Dawn of Mana not fooling nobody Word on the street is Square Enix's Dawn of Mana ain't the best game ever. After receiving some harsh rebukes from Famitsu magazine and rebates gallore from Amazon.co.jp, the latest entry in the Seiken Densetsu series has launched in North America to lukewarm reviews. Details
The Last Remnant in print The first image illustrations and in-game screenshots of Square Enix's international RPG have been surfacing in Japanese gaming magazine Dengeki. The Last Remnant marks an experiment for the game developer, both in planning a simultaneous release for Japan and North America, and a cross-platform destination for Playstation 3 and XBox 360. Recently it has been revealed that the game's artwork will be overseen by Kimihiko Miyamae and Yusuke Naora, while the soundtrack will be composed by Tsuyoshi Sekito. Details
Nomura: "We're absolutely not making a FFVII remake" Look, I've been telling you guys for years and you just won't listen. Now even Tetsuya Nomura confirms the truth: Square Enix doesn't give a rat's ass about your misguided desire to force the company's employees into a money-losing slavish effort of reproducing a 10 year old game simply because you think Sephiroth in HD will give you a raging hard-on.
Oh yeah, IGN reports on an interview with Dorimaga in which Nomura and Kitase proclaim the abovementioned. Best part of the interview? Apparently Sakaguchi's original script for FF7 included "a character called Hot Blooded Detective Joe." IGN
Where Angels Fear to Tread: A Conversation with Hiroki Kikuta Hiroki Kikuta is the music composer behind Squaresoft action RPG's Secret of Mana and Seiken Denstesu 3. Just as his electronic music for Square left a lasting impression on the era of 16-bit games, his live orchestral tracks found in Soukaigi and Koudelka are among the most original songs created for the Playstation console. Today Square Haven talks with the composer and game designer about his latest album, Lost Files, and the future of Hiroki Kikuta. Square Haven Interview
Chocobo's mysterious Wii trailer It's been ten years, and this mascot's still cute as ever! At the Square Enix Pre-Party conference, a new Wii game involving Final Fantasy's most popular yellow avian was revealed by producer Yuuki Yokoyama. The game is set to debut for the Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 10th Anniversary. The first trailer for the game has appeared on the net and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Labyrinth of Forgotten Time is the title's direct translation. Trailer
Blue Dragon speaks American The first in-game footage of Blue Dragon's North American localization has hit the web. GameTrailers.com has posted three brief video sequences depicting the turn-based battles and in-game voice acting found in the upcoming Mistwalker RPG. Listening to the dialog, you may recognize a voice or two, as the character actors are veterans of such Square titles as Final Fantasy X, Advent Children, and Brave Fencer Musashi. Cutscenes
Hiroki Kikuta: Lost Files Regained Hiroki Kikuta is the composer of such game music soundtracks as Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, and Soukaigi. Square Haven spent an afternoon with the game creator to hear about his experiences working for Squaresoft during the 16-bit era as a debugger, sound designer, and game music composer. Full Story
Lost Odyssey, firm foundation Mistwalker's second outing for the XBox 360 is entitled Lost Odyssey, and follows the tribulations of a thousand year-old man cursed with perpetual youth. The mature role-playing entry has started out with a firm foundation, with producer Hironobu Sakaguchi having recruited several veterans of Squaresoft along with some renowned outside collaborators. By the year's end, players should have the chance to decide whether the finished title delivers on its promises. Details
Dissidia Final Fantasy desiderata Square is commemorating 20 years of franchise fandom with the RPG brawler Dissidia Final Fantasy for the Playstation Portable. Ten playable characters from the series history have been rendered in 3D, along with their nemeses and memorable in-game locations. Square Enix posted the first video of the game today, revealing a previously unannounced popular villain will be entering the fray. Trailer
Project Sylpheed blasts off The expanded trailer of Project Sylpheed has appeared on the net this week. In it, protagonist Katana Faraway struggles with protecting the earth against a rebellious uprising that counts his closest friend among its forces. The video features English-language voice acting, techno by Einhander's Kenichiro Fukui, and snippets from the XBox 360 title's 3D dogfights. The game is scheduled to be released on July 10 in North America. Trailer