Retroactive Reviews: Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

Sorry for the quietness around here. It’s been a rather busy last couple of weeks, and it’ll only get busier before the month is over. I’ll still be posting my reviews every week, including this week’s review of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (hope you took advantage of that Delicious Deal I posted way back).

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve also been contributing news to BeefJack, which has been archived here. I’ve also got two more reviews on the way.

So again, sorry for not updating with more “fun” posts, but I promise to get back into the swing of things before too long. I promised a Street Fighter related post in celebration of the fourth game’s release, and I mean to keep that promise.

Until then, here’s Chain of Memories, reviewed for The Armchair Empire. Enjoy.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

Score: 8.0/10

When a commercially successful Square Enix title makes its way to North American shores, it doesn’t take too long for the RPG giant to re-release that same game back to Japanese consumers with an “International” edition, containing even more extra content to make recent NA buyers jealous.

American gamers were especially envious of Square Enix’s re-release of Kingdom Hearts II, bearing the name of Final Mix Plus; Not only did this version of the world’s most popular fanfiction crossover contain numerous additional cutscenes and bosses, but it even featured an entire game in an extra disc: A complete remake of the GBA handheld sidestory, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

In a rare moment of generosity, however, Square Enix has decided to release their extra content for NA gamers, although curiously omitting the reworked Kingdom Hearts II in favor of selling Re: Chain of Memories on its own. Is it worth paying the equivalent of a Greatest Hits title for only half the content that Japanese gamers received?

Serving as a bridging point between Kingdom Hearts I and II, Chain of Memories featured Sora, Donald and Goofy coming across a mysterious castle owned by the even more mysterious Oganization XIII. Upon entering the castle, Sora is warned that “to lose is to find, and to find is to lose”; for each floor scaled, Sora and company lose more and more of their memories and experiences during the first game while falling closer to the Organization’s trap.

The story remains largely unchanged from the original GBA version, but is nonetheless crucial to understanding the deeper mysteries of Kingdom Hearts II. Another unchanged element is the gameplay, which is based entirely around a new card-based system; Sora must now fight each Heartless encounter, using a stack of cards numbered 0 to 9 to perform every action from keyblade swinging to magic casting. The enemies follow this new system as well, and the key to victory is to master the “Card Break” feature, where the highest card number overlaps an opposing card of lower value. 0 cards are especially crucial to proper strategizing as it can overwrite any card placed before it, but can also be nullified by any card placed afterwards. Three cards can also be stacked at once to add up its numbers, proving especially useful to unleash three attacks without interruption (unless, again, the enemy uses a 0 card) or to unleash an exclusive special move for extra damage.

It isn’t just the battle system that’s gotten card crazy, though. Each area features several rooms that must be opened with a Map Card, each card offering a different effect for the room such as decreasing the number of enemies, causing extra magic with magic cards, a higher chance for bonuses and treasure, and so on.

The card handling was arguably difficult to manage on a handheld system, but on a console it proves to be a much better fit; Cycling cards is much easier with the PS2’s (or PS3’s, for those with backwards compatibility) shoulder buttons, and the larger screen keeps the onscreen action from obscuring things as often. Unfortunately, the tradeoff is the removal of the GBA’s quick-save feature, requiring players to save their progress one of two ways: using a card to summon a save point in one of the many dungeon rooms (similar to the ink ribbons from the Resident Evil series), or hoofing it all the way back to the floor entrance. Neither option would be much of a hindrance if it wasn’t for the random placement of story-specific rooms (which must be opened in order) or how the onscreen map still follows the original game’s isometric view, causing some further confusion.

While the gameplay features remain largely unchanged, the visuals have received the most striking overhaul, although most of the assets are carried over from the first Kingdom Hearts. Even so, it’s a testament to the original game’s gorgeous animation and 3D recreation of classic Disney characters and locations. The cutscenes during the castle portions also feature full voice acting with most of the KH actors reprising their roles (although Haley Joel Osment is clearly unable to recreate Sora’s younger voice, and instead sticks to using Sora’s older KHII’s voice on his younger KHI form). Unfortunately, the Disney-centric dungeons only feature recycled voice clips and no new dialog, further establishing the filler nature of the Disney portion of CoM.

While much of the game serves as a recap for anyone who might have missed out on the original Kingdom Hearts, the new story is still engaging enough to traverse through, and the action is still fast and addictive despite the slower-paced RPG adjustments. Whether for first timers or double dippers, Re: Chain of Memories is a worthy addition for fans and newcomers alike, offering a solid 30 hours to complete (and that’s not counting the additional story and character available afterwards).

Pros:

Improved graphics and controls

Fun, customizable card-based gameplay

Engaging story with solid voice work

Cons:

Many assets re-used from first KH game (including the camera)

Disney areas offer nothing new

Boss fights often prove frustrating

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.

