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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

If your Squenix fantasies revolve around a mash-up of popular characters duking it out in some bizarre interdimensional struggle between good and (yawn) evil, the recent announcement of Dissidia's upcoming mid-2009 release is the culmination of your crossover cravings. Dissidia is Squenix's latest swipe at the fighting game genre, last attempted with Ergheiz on the original PlayStation and The Bouncer on the PS2, in which the player will have the power to choose between good and evil and stuff and, presumably, play through the story as everyone from Sephiroth to Zidane (complete with that ridiculous tail) to either save the world (because we're good guys) or destroy it (because we just can't help ourselves and, plus, we got thwarted last time we tried, except for Kefka, who, by my count, is still in the lead) as agents of either Cosmos (good god) or Chaos (figure it out) in an epic excuse to pit your favorite Squenix characters against each other in a battle to the most points (or something). Also, there will be summons. (Surprise!)

Source: Google, NPWNFAA*

*News Posters With News Forum Allergies Anonymous

Maestro Arnie Roth, the music director for the "Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds" concert series, has announced dates and locations for performances of the show for roughly the first half of 2009. However, you're still out of luck if you're not in or near one of only four American destinations on this tour.

In April, those who are just thawing out in Minneapolis and Grand Rapids, Michigan each get a show; about four weeks later, there's a single performance in Baltimore. After that, the show swings across the Pacific to Singapore for a pair of shows, and then it's back to the American West Coast in July for two shows in Seattle and another pair in San Francisco. Of course, more dates may be added as time wears on, but I wouldn't count on seeing too many; only two shows were played in the States in the whole of 2008.

The setlist for these concerts appears to be pretty static, though of course it is subject to change in terms of both sequence and overall setlist. Some highlights, however, include full orchestral arrangements of the Final Fantasy Main Theme, Final Fantasy IV's "Theme of Love," portions of Final Fantasy VI's Opera score, and Final Fantasy X's "To Zanarkand."

To find out more about the schedule, setlist, or to buy tickets if you're in the area of one of the shows (prices appear to range from about $30.00 to $100.00 a seat, depending on which city you look), visit the official Distant Worlds site.

The title says it all. Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii recently revealed that the tenth entry in the popular Dragon Quest series will be on the Wii. There is no background storyline information available, nor do we know anything about the game's visuals, basic gameplay mechanics, or motion controls. There is also no word on connectivity between the DS's Dragon Quest IX and Dragon Quest X.

Horii also confirmed Dragon Quest IX's release date, which is March 28th in Japan.

Source: Joystiq