New Final Fantasy XIII screens are in and the game just keeps looking better and better. The latest batch give us a glimpse at how the attack system will work, as it appears that certain in terms of button combinations will unleash different moves.

In addition, we get to see an in-battle summon and a heap of English based character dialog. Check out the screens below.

Final Fantasy XIII Image Gallery – Click Here To View

Japanese blog Marshallalloc reports that Square-Enix has let loose a new Final Fantasy XIII trailer during the company’s Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children premier. Not much else has been confirmed as of yet, though finalfantasy-xiii.net believes it to be along the lines of the Jump Festa trailer shown in December of last year.

Source: marshallalloc via: finalfantasy-xiii.net

I am a little late getting to this since I have turned off the Internet at my house, but looks like Square Enix has released some new (a month ago, but if you haven’t seen them yet…) shots to get you all excited or upset at the latest Final Fantasy installment.

No real information comes with the screenshots, just names of characters and that is about it.  Hope you like looking at pictures, cause that is about all the info there is.  That gun the girl is carrying is pretty cool looking though.

Check them out over at Famitsu.

According to an upcoming issue of Official Playstation Magazine, Square Enix is poised to reveal a brand new action game sometime in April. Provided that this reveal doesn’t come on April 1st, you can probably bet on it being a Final Fantasy game. There’s a screenshot in the magazine as well, but as it hasn’t been released, we don’t actually have it. According to Final Fantasy Union-

The screen shows a man with long white hair dressed in black. He has a blue scarf around his waist and is said to carry a giant sword. Sephiroth perhaps? Probably not, as then it would have been quite obvious what the game was connected to.

They also mention that the system of choice (PS3, PSP, PSN, dare I say- mylo?) is still up in the air, and probably will stay that way until the announcement comes. Stay tuned to Ripten for more information on this game, whenever it’s announced.

Source: Kombo

Square Enix is bringing more Final Fantasy to the Wii, a lot more. Originally announced in Nintendo’s GDC keynote, but just announced via press release, Square Enix will be releasing Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, and the original Final Fantasy on the Wii through the Wii Store.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years continues the story of the game released in 1991 on Super Famicom, Final Fantasy IV.This was released as a downloadable cell phone title in Japan in late 2008 with over three million downloads.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As a Dark Lord is a sequel to My Life as a King which has players stopping adventureres from making it to the Dark Crystal at the top of the towwer.

Final Fantasy will be released on the virtual console as a Famicom classic.

All three games were given a 2009 release with no specific release window.

Reports are in that US production of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Blu-ray are complete and that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment plans to release it stateside sometime in June. Blu-ray.com also reports a slew of features, the most interesting being an “Exclusive Sneak Peek at FINAL FANTASY XIII”.

Nothing is confirmed at this point, and the “sneak peek” could end up being nothing more than another blue ball educing trailer, but if you like to hope (and who doesn’t) here’s a little more fuel for your hope powered jet pack. A Square Enix spokesperson told MCV the following back in January as a part of the Japanese announcement of Advent Children:

“At present the Final Fantasy XIII demo will only be available in Japan with the Blu-ray release of Advent Children Complete, but we hope to have further news in the coming months,”

Could this be that “further news” the representative was speaking of? Only time and profit margins will tell, but considering the rate at which units moved off the store shelves in Japan, my money says you will be seeing a demo in the US release as well.

All you readers mark your calendars because this is the PS3 you will more than likely want to import. The “Cloud Black”, as they are calling it, is being released to the world (okay, just Japan). Even with a just a small amount of design change, it is beautiful.

The system will be released at the same time as the Blu-Ray version of Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children Complete, both coming to stores April 16th. This is a smart marketing move by Square-Enix promoting both a PS3 model to play that wonderful new Blu-Ray disc, and not only that but something called the Final Fantasy XIII Trial Set.

Famitsu doesn’t seem to have much info on the FFXIII stuff, but the Blu-Ray will sell for about 5000 yen or $50 U.S., and the PS3 (which is a 160gb version) will go for around 50,000 yen or $500 U.S.

All they seemed to do was slap an image of the ring that Cloud wears which is also on his chest. The only problem I have with these decoration PS3’s is that all the images are on the top of the machine, and you never really get to see them but I guess it’s nice to have the bragging rights.

Source:  Famitsu

Famitsu has some news on the re-release of FFVII:AC in March.  Square has decided to release three versions of what is called the Complete Works of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. So, what’s that mean exactly?

New stuff will include hi-res pictures of the upcoming Final Fantasy games (XIII, Agito, and Versus), a trailer, and deleted scenes from the movies.  One of the more important scene modifications that I am interested in is apparently a much longer bike chase than what we saw in the original.  I thought it was a really interesting fight, and hopefully adding extra to it won’t make it boring.

The three versions being released are regular DVD, Blu-Ray, and PlayStation 3 (which will supposedly have a demo of FFXIII on it, though I don’t know why that’s not just on the Blu-Ray).  All three should look wonderful, but I wouldn’t mind getting my hand on that sweet-looking Blu-Ray version (I don’t own a PS3).

Source: Famitsu

Square Enix’s much anticipated game for 2009, Final Fantasy XIII, is finally leaking a bit more information, and I can help pass that info on to you.

Basically, what is being reported is that the main female character’s full name is Dia Walruva. Some of the other characters from a recently released video include names such as Snow and Lightning. This seems to be a big deal in Japan — I was unaware how important it was to get the right names for characters in RPG games since I always change them anyway.

The other and maybe more important information for the readers is about the battle system. According to Famitsu, the battle system is near seamless to just wandering in the world. When you see mobs on screen, those are the mobs that are there, and when you decide to attack or what have you, you go straight into the battle screen with no notice of transition.

The captions under other photos describe combo moves such as fighting and then directly doing magic back to back for more damage. Also, there appears to be what people feel is an “amount” or some word for the number of uses of magic you have until you either have to recharge them or what have you, as opposes to a mana or MP value. Lastly, they seem to be intrigued by the words “Chain” and “Bonus” appearing in the last screen shot. Chain is pretty straight forward, but it is unsure what you need to do to acquire the bonus.

Look for this game on PS3 (and supposedly Xbox 360) in 2009.

