final fantasy
Latest
Square-Enix profits so big, they crashed an airship
Heh, get it? Cuz, cuz, they like airships and loaded it with too much money, so it crashed. Heh. Heh. Ahem. Anyway, let's take a break from what seems to be an overwhelmingly anti-Sony news day to look at one of Sony's most beloved allies. Squeenix announced today that it expects a 3.3 billion yen ($27.9 million) consolidated net income for their six-month period that ended on September 30th. This is a 32% increase from the previous forecast. Amazing.The massive increase with due in part to "an adjustment in the amount of deferred income taxes associated with consolidated accounting" as well as the Final Fantasy VII movie, Advent Children. So, have they made up for the Spirits Within bombshell of a movie? No way in hell, most likely. Even so, this is good news for RPG fanatics -- they can expect to enjoy their final fantasy many more times, but still call it final. Square got very lucky back in the day... that game saved them and in a way, the RPG genre. It wouldn't be as popular as it is, anyway. Kudos, Squeenix.
Japanese hardware sales, 30 October - 5 November: Stream-of-consciousness edition
Without further ado, I present the inner workings of my iron-clad genius:well yet another week of hardware sales, I wonder if my post will beat ludwig's, I dunno, we were talking about it earlier and his idea was good as hell, but of course i'd never admit it, damn south africans. when do they even get the wii? i guess probably not for awhile, sucks to be him, but he DID order phoenix wright 2, i wonder if he got it yet, i wanna wait for the american version because of all the typos in the game, why do those bother me so much, oh well, ive plenty of play, guitar hero 2 hasn't even left my tv screen in like days, my roommates are out there right now playing tonight i'm gonna rock you tonight, i really like that song, but man freebird is just too cool, i need to practice it...oh, and not to mention final fantasy 12, or okami which i still havent beaten, or tales of the abyss which I havent even OPENED, or final fantasy V advance, and FFIII in a few days, and yoshi's island 2 and oh yeah those four more games i'm picking up for the wii (twilight princess is 70+ hours?) DAMN YOU VIDEO GAMES my grades are spiraling out of control...well, not really, i got a 97 on my digital design test, take THAT schwartz, wait no one wants to hear about my academic life, well whatever. hell YES battlestar tonight, though i have to set the torrent for it since i'm going to an mc chris concert, which means i better finish this damn post and get on with it. peace out.- DS Lite: 113,09745,584 (28.73%) - PSP: 23,725 2,183 (8.43%) - PS2: 21,832 850 (3.89%) - Xbox 360: 6,580 5,015 (320.45%) - GBA SP: 1,443415 (22.34%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,299 52 (3.85%) - Gamecube: 6473 (0.47%) - DS Phat: 373259 (227.19%) - GBA: 205 (33.3%) - Xbox: 07 (100.00%)[Source: Media Create]
New Loco Roco & Final Fantasy VII demos to arrive in time for holidays
We PSP fanboys love to play demos. We've been blessed with a plethora of demos for Loco Roco, but it seems like they're not done quite yet. A key observer on the PlayStation forums noticed that YourPSP described plans on releasing a Christmas-themed demo of Loco Roco to supplement the Halloween demo that came out about a week ago. Considering how the game is about eating everything in sight, wouldn't a Thanksigiving themed demo also be appropriate? Another noteworthy demo to come out later this year is the highly anticipated PSP-exclusive Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Jeux-France reported about a week ago that an issue of Famitsu reveals the producer's intentions to have a playable demo available by the end of the year. If it comes around the time of the other Loco Roco demo, it seems like PSP fanboys will have a lot of free demo playing on their hands this holiday season. [Via PlayStation Boards & 1UP Boards]
Video, Lost in a boring Odyssey
Okay, first thing's first: we apologize. Yesterday, we lamented that the Lost Odyssey demo was exclusive to Japan and isn't available to the rest of the world. Having watched a long, long video of the demo on Xboxyde, we take it back. Of course, we'll reserve final judgment for the game proper, but this video is bo-ring. The graphics are nice enough, the CG is incredible, and for all we know the story is great, but the combat ... ick. Sure, not everybody likes turn-based combat, but this is a stretch even for fans. Whoever played this demo almost completely avoided anything that would make the combat interesting. In the entire video, he uses one spell -- though he does stop for some hot trash can kicking action later. Lost Odyssey is obviously designed with Final Fantasy fans in mind, and it probably won't disappoint them. Honestly though, Blue Dragon looks more interesting at this point. If you can manage to sit through this video, tell us what you think. Will it scratch your RPG itch, or will this disc never hit the tray?
