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Ring of Fates hits PAL regions next spring
Our excitement levels for (deep breath) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates are steadily rising -- not only did our ears prick up earlier this year at the Famitsu score of 35/40, but this morning we got a release date for PAL territories (spring 2008, the same as the US release) and pretty screens (bizarrely in two different sizes).Most of all however, we're looking forward to wirelessly questing with chums on our handhelds. For many, getting four players together for a co-op game of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on the GameCube was an almighty headache, if only because the Cube itself was just so damn sparse. Fortunately, DS ownership is somewhat more common, which should make assembling parties of warriors in Ring of Fates -- dubbed "the most accessible Final Fantasy ever" in this morning's press release -- a piece of cake.%Gallery-3462%
New Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles movie
Turn out the lights, get some popcorn and pull up to your computer: it's time for Extremely Short Horror Theater! This week, we've got a super spooky treat for all of you fright fans: a chiller from the masters of horror at Capcom, called "The Evil Residents and the Umbrella," about a town full of arthritic pedestrians terrorized by a group of militaristic, gun-wielding murderers! We're sure you'll have such a screaming good time that the name "Residence of Evil" will haunt you for years to come![Via Famitsu]
Resident Evil: Impressions Chronicles
GayGamer recently got a chance to play Capcom's Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, which pulls old RE stories from their graves and reanimates them as segments of a rail shooter. Unlike previous Resident Evil spinoff games, this one seems like it's going to be okay. They were especially pleased with the treatment of the story-- since the Resident Evil series has traditionally had a good story element, this game has a leg up over other zombie-filled shooting games. Nobody will have to suffer like G did.The Nunchuk use also received praise-- being able to look around freely with the joystick just lets you do more in each area, allowing the players to search for hidden items, aim shots more accurately, and choose paths.%Gallery-3286%
Chronicles of Riddick remake heading to the PS3 and 360
It appears that the PlayStation 3 is getting a remake of the best movie videogame of all time, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Rumors have been popping up on the net that an 'enhanced' version of the fantastic PC/Xbox game will be coming to both the PS3 and the 360 and will include improved graphics, online modes, developer commentary and a new level. The new version is titled Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and it was confirmed that original developer Starbreeze is working on the remake. Unfortunately, no release date was mentioned.The original title was easily one of my favorite first-person shooters from the previous generation. It was a bit of a sleeper hit with many people writing it off as just another movie cash-in title, but Starbreeze really delivered in spades. The game was incredibly atmospheric, had fantastic graphics, visceral and violent gameplay, and a surprisingly good story. Still, it seems a little odd that they're remaking a game that's only a few years old. Hopefully the new extras will make it worth taking another trip to Butcher Bay.
Virtually Overlooked: Castlevania (X68000)
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative. Fans of Castlevania already have the option to play the first game on Virtual Console in either of two forms: the NES version or the Super NES remake. Both are excellent games and should be in your collection. But our lust for Castlevania cannot be satiated. The best-- and hardest-- version of Castlevania has yet to appear on the Virtual Console.
Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates screenshot love
And it's all for you, dear reader. Resident blogger Alisha has officially declared today, April 25th, "Super JRPG Screenshot Day," in commemoration of not only these great screens but also these, from an equally desirable title.The vote is pretty much unanimous that Final Fantasy III is the best-looking DS title to date, but it looks like Square-Enix whipped their programmers into making their games even prettier. Which means those men have whip marks everywhere. The problem with the original Crystal Chronicles was the amazingly intense hardware requirement, but if the new multiplayer cooperative system is easy to use, we might have yet another Squeenix bajillion-seller on our hands.
Famitsu reveals Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, confirms RE4 port [update 1]
[Update 1: fixed the name of the DS game. Thanks, SnesR0X, and no thanks to the many similar DS-game subtitles!]It's been a while since we had a directed blurry-Famitsu-picture staredown, and this one is, as usual, totally worth staring at. Famitsu printed a long-awaited look at Capcom's Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, the Wii-exclusive RE-series-spanning game.According to the article, it's a first-person gun shooting game with playable characters from past REs including Chris, Jill, Wesker, and others. Whether it's a true FPS or an on-rails affair like Resident Evil: Dead Aim remains to be seen.Also in Famitsu was confirmation that Resident Evil 4 is getting an enhanced Wii release. Rumor has it that all the PS2 extras will be included, but the only definite is an added Wiimote-controlled knife mode. Sounds like RE Deadly Silence on the DS.[Thanks, zshadow!]
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: new fun-size screens
The name (Final Fantasy Crystal Chroncles: Ring of Fates) may be long, but the characters are all lil'. The party of adventurers looks like it's composed entirely of three-year-olds. Maybe it's a modern interpretation of the kind of character art found in the NES Final Fantasy games, but whatever the reason, we definitely appreciate toddling in our world-ending crises.Like the Gamecube version, you'll have to have friends nearby to play in multiplayer. However, unlike the Gamecube, pretty much everyone has a DS these days. Check out some screens after the break-- you'll want to e-pinch the characters' little virtual cheeks.
Final Fantasy: Ring of Fates trailer
And rounding up the recent deluge of Square-Enix trailers from their annual Jump Festa event, this Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates trailer certainly impresses. There's some shiny text, and then a long, confusing sequence in which one tries to focus on five different scenes in the picture at once. Leave it to SE to try and simply overwhelm your senses ... they're rather good at that.The original Crystal Chronicles was a bit of a let-down, but this title can hopefully bring FF:CC out of the "crappy Final Fantasy spin-offs" category. Oh, and for a slightly higher quality version of the trailer, click here for the official movie from Square-Enix's website.(And did anyone check out what appeared to be a stylus-based fire spell around 1:41? Awesome.)[via Penny Arcade]
FF: CC screens show off single player and multiplayer screens
Famitsu published some screens and info via their website today. The screens (the top two are from single-player, with the bottom two providing a glimpse into the game's multiplayer) show some in-game sections of the title, but don't really reveal much. Aside from that, any online translation aid we've tried online has spit back indecipherable code. So, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment in trying to gain any further information than the game stars twins.
Crystal Chronicles to be shown at Jump Festa
According to German gaming site GameFront, Square-Enix will have Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on-hand at Jump Festa, a gaming/anime/manga event held in Japan, taking place on the 16th and 17th of this month. The only information missing is just what version, or versions, of the game will be at the show. Will we see the new DS game or that installment that is Wii-bound? We'll update you as soon as we receive confirmation.[Via Go Nintendo]
Crystal Chronicles from Comic-Con show floor
Taken from the show floor of Comic-Con last week, this video of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the DS is an extended version of a previously released trailer. During the video, all the usual things are addressed such as exploring and fighting.[Via Go Nintendo]