Prospective Previews: Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Crystallis

That’s three Final Fantasy posts in a row. Well, I did warn you about such an outcome in my About page, but considering that the last few days have seen an increase in FF related news and releases, I can’t be held entirely in fault. If you have no interest in the series, I urge you to check back later this week, when my Mirror’s Edge review will go up, and another three weeks when my Persona 4 review will be due.

If you want an early synopsis without checking back, I’ll assure you that “they’re both great” and bid you adieu. Moving on, today’s preview looks at the newest media released for the Fabula Nova Crystallis series (New Crystal Story), making up Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

Yep, the guy's so popular they've got a magazine named after him. There's also a soda called "Sephiroth Flavor". Now that's whoring with style.

Last week saw the release of Japan’s CLOUD magazine, releasing brief but new information on the FNC series. That same week saw the release of a new DVD magazine, called Re: (for Replay):

They sure are being pretentious with the naming schemes.

The “Re:” magazine was the real meat and potatoes, as it came with a DVD showcasing the trailers from TGS2008, previously only shown behind closed curtains to the dismay of cellphone users everywhere.

Remember when PSM magazine used to include DVDs with Japanese trailers? Yeah, DVDs used to be so cool.

It didn’t take long for importers to rip the trailers from the DVD and put them up, but it took some searching to find high quality rips that weren’t horribly compressed for streaming sites like Youtube (another reason I miss Stage 6).

In this blog post you will find, as of this writing, the best quality rips of the trailers, downloadable and fully playable on your Playstation 3. It’s the next best thing to playing a demo of the game (which will be out in March). If you just want to watch a streaming link, you’ll find them here too. Read on for those links along with a short preview for all three FFXIII games.

Logo Theory: It's either two people riding a dragon, or a transformation sequence of the girl turning into said dragon.

Streaming Trailer

Downloadable Trailer

Synopsis: The primary entry of the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation, Final Fantasy XIII features the return of many of the key players behind Final Fantasy X. For fans of Final Fantasy XII, this news comes as a bit of a disappointment, as it potentially decreases the chances of many of the new ideas set forth by FFXII. For me, I couldn’t be happier, having thouroughly enjoyed FFX. Also, while the story may not hold a candle to the mature and expertly written scenario from FFXII, it’ll definitely end up as a more heartwarming tale with more character interaction than the entirety of the previous FF (which felt like the Cliff Notes version of what should have been an epic narrative).

The story itself sounds pretty familiar: We’ve got two sides of the world, Coccon and Pulse, the former a futuristic city featuring clean streets and a tight government running things (i.e. Evil Empire) and the latter a barren wasteland resting below the peaceful city, where those who possess an inkling of magic are considered unclean and immediately banished to the hellhole below.

Except (surprise!) Pulse is actually a pretty nice hellhole, teeming with lush forests and animals. Chosen by the Crystal (FFs I through V), Lightning and her cohorts venture forth to free the people of Cocoon (get it? it’s a metaphor.) from their oppressors and show them the truth of the world outside.

It basically borrows plot details from several FF games and mixes them all up into one, but the info is still sparse at this point, but even if that’s the gist of it, the real appeal is the cast of characters, namely the protagonist.

The Characters:

Lightning: True story; A couple of days before FFXIII’s unveiling at E3, I had thought to myself, “It’s about time for the next FF hero to be a woman”. After the last (and until now, only) female protagonist in FFVI, we’ve had two unfriendly, emotionally unstable protagonists, two goofy, fun-loving protagonists, and whatever the hell Vaan was supposed to be. For Final Fantasy XIII, we have a female protagonist, and I think that’s just rad.

Lightning (a code name given to her, as she has no recollection of her true past) has been given the task of keeping people interested in FFXIII’s slow development by being the sole star of the first couple of trailers, but she certainly has left quite an impression: This one-woman army has demonstrated acrobatic maneuvers mixed with deadly spell combinations that almost makes it seem like she’ll be soloing the entire adventure without a party. Considering the fast paced nature of the battles shown along with the amount of property damage caused to the surroundings, it’ll be interesting to see how two or more party members will fit into the chaos.

Nomura has described Lightning as being a real “macho” type of character, originally going to be much more buff until Square demanded she meet the feminist preferences of Japan. She is also known to “hate crybabies”, and will rally her party members like a Drill Sergeant whenever they have one of their cliched moments of depression. She’s also mentioned to be the oldest protagonist in FF history, although that isn’t much of an innovation when the previous characters were, at the most, in their early 20’s.

Regardless, Lightning sounds like a very promising lead character, especially if her personality closely matches fan favorite MGS3 character The Boss. Just try to block out the claim that she was initially designed as “a female Cloud”.

