the early '90s, this is the game you'd remember once upon a time as Final Fantasy 2.
Final Fantasy 4 comes to iOS in Japan Dec. 20, Android follows in spring
If you've somehow missed out on Final Fantasy IV – that's the one with Cecil the dark knight – over the last 21 years, Square Enix is making it even easier to catch up. An iOS version of the DS remake of the Super Famicom RPG will be released in Japan December 20.GAME Watch reports that an Android version is planned for spring 2013. The price for both will be within the usual Square Enix mobile game pricing convention (which means "really expensive"), at ¥1,800 (around $22).
Great Moment: Climbing Final Fantasy IV's Mt. Ordeals
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. I find Cecil interesting, which is not something I can say for many other video game protagonists. For instance, he's in a solid, mature relationship with a strong woman right off the bat. And from the very beginning, he's grappling with a clear moral dilemma--break his oath and step down or continue slaughtering innocents in the name of the Empire? It's evident that Cecil has a lot in his mind right from the beginning, which is all the more impressive for the fact that he's only a tiny 16-bit sprite.In fact, there was a lot going on with Final Fantasy IV's story in general. The cast is huge, and the heroic sacrifices and heroic twists almost constant. But the best moment happens early on, when Cecil climbs Mt. Ordeals with the twin mages Palom and Porum in a quest to shed his darker half and become a Paladin.
Firefox 4 for Android launched, ready to Sync and speed up your browsing
It was a release candidate just about a week ago and today it's all ready to go. Firefox 4 for Android has just been released from the Mozilla labs and is now prowling the mobile internet. You can get yours at the Android Market, in no less than 10 languages, though there'll be no Flash playback. Still, tabbed browsing, extreme customizability, and bookmark / tab / history coordination between desktop and mobile (via Firefox Sync) are all nice to have, as is the promised threefold improvement in speed over the stock Android browser. Pretty nice list of improvements for some freebie software, wouldn't you say?
Firefox 4 clocks up 7.1 million downloads within first 24 hours, fails to beat Firefox 3 record (updated)
We noted Firefox 3's spectacular eight million downloads in a day when discussing the recent launch of IE9, and that mark shall live on as a record for another day. Firefox 4 looks to have a had a thoroughly successful debut, going past the five million milestone within the first 24 hours of its release, but it hasn't quite been able to overshadow its predecessor. And before you go comparing its numbers to the latest Internet Explorer, do be cognizant that FF4 released on a wider set of platforms, rendering direct stat comparisons a little dicey. That's not stopping StatCounter, however, who notes that the latest Firefox already has a 1.95 percent share of the browser market, almost exactly double what IE9 can claim so far. Better get working on that XP compatibility, eh Microsoft? Update: Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs has the final stats for the first 24 hours and it's actually even higher than we thought: 7.1 million downloads around the globe. That's in addition to three million users already running the release candidate for Firefox 4, which turned into the final release. Good work!
Square Enix fulfills your FFIV screenshot fantasy
With FFTA2 now shipped and out of its hands, Square Enix has turned its attention to building up the release of its next summer title, Final Fantasy IV. The publisher has fired out over two dozen new screenshots for the RPG, all of them in our gallery below!For those of you who aren't sure what the 3D remake promises to add to the almost 17-year-old game, here's a quick recap: touchscreen controls, a dungeon-mapping system, additional episodes, a system with which characters can learn abilities from friends, fully voiced cutscenes, an Event Theatre mode for watching past cutscenes, and a minigame for raising your own summon monster. So, there's quite a lot of new stuff!Look for Final Fantasy IV to ship out to stores on July 22.%Gallery-3278%
Nintendo Power: FFIV DS coming in July
Misdirection isn't just for magicians anymore ... apparently Nintendo Power practices it too. While everyone was focused on the hints of a U.S. localized Final Fantasy IV DS in the magazine's ten-page cover feature on the game, no one seemed to notice that the game was listed with a "July" release date in that same issue's "Game Watch Forecast."Well, no one except RPGFan.com, which then in turn got noticed by our own DSFanboy, which in turn got noticed by us so you fine readers can notice it for yourselves. This could just be a typo on Nintendo's part, but more likely it's a slip-up that reveals a release window a little earlier than Square-Enix would have liked. Either way, just another pebble on the growing mound of evidence that a localized version is coming.
Final Fantasy IV coming to North America ... maybe
Role-playing fans can slip on their dancing shoes and party like it's 1991. A new interview with Final Fantasy IV director Takashi Tokita in the latest Nintendo Power seems to point to the game's recent DS remake being localized for North American audiences. Oh sure, he doesn't come right out and confirm the localization -- where's the drama in that? -- but given that the article comes peppered with English language screens and the game itself is featured on the cover, we're certainly leaning towards believing that the RPG will soon be getting some domestic love.Tokita also toys with our emotions, speaking to the possibility of a remake of SNES RPG classic Chrono Trigger provided "the demand is great enough." Though like coming down hard off a caffeine high, he sends us crashing back down to earth by adding that he really wants to "create new titles and not just series installments and remakes." Yours is a cruel love, mon cher.[Via DS Fanboy]
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/31-1/6
The big news with last week's sales numbers is not that the DS managed to top 300,000 again, but that the New Super Mario Bros. broke five million in Japan. Not only that, but the game took the sixteenth spot in today's Famistu chart. Also showing legs is Mario Kart DS, which sold 68,000 copies to take the number eight spot. While it's no surprise that Mario Kart does well week after week (after week), we didn't expect it to make the top ten. We're also happy to see some new DS blood enter the ring, with Rune Factory 2 selling 56,000 in its debut. The rise in sales from the previous week was most likely due to the New Years holiday, which is a popular shopping period in Japan. These numbers are almost certainly not sustainable, though, so we should see a big difference next week. Of course, we fully expect that the DS will end up on top, as always, with a smattering of its games in the top ten. Check after the break to see the numbers, with NSMB sales tacked on for good measure.
