|
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 19, 2015 in Videogames 
If you purchased a first-run copy of the just-released Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, you received a code for Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae, a demo for one of the longest in-development games ever. If you don’t have access to this demo, well, sucks to be you, because look at this video. Like past games, summons return; but what was almost a vestigial feature in most recent games looks to be a lot more impressive with this game. It’s very cool the way that Ramuh is foreshadowed by a darkening sky and lightning before finally showing up to pluck main character Noctis out of danger. The rest of the party is not so lucky, but somehow they survive, so whatever. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 21, 2014 in Videogames 
Road trip! Road trip? There’s a fair amount of driving going on in Final Fantasy XV, but of course, there’s plenty of the “fantasy” stuff that you know and love too. There’s some story bits here, gameplay footage, and both English and Japanese versions of the trailer. I’m impressed they got voice actors set up this early, but hey, maybe the game is further along than expected. I’m also impressed by the visuals on display here. I hope that the final product runs well in addition to being stunning graphics-wise. There’s also a demo on the way in the near future! Check out both English and Japanese versions of the trailer below and take your pick! Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 16, 2014 in Videogames 
Though Final Fantasy Versus XIII was reannounced for PS4/Xbox One and renamed Final Fantasy XV back in 2013, it’s still not ready for release. Who knows when this game is actually coming out? I’d say that 2015 looks to be a safe bet, but considering that the game was announced long ago in 2006, there’s honestly no telling when it will be done. This latest trailer is basically the trailer from this year’s TGS, but with new, English voices. There’s nothing really wrong with the voices, and it’s hard to get a read on them in a short trailer. But whatever happened to the people in charge of Final Fantasy XII’s fabulous localization? Even if this game didn’t have British accents, it would help elevate the usual localization. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 30, 2014 in Videogames 
Square Enix has constantly placed Final Fantasy XV (or Final Fantasy Versus XIII if you go back far enough) just over the horizon for years now. And while I’m still excited about it, I’d be lying if I wasn’t more interested in Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, a port of a game that actually materialized three years ago on the PSP. The game is coming out on March 17, 2015 (March 20 in Europe), which feels right around the corner now that we’re in the holiday game release period, so this latest trailer (featuring English voices) is very enticing. It captures some of the warring nations angle that Final Fantasy XII tried out, or perhaps Final Fantasy Tactics. Sure, as an enhanced PSP-port, the graphics don’t look that spectacular, but at least the gameplay and art design seem interesting. And really, do we need another game like Final Fantasy XIII that emphasized graphics over everything else?
Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS4, square enix, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 18, 2014 in Videogames 
Many have had Final Fantasy XV on their wishlists for years, from back when it was called Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Even with the stunning trailer from E3 2013, we still don’t have a ton of information on how it plays, but that will change within a year. Whenever Square Enix decides to release Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, the console port of the PSP game that also spun off from Final Fantasy XIII, is the time we’ll get access to a FFXV demo. Square Enix has stated every copy of Type-0 will come with a code to download Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae, a playable demo of the game’s opening scenes. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 23, 2014 in Videogames 
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is coming out September 16 in North America and September 19 in Europe, which is right around the corner. To help promote this music-focused game, Square Enix is holding a contest for musicians to arrange and perform Final Fantasy‘s Main Theme that has appeared in almost every Final Fantasy game. If you’re selected by original Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, you’ll win a grand prize: a round trip for two to a Distant Worlds: Final Fantasy concert, a limited edition Nintendo 3DS LL released for Curtain Call, the official soundtracks of all fourteen main Final Fantasy games, a collector’s edition copy of Curtain Call (signed by Uematsu), and a Final Fantasy Static Arts mini figure. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 12, 2014 in Videogames 
An English release for Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Agito was already announced at this year’s E3, but that’s not the only Final Fantasy announcement Square Enix has for RPG players. The latest Japanese issue of Shonen Jump revealed Final Fantasy Explorers, a new multiplayer RPG for 3DS. You can pick different jobs you’re likely familiar with like black mage or monk. You can team up with three other players to fight various summons from previous FF games. Basically, it seems that Square Enix is doing their own take on Monster Hunter. Since the 3DS doesn’t have as many MH-style games as the Vita, the only big game this needs to compete with is Monster Hunter itself! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 10, 2014 in Videogames 
When Final Fantasy XIII was announced, it was done so as part of the “Fabula Nova Crystalis” project that also included Final Fantasy Versus XIII (just for PS3) and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (for mobile). The former game was delayed, being reannounced as Final Fantasy XV in 2013, while the latter game was reworked for PSP as Final Fantasy Type-0. FFXIII got two direct sequels, FFXV isn’t finished yet, and Type-0 was never released outside of Japan due to the declining demand for the PSP. But suddenly, we’re going to be getting it — just not for PSP! Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS4, PSP, square enix, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 4, 2014 in Videogames 
