Square Enix has announced that action-RPG Infinite Undiscovery will be released exclusively for the Xbox 360 in North America on September 2. Europe will get it three days later.
The game has been developed by Star Ocean creator Tri-Ace; it features a real-time world where every decision and action has an impact on the surrounding environment as well as the battle.
Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, a remake of the classic SNES RPG for the DS. It is in development at Japanese studio ArtePiazza and will hit North America on September 16.
As expected, the remake features an overhauled 3D graphics engine, new quests and plot developments, as well as a revised battle system.
The publisher additionally put up a new Dragon Quest hub site that lists the logos and translated subtitled for two more DS remakes - Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Maiden and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie.
Following the trend of acquisitions in the gaming industry set by the mergers between Activision and Vivendi, as well as EA’s attempted takeover of Take-Two, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has announced plans to invest in rival publishers and developers to combat rising competition from both new and established companies.
“Economies of scale and breadth of scope is getting important. It may be a business alliance or it may be us taking a stake in others, but we need to go beyond traditional Square Enix,” Wada said. “We face competition not only from Japanese videogame companies but from game companies worldwide. We also see some new players from outside the videogame industry coming in.”
No specific companies were mentioned.
Catering to die-hard Final Fantasy fans in Europe and other PAL territories, Square Enix has announced that it will release both Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II in the region on February 8, 2008 on the PSP.
The portable version of both games will retell their stories, as well as feature updates including redrawn graphics and character art, all-new dungeons, full widescreen visuals and an updated camera view.
Details on the story and the updated game can be read after the jump.
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Square Enix has officially announced the upcoming release of Infinite Undiscovery, an action-RPG for the Xbox 360. In the works at tri-Ace, the game draws players into real-time battles and a world where their choices will “spin untold discoveries.” Here’s the deal:
Players will be confronted with a variety of dramatic “situational battles” such as executing a daring escape while a gigantic ogre follows in hot pursuit, or waging battle amidst towering tidal waves. The dynamic environments change and respond in real-time to player commands, creating an entirely new experience never before seen in the genre.A Seamless World and Real-time Action Combat, exploration, and other actions all take place within the same environment, seamlessly shifting between each game facet. Battles are carried out in real-time, bringing the vibrant fighting sequences of the STAR OCEAN series out of the traditional battle screen into a beautiful and lush environment.
No release date was mentioned.
Fans of the Dragon Quest series will be disappointed to know that Square Enix has delayed the release of Dragon Quest 9 to 2008. Originally set for release later this year on Nintendo DS, the game has been pushed back to “make a game that will better satisfy players,” according to IGN.
Japanese gaming publication Shonen Jump has revealed that remakes of Dragon Quest IV, V and VI are headed to the DS. According to the article, the games will feature 3D graphics and an isometric perspective. The DS version of Dragon Quest IV is expected to hit Japan this Winter; no release dates for North America and Europe were revealed.
Square Enix has announced that it will launch the Final Fantasy XI Starter Pack in Europe and other PAL territories for a low price of £4.99. This Windows-only offering will net players a copy of the game as well as a one-month free trial to the MMORPG.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to offer FINAL FANTASY XI to a whole new spectrum of gamers at such a competitive price,” said John Yamamoto, President and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd., “We are confident that this release, coupled with recent gameplay changes and the forthcoming Wings of the Goddess expansion pack will encourage even more to try what is an exciting and prolific online experience.”
Final Fantasy XI is an MMO based on the famous RPG franchise, enjoying about 500,000 active players on the PC, PS2 and Xbox 360 combined. An upcoming expansion dubbed Wings of the Goddess is slated for release this Winter.
We have all seen and read those ‘top 10 of 2006′ lists, but, besides editorial GOTY awards, which games have been the most important of 2006? USA Today has the answer: it lists the ten best-selling games of the past year, which unsurprisingly includes three EA titles. The best-selling title is obviously a sports game - Madden NFL 07 -followed by New Super Mario Bros. and Kingdom Hearts II. Rockstar sneaked in GTA: Liberty City Stories; Square Enix got in Final Fantasy XII and the aforementioned Disney-RPG; and Ubi got one of the coveted spots with GRAW. Hyped to be the ’system-seller’ for Xbox 360, Gears of War sold well enough in just two months to guarantee itself a spot as one of the best-selling games of 2006. There are already talks of a sequel, as well as a trilogy.
Here’s the full list, with platform and publisher:
- Madden NFL 07 (PS2) EA
- New Super Mario Bros. (DS) Nintendo
- Kingdom Hearts II (PS2) Square Enix
- Gears of War (Xbox 360) Microsoft
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360) Ubisoft
- Final Fantasy XII (PS2) Square Enix
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2) Rockstar
- NCAA Football 07 (PS2) EA
- Madden NFL 07 (Xbox 360) EA
- Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (DS) Nintendo
On IGN is word that a director’s cut edition of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is coming our way. Dubbed ‘Complete‘, the movie will hit stores on Blu-ray and will feature additional scenes, as well as changes to existing scenes. Here’s a bit: “One new scene shown during the presentation was Sephiroth impaling Cloud and hoisting him over his head while his Masamune was still embedded inside of him, much like in Final Fantasy 7 for the PSOne.”
