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News / 2007 /
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- E3 2007 - Square Enix announces lineup
As the headline above might suggest, Square Enix has announced its 2007 E3 lineup and is ready to showcase some of its most anticipated and exciting titles. Which will be shown? Which will be shunned? Square Haven brings you the latest. Details
- E3 2007 - Square Enix to bring online store stateside
In addition to its E3 lineup announcement, Square Enix has revealed its scheme to open a North American online store. Square Enix, as a self-described "premiere [maker] of high end-collectibles" plans to stock a multitude of "popular and hard-to-find items" including Master Arms, Play Arts, and Mechanical Arts spanning various series, from Final Fantasy to Kingdom Hearts. Clearly, Square Enix has seen that someone, somewhere is making money selling its products. The immediate consequence will likely find many third-party vendors competing for profits with Square Enix itself. The Online Store
- E3 2007 - Sony unveils slimmer Playstation Portable; Nintendo counters with edible DS
Sony today announced plans to market a redesigned Playstation Portable console. The handheld gaming device will use less battery power than its predecessor, thanks to the thinner LCD display. The fitter, happier, more productive PSP is currently in the pre-manufacturing phase of its development. Not to be outdone, Nintendo has announced it will be releasing an edible DS. Details
- E3 2007 - Square Enix tactfully flaunts The War of the Lions
That's right, a surprising new detail has emerged regarding Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. What could they be showing off? The answer may surprise you. Indeed, it isn't a slew of new information, nor is it a gem of a gameplay trailer. Sorry, Final Fantasy VII fanboys, it's no confirmation of Sephiroth as a playable character either. What we have here are a new batch of localized screenshots with a surprising twist. Feast your eyes
- E3 2007 - Square Enix laughs in face of PS3 price drop
It seems that a little is just not enough anymore. Earlier this week, European and US Square Enix President and CEO John Yamamoto commented on the $100 price decrease for Sony's poorly-selling Playstation 3. "[It's] still a bit expensive for most gamers," said Yamamoto. "Most of them think that price is still high." When asked if he was concerned by the success of the XBox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, Yamamoto responded, "Looking at Sony's history, Sony is selling PS2 all over. Even in Spain, Italy - they're very strong. I think it will depend on the titles available in each area."
- E3 2007 - Square Enix blames stagnation on gamers
Dragon Quest IX, as you may or may not know, began as an Action RPG. After twenty years of traditional (classic?) grinding, Square Enix was ready to follow the rest of the RPG genre in moving away from traditional combat systems into new, innovative avenues. What happened? You did, apparently. As a Square Enix spokesperson said at E3, "People didn't want the change. When you've sold over 40 million copies, you've got to listen to your fans." Apparently the same syndrome that affects children when they purchase movie-based games and perpetuate the creation of terrible licensed titles has also infected the RPG market. Can there be any hope for change, especially within a flagship series such as Dragon Quest? Kotaku
- E3 2007 - Amano wants to work with Mistwalker
Today Chris Kohler of Wired interviewed Mistwalker president and former Square executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, leading to some intriguing off-the-cuff remarks on the part of the Japanese game designer. When asked if Mistwalker would invite Yoshitaka Amano, illustrator of the Final Fantasy series, "back into the fold," Sakaguchi answered, in English, "Yeah, good idea. And, he wants. Yeah, sometime." Full Q&A
- E3 2007 - Square Enix gesticulates in regards to Revenant Wings bonus content
Square Enix communicated through wavy, fluttering hand gestures to reporters attending E3 that the English-language localization of Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings will feature new content, including an added boss battle and gameplay tweaks. Director Motomu Toriyama comments, "The North American release will provide a completely different gameplay experience than the original domestic release." Details
- Conceptual Design: A Conversation with Christian Lorenz Scheurer
Christian Lorenz Scheurer is a concept artist and illustrator whose first published book is entitled Entropia: A Collection of Unusually Rare Stamps. In the realm of games, he has contributed during the conceptual stages of Final Fantasy IX and Lost Odyssey. Today Square Haven talks with the visual artist and filmmaker about a few of his experiences designing videogames and motion pictures. Full interview
- Final Fantasy VII's 10th Anniversary means eye-bulging bonuses
Square Enix recently unveiled its plan for promoting the latest entry into the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Why? While the company is indeed one of the craftiest money-grubbing groups around, and each handheld FF title seems to require its own customized portable system, there is actually another reason behind this announcement. Everyone's favorite (overrated?) Playstation RPG, Final Fantasy VII, is turning ten years old. A slew of collectibles has been announced to celebrate the game's 10th anniversary, one of which is a limited edition Slim PSP with a Crisis Core facade (gasp!). Die-hard fans of all things Square and/or FFVII should take note of this upcoming special offer, because it won't be available for very long. What are you waiting for? See the goods
- It's a Wonderful Japan after all
Shibuya is but one area of Tokyo, Japan - a ward densely populated with those youngsters shunning the solace of sleep; those brave souls willing to resign themselves to the hip nightlife that only Japan can offer. Readers trailing information regarding the upcoming rhythmic action RPG It's a Wonderful World will surely recognize the Shibuyan setting; after all, the game promises to take place in an alternate incarnation of the same area. So, how does one advertise a game like this? Simple... In a fit of ingenuity expected only from a country such as Japan, advertisements for It's a Wonderful World have been sprinkled across the entirety of the Shibuya district in Tokyo. All of this is just in time for the game's Japanese release: July 27. Don't believe me? See for yourself
