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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.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy script longer than Crisis Core's
Another Japanese magazine, Dengeki Playstation, published yet another interview with the Dissdia: Final Fantasy team. The gang consisting of producer Tetsuya Normura, senior director Takeshi Arakawa and planning director Mitsunori Takahashi were present to answer some burning questions fans had about the game.
Takahashi started off by stating only 20% of the game has been shown thus far and a "solid release date" will be announced at an event in August. He asserts that fans who are comfortable with the original RPGs should be a-okay with Dissidia, which is labeled an "Action-RPG plus competitive fighting." Storywise, Nomura said he made Tidus' counterpart Jecht rather than Seymour because Seymour lacked a "proper connection" with Tidus. Arakawa then assured us they are still in the process of "fine tuning the original story details behind the characters' births, relationships, interactions."
Arakawa also mentioned an online feature tentatively named "Battling Community" where the focus is "being connected to others trying to discover their own merits" and less focus on "things like battle strength/ranking." Finally, he disclosed a rather startling fact: "the script is double the length of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII." Read the entire translated interview here.
Takahashi started off by stating only 20% of the game has been shown thus far and a "solid release date" will be announced at an event in August. He asserts that fans who are comfortable with the original RPGs should be a-okay with Dissidia, which is labeled an "Action-RPG plus competitive fighting." Storywise, Nomura said he made Tidus' counterpart Jecht rather than Seymour because Seymour lacked a "proper connection" with Tidus. Arakawa then assured us they are still in the process of "fine tuning the original story details behind the characters' births, relationships, interactions."
Arakawa also mentioned an online feature tentatively named "Battling Community" where the focus is "being connected to others trying to discover their own merits" and less focus on "things like battle strength/ranking." Finally, he disclosed a rather startling fact: "the script is double the length of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII." Read the entire translated interview here.
[Via Forever Fantasy]
Final Fantasy VII ported to the Famicom. Finally!
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.
Square wins plagiarism case against Korean music video
Imitation isn't only the sincerest form of flattery, it's also the most legally actionable. At least it is to Square Enix, which recently won a plagiarism case against South Korean music video producer Fantom to the tune of 16 million won (approx. $17,400).The case centers on the video for the song Temptation Sonata, in which live actors recreate a scene from Square Enix's animated movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. According to a judge for the Seoul Central District Court, the video "illegally used 80% of the storyline, setting, characters and their styles of dress and their demeanors," from the movie scene. We're not sure how the judge came to such an exact statistic, but who are we to argue with such an official sounding pronouncement?
A comparison of the videos (both viewable below the break) shows much more than a passing similarity between the two, and Square was definitely within its rights taking legal action. That said, we have to wonder what Square Enix felt it had to gain from a court case. Is this video really hurting the company's ability to milk insane amounts of money out off the Final Fantasy franchise? Does seeing the video makes someone less likely to buy a copy of Advent Children? What's next, a legal case against the makers of College Saga? We just hope the negative PR associated with this case is worth the massive $17,000 pay day Square Enix made off of it.
Today's most horrific video: Final Fantasy Cosplay Lip-synching
In honor of the upcoming Halloween Holiday, we bring something cringe-inducing and nausea-causing: namely, cosplayers singing. Well, at least one of them is singing. The other one is lip-synching, complete with backup dancers. The only thing she's missing is a wind machine to toss her hair about in a sultry and sexy manner while she goes through the motions.
Well, you at least have to applaud their enthusiasm, and their willingness to make complete fools of themselves on the international internets. Plus, Rude actually looks fairly slick in his outfit, even if his acting skills make Pauly Shore look like Jude Law. And Cloud's sword looks, well ... authentic. We're just sayin'.
Anyhow, check out the vid. We hope you were scared because there are more to come as we countdown to Halloween. Don't say you weren't warned.
Austin GDC: Live at the Hiromichi Tanaka keynote
Hiromichi Tanaka is the executive officer of Square Enix and the producer of company's entry into the MMO market, Final Fantasy XI. This morning at the Austin Game Developer's Conference he's going to be talking to us about the challenges of cross-platform design with a design post-mortum of Final Fantasy XI.
11:06 AM CST: We were supposed to get started at 11AM CST, but the event seems to be running fashionably late.
11:08 AM CST: Introducing Hiromichi Tanaka speaking on Launching Final Fantasy XI on Multiple Platforms.
Limited edition FFVII: Crisis Core PSP Slim bundle coming to Japan
Excited for Crisis Core? And the PSP Slim? Then prepare yourself to be double mega super excited (that's almost a Street Fighter title). Square Enix, king of the limited edition handheld hardware, is releasing a very limited edition PSP Slim for its release of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. The console will be bundled with the game as well as a Buster Sword wrist strap, to make you look extra geeky. The PSP itself will be silver in colour and will feature the Final Fantasy VII 10th anniversary logo as well as some artwork of Zack, Sephiroth and Cloud, presumably drawn by Nomura.