Source:  Famitsu

Before we get to our top pick, we thought it might be nice to share with you all of the asses that were considered for this list. Of course, some of these are pretty fine posteriors that you may think are more deserving of Top 10 status than the ones we actually chose, but let me tell you — it was a difficult process, much more difficult than I expected it to be.

‘Not Safe For Work’ content inbound.

Honorable Mentions – The Mass Effect chicks

Even though they were in armor most of the time, the girls from Mass Effect had some pretty nice asses. Fan favorite Tali was unfortunately not one of your choices when it came down to which chick you want to get it on with, something the Internet has mocked us about (slightly NSFW).

Speaking of getting it on, the sex scene is Mass Effect is actually a bit different depending on which girl you choose. Liara (the blue chick) has a longer, more revealing cutscene, and we’ve provided that for you here:

Yes, that was a nice ass, Liara, and we thank you. Even so, it just wasn’t great enough to make the top 10.

The Soul Calibur chicks

The girls of the Soul Calibur games are always making their way into these lists, usually because of their huge knockers. For this list, however, those knockers do nothing to help them in their ranking. Everyone has their individual preference, and you can argue in the comments if you want.

A lot of dudes think Ivy’s the hottest thing in the gaming world, but just because she has more of it and ain’t afraid to show it doesn’t mean it’s actually all that great. Taki also scores points just because her outfit is painted on, and the innocence of Sophitia’s white undies makes her another favorite. Seriously, how could you choose just one? Simple — you don’t. That’s a life lesson right there. When it comes to asses, however, the Soul Calibur chicks just weren’t tight enough to make the top 10.

The Final Fantasy chicks

Specifically, Yuna and Rikku from Final Fantasy X and X-2, and even better are Fran and Ashe from Final Fantasy XII. I’m actually a pretty big fan of Fran’s booty, but I couldn’t find a decent picture or video of her ass anywhere. It wouldn’t be much of post without all of the awesome pictures to go with it, so I decided to put the one nice pic in with the other Final Fantasy chicks as an honorable mention. Sorry, Fran!

Nova (StarCraft Ghost)

Let’s face it: as great as Nova’s ass looks in this picture, she technically doesn’t exist yet in the world of videogames because StarCraft Ghost has never been released. Being that it’s on-hold “indefinitely”, it would be unfair to put her in the top 10 and have her game never come out or have it release with a less beautiful ass than the one we see here. Sorry, Nova, maybe next year.

Other Considerations

As much as I would like to put a description of every ass considered along with an explanation of why they didn’t make it, I’m sure that in the grand scheme of things you really don’t care. What you want is pictures of hot videogame-related chicks’ asses. Understandable. Here are a bunch of butts that I’ve seen recently that were at one point in the running for the Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames (click to enlarge):

Dishonorable Mentions – Shahdee (Prince of Persia: Warrior Within)

You actually may be somewhat surprised to see such a nice ass as a dishonorable mention, but there’s good reason for it. When Shahdee initially walks out, you are first greeted to this lovely shot of her good side. Unfortunately, this is followed up shortly thereafter by the reveal that she is actually Leon Kennedy circa Resident Evil 2. This is the kind of girl that begs you to cut off her head. What? Oh, alright, you can just put a bag over it.

Video proof:

While she would never make a ‘Hottest Chicks’ list, Shahdee definitely has what it takes to make a list about round rear ends, even though she’s on the bad side of it.

The Dead or Alive chicks

Let’s face it: everyone seems to think that the pretend innocent sluts of the Dead or Alive series of games are hot. I, too, once fell victim to their charms, but careful study has lead me to the truth — they don’t really have nice asses.

Team Ninja seem to be a bunch of boob men, or maybe they think that most other men are boob men. Either way, the DOA chicks all have huge floppy racks and a decent set of hips, but take a nice, hard look at those asses and what you’ll see is a boxy, flat, boring hunk of booty. Need visual proof?

Sorry I had to do that to you. It’s a difficult truth, I know.

The Rumble Roses chicks (Rumble Roses XX)

Okay, the Rumble Roses chicks have big fat asses. There are lots of people that like big fat asses, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, Rumble Roses girls, but your asses are too fat for this list. I’ll put up one more pic for the people that are into it, just to be a good sport.

Wow, after all of that, who’s left? What ass could possibly be at the number one spot? I know you’re curious, so check back tomorrow for the best booty of them all as we finish off our countdown of the Nicest Asses in Videogames.

All the Asses: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Special Mentions | 1

Want a glimpse at two of the sickest Final Fantasy trailers you’ve ever seen? Well, if you love Final Fantasy as much as I do, the answer is most definitively yes. Hit the jump for a look at two FF trailers from the recent Square Enix DKΣ3713 event.

Yes, I’m a sucker for kick ass cinematics — sue me. What did you think of the two vids?

If you like your Chocobo with online multiplayer access, then you’ll be happy to know that Square Enix is set to give you three new expansion packs for their Final Fantasy XI MMO.

“A Crystalline Prophecy – Ode of Life Bestowing” will kick things off in the Spring of 2009 with “A Moogle Kupo d’Etat – Evil in Small Doses” and “A Shantotto Ascension – The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born” hitting PlayOnline for download in the following months. Hit the jump for the full press release.

SQUARE ENIX DEVELOPING NEW CONTENT FOR FINAL FANTASY XI

Award-Winning MMORPG to Expand Its World with Series of New Expansion Scenarios

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America, today announced the development of three upcoming downloadable scenario expansions for their marquee MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game, FINAL FANTASY® XI. The creation of these three expansions is led by Masato Kato, who created the stories and scenarios for FINAL FANTASY XI and its first expansion pack, Rise of the Zilart®.

Available exclusively for online purchase through the PlayOnline® Viewer, these expansions will be made available simultaneously for all FINAL FANTASY XI platforms worldwide. The first expansion, entitled “A Crystalline Prophecy – Ode of Life Bestowing™”, is slated for release in spring of 2009, with the remaining two stories, “A Moogle Kupo d’Etat – Evil in Small Doses™” and “A Shantotto Ascension – The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born™”, to follow in the months thereafter.

STORY

A Crystalline Prophecy – Ode of Life Bestowing

One day, a giant crystal appeared in the skies above Jeuno, triggering a series of unexplained happenings across the land. Now, adventurers will set forth to unravel the mysteries of this primordial crystal that holds the secret of Vana’diel’s past.