The article doesn’t report a definite release date, but that the title is expected to hit Japan sometime next year.
As is always the case with Europe when it comes to games, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XII will ship throughout the region early in 2007, making it the last region in the world to get the awesomely-fantastic RPG.
For those not in the know, detailed information on Final Fantasy XII can be found just after the jump.
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This year’s TGS is looking to be the greatest, what with around 30 playable PS3 titles to be present at the show, but also due to the presence of the two upcoming Final Fantasy XIII games (PS3), even if they’ll be making their appearances through videos only.
Square Enix will also be showing off the playable versions of Dawn of Mana (PS2) and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (DS), alongside Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book (DS). The company will also be showing off Project Sylpheed (X360) and several Final Fantasy titles for the GBA and DS, including Crisis Core for the PSP (video only).
Nintendo has announced Mario’s first basketball appearance on the DS - Mario Slam Basketball. Developed by Square Enix, the game will feature Mario & co. in 3D out on the courts, dunking balls and whatnot.
Mario Slam Basketball is the first game of its type to give players total control of the ball. Players really will be able to dribble and Slam-Dunk with the tip of their finger! The fast paced action features classic Nintendo and Final Fantasy characters and is perfectly suited to the Nintendo DS using a combination of the touch screen and D-pad to dribble, pass and take shots, all with strokes and taps of the stylus. The slightly more flash players can also show off several special moves; by tapping a unique sequence of dots that mark the first initial of the character’s name, players can unleash awe inspiring new skills, with the potential of doubling their score.Create your own three player, all-star team by selecting from popular Nintendo characters such as Mario, Luigi and even Princess Peach herself! What’s more developer Square Enix has included a whole host of famous Final Fantasy characters to choose from. Collecting coins during matches is especially important as they can affect the score. So, before going for a slam-dunk players will need to collect as many coins as they can in order to bag the highest possible score.
The basketball court isn’t the place for the faint hearted. Magic Johnson and Dennis Rodman may be stars on the real court, but faced with players holding red shells it takes an all new-type of player to really show their skill on the DS court! The referee seems to be asleep so anything goes on this basketball court! Players can use Red and Green shells, Bo-bombs, Bananas and Stars to turn the tide of the game, obstruct other players and even chase down coins.
Mario Slam Basketball features three single player modes that allow players to participate in major basketball tournaments, exhibition matches and hone their vital skills. In Practice Mode, players can focus on their weak points and strive to become superstars. Exhibition Mode allows players to select their own customised team to play against the CPU in a quick match. Finally Tourney mode lets players try out their skills in a choice of four tournaments- Mushroom, Flower, Star and Rainbow. When a Tourney has been completed, ‘Hard mode’ is activated where the really hardcore players can battle it out against even fiercer opponents.
Desperate to wipe the court with your friends? Now you can with three exciting wireless multi-player modes to select: Exhibition, Dribble Race, and Coin Hunter, plus two single download play modes. Test who can hold on to the most coins until the end of the game, or take part in a Dribble Race. If you’re desperate to show off who’s the winner, players can even store results and rankings. Mario Slam Basketball also has the ability to let friends cut in. While playing, a message will pop up and alert players that a new opponent has been found so players can compete in some serious on court action.
Mario Slam Basketball will be released across Europe on November 10; it will retail for £30.
Summer cleaning has been going on at full force at Square Enix and Blizzard recently, as the two companies have announced that they have banned accounts from Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft, respectively, doe to “suspicious” activities and cheating.
In an update on the Final Fantasy XI website, the publisher states that after investigation, over 2000 PlayOnline accounts have been either suspended or terminated July 21 due to “malicious and intentional use of third-party tools.” The update also mentions that the publisher is not friendly towards RMT (Real Money Trade) activities and will be breaking down on individuals who carry out these sort of transactions.
On the Blizzard front, World of Warcraft has been approximately 59,000 bans, as well as the removal of 22 million gold from the total economy to eliminate cheating in the extremely popular MMORPG. The company also called for players to take action against suspicious users by reporting them to in-game GMs, or emailing details to hacks@blizzard.com.
Summer is usually a dull time for gaming, but Square Enix’s lineup for the season just warmed things up. The publisher will release three new games for the PS2 and DS this summer, along with a PSP game that has already been released.
Already released is Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth for the PSP, which will be followed by Dirge of Cerberus, the Final Fantasy-spinoff title that features Vincent as the main character, for the PS2 on August 15. The following month will see the release of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS) and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (PS2) on 19 and 26 September, respectively.
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