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Final Fantasy Tactics supposedly coming to iOS this summer
It's been nearly a year since Square Enix announced at E3 that it would port the venerable Final Fantasy Tactics to iOS. The original release date was supposedly September 15 last year, but Square Enix later backtracked on that and claimed "the wrong information about the FFT release date is spreading around somehow" -- the chief source of that information being Square Enix itself. The company initially didn't offer a time frame for release, then said "Spring 2011," which is now almost over with still no release. According to the company's official Facebook page, Final Fantasy Tactics is (finally) due for release on the iPhone in either June or July. Square Enix also says an "HD" iPad version is in the works, and it offers as proof a couple of re-drawn graphics lacking the "jagginess" originally present in the game. Whether the release date for the iPhone version will slip yet again is anyone's guess. As for the iPad version, we can probably expect that to come out a couple months later and be priced at around a 150 percent markup over whatever the iPhone version's price turns out to be. I haven't played the original Final Fantasy Tactics in about ten years or so; I don't own a PSP, so I've never played the updated "War of the Lions" iteration. I've played all the way through both titles in the Final Fantasy Advance series, though, and all three titles number among my favorite games of all time. I hope Square Enix finally gets the lead out and releases this game for iOS so that I can play through and enjoy it again.
Final Fantasy I and II on sale, ESPN app free, Real Racing on sale this weekend
Here's some good news about a few popular apps on the App Store: Square Enix has dropped the price on retro titles Final Fantasy I and II. The games were originally released at US$8.99, but to celebrate more widespread localization, the apps have dropped down to $3.99. Great games, nice price. ESPN's Scorecenter XL app for the iPad has gone completely free. The app provides news and scores from around the sporting world -- it was $4.99, but the network has apparently decided to go free for good. And Firemint is putting its Real Racing title on sale for the iPhone next week -- as of September 30, the app will be available for just $2.99. That's a rare occurrence for them. It's the first time this game has ever gone on sale, probably because the title has been so popular. It offers a quality racing experience, with full Game Center integration. These are all great deals on really popular apps. If you've been waiting to pick one of these up for cheaper than usual, now's your chance.
Final Fantasy XIV PC controller debuts in dazzling white
Been itching to wrap your mitts around the latest Final Fantasy chapter? Well, we trust you've already obtained the FF XIV-endorsed WiFi router from Planex, so why not complete the set with the official PC controller from Sunflex? Coming in a snowy white enclosure, it doesn't stray far from the Dual Shock recipe that most PC gamepad makers like to cook from, although it does offer curiously elongated hand grips. Are Final Fantasy players generally larger than the average gamer or is this just a more ergonomic design for those 20-hour grinding sessions in the world that Square Enix built?
Final Fantasy XIV wireless router sure to make the next 14,000 hours of your life zip by
Our first impulse when we spotted this abstractly formed Final Fantasy XIV-branded 802.11n router on the TGS show floor was that Planex Communications was some sort of rogue IP-infringing KIRFufacturer. It turns out that's not the case. Planex Communications is a totally upstanding manufacturer of all things networking and Japanese-video-games-branded, and the fact that this ¥9,980 (about $116 US) router was located a few feet from Square Enix's own booth should quell any other misgivings. Now, as for misgivings about dedicating the majority of your life over the next couple years to another treadmill of XP, loot, and Moogles, those are in your hands. %Gallery-102486%
UK authority bans Xbox 360 game ad for using PS3 footage (video)
It's a well-known fact that the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII can't hold a candle to the one on PS3, and now the UK has formally banned an ad for allegedly pulling the ol' bait-and-switch on British TV screens. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority sat down with both copies of the game and noticed a variety of graphical discrepancies, notably that "video sequences appeared sharper and colours were more vivid" on PS3 than Xbox 360. That's all well and good, but the commercial itself is reportedly being banned on a technicality -- though game developer Square Enix admits the footage used was from PS3, it claims the UK ad consists entirely of pre-rendered cutscenes that look nigh-identical on either game machine. But don't take their word for it -- judge for yourself after the break.
