Square Enix, the maker of such hit video games as "Final Fantasy" and "Kingdom Hearts," has launched its initial iPod title, "Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes," a role-playing game designed exclusively for the Apple platform, the company said Tuesday. Also, Flair has created "iNo," a quiz game that uses the music stored on the device as the basis for the questions. (The New York Times/Reuters 7/8, Pocket-lint.co.uk 7/8)

You assume control of Chocobo, who is partnered up with a treasure hunter named Cid (shocker!). Early on, while trying to obtain a precious jewel called the Timeless Power, the duo is magically teleported to a new world and faced with an immediate dilemma as Cid loses his memory. In order to set things right with Cid-- as well as other characters-- Chocobo explores random dungeons in search of these lost memories, fighting monsters and collecting treasures along the way.

Although movement inside of the these dungeons seems like it's real-time movement, it's not. Each time Chocobo takes a step, the enemies inside of the dungeon also have turns for movement, attacks, and other actions. There are traps to avoid, cursed items that you must be careful not to equip, and other challenges. The combat is also turn based, although it feels more simplified than you might think for a Final Fantasy adventure. Watch out, though, if you're facing two or more monsters at once... everyone gets a turn and it becomes easy for Chocobo to be turned into mincemeat if outnumbered.

Visually, the game is decent; the CG scenes are obviously beautiful, and the in-game visuals-- while not as pretty as the CG scenes-- get the job done with style. If there's one complaint at this early stage, it's the the enemy designs are leaving a lot to be desired so far and aren't anywhere near the visual benchmark that the other character designs and background settings have set. I'm still early in the game, though... so things will hopefully improve.

The music is as good as I've heard it was. You'd expect nothing less with Nobuo Uematsu himself supervising the new arrangements of his familiar pieces, with tracks dating back to the first Final Fantasy game and moving forward. With the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV-- one of my all-time favorite games-- just about 2 weeks away, hearing new arrangements of tracks of Rosa's Theme and the Prelude brought a smile to my face and served to only enhance my excitement for the DS game... but that's another topic for another time.

There's some decent voice work here, too... I swear that the Romantic Moogle is voiced by Yeardley Smith, who also gives Lisa Simpson her voice. Some of the dialog is pretty funny, although I am not certain if it's intentionally funny or not. Romantic Hero X? Wha?

I'm looking forward to trying to put some more time in on this surprisingly fun title, in-between sessions of Trauma Center 2 and Final Fantasy IV Advance (Yes, I have a problem, apparently).

Look for a full review on GamePlasma soon, either from myself or my colleague Shaun Hinklein.

Check it out some features

Devil May Cry 4 (PC)

Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution (360, PS3, DS)

Unreal Tournament 3 (360)

NCAA Football 09 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP)

Final Fantasy IV (DS)

Soul Calibur IV (PS3, 360)

* P-Meister convulses in orgasm*

The Nintendo DS

Once again, the DS wins. Everyone knows that nintendo has won the handheld console war. That only means more game releases for NDS!! True that PSP has more potential to deliver better graphics, but the DS graphics is comparable and if played with properly, can deliver stunning scenes, as seen in FF IV's CG. Sadly, like the FF3, the CG scene is only included at the start. BLEH! Why can't they just put it at the right places. Anyway, yhe PSone's FFIV is pathetic compared to this one. Ooo how I love technology. Hail to Square and Nintendo for their hard work. Lets move on to the game.

About the Game

This game is an RPG, the same old thing. This game is a classic of the old days. However, Square has improved this game in every aspect whilst retaining the brilliant storyline, giving the game a polished yet classic feel.

Storyline

For those who played the 2D version of the game, you can follow the game like you did in the SNES, but this time you get to see added cutscenes. Square does more than present something that already exist. Some scenes are greatly improved, check graphics section to get what i mean.

Battle System:

Every FF game has classes and every class has its strength and weaknesses(besides FF8 and its imbal guardian force cum limit break exploits). So just the basic fighter wizard healer and thief? WRONG!! I'm glad to say, the characters included will come with a special skill and the dragoon's jump ability(my fav class) and many others will be in the game too. Hurray for those who liked the FF3s prestige classes. There is somewhat balance but everyone knows that in final fantasy, some characters are just much stronger than others. Different characters perform differently in different areas however, so choose wisely.

Difficulty:

Difficulty has been raised compared to its old version. Of course, this is also due to increased complexity of the game. Did i mention they improved the game in every aspect. Attacks by monsters may induce status effects. This particularly applies to a area and special bosses too. You will need to observe monster playstyle in order to survive. In addition, the active time based battle system will be sure to keep your heart pumping. Well, that applies UNLESS YOU ARE A WALKTHROUGH FAG! Anyway, to put it simply, you can't win with just a 5 level extra gap, you'll need strat( or a walkthrough).