Sera/Sarah: Called “Pigtailed Girl” by casual observers and “NomChan” by psychopaths, Sera serves up the requisite cute girl portion of FFXIII’s party. The difference between previous characters like Penelo and Yuffie is that Sera seems to actually be integral to the story. One of the aforementioned magic users (called “Luci/Lusi”), Sera was kicked out of Cocoon and banished to Pulse, being one of the first to discover its true beauty. She is seen acquiring the Carbuncle summon from a CD-shaped disc, and also escorted by soldiers along with the game’s possible main villain.

I haven’t met a variation of the “cute girl” party member that I didn’t like, so Sera should be no different. Her design is quite sweet, looking like a young Aerith. Usually the cute girl character comes in two types: pure and innocent, or hyper and bratty. Sera’s probably the former, and it’ll be interesting how she’ll interact with “Crybaby Hater” Lightning. Personally I’m hoping they form the main relationship of the game (ala Final Fantasy XI’s Prishe and Ulmia), rather than turning Lightning into a hopeless romantic.

Snow Villiers: Called “Mr 33cm” by the staff, in reference to his shoe size, Snow was the second FFXIII character to be unveiled with mixed results. People were intrigued by the character due to the simple fact that he has facial hair (and is thus far manlier compared to characters like Vaan), but they were also put off by the rather ridiculous “Shiva Bike”, a summon of two Shivas that transform into a mortorcycle. I’ll just go on record by saying that I would really love a transforming Bahamut Airship and leave it at that.

Snow is classified to be Lightning’s “bodyguard”, to her annoyance; His carefree, joking attitude is said to get on her nerves, but she still ends up giving him a pep talk when he is seen doubting his abilities in one of the latest trailers. Snow vows to Lightning that he will “Finish the mission, and protect Sera”, but it’s unclear if protecting Sera is the mission, or if one objective conflicts with the other. His desire to protect both girls give me the feeling he’ll fulfill the Big Brother role seen in other hulking characters like Barret, Steiner, and Wakka.

Mysterious Woman: Shown in the newest trailer, this female soldier is seen during Sera’s escorting. Based on her outfit and affiliation with the other soldiers, she’s likely an enemy, but it remains to be seen if she’ll end up the main villain of the game. The odds are good though based on her design; If Lightning was modeled as a female Cloud (again, try to suppress your discomfort), it only makes sense that her rival would be a female Sephiroth. She’s got the coat and long hair down, but her sword is noticably shorter, almost like a dagger.

Regardless, I would love a swordswoman adversary to quarrel with Lightning, so I hope Sephirotica here delivers.

Battle System: Gameplay is said to utilize the popular but not-quite-perfect Gambit System from Final Fantasy XII, with more control given to the player. All enemies will appear onscreen, and some are said to vary in size (with large enemies said to be “very large”). Multiple party members are confirmed, but there will be many occasions where the group will split up into one or more teams, ala Final Fantasy IX. This time, however, you’ll be given a realtime look on all the characters via split screens.

The battles are also said to be quite frantic and furious, as the teams behind both this and Versus are competing to see who can recreate Advent Children’s fight scenes more accurately.

Artwork and Concepts (click for bigger size):

On the top left, you'll see a blurred out image of a new character. Is he a party member? An enemy?

Logo Confirmation: It's a Shinigami, an integral figure to the story. Uncomfirmed: If it likes apples.

Streaming Trailer

Downloadable Trailer

Synopsis: Tetsuya Nomura gets a lot of flack from westerners for his overuse by Square (he’s mentioned to currently be working on over five games at once) as well as his affinity for dressing characters in black, and inserting accessories in any part of their body that he so chooses, even if he is well aware that zippers do not belong on hats, nor are belts to be worn as armbands. But the majority must clearly favor him if he continues to work on most of Square’s projects, and Square clearly loves the guy so much that they’ve given him free reign to develop his own Final Fantasy XIII title alongside the main game (although keep in mind that’s not what the “Versus” in the title refers to, but rather to symbolize it as an extra chapter alongside FFXIII).

Me? I love the man’s work. Even if he does get a bit repetitive with his designs (as many game artists do), they still reek of coolness and otherworldly fashions. And if nothing else, he knows how to grab players emotionally; Kingdom Hearts I and II (his first gig as main director) resulted in several tear-inducing moments (in the latter’s case, just under 2 hours from the starting point). And the ever praised ending of Final Fantasy VII’s first disc? It was his idea.

That is why Final Fantasy Versus XIII, his first directed FF title, and the first game where he’s allowed full control over the story, gets my full attention. The game’s first trailer was one of the best teasers I’ve ever seen, showcasing a gritty, moody setting full of Shakespherian quotes, beautifully tragic music, and a main character who doesn’t look like the heroic type.  Versus has been referred to as “the darkest entry in the FF series”, full of characters neither good nor evil, but forced into opposing sides due to a war of terrotories and beliefs, and a plot that draws upon Shakesphere’s stories to create a branching cast of characters that may, inevitably, fall into tragedy.

It’s going to be awesome. So awesome.

