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Square Enix (almost) bares all at Jump Festa
1UP has again braved the bands of manga-fiending young'ns to investigate the happenings at this year's Jump Festa jumpoff. While all major Japanese publishers (and Microsoft) were present, Square Enix was reppin' in full force, offering playable versions of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP), and Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (both for DS). Trailers for additional titles were also on display (see embedded videos below). In a private theater, Square Enix previewed more new footage from its upcoming 2007 lineup, including a glimpse at Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3). The montage concluded with a brief flash of an armored man, grimacing as he stood on what appeared to be a battlefield. The teaser shot was followed by the words: "And something new coming in 2007."
Jump Festa: Final Fantasy on display
1UP gets mad props for getting footage from Japan's Jump Festa, where the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War are on display. A trailer showcasing the game's beautiful new cutscenes is on display, and can be seen after the cut. Crisis Core's demo is available for attendees to play, and it seems like FF fans need not worry about the game's quality: "Combat in Crisis Core takes place in pseudo-real-time, not unlike Final Fantasy XII, though there's only one playable character (FFVII fan favorite Zack), and the action is a lot more active. During battle you find yourself constantly mashing the attack button to pull off combos or backstab enemies for extra damage, but you can dodge and defend as well, and you can use the L and R buttons to cycle through your items and magic attacks... With the stunning visuals and interesting battle system we saw today, it seems to be headed in the right direction."