A Moogle Kupo d’Etat – Evil in Small Doses

It all started with an innocent drop of rainwater and a rickety, ramshackle Mog House desperately in need of repairs. Little did anyone suspect that this was only the beginning of a harrowing nightmare unheard of in the annals of moogle-kind.

A Shantotto Ascension – The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born

The eccentric Professor Shantotto returned to Windurst one day after a mysterious, unexplained absence, shocking her colleagues with behavior so outrageous it put her old self to shame! When she goes so far as to proclaim herself ruler of her own empire, adventurers set out to discover the truth behind her alarming shift in personality.

Accommodating players in North America, Europe and Japan, FINAL FANTASY XI is the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game capable of simultaneous multiplayer cooperation across three different platforms. Now in its sixth year of service, FINAL FANTASY XI has a robust community of 500,000 subscribers and more than 1.7 million player characters from around the world. The series continues to evolve and expand, offering newcomers and fans alike an immersive, engrossing and engaging universe to traverse, defend and explore.

For more information about FINAL FANTASY XI, please visit the official website: www.finalfantasyxi.com.

Several new FFXIII screens surfaced on Famitsu’s website today and I’ve got them, along with a Google translation of the copy from the page, included for you after the jump.

[ Begin Google Translation ]

Two of the government sacred world of swirling speculation inclusion

Crystal will be guided by a society based on the colony, “Cocoon” and the spread of primitive nature “pulse”. Two of the world’s stage and RPG’s FFXIII. Lightning (no translate) RASHIKI blond heroine of the men, but this time the name “Snow” turned out to be. In the FF series, VII, after the hero of many of the weather has been named. Therefore, his position is in this film is important to be inferred.

The album will be an important keyword, “Farsi” and “RUSHI”. Farsi is a special existence beyond knowledge, and Cocoon is built. RUSHI chosen by the Farsi and was given the mission of the neck. The mission, from Farsi to the video, such as RUSHI “vision” will be conveyed, because it’s not clear what, (no translate) by means of a controversial interpretation.

Snow was chosen as the RUSHI one of Farsi. (no translate) bulk of rugged, and things always think positive. Without dashing back in, take care of one side of good. However, without considering the consequences that a lot of action, the Lightning is probably a little clause (no translate) SHIKU. In addition, the mission RUSHI and elsewhere in the body engraved badge. Snow in the pattern of the left arm, but the signs? He stamped on the scene got some strength.

RUSHI = given to their mission, to protect the world Snow said. Cocoon governed by the Holy Office, to protect from whom? In addition to the proposal, the Lightning does not seem to be enthusiastic.

In serious situations, where the girl’s twin tail (no translate). Feel less anxious, a laid-back personality? The vision for the mission, (no translate) sometimes anxious to see the expression ….

Lightning look sad. I have failed or are guilt-cranking. “Trust” was submitted to me and everyone who was supposed to be, she is heavy, heavy eyes.

This is a movie scene. Was accused bound twin tail clothes, a girl with a kind of coffin will be escorted scene. Holy Office has directed the military to the blond woman in front of the screen. In the footage, her bespectacled face, and fell back to the sword and a low-cut dress has been confirmed.

[ End Google Translation ]

Source: Famitsu

You may remember the Playboy Cyber Girl of the Year Jo Garcia from her attempt to dethrone the Wii Fit girl as “Sexiest Ass to Fake Hoola Hoop” (which I think Wii Fit girl won). Anyway, it would seem that the Cyber Girl lives up to her title as the geek version of the Playmate of the Year, and was not just playing the Wii as a publicity stunt. Turns out she’s a big-time gamer, with a love and knowledge of Final Fantasy that runs so deep that I, of all people, would actually make fun of her dorkiness. Video follows.

Contrary to Jo Garcia’s statement, you are NOT watching this on PWN or DIE dot com.

Okay, is it just me, or do you find this girl to actually be less attractive now? It would seem that on paper, this is every guy’s dream, especially a guy like our own Chad Lakkis who is equally obsessed with Final Fantasy. In reality… not so much.

She also further fuels the stereotype that pretty girls are stupid by talking about the 15-level difference between a boss that she fought at level 45 and then again at 70, which all you number wizards out there can agree is not quite accurate. Then she says that people have the “misnomer” that there is only one Zodiac Spear when in fact there are two — so it appears that Miss Garcia not only failed math class, but English as well.  Congradurations!

Don’t get me wrong, I would make fun of this person just as much if it were a guy, if not more.  Then again, it probably wouldn’t be worth writing about if it were a guy, unless maybe it was some celebrity like Danny DeVito or something.

So, in conclusion, the moral of this story is that hot girls seem hotter when they don’t talk.  Ha, I’m just half-kidding.  Seriously, do you find this girl more or less attractive now compared to just watching her shake her ass on Wii Fit?  Ladies also — what are your feelings on the matter? And don’t just saying I’m being superficial. As a Playboy model, it it her job to be attractive, so discussing what makes her more or less attractive is relevant and important to her career (*snicker*).

It’s been a long time since Square Enix started milking their audience for everything they’re worth. Since Final Fantasy IV’s original release and prior to its appearance on the Nintendo DS, it had already been ported three times over. With its arrival on the DS marking its fourth port, it also marks its first real remake that would recapture the magic of the original, as opposed to just regurgitating it.

For the sake of full disclosure, prior to playing Final Fantasy IV DS, I have yet to play the original. As such this review is written from that perspective.

Final Fantasy VII was the first game that caused me to widen my eyes and say, “So, this is what games are capable of?” Of course, at the time I was a pre-pre-teen and I understood fuck-all of the plot. But the overall story still managed to have an impact on me, from adventure and discovery to death and loss. Final Fantasy IV recaptures its own plot and story with the aforementioned elements and modernizes it for a new audience with updated visuals, a re-imagined world, and a revised script.

Needless to say, this is a game for people who already enjoy the established JRPG formula, old fans of the original, or those who didn’t have a chance to play the original and want to see the evolution of one of their favorite series. This is no more than an excellent modernization of a 17 year-old classic.

