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Meteos Disney Magic outsourced
If you were concerned about having to love the new Disney version of Meteos because you're a huge Q Entertainment/Tetsuya Mizuguchi fanboy, well, now you can take a second, more critical look at it. As it turns out, Q outsourced their game to two companies: Platinum Egg, who did a Harvest Moon puzzle game, and Aspect Digital Entertainment, who are professional game ghostwriters, like Tose. This fact may be obvious from the title screen, but we hadn't seen any investigation about it until today.This is news only because it's about Q-- this kind of thing happens all the time, but we thought that Mizuguchi's studio was kind of a "boutique" operation that only worked on games they wanted to. Why, then, would they take on a project that interested them little enough to outsource it? Oh, right.
Saturday PSP background explosion
Every week we give you new backgrounds for your PSP. If your a background groupie or haven't changed your background in a while, that's why we're here. This week we have backgrounds based on Final Fantasy, a PS1 series I want a new game from and of course a background based on another anime I love. Backgrounds after the jump ...
Final Fantasy Tactics to have multiplayer
At least if the US version is to have the same features as the Japanese one . Square Enix has told IGN that the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War will have two player battles with a red team vs a blue team so that there is no confusion as to who you should injure mid-combat. Also you will have a limited number of turns to be victorious, thus preventing a tactics wimp from just running during an entire battle. I can't see them cutting this feature in the US given the popularity of multiplayer in the US, but I suppose we'll have to wait for confirmation to be sure.
New FF Tactics shots unearthed
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War may just be an upgraded port, but I can't help but get excited by it whenever I see new screens. In particular I love the addition of cinemas and the sketchy look of them. Though the battle scenes do look better than the PS1 original. If you love tactics games like me, check out the rest of the new screenshots. More screens after the jump ...
Final Fantasy Tactics gets release date
The highly anticipated remake of PS1's Final Fantasy Tactics finally has a release date. Famitsu's newest issue lists May 10th as the Japanese release date, with a price of 4,800 yen (no release date outside of the US was given). Of course the game isn't just a direct port, it'll have beautiful FMV cut-scenes and new character classes. Tactics games are one of my favorite game types to play on a portable, but there aren't many to choose from, so between this and Disgaea, it'll be a good year for tactics fans with a PSP. [Via IGN]
DQM sells over a million
By way of Father, we are informed of a great feat on the part of Square-Enix's Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. This feat, which you may have guessed based on the post title, is surpassing the million sold mark in Japan. The game released on December 28th in Japan, meaning that the title has accomplished this in little under a month. What's even more impressive is that this is only the second third-party title to achieve the million mark in Japan, with the previous title being Bandai's Tamagotchi no Puchi Puchi. Japanese consumers were distraught in trying to find the game this last week, however stocks have been replenished today, hopefully quenching the thirsty Japanese public.
Final Fantasy Tactics screenshots
It should come as no surprise that the new cutscenes in Final Fantasy Tactics are impressive. However, how does the gameplay compare? The Magic Box has tons of screenshots for you to gaze over. Are the widescreen PS1 quality graphics winning you over? Or, do you wish that Square Enix put a little bit more effort into this? See also: FFI & FFII on PSP = most beautiful NES game EVER!
New Final Fantasy Tactics job class revealed
We've already told you that the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War for PSP would have additional movies, upgrades and new job classes. Well, it appears one of those job classes has been revealed thanks to Jeaux France. Dark Knight will be joining FFT as a playable class. Now that we've seen some of the new movies and a new job class I can't wait to hear what some of the upgrades to the game will be! What new addition would you like to see most in the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics game?
FFXII characters invade Tactics
The Nintendo DS isn't the only system to get revisited by the characters of Final Fantasy XII. GameBase reports that one of the more popular characters in the beloved RPG, Balthier, will be making an appearance in the PSP version of Final Fantasy Tactics. Considering how both FFXII and FFT share the same universe: Ivalice, it wouldn't be surprising to see even more characters make the transition. [Via PSP-Vault]
Revealing Final Fantasy Tactics scans
The Ivalice Alliance is strong: Final Fantasy Tactics makes a triumphant return in a remake, enhanced specifically for the PSP. PSPHyper has some gorgeous scans of the latest issue of Famitsu, showing off the game's new cutscenes and yes ... gameplay too. What a great way to end the year look forward to the next! [Thanks, Thien!]
Direct-feed Final Fantasy Tactics trailer
Our good friends at Siliconera have posted up a direct-feed (not-shaky-cam) version of the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy Tactics trailer. Does this really need any more introduction?
Fresh from Japan: more DQMJ screens
The latest update on Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker comes from Famitsu's site, placing the game's setting at center stage. With two islands in Nobisu and Sandoro, the first being a lush and green place that possibly hides a large monster inhabitant and the second being a desert island with a large dragon monster constantly roaming about. Famitsu also talks about encountering NPCs out in the wilderness ...
