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Lichborne: More death knight depictions in pop culture
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. In the comments of last week's article, commentors came up with other pop culture sources of death knight inspiration. A lot of them are great suggestions, some of which I didn't write about mainly because I haven't played them lately, others because they weren't technically games. Still a lot of the suggestions were fun enough that it feels like a good idea to take another week and look at another set of death knights and death knight precursors in games, books, and other pop culture sources. Thanks to all of last weeks commentors for their suggestions and thoughts.
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection completely available April 19
Square Enix fans going through Final Fantasy withdrawal will at last have another opportunity to buy something bearing the series name this spring. Square Enix today announced that it's localizing the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection for PSP, with a North American release set for April 19. The collection will retail for $30. Complete Collection includes a new version of Final Fantasy IV (originally released on SNES as Final Fantasy II), with updated graphics designed for PSP and a new soundtrack arrangement. It also includes the game's direct sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, currenly available in North America as an episodic WiiWare release.
Final Fantasy IV and The After Years collected on PSP
We're a little surprised it took this long for Square Enix to bundle Final Fantasy IV and its mobile / WiiWare followup, The After Years. Square does enjoy re-releasing Final Fantasy IV after all. The latest version is Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection for PSP, revealed in V-Jump magazine. Complete Collection includes an updated version of FFIV, like the freshened-up Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 2 released on PSP, with fancy graphics for spells and new character portraits, combined with 2D character models. The After Years is presented in the same style. The Complete Collection is slightly more complete than just the two games on their own: it also includes an exclusive story connecting the two. It'll be released in Japan this spring. There's no reason not to expect Square Enix to localize this Final Fantasy game, so it's only a matter of time. [Image: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare version)]
Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy coming to PSP next year
Square Enix just revealed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump (via Siliconera) that a sequel to Dissidia: Final Fantasy will arrive on Japanese PSPs sometime in 2011. Titled "Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy," the new fighter was created specifically as a challenge to website copy editors. Outside of FFIV's Kain and FFXIII's Lightning, no other playable characters have been confirmed. We get the feeling you'll see an expanded roster of fan-favorite brawlers at next week's Tokyo Game Show.
European Nintendo downloads: Tales in a Box, Final Fantasy IV
Looksley's Line Up, also known as "that game everyone thought was a 3DS demo," arrives in Europe today under the title Tales in a Box: Hidden shapes in perspective! If your interests lie less in the uncomfortably futuristic, and more in the vintage, Final Fantasy II is available on Virtual Console. This is the one we know now as Final Fantasy IV. See the rest of the Wii and DS downloads at Nintendo UK.
NintendoWare Weekly: Final Fantasy II, Max & the Magic Marker
Sure, you could play Final Fantasy XIII on PS3 and Xbox 360 this week, but you could also buy a Final Fantasy game whose quality isn't under any debate -- partly because it's really good, and partly because Final Fantasy II for SNES was released in 1991 and the debate has pretty much elapsed by now. Or you could bypass that whole Final Fantasy thing and play a cute game about a kid and his amazing drawing ability. %Gallery-86446%
Square Enix introduces 'Ultimate Hits' line for DS in Japan
It's a formula gamers are all too familiar with. First step: Release a game (and hope it sells a bunch). Second step: As time goes on and the sales pile up, gain interest in your product again through a discounted re-release. Rinse and repeat. Enter: Dragon Quest IX, Final Fantasy IV, Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V, a line-up of games to be branded under Square Enix's 'Ultimate Hits' (partial machine translation) line of DS games. Square Enix is gearing up to re-release these games this March, at a discounted ¥2,940 (around $32). That's cheap, considering most DS games release there for around $50. [Via Kotaku]
The World Ends With You, Crisis Core, FFIV just $10 today on Amazon
Looking for a ludological stocking stuffer for the RPG fan in your life? Amazon's Deal of the Day has you covered -- three of Square Enix's portable titles (Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for PSP and The World Ends With You and Final Fantasy IV on DS) have had their prices rolled back to just $9.78 for today only. At those prices, you've got no reason not to buy one of these for your dearest friends and family. Especially family who writes for the same gaming news site as you, who let you borrow their copy of The World Ends With You in March, which you beat and then traded in, you thoughtless bastard. [Via CheapAssGamer]
VC/WiiWare Tuesday: An impossibly large update
This week is certainly the largest single update the Japanese Wii Shop has had since the launch of the Virtual Console back in December of 2006. It's also, sadly, a feat that probably won't be repeated, given the recent decline in selection. But let's not talk about declines when we've got such an incredible increase this month! Four games on Virtual Console -- and good ones, too, like Final Fantasy IV and Pac-Mania, would be remarkable enough, but they are joined by no fewer than nine on WiiWare.The WiiWare selection includes genuinely interesting content like Bit.Trip: CORE, the one-button Tomenasanner Wii (seen above), and the three Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games; plus genuinely forgettable content like Sandy Beach, and wild cards like dolphin-training game Sea Farm, Derby Dog, which is, yes, a game about racing different varieties of dog, and a brain training game with its most notable feature being that its title translates to "Make your Square Brain Round."The complete release listings are posted after the break.
