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FF7 Crisis Core receiving special edition in UK [updated]
We're well aware that only two groups of people are going to be interested in this particular bit of news. The first, of course, is the set of people eagerly awaiting the English version of Square Enix's portable Final Fantasy VII prequel, Crisis Core. Though American fans are due to receive the PSP game later this month, folks in the UK have to wait a bit longer. The wait may not be without reward, however, as a "Special Pre-Order Edition" of Crisis Core: FF7 (complete with obligatory art book and slipcase) has been spotted on certain retailer websites. Eurogamer notes that an announcement is "imminent," and suggests that offers for the rest of Europe may differ.Oh, and the other group? That would be the smaller and decidedly more eccentric bunch that absolutely hates the F7 key for no apparent reason. We apologize if Google search picked up on our headline and led you astray. Personally, we've never cared much for that tilde key.[Update: You can now see the special edition (animated and spinning!) on the official Crisis Core website.][Via PSP Fanboy]
Cloud, Aerith and the Turks star in new Crisis Core vids
In just a few weeks time, a real Final Fantasy VII prequel will await you: Crisis Core's English release has us quite excited, and these new videos look really fantastic. We were doubtful of the dub at the first, but these new videos have alleviated many of our fears. Check out IGN for even more videos. [Thanks, CyborgSPIKE!]
Huge Crisis Core media update
Square Enix has been generous today, having given us a huge set of screenshots and videos for the company's upcoming Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. With the game's release date just a month a way, we expect to hear and see more about this title. But for now, bask in the radiant media that we have in the present. The time will come when we finally get to hold this hot title in our hands. More videos after the break.%Gallery-6657%
Final Fantasy VII ported to the Famicom. Finally!
Remember back in the late '90s, when Square was so frustrated trying to fit their opus Final Fantasy VII onto the cartridge-based Nintendo 64 that they made their famous defection to Sony? Well, just a short decade later, China's Shenzhen Nanjing Technology Co, Ltd has apparently done what Square couldn't, squeezing the PlayStation epic onto a cartridge. And not just any cartridge .. a Famicom cartridge. How's it feel to be shown up, Square?Of course, the conversion isn't perfect. According to a write-up from intrepid blogger CinnamonPirate (who unearthed the 2MB ROM from a Chinese blog) the polygonal graphics and cut scenes are gone, replaced with an impressively wide array of sprites, many stolen from other Final Fantasy games. The story remains surprisingly authentic, though, encompassing the entire three-disc epic while only leaving out a few optional side stories (bye bye, Yuffie and Vincent). The wide array of weapons, magic and materia from the original is a bit restricted in the port, but frankly, we're impressed that features like materia-leveling made it on to the 20+ year old hardware in any form.The company behind the cart is apparently now primarily makes MP3 players, so our hopes for a Colecovision version of Final Fantasy XII will probably remain unfulfilled.
New Crisis Core trailer focuses on Zack and Angeal
Can you feel it? Crisis Core has been long in the making, and it's finally coming over to the States. This brand new CG trailer focuses on the Shin-Ra soliders, Zack and Angeal. How they tie into the Final Fantasy VII universe will all be revealed when the game launches this March. Retailers are taking pre-orders -- check your favorite one and get ready to make a deposit!
Final Fantasy VII sculptures to kill your wallets in January
Click for high-resolution image. You know what the meanest time to release new products is? January. Our wallets have taken huge Christmas-related blows, and need some recovery time. Not for you, says Square Enix. This January, Square Enix is releasing a set of Final Fantasy VII related merchandise that you may want to pick up before Crisis Core's March release.For example, you may want to invest in this sculpture of Aerith. Looks nice, right? Too bad it'll cost you $220.00. It'll be available on January 10th. The "Masterpiece Arts" sculpture of Cloud will cost a whopping $399.99 and will be available on the same day.Thankfully, something a bit more reasonable has been announced as well. "Play Arts" figures of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith will be available for $24.99 each. Those are available on January 3rd. Are any PSP Fanboy readers going to go broke buying one of these pricey figures?%Gallery-9087%
Today's most remote video: FFVII on your PSP
Care to see just how useful the new Sony firmware update can be for the retro gamer on the go? GameVideos tested out the new Remote Play feature for PlayStation One games, specifically the target of so many remake requests, Final Fantasy VII. Check out the video after the break, and hope for a time when a PlayStation 3 firmware updates allows for streaming PS2 play.
Crisis Core secret ending begs you to play FFVII
The secret ending of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core shows a familiar scene for fans of Square's long revered RPG series. Could the "to be continued" that ominously appears at the game's end suggest a remake, like many have theorized? We'd hope so, but we remain skeptical. Most likely, the Final Fantasy team is pulling a George Lucas, reminding people of where this new effort lies in the overarching timeline. Of course, once Square realizes how much money they'll be printing with a re-release of the original Final Fantasy VII, we hope they come to their senses soon enough. Video embedded after the cut.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
New Crisis Core video makes us very very jealous
GameVideos has a new clip of one of the gorgeously rendered cutscenes from the just-released Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. In it, Zach stands outside a small village and argues with a way-too-pretty man who then busts out a Sepiroth-like single wing from his back and flies away into the sky. And then the village blows up. Yeah, we don't get it either but we neeeeds it.With no solid American release date for Crisis Core yet, videos like this just make the wait all the more painful. Has anybody out there imported it? If so, how gaijin friendly is it?