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was one of the early reasons to own a 3DS, offering a fun musical romp through the history of past Final Fantasy games. The sequel, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, is coming out in North America on September 16, 2014, and it’s especially enticing for those who skipped the first entry. With 221 songs, you’ve got access to every previous song, every previously-released DLC song, and new songs, plus the option to buy more DLC songs in the future. That’s a lot of songs! But if you’re really excited for the game, you might consider preordering the collector’s edition. Only 5,000 copies are available on Square Enix’s online store. If you pony up the $70, you get a big box (similar to Kingdom Hearts 3D‘s collector’s edition), a collector’s pouch for your 3DS, a 20-song soundtrack CD, an additional CD with 5 remixed songs, and 5 premium cards based on CollectaCards seen in the game (with passwords to unlock the card in-game). If you don’t have the scratch for all that, you can still preorder and get the 5-song remix CD. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 23, 2014 in Videogames 
Final Fantasy fans enjoyed Theatrhythm Final Fantasy when it was released on 3DS in 2012. Maybe a part of that was that the 3DS was just starting to gain momentum, but some of it had to do with how fun it was to tap out rhythms to your favorite Final Fantasy music. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, the sequel, is releasing in Japan this Thursday, so of course Square Enix is just now announcing that it will come to America like we still live in the dark ages of localization. But hey, it’s coming out in North America sometime this year, and with more characters (over 60) and more songs (221!) than the original game. In my ideal world, this sequel has every original song, every DLC song, and then even more new, exclusive songs so that I never have to put the original game into my 3DS. It’s a lot to ask considering Square Enix made a game just designed to separate you from your money, but hey, I can dream. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Final Fantasy, Music, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 6, 2014 in Videogames 
What’s something cool a game publisher can do when they buy another game publisher? They can put crossovers of their new IP into their own games! Square Enix has owned Eidos for a while now, and have put out several of their games, including last year’s Tomb Raider reboot. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is out next week, and now we know that you can make Lightning cosplay as Lara Croft. Similar to Final Fantasy X-2, in this game Lightning can change her clothes to gain access to new abilities. By wearing Lara’s outfit, she can use her survival axe and riot shield to fight monsters. As a side effect, it now looks like Lightning is covered in dirt. The only downside is that this will be optional DLC, available for purchase at launch, which is silly, because this should be a bonus unlockable in the game. Read more…
Tags: DLC, Final Fantasy, Lightning Returns, Tomb Raider
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 30, 2014 in Videogames 
Final Fantasy XIII has a pretty convoluted story, not at all helped by a horrible presentation that seems to delight in requiring you to know certain information, but not giving that information for hours, requiring a look at a list of terms in a dictionary, which makes the eventual explanation boring. If you can’t tell, I’m not a fan of the poorly-written game or its sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2. But Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the third and final entry, is out soon, so Square Enix made this awesome recap of the story so far. It boils everything down to the bare minimum, and best of all, it’s done in 16-bit graphics like the classic SNES entries. It almost makes things comprehensible! I just want Square Enix to do more with this style of graphics. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 19, 2013 in Videogames 
Took them long enough! Square Enix has finally announced a Western release date for their HD remastering of Final Fantasy X & X-2 that has taken entirely too long to produce. At least their work looks great, with reorchestrated music and redone models in certain places, besides the game being presented in widescreen and HD. You can check out the improvements yourself on March 18, or March 21 in Europe. As a reminder, this collection includes most full-featured versions of the games: Final Fantasy X International, Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission, and a 14-minute video bridging the two games called Final Fantasy X Eternal Calm. If you preorder the game, you’ll get it in nice limited edition packaging that holds the game in a book of concept art and commentary, similar to Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. I’ve had mine preordered for what feels like forever, but watch this new trailer if you’re not yet convinced. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 3, 2013 in Videogames 
Speaking of Square Enix, they’re rolling out the preorder content for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. We already know that if you preorder the game in the US you get Cloud’s outfit and sword. But in Japan, you can also get various feudal Japanese armors as well. This latest video shows off some battles, and a lot of the samurai outfits do look admittedly cool. I’m less into the same victory pose over and over again, but I suppose you might not notice if you’re sticking to one outfit most of the time. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 27, 2013 in Videogames 
When you think of HD game remasters, you generally focus on the visuals. Besides being rerendered in a higher resolution, HD versions sometimes have higher-res textures, framerate fixes, or small bonus touches. You don’t generally consider the audio, which is often the same music the game had before. But since Square Enix is making many more improvements for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD (like creating new models), they’ve also redone more than 60 tracks from Final Fantasy X‘s 91-track soundtrack. That’s pretty cool! Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 10, 2013 in Videogames 
