Recently, talks with Tomb Raider publisher, Eidos, began to surface on the web. The identity of the proposing side wasn't revealed, that is until now. It's none other than RPG giant, Square Enix!
After failing to merge with Dynasty Warriors's publisher, Koe, Square Enix seems to not falter one bit in their quest to appeal to Western gamers! Eidos laid off alot of their employees after Tomb Raider: Underworld failed to reached its quota. Eidos seems to be positive about the merger, though.
We'll just have to wait and see about this! I didn't really expect this to happen! It seems to me that the two companies work in different areas in the gaming industry, I don't know how this will work out :S
Square Enix revealed new info on Final Fantasy XIII for PS3 and Xbox 360:
Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time will be coming to Wii and NDS in North America in winter 2009.
Here are some new images of Square Enix's NDS RPG Dragon Quest IX, when you are in the town or field, if there is something you should investigate, an exclamation sign will appear near it
In Dissidia: Final Fantasy, there is a virtual player option, when you played the game with other players over Wi-Fi connection, the data and play style of each player will be saved. The CPU can simulate the online players even they are not connected. You can store up to 16 virtual players in the game.
I recently found this leaked clip of Final Fantasy Agito XIII that was shown at this year's TGS. So, with further delay, here's the clip:
via (FF-XIII.net)
I found this clip at Gametrailers. It clearly shows the footage shown at this year's TGS. It looks authentic, so here you go:
Japanese magazine Shonen Jump has a first look at the battle screen for PSP title Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Tokyo Game Show organizer CESA has announced its best of show winners, under the "Future Division" banner, awarded to unreleased titles.
Twelve titles have made the cut -- voted on by attendees -- and they cover all consoles except for the PlayStation 2.
Without further ado, this year's winners are:
Recently, it was announced that PSP's new firmware would be released the same day as the PS3's. As to what new features it will have, PSP store would be the most important. Now, you can access PSP store, ala PS3 store, and download games there.
It was also announced that future PSP releases could all be downloadables rather than UMDs. Sony announced that two of its upcoming games would be downloadables, LocoRoco 2 and Patapon 2.
Square Enix seems to join the ranks as it'll offer its upcoming fight 'em up RPG-style game, Dissida: Final Fantasy. It's unknown if the downloadable version (as it will also be in UMD form) will have a price discount. But for all of you importers out there, the importing part is made easier provided you have a Japanese PS account.
The game will be released on December 18 in Japan.
System: Mobile din as characters that can be used in the game. Speaking of which, most of that in-game footage that was shown off was of the 4-player co-op. It's this mode that will enable gamers to control Axel and company for the very first time. System: PSP System: PSP Dissidia: Final Fantasy is a fighting game with an ensemble cast from the first ten Final Fantasy games. It's a classic light versus darkness story pitting the two forces of Chaos (FF villains) and Cosmos (FF heroes) against each other. One hero and one villain from each title will be playable in the game. System: Blu-ray System: PS3 System: PSP System: PS3 
Now that TGS 2008 has ended, I'll begin posting all the new details sprung in it. I'll begin with my personal favorite, Square-Enix.
Note: I'll copy-paste this from Joystiq, since I've obviously not been to TGS this year.Kingdom Hearts: Coded
The first two trailers involved Kingdom Hearts: Coded and Kingdom Hearts_Avatar both of which are mobile phone titles and will probably never leave Japan. Avatar seems to be a mini-game collection with unlockable KH music, vids and wallpapers for mobile phones. There's customizable doll-like characters which can be made to look like KH and Final Fantasy characters. It seems like a total fan service title.
As for Coded, the video showed mostly Sora in a mix of classic KH gameplay. There were also spots of puzzle-based mini-games; one such mini-game had Sora pushing crates around a small room to create a certain pattern. We also see Donald and Goofy around in Coded; however it doesn't look like they are playable this time around.Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
System: DS
The Kingdom Hearts: 358 Days video showed a lot of cut scenes featuring more familiar faces such as Roxas, Axel and Ansem. There seems to be a strong focus on a new, black-haired female Organization XIII member. Roxas is the star of this game, but it looks like she will play a central role in the story's development.
Since this game takes place during the time when Roxas was an Org XIII member and before KH2, all Org members are alive and well and will make appearances in the game (as their appearances in the trailer suggests). They might all even be playable, though we didn't see all of them in the in-game footage. We did see Marluxia, Axel, Vexen and Xal
The title doesn't look visually as great as the PSP KH game, but the co-op mode which lets you play as fan-favorite Org members looks promisingly fun. The game is set for a February 2009 release in Japan.Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
System: PSP
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep takes us to a very different kind of KH game as it doesn't contain any Final Fantasy characters nor does it feature any of the original KH cast. The game focuses on three new characters (Ventus, Tera and Aqua) and is a prequel to KH set in Disney-only worlds. Out of the four KH games shown, this one was the most beautiful looking, and at the same time resembles the original games the most in terms of gameplay and overall design.
