Latest, greatest FFXII: Revenant Wings trailer

If the new trailer for Square-Enix's upcoming DS extravaganza, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings doesn't make you call for mama (in a good way), I don't know what will.

This one shows a number of the game's spells in action. Believe me when I say they are a sight to behold--as are the rest of the title's graphics, for that matter.

Actually, you don't need to believe me, do you? Just go ahead and click that little link at the top of this blurb--it'll take you to the video and you can see for yourself.

If you're Jonesing for more information about what could be Square's greatest portable title to date (I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that could be true), check out the preview 1up.com just posted. They discuss the intricacies of the game's summon spells, and sound quite impressed overall.

Opoona starts showing its true colors

I have to admit that when I first saw screenshots of Koei's upcoming Wii RPG, Opoona, I was not too impressed. Something about it looked quite cheap--probably due to the characters being made up of simple, flatly colored balls. That they were set against backdrops that looked vaguely photo-realistic made the experience even more jarring.

Well, Koei has made me do a 180 thanks to the 2-minute video teaser they just planted on their website. In motion the game is smooth as silk, and the battles look epic indeed. I'm curious to find out more about how the game plays (using just the nunchuck attachment seems a bit weird), but until then I can definitely say my interest has been piqued.

Speaking of Saturn games on the Wii...

According to GoNintendo, the latest issue of the Official Nintendo magazine is promising readers an exclusive look at an unknown Wii game in its next issue. A few highly observant visitors to the fine Nintendo fan site have decided the star-filled image that accompanied the announcement indicates the mystery game will be none other than a sequel to one of the most highly regarded Sega Saturn games of all time, Nights into Dreams.

The game's developer has long praised Nintendo's newest system and has even commented on the possibility of a Nights sequel on the system, so I guess it's not too surprising. Fingers crossed that the rumor is true and that the game marks a return to form for the sagging Sega.

Saturn games coming soon to a Wii near you?

The rumor that Sega Saturn games will be appearing on the Wii Virtual Console has been making its way around the web for some time now, but it's picking up steam again due to some chatter coming from a DigiPen student. (The game design school is adjacent to Nintendo's headquarters.)

Nintendo certainly could go down that road if it wanted to, as evidenced by the large downloads available to those using Internet-enabled PS3s and Xbox 360s. And, as many pundits have already pointed out, Sega and the big N sure have been chummy as of late.

So, who knows? We know more systems (at least one) have yet to be announced for the VC, so the Saturn is as plausible as any.

What do you think: Are video games art?

Today's a great day--Gamasutra.com has just published my second feature article, which looks to answer the question "are games art?"

I spoke to a number of wonderful developers for this piece: Ian Bogost (Persuasive Games), Denis Dyack (Silicon Knights), Peter Molyneux (Lionhead Studios) Tim Schafer (Double Fine Productions) and Santiago Siri (Three Melons).

They had a lot to say about this age-old question, so if you have a minute, give it the once-through. Let me know what you think about it--and let me know what you think about the question ("are games art?") as well.