Although prettier, the previously mentioned updated visuals are hampered by the Nintendo DS’s hardware capabilities, which can best be compared to Nintendo 64’s ability to render 3D. Ultimately the most concerning thing is that with the super-deformed, super-stylized 3D models being at an almost laughable level of detail, it may very well be the ceiling of what the DS is capable of graphically.

One of the newly introduced mechanics is also one of the more obscure and off-putting mechanics throughout. Dubbed “Augments”, they allow you to impart abilities of those who you’ve lost throughout the course of the game into those who are currently in your party.

And that’s precisely where the problem rears its ugly head. FFIV’s plot is completely topsy-turvy when it comes to character reliability, so as such, you won’t be able to strategically distribute them until the very end. Unless, of course you bought the Square Enix licensed strategy guide.

Among other things you may need a strategy guide for, difficulty will most certainly be one of the top reasons you contemplate purchasing one. Final Fantasy III DS was nearly impenetrable to me, due to its unbearable difficulty level. I ended up giving up soon after I picked it up. Final Fantasy IV DS remains very difficult, but thankfully, it’s not of the impenetrable, unbearable variety. Although, if you’re not paying attention, your party can and will be wiped out by a random encounter. On that note, unless you’re smarter than I am, tenfold, prepare to face death at nearly every boss you encounter.

Regardless of how much I’d initially wished Square Enix had chosen the PSP as the platform of choice to reimagine and introduce the earlier Final Fantasies to a new generation, as time went on Final Fantasy IV DS managed to engage me enough to stop thinking about its superficial shortcomings and focus on the task at hand– enjoying the game. Sales numbers aside, any game that can manage to do that will be regarded as a success to me.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

This story starts with a young boy and a subscription to the MMO Final Fantasy XI. After a few months with the game, he grows tired of it and decides he’s going to cancel. Great, so how do you do that? What seems like should be a simple task ends up an exercise in frustration. Little did Square Enix know — they just messed with the wrong guy.

When Frank Edwards wanted to cancel his son’s subscription, he had a hard time finding out how to go about it. The Final Fantasy XI community website supposedly had no link to cancel an account, and he was unable to locate a phone number until he checked his credit card statement. A call to this number resulted in an hour and 45 minutes of elevator music while he was on hold.

Rather than just put up with this bullshit, Frank Edwards calls up his good buddy Illinois State Representative Raymond Poe. You see, Frank Edwards just happens to be an alderman in Springfield, and he’s learned that having a friend with bill-writing abilities is a good thing to have.

Frank gets his pal, the Senator, to propose a law that fixes this horse-swaggle, and that law ended up just getting passed earlier this week. The law states:

So basically, it says: “That’s what you get for fucking with me, Square Enix.” It’s actually kind of funny how the law is written to specifically address Frank’s problem.  To put things into perspective, though, Frank Edwards previously had asked Senator Poe to help him pass a law that “package delivery trucks are not permitted to park along the curb next to a driveway because the exhaust from said package delivery truck is harmful to the homeowner’s tomato plants and totally makes the homeowner’s wife angry.”

Okay, I made that up.

Having had a similar issue after canceling my World of WarCraft subscription a few years ago, it’s cool to think that I could do something about it if I decided to become more politically involved and make friends with a Senator. I won’t, but it’s still nice to know I could.

It’s strange to see videogame legislation pop up in the news like this and have it not throw me into a geekified rage. This one, however, seems to to be a win on both sides of the camp. What’s next, legislation that makes licensed games not suck?

Source: Silicon Alley Insider

Perhaps the most oddly named gaming event of all time, SquareEnix’s DKS3713 is also the same event that’s ringing with a ton of news. Day 1 is over and with it came the expected and not so expected.

First of all, we should probably break down what the damn name, DKS3713, actually means. Sure, it’s not so catchy, but it makes sense. I’ll break it down and list the associated platforms known prior to the event’s revelations.

D – Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)

K – Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS), Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (PSP)

S – Sigma Harmonics (DS)

3 – The 3rd Birthday (Mobile)

7 – Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (Blu-Ray)

13 – Final Fantasy XIII (PS3), Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3), Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Mobile)

The event is exclusively about Tetsuya Nomura’s simultaneous projects. For convenience, I’ll use the above order to describe how the titles were shown and the announcements given. Also note; any release dates are for Japan.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy – Playable and footage; any attendees who took a PSP to the event were able to download an exclusive theme. Dissidia based bundle confirmed. Announced for release in December 2008.

Kingdom Hearts 358/12 – Playable and footage; announced for release “This winter”

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep – Playable and footage; announced for release in 2009.

Sigma Harmonics – Playable and footage; nothing of note announced.

The 3rd Birthday – Footage; will release on PSP as well as mobile, releases in 2009.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete – Footage; will include playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII (PS3). Releases in March 2009.

Final Fantasy XIII – Footage; Playable demo will be included on Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete in March 2009. No release date announced. FFVII:ACC PS3 bundle incoming.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII – Footage; will release on PSP as well as mobile, no release date announced.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII – Footage; trailer reaffirms exclusivity: “Playstation 3 only Worldwide”

Squenix sure was showing a Sony love between PSP announcements and the PS3 exclusive Final Fantasy XIII demo. The only game that didn’t see much attention was Sigma Harmonics, but we’ll hopefully hear more about that in the coming days.

Square Enix President and all around peaceful guy Yoichi Wada recently stated that his company remains neutral in the ever flame-inducing console war.

Fans (or fanboys) of the 360 and PS3 were at each other’s throats yet again recently when supposed long-time PlayStation backer Square Enix announced that their flagship title Final Fantasy XIII would be released for the 360 — in North America, at least.

“We’re now in the age of the multi-platform, but depending on age and territory, users have different tastes. Therefore it’s very difficult to just deal with one company or one hardware platform – in order to offer our product to the vast majority of gamers we need to deal with multiple companies and platforms.n North America Microsoft is doing very well with its hardware, and for that reason it’s a very important partner for us.”

He also states, “We always consider the territory and hardware for titles, and I just want to make sure that we’re neutral about dealing with companies.” This should come as no surprise to anyone, as Square Enix titles have popped up on nearly every system at some point since the glory days of the NES.  So this isn’t a knife in the back to Sony at all — perhaps a bullet in the brain to Kaz Hirai considering the game is still a PS3 exclusive in Japan.