Xbox 360 retailing in a Final Fantasy XIII bundle for the rest of us
Japan's been Final Fantasy-ing for a while now, but it looks like an import FFXIII PS3 isn't your only shot at pointy-haired excellence. Outside of Japan, Microsoft has the exclusive "official" Final Fantasy XIII bundles, in the form of a $399 Xbox 360 that packs a 250GB HDD, two controllers, a standard edition of the game, and some exclusive avatar downloads. Separately available will be some limited edition faceplates (pictured after the break) created by designer Tetsuya Nomura, but if you want a full console paint job you're still going to have to turn Japanese and fork it over for a PS3 -- or level up on your Bob Ross technique and paint it yourself. The bundle should hit stores March 9th.
Limited edition Final Fantasy XIII PS3 gets unboxed
Sony and Square Enix have sure taken their time building up anticipation for this one, but the new limited edition Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation 3 is now finally available in Japan, and our pals at Joystiq were lucky enough to wrangle one for an unboxing. As you can see, this one definitely takes things further than the rather understated Final Fantasy VII limited edition PS3, with it boasting a stylish matte white finish and a slightly glossier rendition of the character Lightning in pink -- and, of course, a matching white controller. Hit up the link below for the full unboxing.
250GB PS3 Final Fantasy XIII bundle announced, ships December
Sony Japan just announced the very first 250GB PS3 bundle. For ¥41,600 (compared to ¥29,980 yen for the standard Japanese PS3), gamers in Japan will receive a limited edition Final Fantasy XIII rig with 250GB disk and Lightning emblazoned across the the body. The PS3 normally ships with a 120GB hard drive but the 250GB version has been rumored ever since the FCC leak. Available for purchase in Japan on 17 December.
Engadget's recession antidote: win one of five Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Blu-ray Discs
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got five copies of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray Disc, which just so happens to street today. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Major thanks to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for providing the kit!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) of five (5) copies of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray Disc. Approximate MSRP value is $38. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, June 2nd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
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]
Sony goes Cloud-hopping with Final Fantasy VII edition PS3
Like some greedy vampire that just won't rest, Final Fantasy VII keeps coming back again and again to suck the contents out of your wallets. Its latest incarnation is a re-release of Advent Children, and Sony's getting in on the game with yet another special edition console to celebrate it. The upgraded movie is said to boast 30 more minutes of gratuitous high-res animation action while the new PS3 features a 160GB HDD and a matte "Cloud Black" paint job with Cloud's Strike Strife Wolf emblem engraved (or at least appliqued) on top. The bundle with the movie (including a demo of Final Fantasy XIII) will sell for about $550 in Japan when it releases next month -- naturally there was no mention of a US release.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Square Enix will differentiate its next effort from FFXI
Details are still not released about the next project from Square Enix, makers of Final Fantasy XI but rumors abound that it will debut at E3 in June 2009. So far, all that has been said is that the new game will be "different from Final Fantasy XI." Gee. Thanks. Helpful. This is not terribly different from what they said about six months ago now regarding the new game. And according to Hiromichi Tanaka, Senior VP of Software Development, the same team that worked on FFXI will be on this next project. Given the resounding and lasting success of the Final Fantasy franchise, it may be hard to give up the name recognition.
Life is a side quest -- I wanna ride it all night long!
Kylie Prymus is the first columnist for PS Fanboy. A Ph.D candidate in philosophy, Kylie specializes in the sociology of technology. Through this new weekly column, Kylie will explore the impact of PlayStation on thought and culture. I have returned, noble fanboys and fangirls! Yes returned to the land of milk and honey - if by milk you mean PixelJunk Eden and by honey you mean Soulcalibur IV. As I sat in my car staring at long stretches of side quest highway for hours, drooling at the though of returning home to days upon days of new games and DLC (not to mention resolving the heart-wrenching gamus interruptus of a few key titles ), I couldn't help but wonder if my extended absence from the PS3 had taught be anything. Besides the hard lesson that I most definitely need to invest in an HDMI capable monitor - or even better, a PS3 laptop - what did I learn from 6 weeks of quality time with naught save my PSP?
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 trailer full of whimsy, tactics
It's actually pretty difficult for us to tell if the above trailer is any good -- you see, when the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance came out, we played it until our GBA SP's brilliant backlight peppered our poor eyeballs with cataracts. From what we can tell through blurs and blind spots, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift looks similar to it's last-gen predecessor, with a few minor graphical tweaks and improvements in sound. Considering Square-Enix has added a handful of new classes and races, and yet another lengthy single-player campaign, we're wondering where we can find a black market eyeball dealer/installer in our neck of the woods, and if they can pencil us in before the game's June 24 release date.
Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura talks PS3 musical freedom
While video game music is no longer simply the series of 'beeps' and 'boops' it was in the past, it has nonetheless remained one of game design's -- groan -- unsung heroes. This isn't lost on tune-focused Music4Games, and in a recent interview with Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura, she spoke out on a number of topics, including her thoughts on creating music for the PlayStation 3.According to Shimomura, who is responsible for the tunes we'll be humming along to in Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy Versus XIII for the PS3, composing on Sony's current platform is much less limiting than it was in previous generations. "With the PlayStation 2, sound production...was a constant battle with memory and limitations," she recalled, adding that "with the PlayStation 3, I'm expecting to have it sound the way I please, without limitations." It's encouraging to hear someone at any level talk about creating content on the PS3 that doesn't involve the words "difficult" or "costly." However, with Square Enix continuing to play coy with regards to when its decade of Final Fantasy will actually kick off, it may be some time before our ears ring with the fruits of Yoko Shimomura's musical labor.
Final Fantasy IV trailer gets English subtitles
We here at Joystiq HQ are, as you might imagine, savvy world travelers, and therefore have a vast knowledge of the languages of many countries. Swedish, Italian, Esperanto -- one of us (we shall not reveal who) is even fluent in Klingon. Unfortunately, Japanese is one of our weaker subjects, thus a majority of the promotional material for Squeenix and Matrix Software's (the guys who made the DS remake of FFIII) recreation of the 1991 SNES role-playing classic Final Fantasy II (or IV, for purists) has largely gone over our heads.Luckily for us, this astonishing trailer created from promotional footage already released in Japan comes with English subtitles -- not that words would be required to appreciate the visuals featured in this preview. Regardless of whether those CGI cutscenes make their way into the handheld package, the game's 3D models look fantastic, filling us with unbridled desire for some old-school crystal hunting. July 22 can not come soon enough.
FFXII composer bringing his music to non-Japanese games
For those of you who who can't seem to get Final Fantasy XII's battle music out of your head, there may soon be something else to hum along to as FFXII composer Hitoshi Sakimoto is looking to bring his musical style to a wider audience, including games produced outside of Japan. Helping him in this will be Four Bars Intertainment, which also represents other game composers such as Jason Hayes (World of Warcraft), Inon Zur (Fallout 3, Crysis), and Jack Wall (Myst series). No games have been announced yet, though we doubt Sakimoto will lack for projects to fill his free time. Over the past two decades the workaholic composer has added more than 150 projects to his credit, including such titles as Vanillaware's GrimGrimoire and Odin Sphere, shooters Gradius V and Radiant Silvergun, plus a handful of anime releases as well -- many of which we've given our own spin while humming along to in the shower.
Final Fantasy IV coming to North America ... maybe
Role-playing fans can slip on their dancing shoes and party like it's 1991. A new interview with Final Fantasy IV director Takashi Tokita in the latest Nintendo Power seems to point to the game's recent DS remake being localized for North American audiences. Oh sure, he doesn't come right out and confirm the localization -- where's the drama in that? -- but given that the article comes peppered with English language screens and the game itself is featured on the cover, we're certainly leaning towards believing that the RPG will soon be getting some domestic love.Tokita also toys with our emotions, speaking to the possibility of a remake of SNES RPG classic Chrono Trigger provided "the demand is great enough." Though like coming down hard off a caffeine high, he sends us crashing back down to earth by adding that he really wants to "create new titles and not just series installments and remakes." Yours is a cruel love, mon cher.[Via DS Fanboy]
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]
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 not released B4 June 24
Two crushing disappointments awaited us in the latest Square Enix press release. The first, admittedly, was entirely due to our misreading of the subject line and consequent imagining of the many, many flavors Final Fantasy Tictacs could contain. Just think: You'd have the sour Squall-flavored ones, the spicy Red XIIIs, a couple of Cloud candies (indiscernible from Sephiroth flavor) , the Tidus fruit droplets and ... well, now you see why were so disappointed.Similarly, we didn't quite appreciate the North American release date for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. You'll only be able to stick the third part of the "Ivalice Alliance" into your DS on June 24th, which is quite a long way off if you're a Final Fan of strategic RPG-ery. Square Enix promises it'll be worth the wait though, as the grimoire comes packed with 400 quests, "polished game mechanics," stylus controls and new jobs and classes.%Gallery-18758%