Nintendo releases tiny August Virtual Console list for Japan
We don't know why we expect big Virtual Console lineups in Japan -- perhaps because it's the only region where zero-game or one-game weeks aren't the norm, and the only region where Nintendo seems to care enough to, you know, promote it. But only six games were announced for next month, including one game we knew was coming, Final Fantasy IV.The other offerings include a Kunio hockey game, a Namco cute-em-up, and two maze games: Pac-Mania, the pseudo-3D Pac-Man sequel that adds jumping, and Pepen ga Pengo, an updated, four-player sequel to Sega's 1982 Pengo, and something that we'd love to see released here as an import. You know, if Nintendo ever decides to get back to releasing VC games. Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey-bu! Subete Koron de Dairantou (Famicom) Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) Pepen ga Pengo (Mega Drive) Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Mega Drive) Cosmo Gang: The Video (Arcade) Pac-Mania (Arcade)
Final Fantasy IV coming to Japanese VC Aug. 4
The original Final Fantasy IV -- sans DS upgrades -- will hit Japan's Virtual Console on August 4 for 900 Wii Points. The news comes soon after Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was summoned to the region. The release of the fourth installment seems natural, as Final Fantasy I - III are already available on the VC in Japan.So, yeah, still nothing new to report about any of the classic Final Fantasy games coming to North America. It appears those seeking a potion of nostalgia will have to consume it across the many iterations released on Nintendo handhelds over the years.
Japanese FFIV: The After Years release schedule revealed
Famitsu has revealed the Japanese release schedule for the episodes that make up Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Following the July 21 release of the title's initial chapters, Square Enix will stagger episodic releases weekly and bi-weekly. Additional chapters for the game will be priced at 300 and 800 Wii Points.Already into its seventh (of 13) chapter on the North American WiiWare store, The After Years tells the story of characters following the 1991 SNES classic Final Fantasy IV -- presumably in an effort for Square Enix to tease and ignore all fan desire for a actual Final Fantasy VII remake. The series originally debuted as a episodic mobile game, exclusively in Japan. The Japanese release schedule can be found after the break.%Gallery-48532%[via Andriasang]
NintendoWare Weekly: Final Fantasy IV, Mighty Flip Champs
Even though we're beginning our hellish descent into the mouth of madness that is E3, Nintendo is still taking the time to unload the downloadable goods to fans. This week, you'll find some fresh DSiWare, and your usual doses of WiiWare and Virtual Console goodies to boot. So, head past the break to check out what's available this week on Nintendo platforms.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years to feature four-player multiplayer
The official Final Fantasy IV: The After Years site is live. Siliconera spotted something quite interesting in the game's features page -- support for four player multiplayer? Interesting. Seems as though you won't have to play Square Enix's upcoming WiiWare RPG alone.We contacted Square Enix for more information, and Klee Kluo clarified: "The game has multiplayer function during battles only, similar to the original FINAL FANTASY IV. Up to four players can participate in battles by connecting the appropriate number of Wii Remotes or Classic Controllers and assign them to the characters." It seems like a neat addition for The After Years, but we're not entirely sure if our friends would want to take such a passive role and engage only in battles. Perhaps it's still best to play The After Years the way it was meant to be played: on a cell phone as a single-player experience.%Gallery-48532%
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years coming to Wii
It seems that Nintendo's recently discovered trademark for "The After Years" was, in fact, referencing a Wii port of the cell-phone based follow-up to the SNES role-playing classic Final Fantasy IV. An ESRB rating for the sequel confirms that the game will be hitting North American Wiis, though a time frame for its release, or even its release format (retail? WiiWare?) has yet to be revealed. The ESRB stamped the title with an E rating, as it doesn't classify the frequent usage of the word "spoony" as inappropriate for adolescent ears.Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which was released in an episodic fashion on a number of Japanese mobile platforms last year, follows the exploits of Ceodore (the progeny of FFIV protagonists Cecil and Rosa) nearly 17 years after the events of the original game. It'll also feature appearances from other major characters from the SNES title -- well, the ones who survived, anyway. Those who played the title will recall that FFIV was somewhat Hamlet-esque in its final body count.