Speaking of Nintendo, when asked about the Wii, Wada said in typical lawyer-over-the-shoulder speak that they didn’t have any plans, but the system was kick-ass and that they’re “ready to offer various types of content to various types of users.”  Basically, if it can make money, they’d be willing to make a game for it.

You can read the full interview over at gameindustry.biz

From Emily: After acquiring the games journalism bug when I coerced him into live-blogging the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix beta with me, Josh has written his first review. I had been planning on covering this myself, but it got to the point where he had put 20 hours in (then 30, 40, etc) so I knew I would never catch up. This works out because he is actually sort of an expert on Final Fantasy Tactics in general, and I am not really that great at turn-based strategy anyhow. Feel free to heckle us both from the comments section.

The original Final Fantasy Tactics is one of my favorite games of all time, and despite being a twice-removed cousin of that original gem, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is a remorselessly cute and surprisingly deep turn-based strategy game. FFTA2 is solidly in the camp of its GBA predecessor (thus the “A2″ part of the name). It has the same judge system and simplified combat while adding two more races and even more jobs (bringing the total up to something like 44).

The story (which is quite thin compared to the original FFT) starts with a snotty little kid (our hero) getting detention in the library at school, where he opens the namesake grimoire (an old book), gets sucked into Ivalice, and is thrown into the mercenary profession.

Make no mistake; this game is about being a true mercenary, working for whoever pays your salary and barely thinking twice about switching sides in back-to-back missions. In a way, it’s nice that the story isn’t a morality tale (ignoring the part about power corrupting, cause we all know that’s true anyway).

The main story arc is actually a minimal part of the game. There are side quests aplenty — at least 200, the number I completed — and many of them form groups of related missions that tell stories of their own. You collect little Moogle statues, too, one for each 50 missions you complete. Many of the jobs are unlocked through various quests as well.

Dispatching (sending groups of your fighters off to complete quests in the background) is a great way to level and learn abilities, and is much easier now that there is a new visible stat, MVP, that indicates how effective a leader a character will make on dispatch missions.

But what if you fail? Fear not, for this game is endlessly forgiving. Any quest you fail you get another chance at next time around the calendar. Time passes when you move between regions on the world map, and with no random encounters, advancing time is far less tedious (and dangerous) than it was in FFT.

The battles are entertaining. The range of attacks, spells, and techniques at your disposal is vast, and the 2.5d isometric animation is top-notch. It’s not quite as pretty as the original FFT (and you can’t rotate the map) but it moves more quickly and is easier to follow since actions are always carried out immediately.

Sometimes I miss the deeper system in the original, where the target of your spell could move out of the way before it went off, but then I remember how, as a relatively pathetic gamer, I enjoy not being repeatedly humiliated by my toys. Make no mistake, this game is not hardcore, but it is fun.

The judge system can be infuriating, though. It places arbitrary restrictions on each battle, prohibiting things like “dealing <20 damage,” various elemental attacks, “harming the weak,” and even reaction abilities (automatic counterattacks).

Why obey the judge? While under the judge’s protection, you get a “clan ability” bonus that can increase your speed, power, luck, or grant other benefits. You can also resurrect KOed characters — if you’ve violated the Judge’s rules your dead guys are dead until the battle is over. You also get bonus loot if you haven’t pissed off the judge by the time you win the mission.

But what good is loot? Let me tell you about loot. Loot is for crafting. Loot is how you make 90% of the 300+ weapons, shields, and accessories that turn your cute little Moogles into raging tanks of destructive power. (The level cap was raised from 50 to 99, so those tanks can really rage.) Items are divided into 94 categories (with marginally helpful names like “Vermillion Vestments”, “Gift of Stone”, or “Night’s Embrace”) and five ranks (A thru E).

Unfortunately the crafting system is a cruel mistress, forcing you to blindly send your materials to the bazaar in the hopes that a great item (like the Materia blade, granting the Ultima Sword ability) will become available, and not something like Ensanguined Shield, a shield that actually makes you more vulnerable to fire. Both are ranked “A” so you have to be careful.

Or would have to, if I hadn’t done all the hard work for you in the form of this handy spreadsheet (XLS, HTML), which lets you know how to make a kinky Rubber Suit for your female warriors to protect them from lightening.

Having a reference is especially helpful for Ninja-lovers out there as there is no way to learn four Thief abilities (the prerequisite for becoming a Ninja) without crafting at least one item that grants a thief ability. Cinqueda, a rank C knife from Smallswords crafted from Damascus, a Spiral Incisor, and a Kalos bloom is a good choice since it grants Loot Lv. 4, a great way to collect rare loot to craft even more goodies.

There is a mini-game Auction system that is a multi-round silent auction whose explanation in terms of story makes no sense at all. Why spend collective experience called clan points to enter and win auctions, just to gain control (in name only) of geographic areas and have random citizens give you generally worthless junk? Nonetheless, the auctions are an entertaining diversion. Win all the auctions in a region to be declared “champions for life” and start playing auctions for items instead of prestige.

The format of this game lends itself so well to the DS’s instant sleep, instant awake, über-portable system that I kept it on my desk at work, playing a round or two while my code compiled. Of course, I also played it in the morning when I woke up, which sometimes made me late for work. I played it before I went to bed, which sometimes made getting up so I could play before being late for work more difficult.

I played it in the bathroom. I played it waiting for pizza at Seranno’s. I played it while eating lunch. I played it while eating dinner. I played this game for eighty hours (about 20% of my waking life since getting a copy) and was still kind of sad when I made it to the (admittedly anticlimactic) ending. The last time I was this obsessed with a game, I was playing Bioshock.

This game is by no means for everyone, but if you have a taste for a cute version of Ivalice, and love a little light, turn-based-strategy you can pull out of your pocket to play while waiting for the elevator, this game is for you.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

A recent issue of Famitsu reports that the wait looks set to continue for quite awhile.

At E3 2006 Square Enix surprised fans and gamers by announcing Final Fantasy XIII hot on the heels of Final Fantasy XII’s release. What’s more, it wasn’t just Final Fantasy XIII that was on the way, but also Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

While various trailers have surfaced and Agito was revealed as a mobile title, we’ve heard little more about the projects. Now, Famitsu has revealed that the majority of the Final Fantasy Versus XIII team has been pulled off the title and reassigned to Final Fantasy XIII itself. Agito XIII is also said to still be in early production and story development.

