Square Haven -- Vapid Buttmunchery

Traversing "Distant Worlds"

North River Road is a path I regard with fondness, for is was inside the Rosemont Theater, located on this bustling boulevard, that I first met with what had up until recently been the definitive experience in my video-game-themed concert outings: the world premiere of "PLAY! A Video Game Symphony" on May 27, 2006. For me, it was a true spectacle unlike any before it, featuring an assortment of wonderful musical pieces from blockbuster video game titles performed by a full orchestra and choir, led by Grammy-Award-winning music director Arnie Roth. Memories of Akira Yamaoka's electric guitar screeching the sounds of Silent Hill, Koji Kondo's New Super Mario Bros. piano solo, and Angela Aki performing "Kiss Me Good-Bye" and "Eyes On Me" still, to this day, glisten freshly in my mind with deep affection. Indeed, it was a show to reckon with. Nearly two years later, on March 1, 2008, I was fortunate enough to return to this street and adjacent performance hall for the North American debut of "Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY."

Wada talks global markets

In a recent interview, Yoichi Wada shared his insights on the current health and future of his company within the various regional markets in which it operates. The president of Square Enix also assessed the successes of Final Fantasy XI, the acquisition of Taito, and the present status of the Japanese games market as a whole.

Three new titles to North American portables next spring

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates will be published March 11 with local-only multiplayer play (official site); More than three years after its original announcement, Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII will finally be released in North America on March 25 with voice talent to be announced soon (official site); And finally, The World Ends With You (formerly It's a Wonderful World) has a more ambiguous and less solidified date of Spring.

Star Ocean 4 becomes trilogy, drags PS3 and XBox 360 into nonsense

A recent tri-Ace announcement has unveiled that Star Ocean 4, which we've seen very little of lately, will be partitioned into three titles - Star Ocean 4: First Departure, Star Ocean 4: Second Evolution and Star Ocean 4: Till the End of Time. While the naming might seem familiar, let us also reflect on the first departure of such an idea: the sales disaster that was Monolith Soft's Xenosaga series. If the second evolution of this style of gaming venture fails to echo Xenosaga director Tetsuya Takahashi's ambitious sentiments, then everything might turn out alright. An additional announcement stated that the titles will be available for both the Playstation 3 and the XBox 360. Thusly does exclusivity fall away, 'till the end of time. EDIT: Well, it turns out this entire mess was one big hoax, and you can call it an early April Fools' joke if you like. The intermediary which translated this source to bring us this news shall remain nameless, suffice to say that they are bad, bad people.

A m�lange of release dates for Europe

Square Enix announced several titles for European release next year, including Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Spring), Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (February 15), and The World Ends With You (A.K.A. It's a Wonderful World) (Spring).

Square Enix lineup for Jump Festa '08 announced

Titles to be featured at this year's Jump Festa, the annual manga party in Tokyo, have been revealed.

Odin Sphere in Europe!

Did Square Enix develop Odin Sphere? No way! Then, surely, they were responsible for the game's localization? No, that doesn't sound quite right either. What the deal here? Square is bringing Odin Sphere to Europe, but how? They haven't had any previous involvement with the game. Well, at the bottom of this sinister plot is a partnership: Square's companionship with fellow publisher Atlus has enabled them to release this non-Square title in PAL regions. European Action RPG fanatics are sure to be pleased by this news, as Odin Sphere was lauded in North America as one of the most beautiful RPG jewels of this year. Square Enix president John Yamamoto notes that this development marks "an exciting new period for the company", perhaps insinuating that the best is yet to come.

Japanese gamers are Dragon Quest fanboys

Just a friendly reminder, in the unlikely event that any of us forgot about this fact. The recent sales of Dragon Quest IV's DS incarnation has affirmed the country's addiction to this lovechild of an RPG series conceived by the holy threesome of Yuji Horii, Akira Toriyama, and Koichi Sugiyama. The game not only sold 360,000 copies on day one, but limited availability has driven demands skyward. After about a week, Dragon Quest IV boasts the number one ranking on the Japanese sales charts with over half a million copies sold. Now that's popularity.

Collectible Cloud never looked cuter

Have you saved up a lot of money? Are you planning to blow it all on upcoming Black Friday sales? Do think twice, dear reader! eBay seller dauntedx has gracefully facelifted a My Little Pony figurine as a tribute to everyone's favorite Final Fantasy VII hero (as seen in Advent Children). With a little over 4 days remaining as of this post, those fangirls interested in adding a little adorable something to their Cloud Strife shrines should check out the auction. It's just a click away! If you like what you see, don't hesitate to stop on by the seller's deviantART gallery for more custom pony goodness.

