- Fullmetal Alchemist prepped for American launch
 Square Enix has announced that action RPG Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel will finally see a North American release on January 18, 2005 for a sultry $39.99 USD. The title, which had previously been released in Japan on Christmas Day of 2003, follows the anim? adventures of alchemist Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse, or Al for short. On the occasion of the prospective release, the game's official website has also been launched, featuring story and gameplay information in addition to a few wallpapers. Offical site
- Itadaki Street Special site updated....again...and again...and again
 Over the course of the past few months, the official Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special website has been updated with new playing boards, characters, gameplay information, and box art. New playable characters include Auron, Tidus, Yuna, Tarutaru, Aerith, Vivi, and Sephiroth himself. Some new gameplay elements are a mini game (featuring Onionkids fighting a Behemoth) and a magic system, including a new Odin summon. In related news, a thousand fanboys just wet their pants. Official site
- Nami Tamaki lauded by publisher
 As previously reported, Japanese pop artist Nami Tamaki has been signed to perform the Radita Stories theme song. Says her publisher Sony, "many heard about her rumors and were attracted to her instantly. She is the up-and-coming star, not only as a singer, but in various other genres too. Nami always wanted to be a singer, so she eagerly went to dance schools. She can dance, she can sing, and she looks great, so it wasn't long before people took notice of her at various different auditions." Link
- Drakengard 2 website teaser online
 Square Enix's official website for action title Drakengard 2 (known in Japan as Drag-On Dragoon 2) has now "opened" for business, though featuring little more than a teaser trailer and a flashy mouse-over animation. Official site
- Drakengard 2 reportedly in the works
 Although still not made official by Square Enix, a sequel to the abysmal Drakengard is apparently in the works for a spring Japanese release. Why Square Enix would allow such an atrocity to be manifest probably lies in the original's relatively successful Japanese release rather than its defilement in North America and European territories. 1UP
- Dear Friends concert series to begin in February
 Saturday, February 19 in Chicago marks the first in a series of concerts showcasing orchestrated music from the Final Fantasy series. Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy will be performed by the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and the CPO Festival Choir and is produced by Nobuo Uematsu. "After the fantastic support received at the first concert in Los Angeles, I am thrilled and honored to extend the experience to Chicago," said Uematsu. "I'm looking forward to sharing the moments with those who love the music and games of FINAL FANTASY."
- Jump Festa 05 website launched
 In what is certainly the most titillating related news item this week, Square Enix has launched their official Jump Festa 05 web site. This is in addition to the most exciting news item from two weeks ago, Jump Festa 05 line-up announced. Link
- Advent Children site updated once again
 This time, the official website for Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has been updated with a third trailer, which premiered earlier this year at the Tokyo Game Show. Have a look. Official site
- Advent Children coming sometime next year probably
 Although those with a more pragmatic concept of time would have assumed such long ago, Square Enix has finally confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Advent Children will not be coming out this year. Exactly when in 2005 the movie might see release remains an open question. However, Square Enix's commitment to publish Advent Children on Sony's UMD format (for playback using its upcoming PSP handheld) suggests that it might come sooner rather than later, to back up the PSP's spring release in North America and Europe. 1UP
- For a limited time only
 There is a new Radiata Stories trailer available on the Official Site, with spiffy new footage and Nami Tamaki's "Fortune", the main theme. You'd better see it soon though, as it's only online until December 7th. Official Radiata Stories Website
- Jump Festa 05 line-up announced
 It's that time of year again. Last year, we saw Final Fantasy XII for the first time since its November 18 unveiling. But what about this year? Code Age? Full Article
- Nomura: "Don't look at me, Kitase did it!"
 Japanese magazine Dorimaga took the opportunity to interview popular game and character designer Tetsuya Nomura, who's pretty heavily involved in the upcoming Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and obviously working on the upcoming Kingdom Hearts II. Full Article
- There is nothing sexual about Kingdom Hearts pillows
 A competition on the Club Nintendo Kingdom Hearts website running since November 11 and ending on January 7 will see 8000 random lucky contestants receiving either of two Kingdom Hearts towels. Of the two designs, which include a baby-blue cloth with an outline of Sora and a gray one with the crown logo on it, surely the one which allows you to rub yourself dry on the silhouette of a teenage boy is more appealing... Club Nintendo
- Valkyrie Profile and Dragon Quest VII incite their vengeance
 February 3 will see Square Enix release Playstation titles Valkyrie Profile and Dragon Quest VII under the PS One Books label for 2,625 yen ($25 USD) and 3,675 ($35 USD); respectively. The excuse...err..reason for the resurrection is said to be that both titles were released prior to the April 2003 Square Enix merger.
The company also plans on releasing other best-sellers in Japan, but no kind of North American re-release has been announced. Game Watch
- Bakusou, Yankee Tamashii servers terminated
 What is certainly a sad day for all online gaming delinquent biker gang deviants, Square Enix has decided that the Bakusou, Yankee Tamashii servers will be shut down on December 28. Though Square Enix offered the game's client software as a free download from its original launch date last year, it seems to have lured few players -- not enough to maintain steady interest in the game, at any rate. 1UP
- Code Age revealed
 The last of the unknown patents steps into the limelight: Code Age, under development for unannounced platforms by Yusuku Naora's team, was revealed on the Dragon Quest VIII bonus DVD bearing the descriptor "new concept brand". We already know there are multiple patent filings, leading to speculation of another crossmedia endeavour for the company. More Polymorphism?? 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
|
|
24 Dec 2004 by 
Top of Page |
Staff Contact |
Bug Report |
Support Square Haven |
Jobs @ Square Haven |
Haven Web Hosting