Such a move does not bode well for the possibility of seeing the game any time soon, let alone its spin-offs.

In the case of Final Fantasy it’s a given that more games are on the way. That’s not always the case, but is there really any benefit (for game developers anyway) to such early announcements? Square certainly should have known it was unnecessary with Final Fantasy. At least wait until there’s something to show.

While the end of 2009 is the earliest Final Fantasy XIII proper is expected to make an appearance, that’s still a long way off. Live in the now, enjoy what’s out there and for the sanity of everyone just forget about Square Enix’s megaseries for the time being.

You’ll be happier for it.

Source: Game|Life

Square Enix’s Yoshinori Kitase, who directed the original FFVII, mused that a remake could be possible with some serious collaboration.

“My feelings are that if a remake were to work well then all the core members of the original team must be reassembled, all the artists and designers. The problem is that, although all of us have an idea of what a remake should be and how to do it, organising such a thing right now is logistically very difficult.

“All the different members are now involved in very new, very large projects like Final Fantasy XIII and those projects are going to take a while. Maybe, when all those games are finished then we can look at doing something like that.

“Of course, that said we came up with the idea for Crisis Core in just two days. It was a case of ‘this is what we want to do, so let’s do it’. So, you can definitely expect the probability of something spontaneous happening at some point, but it’s hard to predict.”

While bringing all the core team members back together could be a challenge in itself, the mere mention of a FFVII remake has induced exploding brain syndrome from JRPG lovers around the world. In fact, dang, there goes mine…

Source: Bit Tech

Turn-based strategy gamers are giddy everywhere, as Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is officially dated for  June 24, 2008. Press release and shameless recommendation after the break.

If you missed out on the original FFTA for the GBA it’s absolutely worth going back to, and it’s arguably one of the best turn-based strategy games out there. The recent PSP remake of the original PS1 game may do its job as well.

There’s not really much more to say other than it’s going to be available for the Nintendo DS, and it’ll be an indirect sequel to FFTA – meaning, that it’ll take place in the same universe but previous experience isn’t necessary. However, it may increase enjoyment and you’ll understand subtle references. Oh, and you also won’t hate yourself for missing out on the first one.

Here’s the press release for those of you who enjoy that kind of thing:

DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF IVALICE THIS SUMMER WITH FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: GRIMOIRE OF THE RIFT

The Latest Square Enix Tactical RPG Enters the Ivalice Alliance on June 24, 2008

LOS ANGELES (March 19, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that the latest entry in the IVALICE ALLIANCE™ series, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS® A2: Grimoire of the Rift™ is set to transport players to the fantastical world of Ivalice on June 24, 2008.

Embark on a journey through the vibrant world of Ivalice this summer with FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift. As the third entry in the Ivalice Alliance series, this follow-up to the 2003 Game Boy® Advance release brings the popular tactical franchise to the Nintendo DS™ for the first time. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift will introduce newcomers to an engaging turn-based, grid-oriented battle system as they make new discoveries alongside the hero in this lighthearted adventure. Long-time fans will enjoy exciting new content and enhancements, including polished game mechanics, intuitive stylus control, and new jobs and classes.

“FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift makes the tactical RPG genre accessible to fans who may be unfamiliar with the grid-based battle system,” said Director Yuichi Murasawa. “While maintaining the classic functionality of the much-loved gameplay, this newest release boasts upgrades that enable a more engrossing and fulfilling tactical RPG experience.”

STORY

School is out for the summer, but mischievous Luso Clemens must first face detention to make up for his misbehavior. Alone in the library, he stumbles upon an ancient book with magical powers that summons him to the mystical land of Ivalice. Warped into the middle of a battlefield, Luso joins Cid and his clan to set off on an adventurous journey looking for a way home.

FEATURES

* Explore the fantastic world of Ivalice and join forces with famous heroes from FINAL FANTASY® XII – Vaan, Penelo and Al-Cid
* All-new content and enhancements, including polished game mechanics, new jobs, new classes, and a new clan system that enrich the Ivalice experience for fans and newcomers alike
* The North American release will allow players to command characters in battle and navigate through menus all with a tap of the stylus
* Witness vibrant and colorful visuals in dual-screen presentation, made possible by Nintendo DS
* Increased replay value with up to 400 available quests, allowing players to immerse themselves in a multi-faceted storyline

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift is not yet rated. Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $39.99 (USD). The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/ffta2

Taku Murata, the general manager of Square Enix’s R&D division took the stage at GDC and made it very clear that his English was not very good. The packed house didn’t seem to mind one bit — of course those unable to understand Japanese were equipped with translation headsets, so that may have had something to do with it.

So there I sat, in the back of a jam packed room with my recorder jammed between my ear and the headset (no point in recording Japanese), as I feverishly jotted down the highlights you can read below.

Taku Murata starts by discussing the Square’s learning curve from Final Fantasy Tactics in 97, to Vagrant in 2000, to the creation of Play Online in 2001 as the company’s first attempt for common software, and finally jumps all the way to the release of Final Fantasy XII.

With this he discusses the large volume of assets and what it took for the company to make the jump from the PS1 to PS2, stating that they they ultimately decided to create separate tool sets for the different needs associated with the many aspects of developing the game.

He then goes back in time to 2004 to discuss new 3D data formats such as Collada, FBX, or propriety. After much consideration they decided to develop their own format based on thief own specific needs. The integration process was not easy, but through discussion they made it work.

As information became available regarding the PS3 in 2005, they developed a tech division within Square-Enix for the first time. He became the head of this division, and it was at this time they began creating their own development platform.

They announced the White Engine prior to the R&D division being developed in 2006, and today they announced a new name for that engine … Crystal Tools. He then asked for opinions on the name and received some applause.

He went on to discuss the essence of Crystal Tools, stressing coolness on multiple occasions, in that he felt it was more important for things to look cool as apposed to being accurate. He also discusses stylized expressions and shows us several examples.

The first is called “Character Viewer” which appears to be some sort of 3d Viewer for textures, containing a directory tree, model specifics, and more.

Second, the “Cut Scene Editor” used to check the detail of closeups, and make sure everything looks — cool. This is more like a movie editor he says.

