Seven game announcements from yesterday's Nintendo Direct that made me grin from ear to ear

I don't know about you, but I was far from thrilled by the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct.

Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing Fire Emblem: Three Houses in action. (Finally!) The footage of Daemon X Machina showcased during the above-mentioned presentation similarly blew me away. I'm not much of a Pokémon or Super Smash Bros. fan, though, which probably explains my lack of enthusiasm toward the company's most recent E3 extravaganza.

The latest Nintendo Direct, though--the one that went live yesterday? That was my jam.

I approached it assuming I'd get a fresh glimpse of the Yoshi Switch game that was revealed over a year ago as well as new details on titles like Pokémon: Let's Go, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the upcoming Luigi's Mansion remake for 3DS. Oh, I knew that wouldn't be the full extent of this broadcast, but I also didn't think it would offer up much else--especially in terms of reveals that would wow me.

Boy, was I wrong. Not only did almost all of the following announcements came out of nowhere for me (the Animal Crossing and Katamari Damacy ones were rumored in the days and even hours leading up to the Direct's drop), but they also thrilled me to pieces. Keep reading to learn why.

A new Animal Crossing is coming to Switch in 2019--Given the earth-shattering sales of previous portable entries in this long-running series of "slow living" games, a Switch entry was the definition of a no-brainer. Still, many thought Animal Crossing would hit the system sometime in 2018, so its absence until now has made some of those folks (including myself) antsy. All is forgotten and forgiven with yesterday's news that the game is coming in 2019, right? Not quite, but it's a start. And, really, I put hundreds of hours into the Animal Crossing release most consider the worst (City Folk), so it's safe to say I'll be singing a decidedly positive tune by the time this next one is plopped onto actual and virtual store shelves in the coming 12 or so months.

All of the Final Fantasy love--You might think the news that both Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD are Switch-bound would've prepared me for the news that a bunch of other Final Fantasy games are coming to Nintendo's hybrid system, too. Nope, it didn't. When World of Final Fantasy Maxima was revealed, I responded with a pleasantly surprised, "oh!" I was unable to produce sound when Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY! popped up, though, and the same was true when Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age waltzed onto the screen. Admittedly, I'm more than a bit bummed that almost all of the above seem to be digital-only releases (Final Fantasy XII is the only exception, according to word on the street), but I'm going to buy them anyway.

Katamari Damacy Reroll--I'm a firm believer that everyone could use some Katamari Damacy in their life. This Keita Takahashi-created series is so colorful, energetic, and wacky--not to mention fun--I'm sure it would make even the biggest sourpuss grin like the Cheshire Cat. (But, you know, in a less creepy fashion.) I do wish this release included a remaster of We Love Katamari as well as the first Katamari Damacy title, but Bandai Namco's probably planning to sell it separately. And you know what? I'll purchase it, too--as long as Reroll proves to be a solid effort.

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn--I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but I adore Kirby's Epic Yarn. In fact, I love it so much I named it my favorite game of 2010. As such, I was beyond bowled over when it dawned on me that I'll soon be able to play an enhanced version of it on my 3DS. I'm sure a lot of people would prefer to see this on the Switch, but I think the 3DS is the perfect place for it. It'll fit right in with Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World and Hey! Pikmin, wouldn't you agree?

Luigi's Mansion 3--Although I can't say I was shocked to learn during yesterday's Nintendo Direct that the company is prepping a third Luigi's Mansion title, I was shocked to hear--and see--that it's so far along. Something else that shocked me: some folks are calling it ugly. Did we watch the same footage? I mean, sure, it's not the absolute best-looking game I've ever laid eyes on, but the same could be said of other Switch standouts like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At any rate, I can't wait to get my hands on Luigi's Mansion 3--even if nothing changes about its graphics between now and whenever it releases in 2019.

Town--Talk about "out of nowhere." Did anyone see this coming--a Switch RPG from Game Freak that doesn't have Pokémon in its name? That's a big plus as far as I'm concerned, though I know not everyone will feel the same way. Of course, I tend to love the company's weird side projects--see HarmoKnight and my favorite 3DS game ever, Pocket Card Jockey--so I guess you could say I was destined to at least like this one, too. My only concern at the moment is that Town's likely to be a digital-only release. Which is fine in many respects (it likely means it'll be cheaper than your typical "boxed" game, for instance), but also suggests it may not have as much content as a retail offering.