Characters:

Noctis: The “hero” of the story, Noctis is described as the prince of a forgotten aristocrity, fighting off invaders from claiming his kingdom’s crystal. Despite the uncanny resemblance to Naruto’s Sasuke, Noctis has showcased moves and abilities even more impressive than Lightning’s. He has ten swords levitating around him, and frequently switches between the weapons during combat. He also has a teleporting ability that lets him instantly warp to whever his swords are thrown, and is shown to be utterly mercilous with whoever he fights (he is shown snapping the arms and necks of several of his attackers).

For people who couldn’t stand Cloud or Squall’s depressing personalities, Nomura has stated that Noctis has a personality completely different from the two of them. Just how different is unclear, but he’s also said to be rather arrogant, as well as somewhat shy. His chance meeting with Stella proves he makes a bigger effort to chat it up with pretty ladies.

Stella: Looking like a cross between Celes and Rinoa (I can only hope she shares more traits with the former rather than the latter), Stella is seen as a sword wielding girl with magical powers, and will undoubtedly form a relationship with Noctis. The two meet for the first time in a banquest hall, with Stella fully aware of Noctis’ royal heritage, as well as knowing that he has made contact with a Shinigami (displayed in the painting behind them), a sort of God revered by the citizens of the game, and ultimately having a greater role in the destinies of the two characters. The two characters have been shown engaging one another, their eyes filled with sadness rather than hatred. Undoubtedly, their “lover’s quarrell” will make up the bulk of the game’s promised tragedy. Just try not to make the obvious joke about her name.

Noctis’ Posse: Consisting of a wisecracking shotgun guy, an upbeat mullet guy, and a coolheaded glasses guy, these three guys are only confirmed to be “old friends” with Noctis, and apparently work with him to resolve whatever conflict is plaguing his kingdom. Noctis is shown to have a softer side when Shotgun Guy gives him a noogie embrace, whereas Cloud or Squall would instead make a face and push the guy off. It was confirmed that Noctis would have AI party members assisting him, just like Goofy and Donald in Kingdom Hearts, so it’ll probably be these guys.

My guess to their role in the story? They die. Yeah, all three of them. Calling it.

White Robed Character: There’s next to no details on this guy…assuming it is a guy (I won’t dismiss the possibility that it’s Stella), other than it seems that Noctis hates this person to death. Without a word, he unleashes his swords on the White Robed Person, who in turn summons up a magic circle, putting the two into a magical John Woo standoff.

Gameplay: Described as an action game similar to Kingdom Hearts, but with more emphasis on weapons, Nomura promises that players will be able to perform all the cool moves Noctis uses in the trailer…except that he might then lose all those abilities after the opening level, in a nod to Metroid Prime. There will also be firearms in the game, requring a switch from third person to first (likely for sniping). The two Kingdom Hearts games feature a very fun and exciting battle system, but lacks somewhat in challenge. If Versus can replicate that with more dynamic spells and abilities, along with battles that are more challenging (and undoubtedly, more violent), then Versus will no doubt be as fun to play as it’ll be to watch.

Artwork and Concepts (click for bigger size):

You can make out a concept pic of how in-game fighting should look on the lower left.

Logo Theory: Uh....

Streaming Trailer

Downloadable Trailer

Synopsis: So originally the third title in the FNC series was meant to be a cellphone game, so I was all “oh”. But now it’s going to be a PSP title, and now I’m all “whoa!”.

This game probably has the least information out of the three titles, but what is shown looks promising; Having a somewhat MMO feel like FFXI, you pick a character class of your choice and work with a group inside a magic training school, similar with the Gardens from FFVIII. I’ve said before that a FFVIII MMO where you can join the school of your choice and engage in missions would be entertaining, so Agito has my attention.

Also, its characters wear scarfs. Scarfs are awesome.

Characters:

As mentioned before, players choose whatever character and class they want. You’ve got gunslingers, martial artists, swordsmen and swordswomen. The one trait they share aside from the kickass scarfs is that they all use cards, though it’s unknown what the cards are for (magic, no doubt).

Gameplay: It’s an MMO. With Cards. Right then.

Artwork and Concepts (click for bigger size):

* All images taken from Final Fantasy-XIII.Net Downloadable trailers taken from NeoGAF. Stay angry, guys.

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.

Prospective Previews: Dissidia: Final Fantasy

For this category, I’ll be offering my input over upcoming titles that have caught my interest. These postings can range from short posts citing my curiosity or concern over an upcoming game, or a large and concise post where I express my excitement over a new addition to a long running series I’ve been following for as long as I’ve been playing games.

Today’s post is the latter, focusing on the upcoming PSP fighting game, Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

As stated in the About corner, I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy, and it goes without saying that I along with many fans often wondered what a crossover fighting game would be like. After all, games like Super Smash Bros and Marvel vs Capcom have proved that crossovers can be both profitable and entertaining, and Square briefly tinkered with the concept by including FFVII’s characters in Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring; It didn’t quite reach the level of 3D fighting that Tekken or Soul Calibur accomplished, but it was still a pretty fun game in its own right, plus there was a certain amount of satisfaction having one FFVII character wail on the other. Doubly awesome that Tifa was the equivalent of Akuma in that game, delivering cheap, unblockable punishment to everyone else.