Limited Edition FF VII PSP Slim causes huge lines in Japan
Wired's Chris Kohler is reporting that the just released Final Fantasy VII PSP Slim pack is causing long lines in Japan and he's got the photos to prove it. While initially it didn't appear that the lines were that long, when he picked up his ticket he found out he was 551 in line. After waiting around with a bunch of homeless guys, he was finally able to drop the 25,000 yen to pick up one of the coveted PSPs.The limited edition package comes with Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, a special numbered PSP with artwork on the back by Tetsuya Nomura, Final Fantasy earbuds, and a Buster Sword cell phone strap. While he wasn't overly impressed with the package, it still seems like a pretty damn cool purchase to us. It will be interesting to see what the release of the limited edition PSP and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core will do to the weekly sales in Japan. It seems like it could pretty easily double the normal sales rate of the handheld there. Final Fantasy is magic like that.[Via N4G]
For the last time -- FFVII is NOT being remade (right now)
According to IGN Square Enix character designer Tetsuya Nomura has issued the strongest denial of a Final Fantasy VII remake yet. In an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Dorimaga, he said, "It appears that there are often overseas rumors like 'Are you currently developing a VII remake?' My apologies, but we're absolutely not making [such a game]."Okay? It's not being worked on. Nomura did give the fanboys some good news though, as he went on to say that it will almost definitely be remade at some point, since it's something that even a lot of his coworkers want and Square Enix isn't ignorant of what the fans want. As he said, "As long as there are people who want to make it and people who are waiting for it, we don't want to proclaim 'the end.'"
Dream Games: Final Fantasy VII
Dream Games is a new weekly column where we explore a game we'd love to see on the PSP. Feel free to check in, and comment, every week.Final Fantasy VIIDoes this game need any explanation? This 32-bit debut from Square put Sony on the map through the liberal use of CG movies that stunned everyone at the time. Some people really like the story, the characters, and the gameplay as well.Why PSP?It makes a lot of sense to release the original right around when Crisis Core, the FFVII prequel hits our system. Considering UMD's greater storage capacity, the game would most likely fit on a single disc: none of this disc swapping nonsense to worry about!Is it possible?Although Square seems keen on revisiting this franchise over and over again, it seems unlikely that Square will settle for a simple port. The Final Fantasy VII tech demo that appeared on the PS3 makes Sony's next-gen console the most likely candidate for a remake, hopefully complete with new Advent Children-style CGs.
TGS 06: Every PSP game previewed
There are way too many PSP games at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Because not all of us have time to read all the impressions and previews of all the games coming out, PSP Fanboy has created this nifty guide for all the games that were previewed. You'll get a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the major video game news sites. If a game looks like it might be a real winner, we'll award it "The Official PSP Fanboy Entranced Korean Award." These are the games that'll end up in Korea on giant PSPs, luring people to their eventual doom. And, that's pretty cool. Read on to see all the previews!
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?
Best Buy puts up Final Fantasy VII listing
At the ripe price of 60 bucks, Final Fantasy VII for PS3 is showing up on Best Buy's website. Oh but wait, there's more. It even goes as far to list December 1st as being release date, obviously for here in the States. With everyone and their grandmother talking about a next-gen remake, this puts a bit more substance to the discussion (albeit only a little).Now who wants to start taking bids on how long it takes for Square Enix to get this removed?[Via Gaming Horizon]
3 Final Fantasy XIII games; 2 just for PS3
Final Fantasy XII won't be out for the PS2 in the States until October, but we now have a glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII thanks to Square Enix's pre-E3 press event -- and this installment in the series won't be coming alone.Like the different titles in the Compilation of FFVII collection of games and movies, the initially announced installments in the FFXIII universe will span multiple platforms which, in this case, include both the PS3 and sufficiently advanced mobile handsets. Not much is known about the mobile-bound Final Fantasy Agito XIII, but the subtitle-less version of FFXIII will concern a gun-and-sword-toting heroine in a futuristic world, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII will focus on "a spiky-haired character," "extreme action elements," and a primary theme of "bonding" (whatever that means). Anybody ready to "resist the world"?The multiple titles might explain the earlier rumor reported in March that FFXIII was "practically close to being finished" (maybe only one of these games was nearing completion). Whatever the case may be, we're just happy that more than one not-so-Final-Fantasy will be hitting the next PlayStation in relatively rapid succession. RPG feasting: on the way.[Via Joystiq]
