Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Not-So-Final Fantasy

What seem like an eternity for the day to arrive, the title that I had looked forward to for so long is finally here. Back in the SNES days, a game by the name of Final Fantasy II came out. That game was labeled as the second game only due to it being the only second game to come out in America. However, it was actually the 4th Final Fantasy game ever released for the franchise.

Two ports later, one on Playstation 1 and one Game Boy Advance, the folks at Square-Enix decided to do something different for a change. Out with the old, in with something new. Like Final Fantasy III for the DS, the game was given a 3D treatment. In one of the handful of Final Fantasy games that I have ever played, I knew that this is one title that I wish to get.

Due to strange timings on behalf of both Circuit City and Best Buy, I had to wait until Wednesday to get my copy of the game. Using what resource I have and saving up from past gifts, I only ended up paying $11.50. But wait, I never had a Nintendo DS before. It was early July that I picked one up in order to make use of Best Buy's "RewardZone" program. With the DS in place, all I had to do is wait for it. And wait I did.

Final Fantasy IV DS is just like before. It looks different, feels different, yet still has the moments that I remembered before. While I am far from finishing it after getting it only yesterday, I find that I am actually struggling. The gameplay, while should remain mostly the same, is harder. And with it comes the challenge of trying to overcome such hurdles.

The music is just as I had remembered. Then again, it's the same as I had listened to before. I already listened through the entire FF4DS soundtrack which I picked up a couple of months ago. Since there are new cinematics along with some voice acting, I was skeptic as to how good the English dub will be. Having watched anime titles in Japanese with English subtitles, I've grown accustomed to hearing the original voice as it was recorded. So far, the English audio seems okay. I haven't come across anything obnoxious or out of place just yet.

Hopefully I'll be able to get past all the obstacles in the game and finally beat it. Well, that may take a while since I haven't played Final Fantasy IV in years.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Giga-Wallet Breaker!

Kaiyodo, you are one evil bastard. Recently I acquired two new RevolTech figures from Hobby Link Japan. They're the YF-19 and YF-21 from the Macross Plus series. I got both in order to complement each other as getting one means having to get the other. For a bit now, I have been contemplating on ordering Gurren Lagann, from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann series. The first simply comes with Gurren Lagann itself. By itself, it is a nice figure overall. However, when the two Macross Plus figures were released, Lazengann, the mech piloted by Lord Genome himself, came with an additional piece that doesn't belong. It actually attaches to Gurren Lagann and is the base pack for which it will eventually form the flight wing upgrade, as seen from the series. However, these parts are going to be separate and that the only way to get the full upgrade is to collect all the figures that come with them. That means potentially getting Gurren Lagann, Lazengann, and eventually Enki, which is slated for a September release.

These information bits have been posted on Kaiyodo's site and now I am in a major pinch. Originally, I had planned only to get the Macross Plus figures and the future Full Metal Panic! figure that's coming in August. Adding all that changes the overall equation. Do we go all out? Or do we make compromises? The bad thing about Hobby Link Japan is they do not stock items for long. Once they are gone, they are often gone (unless there is enough supply in order to meet the demand). This goes against the idea of letting the items sit there and waiting until the right time to pick up an entire bunch in one go. Since the stock quantities can be limited, it all comes down to immediate decision making.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Blast From the Past

Perhaps it's a sign of one's age or proof that a company will milk the franchise down to the very bone. I was alerted of this news by a local buddy of mine. Square Enix, or as I'd like to call it, SquEnix, put up a countdown site. As if the URL did not gave it away, the sound that plays in the background also proves it more. Chrono Trigger is coming. Whether or not this will be a remake or a sequel remains to be seen. However, given the current track record of SquEnix as of late, I suspect that it'll be a remake. I can only hope that some additional content will be added as well as having new artwork or models to go with this. Seeinng Chrono (no I do not call him "Crono.") again will be a treat as well as Kaeru. Sadly, there will be little detail as to what we will be seeing as time passes.

This news, along with anxiously waiting for Final Fantasy IV DS, is starting to drive me up the wall. I have not heard of this news at all and this pretty much hit me hard from the blindside. But I guess in the end, I'll be happy to get this game once it arrives. I only hope that the arrival will be quite some time off into the future.