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Square Enix summons iOS winter sale
Square Enix launched Final Fantasy IV today for iOS at a premium price, but if you're looking for other classic Square Enix RPGs for less, the company is having a mega sale on most of its iOS titles.Classic RPG highlights include Chrono Trigger for $7 ($2 off), Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions ($8 and $9 on iPhone and iPad, respectively, normally $16 and $18) and The World Ends With You: Solo Remix for $13 on iPhone and $14 on iPad. There's many more titles on discount, check them all out on Square Enix's site.
Square Enix considers dropping iOS prices
The Casual Connect gaming conference is going on in Kiev, Ukraine this week, and while there, Square Enix's General Manager of Mobile for Europe Antony Douglas expressed that his company is considering lowering its prices on iOS. By itself, that's not a very surprising notion: Most companies these days are realizing that lower prices on the App Store open up to a much larger audience, and there are other ways to monetize apps rather than just the traditional pricing model. But what's interesting here is that Square Enix is considering such a notion. The venerated Japanese RPG company has released quite a few apps on iOS, and its most popular apps (including Chrono Trigger and the more recent World Ends With You) have been priced significantly higher than even other very polished iOS games (US$9.99 and $19.99 for those two, respectively). In the past, we've seen this as a sign that game developers can still ask a premium price for premium content, and certainly Square Enix's games seem to have been doing well. Final Fantasy Tactics is another example -- a long-awaited game that was priced at $17.99 on the iPad. Douglas does confirm that these games are selling well, but he also says that the pricing "has been commented on quite a lot in Europe in the West," and that the more traditional Japanese overseers of the company are "seeing the feedback, and there will probably be changes in the way that it's structured." At the same time, however, he says the Japanese hold the view that quality games should have a premium price, and he suggests (correctly so) that "$20 for something you can play for 30 or 40 hours is still cheaper than what you can get on a handheld." So we'll have to see if Square Enix changes its pricing in the future. If anyone can command higher prices for these titles, it's obviously them, but it's also true that as prices drop, sales on the App Store tend to go up. So it's possible that Square Enix could sell more copies and make even more money with a larger potential audience if they go with a lower price. [via Slide to Play]
Square Enix's World Ends With You: Solo Remix arrives on iOS
Square Enix dropped a surprise on the App Store this weekend: a specially-formulated for iOS version of its really inventive RPG The World Ends With You. The game was first created for the Nintendo DS (and made extensive use of that device's lower touch screen), and the newly released "Solo Remix" brings the title to iOS, adding completely redrawn art compatible with Retina Displays, the ability to share items socially, Game Center integration, and new songs added to the already wild Japanese pop-styled soundtrack. This is an big release in a lot of different ways -- not only has Square Enix made sure that this iOS version is specially created just for Apple devices, but it's also decided to stand by the game as a premium app, selling the iPhone version for $17.99 and the iPad version for $19.99. Square Enix has stood by a lot of its classic titles on the store (Final Fantasy Tactics is a hugely popular title that still sells for $17.99), both because the game are still available for the DS and other systems for higher prices, and because the company believes in the high quality of the games. And The World Ends With You is of course no different -- it's a great RPG set not in a fantasy or sci-fi land, but a magical reality world of the shopping districts of Tokyo. It's a complicated game, where you use graffiti, fashion, and Japanese teen culture to try and do battle against various types of demons across the touch screen. The World Ends With You is certainly a very original game, and now iOS has a version of the title to call its very own.