Yoshi's Crafted World--First things first: I think this game's name is disappointingly lazy. That said, maybe the person or people who came up with it want it to remind people of the last Yoshi title, Woolly World? Whatever the case may be, all I really care about is how Crafted World plays, looks, and sounds (and in that very order, too). I obviously can't say how it plays, though the footage shown off yesterday certainly makes it seem like a worthwhile platformer. I can, however, say it looks quite wonderful. For me, the aesthetic is just different enough from Woolly World's to be completely enticing. Should the soundtrack live up to the gameplay and visuals, Yoshi's Crafted World should be a feast for the eyes, ears, and, well, fingers.

Did you watch yesterday's Nintendo Direct broadcast? If so, what did you consider to be the stand-out game announcements? Which ones thrilled--or even disappointed--you the most?

See also: the Japanese version of yesterday's Nintendo Direct

Nice Package! (Final Fantasy, Famicom)

Final Fantasy may not have been my first console RPG--that would be the original Dragon Warrior, er, Dragon Quest--but it certainly was the first console RPG to blow me away.



Don't get me wrong, I adored (and continue to adore) Dragon Warrior. It's chiefly responsible for developing my current appreciation of both turn-based battles and grinding.

While Enix's game started me down the path of becoming an RPG fan, though, Square's counterpoint took me the rest of the way.



Why? I preferred Final Fantasy's four-member parties, for starters. I also liked that it let you choose the "occupations" of those characters. The quartet being visible during fights was another plus for me.

This may sound strange given how people feel about such things today, but back then I was pretty smitten with Final Fantasy's NES box art, too.

I now know, of course, that the game's North American cover imagery, despite its coral-colored logo, has nothing on its Japanese counterpart.

Strangely, although I've been aware of this fact for ages now, I only recently used it as an excuse to buy a copy of the latter.

That's hard to believe while perusing the photos showcased here. Yoshitaka Amano's illustration is beyond gorgeous, of course, but that's not the extent of this release's positive attributes.

Also impressive (to my eyes, at least): its icy Japanese logo. I'm pretty fond of the English logo that fills most of this box's side flaps, too, I've got to say, though I'd never choose it over the original.



As for the Final Fantasy Famicom instruction manual, it's sweet as well. Not as sweet as it could be, I have to admit, but it contains enough pages like the one above to be worth the price of ownership.

One last comment and then I'll shut up: I like how the back of this title's box displays a couple of sample screenshots. It reminds me of Epic's Flying Hero, which is one of my favorite examples of Famicom game packaging.



And, really, anything that makes me think of that under-appreciated gem deserves all the praise that can be heaped upon it.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts about the City Connection and Rainbow Islands ports

The 'Tumbleweed Portable Club' (of lonely WonderSwan owners) has another member

Remember this recent post, the focal point of which was a snapshot of a tiny, cube-shaped box that was topped by a copy of Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits?

Well, the photos that follow detail the contents of that surprisingly small package.



No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. I finally got off my lazy butt and bought a WonderSwan. Specifically, a translucent black WonderSwan Color.

That may have elicited a groan from some of you. After all, anyone who knows anything about the WonderSwan knows that the SwanCrystal is by far the best of the three WonderSwan systems that were sold in Japan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.



The thing is, I didn't go out of my way to buy this WonderSwan Color. You see, it was just one part of a nicely appointed eBay auction that also included a number of WonderSwan games.

In fact, one of those games--the one seen below--was responsible for bringing my attention to the eBay auction in question.

That would be the WonderSwan port of Human Entertainment's Clock Tower--or Clock Tower for WonderSwan, as I believe it's officially known.

For whatever reason, I got a bug up my butt about this horrific point-and-click game a month or so ago, and while searching eBay for a copy of it I came across a tantalizingly cheap auction that included a black WonderSwan Color, Clock Tower, a visual novel called Terrors (not pictured here) and three other WonderSwan games.