Well, of course Square won't dump players into a thrash and see what happens. They also give you stuff to play with, called abilities. Passive abilities are like auto-potion, guard, counter, hp+50% etc which we have already seen in other series. You can also train your character in the way you like, teaching them skills. For all the perfectionist out there, there's a New Game + option that allows you to replay the game whilst retaining character abilities. This way you can technically teach every character every skill. The New Game + also allows you to deal more damage than 9999, so enjoy...

Graphics and sound:

Sound is done by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, we can't expect less. This time however, its remixed to suit the DS sound system. Its not terribly edited till its seriously noticeable however, retaining its uberness. About the DS sound system? Well, its pretty darn good(only with a headphone/earphone). I recommend Sony.

In addition to better sound, important scenes also have voices. WOOHOO.

Graphics wise, see for yourself. I don't need to explain this. Some may complain that graphics don't pose a lot of problems. Well it does. imagine watching a 2D pixellised scene thats meant to be emotional and compared to a CG scene and voiced scenes. Get it? Watch the japanese trailer to find out more!

Still, if you really hated the voices, you can turn it off or skip scene, but only an idiot will do that =P

Extra:

"Oh man! its FF4 again, but i played that 3 times already!!!" says mr. FF-Joe. Well, don't worry! With great consoles comes great features. Expect new stuff. Minigames can alter summons made by Rydia and make them powerful. The best part is, there is a Wifi option that allows you to use these summons to fight with other people. Hurray.

Other like Super Bosses and side quests and the already mentioned New Game + are exclusive to the DS version only. The decant ability system and increased difficulty and voice over cutscenes will be sure to deliver an entirely different feel, the enjoyment that the creators intended for the players to have.

Introduction

Looks like I forgot to introduce the story, anyway, to not spoil the storyline, the main character Cecil whose kingdom of Baron wishes to collect the mysterious crystals. Of course, it can't be that simple. The orders given to him by the king have moral and ethical issues. He was a Dark Knight, one of my favourite prestige classes who starts out pursuing the dream of his king. He was a loyal knight, yes, but every story needs a twist. The king turned out to be a BAD GUY! Cliche!! Yes.. but its a simple and enjoyable storyline. Most RPGs that were released in 1991 had 'cliche' storylines before it became cliche! Hence the word I would use is classic and original! Hurray to dark brooding hero!!

Limitations

Every game isn't perfect. However this game kept a low profile in its limitations. I will still however bring it out.

1) Little stylus movement: Stylus controls allows you to move your character like metroid prime. However, it can also be played exactly the same way as a GBA using the D-pad. bleh.

2) Graphics could be better if brought to the Wii. Doh... but FF classics are games you play on the bus or train when you're bored... no?

3) Nintendo really pushed the console to its limit such that you get to see lags here and there, but they are sooo rare you won't notice it (unless you replayed the game 3 times.)

Conclusion

What are you waiting for? Its available for preorder in many stalls. This is certainly something that will be worth your money(and not worth to download on the R4!) for those who werent born at the right time to experience it on the SNES or GBA. For additional info http://na.square-enix.com/ff4/. KEKEKE, can't wait anymore!! Hope you enjoyed this read. P-Meister signing off. I better finish Apollo Justice before this game comes out.

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ANIMAL CROSSING

 - Oh, yeah, Allison, you already had this one and sold it. It's basically the same as the GameCube game but it's portable, which makes a lot more sense for this kind of game. I have a feeling that you didn't actually get any jobs or find any treasures before you sold it.

CASTLEVANIA: DAWN OF SORROW and CASTLEVANIA: PORTRAIT OF RUIN

- A couple of awesome side-scrolling action games with big doses of RPG elements (item management, magic, leveling up, etc). You probably shouldn't play them because you think Super Mario Bros. 3 is a really hard game.

CONTRA 4

- A lot of fun but too slavish in its attempt to recreate the SNES Contra feel. Quite hard.

FINAL FANTASY III

- Square never released this game in the USA until this DS release, which is actually a remake from the ground up with cute 3D graphics and some new mechanics. I enjoyed this one a lot and I think you might, too, until the last dungeon, which was a huge pain in the ass for me.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS

- A pretty good game but quite straightforward/easy for a Zelda game. And you already have it.