The trailer showed off the purple-haired girl, Aqua, in battle for the first time. She uses a spinning attack as her special ability -- she sort of mimics a tornado as she spins around the battlefield. There is in-game battle footage on Tera and Ventus (Roxas' look-a-like pictured above); both of which come from the playable build available at TGS 08. Tera is seen fighting hordes of enemies similar to the numbers found on screen in the regular console versions. There doesn't seem to be a downsizing in that respect. Tera also goes off to fight a large Spindle creature which is based-off the Sleeping Beauty world he's currently in. Ventus is seen fighting the cat from Cinderella in a boss fight -- he'll have to take him out using several timed input events by tapping the triangle button (same system as first introduced in KH2).Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday
It starts off with a Parasite Eve montage looking back at the first two games. It's a nostalgic feeling hearing the piano solo theme after nearly a decade. The trailer then cuts to a CG scene on a snowy city street. Aya is huddled on the side of the street holding a revolver; she's tired and covered in dirt for some reason -- she appears to be running from something. Some sort of portal opens up in the middle of the street and a multi-legged monster twice Aya's size comes out of it. Aya aims and shoot her gun at the creature.
There is in-game footage for the first time as well; only cut scenes though. The graphics are on par with Crisis Core. A male scientist character with long white hair is revealed and so is a long-haired guy who could be the antagonist. The game is being co-developed by Hexadrive says the end of the trailer. There's no further details or mention of why Aya was in a bride's gown in last year's debut trailer. Dissidia: Final Fantasy
The trailer goes through gratuitous, fan service shots of each character, though the most important ones were the in-game models of fan-favorites Terra and Cloud. Their inclusion finally completes the game's roster as all other characters have been revealed previously.
Both characters were shown in in-game battles fighting off against their respective nemesis: Kefka and Sephiroth. Terra commands magic-based attacks and can carry out her Morph ability. Cloud retains his original outfit and not the Advent Children costume.
The rest of the trailer is CG cut scenes showing off the other characters fighting one another. These include other favorites like Squall, Zidane, Tidus, etc. The pre-rendered stuff looks great as always, but the in-game action looks even better. Battles look swift and intense; there's always something going on. The game is out in Japan on December 18, 2008.Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete
Another trailer for the Blu-ray film due out for Japan in March 2009 appeared in the Closed Theater. It was a showing of about five minutes of the all-new footage for the HD release.
New scenes shown mostly depicted Denzel, Kadaj, and a fight sequence between Cloud and Sephiroth (pictured). The trailer actually started off with a new Cloud flashback where he's seeing Zack on their trip back to Midgar. Cloud and Sephiroth's battle extends with high-impact clashes. There seems to be a lot more footage on the children of Midgar as well which will probably help flesh out their story better than the original film did. The new scenes with Kadaj on his bike and another where he's chatting with Rufus, might point out that a strong focus on developing his character and story has been taken care of (as it was rather lacking in the original film).
Seeing the new version up on the big screen looked amazing. The upgrade to HD and Blu-ray really brings out the detail in the CG work. The trailer ends reminding us that the film will be bundled together with a demo for Final Fantasy XIII.Final Fantasy XIII
Joystiq already given a full report and impressions on this segment. You can check out the full article here.Final Fantasy XIII Agito
The Agito trailer was quite impressive. We see the in-game battle system for the first time. The HUD looks very similar to Crisis Core. In fact, it looks like it plays the same way too, but only with the difference of it being multiplayer oriented.
The beginning of the trailer was going over the back story / history of the war that stars the Agito story. Airships are seen flying towards an island nation and then bomb it to kingdom come. A purple crystal inside the bombed island city shatters. We see warriors rise from the ruins to defend the city (the 12 students seen in artwork previously). As they brandish their weapons and are about to attack the invading soldiers, the trailer then cuts to the gameplay footage mentioned in the first paragraph.Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Joystiq also has already given a full report and impressions on this segment. Check out the full article here.
In a recent issue of Famitsu, new information was revealed about the Final Fantasy XIII demo. The demo, which ships with the movie Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete, will be playable preview that will last about 2 hours. The demo will apparently cover the very beginning of the game.
Some new pictures of this interesting fighting game came across while I was surfing, so I thought I'd share :)
The game has a new characters announced, Onion Knight and Cloud of Darkness from FFIII. Onion Knight can transform to other jobs like Ninja and Sage (as in the above two pictures) in the game.
(In case you're wondering who the hell this naked woman is, she's Cloud of Darkness from FFIII)
The third image from the left is Onion Knight as a Ninja.
Now this should show Onion Knight in both jobs.
(Translation: Left: 'Cause you're a brat. Romaji: Omae ha gaki dakara na.
Right: Not sure... I don't know any "iccho"?! But it's about fighitng.
Of course, that's my own translation. This isn't official or from a professional translator, just by your good ol' me :) )
Dissidia: Final Fantasy is confirmed to come December '08 in Japan.
In the recent "DK Sigma 3173" event in Tokyo, Square Enix showed off trailers for its trio of Final Fantasy XIII games, FFXIII, FF Versus XIII and FF Agito XIII.
Final Fantasy XIII:
New scenes of the blond tall guy (Mr.33cm) and the 
reddish haired girl were shown along side the previously shown footage from previous trailers.
