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

I don't know about you, but I start every day by downing a couple of steaming mugfuls of coffee. Unfortunately, the mugs in question are about as boring as you can get--completely unadorned and white.

That may help explain why I'm more interested in acquiring the following Dragon Quest-themed mug than I probably should be.

Of course, I'm a Dragon Quest fan from way back, so that may be partially to blame for my curiosity, too.

Regardless, I'm intrigued--and I'm seriously considering buying one (for $22.90) once they become available at ncsx.com.

The question is: should I buy the one above, branded with the long-running RPG series' smiling mascot, or should I go with the one that features a similarly grinning metal slime?

The Great Gaymathon Review #15: SaGa Frontier (PlayStation)

Game: SaGa Frontier

Genre: RPG

Developer: Squaresoft

Publisher: Squaresoft

System: PlayStation

Release date: 1998

A lot of gamers--especially American ones--love to complain about Squaresoft's SaGa series. I'm not one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through each of the series' GameBoy iterations--known as Final Fantasy Legend in the States--as a tot, and I've similarly enjoyed what (admittedly little) I've played of the Super Famicom-based Romancing SaGa titles. That said, none of those games have tripped my trigger as much as the series' first 32-bit offering, SaGa Frontier. Sure, this expansive, open-ended RPG (one of the many traits it shares with its predecessors) isn't for everyone, but those looking for something out of the ordinary for the genre are most likely to enjoy it. My favorite aspects of SaGa Frontier: Its sci-fi setting; its non-linear storylines; its bevy of playable protagonists, party members and optional quests; and its beautiful battle scenes. That last bullet point, by the way, is chiefly responsible for my enjoyment of this crazy, Akitoshi Kawazu-crafted creation--especially when one of the game's many over-the-top combination attacks come into play.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

One through thirteen

I've played through a lot of Final Fantasy games over the years. The closest I've come to playing through them back to back, though, was when I played Final Fantasy IV, V and VI as soon as they were available during the 16-bit era.

Former game journo Justin Davis is planning to make that effort look like a "pfft"-worthy cakewalk over the lifetime of his new blog, finalfantasy sequence.com.

The point of Davis' blog: To follow his "chronological journey through the Final Fantasy franchise." Yes, that means he's planning to play, through completion, all 13 of the mainline Final Fantasy titles. (He has said that he may skip the MMO-ish 11th entry in the series, although he also has said that he's considering adding is-it-or-is-it-not-a-spin-off Final Fantasy X-2 to the mix.)

Davis has published just five posts thus far--all relating to his still-early playthrough of the original Final Fantasy--but it's already clear to me that his (hopefully) lengthy chronicle will be well worth following.

Seth Green, eh?

On the one hand, I think the following commercial, which the folks at Nintendo of America are using to promote the soon-to-be-released Dragon Quest IX, is funny. Hilarious even.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure it's actually going to push American gamers to buy the Level-5-developed RPG.



What do you think?

See also: 'Let's play: Which box art is better? (Dragon Quest IX edition)'

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Dragon Quest IX edition)

The folks at Nintendo have announced (finally!) European and North American release dates for the eagerly anticipated Square Enix/Level-5 RPG, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. North Americans will be able to get their grubby little hands on the DS title on July 11, while their European counterparts will be able to do so on July 23.

Although the European and North American versions of the game will retain most, if not all, of the features and qualities that made the Japanese original a mammoth hit, they will not retain that version's cover art (below).

Here's how the cover art will look on the European/North American versions of the game:

Which do I prefer? Eh, the Japanese version, I guess, although I can understand why the brass at Nintendo of America/Europe decided to change it (i.e., they probably considered the original art a bit too "Japanese" for Western audiences).

Anyway, if you want to know more about the European and North American versions of Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, head over to tinycartridge.com or toastyfrog.com. Or just click on this link to see the game's latest trailer.

See also: 'Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (PaRappa The Rapper edition)'

Amano + Final Fantasy IV x 2

The following photos are of the front and back cover of the Japanese PlayStation version of Final Fantasy IV, released in 1997.