Which ones, you ask? Well, here's one of them:

Although this WonderSwan Color "remake" of Final Fantasy IV isn't all that different from Final Fantasy IV Advance for the GBA--the latter was released in 2005, while the former was released in 2002--I've long wanted to own a copy of it because I'm such a huge fan of this particular Squaresoft game.

The other two games included in the eBay auction I ended up winning are Final Fantasy titles, too. Specifically, the WonderSwan Color re-imaginings of the first and second Final Fantasy adventures. (These remakes later served as the backbones of 2002's Final Fantasy Origins for PlayStation and 2004's Final Fantasy 1 & II: Dawn of Souls for GBA.)

The photo above showcases the back of the first Final Fantasy remake's box. That illustration covering its top half is pretty slick, don't you think?

I didn't snap any shots of the front of that game's box because, well, it's not all that exciting. The same is true of the box that houses the WonderSwan Color version of Final Fantasy II.

Still, you can ogle both covers in the image above--especially if you click and zoom in on it. 

Last, but far from least, is this photo of the translucent black WonderSwan Color I first described in the opening lines of this post. 

Something you probably can't tell from this snapshot: how small this system is. Seriously, it's about the size of my wallet--which came as quite a shock to me. 

Also a pretty big shock was the dimness of the system's screen. I had been warned about this, of course, but it's been so long since I spent time with a handheld that doesn't have a backlit screen that I almost forgot how annoying that kind of thing can be.

Oh, well, I got used to it back when I spent a ton of time with an actual GameBoy (these days I mostly play that system's titles through emulation--even though I have a couple of OG GameBoy systems and a ton of games), I'm sure I'll get used to it again.

See also: 'I now own 10 WonderSwan games but I still don't own a system that will allow me to play any of them'

I've never been a fan of Final Fantasy Explorer's art style, but I'll probably pick up the upcoming North American version anyway

In case you didn't see this news elsewhere yesterday: Square Enix will be bringing its Monster Hunter-esque 3DS game, Final Fantasy Explorers, to North America and Europe in early 2016.

Specifically, this Final Fantasy spin-off will be released in the former region on Jan. 26 and in the latter one on Jan. 29.

The out-of-nowhere announcement came as a shock to the handful of Westerners who actually cared about the fate of this so-far-Japan-only cart, as it hit store shelves in that territory all the way back in December of 2014.

Why did Square Enix wait so long to bring it to our shores? I have no idea, although I hope it had something to do with its staffers making some additions, or even changes, to it.



Sadly, I doubt they'll do anything to Final Fantasy Explorer's character designs, which are about as boring and lifeless as can be, in my opinion. (Especially when you compare them to the ones found in a game like Bravely Default.)

Still, I'm currently planning to pick up a copy of this strange looking title--if only to show the brass at Square Enix that us Americans actually want them to localize more of their 3DS games (such as all of those wonderful Dragon Quest adventures that are languishing in Japan) in the coming months and even years.

How about you guys and gals? Do any of you think you'll buy Final Fantasy Explorers at some point down the road?

See also: 'And yet five more games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015'

What does it say about me that Square Enix's World of Final Fantasy is the E3 game announcement that most excited me yesterday?

Don't worry, I'm fully aware of what it says about me--especially when some of the other games that were announced alongside this one at E3 2015 yesterday were the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII remake (for PS4, at least initially), the presumed-dead Last Guardian and the out-of-left-field Shenmue III.

What was it about Square Enix's trailer for World of Final Fantasy (watch it below or here), which will be released for both the PS4 and the Vita at some point in 2016 as well as one or more other systems afterward, that tripped my trigger?

I guess you could say the focus of my interest in this retro-modern RPG is its chibi character models, which recall the adorable, sprite-based ones that filled the earliest of Final Fantasy adventures.



Despite the praise I've heaped on World of Final Fantasy so far (well, kind of), I'm not chomping at the bit to pre-order it. That's going to have to wait until I see some more gameplay footage.

Plus, I want to make sure I won't be forced to control those ugly, non-chibi characters that also are featured in the trailer above before I even consider handing over my hard-earned cash for this throwback release.