Gamer cosplay takes over NY Anime Festival
Click to embiggen It's official. Gaming-related cosplay has crashed the anime party. You'd think a bastion such as the New York Anime Festival would be sacred ground for pure Naruto costume play, but it certainly was not this weekend. With the three-day event at the Manhattan Jacob Javitz Center wrapping up today, we've seen hundreds of gamers strut their stuff amongst the common 'Misa Misas' and 'Sasukes.' Who did we see at the show? Well for starters, the cool kids from The World Ends With You showed us just how awesome it is to be a Shibuya wallflower. Then, we greased up and wrestled with El Blaze from Virtua Fighter 5 -- he was tough by the way. The Persona 3 crew refrained from shooting themselves in the head to take a picture for us, which was a nice gesture. In honor of the festival's guest of honor, Yoshitaka Amano, several people dressed up as Amano-inspired Final Fantasy characters. Evermore intriguing, people also dressed up as characters from games that are not even out yet. Oh, and almost forgot, Pyramid Head; you can't have a convention without one of those. Anyway, there's more in the gallery below (including a spot of anime cosplay). Can you name all the characters and what games they belong to? %Gallery-32897%
Gaming to Go: The World Ends with You
Ah, TWEWY. That's The World Ends with You for the lot of you, though any Japanese readers might know by it a seemingly happier name. But no matter what you call it, doesn't that acronym just rock your pretty pink socks? Seriously, stop reading and say it aloud. Do it right now. Let the letters roll off your tongue and perhaps you'll get a tantalizing taste of the title we've been raving about for the last few months. You also might sound a little silly. My bad.But what's that? You've already played The World Ends with You? Good for you! I might be treading well-worn ground with this week's edition of Gaming to Go, but Square Enix's latest epic deserves mention for one simple reason: it makes fighting fresh, fast, and -- most importantly -- fashionable. Tired of tedious turn-based battling? Tired of donning drab, colorless garments whenever you step into the war zone? TWEWY might be just what you need!What other game actively rewards you for playing in short bursts? That feature alone makes The World Ends with You an easy recommendation for a gamer on the go. Hit the jump if you need further convincing, you fashionista, you!%Gallery-11943%
The Sale Ends with You [update 2]
E3 news is still trickling in, but we wouldn't be the DS Fanboy you know and love if we neglected to tell you how to buy cheap games.The latest hot sale is something we've seen before -- The World Ends with You at Amazon for $29.99. Yet, that offer quickly went out of stock way back when, and many of you poor, unfortunate souls didn't get a chance to nab it at the time. In fact, from what we understand, the game is still hard to find at certain locations.You can still get the title minus the "Square Enix tax," though, thanks to Amazon's revisiting of its previous sale price. This is a game that's actually worth all $40, too, so $30 is definitely a bargain.[Update: Well that lasted a good ... half hour. Those of you who are set on the sale, it might be worth it to keep checking in at Amazon throughout the day. As of this moment, though, it seems that the price has gone back to $39.99.][Update 2: Well, what do you know, the price has gone back down to $29.99 again. That's one small step for man, and one giant "woot" from mankind. Once again tipped by supa_s -- we think he must have the magic touch.] Gallery: The World Ends With You [Thanks, supa_s!]
Square Enix CEO gifts sweet DS Lite to XSEED CEO
You're looking at the gift. See, XSEED's CEO is Jun Iwasaki, who used to run Square Enix before he left to found his current company. The head honcho over at Square Enix now, Tetsuya Nomura, decided to hook him up with the custom It's a Wonderful World (The World Ends With You) handheld in what we can only hope is an example to others in the future. We have to break down these barriers!We want to see a Coca Cola truck driver letting a Pepsi truck driver merge during heavy traffic. We want to see DS and PSP enthusiasts swapping consoles, sharing great experiences with each other. It's ... it's just such a feel good moment.%Gallery-11943%
This Quiz Ends With You
If there's any publisher that can demand gamers invest more than money and their time into a game, it's Square Enix. Their fans are among the most devoted in gaming.Now, after many of you hunted down a copy of The World Ends With You, played through the lengthy title. Square Enix wants more from you. They've put up a quiz to test your knowledge on the game. For those of you who have played through, test your knowledge here. Let us know how you score in the comments!%Gallery-11943%[Via Go Nintendo]
The World Ends With You remix album is a sensory overload
We already know that the It's A Wonderful World + The World Ends With You remix album will sound amazing -- one only needs to play the game or listen to samples of the compilation on Square Enix's dedicated site to appreciate that Takeharu Ishimoto's magical soundtrack is one of the best this year -- but the packaging of the album will also look totally classy.Unlike the original soundtrack, this album contains tracks from both the Japanese and the North American and PAL editions of the game. It hits Japan (and the iTunes Store) on July 30th, when it will retail for ¥2,100 ($19).%Gallery-11943%[Via Go Nintendo]
The shortage ends with new copies of The World Ends With You
Thanks to our overlords at Joystiq, we may now report that those shortages of Square Enix RPG, The World Ends With You, have come to an end. If you've been sitting back and relaxing, waiting for the game to come back into stock, now is your time to pounce. For those of you who enjoy purchasing your games online, both Amazon and Gamestop are showing the game as in stock and ready to ship. If you're more for actually leaving your house and going into a store, physical copies of the game should be gracing store shelves near you soon.%Gallery-11943%
Square Enix might be squashing creativity
Gamers like innovation when it's implemented well and creatively. Take a look, for example, at the positive critical reception (from gamers, bloggers, and journalists alike) for Square Enix's The World Ends With You. Such a refreshing break from Square's usual sequels and remakes might be a thing of the past, though, after the company's profits for fiscal year 2007 dropped 21% from the previous year's earnings.According to Kotaku rumor, Square Enix higher ups were lashing out at developers in a meeting last month, claiming that the company's games are falling away from the mainstream crowd. Employees who continue to steer the company in this direction are apparently in danger of being fired.As this is a rumor based on hearsay, don't take it as fact just yet. Still, if it's true, then we can't help but worry that this might scare developers from coming up with original ideas like TWEWY and Sigma Harmonics. After all, we like seeing things other than sequels and remakes from the company.
