Prospective Previews: Even More Final Fantasy Madness

Looks like I spoke too soon about giving the Final Fantasy posts a break; Just when I thought the media surge was over, even more trailers and scans have popped up on the internet, covering nearly all of Square Enix’s upcoming blockbuster hits.

Count yourself lucky, fans, because I’m going to collect all that info, including a nice big avi file that collects all the Re: DVD trailers into one 600mb movie. And yes, you can play it on your Playstation 3.

So let’s get that link out of the way so you can read the rest of my post while you download. Grab the Re: Collection trailer here. For those preferring a torrent, you can grab one here. Thanks to Kagari of NeoGAF for the ripping and uploading of this file.

Now, as Kefka would say, let’s get this party started.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete:

Streaming Trailer

With the exception of this year’s The Dark Knight, Final Fantasy VII’s epic return as 90 minute CG movie was the last time I truly became excited for something. I’m talking  Nintendo Sixty-Fouuuuuuuuuur excited. Not only was it a proper return for the characters and setting that left so abruptly in 1997, but it also served as an introduction to an independent series of FFVII-related spinoffs and sequels.

Many people shared my sentiment, but then soon scoffed at the film for being essentially a 90 minute FMV of nonstop fighting and little development. I was fine with the film, knowing that above all else it was supposed to be a fanservice movie, but it certainly could have slowed down a bit and added more expositional dialogue.

Which is why I can’t help but get excited again at the Blu Ray version of the film, which adds brand new and extended scenes (reportedly around 30 minutes more). This trailer is the first confirmation that there will be new dialog scenes in addition to the extended fights. For fans fresh off of Crisis Core, there will also be an extended flashback sequence with Zack (and I can only hope we’ll get some highlights of his final battle in that game). For people who scratched their heads at the origins of Geostigma and Kadaj, both plot points will also be addressed in full during the added conversation.

But will we be getting any extra scenes not involving Cloud? Could the rest of the party get their due in some new encounters? Aside from a new sequence where Denzel dispatches an enemy, that has yet to be revealed. It sure would be cool if Tifa’s fight with Loz would get changed so the battle ends in her favor.

Fabula Nova Crystallis:

The videos for both games are still available in my previous post, or you can just watch the ones included in the Replay file above. Some new scans have appeared for both games, including one from this week’s Jump magazine, showcasing a pretty picture of Sera along with some official shots of the game’s battle mode. It also reveals that “Sera” may just be an alias, as the character’s official name is listed in the scan, to the confusion of translators; The best they can decode from the Kanji is “Wolva Dia Vanilla”, with alternate translations of the first name as “Vova” or “Wova”. I’m certain I’m not the only one to be reminded of an old Seinfeld joke (that’s two for FFXIII).

Regardless, they are certain her last name is indeed “Vanilla”. Make of that what you will.

Some new scans of Versus have been included as well, with no new information aside from the full names of Noctis and Stella (which I won’t attempt to replicate in this post), along with a couple Agito pics for good measure. All scans can be found below (click for bigger size):

And to top things off, here’s a simple but effective fan-art of Sera (or Vanilla, rather) by GAF member KurowaSan:

Kingdom Hearts Portable Series:

Birth By Sleep Streaming Trailer

Birth By Sleep Gameplay Trailer

358/2 Days Streaming Trailler (subtitled)

358/2 Days Gameplay Trailer

358/2 Days Gameplay Trailer 2

Coded Streaming Trailer

The Square Enix love didn’t stop with Final Fantasy, though. Also included in the Re: DVD were new trailers for the three upcoming Kingdom Hearts spinoffs. Obviously, this is Square’s biggest moneymaker right now, so it’s only natural that these titles not only get a near-simultaneous release worldwide, but also push the portable systems to the limit with big budget graphics.

Birth By Sleep is the most impressive looking of the three titles, showing graphics practically on par with KHII on the PS2…so much so that it could be mistaken as a legitimate sequel instead of a prequel, set 14 years prior to the first game, and starring three new characters (one of them, Ven, having an obnoxiously obvious connection to Roxas, including the same VA) who venture into previously unseen worlds, including Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella’s worlds. The latter level looks quite entertaining, with a large path leading to her castle (the same one you’d take in the theme park), and an encounter with Lucifer (the cat, not the devil). Sleeping Beauty’s level features an encounter with an enchanted boss version of the spindle that pricked her finger, which is amusing considering how far Square must have reached to decide on a boss like that.