How about all of you? Are you also (somewhat) excited for World of Final Fantasy? And how do you feel about the other PS4-bound games I mentioned at the beginning of this post?

Shall We Do It? (Danganronpa, Dokuro, Final Fantasy: Record Keeper and My World, My Way)

For the first time since I started my new job two-and-a-half-months ago, I'm finally feeling somewhat settled. One of the side effects of that feeling is that I'm playing--and enjoying--more games than I have in ages.

Given that, I thought now would be the perfect time to type up another "Shall We Do It?" post that compiles some of my thoughts on the four portable titles that are mentioned in the header above.

Danganronpa (Vita)--Although my precious pink-and-white Vita has been in my hands for a couple of weeks now, I didn't actually play a game on it until this weekend due to the vacation that popped up just after the system arrived on our doorstep.

The first game I stuck into my Vita's cart slot, of course, was NIS' acclaimed Danganronpa, a dark visual novel that certainly didn't disappoint in the couple of hours I spent with it on Saturday and Sunday. 

As much as I'm loving Danganronpa's well-crafted, whodunnit-style story, though, I'm loving Rui Komatsuzaki's delicious-looking art even more. I also really like how playing this game "feels." Stalking the halls of Hope's Peak Academy is more engaging than I thought it would be, for instance, and interacting with your surroundings in other ways (such as clicking on background elements to learn more about them, or doing the same to your comrades to converse with them) is similarly enjoyable.

That's about all I can say about Danganronpa at the moment, I'm afraid, but I can assure you I'll continue to plug away at it this coming week, so hopefully the impressions I share in my next "Shall We Do It?" post (which I hope to publish about seven days from now) will dig a bit deeper into the experience.

Dokuro (Vita)--Danganronpa isn't the only Vita game I spent some time with this past weekend. I also bought--for just $2.99 via PSN--and played Dokuro, a Game Arts-developed puzzler-platformer that's quite a looker in its own right.

This digital effort is attractive in a slightly different way than Danganronpa is, though; here, the visuals look like they've been created using colored chalk or crayons. The effect isn't quite as eye-popping as, say, the original Yoshi's Island, but it's still undeniably pretty.

As for the rest of the game, well, I like it, but I can't say I'm head-over-heels in love with it. Players are given a good number of things to do--like pushing boxes, flipping switches and even carrying princesses--and the great majority of them provoke a lukewarm feeling of accomplishment, but on the whole, so far, Dokuro seems to lack a bit of energy.

Hopefully things will pick up as I continue to pick away at the adventure at hand, which is exactly what I'm planning to do (to an extent, at least) over the course of the following week or two.

Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (iOS)--This mobile RPG's North American launch came out of nowhere for me. I vaguely remember hearing about its Japanese release, but I assumed it would remain unique to that region and so quickly forgot about it.

Given its nostalgic content and liberal use of sprites, though, I nabbed it from the iOS App Store as soon as I heard about it.

Despite my eagerness to download it, I'm not sure how long it's going to maintain a presence on my iPhone. Why? For starters, Record Keeper's battle-centric gameplay isn't as engaging as I expected it to be given its pedigree. Also, as much as I love all of the spritework that's on display in this game, it's somewhat tarnished by all of the not-sprite art that tends to surround it. (Sorry, I've never been a fan of such juxtaposition. For me, I'd much rather a game focus entirely on sprites or entirely on hand-drawn illustrations, although I know I'm probably in the minority in feeling that way.)

Anyway, I'll give it a fair shake before dumping it--which means I'll give it at least a couple of more plays between now and the next time I write about this Final Fantasy offshoot. 

My World, My Way (DS)--Of all the games included in this write-up, this Atlus-published RPG is the one I put the most hours into over the last week. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've put more time into this title than any of the others than have been played as part of my "A Decade of DS" series.

I'm going to publish a more in-depth post about this quirky DS game shortly, so I don't want to share too much about it here, but one thing I definitely want to get across is that I'm having a blast with it.

If you've never heard of it, it's an RPG that stars a spoiled princess who channels her inner adventurer in order to attract the attention of a handsome bloke--an adventurer himself--who has melted her heart.