WRUP: Open beta edition
Happy Friday! We don't know about you, but it's been a long week here at Massively, so we are thrilled to be at the point where we get to ask you, as we do every Friday: What aRe yoU Playing?Our own Akela Talamasca has been busy -- he's been playing lots of Mythos lately, as well as Warrior Epic and City of Heroes. Tateru Nino continues playing her cavalcade of games -- Second Life is in there, of course, as well as LotRO, and even a little Hello Kitty Online beta action. And me, I'm just a few levels away from getting another 70 in WoW, I'm getting my Guild Wars on, and I'm hoping to head into the Age of Conan this weekend as well, time permitting (outside of the MMO world, it's also a travel weekend for me, so I'm going to try out The World Ends With You -- it does have some MMO-like features, though, since you can not only come into contact with other players with your DS' wifi, but even buy and sell items from them).But enough about us -- what are you up to? Are you checking out AoC's beta, or maybe looking at issue 12 in CoH? Are you playing something we've never heard of? Tell us about it!Previously on WRUP...
The World Ends at $29.99
The early birds may catch the worms, but the late adapters catch the sales. So, those of you who haven't yet succumbed to Square Enix's high-and-mighty game tax but still want a copy of The World Ends With You are in luck.Until Sunday (we assume, so don't quote us on that), you can grab the game at both Amazon and Circuit City (dot com or brick and mortar) for the low reasonable price of $29.99. Should you not want to leave the comfort of your own home (or, like this blogger, you just don't live near a Circuit City), then each online deal has its pros and cons. Both sites offer free shipping, but Circuit City adds tax to the order. Amazon, on the other hand, doesn't add tax but the game isn't in stock at the moment. Therefore, it will take two to four weeks (according to the website) for Amazon orders to ship.Either way, if you have your eye on this game, we recommend biting on one of these deals because Squeenix's $40 DS game standard hurts.Note: Amazon is trying to fool you into buying the copies that are in stock for $39.79 (via Hubbagames), so don't fall for it. If the link directs you to the wrong place, you should see this on the right side of your screen. Just click "Add to Cart" on the choice that says $29.99, and voilà. Gallery: The World Ends With You [Via CAG]Read: TWEWY at Circuit CityRead: TWEWY at Amazon
DS Fanboy Review: The World Ends With You
2008 is shaping up to be an incredible year for the DS, and not because of old franchises. Zelda, we love you. Final Fantasy, we think you're great, and you'll probably dominate a good portion of our summers. But the first half of the year belongs to the new guys. After playing Professor Layton and the Curious Village, we thought we'd seen one of the most wonderful DS games to date, and that's true. But when it comes to sheer innovation, The World Ends With You blows it right out of the water. Anyone looking to create an ARPG or anything with stylus-based action controls should study The World Ends With You, because -- no exaggeration -- nearly everything here is done right. Of course, almost nothing's perfect, and that includes this game. Most of the few flaws here are visible right from the beginning; that, combined with the unusual look and the fact that it's a new IP, may turn some gamers off. Don't be one of them, because this one is worth playing.%Gallery-11943%
WRUP: The World Ends with Pokemon edition
Gamers, this is a good week for picking up something new. Not only are the pair of competent Pokemon Mystery Dungeon sequels available, Square Enix's The World Ends with You is also on tap, ready for your consumption. And that's just here in North America!So, let's get to it. What are you picking up? Were you thinking about getting Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 (did you read our review?), or were you looking to Square Enix's title for some fun? Perhaps both? What are you playing this weekend?%Gallery-11943%
It's a Wonderful cross stitch
The staff at DS Fanboy normally goes by the mantra, "Those who can't craft, blog," but apparently that's not always the case. Every week over at GamerTell, blogger Jenni Lada makes a game-related cross stitch based on images from various sprite databases. No one loves video game crafts more than we do, so you can bet we'd be all over these cute works once they came to our attention. This week's stitch is an enemy from Square Enix's recently released game, The World Ends With You. Called Samba Pigs, these little oinkers are apparently tough to kill since they're always trying to escape. When you do nab them, though, they drop some worthwhile badges.Since The World Ends With You is on our "do want" list, we couldn't help but admire the work and talent that went into this little craft (although it probably won't come as a surprise to you that this blogger's favorite of the bunch is Fire Emblem themed). Next week Jenni tackles two Naruto sprites from Jump Ultimate Stars (which doesn't sound like an enviable task), so if you're a fan of the orange ninja make sure to check back there. Gallery: Jenni's Character Cross Stitch
The Game Begins With This Cutscene