MARIO HOOPS 3on3

- This was not a critically beloved game but I liked it nonetheless. I think it captures a real Mario feel much much more accurately than the boring Mario Golf, Tennis, Baseball, Soccer, etc. etc.

MARIO KART DS

- Maybe the best game on the DS. 16 new tracks, 16 tracks from the older games. Spot-on, perfect controls, unlike some other games in the series. Additionally, there's a missions mode that even has boss fights.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.

- The level designs are very strong and everything looks great but it's just too damn easy. It took me maybe about 4 hours to beat and maybe another 4 to go back and find all the 3 big coins hidden in each level. Still, I like it a lot.

RESIDENT EVIL: DEADLY SILENCE

- A port of the original and awesome PS1 game. 2 modes - 1 that's just like the original, another that has new surprises and touch screen bullshit.

SONIC RUSH and SONIC RUSH ADVENTURE

- These games look great and have awesome boss battles. They're much more friendly to Mario fans than the old Genesis games. You'd probably say they're too hard, though.

STARFOX COMMAND

- Critical reactions to this game were mixed, mainly becuase the critics hate change. Unlike the old StarFox games, this one doesn't have on-rails levels. Instead, it has short freerange missions and a strategy element where you direct your various ships.

SUPER MARIO 64 DS

- Some people had issues with the controls in this game but that's because they were too stupid to use the thumb strap. Do you still have the strap that came with your DS? If you do, take a look and notice the plastic nob at the end. You slip your thumb through the strap and tighten it so the plastic is against your thumb and then it becomes the controller you use against the bottom screen. You cried to me that you want to play the newer Mario games, well, here you go - the best Mario game available on your DS. They didn't just make a straight port, either. They added Luigi, Yoshi and Wario to the game plus several new levels.

YOSHI'S ISLAND DS

A direct sequel to the original Yoshi's Island.  It plays very similarly but with a few differences.  Baby Mario is no longer the only baby to ride around on Yoshi - now asshole baby versions of Wario, Peach, Donkey Kong and Bowser get in on the act.  It's a good game and surprisingly challenging - which might be a turnoff to you since you only like easy games.

UPCOMING
Square Enix is going nuts on DS.  Final Fantasy Tactics is coming very soon, plus a 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV in the vein of the FFIII remake.  On the same note, new, 3D remakes of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI are coming out this year AND Dragon Quest IX is debuting on DS sometime this year (or maybe next). 

OTHER CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
There are 2 Advance Wars games for DS that were critically acclaimed.  Square Enix recently released a new RPG that seems interesting, The World Ends With You.  It takes place in Tokyo in modern times.  Metroid Prime Hunters is supposed to be pretty good but probably not your style.

I can kind of see why one would prefer GBA and even GB to DS but I don't see why YOU do since you never actually play any of them.  I would pick GBA out of the group because of the huge library which includes many SNES and Genesis classics and of course you can play old GB games on it, which completely cancels a GB unit out of the equation.

kicknz

Square Enix reveló un video de la versión estadounidense de Final Fantasy IV para Nintendo DS.

Este RPG es un remake del juego que saliera hace años para Super Nintendo, y que ahora llegará para felicidad de quienes se perdieron este juego de la famosa serie.

Final Fantasy IV saldrá a la venta en Norteamérica el 22 de julio, mientras que los europeos tendrán que esperar hasta finales de año.

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Who would have thought that Square-Enix would remake another one of their old games? I did and I'm very glad dammit! I am a Final Fantasy fan, have been for many years, and this is one of the best ones made. This was originally released on the Super Nintendo as Final Fantasy II (yeah, our numbering was screwed up back then) then later released on the original Playstation, then the Game Boy Advance, and now on the DS.

So what makes this remake so much better than the others you might ask? The original was a very clever story with a very unique combat system that was still pretty new at its original release back in October of 1991. When it was remade for the Playstation, Squaresoft (not Square-Enix at the time) had added a very slightly modified story line that nobody noticed, added an intro cinematic movie, and then bundled the game with an equally amazing game Chrono Trigger. The Game Boy Advance didn't really improve upon any of that but the story was retold again with some altered dialogue. The DS version from what has been shown has rebuilt all of the game play mechanics to be in a pseudo 3D environment. This means that in the DS version you can actually rotate the camera around your not so pixelated character as you guide him around the world map. There are now cinematic cutscenes throughout the game with the introduction of voice actors and spoken dialogue in the game as well. The story will be expanded (of course) and the dialogue rewritten again. It will be awesome -trust me.