One of the handful of elements that sets My World, My Way apart from the JRPG pack is that its spoiled-princess protagonist has to juggle "pout points" as well as experience and hit points. By pouting, Elise (that's the princess' name) can alter the landscape around her, call more enemies to a particular area, force them to drop more items or experience points than they would otherwise and a number of other interesting actions.

As intriguing as that may sound, My World, My Way's definitely not for everyone. It's pretty repetitive, for one, plus it's far from the most attractive of DS games. That said, it's managed to keep my attention for more than five hours so far, so maybe its allure is more than the sum of its somewhat-unappealing parts?

Have any of you played some or all of the games discussed in this post? If so, please share your thoughts on them in the comments section below.

I know I'm in the minority in wanting this, and I realize Square Enix wouldn't give it to us even if I weren't, but I'd really like to see some sort of follow-up to Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest

I've been fascinated by this weird Final Fantasy spin-off title, originally released in North America in 1992 and then released elsewhere the following year, since I first heard of it in the run-up to its launch.

That said, I've never actually owned a copy of the game, which goes by all sorts of other names--like Final Fantasy USA in Japan and Mystic Quest Legend throughout Europe--outside of the U.S., and which was directed by Kouzi Ide (who also had a hand in Rudra no Hiho for the Super Famicom and Final Fantasy Legend III for the GameBoy).

I did put a good amount of time into it over the course of a month or so back when I was a teen, though, courtesy of the local grocery store that rented out movies (VHS tapes, not DVDs) as well as all sorts of video games (systems, too).

I wasn't able to finish the game during that particular foray, although I definitely made it pretty far into its adventure (which exists in some sort of strange middle ground between mainline Final Fantasy titles and the oddball SaGa series), and I've always wanted to go back to it and see how to story wraps up. 

I've also always wanted to see another such game from Square Enix--with a straight-up sequel being preferred, of course, but an "inspired by Mystic Quest" effort also being acceptable.

What do all of you think about this idea? Would you like the same, or is a modern follow-up to Mystic Quest about the last thing you'd like to see from Square Enix at the moment?

While we wait, I'll strongly consider searching for a and picking up a copy of the original. In fact, maybe I'll buy the Japanese version, as I've always liked its rather triumphant box art.

#ADecadeofDS: Chocobo Tales

Amount of time devoted to this game in the last week--Three hours, 46 minutes.

Most recent boss toppled, location reached or milestone achieved--It looks like I'm about to take on the evil "Bebuzzu" in another of the game's surprisingly dynamic "pop-up duels" (one-on-one card battles, basically).

Overall comments on the experience--I put a good amount of time into this 2007 DS game many years ago, shortly after it was first released, but so much time has passed since then that I decided to go back to it early last week.

Unsurprisingly, I'm enjoying this second playthrough just as much as my first. I say "unsurprisingly" because, as anyone who has played this game should be well aware, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales does everything it can to bring a smile to your face--from the cute character designs, to the silly story, to the myriad mini-games that test your timing, reflexes and even your patience.

For me, the mini-games and the aforementioned "pop-up duels" are the main highlights here, although I have to admit I'm still coming to grips with the latter.

In terms of the former, though, there's only one mini-game that even somewhat aggrivates me at the moment (the very first one, "The Adamantoise and the Cactuar")--although, thankfully, I've already beaten it on its most challenging setting, so now I can ignore it. The rest, though, are a part of a lovely array of pick-up-and-play games that I wouldn't hesitate to buy for a buck or two if they were plopped onto the iOS App Store.

That said, Chocobo Tales' whimsical art style deserves to be pulled aside for praise, too, as it's nearly as responsible as its gameplay for maintaining my interest in this title.

So, is there anything I don't like about this effort so far--aside from the mini-game mentioned earlier? Not really. I mean, I guess some folks may find the story included here disappointingly light, but I actually like that all of the blather that tends to be crammed into most of Square Enix's titles isn't present this time around.

Another possible nitpick is that the mini-games don't always provide enough information for you to fully grasp what you're supposed to go to successfully complete them, but even then it's only taken me a few seconds to figure things out, so I wouldn't consider this to be too big of a niggle either.

