Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 19, 2011 in Videogames
It’s going to be an exciting week for RPG fanatics, as Square Enix will be releasing both Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger via PlayStation Network. I imagine both titles will be the PSOne ports, so you can expect some annoying load times. At least they’ll have some of those fancy CG cut-scenes. On top of that, they’ll be a great for anyone who plans on purchasing a PSVita next year. Speaking of which, if any of you are curious, the Vita will be region free, so importing one early might be an option. My only hang up there is that you won’t be able to get a 3G model unless you wait since I don’t think AT&T will set up their Vita service by the time the handheld hits the Japanese market. Still, since the handheld will rely heavily on digital distribution, purchasing some games ahead of time might be worthwhile. Both titles should be available this Tuesday, their price is still TBD.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 12, 2011 in Videogames
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to pick up Deus Ex: Human Revolution yet, you’re in luck. Both Amazon and Gamestop have cut their price today. While it seems Gamestop may have permanently lowered its price to $44, Amazon is having a daily “sweet spot” special which you might be able to take advantage of if you’re quick about it — they’ve slashed $25 off and are only asking the low price of $34.99. For those of you who might not be so familiar with the title, Deus Ex is a first-person action-RPG set in a dystopian future where mankind has decided to experiment with cybernetic augmentation as a means of furthering our evolution. The game’s cyberpunk visuals reference films such as Blade Runner and Robocop, and really serve to immerse you in the whole experience, while the gameplay gives you plenty of options to suit your tastes, be it stealth or action. No matter which you choose, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
With all the amazing games on the market, I occasionally find myself craving a classic like Dragon Quest. There’s just something I find nostalgic about having to open a sub-menu just to climb stairs or unlock chests. Then, there’s being able to relax while I take turns wailing on monsters who are unlucky enough to cross my path. The whole experience really brings you back. Well, Japanese gamers are in for a treat when Square Enix releases the Dragon Quest Collection for the Nintendo Wii this September. To celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary, they went ahead and included the original Famicom versions of Dragon Quest I, II and III, as well as the Super Famicom remakes.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Apr 28, 2011 in Videogames
When Square Enix originally announced plans to produce the first Chaos Rings title, I was excited by the prospect. The intent was create a fully-featured role playing experience that could harness the graphical capabilities of an iDevice. After it launched on the app store a year ago, the game was met with rave reviews and seems to have done well enough for Square Enix to consider not one, but two follow-up projects, the first of which is the upcoming prequel Chaos Rings Omega, which will be hitting the Japanese app store next month.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 21, 2010 in Videogames
Okay, so I’m not really sure it ever was a secret to begin with, but it sure seemed that way. Back in June, Square Enix showed off a small set of upcoming titles for Apple’s iOS devices and for whatever reason, almost nobody took note. It could be because, at the time, Apple had yet to make a signifigant impact in the portable gaming market. Regardless, that didn’t stop Square Enix from pushing forward with some notable classics. The first of which, Secret of Mana, finally hit the App store last week. The port largely stays true to the original, while featuring slightly updated graphics and new artwork. It’s currently priced at $8.99. The soundtrack is also available on iTunes for 25% off until January 5th. No word on when to expect any of the other titles they showed off at E3, but personally I’m still looking forward to their upcoming port of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.Read more…
If you had asked me a month or two ago, I probably would have told you that I couldn’t imagine a place like this existing. However, after my recent trip to Tokyo, I could believe anything — of course, that doesn’t change the fact that I totally regret missing this. Apparently, there’s a Dragon Quest-themed bar in Roppongi – Luida’s Bar. For those of you who aren’t big on Japanese RPGs, Dragon Quest , or Dragon Warrior, as it was once known in the states, is almost as popular as Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy here in the States, and even more so in Japan.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 12, 2010 in Videogames
Born twenty four years ago in 1986 the blue Slime is usually the weakest character in each Dragon Quest game — and now he’s being celebrated with his own non-carbonated soft drink! The Dragon Quest Slime Drink comes in two flavors: Hoimi Cider (shown on the left) which is looks like windex and Mera Tropical (shown on the right). Fanboys should be warned that actually drinking the beverage will ruin any future collectibility value. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 15, 2010 in Videogames
This is Space Invaders: Infinity Gene – Square-Enix and Taito’s latest attempt to revive the Space Invaders franchise. In all fairness, I haven’t actually had a chance to play this yet — though I might at this week’s E3 — and my first impressions are based on the video above. Still, I find myself completely confused by everything I saw. Sure it’s neat, and innovative, at least by comparison to the classic Space Invaders I knew and loved, but it’s as if the designers simply refused to draw a line. As a result, we’re left with a mess of lines and shapes which I really had trouble making heads and tails of. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen the formula work – Geometry Wars was a great example — but until I really get a hands on with it, I’m simply not sold on this and I’m left wondering if I’m the only one who feels that way. Read more…
The Law of Inverse Importance states thus: the more splashy Square Enix gets about a game announcement, the less exciting the actual game is.
Example: When a new Final Fantasy comes out, all its official site might have is a simple logo to start. But Square Enix’s latest game was announced via a teaser site with Yahoo!, promising a game that would “make history” in Japan and was left up for some time, encouraging visitors to Tweet about it and garnering attention. Viewers wondered: could it be a Dragon Quest MMO? A Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy crossover? What could this history-making game BE? Read more…