358/2 Days, which is probably the most confounding RPG subtitle ever, looks to really rev up the drama with an all-too serious look into Roxas and Organization XIII, filling in the one year gap from Chain of Memories to KHII. The cutscenes are quite marvelous to look at, and the only way they could have outdone the sympathy factor with soft-speaking cutie Xion is by making her a puppy (which would make about as much sense as her very existence as Organization XIII’s fourteenth member. And if they’re trying to imply that she’s the Nobody of Kairi, I was under the impression that role was filled by Namine). The actual gameplay looks pretty fun too, allowing four players to play as any of the Organization members (I call Xaldin!), but the DS graphics really sting compared to the beefier PSP hardware.

It still looks better than Coded, which admittedly looks impressive for a cellphone game, but I have doubts if our phones will even be able to run it; We still haven’t gotten Before Crisis, after all.

Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday:

Streaming Trailer

There really isn’t much that can be gathered from this brief teaser, but the underlying message is clear enough: We’re finally getting a Parasite Eve sequel, and Square wised up by moving it from the cellphone to PSP. One of these days I’ll have to try the second game, despite the many criticisms against it. I’ve also forgotten how sweet that main theme is.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy Impressions:

Before I wrap this post up, I’d like to offer my impressions on Dissidia after playing a few battles. Now that the game is officially out in Japan, I decided to “sample” it on my American PSP. I won’t get into the details, since you can easily find out yourself with just a little bit of searching, but I wanted to see how much of the game I could figure out without using any guides.

For my first playthrough, I stuck to Player vs CPU battles, instead of trying the main story. From the outset, you’re able to choose all the heroes from the Cosmos side, with none of the Chaos villains or extra characters available yet. I first decided to use Warrior of Light against Firion. After selecting an opponent, you get to pick a stage, set some parameters on the CPU, choose a BGM of your choice, and equip one out of a pair of items, each offering different stat boosts (extra HP, DEF+, etc).

The fights are just as entertaining as they look in the trailer. You’re primarily locked on to your opponent, with the camera doing a respectable job of displaying both characters no matter how far apart they get (with a few minor instances of your view becoming obstructed by levels with ceilings, such as the Magitek Research Facility). Battles can vary in length depending how much you’ll want to play tag with your opponent, or vice versa. All characters have the ability to climb up walls and pillars, as well as double jumping and dodging indefinitely. It can be a quest in itself to catch up to a speedy opponent who climbs up three walls and zooms away, but supposedly there’s a button command to let you instantly catch up to them, but I haven’t found it yet.

The O button is the primary attack (likely to get mapped to X for NA), which in WoL’s case is a series of slashes, while the Square button is a magic attack (beams of light, natch) that can be charged. X is for jumping, and R1 is for blocking. Push X and R1 and you can dodge, which is essential to avoid some of the big attacks. You can launch opponents into the air, push X to zoom up to them, and O to give them a hard hit that launches them further into the air, or right into a wall. The opponent can counter the launch and put you on the receiving end to a chunk of granite, or the two of you can keep slashing and dodging  each other in midair. This is the highlight of the game, as it reeks of cool to watch two fighters climb walls (and in one case, on top of a ceiling, in which the camera rotates to both of them as they’re upside down), launching one person into the air and then engaging in an aerial battle for supremacy. It reeks of Advent Children, but it also works effectively.

What I can’t figure out is the HP system, in which under certain combinations, attacks can deal far more damage than normal, to the point that a losing character can quickly turn the tide with a devastating attack. The game rewards counterattacks, at the very least, as well as hitting an opponent from behind or during a failed dodge maneuver. There’s also a bar that fills up for the EX-mode, but it can fill up instantly if you collect a glowing bell that materializes in the field, much like the Smash Ball in Super Smash Bros Brawl. Whoever mad dashes it to the bell can then perform the EX-mode by hitting the opponent with a Square+R1 attack, which then results in different commands for each character; For Cloud, it’s tapping the Circle button for Omnislash, for Terra it’s a directional pad+button combination, and Squall’s depends on the correct timing of R1, just like in his own game. For people on the receiving end of an EX attack, pressing Circle rapidly will fill up a gauge to the left which I assume is to reduce damage, but that won’t do you a lick of good if you’re already at low health.