Will I continue to play this game in the coming days, weeks and maybe even months?--For sure. In fact, I can see myself sticking with this one right to the end. It's pretty much the perfect kind of game for me at the moment--as in, it's easy to pick up, play for five, 10 or even 30 minutes and then put back down again until I have some more free time. Also, it offers a ton of variety, which thus far has done a bang-up job of keeping me from getting bored with it.

Do I recommend it to others?--Without question. It's one of those games anyone should like, I think--assuming you don't hate "cute" graphics in general or Square Enix's Chocobo character in particular. Plus, like I said above, there's a lot to do here, so even if you don't like the odd mini-game, you're sure to like a bunch of others.

Next up--Awatama (Soul Bubbles)

See also: previous 'A Decade of DS' posts

Square Enix may never give us another SaGa game, but at least they gave us this GameBoy entry (and its two sequels)

It's kind of hard to believe in 2014 that there was a time when Westerners had little to no access to Japanese RPGs.

A lot of that changed around the time I first got into gaming--which is to say, around the time Nintendo published the original Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games in North America in late 1989 and early 1990, respectively.

The first JRPG that really had an impact on me, though, was 1990's The Final Fantasy Legend, a GameBoy title that began life in Japan as Makai Toushi SaGa (aka SaGa).

I mean, I spent a bunch of time with both of the above-mentioned NES RPGs as a gaming noob, but neither of those titles sucked me in like The Final Fantasy Legend (and, a few months later, the North American version of Final Fantasy IV).

In a way, that kind of surprises me, as I distinctly remember being confounded (and even disappointed) by some aspects of this portable adventure. The breakable weapons are one example, and the Dragon Quest-esque (i.e., invisible party members) battle scenes are another.

Both of those niggles eventually grew on me, of course--or maybe I should say I grew to respect, if not completely adore, them.

Anyway, I mention all of this in order to explain why I recently picked up the complete-in-box copy of the Japanese version of The Final Fantasy Legend, SaGa, that can be seen throughout this post.

Admittedly, nostalgia wasn't the only reason I bought this copy of SaGa. Two more reasons were: this particular copy was pretty darn cheap (less than $10, including shipping) and I hoped it might be another game that could be put to use in my journey to learn the Japanese language.

If you're looking for a few additional reasons to purchase your own copy of SaGa, you may want to consider the photos of the game's instruction manual that I've published here. Needless to say, it's chock-full of awesome illustrations.

Have any of you played any version of this handheld JRPG? If so, what are your thoughts on it, or what are your memories of it?

See also: previous 'Year of the GameBoy' posts

Happy birthday to me!

Yep, not only is it Thanksgiving here in the U.S., but it's my birthday, too.

Which is kind of weird, to be honest, but I've never been big on celebrating my birthday, so that's OK.

It's especially OK now that I've opened the presents my parents gave to me this morning, one of which contained the copy of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call that can be seen in the photo to the right.

I'm kind of surprised Amazon et al still had copies of this game's limited edition, to tell you the truth--not that I'm complaining!

Anyway, it's a pretty safe bet that I'll spend some quality time with it tomorrow--along with Fantasy Life and Solitiba, of course. (Yes, I'm still putting a ton of time into both, especially Fantasy Life.)

My parents also gave me a nice chunk of change, I have to add. Would it surprise you to hear I've already spent a portion of it on Japanese 3DS games?

Don't worry, I'll write about all of them here after they finally arrive on my doorstep (and after I've spent at least a little time with them).

In the meantime, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thursday--whether it's Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods or not.

On the one hand, this "Fat Chocobo" plush is completely adorable

On the other, uh, $86.90?

Sure, this "Fat Chocobo" plush is rather large as these things go--it's 11 by 12 by 17 inches, basically--and its design was inspired by a 3DS game I'm very much looking forward to sinking my teeth into soon (that would be Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call), but even then I can't say I think it's worth nearly $90.



Should any of you feel differently on this subject, you may want to go ahead and order one of these (admittedly adorable) toys via shopncsx.com.

Another option: buy one through amiami.com, which is selling the very same product for approximately $37 less. (AmiAmi's price is 5,480 yen, or just over $50.)