"One scene in the trailer showed the three characters walking together in an icy area, at which point they suddenly found themselves surrounded by soldiers with guns. As the three members braced themselves for battle, Lightning actually showed some signs of anger on her face, which is probably the first time that she's revealed any emotion in the trailers."
"In another scene, we saw the reddish-brown-haired girl being escorted by soldiers who carried a cybernetic-looking object in front of her that looked a bit like a wh
ite coffin. The girl was wearing a white robe with her hands attached together, rather than the usual savannah-like outfit from previous trailers. As she walked toward a battle plane together with the soldiers, a blond-haired lady in a military outfit came out of the plane and walked toward her. We're assuming that she's some sort of commander or general working for the Cocoon's holy government."
These quotes are from gamespot, there you can find the rest of the trailer walkthrough as seen by their eyes.
Apparently, Square Enix is changing too much information these days! First, we are amused by the fact that Final Fantasy XIII is a PS3 exclusive only to have that shatter some time later. "Oh, FFXIII is also coming to the X360, possibly the PC as well! I hope we didn't delude you by our previous statement!".
Now, we hear that Chrono Trigger isn't coming out to Europe anytime this year! C'mon Square Enix! Pull your stuff together! Things either are or they're not!
Oh, the images they released for this DS version closely resemble that of the old one...
Thought I was dead, no? Well, I might've been. I had some problems that I had to deal with, still am. Well, who cares about my personal life when Square Enix releases new info about Final Fantasy?!
Recently (actually today) Square Enix announced some great news about its hit series. The "DK Sigma 3713" event held by Square Enix let attendees playe the latest demos and see the newest trailers from Square Enix.
A demo of Final Fantasy XIII is said to be bundled with the Blu-ray version of CG movie Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete in March '09. The demo disc will also include new high-quality trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (a mobile game).
Also, two games that were previously announced as mobile games are now coming the PSP! Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Final Fantasy XIII is confirmed, yet again, that it will receive a world-wide release date somewhere in '09!
Dissidia: Final Fantasy is set for release this December in Japan on the PSP.
Square Enix has a surprise RPG in stores. Unfortunately, it's not on the PSP but for the iPod. Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes is the iPod exclusive RPG with a rather unique twist.
You'll be able to transform your music collection into "Tune Troopers" that you can use in battle. Even cooler: you'll be able to level up your "Tune Troopers" simply by listening to the same song you created them on your iPod. You'll need the help of all your best MP3s, as you fight the Mechanical Militia and save your brother.The iTunes download, available today, will retail for $4.99. The game will be controlled exclusively through the iPod click wheel and will be compatible with iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.
As I don't own an iPod myself, I won't be able to report my thoughts on this rather strange game. But I suppose many gaming sites will be more than happy to provide you with that!
I just don't know... Square Enix and Apple? I mean both companies are known for their near-perfection work. I'd love to hear any feedbacks about this game from gamers, so please don't hesitate to inform me ;)
All our dreams may actually come true! Errm, maybe not all of them... Have you ever wished upon a shooting star for a remake (or port is more accurate) for the ever popular Chrono Trigger? Well, that wasn't a shooting star 'cause certainly your wish is coming true, probably!
A new page on Square Enix's Japanese website suggests that the company is planning to port its highly popular SNES (and later PS) RPG Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS. Director Takashi Tokita had previously suggested a DS remake of the game was feasible, assuming
"demand is great enough." -I'd say, pfft-A winter 2008 release was suggested for the Japanese edition, though not so much for other editons.
This is the second trailer from Square Enix's fighting game, Dissidia: Final Fantasy. The trailer shows the newly revealed character, Tidus from FFX, in action along some old mentioned ones. I gotta say, the fighting in this game seems kind of good! I actually have high expectations of it. What struck me most is they've finally given voice to characters from older Final Fantasies (earlier than FFX), now we get to hear Zidane, Squall (although he was voiced before in Kingdom Hearts I & II), Edea and even Kuja!
The battle scene where Squall is the one fighting Sephiroth, not Cloud, is actually quite interesting! It actually could put a little relief on the whole "Who's stronger? Cloud or Squall" debate! But not entirely, though.
PS: In one scene, Squall says something to the hero in FFII. I guess it was "We're fighting to protect the crystal/s".
Square Enix has issued a statement saying the development of Final Fantasy Versus XIII is not on hold, both Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII are still on schedule. This contradicts a statement made by Tetsuya Nomura in Famitsu regarding to the development of Versus XIII has been stopped in favor of Final Fantasy XIII.
Square Enix also issued a statement clarifying a rumor about a Final Fantasy XIII Pachinko game is in development, which was first reported in the rumor column in Weekly Famitsu. There is no such game planned.
Suqare Enix announced details of the DKΣ3713 Japanese private show, which will take place in Tokyo on August 2 and 3.
Here are some new images of Square Enix's Wii action RPG Soul Eater: Monotone Princess, based on the anime series of the same name. The game will be released in Japan on September 25, 2008, for 6090 yen.
New images were revealed for this PSP fighting game by Square Enix. Two characters were revealed, Tidus and Jecht from Final Fantasy X.
Credits for the pictures, The Magic Box.