The AI is vicious in this game, at least for someone inexperienced as me. In my battle of Warrior of Light against Firion, it took four attempts to barely subdue him, as he always managed to get off an EX-mode finish. My next play of Cloud vs Squall fared a bit better, as the two were about evenly matched. The next battle of Cloud vs Zidane was a lot tougher, due to his speedy moves and small size. As for Terra vs Cecil, the Dark Knight/Paladin whooped the living crap out of the poor half-Esper. Terra’s regular attacks do very little damage, in which it falls upon you to use her more advanced spells. She certainly has a lot of variety, with each attack mapped to a particular element (Ice, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth), but she must have very low defense considering how Cecil pummeled her with his Dark Wave and lance attacks. His EX-mode is particularly painful, in which he attacks you as both a Paladin and a Dark Knight, chaining attacks from both jobs. At least I was able to pull an EX-mode of my own, in which she morphs into her Esper form and charges up for a big magic spell. I particularly liked that finishing an opponent off in Esper mode has her do an exclusive victory pose under that very form.

The stages I tried were Garland’s Castle from FFI, the dimensional castle from FFV, the Lifestream from FFVII, and the Magitek Resarch Facility from FFVI. Many of these areas have no floors, but it isn’t hard to maintain yourself in the air. Even if you do fall, you’ll just pop up on solid ground with a small deduction of HP. Of the areas I tried, the Lifestream was the most entertaining, as there’s nearly no limit to where you can climb; Watching two characters running up the walls of life energy, then dashing toward each other in the air was a thing of beauty. The Magitek factory was a bit confusing with its multiple paths, but has an interesting aesthetic where you can get a boost in energy by standing under certain patches of glowing particles (Magitek energy, or leaked Esper energy? I suppose they’re one and the same, regardless).

Much of the music is either classic tracks taken from an existing arrangement (such as the Black Mages or the Orchestral performances), but there’s some brand new arrangements too, including, finally, an arrangement of my favorite boss theme, The Fierce Battle from FFVI. The arrangement of FFIX’s standard battle theme was quite entertaining as well.

While it still isn’t confirmed if there are any unannounced characters, the game doesn’t lack in extras; more than once after a battle, I would be greeted by a tiny sprite Chocobo, kweh kwehing about while a tiny icon appeared above its head (such as a music note or a sword icon), no doubt indicating that I’ve unlocked a new item or BGM. There’s also greyed out icons in the main menu, possibly extra modes that require unlocking. It seems that you also automatically receive a new item when playing the game at a certain day or time.

All in all, Dissidia delivers, even though the paltry list of characters is highly unfortunate. The actual game itself can be played just fine without knowing any kanji (but you might require a guide for the more complex commands), but I’ll only be playing a few brief sessions before shutting down for good and waiting for the official NA release.

Tune in when my Mirror’s Edge review will go up, which should be around Friday. That should also conclude any further Final Fantasy posts for a while. Maybe. Probably.

*All images taken from FFXIII-net.

*Re:DVD Trailer ripped and encoded by Kagari of NeoGAF.

*Sera fan-art provided by KurowaSan of NeoGAF.

Empowered Editorials: Dissidia’s Do’s and Dont’s

The EE category was created for whenever I feel the need to post something insightful and enriching. Or to mercilessly bitch about the continued injustices of the gaming industry.

Today I’ll be using EE to continue my discussion from the Dissidia preview. As I mentioned before, there’s a lot of FF characters that would be perfect for a fighting game, along with some that should be included just for fun. With over 13 games (and counting) to choose from, Square Enix can keep digging from the Final Fantasy archives to fill up their rosters for future entries into the new Dissidia series.

