Chocobo
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Chocobo's Dungeon website reminds us that the game exists
There seems to be an inordinately low level of hype surrounding the July release of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. It's an original Final Fantasy RPG (of sorts) on the Wii! That's awesome, right? Roguelikes, as well, are relatively hot right now, so we think this is a noteworthy release.The website has been updated with a short story introduction, descriptions of three of Chocobo's available jobs (Knight, White Mage, and Black Mage), and even gameplay information, which describes areas in the game's town and the weird "Romantic Phrases" sidequest. In this quest, you find hidden "Romantic Phrases" in letters and recite them to Romantic Hero X. There are also two wallpapers, one of which was the source for the lovely art adorning this post. We've stared at it long enough that we're now convinced we like the game.
Gameplay Wishlist: new mount abilities
Mounts in World of Warcraft are essentially organic vehicles that allow the player to traverse the landscape more quickly. Level 60 Epic mounts are faster than level 40 mounts, and of course flying mounts grant vertical movement. Mounts in other games are mostly the same, barring, of course, smaller games of which we might know nothing. It's a big game universe out there; it's possible.But it seems that there's unaddressed potential with these mounts. Sure, they look menacing, and it's better to ride than to walk, but is that all? Watching the recent Vanguard mounts video made us yearn for more from our noble steeds. Here's what we'd like to see in future games.
Chocobo's Dungeon kweh-ming to North America in July
Be sure to check your teeth for cavities after this post, as Square Enix will bring an extra dose of saccharine sweetness to the Wii this summer by way of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. The game, designed for both RPG enthusiasts and fans who spend their nights imagining dressing up the company's iconic yellow birds, will ship on July 8, and its asking price of just $39.99 won't leave your wallet looking for a phoenix down.According to Squeenix, this overdose of cute will find Final Fantasy stalwarts Cid and Chocobo hunting for treasure while trying to solve the mystery of a strange town full of people who have lost their memories. The game will even take the cute online via Wi-Fi card battles featuring a darling "3D pop-up book style." Kweh![Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Chocobo's Dungeon warks to North America in July
If you were wondering where you'd get your cuteness fix this summer, wonder no more. Square-Enix just announced that Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon would be hitting North American Wiis on July 8th of this year, confirming earlier rumors that were floating around the internets.This game is mostly for the Squeenix fans who squeal at the thought of a Chocobo wearing various class outfits, but those of you who enjoy dungeon-crawling RPGs might consider it, too -- especially at the $39.99 price tag. The story revolves around Chocobo and Cid, who find themselves in a town where people have lost their memories. The only way to retrieve the memories of the townsfolk, of course, is to battle through dungeons. The game also offers Wi-Fi card battles against friends and arcade-style minigames that can be found at the Mog House.The Wii can certainly use some more RPGs, in our opinion, and this is definitely a welcome one. Should this title interest you, you can also check out its official English website here (although there's nothing there, yet).
Patch 2.4: The unofficial patch notes
Yesterday, we sent out a call for unofficial changes, and you guys responded with plenty. The official patch notes were posted earlier this week, but here are the unofficial patch notes for patch 2.4 we've found so far. Raid reset timers are showing the wrong times. (known bug) Various weapons are showing up as the wrong sizes. (known bug) A number of AV changes were made, some of them documented, some not. We've confirmed that yes, the Chocobo squawk (press spacebar when standing still on the Blood Elf racial mount) is new to the game. Sound effect for Power World: Shield has changed in volume (thanks, Matt), as have some other sounds in the game Netherstorm mobs have had their health tuned down, and frostbolts seem to go faster (thanks, Nick) Blizzard has adjusted things so that the walljumping exploit is no longer valid in many places (thanks, Jacob) Motes of Water drop rate seems to be nerfed (thanks, Tancred) More after the jump.
Rumor: Chocobo's Dungeon to be open to American adventurers
We love Gamefly. We hear they're okay for sending games to people, which is great. But more importantly, they love to reveal unannounced games to us. Case in point: their "Coming Soon" page includes a listing for Final Fantasy: Chocobo Dungeon. We've long suspected that Square Enix would decide to localize their adorable roguelike, Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu. There's really no reason not to believe Gamefly on this one. It's currently marked for a July 3rd release date on the website.Also found on the "Coming Soon" page: oddities! Like Space Chimps! Well, that's not really that odd, since there's a CG movie coming out by the same name. Anything called Space Chimps qualifies as odd by default, though, we think. But much more unequivocally odd is Guinness Book of World Records ... the game! Look forward to that this October, according to Gamefly.