Finally, he discusses the decision to use a GUI interface extensively. He explains that as the team got larger and the mix began to vary from high experience to entry level. He believed the GUI would help to level the playing field for the team and help overall productivity.

He then shows a slide which outlined the process they use internally, and follows that up with a trailer for FFXIII. The room erupts afterwards, although I did not see much if any new material displayed in it.

Taku Murata wraps things up by informing us that all the tools shown to us today were used to make the new FFXIII and FFXIII versus. He mentions that Square is also working on a next gen MMO which will also use the tools, but offers no additional detail for any of the games.

Square-Enix hopes that many will eventually make use of the newly named Crystal Tools, which hit version 1.0 this past September.

Check it out:

Famitsu seems to know what’s what when it comes to good gaming. The other six games that earned themselves perfect ratings are – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soulcaliber, Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Nintendogs, and Final Fantasy XII. All great games, very deserving of – wait, what?

Nintendogs? What the hell? Are you kidding me? I mean, yeah, I enjoyed Nintendogs and I still dream about Doctor Scratches, but a perfect score?

Well, at least the rest of the list is solid, so I guess I’ll let it slide. As if I wasn’t already too hyped over Brawl. And now we have to wait until March.

Criminy.

Seriously, Nintendogs?

Via N4G, Vooks

2007 ended on a great note for Nintendo, with both the Wii and the DS being insanely successful. However, according to the first Japanese software chart of 2008, they’re just getting started.

For the week ending in January 6th, 25 of the 30 top selling games in Japan were for the Wii and the DS. Even more impressive, the two systems took up every top ten spot. The other five spots went to three Playstation 2 games and two PSP games.

Mario Party DS topped the list with just under 200,000 units sold, while Wii Fit came in second and Wii Sports surprisingly took third, followed by Final Fantasy IV for the DS and Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii.

The full list was as follows:

1. Mario Party DS (DS)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Wii Sports (Wii)
4. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
6. Wii Play (Wii)
7. Dragon Quest IV (DS)
8. Prof Layton and Pandora’s Box (DS)
9. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii)

I have never been more proud to be a Nintendo fanboy.

Via GamesIndustry.biz

For all the great games released this Fall, it feels a bit neutered without any truly huge Square-Enix titles on the market. That’s probably because most of the good ones have been pushed into next year. While we still don’t know the status of Final Fantasy XIII or Last Remnant, they’ve given us a look at what we can expect up through Spring 2008.

• Dragon Quest Swords (Wii) – February 26
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS) – March 11
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) – March 25
• The World Ends With You (DS) – Spring 2008

So the first half of ‘08 is handheld heavy. Crisis Core is a pretty major release, regardless. Sadly, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any special edition Crisis Core PSP bundles here in America.

It should also be noted that game you’re probably least familiar with on the list, The World Ends With You, is a retitled version of S-E’s Japanese release: It’s A Wonderful World. The World Ends With You takes great advantage of the DS’ unique capabilities and pulls from various aspects of Japan’s modern culture in lieu of strong sci-fi or fantasy settings.

Here’s the full press release for more details:

Fans Advised to Warm Up this Holiday Season in Preparation for an Assortment of Exciting New Adventures

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in North America, revealed today its first offerings for 2008, with entries that will launch fans into a fast-paced, action-packed new year. This latest announcement brings forth four new titles for the coming year, including releases for the Nintendo DS, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, and the Wii.
DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors sets the action in motion as the newest entry in the franchise that has captivated more than 43 million fans worldwide. The premiere RPG franchise makes its debut on the Wii as an immersive action-adventure accessible by players of all ages.

Following suit are powerful, engaging adventures in the handheld arena. FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates for the Nintendo DS offers endless entertainment with its fun-for-all multiplay feature, while CRISIS CORE(TM) -FINAL FANTASY VII- for the PSP system reunites fans with the most recognized RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura. Nomura’s latest designs lend a hip, urban edge to THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU, a stylish new RPG title for the Nintendo DS.

Warm ups are recommended for fans who intend to take on these exciting new challenges that are headed their way!

DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Developer: Eighting Co., Ltd.
Planning: Genius Sonority, Inc.
Scenario & Game Design / General Director: Yuji Horii
Character Design: Akira Toriyama
Music: Koichi Sugiyama
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action-Adventure
ESRB: T (Teen)
Ship Date: February 26, 2008

Developed from the ground up to take advantage of the Nintendo Wii and its motion-sensing technology, DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is set to slice its way onto Nintendo’s next-generation platform. Use the Wii Remote to slash, parry and blast your way through a land filled with trademark DRAGON QUEST foes! Developed with both long-time fans and casual players in mind, DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is poised to take video gaming to an entirely new level of fun and interaction.

The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/dqswords.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action-RPG
ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10 and older)
Ship Date: March 11, 2008

Few titles epitomize the essence of multiplayer camaraderie like the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series. Released in 2004 as an innovative title that took advantage of the Nintendo GameCube-to-Game Boy Advance connectivity, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES pioneered an entirely new gameplay experience that expanded the horizons of conventional RPG gaming. Primed for a release on the Nintendo DS, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates is poised to continue this tradition by providing fans with two distinctly unique games: a fully fleshed single-player RPG experience and an addictive multiplayer element for up to four players.

The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/ffccnews/.

CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: PSP system
Genre: Action-RPG
ESRB: T (Teen)
Ship Date: March 25, 2008

CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-, the highly anticipated entry in the COMPILATION of FINAL FANTASY VII, takes fans on an exciting journey through the origin of the internationally acclaimed FINAL FANTASY VII saga in an all- new action-packed experience. Developed exclusively for the PSP system, CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- marks the return of the celebrated characters and game world that mesmerized more than 9.8 million gamers around the globe. With inspiring visuals, full 16:9 widescreen presentation and an engaging battle system, fans and newcomers alike can experience the world of FINAL FANTASY VII from an all-new perspective.

The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/crisiscore.

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd./ Jupiter
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action-RPG
ESRB:TBD
Ship Date: Spring 2008

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU, is an exciting new title developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS handheld system. Previously known as Subarashiki Kono Sekai on its release in Japan, THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU is an innovative new title from Square Enix that fully utilizes the capabilities of the Nintendo DS, and takes major influence from Japan’s modern day culture including its people, music, clothes, food and design.