That said, I’m sure many fans are disappointed by the lack of female characters included in the upcoming brawler, turning the heroes side into a venerable sausage fest, minus one. The women of the Final Fantasy series have proved to be just as popular as the males, if not more so; I’ve always found it much easier to sympathize with the female characters when the need for an emotional reaction is required. After all, it’s the hero’s job to protect the people he cherishes most, and our job to cheer him on when he beats the Big Bad and rides off with his lady love into the sunset as the credits roll, so it’s small wonder the heroines are as beloved as the protagonists. That’s especially true when the heroine is capable enough to protect her lover during the most trying scenarios.

Plus, who doesn’t enjoy watching hot girls beat the crap out of each other? This guy had the right idea, along with enough CG talent to pull off a cheesy but ultimately entertaining fan series.

Even though I find an FF/DOA pairing a little silly (although with Square continuing to try and buy off Tecmo, that could become a disturbing reality), the action is very impressive, plus he has Tifa use a Drunken stance midway through, so kudos to the guys responsible.

Anyway, I’m going to list my choices for characters that should be included in the Dissidia series, most of which are naturally women, but with a few guys included as well. I’ll also be listing characters that I would prefer don’t show up, for reasons that I’ll get into below.

For this article, I decided to be a bit unique and have all my pictures come from DeviantArt. For my preferred characters, I searched long and hard for fan-art that was actually decent and not eye-gougingly bad.

It was not an easy task. DeviantArt has some really terrible artwork. Like, really, really bad.

I think I’ve horrified you enough. Now let’s get started.

Characters who should be in Dissidia:

A redesign that didn't just improve her look, but her fan-art and cosplayers too.

Tifa Lockhart: The biggest no-brainer on the list. It goes without saying that Tifa is one of the most popular characters in Final Fantasy history (even if many people take their devotion a little too far), but it’s only natural to want a character that specializes in martial arts to be included in a fighting game. Even though most of the other characters wield weapons, Tifa has proven to be adaptable against any opponent with her quick combos and inexplicable strength. When Kingdom Hearts 2 was nearing its Japanese release, every Disney and Final Fantasy character was already unveiled with the exception of Tifa; Square kept her role a secret until the game was released in stores, no doubt as a surprise for all her fans. Maybe history will repeat itself when Dissidia is released…

This would have been a better image without Mog. Those toes freak me out.

Celes Chere: As much as I love Terra’s inclusion in the game, if I had the chance to swap her with Celes, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Like Tifa, Celes is another beauty with severe emotional issues, but also a strong will to face any opponent to protect those important to her. Her Runic ability, which lets her absorb any magic cast, could be an interesting gameplay mechanic in Dissidia. Considering her near likeness to Terra (I’ve always had a theory on that…), it’s possible Celes could make the cut as an alternate skin for Terra, but I would much prefer that she have her own model, move list, and story.

There's plenty of excellent Japanese fan-art of Rydia, but that would be cheating.

Rydia: Since the current characters of Dissidia all have the ability to summon, Rydia’s defining ability may not be unique enough for Square to consider including her. However, there’s no doubt that Rydia is another one of FF’s more popular female characters, and her makeover for the DS version of FFIV has practically tripled the amount of fan-arts and cosplayers of her. Plus, like Cecil, it would be cool if she had the ability to switch between her child and adult forms, having different magic spells and Summons for each.

I had to stick to her old outfit. Fan-art of her FFX-2 garb is too distracting....

Rikku: I could just as easily recommend Yuffie instead to fulfill the role of a speedy, quick attacking female character, but to avoid cluttering the game with too many FFVII characters, I’ll nominate Rikku instead. Cute as a button and hyper as a kid getting an N64 on Christmas, Rikku would be another welcome addition to filling in the low list of female characters.

There's a lot of fan-art of her as an adult. None of it is any good.

Relm Arrowny: Allow me to clarify a bit with this decision: I don’t think Relm has enough uniqueness to become a full fledged character for Dissidia, but I do like the idea of adding her as a support character. Much like the Assist Trophies in Super Smash Bros Brawl, or the support teammates from Marvel vs Capcom, support characters would appear onscreen, use a single assisting attack, then disappear. I think this would be a great way to toss in more lower tier FF characters. Relm here could use her Sketch ability to use one opponent’s signature attack against them.

Was this going to be one of those motivational posters?