Final Fantasy Tactics website updates with cool 3D characters
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the most anticipated titles on the PSP. Why? It was an absolutely brilliant game. Some would argue that its Game Boy Advance successor (Tactics Advance), and the psuedo console succssor, Final Fantasy XII, failed to reach the glory of the original PSone title. Therefore, every morsel of information that comes out for this game is cherished by gamers at large. The official Japanese website of the game has recently updated with new screenshots, and better yet... gorgeous, rotating 3D models of the game's characters. You'll have to see it to fully appreciate the hand-drawn quality. Hopefully, we'll see more of this game soon (I'm wishing for a quick release, Square!). (P.S. Make sure you have the latest version of Flash. The site doesn't tell you if you're running an old version.) [Via digg]
Japanese site has plenty of DQMJ videos
The official Japanese DS site has a slew of videos up for Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. The first video is pretty short, showing some of the 3D environments. The second video shows the player roaming around some more before engaging in a battle. The third video, which we find a bit more interesting than the previous two, shows the player using the previously announced splicing feature. Finally, the fourth video really doesn't make much sense to us. Last, but not least, we've got some Japanese commercials here, here, and here. One could argue that the commercials hold more worth than the other videos, offering up a cornucopia of footage for the various parts of the game, but we'll leave such a discussion for the comments section. [Via Go Nintendo]
More FF awesomeness: Tactics features multiplayer & FFVII kicks butt
An enthusiastic reader, Pal, sent us a great tip about the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics for PSP. Not only will the game come with new cutscenes and new job classes, the game will also feature ad-hoc multiplayer. Many Tactics fans have been waiting patiently for a way to the game with others, and it appears that the PSP version will deliver. If Square-Enix considered Infrastructure multiplayer, I'd imagine that our pal might simply implode. Finally, if you weren't convinced of Crisis Core's awesomeness, read IGN's latest preview: "From a strictly gameplay standpoint, Crisis Core seems solid, with a fast pace and the potential for a good mix of action and menu-based battle systems ... Crisis Core looks better than most PS2 games out there. During cinematic scenes, the character models are detailed and fully animated. Battles contain screens with double digit enemies, and giant bosses. All that, and full voice, without any pauses for loading! ... Personally, I think all the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" products released so far have been second rate. But Crisis Core looks so good that it could turn things around on its own."
Jump Festa: Final Fantasy on display
1UP gets mad props for getting footage from Japan's Jump Festa, where the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War are on display. A trailer showcasing the game's beautiful new cutscenes is on display, and can be seen after the cut. Crisis Core's demo is available for attendees to play, and it seems like FF fans need not worry about the game's quality: "Combat in Crisis Core takes place in pseudo-real-time, not unlike Final Fantasy XII, though there's only one playable character (FFVII fan favorite Zack), and the action is a lot more active. During battle you find yourself constantly mashing the attack button to pull off combos or backstab enemies for extra damage, but you can dodge and defend as well, and you can use the L and R buttons to cycle through your items and magic attacks... With the stunning visuals and interesting battle system we saw today, it seems to be headed in the right direction."
Final Fantasy Tactics rehashed for PSP
You saw this coming from a mile away: another port, er, 'remake' for PSP. While DS gets Dragon Quest IX, PSP gets Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou. But don't be fooled by all the "Shishi Sensou" nonsense, this is merely an update of the original PlayStation game. New cutscenes and gameplay tweaks (e.g., additional job classes) don't have us convinced. Why not simply offer a downloadable port as part of the PlayStation Store initiative -- and then deliver a true Tactics sequel on PSP? Heck, GBA got one (with a second on the way)... If it wasn't for Crisis Core, we'd have assumed Square Enix was picking handheld favorites. Wait, are they?
Square Enix establishes Ivalice Alliance
Easily mistaken for a vicious brand of shampoo and very often catapulted into turmoil by wars and magical beasts, the fictional kingdom of Ivalice has been the setting for a handful of Square Enix titles, almost all of them well-received by critics and fans alike. Just recently, Final Fantasy XII followed the adventures of some Ivaliceans Ivalicians free-spirited (and pointy-eared, in one case) residents of Ivalice. It follows then that Square Enix has announced an "Ivalice Alliance," a set of stories all taking place on the same stage. Though you're already familiar with Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (slated for the DS), you may not have heard of the other two games revealed in the latest issue of Japan's Shonen Jump. The pages first mention Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War, a PSP remake of the original PSOne Tactics game. Some new cutscenes and a slight graphical upgrade are likely to be included, though we certainly wouldn't mind a better localization as well -- that's assuming the game makes it stateside. Secondly, there's (deep breath) Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Sealed Black Book. According to the translation note on Jeux France, it hasn't yet been specified whether it'll wind up on the DS or, as the horrific machine translation puts it, the "Game Servant Boy Advance." The latter choice, of course, will result in the game working on both platforms. Snap to it, servant boy! Another magazine, Gamelabo, reportedly mentions that Square Enix also has two more unannounced Xbox 360 games in the pipeline.
Final Fantasy Tactics reborn on the PSP [Update 1]
Many Sony fanboys were shocked, even angry, at Square-Enix's decision to make the next Dragon Quest game a DS-exclusive. Nintendo has been getting a lot more love from the RPG goliath, with Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings among the numerous games headed to Nintendo's dual-screened portable. Does this mean Sony fans will be snubbed by Square-Enix? Nope. It appears that the PSP will be getting Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou, an updated version of the original PlayStation classic. New anime FMVs and job classes are some of the anticipated upgrades for the PSP remake. A second title, Final Fantasy Tactics A2, was also announced, but the platform has not yet been revealed. With Tactics and Crisis Core making its way to our handheld, it's clear that Square-Enix plans on supporting PSP fully. [Via IGN] [Update 1: Jeux-France provides scans and more info: Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a GBA sequel to the original FFT.]
DQM: Joker preview reveals monster creation for Wi-Fi
During a preview look at Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, Famitsu revealed that players will be able to splice two different monsters together in order to create a new, hybrid monster for use in battling over Wi-Fi Connect. The cool thing about combining monsters is, if our translation is correct, that the "parent" monster may pass on attacks and skills to the new hybrid monster. It appears as if this only applies when the original "parent" monster has learned this technique or skill through experience, not the stock traits of said monster.