It’s unfortunate that Youtube lacks a clip with a Cloud vs Tifa battle, but you get the idea.

Anyway, in what was likely thanks to the success of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix have finally seen the potential of crossing over its characters, and has decided to release Dissidia, a 3D fighting game with RPG elements thrown in, starring the main heroes from Final Fantasies I through X, along with their opposing villains. The story involves two Gods, Chaos and Cosmos, summoning the characters together and have them wage war on each other in the name of their transporter; The good guys work together with Cosmos, the bad guys with Chaos. The concept of two god-like beings bringing together heroes and villains to fight on their behalf has been a cliche plot device since the days of Marvel’s Secret Wars, but hey, whatever works.

So now we’ve got the crossover we’ve always wanted, with a lengthy story mode that has Squall engaging Sephiroth, Tidus and Zidane performing a combination attack (like something out of Chrono Trigger’s Dual Techs), and classic favorites like Terra and Kefka finally rendered in 3D. It’s a shameless attempt to rake in more cash from fanboys and fanfiction writers.

It’s also going to kick ass, and I for one can’t wait for it. The game has already gotten a huge buzz in Japan (players in TGS had to wait hours just to demo it for a few minutes), and those who have gotten to play it describe it as a very fun combination of Kingdom Hearts and Soul Calibur, with some Powerstone thrown in. Two fighters engage in a 3D plain using both weapons and magic, along with QTE events for extra visual flare as well as extra damage. There’s also summoning (featuring more classic creatures like the Four Fiends from FFIV and Chupon and Othros from FFVI), EX Modes (where the characters transform into familiar looking forms, most notably scaled down versions of the villains’ final boss forms), and even a World Map where you can level up and upgrade your equipment.

But enough about the mechanics; This game is all about the crossing over of our favorite heroes and villains. Here’s my take on the characters revealed so far (the final roster isn’t set in stone, but rumors say there’s only one more character to be unveiled). As mentioned before, Dissidia has taken the main hero and villain from each numbered Final Fantasy and given them their own roles in the story. The characters have also been redesigned by Tetsuya “Belts and Zippers” Nomura, but surprisingly, their designs are more faithful to Yoshitaka Amano’s original concept art, including characters originally created by Nomura.

Listed in chronological order, the characters are:

Seriously, we need more horned helmets in RPGs.

Warrior of Light: This guy holds the distinction of being Final Fantasy’s very first hero. It’s just too bad you never actually got to equip the cool armor with the horns; His design was kept mostly as boxart, and later on as part of the redesigned logo. He also got a brief stint during the FMV intro made for Final Fantasy Origins, in which he demonstrates his awesomeness by singlehandedly fighting a dragon while withstanding its flames, long before Sephiroth’s iconic walk through fire. Maybe that’s why the two have a conflict in the first trailer.

Anyway, WoL is one of the characters I’m most looking forward to seeing in action. He was never officially in the actual game (the four heroes are nameless placeholders for players to customize to their liking), so it’ll be interesting how Dissidia portrays him. I’m hoping he’ll come across as a Captain America type, an oldschool hero admired by his successors over his simpleminded yet unshakable sense of justice.

He'll also probably get more dialogue than all the Judges combined.

Garland: Facing off against WoL is Final Fantasy’s very first villain, the rogue knight who eventually transformed into the dark demon Chaos (who I don’t think has any connection to the Chaos in this game, just as how he has no connection to the Garland from Final Fantasy IX). Despite holding the honor of spouting the very first Final Fantasy meme, Garland’s redesign is very impressive, looking like a beefed up variation of FFXII’s Judges. His weapon looks real cool too, a sword that can take on multiple forms including a whip, lance, and hammer (for knocking his enemies down, of course). And even though he was the first FF villain, Garland wasn’t completely one-sided in his evil endevours, and was always hinted as being a noble person who was overtaken by greed and power. It’s not much, but at least it gives him some development beyond being a generic evil being who wants to take over the world for no reason other than he is evil (much like the other villains on this list).

A sword, a lance, a knife and a bow? Make up your mind, man.

Firion: I wonder how many of these classic characters will go unrecognized by current FF fans who started on VII and above. Firion was the first hero to have an actual personality and story, though neither was exactly groundbreaking at the time. It’s unclear how they’ll distinct him from the rest of the Dissidia cast. Honestly, would anyone really be upset if he wasn’t included? Many fans, as well as big name publications like EGM regard FFII as the worst of the series, due to its simple story and gameplay revision that proved more frustrating than unique (you have to actually sit back and take damage to raise your defense, and get blasted with magic to raise your magic defense. It’s a hinderance for players that like to, you know, win battles without dying).