If you want to know about the game it revolves around a dark night who is the leader of the imperial air fleet named Cecil and his dragoon buddy Kain. After some events revolving around a child summoner named Rydia they question their allegiance and begin a new path. This game has a large cast of characters including a spoony bard named Edward, the twin spies Palom and Porom, some random badass named Yang, a ninja prince named Edge, and a dark ruler named Golbez. There are many more characters that you will meet when you buy the game and all of them are truly memorable. There are many intriguing twists in the game especially between Cecil and his friend Kain.

The Final Fantasy IV website is basically a fancy picture, showing off the characters and some of the new orchestrated music in the game, still worth a look though. Below is the best trailer I've seen for the game (its in japanese) showing off some cutscenes, gameplay, voice acting and all around good qualitiness that is found in Square-Enix games.

The game is out in Japan and is scheduled to release in the U.S. on July 22nd. I recommend going and reserving it at your local game store. It's going to be popular.

-written by junkfoodtony

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After a surprisingly tasty combo platter at the Moon Temple, we hit a sketchy but endearing sports bar named Goldie’s. We bought a pitcher of porter (twelve dollars! I’m used to having a good night in Bellingham for less than ten bucks) and hunkered down in the corner by the big screen TVs showing televised rodeo and lacrosse, still buzzing about our proposed Final Fantasy bar. We think we might name it The Four Crystals. As we left Goldie’s, slightly tipsy, what did I spy but one of those little tabletop arcade cabinets. Ms. Pac-Man! I’ve been writing about Pac-Man recently and thinking about it. GameWorks in Seattle has a Pac-Man machine in their retro arcade, but how many other Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man games do you think are left in the city. Those things must be older than I am. I forced my friends to wait for me while I dug a quarter out of my pocket and played Ms. Pac-Man.

I know this is a bit of a rambling blog post, and not really focused or up to the typical standards of intelligent discourse about gaming, but I just wanted to share that sometimes videogames and videogame culture can appear in odd places. Why does a sports bar, full of skeezy guys and drunk women playing pool have a Ms. Pac-Man cabinet? What was it doing there? I remember visiting my orthodontist’s office as a kid and playing his tabletop arcade games—Donkey Kong, RBI Baseball, and Dig Dug. The office smelled like fluoride and rubber gloves—it was a weird place to play a videogame, almost as weird as Goldie’s, but there they were. Arcade games in weird places. Where have you found videogames or gaming culture where you least expected it?

Square Enix Ltd., publisher dei prodotti Square Enix® in Europa e negli altri paesi che adottano lo standard PAL, ha annunciato in data odierna che FINAL FANTASY® IV verrà rilasciato nei territori PAL nell'estate 2008 in esclusiva per Nintendo DS™.

FINAL FANTASY IV, un gioco di ruolo che ha ottenuto le migliori valutazioni di sempre, fa il suo ritorno su Nintendo DS. Grazie a una grafica 3D completamente rinnovata, ai filmati doppiati, a una colonna sonora riarrangiata e agli inediti contenuti aggiuntivi potrai immergerti in un capolavoro interattivo dalla trama coinvolgente.

Il titolo che ha riscritto le regole dei Gdr, grazie all'innovativo sistema di battaglie in tempo reale (ATB), e ha mantenuto invariato il fascino di sempre, torna del tutto rinnovato! La modalità di gioco sfrutta appieno le potenzialità del Nintendo DS e ti permette di vivere una ricca esperienza di gioco grazie a una storia carica di incredibili eroi, tradimenti inevitabili, riscatti imprevisti, amori eterni e magie epiche.

John Yamamoto, presidente e CEO di Square Enix Ltd., ha così commentato: "FINAL FANTASY IV è un caposaldo nella storia dei Gdr. Questa nuova versione del gioco è una grande opportunità per tutti i fan, vecchi e nuovi, di sperimentare la versione definitiva di questo titolo della serie di FINAL FANTASY in modo innovativo e divertente."

Storia

Quattro cristalli elementali dagli incredibili poteri giacciono sparsi nel regno. Purtroppo gli uomini bramano da sempre oggetti in grado di conferire la forza e sono facilmente stregati dal potere che possiedono...

Sedotto dal lusingante potere del cristallo, il regno di Baron inizia ad assoldare innocenti forze dalle nazioni limitrofe. Cecil, cavaliere delle tenebre e comandante delle Ali rosse di Baron, ha ricevuto dal re l'ordine di impossessarsi di un cristallo, ma nutre dei dubbi sulle scelte politiche del sovrano. Afflitto da un grande senso di colpa, e al contempo in balia del senso del dovere e dell'onore che lo legano al regno di appartenenza, Cecil deciderà di allontanarsi dal sentiero dell'oscurità e della distruzione.

