October 9th, 2008 by Squareman
Fans of the Chrono Trigger series of games who have been waiting for the next installment of the game will be a bit disappointed with this news. The Chrono Trigger which is scheduled to be released on the Nintendo DS on November 25 will not be a new game, but rather a remake of the original. Square Enix seems fond of offering its best games on multiple platforms, with remakes of the Final Fantasy series gracing the PSP almost every month. The game is receiving an update though, you’ll be able to choose between two control types. The first is the standard D-Pad Control, and the second is moving your character with the stylus. From what I remember correctly, the game world in Chrono Trigger is placed very close together, so moving around the world with just the stylus could cause you some problems, such as entering buildings you didn’t want to enter, or talking to people you want to ignore.
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October 8th, 2008 by Squareman
Well, this is certainly a different bit of news than the Final Fantasy tidbits I’m used to reporting on. NeuroSky has been promoting its particular brand of mind-controlled gaming since about 2005, when it had Sega on the hook to produce a game around the technology. Nothing ever spawned of that venture, but today it was announced Square Enix and NeuroSky have teamed up and will unveil a mind-controlled game demo on Thursday, at the Tokyo Game Show. The set up is on a Windows PC and a MindSky headset, which runs Square’s software specifically made for the demo. The headset fits over your head with earmuffs and has an electrode which monitors your brainwaves. The headset is compatible will lots of different platforms, so it’s possible if this demo gets a positive reaction, we could be seeing mind-controlled games on both console and computer. It’s not specified what level of control your brainwaves have over the game, but NeuroSky says the headset only currently monitors your level of relaxation and concentration. For those who will be attending the gameshow, the demo will take place in NeuroSky’s booth at the Tokyo Game Show on October 9th. Personally, I’m looking forward to footage of this venture and wouldn’t mind giving it a try myself.
October 7th, 2008 by Squareman
Perhaps one of the biggest bombshells dropped by the gaming industry this year was the fact that Finaly Fantasy XIII will be available for the Xbox 360. Aside from this announcement, there’s really not much more to expect from Square Enix, other than their new title for the PSP. This year, Square Enix will be bringing 25 titles to the show, but only six of them are directly related to the Final Fantasy franchise. Of those twenty five games, only nine of them will be playable, which means development on the other sixteen games has either just started, or they’re releasing concept ideas only.
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October 6th, 2008 by Squareman
Here’s a great bit of news for you Final Fantasy fans out there. A few days ago, a new Crystal Chronicles title was announced, but even better, it can be played on the Wii and the DS, at the same time! The featured Wii/DS connection allows you to play the game with up to four players using the different character classes, both locally and online. This is made possible by the Pollux Engine which was created by Square Enix for this specific purpose. Of course, the two versions will have different gameplay due to their difference in controls, as the DS stylus would be unable to do some the same things the Wii Remote can do.
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September 30th, 2008 by Squareman
The development of Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS is apparently not far enough along to allow for a playable demo at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. While this news comes as a disappointment for fans of the series, during a recent press conference, President Yoichi Wada of Square Enix stated that the game will be available during the Japanese New Year.
Considering that the Japanese New Year runs between January 1st and January 4th, it would appear that we’ve got a bit more of a concrete date then we had expected. The news clip that reported this information was fairly vague, but supporting reports have stated that Dragon Quest IX is on Square Enix’s line up for a launch before the end of this financial year.
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