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Starting next Tuesday, gamers worldwide who participate in Final Fantasy XI will have the option to purchase a physical key token that is purported to enhance account security for all aspects of the PlayOnline network (I know, that still exists. Crazy, right?)

This token appears to be similar to other security tokens that you may have seen in workplaces or other environments where active security is required for information techology; about the size of many USB flash drives, the key generates a "random" number every thirty seconds that is used as part of the server login process, thereby requiring a thief to have your username, password, and token in hand to access your account details.

It appears that this token will be optional for the near future, but as Squenix purports the token to be compatible with future online initiatives, it may someday be a requirement for S-E gaming online. Orders are being taken for the tokens now at a cost of $9.99 for American gamers; anyone who orders the token will be delivered a special FFXI item to increase their item capacity, the "Mog Satchel."

Hit the source link below to learn more and see an image of the token. I, for one, didn't realize that account security was such a problem for FFXI; however, given that Blizzard has had a similar option since last year seems to indicate that yet again Square is trailing behind in online gaming innovation (and actually charging a bit more for it, in this case!).

Source: PlayOnline - Final Fantasy XI

There had been speculation that putting Final Fantasy XIII onto the Xbox might cause some trouble if they wanted it on one disc. Now there's speculation as to whether the PS3 version will be a standard or dual-layered Blu-Ray disc. The dual-layered discs can potentially store up to 50GB of data, which means that there will be two scenarios for the 360 version. One, quality is severely reduced. Two, quantity is severely reduced. Of course, there's always the chance that both scenarios will occur, in which case I feel sorry for all 360 owners right about now. Although, you never had the game to begin with, so no loss there... I guess. In addition, the demo that players were given only used half of the PS3's power. According to Square-Enix, the final version will use all of it. It should be noted, though, that the developers admitted that they had trouble working with the limited 512MB of RAM.

Of course, this is just one of many things discovered upon the trial of the Playstation 3 demo of Final Fantasy XIII. Highlights include a significant increase in the quality of the graphics, spells creating after-effects during battle, and cutscenes being rendered in realtime, rather than in CG. Fun times? Not if you're with Microsoft.

Source: The Magic Box

For a brief run in the late 1990's, in case you somehow were not aware, Squaresoft partnered with Eidos to release a couple games for Windows 98. These two games, of course, were the two smash hits Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. Of course, back then it was pretty hard to future-proof games like those, so once Windows XP became the dominant OS in the Windows world, a lot of people gave up on making the games work and as such they've been largely relegated to the bin. Since then, Square-Enix has largely turned a blind eye to the platform; while FFIX, FFX, FFXII, and other games from the stable could have been ported to Windows such as the earlier games were, the only Squenix game that's made it to the desktop has been the MMO Final Fantasy XI and its expansions.

Backstory aside, all that is due to change as of the last week of March. That is the day that Square returns to the PC gaming world by releasing The Last Remnant for the Windows platform, first in retail stores in the EU, followed by the same in the US, followed by Japan on April 9. And, in case you don't feel like dragging yourself to the shops, don't fret - part of this return to Windows includes a release on Steam, also on April 9, marking the first time that these two titans of gaming will work together (though hopefully not the last).

What does this mean, exactly? Well, really, it might not mean that much in practice, but there could be several outcomes. First, of course, is that the game tanks or is severely buggy on Windows, driving down sales and ending this new digital distribution strategy before it gets off the ground. However, it could also with success be another hit against the Playstation 3, giving Square-Enix another Microsoft-backed gaming platform on which to release its games. Finally, let's not forget that Squenix actually owns Eidos now, which in theory would pave the way for a prepatched re-release of both of the previous Final Fantasy PC games, give a leg up in producing more ports of other games from the massive library of S-E games, or even lead to a Games for Windows version of Final Fantasy XIII. For those gamers like me who find a new Windows rig every couple years to be a far better investment than a gaming console, the hopes are high.

Sources:
CVG

Wikipedia

Valve/Steam

For those who don't proclaim themselves "otaku" or whatever appropriated Japanese term is de rigueur these days, you've probably never had a chance to play Dragon Quest V. The original was released only in Japan (of course), for the Super Famicom and later in a remake for Playstation 2, but never off the islands of Japan.

No longer, though; as of today, you can get this game for your Nintendo DS in the US (Friday in the EU), with the enhanced 3D of the PS2 remake, but with an additional character as well. Not only that, if you're a member of the Square-Enix blog, there's also a bunch of e-tchotchkes released today as well.

This release means that every Dragon Quest game but VI has been released in the United States now; DQ6 is in development at this time but has no official release planned for Japan, the US, or the EU at this time.

Pick up your copy of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride from AmaCoN:
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (US)

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (UK/EU)

Sources:
Square-Enix Members
Wikipedia

...because the next installment in everybody's favorite RPG series has been confirmed to be a Japan exclusive for 2009. Sadly, North American audiences can't expect to try the first next-gen Final Fantasy until after April 2010... and if you're in Europe, well, don't hold your breath.

Oh, well. In the meantime, why not go pick up Final Fantasy Legend II? Or Chrono Trigger? Or Dragon Quest IV? Again?

Source: GameSpot

First was FF III, then FF IV, and now... SaGa 2? The second game in the long-running SaGa series, the first three of which came to North America as Final Fantasy Legend I, II, and III, is getting a DS remake in the same vein as the recent re-imaginings of Final Fantasy III and IV. According to an advert in the Japanese manga magazine Shounen Jump, the game will come out in Japan later this year. No word on any other release.



Source: Kotaku