Infuriato, il re lo accuserà di infedeltà e lo spoglierà del suo titolo di comandante, per poi inviarlo a sconfiggere una misteriosa belva che si nasconde nei pressi della Valle di Mist. Cecil partirà per questo viaggio denso di prove, di tradimenti, di amicizia, di sconfitte e di scoperte. Il nostro eroe troverà la forza necessaria ad aprire gli occhi per diventare un cavaliere senza macchia?

Caratteristiche

- Uno dei FINAL FANTASY più amati di sempre torna rinnovato sul Nintendo DS
- Una storia classica ricca di eroi, tradimenti, riscatti, amore e magia
- Una straordinaria grafica in 3D e una ricca colonna sonora ti permetteranno di immergerti nel mondo di FINAL FANTASY IV in un modo del tutto nuovo
- La modalità di gioco è piena di novità: comandi su touch screen, l'uso dei due schermi, battaglie con i boss implementate, un nuovo sistema di mappe per i dungeon e la possibilità per i propri personaggi di imparare nuove abilità dai loro amici
- Le scene sono state doppiate e le potenzialità grafiche dell'animazione 3D sono state portate ai massimi livelli
- Sono stati aggiunti nuovi episodi che ti permetteranno di scoprire i segreti dei personaggi principali
- Grazie all'opzione "Rassegna" potrai rivedere tutti i filmati già scoperti in gioco!
- Gli inediti mini giochi ti consentiranno di allevare le tue Invocazioni e di affrontare i tuoi amici tramite la comunicazione wireless DS

FONTE: everyeye.it

Square Enix abrió el sitio oficial de Final Fantasy IV para Nintendo DS, y de paso anunció que este remake llegará a tierras americanas (del continente, no me odien) el 22 de julio de este año.

Así que ya saben, vayan juntando sus ahorros para comprar este gran RPG, de cuando los Final Fantasy eran todavía buenos (ahora sí odienme si quieren jaja).

Square Enix reveló las fechas de lanzamiento para tierras europeas de Dragon Quest Swords para Wii y Final Fantasy IV para Nintendo DS.

El juego para la consola casera llegará a las tiendas del Viejo Continente el 9 de mayo, para deleitar (o no?) a los fans europeos de Dragon Quest.

Por su parte, FF IV saldrá a la venta durante el verano de este año, sin fecha precisa. Aunque sabiendo que en Norteamérica estará disponible a partir del 22 de julio, nos podemos ir dando una idea de cuándo llegará a Europa.

Así que si eres fanático de alguna de esas dos series y quieres probar la experiencia de matar enemigos moviendo el Wiimote o revivir un clásico ahora en 3D, ya sabes para cuándo tienes que ahorrar.

Fuente: Kotaku

Porém, após meu mini-jam solitário de teste de sintetizador, acabou surgindo um trecho de uns 4 segundos que me lembra muito uma música de Final Fantasy IV (ou V, não lembro), porém, não tenho certeza. Algum leitor solidário levemente mais gamer faça esse favor para mim!

Link para download do snippet no 4shared

Em breve posso soltar mais releases ou uma gravação completa do "jam". Aguardem!

La fecha de lanzamiento del remake del Final Fantasy IV para la DS en USA ha sido confirmada. Así, Square Enix ha fechado el día 22 de Julio para su lanzamiento, y saldrá al precio de 39,99$ (unos 25€). De momento toca esperar para el anuncio de la fecha en Europa.

Hacer click en leer más para ver un trailer de los últimos que han salido, con subtítulos en español.

Págian oficial | Final Fantasy IV DS

Today is all about Final Fantasy IV.

First released in United States as Final Fantasy II on Super Nintendo in 1991, it was received very warmly, many praising it as one of the best RPG's ever made. I recall seeing this game in the store, but never got around to purchasing it until the PS One version was released as Final Fantasy Chronicles.

I really enjoyed the storyline in this game, and the cut-scenes were beautiful too.

The music was enjoyable to listen to, and fit the game quite well.

The storyline was great for its time, but nowadays is severely lacking. The last time you may have seen this game was on Game Boy Advance, and a bit of extra content was added as well. It is quite interesting to know that there was a sequel made for this game, which is set many years in the future. Unfortunately, it is only available in Japan on cell phones.

Recently, it was announced that Final Fantasy IV was going to be remade on Nintendo DS! Take a look at the beautiful website.

It is wonderful that Square Enix is remaking the old Final Fantasy games. I can't wait till VI, VII, and VIII are! : )

Final Fantasy IV (Super Nintendo)

Final Fantasy V (Super Nintendo)