There’s a lot of ways to do an HD rerelease of a classic videogame. Do you go through and make sure everything looks and runs great, then make even further improvements like Bluepoint did for Sony’s Shadow of the Colossus? Or do you basically just tell the game to rerender at a higher resolution and call it a day like Capcom’s Devil May Cry? Square Enix thankfully put more effort into their upcoming rerelease of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. (Admittedly, they had lost a bunch of source files and had to redo a bunch anyway, but whatever.) Check out this comparison video between the original SD version and the new HD remaster, making sure to bump the video quality up to 720p or 1080p. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 6, 2013 in Videogames 
A while back, savvy internet users may remember, a list of crazy games coming to Steam leaked. It featured such titles as Halo 2, Halo 3, Final Fantasy VII, Fez, and more. Slowly but surely, those games are arriving on Valve’s service, with Fez arriving months ago, and now Final Fantasy VII (what do you think that says about Halo). It’s a bit of surprise, but I’m glad to see Square Enix embracing Steam more. It’s certainly not the HD remake people have been hoping for, but if you’ve ever wanted a chance to try out this game for the first time or revisit it, now it’s much easier. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 3, 2013 in Videogames 
When the first trailers for Final Fantasy XIII came out, showing main character Lightning riding on a train, everyone immediately drew comparisons to the opening of Final Fantasy VII, with Cloud riding on a train. Connections were also made between the weather-based names and their demeanor. So how fitting is it that preordering Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the third and final game of the FFXIII trilogy, will grant players Cloud’s outfit and massive Buster Sword? Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 18, 2013 in Videogames 
HD remasters of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 are due out on the PS3 and PS Vita this fall. In typical fashion, Square Enix is taking forever to finish them — an HD remaster of two Kingdom Hearts games was announced and will release before these two — but the results look promising. Since they look so good, what are the chances of the PS2’s other single-player FF game, Final Fantasy XII, getting an HD remaster? Actually, it could happen. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 11, 2013 in Videogames 
This was briefly covered in Sony’s press conference, but the footage has now surfaced online. After years of waiting and many empty promises, Square Enix has finally revealed a full trailer for Final Fantasy Versus XIII, with new cutscenes, new graphics, and lots of gameplay showing its completely revamped combat system. Furthermore, the game is now known as Final Fantasy XV; it’s no longer a spin-off, but the next installment of the long-running series. The online excitement right now is palpable, as people are practically cheering in the streets. The game has so far been revealed for PS4, with no word of an Xbox One or PC release. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, PS4, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on May 28, 2013 in Videogames 
I love it when players discover new things in old videogames. For something to remain hidden in the Internet Age is quite amazing, and it doesn’t happen often. In this case, YouTube user GarlandTheGreat has found a new sidequest in Final Fantasy IX. It involves going to the Tantalus hideout at the start of the fourth disc, where Zenero and Benero are looking for Marcus and Cinna. This is just the start of the sidequest, which involves triggering certain major events like boss fights or cutscenes to advance the quest. When going back after one of these events, you’ll see a new family member wondering where the previous family members are. Going all the way through the quest earns the player a Protect Ring. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS2, Retro Games
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 20, 2013 in Videogames 
You can’t fault gamers for expecting Final Fantasy X HD to be out by now. First announced at TGS 2011, the HD update to the PS2’s first Final Fantasy game seemed like something that wouldn’t take too long to push out. We didn’t know if it would be an extensive retexturing with numerous fine-tuning like with the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection or a cheap-and-dirty rerelease a la Capcom’s HD reissues, but either way, it should have been out in 2012. However, all we’ve seen so far is a few HD models, with the promise of a 2013 release. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, Playstation Vita, PS3, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 5, 2012 in Videogames 
After the cliffhanger ending of Final Fantasy XIII-2, everyone expected another installment in what Square Enix has come to call the “Lightning Saga.” Of course, Square Enix seems to have a thing for convoluted names lately, which means that instead of calling it Final Fantasy XIII-3, they’re going with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Oh well, there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on with the game, and Famitsu has just revealed a lot of it. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, RPG, square enix
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 2, 2012 in Videogames 
Looking for a little more Lightning in your life? Rather than a XIII-3, Square Enix has announced Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, a brand new installment in the series, set for a 2013 release. It’s set hundreds of years after XIII-2, and features a 13-day doomsday clock, a little reminiscent of Majora’s Mask. The player can complete objectives that will decrease or increase the time left in their attempts to save the world. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, Lightning Returns, square enix
|
|