Warning: the video above contains spoilers, of sorts! Really, it's the same thing you'd see almost immediately upon powering up The World Ends With You, but you may not want to see story sequences until they're coming out of your DS screen -- even if we've discussed the premise before. This cutscene is the opening to the game's first day, and introduces the protagonist Neku Sakuraba and his bizarre predicament. Because it's a Square Enix game, the opening cutscene is twelve minutes long. That's not really a complaint, either. People buy the company's games for the storytelling -- actually interesting gameplay like this is kind of a bonus! Check after the break for the second and third days' story sequences (which may contain for-real spoilers).%Gallery-11943%
The World Ends with manga and ringtones
Not long ago, Square Enix launched an official website for The World Ends With You, which had nothing on it besides a pointless countdown. While the website actually has stuff to look at now, it's still relatively "meh" as far as official sites go.The Square Enix Members page is a different story, though. There, you can check out a creator's roundtable, as well the first chapter of the translated manga by Shiro Amano (with more chapters to come). Another neat feature is that by clicking on the few colored bits of the manga, you can unlock TWEWY ringtones. They can be downloaded for free once you're finished reading the chapter (this blogger's favorite of the ones offered is "It's So Wonderful.")The website also reports that the official soundtrack for the game will be heading to iTunes soon, which is good news if you don't mind having DRM "protected" music.[Via GamerTell]
Metareview: The World Ends With You
Square Enix's stunning new title The World Ends With You doesn't hit U.S. and European shelves until later this month, but the reviews are already rolling in, and things are looking even better than we expected. The early reviews are kicking the action RPG up into the top tier of DS titles -- and that's good company. What's propelling the game's success? The sheer originality of the concept.Nintendo Power: 90% -- The Nintendo hub had nothing but effusive praise for Square Enix's unusual effort. "This delightfully weird action-RPG, set in modern-day Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district, is unlike anything else out there ... Kudos to Square Enix for taking a chance on something so original (and bringing it to these shores)."Thunderbolt: 90% -- In fact, this game is starting to sound like the second coming of the RPG. "In a genre where medieval themes reign supreme, setting a game in contemporary Tokyo is a fairly fresh concept. The game captures the city scene so well: the sun-blasted streets, the pulsing J-Pop, and the bustling crowds of people who care absolutely nothing about you. Neku and his little gang of urban heroes are a far cry from the super-heroic swordsmen of most RPGs; the ultra-stylish outfits and technology they use are taken directly from what you'd see in Shibuya today. Despite this, the mysticism of the plot and the magic being wielded are definitely welcome. The combination of using both screens and the stylus make for one of the most demanding gameplay formulas yet; there hasn't been a game this Touch Screen-centric since Kirby Canvas Curse. So do yourself a favor and pick up The World Ends With You. As far as handheld RPGs go, it doesn't get much more original than this."IGN UK: 89% -- Perhaps the pieces aren't as original as some think, but together, they create something fantastic. "The World Ends With You combines Square's hallmark character development and story with the collectability of Pokémon, and ties together innovative game design with the urban cool of Jet Set Radio. Indeed, the game's appropriation of real-world themes and issues are at the heart of its success. It's a celebration of modern life, and like modern life, it can be messy, complicated and confusing, and you might find yourself beset by minor disappointments. But you get out what you put in, and at its heart is an important message about making human connections in a world that can sometimes seem harsh and uncaring. Which, when you think about it, is pretty cool. And if you don't want to think about it, well then you can just sit back and enjoy the game design."%Gallery-11943%
DS Daily: Tough choices
The next few months will be filled with a lot a great releases -- perhaps too many. Super Dodgeball Brawlers, Bangai-O Spirits, Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Etrian Odyssey II, Space Invaders Extreme, Arkanoid DS, Rondo of Swords, Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, and The World Ends With You are just a few that we can name on the spot, and all of these will be out before July starts. Unless you have abundant amounts of currency, though, you probably can't afford to buy that many games in such a short period of time. Also, money isn't the only problem. Supposing that you could afford everything you wanted, you wouldn't even have the time to play them all. Narrowing down the field is tough, but necessary. What games that are coming out in the next three months do you consider must gets? And they don't have to be chosen from the games listed above, so go nuts.
