News has been remarkably slow as of late, but there are a couple of things worth mentioning. First is that Final Fantasy IV DS is set for release in North America on July 22, which will be the second Square Enix game released here that month (the first being Chocobo's Dungeon on the Wii). So if you missed it the first three times it came out, here's your chance you experience it for the first time, with snazzy new graphics to boot.
Secondly (and lastly), here's the boxart for the North American version of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift:
It's not often that Square Enix rolls out a new IP, but it's usually an exciting occasion when they do. The World Ends With You shipped yesterday, but you'll likely find it on store shelves starting today. This title, exclusive to the Nintendo DS, carries an MSRP of $39.99.
As March draws to a close, we have two new trailers on two upcoming games: Star Ocean 4 and Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One. The SO4 trailer doesn't shed any light on the game's target platforms, but considering that Tri-Ace is the developer, you can bet the PS3 at least will see it.
Also, squelching previous indications that Dragon Quest Swords would be the only console game released by Square in North America this year, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii is now confirmed to cross the pond and release here on July 8th. If release dates for other Square games hold up, July would be the sixth consecutive month in which they have released at least one game on our shores.
Finally, remember that tomorrow is April Fools' Day. As such, take any news you see regarding FFVII remakes, Chrono 3, and a Kingdom Hearts live action movie with a grain of salt.
This might blow your mind, but Square Enix does come up with fresh new ideas once in a while. Such is the case here, as they have announced that Sigma Harmonics will be an adventure game with some RPG elements mixed in. You might recognize the title, as Square registered a trademark for it a while back. The story is of the murder mystery variety, with the overarching plot broken up into chapters with individual problems to solve. The game is being made for (you guessed it) the Nintendo DS, though in an interesting twist it is played by holding the thing sideways like a book (not a new trick, but one that is rarely used). It is also already very far in development, being currently on track for release in Japan this Summer. You can see a first scan for the game below:
It's been a long time waiting, but the PSP prequel to the first and arguably most famous of the modern games in the Final Fantasy series hits North America today. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII tells the story of Cloud Strife's close friend and SOLDIER elite Zack Fair, and you can find it with an MSRP of $39.99.
Looks like Square Enix is finally doing some revamping on their official North America website. A new "Members" section of the site launches tomorrow, and Square is inviting everyone to sign up for the development blogs, interviews, e-mail notices on Square projects, and other exclusive content. Hard to say exactly what will pop up with this, but the registration is free, so there's no risk.
In other news:
Much to the surprise of really nobody at all, Square is bringing Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift overseas. The game is set to release on in North America on June 24.
With tomorrow's release of Crisis Core, the last of the known Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titles will have come to North America. However, reinforcing earlier comments about the series and hints within its existing games, CC director Hajime Tabata stated in a recent interview with 1UP that his game is not the end, and that the series finale would appear in some other form.
Square Enix has been notedly sluggish in releasing its older games to Nintendo's Virtual Console library. However, they are releasing one today in the form of the NES title King's Knight, one of Squaresoft's very first video games. If you want to see the kind of stuff Square put out before the days of Final Fantasy, you can pick it up for 500 Wii points ($5).
Some new screens for Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One have popped up. See them here.
Apparently Square doesn't hate us non-Japanese folks after all. Square prez Yoichi Wada mentioned recently that Square is going shortening the localization time between Japanese game release dates and their overseas counterparts, with a final goal being simultaneous worldwide releases for all of its major titles. As a start, Square's PS3/360 title Last Remnant will see simultaneous release in both Japan and North America sometime this year.
EDIT: Before I forget, and since I haven't done so yet, here's the track listing for recently released album The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight, since I haven't posted it yet:
News has been remarkably slow as of late, but there are a couple of things worth mentioning. First is that Final Fantasy IV DS is set for release in North America on July 22, which will be the second Square Enix game released here that month (the first being Chocobo's Dungeon on the Wii). So if you missed it the first three times it came out, here's your chance you experience it for the first time, with snazzy new graphics to boot.