I'm particularly fond of the image used on the front cover.

Although, the image (of Golbez) used on the back cover is pretty awesome, too.

See also: 'I ♥ Yoshitaka Amano'

I ♥ Yoshitaka Amano

I also ♥ Final Fantasy IV, which is why I'm sharing these scans of the (Japanese PlayStation version of the) game's instruction manual.

Here are Amano's depictions of Dark Knight Cecil and Paladin Cecil:

Cain and Rosa:

Edge, "Foo-Soo-Ya" (aka FuSoYa), Palom, Porom and Yang:

Cid, Gilbert, Rydia and Tella:

I'm particularly fond of Amano's rather effeminate take on Tella.

This is going to be another Chocobo's Dungeon game, right?

The word on the Interwebs is that the folks at Square Enix recently filed a European trademark for something called Chocobo's Crystal Tower.

This incredible Chocobo origami was designed by
Satoshi Kamiya and folded by Brian Chan.

It's unlikely the name will be attached to a localization of the sure-to-remain-a-Japanese-exclusive DS port of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon or the similarly-stuck-in-Japan Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales sequel (aka Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes), so that leaves some sort of unannounced title. The question is: Which system will be the proud recipient of said title?

Honestly, as long as it's a sequel to the fabulous Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, I don't care which system gets the game.

See also: 'Did hell freeze over last night?' and 'I can't for the life of me finish a game these days'

Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto is a tease

As in, he continues to tease Final Fantasy IX's forthcoming release on PSN.

Late last week, for instance, Hashimoto posted (via Square Enix's Twitter account) a photo of the game running on a white PSP. (Take a gander at it here.)

Unfortunately, that seems to be the extent of the longtime Square Enix producer's Tweet. Hopefully he'll mention a release date in his next one.

See also: 'Great minds really *do* think alike!'

(Via andriasang.com)

Say hello to my next desktop wallpaper

Well, well, well ... it seems I have Final Fantasy on the brain today. Please accept my apologies if you're not a fan.

Anyway, I came across the following image (download it here) yesterday while scanning a NeoGAF thread devoted to Square Enix's Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (aka Final Fantasy Gaiden: 4 Warriors of Light, aka The 4 Heroes of Light).

Aren't Akihiko Yoshida's character designs just about the cutest things you've ever seen?

See also: '(One of) my prayers have been answered: Final Fantasy Gaiden is going international'

Is it wrong that I want the soundtrack of a game I've never played?

If so, I'm guessing it's even more wrong that I want said soundtrack because of its cute cover.

According to andriasang.com, the 27-track album will be released in Japan on May 12 with a price tag of ¥1,800 (about $19).

Have any of you played Final Fantasy XI? If so, what did/do you think of it?

Honestly, I'd have bought the PS2 version day one if it hadn't required a hard drive and network adapter.

(One of) my prayers have been answered: Final Fantasy Gaiden is 'going international'

That's what someone over at siliconera.com is saying, at least.

According to an unnamed source, the folks at Square-Enix are preparing to bring the title known to Japanese gamers as Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden to the States as The 4 Heroes of Light.

No date or price is mentioned in the siliconera.com article. Hopefully someone at Square-Enix will fill in those gaps soon.

By the way, another of my gaming-related prayers will be answered when someone finally announces a North American release date for another retro-tinged RPG, 7th Dragon.

Speaking of Cecil, Kain, Rosa and Rydia ...

Whenever I play a Final Fantasy game these days, I name/rename the protagonist Cecil--and I name/rename the supporting characters Kain, Rosa and Rydia.

I think it's because Final Fantasy II/IV was the first RPG to really grab me.

I'm glad I didn't know about these "Trading Arts Mini Figs"
when they were released in 2007.

Do any of you do the same thing--or something similar?

8-bit Cecil, Kain, Rosa and Rydia

I've got Final Fantasy IV on the brain these days, what with the original version of the game hitting the Wii Virtual Console earlier this week and with me (finally) downloading the last few chapters of the WiiWare sequel late last week.