I don't like the look of that crotch skull. Ever seen that live action Spawn movie? Yeah.

The Emperor: Star Wars really ruined it for us, didn’t it? The Emperor here would be one of the generic villains I mentioned in Garland’s post. If you require further info on this guy, the FFII novel referred to him as “Emperor Mateus” (a name that Square actually inserted into future titles, most notably FFXII). Despite the bland profile, he does have a pretty creepy design, the sort of villain who looks like he would enslave the heroines in an FF party and then force them to bear his children (and if they ended up stupid, he’d just have their heads cut off and start over. If you don’t get the reference, go read this book). A womanizer in the bad guy side does sound interesting, and since the good guys already have their own skirt chaser, might as well make Mateus here official. Just be sure to let him know that Kuja’s a guy.

So is he supposed to be a young kid, or some kind of Hobbit?

Onion Knight: The Onion Knight job has always had a following of fans, which explains whyit’s always referenced in future FF games, but doesn’t explain why it isn’t a job in FFXI. I’m also unsure why they didn’t just use Luneth from FFIII DS as the official envoy for Dissidia, although he is included as an alternate outfit for this guy. Anyway, I’m not sure what his personality will be like or how he’ll even play (I’ve yet to unlock the job in FFIII DS), but I am sure lots of fans will continue to adore him. Also he’s tinier than the other characters. Isn’t that just cute? Actually no, because there’s someone even shorter then him….

The monster supporting her right bosom must have the best job in the world.

Cloud of Darkness: What’s with these villains and their lack of actual names? Again, I haven’t finished FFIII yet, so I’m not sure what her story is. All I know is that she’s some really evil being that seeks to bring all things into nothingness. Also, she’s even more scantily clad than FFX’s Yunalesca. She was seen conversing with Kefka in the above trailer, and it was recently revealed that there would be in-fighting among the bad guys, considering that one side wants to just rule the world, while the other wants to vaporize everything into nonexistance. Since Kefka falls into the latter camp, it’s only natural he would ally with CoD here. Could love bloom, even on the battlefield? If not, I’m sure some fanfiction writers will hook these two up.

I'm more of a Dark Knight fan, but seeing a Paladin with a lance is just wrong.

Cecil Harvey: Cecil always held a special place in my heart, being the first RPG hero to start off as a villain, albeit an unwilling one. That conflict of duality is reflective on his Dissidia appearance, as he can freely switch between his Paladin and Dark Knight forms. I still feel a bit uneasy about his Paladin form using a lance instead of a sword, but I suppose some distinction must be made with the two jobs. Also it might serve as a Kain reference just so he won’t take up the space of a more deserving extra FFIV character.

Those....shoulders....

Golbez: The biggest Darth Vader ripoff since Darth Vader makes up Cecil’s opponent, unsurprisingly. But is he acting independant of his master Zeromus? If he was, then he shouldn’t be working for the bad guys. I do hope at least that we get an alternate outfit that shows him unmasked…

Looks a lot like Pit, only not as forgotten by his creator

Bartz: I’ve always criticized FFV for being the black sheep of the series, due to its extremely simple story and characters; Bartz here is just a wanderer who decided, heck, why not save the world? Not like he’s got anything else to do. My current playthrough of the GBA version, which features a far improved translation (which is an understatement, considering how awful the PS1 translation was) is slowly helping me to understand the real point of FFV, but I’ll probably save that for another article. That still doesn’t change Bartz’ generic role, but it’s been said his portion of Dissidia’s story mode would be unique from the other heroes. I hope it plays out like the GBA translation, in which the localizers were fully aware of FFV’s lighthearted story and decided to have fun with the dialogue. In any event, Bartz seems to be using the Mimic job for Dissidia, as he has the ability to copy and combine the abilities of other characters; Examples show him wielding both Cloud and Squall’s swords simultaneously. That’s pretty impressive, but I’ll bet most people would have preferred Gilgamesh…

His head reminds me of a smokestack on top of a train for some reason.

Ex-Death: And here we have Ex-Death, just about the silliest FF villain ever. His name is even cheesier than the two bozos above him, and he looks like a candy-coated ripoff of Golbez, and his great villainous plan involves him becoming a giant tree. Yeah. We really wanted Gilgamesh, you know…

And I thought Vincent's boots were pointy...

Terra Branford: Final Fantasy VI was the first FF game I ever played (called FFIII at the time of the SNES), so I can’t help but be biased towards it. Even so, it’s still one of the best games in the series, and one of the best RPGs ever. I’m overjoyed in seeing both Terra and Kefka getting the 3D treatment, although I vastly prefer green haired Terra (which is indeed an alternate look for her). I’m also very pleased how they’ve handled her animation; She doesn’t flip around like Tifa, but instead dodges attacks gracefully while keeping a very soft demeanor. Her Esper form is also a natural fit for an EX Mode, though it’s a bit more beastly then before in the arms and legs.