Final Fantasy Explorers will include bell weapons, which means I may have to buy a copy

Here's a queer little fact I'm guessing few people know about me: my favorite weapon type in my favorite Final Fantasy game--that would be Final Fantasy V--is the bell.

In fact, whenever I play through Final Fantasy V (and I've played through it a good many times over the years), I obtain the ninja job's "dual-wield" ability so I can give (at least) one of my characters a pair of bells to use against the game's bevy of baddies.

I bring up the above, by the way, because I just discovered that Square Enix's upcoming Monster Hunter-esque (or maybe I should say Crystal Chronicles-ish?) 3DS title, Final Fantasy Explorers, also will feature bell weapons--which of course makes me want to nab a copy of it as soon as possible.

The thing is, I'm still a bit iffy on the rest of this game. For starters, its graphics are underwhelming, to say the least, although I'd be OK with that if its overall art style were less ... generic, for lack of a better word.

And then there's its gameplay, which doesn't sound terrible, but also doesn't sound entirely interesting. Or maybe I should say it doesn't sound entirely interesting for someone like me, who is likely to play the game alone, rather than with others.

Still, I'm sure I'll strongly consider picking up Final Fantasy Explorers should it earn a North American release at some point in time--although given Square Enix's recent history (especially with the 3DS), I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

Are any of you also pondering this portable Final Fantasy spin-off?

I'd rather have a Dragon Quest Slime stress ball, but these Cactuar, Chocobo and Moogle ones will do in a pinch

I can't say I've ever had much interest in owning or even using a stress ball, but I'm giving the idea serious consideration after setting eyes on the Final Fantasy-themed ones that can be seen throughout this post.

If these were plushes or something of the sort, I'd point to the Chocobo and Moogle varieties as potential purchases, but what kind of monster would I have to be to enjoy pulverizing the faces of those adorable mascots?

I probably wouldn't have the same problem squishing Cactuar's noggin between my fingers, though, so let's say that's the one I'd go with if I were to go ahead and buy a Final Fantasy stress ball.

Shopncsx.com is selling these beauties for $15.90 apiece, by the way, with orders expected to begin shipping sometime next month.

Orioto x Final Fantasy VII

True story: I've only spent about a week of my life playing Squaresoft's (as Square Enix was known at the time) Final Fantasy VII.

This happened back when I was a freshman or sophomore in college, by the way. I used to rent a PlayStation system plus a game or two from a nearby Blockbuster (if memory serves) on a fairly regular basis, and on one occasion Final Fantasy VII was my chosen pick-up.

Oddly, I barely remember anything about this 32-bit RPG other than liking the rather chunky look of its protagonists (in the overworld segments, at least) and its soundtrack.

Which means, of course, that I'm going to have to buy a copy at some point and give it a proper playthrough. Maybe after I finally get a Vita?

In the meantime, I'll have to make do with staring at Orioto's Final Fantasy VII-inspired poster, seen on the right.

Should you want to own one of these posters, by the way, you can do so by heading to redbubble.com. Don't dawdle, though, as apparently Orioto's only selling 50 of them (at $16.20 a pop).

To see more of Orioto's art, check out his deviantart gallery.

Chocobo + Yoshi x Oskunk

I don't know which of the following pair of game-inspired "graffiti" illustrations I like better: the Yoshi one or the Chocobo one.

If I were forced to choose, I'd probably go with the latter, mainly because I've always had a soft spot for the banana-hued Final Fantasy mainstay, but also because I've had Square Enix's classic RPG series (and its spinoffs) on the mind lately due to the impending release of Theathrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call.

Regardless, both of these Oskunk creations are pretty cool, if you ask me. Speaking of Oskunk, if you'd like to see more examples of this French artist's work, I'd highly recommend checking out his blog, Custom Art, at your earliest convenience.

See also: 'An artistic mash-up I'd never considered before now: Kirby x Zelda'

Square Enix's curious Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call commercial

If I told you Square Enix just released a minute-long TV commercial for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call that features only 14 seconds of gameplay footage, would you be shocked?