GameFly members award Fallout 3 with GOTY
GameFly's sixth annual Q Awards have bestowed Fallout 3 with "Game of the Year" and "Xbox 360 Game of the Year" honors. The winners were selected by tallying over 100,000 votes by the rental service's subscribers. The winners across platforms: PS3 game of the year - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS2 game of the year - Kingdom Hearts: Re-Chain of Memories PSP game of the year - God of War: Chains of Olympus Xbox 360 game of the year - Fallout 3 Wii game of the year - Super Smash Bros. Brawl DS game of the year - Final Fantasy IV To see the runners-up in each category, check out the Q Awards page at GameFly. Looking at the list (and taking into account GameFly's demographic), is anyone surprised?
Random Final Fantasy rumor of the day
It doesn't look like Square Enix is spending much time on the Wii, but rumor has it that the company may change their tune and throw the little white console one of its favorite bones: a port. Producer Takashi Tokita of Final Fantasy IV The After: Return of the Moon -- the game's mobile sequel -- recently dropped some hints that the game may be making its way here in some form. "Currently [the sequel] is available for mobile phones in Japan. We'll do our best to make this game available for our overseas audiences as well," he said. So your first thought would be the DS, right? Not according to the folks at RPG Site, who tapped mysterious (and unnamed) sources at Square Enix in their quest for more information. The result? Hints that the game may be reformatted for Wii. We would assume WiiWare, but who knows; they're porting Chrono Trigger, after all, without a hint of a graphical upgrade.Right now, this is the king rumor in all of rumorland, meaning it's completely out there and not too reliable, but it's interesting, to say the least. Have any thoughts on the chances of this one?[Via videogaming247]
Fanswag winners: Final Fantasy IV and Soul Bubbles
When we were going to pick the winner of our latest giveaway, we completely realized that we forgot to announce the winner for our previous giveaway. Also, we received quite a few emails from you all. So, without further delay, here's our winners: jabby wins our signed copy of Soul Bubbles cwk5014 wins our copy of Final Fantasy IV Congratulations to our winners and best of luck next time to the rest of you!
Reminder: Last day for Final Fantasy IV
We've been trying to unload a copy of Square Enix's Final Fantasy IV on you folks for a whole week now and this is your last reminder: the giveaway ends tonight. If you weren't in the know regarding this latest giveaway, then we suggest you read DS Fanboy more. But, hey, you still have a few hours left, so head on over to the original contest post and read up on how to enter. Good luck!%Gallery-3278%
Fanswag: Final Fantasy IV
Square Enix's recent remake of RPG classic Final Fantasy IV turned a lot of heads. Most found the title to be quite enjoyable. Having done our part and reviewed the game, it's now time we perform the most painful part of our job: give it away to one lucky reader. What must you do to get your hands on this copy of Final Fantasy IV (retails for $40)? Simply leave a comment telling us if you've played the original game or not between now and Wednesday, September 17th at 11:59PM ET, after which we'll choose one lucky winner via random drawing. Entrants may leave one comment per day.There are a few things you should know before entering. Entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and at least 18 years of age or older. Read up on the rest of the official rules right here. Good luck!%Gallery-3278%
