October 14th, 2008 by Squareman
This is a good bit news for all of you Final Fantasy Versus XIII fans out there. It was promised at E3 that the names for the lead characters in Final Fantasy Versus XIII would be revealed at the Tokyo Game Show, and it seems like this is the day. The names of Final Fantasy characters have always been important, even though they are quite changeable . Every fan of the series I know chooses to leave them as what they are, instead of customizing them. Anyway, without further ado, here are the names Square Enix has dubbed the series with.
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October 13th, 2008 by Squareman
Here’s a bit of news which should make Xbox 360 owners happy, especially those who love Japanese RPGs. Star Ocean: The Last Hope will ship on March 3, 2009. The Japanese release date is just before that, at February 19, 2009. Usually we don’t see Japanese games in America for a few months, so the small amount of time in between the two release dates for this game is a welcome relief. The Last Hope is a highly anticipated prequel which combines sci-fi and fantasy elements. The Last Hope will be the first of the Star Ocean series to appear on the Xbox 360. The gameplay will feature four party members and team oriented combat, similar to what you’d see in Final Fantasy. However, The Last Hope will feature a real time combat system, similar to what’s featured in previous games. To better cement the series on the hi-definition 360, the cut scenes are being done by Visual Works, which is the studio responsible for the cut scenes for many Final Fantasy games.
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October 9th, 2008 by Squareman
Fans of the Chrono Trigger series of games who have been waiting for the next installment of the game will be a bit disappointed with this news. The Chrono Trigger which is scheduled to be released on the Nintendo DS on November 25 will not be a new game, but rather a remake of the original. Square Enix seems fond of offering its best games on multiple platforms, with remakes of the Final Fantasy series gracing the PSP almost every month. The game is receiving an update though, you’ll be able to choose between two control types. The first is the standard D-Pad Control, and the second is moving your character with the stylus. From what I remember correctly, the game world in Chrono Trigger is placed very close together, so moving around the world with just the stylus could cause you some problems, such as entering buildings you didn’t want to enter, or talking to people you want to ignore.
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October 8th, 2008 by Squareman
Well, this is certainly a different bit of news than the Final Fantasy tidbits I’m used to reporting on. NeuroSky has been promoting its particular brand of mind-controlled gaming since about 2005, when it had Sega on the hook to produce a game around the technology. Nothing ever spawned of that venture, but today it was announced Square Enix and NeuroSky have teamed up and will unveil a mind-controlled game demo on Thursday, at the Tokyo Game Show. The set up is on a Windows PC and a MindSky headset, which runs Square’s software specifically made for the demo. The headset fits over your head with earmuffs and has an electrode which monitors your brainwaves. The headset is compatible will lots of different platforms, so it’s possible if this demo gets a positive reaction, we could be seeing mind-controlled games on both console and computer. It’s not specified what level of control your brainwaves have over the game, but NeuroSky says the headset only currently monitors your level of relaxation and concentration. For those who will be attending the gameshow, the demo will take place in NeuroSky’s booth at the Tokyo Game Show on October 9th. Personally, I’m looking forward to footage of this venture and wouldn’t mind giving it a try myself.
October 7th, 2008 by Squareman
Perhaps one of the biggest bombshells dropped by the gaming industry this year was the fact that Finaly Fantasy XIII will be available for the Xbox 360. Aside from this announcement, there’s really not much more to expect from Square Enix, other than their new title for the PSP. This year, Square Enix will be bringing 25 titles to the show, but only six of them are directly related to the Final Fantasy franchise. Of those twenty five games, only nine of them will be playable, which means development on the other sixteen games has either just started, or they’re releasing concept ideas only.
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