Network now...FEATURE
The Great TGS Preview
MEANWHILE, LEVEL-5...
Level-5 are the developers of Dragon Quest IX, Last year, with the first Professor Layton game, Level-5 burst out onto the scene as their own publisher, This year sees them with a generous stable of interesting projects.
Ninokuni: The Another World (DS)
It's a traditional-style RPG set in an alternate dimension into which a kid must travel to save his injured friend.
Danbooru Senki (Cardboard Wars) (PSP)
Cardboard Wars seems positioned to inspire kids to collect plastic models of giant robots. It is with a dab of conflict that I proclaim its awesomeness. It's set in the year 2050, when the world's favorite sport is battling little remote controlled robots inside elaborate cardboard dioramas. The main character will be a young boy who competes in these competitions. Ridiculous and bizarre as the premise may be, Level-5 will no doubt make it work.
Ushiro (PSP)
"Ushiro" (meaning "behind") is a moody-looking RPG for the PSP in which the player controls a ghost who grants people's last wishes in exchange for their souls.
White Knight Chronicles, Inazuma Eleven 2, Professor Layton 3
Meanwhile, the release date of White Knight Chronicles has recently been announced as Christmas day, which makes exceptional sense to all 29-year-old Dragon Quest fans who actually plan as much as six months ahead of time to spend Christmas alone and in the dark.
Then there's Professor Layton 3 -- the proposed ending of the series -- due out sooner rather than later. With the way the Japanese games industry works, I wouldn't be completely shocked if the final installment outsold the first two five-to-one. The cute little brain-teasers in the Layton games are so universally appealing it's a bit of a brain teaser that the games haven't sold more than they have already.
And finally, we have Inazuma Eleven 2. Here, I crack half of a frown: the first game was released less than a month ago, and they've already announced a sequel. What's worse is that Inazuma Eleven was packaged with a long-term plan: downloadable characters, expanding story, deep multiplayer, et cetera. The first game is said to have 1,000 characters (I've seen around fifty, to be honest; I'll take their word for it); the sequel is said to have 1,000 more characters. That's a scary amount of work for somebody. Then again, maybe it's easier to design schoolkids than it is to design Pocket Monsters -- at least school kids are all human. (Well, except for the already-announced Alien soccer team.)
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
I agree that loving Final Fantasy and/or Dragon Quest as a kid has its own appeal with the "FINAL FANTASY VII IS GOD!" thing too.
However Square Enix does deserve the praise whilst meriting the hatred also. I find it really weird as a huge Final Fantasy fan as to understand the direction sometimes but with periodical releases what can a fan really expect?
I think this is the fatal flaw with the Square Enix. They are bringing out titles like they have a point to prove, but what that point is i am unsure. All i know is they need to spend time consolidating their games assets and spend the time to make these epic games they are so renowned for.
Its disheartening to see the huge companies that is Square and Enix actually competing within the merged company to do better than the other. It was also found that these companies actually try and do the opposite of each other to say "yeah we can do and you can't".
WHY?!
Merger is meant to be beneficial and prevent outright confrontation between companies that are working toward the one goal. So why do they persist in doing things the way they do? No wonder Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square with this pig headed willingness to compete at the fore front of the development teams minds. I understand that a bit of friendly competition can be healthy for the gamer and the companies but there seems to be a distinct lack of direction and co-ordination within the teams.
This is having a direct knock on effect on us - the fans - to the point where we just wonder, where to next? Will our beloved series rejoice and re-invent the FFVII days? Will it develop a truly compelling tale of mystique and adventure in the form of a revolutionary Dragon Quest? Spin-offs should not be endorsed and yet i do not want to miss something possibly glorious.
Square Enix, get it together and prove that you are still worth it.
" The "fans" put up with Square-Enix -- and this is the dead truth -- because
1. They loved Final Fantasy as a kid
2. They loved Dragon Quest as a kid
3. If they keep buying remakes, Square-Enix will announce the remake of Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 3.
Square-Enix painted themselves into a corner years ago; of late, all they've been able to do is ask for a smaller paintbrush, remove their shoes, and start painting the tiny spaces between their toes. "
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Mr. Rogers you certainly have a knack for comedic writing.
This 7 page journalistic mixer of snarkiness, comedy, and information is just what I needed to read before bed time.
I have to agree, this article is very well written. Delusional, but well written. Square-Enix with a meta-announcement, not so much. Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope for the Playstation 3 was a given. Because it is a beloved franchise and the Xbox360 has a floundering installed base in Japan, this was a gimmie. I expected even less from Square though.