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November 15th, 2005 almost marks a new beginning for Enix's flagship series. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King will be the first DQ game in the US to use the Japanese series name (thanks to Enix acquiring the US rights to the name in 2003), it is the first DQ game to be played in full 3D, and it has received both commercial success (3 million copies sold in its first week in Japan) and critical acclaim (a 9.0 from Gamespot and a 9.5 from 1up). American gamers can experience what is being hailed as the best game in the storied series on the PS2 starting today.

Dragon Quest VIII uses the creative talents of the series' original "big three" (Producer/Director Yuji Horii, character designer Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball __ fame, and music composer Koichi Sugiyama) and the visual stylings of the development team Level-5 (most well-known for their Dark Cloud games) to create this PS2 RPG. You assume the role of a name-it-yourself silent protagonist who teams up with the kind-hearted former bandit Yangus, the attractive young sorceress Jessica, and the suave Templar Angelo to try and save the kingdom of Trodain from the evil jester Dhoulmagus. Dhoulmagus has used a powerful magic scepter to transform the good King Trode in to a troll, his daughter in to a horse, and every other denizen of Trodain in to thorns. Somehow, The Hero (as every principal protagonist in the DQ/DW series is called), a young guardsman of the castle, managed to be unaffected by the spell and now travels with the king and princess on a journey to undo the curse.

One thing that is particularly striking about Dragon Quest VIII is the modern visuals. The massive, immersive continuous 3D world really looks excellent. However, that's where most of the modern features end. Dragon Quest VIII uses the traditional methods of random battles, level-ups, and round-based combat that the series has used since it's beginning in 1982, but it offers a degree of customization by allowing characters to distribute Skill Points earned a level-ups to different weapon skill levels and innate skill levels. For example, Angelo learns a great deal of healing magic if you give him points in Staves, and learns offensive movies if you give him points in Swords. In any case, the game looks to be extremely old-school rpg with absolutely gorgeous, if a bit cartoonish, graphics and a world map that's a wonder to behold.

And if that isn't enough to pique your interest, keep in mind that DQ VIII contains a bonus demo for Final Fantasy XII, which you may have heard gaming sites discussing in detail recently. That will only serve as added incentive for fans of Square-Enix to purchase this new game.

So let's review: Switching to Japanese titles, hitting 3D for the first time, excellent visual presentation, commericial success, and consistent critical acclaim? Sounds like Final Fantasy VII to me. Will DQ VIII parallel FF VII's succes? Probably not, but in any case, if you've been a fan of the Dragon Quest series for awhile or at least have a fondness for old-school RPGs then this game might be worth checking out. If you want to learn more about DQ VIII, check out some of the links below.

Gamespot's review
1up's review
Square-Enix's official website
Wikipedia's DQ VIII entry

Famitsu magazine recently revealed new details concerning the two latest Mana games: Seiken Densetsu 4 and Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana.

The former, according to producer Koichi Ishii, will feature the Havok physics engine used in many recent games including Half-Life 2 and Max Payne 2. The engine will allow for innovative interaction with surrounding environments and objects, giving the feel of a much more realistic world, Ishii hopes. Titles on both the PlayStation 2 and XBox gaming systems have experienced the depth of the Havok engine in the past, as has the PC, but the console on which Seiken Densetsu 4 will be launched has yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, several story, battle and character details from the upcoming Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana have been announced in spades.

The game begins on an island located at the very center of the world, known as Illuja Island, where the familiar Mana Tree has stood since the beginning of time. But an unspecified disaster strikes, killing many residents of Illuja. Three young survivors manage to gather at the base of the Mana Tree, and their adventure begins.

The heroes of the game consist of the following:

• Frick: A young man who, many years prior to the disaster, was rescued by a wandering swordsman who inspired him to learn swordsmanship for himself. Frick's attitude is quite upbeat and cheerful, but his whole family is killed in the disaster on the island.
  
• Tumble: A former dancer and acrobat for a traveling circus, Tumble is very mature for her age, enough to cause others to believe she's much older than she actually is. Both her parents and her brother are killed in the island's disaster.
  
• Pop: A fearless and laid back individual, Pop often speaks and acts before he thinks. Although this leads others to think he's immature, he despises being treated like anything other than an adult. Pop's father dies in the disaster, but his mother passed away years before when giving birth.

The game will once again feature many of the battle traits present in the previous titles. Among the weapons included in Children of Mana, the sword, bow, and flail have been confirmed. The former two will function as normal while the flail will have the added advantage of longer range attacks than the sword and the ability to grapple far off enemies and objects. The length of the main quest itself is estimated to be around 25-30 hours.

Development is currently 60% complete and is scheduled to be finished just in time for its Japanese release sometime this winter. No word yet on a North American release date, but the title Children of Mana has been trademarked by Square-Enix in the US.

(Thanks go out to href="http://www.cavesofnarshe.com/forums/ipb/index.php?showuser=529">laszlow for the links)

Source: RPGamer
Children of Mana Details

Yoichi Wada, the current president of Square-Enix, made what many fans would consider an exciting announcement yesterday at Japan's Nintendo DS Conference: Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI are now in the process of being re-released on the Game Boy Advance. Much like Final Fantasy IV Advance, the games will receive extra content unfamiliar to both their Super Nintendo and PlayStation versions. Both titles are scheduled to be released sometime next year.

On an interesting note, Wada added that the Final Fantasy III remake for Nintendo DS is indeed well into development. The reason for the slower than anticipated progress? The graphics, specifically those of the characters and fields, are now being made up with polygons, giving the game an authentic 3D look.

(Big thanks to SSJ_Cloud for providing the link)

Source: Games Are Fun

Two new installments to the beloved Seiken Densetsu series are on the way, and it's about time! Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana and the long awaited Seiken Densetsu 4 were recently announced by Square Enix as part of the company's World of Mana project. As the title of the first game implies, Children of Mana will be released on the Nintendo DS heldheld, continuing the series tradition of 2D graphics. Seiken Densetsu 4 will feature highly-detailed 3D graphics, but it is currently unknown on what platform it will appear.

While no US release dates are in sight for either game, Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana will be on sale in Japan in 2006. No release date has been confirmed for Seiken Densetsu 4.

Source: RPGFan

As any person eagerly awaiting the release of Final Fantasy XII can tell you, it's been a long time since we've been allowed to see a new trailer for the game. Well, Square-Enix has decided to throw us fans a bone with a new video showcasing some amazing looking visuals, and some of the Japanese voice acting (with english subtitles).

They haven't added any of the actual in-game footage, but come on, it's Square-Enix, when do they ever show actual gameplay footage in their trailers?

Source: FFShrine

Square Enix announced Saturday that it would be offering original Final Fantasy soundtracks for download via iTunes.

Soundtracks for all eleven numbered Final Fantasy games, from I to XI, are represented, as well as a few other series-related albums, such as a live recording of the 2002 FF-themed concert put on by the Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. This marks the first time any of these albums have been available in the United States.

A complete listing of Final Fantasy soundtracks now available on iTunes can be found at Square Enix's Official Website.