Behind the Curtain: How far is too far?
How far do you go to show how much you love your favourite MMO?Would you have a tattoo done? Our sister site WoW Insider has, in the past, posted about people having tattoos of various World of Warcraft symbols done. I sport a tattoo myself, and I've certainly considered getting a WoW tattoo done. Tattooing is certainly an extreme, and fairly permanent, way of professing your love for a game, so I suppose that might be 'too far' right there. You could go for a simpler option, and pick up some of the nifty official merchandise available for various games instead.I doubt you'll be surprised to hear that there is a veritable plehtora of merchandise available for WoW. There's the pen and paper RPG, (which I have but can't find anyone willing to indulge me an take part in my campaign) the TCG with its many tasty loot cards, and there's the wearable merchandise. Why not grab yourself a T-shirt or two – my personal favourite is the Camp Taurajo one. Wear one of these around town during downtime and see how many "For the Horde!" or "Grab your sword and fight the Horde!" cries you can hear being thrown your way. I wouldn't bet much on the latter though, to be honest. Sorry Mike. If your place of work has a 'dress down' day in effect, declaring your allegiance for the entire cafeteria to see may unearth a fellow WoW player you never knew was there.
In case you've forgotten anything: Chocobo's Dungeon preview
Gametrailers has posted a surprisingly comprehensive preview of Square Enix's new roguelike-lite, Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu (Dungeon of Forgotten Time). It does a good job of introducing the basics of the turn-based system, the methods of upgrading your character, and, of course, the storyline.We were amused by the major fakeout involved in the story: Chocobo and a treasure hunter named Cid head to a big tower, which we think is going to be the basis for the game, like The Tower of Druaga or something. They've got this perfectly serviceable roguelike setting, a tower made up of many floors, full of treasure, and then -- nope! The tower gets hit with some kind of beam that sends Chocobo and Cid into a vortex, landing them in the Land of Forgotten Time. Okay, we thought, so they'll explore this land, then, like Shiren the Wanderer.Then a space-baby shows up and lets Chocobo go into people's minds to recover their memories. And those are the dungeons.
Friday Video: Enter the Chocobo
Chocobo's dungeon (wii) cinematic intro 3Uploaded by HinataLovely This glimpse of the opening for Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu makes us long for the game to retain the Japanese voice acting come the inevitable English-language release. It just looks and sounds so good! Of course, we'll probably love it as much in English, but it's hard to argue with this video, which is why we've decided to drop it into our weekly spotlight.
Rubber chocobo, you're the one
As a parent-to-be (in less than a month!) and a dedicated gamer, this blogger is often faced with a dark dilemma. How to subtly work in gaming influences on the spawnling without pushing a love for things like sprites, whips, and black mages too hard? Trust Square Enix to find a way to make that a little bit easier with this completely adorable rubber ducky that is not, in fact, a duck at all -- but rather, a chocobo. Not just any old chocobo, either, but a fat little baby chocobo that is just perfect for fat little baby hands. The chocobos, which release in April, are a little costly for a bath toy at $13.50 apiece, but it may be worth the premium to snag the perfect tub companion. You can bet there's going to be one in this house.
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/17-12/23
The Wii did well last week in Japan, finally managing to outsell the PlayStation 3 again by five to one. Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario and Sonic continued to find success in the software sales charts, while Wii Sports and Wii Play extend their quests toward spectacularly high numbers.We're glad to see that Super Mario Galaxy is doing well (the game is great, in case you haven't noticed), and are still awed by the phenomenon that is Wii Sports. Only one game in the top ten (and top fifteen, for that matter) was for a non-Nintendo system, which exemplifies the company's current dominance in Japan. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is mysteriously missing from the charts, however, leading some to speculate that the game sold less than FIFA 360 (which took the last place with 2,400 copies sold).Check after the break to see the sales numbers for Japan's hardware and software.
Promotional Consideration: Hataraku Chocobo
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Square Enix has been pushing Final Fantasy IV hard this week in Japan, advertising the 3D remake with five different CG-filled commercials. We were curious to compare these spots with how the RPG was marketed when it first appeared on the Super Famicom, all the way back in 1991, and the two approaches couldn't be any more at odds!
Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon commercials are high-budgetedly adorable
Square Enix has updated their Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu homepage with two versions of a really cute commercial. We know it's Square Enix and everything, but we're still a bit taken aback by the high production values on display in this ad (accessible from the homepage via the "movie" link). It's a Wii sequel to a spinoff series that we thought was a low-budget, low-key affair. The FMVs are actually really nice!But mostly we just wanted to post about the commercials so we could post this picture. We totally cheated by snapping the screenshot mid-blink, but we think the resemblance is uncanny. [Via Dengeki]
Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon site gets updated
The Japanese website for Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon (you know, that game starring that delicious looking cute little yellow bird) has been updated, provided the internet surfer looking for more juicy content just what they desire most. No, it isn't a fabulous recipe for extra crispy, deep fried Chocobo (is it so wrong that we spend a lot of time thinking about how delicious a fictional creature is?), it's new stuff about the upcoming game.There is new screens, some art and a closer look at the different job classes on over at the site, so give it a look.%Gallery-9664%[Via Go Nintendo]
Chocobo's trailer of mystery
The latest trailer for Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is mysterious because we can't find out what we like about it most. Maybe it's the soothing music that feels like it should be playing during the credits of Battle Royale or something (don't ask us how we came up with that association, they really don't sound that alike). Maybe it's the young green-haired boy, who reminds us of Cabbage Head (oh, how we miss you Kids in the Hall). Or, maybe it's because that Chocobo is just so darn cute.[Via Go Nintendo]
Chocobo plushes wark with the best of them
Perhaps the only thing cuter than a chocobo plush is a chocobo plus with a mage outfit. Just look at him in his little hat! We want this so badly. If only we could justify spending $25 ($30 with shipping) on a plush. But hey, some of you might be more spendthrifty than us, so buy away!Also, if you like these sorts of things, check out the Santa Claus and white mage chocobos after the break.
The mystery becomes unraveled in these screens
Well, maybe not the whole mystery, but we're definitely getting a more clear picture of what this game is all about.And, as far as mysterious dungeons go, we can think of nothing more than a giant, delicious and cute bird who should traverse them. Especially one that is so multi-talented. And, if you were looking for some new screens for the upcoming Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, then JeuxFrance has enough screens that, should you wish, you could print each one out and sew them together, making yourself a nice little blanket. Of course, we can't condone such a thing. We'd hate to see you get a nasty papercut.
A mysterious hero emerges from the dungeon
In the showdown of Wii Mysterious Dungeon games, Chocobo's Dungeon has one major advantage over Shiren the Wanderer 3: the awwwwww factor. The adorableness of the Chocobo protagonist and pretty much everything else in the game may help sway roguelike fans who are on the fence about which title to buy.As if the game didn't already overload on the cute, these new screenshots reveal a new character named Dungeon Hero X. Where did he come from? Is he friend, enemy, or both? No one knows (although we doubt he's firing the "Mog Beam" at the poor Chocobo out of friendship). It is a mystery of the Mystery Dungeon. A cute mystery.
Level up your wallet for its upcoming boss battle
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Level_up_your_wallet_for_its_upcoming_boss_battle'; Square Enix sent an email out today to let us know that their online merchandise store will be opening on the 20th at 6PM EST. It's a good thing, too, because we were really starting to get nervous about all this money and shelf space we have around here. They'll be carrying exclusive items like the Judge Magister Gabranth figure, and a pair of Cloud and Sephiroth Advent Children statuettes with glowing bases.We're looking forward to dropping way too much money on the inevitable Chocobo- and Moogle-themed memorabilia with which to fill our Materia slots airship inventory apartment. Well, maybe not way too much money, because we're total grownups and know how to restrain oursel- dude, maybe they have the cushions!
Keychains - because there can never be enough Final Fantasy swag
Sure, figures are cool, and special edition Lites are nice. You can even track down clocks and badges if you're a real Final Fantasy fan. But what compares to chocobos hanging from your keychain? That's right -- different types of chocobo keychains!Okay, okay, maybe we're a bit overzealous at times with our Final Fantasy fandom, but chocobo keychains are just too cute to resist. And if you don't like cute little chocobos (i.e., if you're not human), you can pick up something else, like a moogle or a black mage.