I guess that explains why this eBay listing caught my attention this morning. In case you're feeling lazy: The listing is for a "Chinese original" Famicom version of Final Fantasy IV. "Chinese original" obviously means it's a fan-made bootleg (much like the Famicom "port" of Final Fantasy VII that was released in 2005), which isn't a surprise since the game was never officially ported to or released for the Famicom.

That said, I'd pick this up in a heartbeat if I had a Famicom--despite the language barrier (it uses Simplified Chinese text, whatever that means).

I'm a sucker with a capital 's'

Or maybe I should say "with a capital 'f.'"

After all, I just purchased the last chapter of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years--which means I spent $37 ($8 for the first chapter, $21 for the next seven chapters and $8 for the last chapter) on the game when all was said and done.

Although I've enjoyed the journey so far (I just started Yang's tale), I'm not sure it's worth $37--especially when the original can be picked up (via the Wii Shop Channel) for the bargain-basement price of $8.

Have any of you given Final Fantasy IV: The After Years a go? If so, what do you think about it?

Did hell freeze over last night?

I ask because that's when I finished a game--and, well, I guess I assumed hell would freeze over before that happened.

So, which game did I finish? Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.

It took me just over 32 hours, by the way. About 30 minutes of that time was spent watching the title's painfully boring closing credit roll. I sat through it, though, because I knew a number of post-game dungeons would open up afterward. 

After I conquer those dungeons, I think I'll tackle another Final Fantasy spin-off that I started (but never completed) long ago--Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.

See also: 'I can't for the life of me finish a game these days'

Remember when I said Square Enix was planning to port Final Fantasy to the iPhone?

Well, the port has hit the U.S. App Store--at the rather attractive price of $8.99. (Attractive compared to the $19.99 price tag attached to the nearly identical PSP version of the game, at least.)

Anyway, here's a video of someone playing said port:



An iPhone port of Final Fantasy II--aka "the Final Fantasy even the biggest Final Fantasy fanboys should ignore"--is available, too, and also costs $8.99.

I'd probably pick up part one if I had an iPhone or an iPod touch. As it is, I'll probably pick it up for the PSP--if I can find it somewhere for $9.99 or less.

See also: 'You don't say: Square Enix is going to release Final Fantasy I and II *again*'

Don't mind me, I'm just chillin' with Dragon Quest IX

Actually, I'm not the one chillin' with Dragon Quest IX--some random YouTuber is, as evidenced in this rather strange video:



I'm posting the video here because, as strange as it is, it has reignited my interest in this game. I haven't played a Dragon Quest title since I worked my way through part one as a teen, but I'll definitely be picking up part IX--as soon as, you know, it's released in the U.S.

Hopefully the folks at Square Enix will announce a release date soon. And while they're at it, maybe they'll announce a release date for a localized version of Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden?

See also: 'Five DS games I hope to see stateside in 2010'

Reason #845 to be thankful for fan translators

I just discovered that a talented group of gamers (Crimson Nocturnal) are translating Square Enix's DS remake of SaGa 2 (known to most Westerners as Final Fantasy Legend II) into English.

Not only that, but the patch they're working on is coming right along. According to a recent update on Crimson Nocturnal's site, v1.0 is nearly complete and should be released "soon."

Although I'd prefer to (buy and) play an officially localized version of this game, I'll take what I can get.

See also: 'Reason #844 to be thankful for fan translators' and 'Reason #843 to be thankful for fan translators'

This WTF moment is brought to you by the folks at Square-Enix

In an effort to promote its most recent Dragon Quest remake (part six, for the DS), the folks at Square-Enix produced this bizarro live-action advertisement:



I'm a bit torn about it, to tell you the truth. It's either the most impressive thing I've experienced in a long time, or the most insane.

The hairstyles--especially the Flock of Seagulls-esque 'do on the main dude--and costumes certainly suggest it's the latter, as does the fact that the entire thing is in Spanish. (Does that have something to do with the game's story? I honestly have no idea.)

Regardless, it's work a look--as is this "making of" video.

(Via gonintendo.com and tinycartridge.com)