Would you like to know how I got these scars?

Kefka Palazzo: One of the most celebrated videogame villains, Kefka was not only a funny character that would engage in a bevy of exagerrated expressions, but also took childish delight in his passion for killing every living thing he could find. Also, he was one of the few RPG villains to actually succeed in conquering the world (and nearly destroying it), although he didn’t get to keep that God-like power for very long. Rejoice fans, Kefka is in the game, and from the trailers shown it looks like he’ll be bringing on further amusement and anarchy. The Kefka/Joker comparisions have been discussed over the years, but the similiarities are even more noticable now that Kefka’s been designed with a larger, ear to ear smile that’s very reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s Joker. I hope the NA localization plays into this obvious inspiration and throws in a “Why So Serious” line somehwere. His interaction with the other villains appears to be similar to the relationship of The Joker and his fellow DC bad guys; Most of the villains will write him off as an annoying clown, but they’ll also sleep with one eye open, knowing that he could go apeshit at any time. Still not sure why he has pointed ears now, though.

Dude, seriously, lift some weights.

Cloud Strife: It’s a bit sad that I can no longer be excited when Cloud makes a guest appearance in a non-FFVII game; it used to be a big deal in the days of Final Fantasy Tactics and Kingdom Hearts, but these days it’s practically expected that he’ll turn up in a big name Square game. To add insult to injury, Cloud was one of the last characters announced for Dissidia, as if Square really thought anyone would be surprised by his inclusion, especially when Sephiroth was one of the first characters shown. Anyway, here he is yet again, spending more time chasing Sephiroth than the sweet girl waiting for him back home. Also, he’s even skinnier looking than usual; said girl could probably beat him at arm wrestling (and break his arm at the process). At least his Advent Children incarnation gave him a bit more muscle mass, but on the upside, that outfit is available as well.

Shall I give you 'dis pear?

Sephiroth: Here we go again. This is what, the fifth time these two have engaged in battle? Sephiroth sure does love giving Cloud despair, huh? Joking aside, I haven’t grown tired of these two hating on each other, but I’m more interested in their interactions with the other characters. I admitted feeling a fanboy rush in watching Sephiroth and Golbez sizing each other up, or Squall taking a shot at FF’s most popular villain; Sorry Kefka fans, I think the Seph fans have you beat, but the good news is you can finally have them fight each other. The bad news is that more players may prefer using Sephiroth, since Kefka has been mentioned to be a bit of a complex fighter to use, relying on long distance magic attacks and Voldo-like animations to confuse opponents. Players might brush off long range mages like Terra and Kefka in favor of melee masters like Cloud and Sephiroth; Think of it as Ryu and Ken getting preference over Dhalsim and Zangief (I still don’t get that guy). Oh, and in a rather neat design change, Sephiroth’s famous One Wing is now permanently attatched to his body, bunched under his black cloak instead of just vanishing and appearing out of thin air.

It's not a skirt, it's a fashion accessory. I get a Haste boost with it. Whatever.

Squall Leonhart: Another popular character whose appearance is neither a big shock nor completely embraced by fans; I on the other hand aren’t afraid to admit that I love Squal in addition to Cloud; he’s an antisocial, blunt jerk, but he’s also one of the most reliable main characters of an FF game, never going into an emotional imbalance like Cloud or dragging the team down with his issues (of which he largely keeps to himself). He’ll likely keep the same cool-headed attitude in Dissidia, but it’ll be interesting how he ranks up to Cloud; I always considered him an overall better soldier than Cloud, since the latter’s abilities were inherited while the former had to train to get strong. Too bad Advent Children went and propelled Cloud to DBZ levels of power….

I wonder if she'll still spell all her C's with K's.

Ultimecia: The true villain of FFVIII only got a few minutes of screentime and dialog before the final battle, so it’ll be interesting to see how she’ll be portrayed in Dissidia. Ultimecia holds my personal record for longest FF battle ever, taking me over two hours to fight off her multiple forms and barely hanging on when I reached her final form. Too be fair, I was part of the clique that didn’t play FFVIII correctly, focusing more on strenghtening my G.F. summons and spamming Squall and Zell’s limit breaks ad nasuem. I just hope Dissidia will also play on the age old fan debate of Ultimecia possibly being a future incarnation of Rinoa. It would be pretty gnarly to reveal such a huge twist years after the original game.

Stop your bitching. He's only wearing one more belt than before.