Circuit City Final Fantasy XII $37.99 -- for real
Circuit City is selling Final Fantasy XII for $37.99 USD starting this Tuesday, a full $12 less than any of the major U.S. electronic retail stores. Yeah, we're surprised by it as well. Not only does today's Circuit City flyer in your local newspaper have the price listed at $37.99, but the online price is listed as $37.99. It's as real as it gets. Of course, this means nothing to those lucky people that caught CompUSA breaking street date.We've even contacted a few Circuit City stores and, just like other retailers, they say their copies are currently sitting in the warehouse ready for distribution -- but they aren't breaking street date. So, Circuit City has the copies, they are $12 less than anybody else and are ready to pick up first thing when the store opens on Tuesday. Come on, not to be completely jaded, but what's the catch?A call has been placed to Circuit City PR to find out if there is something we are missing and why they are selling the game for such an amazing price. The only thing that doesn't jive is that the flyer says Tuesday, but online says Thursday as release.
Final Fantasy XII soundtrack streaming on AOL Radio
Excited about the unrelenting Final Fantasy tide washing over you once again this month? In North America, we'll be treated to the twelfth installment of one of console gaming's most venerable franchises on the 30th of this month and -- like with any Final Fantasy game -- there are some necessities. First, we'll see cosplayers dressed as their favorite androgynous characters , and then the music will permeate our brains.The fine folks at AOL Radio (full disclosure: AOL is our corporate overlord) let us know that they're spinning the "Selections from Final Fantasy XII" CD -- available for pre-order on Amazon -- on their recently relaunched Final Fantasy Radio channel. Not many game soundtracks get released outside of Japan, so ToFu Records should be commended.PC users can follow this link to have a listen. Mac users need to download a program (.dmg file) and use their AIM or AOL screen name to enjoy (see pic above).See also:Joystiq at NYC's Final Fantasy Day festivitiesHappy Final Fantasy music day
Final Fantasy V boxart
It may not be as beautiful as the box for the Japanese version of Final Fantasy III, but it definitely holds its own. Featuring art by famed Yoshitaka Amano, the remake of Final Fantasy V adds to the list of FF games released this Fall. The trend of re-releasing Final Fantasy titles on handheld systems has our mouths watering and our piggy banks practically burning a hole in our pockets. Now all we have to do is twiddle our thumbs and wait. [Via News 4 Gamers]
FFIII figures cute enough to melt any heart
It's a new week, and of course, that means a new challenge for our armchair translators. We're gonna need to know when these go on sale, where they are, and how much milk money we need to shake down to score a few. These Final Fantasy III figures turned up on 4cr's news feed and they were just too cute to resist. And if you're paying attention, you might get to see some Nintendo panties in action. Ah, forum posters and their wacky avatars. [Via 4cr]
Japanese software sales chart, Oct. 2-8: The Gundam Strikes Back
The last time a PSP title was this high in the Japanese software sales chart, it was SD Gundam G Generation Portable, and it was the fastest-selling PSP game to date. And now it's Gundam Battle Royale's turn at trying to upset Nintendo's DS games, which Andrew predicted more than a month ago. Is the guy psychic or something? 1. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2) - 263,897 / *NEW* 2. Pokemon Diamond (DS) - 254,080 / 1,074,127 3. Pokemon Pearl (DS) - 212,193 / 980,881 4. Gundam Battle Royale (PSP) - 64,986 / *NEW* 5. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 40,114 / 3,233,793 6. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: KanKen DS (DS) - 38,799 / 84,091 7. Minna no Tennis (PS2) - Sony - 32,962 / 416,507 8. Final Fantasy III (DS) - Square Enix - 30,418 / 781,713 9. Brain Training 2 (DS) - Nintendo - 26,600 / 3,288,248 10. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - Nintendo - 22,787 / 3,305,244 While Gundam Battle Royale's sold less than half of what SD Gundam G Generation Portable (155,634) sold in its first week, it was still enough to capture the fourth spot. It seems the Japanese eat up these Gundam games faster than my fat uncle Johnny at Thanksgiving. Has Sony finally found its PSP cashcow? Hmmm.