One of the flat-out coolest endeavours I’ve seen in awhile comes from “hattoriyaro,” who’s using a specialized program to turn the individual notes of MIDI music into complex animations. Among his creations are several dedicated to classic video games from Megaman 2 to *ahem* “cult classic” Cheetahmen. Hit the jump for videos and more information on how it’s done.

Looking not unlike some crazy Beatmania video, Hattoriyaro’s creations seem to be inspired by the way that we “see” music. Not merely flashy background animations, but the kinds of patterns that emerge as a waterfall of notes cascades from the top to bottom of your screen (as shown above), or when a series of explosions look more like an elaborate bed of flowers in Every Extend Extra.

Combining that principal (and some creativity) with a freeware program called The Music Animation Machine (which represents music in terms of colored bars as opposed to traditional notes on a scale) results in the following:

Dr. Mario
[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Mega Man 2 Dr. Wiley Stage
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and my personal favorite…

Chrono Trigger
[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

You can check out several more of these game-inspired videos on Hattoriyaro’s Youtube page, and there are many from other musical genres located at the MAM site linked above. The actual representations may vary in complexity, but even the most abstract moments carry with them a subtle beauty any nostalgic gamer can appreciate.

I don’t really like Japanese RPGs. I think they show an amazing stubbornness towards evolution of the genre, with recycled story arcs and male characters that are more androgynous than a Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie.

I thought living in Japan might help me become more tolerant, but the inverse proved true and my disdain has only grown stronger. So, if I can’t stand Japanese RPGs then why did I put Cloud Strife’s sword into the Top 10?

Simply put, the sword is bigger than the little spiky-headed man holding it, and it aided in the firm ass kicking of one of videogame’s most evil characters, Sephiroth.

Mr. Strife must have done a lot of weight lifting back in Nibelheim. Not only does he carry a Buster Sword big enough to slay a rhinoceros with an oversized pituitary gland, but he can also wield it as if it were a fencing rapier forged of aluminum.

I first saw the sword back when the Playstation was still cutting edge hardware. Displayed nicely on the back of our hero on the jewel case, it quickly caught my eye and was the reason for my purchase of Final Fantasy VII. The quest to save Gaia was arguably the best written and fleshed out of the entire series, and the Buster Sword was just as much a character in this manga-like melodrama as Cloud himself.

The weapons in Final Fantasy VII were designed for each character, and although they could be powered up, they could not be interchanged. This led to each gun, sword and javelin to have a personality of its own and reflect that of its user. But it wasn’t just Materia and Limit Breaks that made Cloud’s sword so awe-inspiring – he also got his own movie to build on its riot rousing reputation.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was released in Japan on September 14, 2005. The CGI swan song for the Final Fantasy VII universe showcased Cloud’s massive single-edged cleaver with a new sense of detail. Being able to split into various independent sections, the sword was now duel- wieldable, perfect for those boss battles in the ruins of Midgar. A big sword is pretty badass, but a big sword with extra functionality reaches a new echelon of malevolence.

So was Cloud compensating for something? Absolutely! Does it matter? Hell no. This weapon inspired me to take a chance and forget my contempt for JRPGs and embrace the “bigger is better” mantra. It lasted just long enough to enjoy a game with a killer story, great characters and excellent plot twists.

Too bad that little monkey thief in Final Fantasy IX sent me running for the exits again. Who’s up for a game of Oblivion?

Top Ten Most Badass Weapons List: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Some developers draw inspiration from a particular genre. Electronic Arts built up some of the most successful franchises in the sports world, Id Software concentrated mainly on first person shooters like DOOM and Wolfenstein, and Lucasarts grew its fan base by creating excellent adventure games. Square Enix falls into this category as well. Their area of expertise is the RPG.

As many already know, Square and Enix started their relationship under very different circumstances than today. They were originally rivals in Japan, vying for the attention of RPG consumers in a very competitive market.

Enix made its big splash with the Dragon Quest series (known as Dragon Warrior to Western audiences). The NES game would introduce many characters, weapons, and plot lines that still appear in the series today. It turned out to be hugely successful for Enix and gave them a foothold in the Japanese role-playing game market.

What’s interesting is that Enix didn’t actually develop these games themselves. The creation process of the first five Dragon Quest games was handled by a company known as Chunsoft. Enix would merely act as publisher and maintain the copyrights.

Square, on the other hand, was a publisher. During the company’s toddler years there was the danger of having to declare bankruptcy due to some unsuccessful early releases. This impending doom led Hironobu Sakaguchi to name their last entry into the gaming industry Final Fantasy, a name that was selected to signify the company’s inevitable demise. However, the game proved to be successful, and Square was saved from the chopping block.

Many consider Final Fantasy to be the pinnacle of any role-playing series available. Fans of the FF releases could debate for hours which game has the best story line, most useless power-up, or most annoying character. Final Fantasy is one of the most loved franchises in the history of videogames and it continues to grow to this day.

Genre lines have been crossed, movies have been made, and figurines have been manufactured. Final Fantasy has gone from a last attempt at success to a household name. And through the years, the talented people at Square have been there to steer their ship into areas of new discovery.

Games like Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Front Mission and Kingdom Hearts pushed role-playing genre into new territory, while Final Fantasy kept sailing on with new plot situations, battle systems, and characters. But that’s not to say that Square always had to stay within the RPG genre. The company had great success with the car racing classic Rad Racer on the Nintendo Entertainment System. They also made a nice addition to the survival horror genre with the Parasite Eve games on the Sony Playstation. But for the most part, Square has continued to create what comes naturally to them– RPGs.

On April Fools Day in 2003, Square and Enix made one of the biggest mergers in video game history. The two rivals would shake hands (or bow, actually) and continue their monopolizing of the JRPG market as an unstoppable duo. The absorption of Square by Enix would bring together two of the most influential companies in gaming history, and fuse two of the most well-loved and respected catalogs by any company found in Japan or abroad.

What the future holds is yet to be seen. But if the past is any judge, these fantasies aren’t showing any signs of finality.

Must Haves:
Final Fantasy III (SNES),
Final Fantasy VII (PS),
Secret of Mana (SNES),
Dragon Quest IV (NES)

Have Nots:
Chocobo Racing (PS)

Top Ten Developer List: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1