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/24-12/31
We were finally able to get our greedy little hands on the Japanese sales numbers from Famitsu for the week of 12/24, and came to find that the DS had another great week.Unsurprisingly, the DS took the top spot in hardware sales, moving 195,000 units. While this was a drop from the week before's incredible numbers, it certainly isn't a bad showing for the three-year-old handheld.In terms of software, Final Fantasy IV is continuing to sell well, meaning that more remakes in the series are sure to follow. The other Square-Enix remake on the charts, Dragon Quest IV, managed to go platinum this week. Mario Party DS, meanwhile, was the only other DS game to make the top ten, as the Professor Layton sequel slipped to the number eleven spot.To see the hardware and software sales numbers for the the week of 12/24, check after the break.
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/17-12/23
Another week in Japan has come and gone, which means yet another week of ridiculous success for the DS. The hardware managed to top 300k for the week, while heavy hitters like Final Fantasy IV, Dragon Quest IV, and Mario Party DS littered the top ten in the software charts. It was also a good week for baseball game Dorabase, which debuted at the number nine spot with 96k, selling 90% of it's total stock. Hardware: DS: 319,000 Wii: 264,000 PSP: 162,000 PS3: 51,000 PS2: 24,000 Xbox 360: 8,100 Check after the break to see the software numbers for 12/17-12/23 in Japan.
Mini FFIV figures are super teeny, super cute
Face it. If you've owned Final Fantasy IV for the SNES, the GBA, and plan on getting it for the DS, you're an FFIV addict. Of course, when we show you things like these miniature figurines, that just makes us enablers.For $39.00, you can get your fix from NCXS. The figures in this Final Fantasy IV Trading Arts Mini collection are only 6cm tall, which means they're tiny. Of course, you might just want to save your money for the game instead.[Via Kotaku]
MIDI + art + game songs = <3
Some awesome soul has taken it about himself to make visually enhanced game tunes, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. Using a program called Music Animation Machine MIDI Player, which converts the musical notes of MIDI songs into art, the creator of these videos has managed to blow our minds. Sure, we always enjoy it when musical sounds are synthesized with visual imagery, but when some of our favorite songs are involved, it just makes it that much better.We decided to put the Mega Man 2 "Dr. Wily Stage 1" song up top to celebrate Rock Man's 20th anniversary, and well, because it's our favorite. If you don't look after the break to check out the equally awesome Final Fantasy IV, Kirby, Mario, and other tunes, though, you officially fail at the internet.
New Final Fantasy IV videos continue to impress
True to the form of Square Enix, we still haven't seen much gameplay for Final Fantasy IV. But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy more videos showing off the prettiness. The company just added three of them to the game's official site, each one detailing a different character.We put the one featuring Kain up top, but check after the break to see the videos with Cecil and Rosa.*Note: The videos were enlarged from the ones on the official site, which is why they are low resolution.
More comparisons between FFIV 3D and the original game
The latest issue of Shonen Jump has a page of new CG artwork and cutscene screenshots from Square Enix's 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV, previewing a game that we likely won't receive until next year. If the release schedule is anything like Final Fantasy III's (DS), we'll have to wait three months after the game ships in Japan before a localized version hits North America.Siliconera sectioned off the characters, and compared the images with their counterparts on the original SNES game. Cecil doesn't seem to have lost any of his femininity, and Kain's dragoon outfit looks just as badass as ever! You can check out the rest of the juxtaposed pieces at Siliconera, but we've got the original Japanese magazine scan after the post break.Also see: FFIV 3D remake compared with original 2D games
Square Enix in your pocket: DS edition
Unlike its PSP counterpart, the Nintendo DS has been no stranger to North American Square Enix releases. Chocobo Tales, Final Fantasy III, Children of Mana and Dragon Quest Rocket Slime have all graced their presence on Western shores. And Square Enix is far from done supporting Nintendo's money-printer.Of the eight titles, we've got 4 Final Fantasy games, 3 strategy games, 2 remakes, and one surefire Japanese phenomenon by way of Dragon Quest IX. Have a look at the publisher's upcoming selection after the break.
Final Fantasy IV developer interview
In celebration of the upcoming remake of Final Fantasy IV, Famitsu decided to remake a vintage interview with producer Tomoya Asano and director Takashi Tokita. No, we're kidding, it's a new interview, but we like giving Square Enix a hard time about remakery. We do that, and they take our money for games. It's an arrangement we have.The developers discuss Yoshitaka Amano's remake of the logo, which is "really good." They also talk about the story, which Takashi Tokita is going back over: "16 years ago I was still a young man so I want to try and see if there's any parts that I feel my inexperience had a bad effect on or maybe I wasn't expressive enough at the time." When asked why they decided to remake Final Fantasy IV after III, the two, in unison and without hesitation, yelled "CHA-CHING!" Okay, that didn't happen either. [Via GoNintendo]
Final Fantasy IV's CG-tastic trailer
Contrasting the absolutely wicked, gameplay-filled trailer that we received last week for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, the Final Fantasy IV DS video Square Enix posted at the title's teaser site today is pretty light on action. The CG scenes, dramatic soundtrack, and breathy voice-over serve the story-driven RPG well, but if you're looking to see some combat or world map travel, you won't find much satisfaction here.The tail end of the clip hints that we'll be seeing the game's release before year's end, so plan your budget accordingly. Hop a ride on an airship, and sail past the post break for the 3D remake's two-minute movie.