- Dragon Quest IV-VI remakes headed to the DS
Two low-res scans of the Japanese gaming magazine Shonen Jump have appeared, revealing a surprise that, while not all that surprising, might be the makings of a nostalgia overload for Akira Toriyama fans. The second sequential trilogy of Dragon Quest titles is currently receiving a round of remakes for the Nintendo DS portable console with 2.5D isometric viewpoints reminiscent of the PS1 series entry and overhead maps viewable on both screens. For Dragon Quest IV Square Enix is shooting for a Winter release in Japan. Scans
- Piano Squall brings tempest of music
Various have tried, many have failed. But one, Michael Gluck, has made success out of video game music performance and recently released his album GAME--Game and Animé Music Emotions--to the delight of connoisseurs and convention goers everywhere. Square Haven recently talked to Gluck, who frequently takes on the guise of "Piano Squall", to talk with him about his musical career and his most recent accomplishment. His Story and a Review
- The Pioneers: Junya Nakano
Junya Nakano started out as a music composer for Konami's arcade titles and began composing for Square during the 16-bit era. Since then, he has contributed to such soundtracks as Final Fantasy X, Musashi Samurai Legend, and Project Sylpheed. Square Haven takes a look back at the music composer's career thus far, including samples from nine of his game soundtracks chosen by Totz of Square Enix Music Online. The Pioneers
- By the numbers: Revenant sells, Itadaki smells
Square Enix recently published some figures revealing sales of Revenant Wings, Itadaki Street DS, and anticipated remake Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, all over the first six-month period of 2007. What are the numbers? Well, Final Fantasy XII sequel Revenant Wings came in first with 520,000 copies, followed by The War of the Lions with 310,000 copies and Itadaki with 280,000. No surprises here: Revenant Wings reviewed solidly and followed up a stellar title, Lion War was purportedly plagued with several loading issues, and as for Itadaki DS...well...Itadaki Street has never been potent enough to receive a localization. Better luck next time. Jeuxfrance
- Spiral out: Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Gallery
Final Fantasy VII's 10th anniversary made for some eye-bulging bonuses, as you may remember from some weeks ago. Evidently, these nifty extras weren't enough presents for ten-year-old Final Fantasy VII - a game that is perhaps Square's most popular entry into their staple series. Thus, in addition to the aforementioned extras, Square Enix has plans to roll out a Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Gallery in Spiral (a cornerstone of Tokyo's Aoyama district). Running from August 31 to September 2, the gallery is slated to boast a range of artwork from each Compilation of Final Fantasy VII denizen. In addition to classic artwork in the vein of Tetsuya Nomura's (in)famous character designs, never-before-seen art will also line the gallery, ensuring a visual feast for fanatics. Have your eyes popped out of their sockets? If so, you'll want to start reserving those flight tickets to Tokyo; this gallery certainly isn't traveling to the West. Kotaku
- Hilariously exaggerated press release accompanies Heroes of Mana
The latest title in the Seiken Densetsu series, Heroes of Mana, was released this week in North America. Square Enix commemorated the occasion with a press release for your pleasure. "Breathing new life into the popular MANA™ franchise..." The opening line in the second paragraph is a comedic gem in itself. Full press release
- Square Haven launches new homepage to surprise and elation
Today is a special day. Do not attempt to adjust your monitors: Square Haven has officially launched its new homepage. Besides being considerably widened to reduce scrolling frustration and accommodate larger resolutions, its launch also features the brand-new "Stream of Consciousness", courtesy of Rahul, who has been busy cranking out its glorious goodness for all to enjoy. Positioned firmly inside the right column, it details up-to-date information regarding user profiles, collections, comments, ratings and, of course, staff updates tabbed and highlighted for your convenience. With this new feature, we here at Square Haven hope to keep everyone better updated about what's going on and get everyone as fanatic as we are communicating just a little bit better. Enjoy!
- Square Haven RSS feed reaches historic 5-person mark
Today, the Venerable Square Enix Resource achieved an important milestone, delivering instantaneous notices via RSS of the latest and most vital gaming information to a record 5 people.This development is a clear indication of what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called the transition of the earth's evolutionary development into the Noosphere phase, brought about by the ever-increasing access of conscious volitional actors within a planet of finite sphericity to ever greater volumes of Square Enix-related news and information. If you do not have an RSS reader already, they are free at bloglines and google reader.
- Zodiac Job System release met with hilarious defeatAs last week's Japanese sales charts would appear to indicate, Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Job System did not release with a tremendous amount of fanfare, ranking in third place with some 45,869 copies. It was beaten out by Mario Party 8 for the Wii, which sold 103,889 copies of its total 504,000 this past week to put it in second place. SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive was the real winner, debuting on the DS at number one with 137,717 copies. To spare your calculators the effort, that means that our super-deformed buddies have almost exactly three times the appeal of Yasumi Matsuno's definitive Ivalice adventure. Which just goes to show you: shit with big heads always wins. Or something.
09 July 2007 by 
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