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Final Fantasy, Street Fighter and Castlevania top the PSone sales charts
Sony is printing money with its slowly expanding library of PSone classics on the PlayStation Store. Playable on both PSP and PS3, these downloadable titles have been an easy way to prey upon gamer nostalgia. Unsurprisingly, the most iconic games of the PS1 era take the top of the PSone downloads chart in the month of June: Final Fantasy VII Street Fighter Alpha Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Crash Bandicoot Twisted Metal 2 Spyro the Dragon Crash Bandicoot: WARPED Crash Bandicoot 2 Wild Arms Tekken 2 It shouldn't be too surprising to see multiple Crash Bandicoot games take positions in the top 10. He was, after all, PlayStation's official mascot back in the day. Let's remember him with some classic PS1 ads after the break.
PSN release of Final Fantasy VII downloaded over 100,000 times
No wonder Square Enix loves to make spin-offs of Final Fantasy VII -- you people can't stop buying it! The PSN re-release of Final Fantasy VII has been downloaded over 100,000 times in two weeks, making it the fastest-selling PS1 download on the PSN so far (and likely, for all time). If a simple digital re-release can garner these kinds of sales figures, imagine what a proper remake could do.While touting the "power and interoperability built into the PlayStation brand," Sony also officially announced additional PS1 games for release later this summer: Wild Arms 2, Mobile Light Force and Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol. It's unlikely any of these games will even come close to what Final Fantasy VII was able to achieve.Bonus! Original PS3 Final Fantasy VII "tech demo" after the break.Super Bonus! Random and miscellaneous PSN stats after the break as well.
Final Fantasy VII available to download in Europe today
Fear not Europeans, Square Enix and Sony haven't let you down. Eurogamer reports that Final Fantasy VII will be available on the European store later today, just two days after its release in America. There's no indication of a price, or of why SCEE didn't take advantage of their fancy new blog to let us know that it was coming, but we won't hold that against them. You'll be able to introduce your PS3 and PSP to a classic RPG of yesteryear, today. They won't know what hit them.This bodes well for future high-profile PS1 title releases to take place simultaneously in Europe and the US. We didn't expect this to happen at all, but we hope SCEE keeps it up.
Final Fantasy VII hitting PSN today
The PlayStation One classic, Final Fantasy VII, will be available on PSN today, so keep your eyes glued to the PlayStation Store. In addition to this, Sony promises that there will be over 50 more PlayStation One classics coming to PSN in the remainder of the year.[Update: FFVII is now available on the PlayStation Store for $9.99. The download is 1.32GB. Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Your dreams come true: ESRB rates FFVII for PS3/PSP
To be honest, we never expected it to happen. We're so used to Japan getting awesome PS1 titles that never come to the US or Europe, we just assumed Final Fantasy VII would be one of them. The ESRB says otherwise, however, as it has rated the game for both the PSP and PS3, meaning that we could see it release at any time. Wouldn't that make make a great E3 week treat?Whether this will be released in Europe is at the whim of Square Enix, though there is no listing for the game on the European ESRB equivilent, PEGI. Like Resident Evil: Director's Cut, this may be exclusive to America.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Review: Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete
Advent Children in its original form is far from a great film. However, it did serve its function as the most expensive fan-service created to date. Continuing the story of Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children treated fans to a gorgeous, albeit nonsensical, film filled with over-the-top action sequences. The upcoming Blu-ray release of Advent Children Complete goes a long way into bettering the film, however fans may be upset that a large majority of the new footage is dedicated towards characters not from the original PS1 RPG.For the uninitiated, Advent Children was an impossible-to-follow film that relied too much on the legacy of the Final Fantasy VII anthology. Advent Children Complete, surprisingly, pads the film to make it a far more accessible film than the original. Geostigma, the mysterious disease that plagues the citizens of this world, is humanized by newly added scenes surrounding Denzel, a child whose role becomes fleshed out in this director's cut. Through the eyes of Denzel, we can better understand the chilling effects of the disease, and the desperation of those that are infected with a seemingly incurable and lethal disease. The film's villains, Kadaj and company, stood out as two-dimensional leather-wearing freaks. The Complete cut makes their intentions, plans and outfits all the more obvious.