Freya Crescent: If Square is eager to use non-human female characters, then why not include the underutilized cult favorite Freya? A full fledged Dragoon who could pull off some cool lance maneuvers, Freya’s inclusion would further flesh her out after taking a backseat midway in FFIX, and increase her popularity as well. Plus, I would love to see her perform a river-dance for her victory animation.

The kanji means this was probably stolen and falsely credited.

Prishe: Shantotto fans may have outvoted Prishe as the FFXI candidate for Dissidia, but that doesn’t mean Prishe should be forgotten either. My personal favorite character from FFXI, and the star of the best of the expansion packs (Chains of Promathia), Prishe is courageous, swears like a sailor, and successfully managed a Monk/White Mage combination, which would ordinarily guarantee no invitations to go level grinding in Valkurm Dunes.

I was certain there was artwork of the whole group. If only I could find it...

Ark Angels: Since Shantotto is considered an Extra Character, she probably won’t get an opposing villain from FFXI. But when the day does come to consider an adversary from that game, the Ark Angels would be the perfect choice. This ghostly group, consisting of one of every race from FFXI, has driven many players mad with frustration, but also envious of their cool designs.

Most FFT fan-art is actually pretty decent. Maybe its fans are slightly more sophisticated.

Ramza & Delita: I’ll confess: The only reason I’m mentioning Ramza is so Delita can be included as his opposition. Regardless, giving Ramza the ability to switch between any job at any time could make him a unique enough addition, or at least as a replacement for Bartz in the sequel.

I had to go through a lot of gay Seifer porn to find an image like this.

Seifer: As I mentioned before, Square decided on including Jecht instead of Seymor because he would serve as a more emotional adversary for Tidus. With that said, I’m perplexed why Seifer wasn’t included as Squall’s enemy, as there’s more tension between the two than Ultimecia could ever manage. Plus, Seifer could work as another loose cannon villain along with Jecht and Sephiroth, too arrogant and proud to ally with anyone else.

Not as much gay porn, but it still took some searching.

Basch & Gabranth: I’m sure most FFXII fans would have voted for Balthier to be used in Dissidia, but I feel he’s gotten enough love; Time to make amends for wrestling the lead role from Basch and giving it to Vaan. Basch would bring some much needed manliness to the heroes roster, and Gabranth would serve as another heavily armored villain, although his armor is at least more proportionate than Golbez’.

Auron is awesome.

Auron: It’s Auron. ‘Nuff said.

Sabin's at the top right in case you missed it.

The Figaro Brothers: I couldn’t possibly choose between the two, so I’ll mention them both; Sabin is another character whose specialty is hand to hand fighting, so he’d be a natural fit for a fighting game, and Edgar must always follow along as balance with his nimbler frame and variety of tools. Plus, he would be good competition for Zidane over who can charm the most women.

I couldn't find a good color picture.

Gilgamesh: I mentioned Gilgamesh before, but aside from his tremendous popularity (of which, for a time, perplexed me), Gilgamesh has become the one Final Fantasy character that has a legitimate excuse for popping up in every game; a dimension-hopping doofus that loves to boast, Gilgamesh will always be welcome as a bonus character no matter what game he’s in.

I don't get what the grim reaper emblem is supposed to be, but still a pretty good pic.

Laguna Loire: One of the first goofball FF characters to get quick recognition from fans, Laguna’s Forest Gump-like ability to achieve great success with great stupidity has made him one of the most endearing characters. And who doesn’t love his kickass theme song?

I wish Sabin had a fan-art like this.

Zell Dincht: Rounding out the few fighting characters from the series, Zell should be another consideration in adding some lighthearted humor along with some quick combos. Plus, putting him and Tifa along with Cloud in the same game could play into the unconfirmed in-joke that Zell was designed as a what-if offspring of FFVII’s childhood lovers.

I couldn't forgive anyone who failed to draw Vivi.

Vivi Orunitia: I guarantee most people would forget about Shantotto if another short, huggable Black Mage made an appearance. More Vivi is never a bad thing.

This might be a shameless trace of his official artwork.

Wakka: Another character that probably doesn’t stand out enough as a full fledged character, but would be perfect as a supporting role.