Blue Dragon gets more content

Microsoft bore the second of two recent content upgrades for Blue Dragon yesterday in the form of a downloadable pack on Xbox Live. The "Shuffle Dungeon" mod, available now for 400 Microsoft Points, features a mysterious dungeon that changes every time the player enters. In addition to more than 30 new items, powerful monsters, and 10 new "hard-to-beat" bosses, the package supports both "Ultra Hard" difficulty settings.

A completist's frustration: the reckoning

EDITORIAL - Folks, I have an issue, and it's become a serious problem. No, it's not an addiction to teenage pornography, as some of you might suspect; farbeit for me to incriminate myself. Nor do I stalk the dark alleys of Compton, nails digging deep into my skin, in search of that effervescent crack cocaine--my rehabilitation has placed me far above such petty desires. The truth is, I like to finish things. It�s true, I derive a special enjoyment from completing assignments, tubes of toothpaste, and one-ply rolls of toilet paper dangling precariously in public restroom stalls. Yet, when it comes to my favorite gaming hobby, my completist inclinations take a turn for the worse. Very recently, this combination led to unmitigated disaster and my clutching a shuddering body in the fetal position in the dead of night. What could have possibly gone wrong?

For those who missed the Dear Friends tour

Monday saw the announcement of the newest Final Fantasy concert tour, "Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY." The tour is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the original Final Fantasy title.

Small king to wield architectural powers in Wii title

New details regarding Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Small King and the Promised Country have arisen in the pages of Weekly Famitsu's latest issue. The game, which takes place after the events of its GameCube forefather, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, will call for players to assume the role of a young clavat king named of Leo, who must rebuild his kingdom using "The Architect," a special power bestowed upon him by the crystals.

Famitsu opens The Sealed Grimoire, judges book by contents

The most recent issue of Japanese Famitsu featured a review of everyone's most favorite strategy-RPG, Ivalice Alliance member, and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance sequel: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Sealed Grimoire. The score? Well...

Small people can be title characters too

A couple days ago at the Nintendo Fall Conference, it was revealed that Square Enix would develop a Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles spin-off exclusive for the Wii. The catch is that this game, titled Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Small King and the Promised Country, will be a Wii-Ware title making it downloadable only. It also appears to have much more of a strategy element to it, ala Sim City. Players will have to build and govern their own land. FFCC: The Small King and the Promised Country is due out in March 2008 for Japan and there has yet to been an American release announced.

New trademark instigates reckless guessing

On September 27, Square Enix registered the trademark "Lord of Vermillion" with the Japanese patent office. New IP? Another spin-off? Your guess is as good as mine, but I have a feeling that my hopes for a red color simulator are about to be dashed. Nor can I hope to take on the role of my hero, Lt. Surge. Raichu, I choose you!

Final Fantasy XIII exclusivity confusion, Dragon Quest IX certainty

Hirokazu Hamamura, overlord of Famitsu, spoke this week to a convocation of Tokyo journalists regarding his thoughts on token items such as Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Quest IX, and a bright future for the Nintendo Wii.

Sakaguchi sheds light on Shigematsu's role in Lost Odyssey

While demonstrating Lost Odyssey at a recent press conference, producer Hironobu Sakaguchi revealed he had been working closely alongside the game's scenario writer, award-winning Japanese author Kiyoshi Shigematsu, to produce a set of 34 non-interactive short story sequences, collectively known as the "1000 Year Dream," expressly for the title. The in-game segments, during which Kaim recalls events from the forgotten annals of his thousand-year journey, will be presented in the form of text upon backdrops, with music and sound effects providing dramatic effect.

Additional goodness in Star Ocean: First Departure

The PSP title Star Ocean: First Departure --a remake of the classic Enix title Star Ocean-- will feature an all new playable character. While not much is known about the character named simply Enis, it has been released that she is from a group known as the Feather Folk and looks strikingly like an angel. In addition to the character, Square Enix and Sony have confirmed that the title will also be released as a bundle with the PSP system.

Blue Dragon downloadable content promises "impossible" odds

Content seeking to challenge fans of Mistwalker's premier RPG, Blue Dragon, is now available for download on Xbox Live. Those dissatisfied with the game's pre-packaged difficulty can acquire the "Ultra Hard Mod" free of charge. Upgrades include Hard mode, which grants the player access to a difficulty setting twice as challenging as Normal, and Impossible: an arrangement intended for characters level 50 and above. In addition, players can now begin a new file using data from near the end of the game, courtesy of the Game Plus feature.