FF7's Cloud spotted in BSG spin-off, Caprica
Battlestar Galactica and gaming culture seem to go together like carrots, celery and onion (what, mirepoix too fancy for ya?). And so it's with little shock that we bring you the screen you see above from the upcoming Battlestar Galactica spin-off series, Caprica, captured by a gracious Joystiq reader. Is that ... Cloud? Cloud Strife? It is! Well, sorta, kinda.Though the show isn't set to air until the beginning of next year on the Sci-Fi Syfy Channel, the two-hour pilot premiered via DVD and non-analog download this past week. Clearly the show's writers and/or set designers ... err ... someone on the set, decided to show their love for the critically acclaimed game and drop an Easter egg into the pilot in the form of Final Fantasy VII's protagonist. And while the image is a cartoony representation of the sharp-haired young gentleman, we'd be hard-pressed to not recognize that stance anywhere.[Thanks, Thomas P.!]
Advent Children Complete sells over 100k copies in Japan
Looks like bundling the Final Fantasy XIII demo with Advent Children Complete did the trick. Square Enix's Blu-ray exclusive extended edition of the Final Fantasy VII movie sold 100,000 copies in its first day of sales in Japan. According to Kotaku, this ranks the disc above any Blu-ray anime released in 2008. The top selling disc was Macross F, which managed to sell around 35,000 copies. Advent Children Complete easily topped that.If Sony Pictures is looking to recreate the sales success here in America, they better figure out a way to localize that demo. We're certain the upcoming US release of Advent Children Complete will look a lot more attractive if it had an English language demo of FFXIII -- wouldn't you agree?[Via Anime News]
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]
Advent Children Complete 'Cloud Black' PS3 unboxed
Do you have an extra 49,980 yen ($505) to spare? Well, someone at 1UP does, as they've picked up the new Advent Children-themed, limited edition PS3 bundle from Japan. The package includes a 160GB PS3 system in a matte black color -- it's supposedly "fingerprint resistant." In addition to the hardware, which is emblazoned with Cloud's wolf emblem, the bundle includes the Advent Children Complete Blu-ray disc and (you guessed it) the special Final Fantasy XIII demo.Visit 1UP to see more pics.
Advent Children Complete gets June 2nd US release
Click to embiggen. Cloud and Sephiroth are ready to duke it out again -- this time in a Blu-ray exclusive extended version of Advent Children. The US release will be ready on June 2nd, and will feature full 1080p video and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio in English, Japanese and French. Unlike the Japanese release, the US release will include a plethora of subtitle options: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Arabic and Dutch.In addition, the previously rumored extra features turned out to be real: "Legacy of Final Fantasy VII" Featurette "Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII" Original Story Digest "Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII Compilation" Story Digest On the Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel Animated Film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Trailers Exclusive Sneak Peek at Final Fantasy XIII We're hoping the "exclusive sneak peek" will be playable, as it is in Japan -- but we're not holding our breath.
Photos from the Advent Children Complete launch party
Advent Children Complete hits Japanese retailers next Thursday, April 16 and Square Enix is getting ready for it. The company recently held a launch party and early screening for the reworked and completed film. Celebrating in style, SE's party hosted many items fans could only dream of owning -- like a 1/1000 scale Midgar replica (pictured) or a life-sized Buster Sword (after the break). Three Advent Children Complete sets were also on display, and there were Final Fantasy XIII kiosks too -- most likely as a reminder of the demo that comes packed together with ACC. It seemed like a night to remember. We wished we were there. We'll just have to settle for the next best thing: photos. Luckily, UFFS has more of those, so head over there to see it all.
Final Fantasy VII now available on the PlayStation Store
... in Japan. The PSone RPG classic is now a downloadable PS3/PSP game, just in time for the Advent Children Complete Blu-ray release. This digital re-release can be purchased for 1500 yen. The multi-disc game has been converted into a massive 1715MB download, so make sure your hard drive/Memory Stick has enough room before downloading.We'd love to assure you that FFVII will find its way stateside, but we'd be lying. Square Enix has already re-released a number of PS1 classics in Japan, and none have found their way to the US/EU PlayStation Store.
Infringers of Dune: Dune role-players shut down by Herbert Estate. Spice keeps flowing
Among the various business, educational and social uses to which Second Life is put, Role-Playing gamers have quite a number of thriving communities. If you want to role-play in the world of Joss Whedon's Firefly, or Straczynski's Babylon 5, Lucas' Star Wars universe(s), Tolkien's Middle Earth, John Norman's Gor, Frank Herbert's Dune, Roddenberry's Star Trek, or the settings of Doctor Who, Torchwood, Battlestar Galactica, Harry Potter, Final Fantasy VII or CCP/White Wolf's World of Darkness, Second Life is home to all of these and more. Well, until this week anyway. According to Wagner James Au, Trident Media Group, a literary agent "designed for the twenty first century",which maintains the Herbert Estate sent cease-and-desist notices via Linden Lab requiring one non-profit role-playing community to remove Dune-related names and objects from the virtual environment within two days.
