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Special Edition Advent Children PlayStation 3 unboxed in all its matte glory
There's a lot to love about the special edition 160GB Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete Cloud Black PlayStation 3 bundle that was unleashed this week in Japan -- a fancy Strife Wolf emblem, a copy of Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray, and a Final Fantasy XIII demo you can't play anywhere else -- but perhaps our favorite part is the console's matte finish. For us, a smudge-resistant PS3 is well worth the 49,980 yen (US $505) price of admission. 1UP has the unboxing, hit up the read link for more pics.[Via Joystiq]
Square Enix lawyers on guard against Final Fantasy replica swords
As we discovered during our trip to Japan's Square Enix store last year, the many worlds of Final Fantasy are pockmarked by some surprisingly deep merchandise mines. No matter what the item -- t-shirts, mugs, jewelery, clothing, action figures or spoons -- chances are a tenuous link can be established between it and your favorite spiky-haired moper. Replicas of the many extravagant and frequently weapons are fine too, just as long as they're approved by Square Enix. The company today announced a federal lawsuit filed in the Central District of California against "alleged infringers of Square Enix's intellectual property." Specifically, said infringers include "at least" four wholesalers of unlicensed sword replicas based on four video games and a CG movie (likely Advent Children) within the Final Fantasy franchise. "While Square Enix appreciates the enthusiasm of its fans, and values its relationship with them," said Square Enix General Counsel Yasuhiko Hasegawa, "it is also obligated to protect its intellectual property rights or risk weakening or losing the very rights that enable the company to continue to provide its fans with an exciting entertainment experience." The lawsuit has its swordid (OOF!) origins in the recent seizure of a crate full of "counterfeit" replica blades by the United States Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol. Following an investigation, Square Enix located the primary wholesalers and retailers of these "unauthorized products in the United States." We hope this turn of events will serve as a lesson to all of you looking to sell real things based on fake things.
Square wins plagiarism case against Korean music video
Imitation isn't only the sincerest form of flattery, it's also the most legally actionable. At least it is to Square Enix, which recently won a plagiarism case against South Korean music video producer Fantom to the tune of 16 million won (approx. $17,400).The case centers on the video for the song Temptation Sonata, in which live actors recreate a scene from Square Enix's animated movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. According to a judge for the Seoul Central District Court, the video "illegally used 80% of the storyline, setting, characters and their styles of dress and their demeanors," from the movie scene. We're not sure how the judge came to such an exact statistic, but who are we to argue with such an official sounding pronouncement?A comparison of the videos (both viewable below the break) shows much more than a passing similarity between the two, and Square was definitely within its rights taking legal action. That said, we have to wonder what Square Enix felt it had to gain from a court case. Is this video really hurting the company's ability to milk insane amounts of money out off the Final Fantasy franchise? Does seeing the video makes someone less likely to buy a copy of Advent Children? What's next, a legal case against the makers of College Saga? We just hope the negative PR associated with this case is worth the massive $17,000 pay day Square Enix made off of it.
Six Square Enix trailers in three and a half minutes
Let me guess. You couldn't make it to the Square Enix Party in Tokyo last weekend? Me neither. Thankfully, however, youtube user 'Mirafi' did. Whilst there they took some video footage of the (very) big screen which showed trailers for six of Square Enix's upcoming games. The games are, in order: Subarashiki no sekai (DS) Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (PSP) Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (Blu-Ray) Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Mobile) Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3) Nothing there that takes your fancy? Yeah right. The only way I could be more excited about Square Enix's upcoming offerings right now would be if they'd included footage of The Last Remnant and Dissidia. Granted these 'trailers' aren't very long, but seeing six new titles sit back to back like that, all due for release within the next year or so, is quite a wonderful sight. Especially considering we've only had two new games from Square Enix in the last few years: Final Fantasy XII and Kingdom Hearts 2. It looks like we're going to be up to our ears in Final Fantasy before too long. For the record, my favourite piece of footage was the battle between Sephiroth and Gackt Genesis. Crisis Core cannot come out soon enough. [Via PSU]
Kojima on Wii: Interesting controller, dated graphics
After infamously comparing the Wii to a television, respected and surprisingly non-grumpy game developer, Hideo Kojima, recently revisited the topic of how the next-gen consoles compare to one another. Thankfully, he refrained from using film, cuisine or extreme sports analogies this time. Speaking in a group interview alongside advent child Testuya Nomura and Metal Gear Solid 4's Yoji Shinkawa, Kojima made it clear that he views the technologically advanced PS3 as leading the way to the future. He noted that the high cost of the system would be a necessary evil in order to push the industry to new heights, whereas the Wii could be considered "interesting, but in terms of functions, it's a machine with past concepts." It's fair to assume that he is referring directly to the Wii's less robust graphical abilities, certainly an important factor when it comes to the sort of cinematic presentation Kojima's games have become known for. However, Kojima goes on to suggest how the PS3 might be improved. "The best thing would be a PS3 with controls like the Wii."That sounds grand to us ... but it would probably cost a grand too. Money well spent?
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children reports from Hollywood
For the Final Fantasy fans lucky enough to be near Hollywood yesterday night -- and in line for free tickets during the middle of a regular workday -- there was much rejoicing to be had as Advent Children celebrated its U.S. theatrical premiere in style.Siliconera has a write-up on the event with quotes from most of the American voice actors in attendance, who, along with the audience at hand, watched the film in English for the very first time. Lip synching may have been off due to the low-resolution print the actors had to work with, but even Rachel Leigh Cook -- pictured here with her character Tifa Lockheart -- declared herself a new fan of Final Fantasy after the show.Helpful Joystiq Contributor epobirs also had something to report from the screening yesterday, where he gives us an Ain't-It-Cool style rundown of the event. If you want the rest of his reflections on the requirements of the Academy in Oscar nominations, as well as what it takes to "assert your hetero nature ... after watching a movie packed with metrosexual men," simply continue reading below for more. Siliconera's report can be found by clicking on the image of Ms. Cook above or the Read link below. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will be out on DVD/UMD April 25th.[Thanks, epobirs; image of Tifa courtesy of Eyes on Final Fantasy]
Advent Children DVD finally coming to US
The holiday season has come and gone and, though anticipated, Square's CGI spectacle, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, has yet to see a North American release. According to a post made on The Digital Bits, "Mike Stradford [an executive in Sony's DVD division] told me that Sony's working hard to get the film released on DVD here in the States by the end of 2006. Apparently, it's taking a little extra time to work with the director to get all the supplemental elements finished, but the title is on track for release sometime later this year."Sometime "later this year" isn't terribly reassuring, the year's just started! With a DVD release probably several months off, it'll be a long wait for the fans who haven't already downloaded the title off the internet. Come on Sony! How about an official date?[Via Cinematical][Update: corrected a grammatical error]