The special edition PSP Lite will be limited to only 77,777 pieces, with each one bearing its serial number on its back. The other interesting thing is that it releases on September the 13th, a week before the PSP Lite itself launches in Nihonland. We expect it to sell out on day one, though we hope it'll still be available when we touch down for the Tokyo Game Show. We would pay ridiculous amounts of money for one of these. Honestly. Ridiculous amounts.
New Crystal Chronicles screens just make the wait seem longer
Next spring is starting to feel so far away, especially since we've seen so much media on Ring of Fates already. It's starting to feel as though we can cobble everything together and just pretend we have the full game ... and we're not sure if that makes the waiting easier or harder. But we'll take what we can get and pretend to be happy. Just ignore our twiddling thumbs.
Famitsu has a new set of screenshots up, complete with a few details on the battle system -- racial factors contributing to attacks -- and all we can say is that it's a good thing we've got another Square Enix RPG coming to tide us over.
[Via 4cr]
Square Enix release dates: RoF due next spring?!
Square Enix spent the morning revealing its lineup of "fresh new faces and timeless classics" that the company plans to exhibit this week at E3, attaching US release dates to its upcoming titles:- Heroes of Mana - August 14
- Front Mission - October 23
- Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker - November 6
- Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - November 20
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - Spring 2008
[Via NeoGAF]
Final Fantasy Tactics boxart looks strangely familiar
Remember the Final Fantasy I and II boxart for America? Looked gorgeous, right? Well the Japanese boxart for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions on the PSP had a similar reaction from fans. Well you can all rest easy, as it seems the US (and the UK, presumably, due to its simultaneous release) boxes will be sporting a very similar design.While the image used on the box is the same for both territories, certain elements such as the title of the game have changed position. You can see the final design for the US box on the right, but check out out Siliconera for a side-by-side comparison with the JP art. Does it look pretty enough for you all?
[Thanks Spencer!]
New Ring of Fates video: Jumpin' Yuke Flash
Square Enix is keeping up its media push for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates with yet another video, adding onto its bombardment of scans and screenshots to draw in anyone who hasn't already decided to pick up the game's special-edition DS Lite bundle.
This week's clip features Alhanarlem, one of the main characters from the ARPG's spellcasting tribe of Yukes, leaping from platform to platform in what looks like a competitive minigame in which players race through a stage to find a hidden blue switch. Power-ups are scattered around the field, but their effects aren't revealed until they're grabbed. Vault past the post break for the embedded movie.
Metareview: Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy was good enough to financially save Square when it was first released. Since then, it's become one of the biggest franchises worldwide. You already know what we think of the RPG remake. Let's find out what the rest of the press thought.- Pocket Gamer UK (80/100) found it worthy: "Far more than a cynical cash-in, this PSP version of Final Fantasy is the perfect opportunity to see where it all began.
- 1UP (70/100) thinks it's lacking: "Beyond the reworked graphics, you won't find much legitimately new content here. Patient players seeking an absurd challenge will dig the verging-on-unfair PSP-exclusive Labyrinth of Time dungeon, in which your characters' hit points constantly deplete over time. But truthfully, original additions feel scant."
- Gamespot (65/100) is sick of the remakes: "The umpteenth remake of Final Fantasy I is pretty to look at, but the gameplay is showing its age.
It sounds like your enjoyment may depend on if you've played Final Fantasy before or feel that the price is fair. What score do you think Final Fantasy deserves?
PSP Fanboy review: Final Fantasy I
The game that started it all is back. Twenty years after its first release on the NES, Final Fantasy I makes its way to the PSP. Much more than just a port, this game includes upgraded graphics and sound, 3D spell effects and an extra dungeon. Plus it includes all the extra stuff that was found in the PlayStation 1 and GBA versions. Is Final Fantasy I: 20th Anniversary Edition just a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or is it a legitimate PSP RPG in its own right? Read on to find out.
Gallery: Final Fantasy I
Opening FFTA2's Sealed Grimoire
Jeux France has the goods on the races (as well as new images and scans) in the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: The Sealed Grimoire: Human, Viera, Moogle, Bangaa, and Nu Moh. Sound familiar? They should, if you played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Hey, it's a sequel -- did you expect other We know some of you are looking forward to the title (and others, not so much), and though the details are starting to shape up, we're as yet undecided on how we feel about this game. In the end, since it's Final Fantasy, and we're shameless addicts, we'll probably give it a go, despite the question of Tactics vs. Tactics Advance being just as polarizing, if not more so, than the idea of Tingle starring in his own games.
Final Fantasy II shows dualistic production
There's no denying that Square Enix makes incredible CG with its games. The upcoming Final Fantasy remakes on PSP are no different. As one can see by the intro cinematic to Final Fantasy II (above), Square puts a lot of effort into making their cinematics look gorgeous. While we appreciate the added effort into movies like the one above, we'd much rather see the time and money go into completely revamping the game engine. When one considers how the actual gameplay looks (video after the cut), one can't help but be a little disappointed.