Joystiq at NYC's Final Fantasy Day festivities
New York City's Times Square was overwhelmed by Final Fantasy fans as Square-Enix premiered the English language version of the upcoming Final Fantasy XII, which will be playable at this week's DigitalLife conference, which starts tomorrow. The trailer, shown to great excitement amongst fans, featured great visuals (as expected) and some truly impressive voice acting. For those of you that have HDTVs, you'll be glad to know that the US version has been enhanced with new anamorphic widescreen (16:9) functionality.Check out a shaky-cam version of the trailer, and some pics from the event after the break.
Role-playing titles that made a "quantum leap"
Gamasutra recently polled its readers on which role-playing game made the biggest "quantum leap" at the time it was released. Any RPG throughout the history of the genre was fair pickings, but the top entry was the game that received the most votes from readers identified as industry professionals (because grunts like you and me only dilute the quality of the selection process).Classic heavyweights such as Final Fantasy IV, Neverwinter Nights, EverQuest, Baldur's Gate II, and the Ultima series are celebrated as honorable mentions, which illustrates the impressive depth of the genre. I won't reveal the top five vote-getters, but a certain spike-haired dude with a huge sword is absent from the list -- just one omission of many that should fuel some interesting debates among the RPG faithful. What are your thoughts about the list?See also: "Epic" RPGs: too time-consuming for casual gamers? "RPG" missing from today's MMORPGs
Final Fantasy V and VI trailer
The Final Fantasy, much to our enjoyment, never ends. What started as a final attempt became an RPG icon. Final Fantasy has dominated for nearly 20 years now as new installments are released. Square Enix, in their attempts to reach every gamer possible, has made plans to re-release older titles on the GameBoy Advance. They have already released Final Fantasy I/II Dawn of Souls and Final Fantasy IV. Carrying on with the tradition, Final Fantasy V and VI are making their way into our homes. We have already shown you pictures, the web site and now we are offering you a promo video featuring lots and lots of words we can't read. This makes us a sad panda bear. Enjoy! As usual, see the video after the break. [Via Go Nintendo]
Shiny new Final Fantasy III screens
Alright, we gave you a small break from the avalanche of our Final Fantasy love, but no more -- there's a passel of new screens that we simply must share. Only a little more than a month to go for those waiting for the English version of this redone classic!Check for the rest of the screens after the jump.
New scans of FFVII reveals my inability to read Japanese
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is one of my most anticipated games, even though it's surrounded by complete mystery. (Of course, I'm one of those types that pays attention to anything that has the words "Final" and "Fantasy" together.) I know many of you are just as desperate for new info and screens on this game as I am, and any miniscule bit we can find only makes us hunger for more. TGBus.com has discovered two new scans, filled with copious amounts of kanji. There are two new screens to admire (pictured above), and they look absolutely amazing (assuming they're in-game, and not CG). If you'd like to act as a translator for us, take a peek after the cut and help us decipher these scans. Maybe they'll reveal thrilling insights into the game. Or, maybe they'll give you tips on how to make your hair as snazzy as Cloud's.
FFXII Revenant Wings updates
Final Fantasy XII is inches away from its US release and the news about the DS spin off is everywhere. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings was recently announced and fans of the series can't get enough. What started as a rumor has spread like wildfire, capturing every RPG lover's attention. Here is what we know about the game so far:
