Square Enix considering PlayOnline implementation on Nintendo DS? According to British adult gaming magazine EDGE, several companies have been busy working on getting the upcoming Nintendo DS working with internet multiplayer gaming. Although nothing has officially been announced, Nintendo has stated on its website that "the future" will hold Internet gameplay for Nintendo DS. Square Enix has purportedly been testing the system with PlayOnline, which could mean very interesting things indeed -- and adds to promise to recent speculation that Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII is scheduled to appear for the handheld.
New Dirge of Cerberus details to further quell any suspicions of blatant Polymorphism™. Not. Earlier this week The Magic Box had some new details on Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, the upcoming PS2 action title starring Vincent Valentine: "It seems that the mysterious organization D.C. is doing a large scale man hunt, murdering people who they think were worthless. D.C. sends cyborgs and mechanical beasts to attack people. You control Vincent Valentine in a third person perspective, you can also switch to a first person perspective when using rifles. There are several weapons available, such as shotgun, machine gun and rifle." More on our gamepage. Dirge of Cerberus coverage
Advent Children taking forever and a day According to The Magicbox, Square Enix has recently commented on the completion of Advent Children. They state that the current 60% rate is due to the alleged intent to preserve best the Final Fantasy VII world existant in the minds of fans without, say, throwing another continent in the middle. The CG DVD movie is scheduled to release in Japan and America come 2005; yet all is quiet about a prospective European release. The Magicbox
PSP doomed for failure, according to Microsoft execs. When asked about the upcoming Playstation Portable being released by Sony, Peter Moore dismissed the handheld by comparing it to a small operating system trying to compete with Windows. While Robbie Bach, Chief Xbox exec, was not so passive of the handheld, he did say it would prove helpful to Microsoft as it would split Sony's focus. Ironically enough, however, these comments come from a company who decided to step into a market they were not experienced in and "Challenge Windows" by competing with Sony in the home console market. gamesindustry.biz
US launch of Halo 2 the single most profitable day in media history Although no solid figures are available yet, Peter Moore anticipates that the US launch of Halo 2 will result in $100 million in profits on day one alone. If his claim is accurate, the Halo 2 launch day will be the single most profitable day in media history, surpassing the opening day of any video game or motion picture released in the US, ever. In addition, Microsoft expects to sell 10 million copies of Halo 2 eventually, doubling the sales of the first Halo and penetrating 60% of the US X-box market and in addition, Sony?s anus. GamesIndustry.biz
New information on Dragon Quest VIII mobile conventions Square Enix, in one of its regular Dragon Quest VIII updates, has recently described the game's various modes of transportation. Ranging from "killer panther" to a supposed arial flight method, vehicles are varied, and, in the case of sea-faring, not free of random encounters. Bummer. Look for Dragon Quest VIII come November 27. 1-Up
The DS is doubling up. With more interest in the DS than Nintendo had originally expected, production has been stepped up on the new system, hoping to meet the growing demand. Full Article
Radiata Stories theme song now with shameless bribe for artist According to 1Up, Japanese pop artist Nami Tamaki has been signed to perform the opening theme to Tri-Ace's Radiata Stories, "Fortune". Naturally, in return Tamaki has been provided her own in-game character, though to what end has yet to be revealed. For now, we can only marvel at what lengths developers will go to obtain a licensed theme song. 1Up
PlayOnline investment returns as Square Enix profits hit the ceiling Gamesindustry.biz reports a lot of numbers and sales figures which on the whole conclude that Square Enix' PlayOnline venture has paid off in no small amount -- profits have doubled over the past six months thanks to the introduction of Final Fantasy XI - which now commands a community of over 550,000 - as well as an increase in operating profits in the Square Enix Mobile division (Before Crisis naysayers be damned). And while other (offline) sales saw a slight decrease in performance, this has more to do with the lacklustre line-up than anything else, and should be wholly negated in the upcoming 6 months with Dragon Quest VIII, Advent Children, Kingdom Hearts II and possibly Final Fantasy XII to make what appears to be the company's strongest sales period in its history. gi.biz
Final Fantasy XII slips into next business year Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reports that Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has stated that Final Fantasy XII will not be released this business year in Japan. The business year ends on March 31st, 2005, making an effective publication of the title before April impossible. This will no doubt mean a large dip in projected profits for the company, although for the consumer it may mean a more evened up distribution of the company's three pillars during 2005, as FFXII, Kingdom Hearts II and Advent Children have all yet to appear. FFXII remains without a release date for NA and Europe.
Japanese foaming at the mouth for Dragon Quest VIII Although Square Enix has increased the number of initial copies of Dragon Quest VIII to 2.8 million copies, this abundant horde is apparently not enough to satisfy the massive appetite of the Japanese multitude. In addition, Square Enix plans expanded attention for the series in North American and European territories, citing the massive piles of cash potentially available. 1UP
Sakaguchi and Uematsu spill to Famitsu A recent issue of Japanese Famitsu features a sit-down with Final Fantasy titans Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu. So we sat down and had a look. Full Article
Dragon Quest VIII lands in Japan The highly-anticipated Square Enix RPG, Dragon Quest VIII, is finally on shelves all over Japan, or at least it's supposed to be. With huge turnouts expected, Square Enix has set up a release party in Tokyo. Full Article
Dragon Quest VIII sales skyrocket As was expected, the sales to Square Enix's newest RPG blockbuster, Dragon Quest VIII, have blown by the previous record holders, clocking in at over 3 million copies having been sold already. This feat tops the previous bestseller, Final Fantasy X, which sold only 2.49 million copies, not including International and budget releases. According to research, the total income from this project (including merchandise and walkthroughs) should reach 51 million yen (US $496.83 million). RPG Fan
Katamari Damacy 2 in the works According to investor reports from Namco's official website, Katamari Damacy II is slated to be released during FY 2005. Also, unlike other titles in the list, no "tenative" tag was placed next to the name, indicating a definite position from Namco's standpoint. gamesindustry.biz