Zidane Tribal: It may be saying something about my shift in tastes where I’m more excited about Zidane’s inclusion than I am with Squall or Cloud. As Zack proved in Crisis Core, upbeat protagonists can end up more likeable than depressed heroes with emotional issues. Zidane is one such fun-loving character, creating inspiration for the rest of his party members no matter how bad the odds got (and the one time he does fall into an emotional pit, his friends quickly return the favor). His flirtatous nature toward women make the lack of more female inclusions in Dissidia all the more painful. Sure, his interactions with Terra, Ultimecia, and Cloud of Darkness will likely amuse, but I’m sure he’s as upset about the sausage fest of the main cast as I am. It should be noted that his Japanese voice had played Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist; I’m hoping his english equivalent will play Zidane in the dub.

No really. It's a guy.

Kuja: Aside from being ridiculed for his disturbingly feminine appearance, Kuja has also been regarded by fans as “Kefka Lite”; Since the real deal is in this game, Kuja’s inclusion feels a bit unnecessary. Sure, he makes a great nemesis for Zidane, but beyond that he isn’t very interesting. Okay fine, he also has a pretty cool theme song.

Suddenly he's less embarrasing to cosplay

Tidus: Despite my earlier claim that the fun loving characters are becoming more popular, Tidus has always been accused of being a bit too silly for FF fans. One particular scene gets spoofed quite a bit for its cringe-worthiness; I on the other hand happen to like Tidus for his goofiness, and I also seem to be the only one aware that the laughing scene was supposed to be cringe worthy. In any event, I’m glad they made his outfit a little bit cooler.

No jokes. Jecht being in this game is awesome.

Jecht: Now wait a second here. Jecht wasn’t actually a villain in FFX, so why’s he with the bad guys? Well according to Square, they wanted Tidus’ opponent to be someone that would affect him emotionally, and Seymor was really more like Yuna’s villain. So rather than replace Tidus with Yuna, they added Jecht instead, bringing the father and son conflict between the two into a more violent light. This is also one of the smartest decisions Square has made in a long while; Seeing Jecht parade around in a drunken stupor while being saddled with the other “crybaby” villains is going to be spectacular to witness.

Vile villains and crybabies too, my mighty magic will make mincemeat of you. Oh ho ho ho!

Shantotto: And finally, we have the first and so far only Extra Character for Dissidia, Professor Shantotto from Final Fantasy XI. Shantotto is a neutral addition to Dissidia (thus, she probably won’t be paired off against an FFXI villain), initially one of the good guys but seemingly uncaring about the conflict at hand. This is reflective of her FFXI persona, in which her arrogant, haughty behavior has many Vana’diel residents quake in fear. Nevertheless, the Tarutaru Black Mage is hugely popular with fans, so she was chosen out of a list of other potential FFXI candidates. Sadly, that includes Prishe, who I consider to be a far superior character.

But the truth is there are plenty of characters that I would have preferred to see make an appearance in Dissidia. In my next post, I’ll mention who those characters should be, and also list some characters I hope not to see in Dissidia. Stay tuned.

*All images taken from the Chaotic Cosmos blog. For up to date info on all things Dissidia, give it a visit.

*Shantotto artwork courtesy of GoldandBlue of NeoGAF.

Delicious Deals: Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

My first DD only gave you guys a small window to take advantage of it, but I’m happy to post the newest deal ahead of time to raise awareness.

Let me go on record saying that the game is a barebones package regardless of the price, since we’re being denied half of the portion that Japan got, which is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix Plus (you gotta love how these companies toss in extra terms like “Plus”, “Turbo”, “HD” and “XXX” to sucker you into repeated purchases).

Final Mix Plus contained more than enough extras to warrant a double dip, including

New Cutscenes:

New Boss Battles:

And even a cool teaser for the upcoming PSP prequel, Birth by Sleep:

It really is a shame we’re only getting the Chain of Memories remake, when adding both games together would have made that $30 price tag a no brainer. But regardless, I hope a lot of people end up buying it to send Square Enix the message that Americans can be suckered into double dipping just as easily as the Japanese. Just look our DVD sales; How many editions of Gladiator do we really need?

Anyway, the deal: This Sunday (12/07/08), Circuit City will be selling Chain of Memories for $19.99. Copies might be limited to nonexistent in some stores (they’re tanking financially right now, but that works in your favor thanks to all the great deals), so make sure to bring the Sunday ad and take it to Best Buy, where they’ll price match it.

The original Chain of Memories for the GBA was a decent concept, but it didn’t win me over. The card managing was a real pain to cycle through with the tiny shoulder buttons found in portable systems, and most of the areas were just retreads from the first game, making the game Part Flashback and Part Sequel Teaser.

But I’m still optimistic for the PS2 version, which will have better controls, 3D graphics (albeit KHI quality, not quite KHII), voice acting (isn’t Haley Joel Osmend too old to do younger Sora?), and uh….well it’s a Kingdom Hearts game, so I’ll be buying it either way. Not only does it have some of my favorite Final Fantasy characters crossing over, it also restores that Disney magic that was lost years ago.

Don’t bring up Pixar films, because to me Disney is only affiliated with Pixar financially, not creatively. Also, I can’t wait for their next movie.