Maggie Wang strikes again: More custom Sackboys
It's been another busy month for Maggie Wang, expert craftswoman and friend to Sackboys. Last month we fell in love with her Prince of Persia Sackboy, but now Maggie has outdone herself. The image above shows her latest creation, a Sackboy in the image of Reno the Turk from Final Fantasy VII, complete with removable goggles. Adorable.Other creations this month include Ulala from Space Channel 5, the Fruit Brute cereal mascot and Michael J Fox' Teen Wolf character. Check out Maggie's website for more pics. We can't wait to see what she makes next.[Via Tomopop; Thanks Daniel!]
Advent Children may be done, but Final Fantasy VII isn't
The upcoming Blu-ray release of Advent Children Complete represents the end of the Advent Children saga. No more director's cuts, or extended director's cuts, super-special ultimate final director's cuts. This is it -- at least, according to Square Enix producer Tetsuya Nomura.While Advent Children may be done, the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" is far from over. Looks like a feature-length film, PS2 shooter and PSP prequel RPG haven't milked the original PS1 RPG enough. IGN reports that Nomura already has ideas for "the next product in the compilation." Final Fantasy VII remake, perhaps? Or more exciting: a Final Fantasy VII dating sim for the DS. You know you want to win Cloud's cold, broken, emo heart!There may be more FF7 in the works, but fans will have to wait quite a bit to see what's next. With multiple Kingdom Hearts games and two Final Fantasy XIII titles in the works, Nomura has plenty to focus his efforts on.
Rumor: Advent Children Complete gets US release in June
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete will be out in Japan later next month, and a North American release could be following closely. According to Blu-ray.com, the completed HD version of the film, with 30 minutes added to the running time, will be out June 7 and will contain dual English/Japanese audio (like the original release). It is said to feature six extra content features, including the new short, animated film called "On the way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel" and an exclusive Final Fantasy XIII sneak peek.Upon contacting Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, a company representative told us that Sony Pictures could not confirm the details yet and had not "properly announced details." Blu-ray.com's report could be leaked info that's come out a bit too early, but if it proves to be true, we're sure that everyone is wondering exactly what that FFXIII "sneak peek" entails. Is it the demo or just a trailer? The latter seems most likely.
Sony begins advertising Advent Children Complete in Japan
Sony has been gaining a lot of momentum in Japan, thanks to a number of high profile releases on the system: Resident Evil 5, Yakuza 3 and Street Fighter IV. However, no single brand will probably shift the Japanese market more than Final Fantasy. The upcoming director's mix of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a Blu-ray exclusive, and Sony is more than happy to present the upcoming movie as, essentially, a PS3 exclusive.Included with the film is a demo of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII, the first numbered Final Fantasy game since 2006. The title is exclusive to PS3 in Japan, and you can be sure that SCEI will take out a number of ads highlighting that fact.
Advent Children Complete trailer is completely gorgeous
Like many of Square Enix' offerings, Advent Children Complete has been a long time coming. We first heard about it at Tokyo Game Show in 2007, where we found out that Complete would be more than just a quick re-render of the original in HD. 25 minutes of extra footage are included and the movie has been dirtied up a bit as clothes and vehicles get muddied and worn throughout the film. Now we look forward to its Japanese release on April 16 -- a year and a half after it was first announced. If you're finding it difficult to wait until then, there's a trailer above that you really must check out. It looks glorious -- as ever -- and we're very much looking forward to seeing it in all its 1080p splendor. The bundled Final Fantasy XIII demo had nothing to do with our decision to import the Japanese version. Honest ...
FFXIII demo, special edition 160GB PS3 coming April 16 to Japan
The Final Fantasy XIII demo is hitting Japan on April 16 packaged with the Blu-ray Final Fantasy flick, Advent Children Complete. According to Famitsu, Sony will commemorate the release with a new 160GB PlayStation 3 bundle for ¥49,980 (US$550) that includes the movie, demo and specially marked console seen above.Already got a PS3? ACC is also coming sans hardware for ¥5,900 (US$65) with the demo and ¥4,900 (US$54) without ... but let's be honest, is there really a market for people who want the movie but don't want to play and / or eBay the FFXIII trial? Square Enix recently said that there are no plans to release the demo overseas, so if you've been pining for a taste of the long-awaited RPG, we suggest you brush up on your Japanese.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