Zack fan-art that doesn't have him look all big-eyed and kawaii? I'm as shocked as you are.

Zack Fair: Of all the characters listed, Zack is probably the most likely to be included in the first Dissidia game (we’ll find out soon enough). The bad news is that like with Celes, Square could take the quick route and just make him an alternate skin for Cloud. They already pulled this trick once in Ehrgeiz, so I hope they get serious and give him his own moveset and voice.

This could be another stolen pic. Still, I like it.

Lightning: What better way to give people a sneak peek at Final Fantasy’s next main hero than by including her as a secret character to fight? Unfortunately, the chance of anyone from FFXIII being included has already been dispelled, since doing so would force Nomura to finalize their designs, no longer giving him the chance to make any further revisions. A bit late to be doing that anyway, isn’t it?

I like this one even better.

Noctis: Same as above, and he would have really worked as an opposing character to Lightning (even though they’ll probably never meet, he’s already been teased to be neither good nor evil, but someone dipped in gray). And in case you weren’t keeping track of FFXIII news, yes that is his official name.

Now to name characters I hope will not make an appearance in Dissidia. Keep in mind that I’m not listing the characters below because I dislike them (well, most of them anyway) but for different reasons that I’ll explain in detail with each person.

Also, I lied about not freaking you out with anymore horrible DeviantArt pics. Since this next list is the opposite of the one above, I figured I’d fill it with the worst DeviantArt pictures I could find that were Safe For Work. That wasn’t easy either, mind you.

Characters who shouldn’t be in Dissidia:

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 1: Disgustingly muscular characters.

Aerith Gainsborough: She may make a great Kilik customization, but Aerith is not a fighter. I don’t need Square insulting my suspension of disbelief by making her able to beat the likes of Sephiroth in a fight.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 2: Sonic Characters

Rinoa Heartily: Despite what that Dead Fantasy video may lead you to believe, Rinoa is as much a support character as Aerith. Her primary weapon is pretty silly (a pinwheel crossbow), and while it could prove amusing to see her launch her dog at Garland or Kuja, it isn’t enough to include her.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 3: Lion King Characters

Genesis Rhapsodos: We already have to put up with Kuja-Lite, we don’t need Sephiroth-Lite too. He might end up cooler in the next FFVII sequel, but let’s wait for that before putting him in Dissidia.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 4: Gothic Shit

Locke Cole: I know he’s got a lot of fans, but Locke just doesn’t stand out to me. We already have a quick Thief character, and that one doesn’t back-stab his love interest by believing the bad guy’s word over her. I don’t even want to imagine the possibility of Celes getting passed over so they could squeeze Locke in instead.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 5: Not Even Trying

Palom & Porom: There’s plenty of better and cuter child characters to choose from then these Tarutaru/Human hybrids.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 6: Actually, I kind of like this one.

Vaan: Again, it’s bad enough he stole the main lead from Basch. Even so, I’m sure most people would prefer Balthier, Ashe, Fran, or anyone else besides Vaan.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 7: Retarded Crossovers. And if you laughed, you're part of the problem.

Sora: For a time I was hoping Sora would be included in Dissidia, just to cement him as a master of crossovers. But with deep regret, I’ll have to pass on him, due to the possibility that Disney would try to shoehorn Donald and Goofy into the game as well, and ultimately change it from a Final Fantasy fighting game into a Kingdom Hearts one.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 8: Obnoxiously Western Art

Anyone from Dragon Quest: Again, this is a Final Fantasy fighting game, so let’s keep other Square Enix properties out of it. Adding Dragon Quest to the mix will only make it more unlikely for third tier FF characters to show up.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 9: Lens Flare and Photoshop Backgrounds. Actually you're not even reading this, are you. You'd think by making honkers that huge there'd be more fanservice in the show.

Anyone from Final Fantasy Unlimited: I want no mention from this pre-kindergarten anime adaption, or the brain-dead bimbo they tacked on to get older viewers to watch.

Fan-Art Pet Peeve 10: Absurd Pairings. Also, the lack of any Collages putting all the Cids together.

Any Cid Besides The Ones from VII, XII, or Tactics: Anyone who wants to nominate Troll Cid from FFIV is free to do so. On their own blog.