Oh, and those 14 seconds of gameplay footage don't show up until the end of said ad, with the first 46 seconds consisting of famous scenes and music pulled from every Final Fantasy title that's seen the light of day so far, including a few spin-offs.



Not that I'm complaining. I actually really like the spot--although I can't help but wonder how effective it'll be at prompting sales of the 3DS game it's supposed to promote.

See also: my 'Great Gaymathon' review of the first Theatrhythm Final Fantasy title

I'm in serious trouble if the special edition Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call 3DS XL system also comes to North America

That sound you heard earlier this morning was me crowing in reaction to Square Enix's announcement that it will be releasing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call in North America (and Europe, too, it seems) sometime later this year.

The first Theatrhythm Final Fantasy title is one of my most-played 3DS games and was one of my favorite titles, period, of 2012, so I'm a tad excited that I'll soon be able to spend some quality time with this expanded follow-up as well.

Unfortunately, the folks at Square Enix didn't include a specific release date in this morning's announcement, although they did share the game's price ($39.99).



They also didn't reveal whether or not the spiffy special edition Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call 3DS XL system that will find its way onto Japanese store shelves in a couple of days will make its way to the West.

I'm kind of guessing it won't, to be honest, but if it does it's be a pretty safe bet that I'll buy one--unless Nintendo of America decides to, say, bring over the hot pink XL that's been available in Europe for ages now before then.

Anyway, are any of you similarly itching to pick up a copy of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call whenever it finally hits our shores?

Pre-order: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (Amazon)

I'd prefer a new Chocobo game, but I'll take a mug

Before I get to the focus of this post, which is the adorable Chocobo mug seen below, I have a question to ask the folks at Square Enix: when are you finally going to produce another console or, preferably, handheld game starring Chocobo?

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon was one of my favorite Wii games, and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales was pretty darn awesome, too. As such, I'd love to see another game that showcases the fluffy little fellow, especially if the game in question were to be made and released for the 3DS.

In the meantime, I guess I'll have to pacify myself by picking up one of the adorable Chocobo mugs being sold by Internet retailer NCS.

(You've got to love the shop's hilarious description of this item: "Whereas the front of the mug features Chocobo's face, the back sports a trail of Chocobo's claw prints on what we assume to be yellow snow.")

Just in case any of you are considering buying one and you'd like to know a bit more about the product before moving ahead with your purchase, each mug is 7.5 centimeters tall, holds 8 ounces of liquid and costs $16.90. Oh, and they'll ship in early February.

See also: 'Who wouldn't want to wake up to one of these slimy suckers?'

Five games I have to get back to (and hopefully finish) in 2014

I started a lot of games in the last year or two (or three) that I've yet to finish, but the five below are the ones I most want to get back to and "beat" in 2014.

Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360)--It's going to be very interesting to see if I actually go back to playing this one. Although I loved the bizarro story when I started playing it many moons ago, I wasn't so enamored with some of the gameplay (anything resembling a battle scene, basically). Still, I'd really like to finish it someday--if only so I can say I did it.

EarthBound (SNES)--I know, I know--it's wronger than wrong that I've yet to "beat" this legendary RPG. (I've tried three times now, if memory serves.) The thing is, I've loved every second I've played of it during each of my attempts--but something's always distracted me before I could complete it. Hopefully I can avoid that when I go back to my most recently created save file in early 2014.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)--This situation surrounding this game is a bit strange, as the only thing I have to do is beat its final boss. I've actually battled it a number of times already, and even made it as far as its third (and final, I think) form, but I faltered each and every time. So, I'm going to make another run at it next year--probably after bolstering my party a bit (or a lot).

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)--Another crying shame, right? I can't remember how many hours I put into this title before being pulled away by Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but I know it wasn't close to enough. Hopefully I can give it the attention it obviously deserves at some point during 2014.

Opoona (Wii)--I bought this unique, Dragon Quest-esque RPG with the best of intentions earlier this year, but only made it an hour or so in before walking away for some reason or another. I found the first 60 minutes to be pretty enjoyable, though, so I'll definitely do my best to further explore it in the next 12 months.

Are there any games you guys and gals started in 2013 (or before) and would like to finish next year? Let me know which ones in the comments section below.