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Store shelves suffering from a Crisis Core today

Posted by: Randy at 3/25/2008 10:30 PM - Comments (0)
More On: Crisis Core -- Final Fantasy VII Square Enix
Set seven years before the events in Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix shipped Crisis Core -- Final Fantasy VII to retailers today.  To celebrate this entry in the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII," Square Enix threw a launch party at the PlayStation Store at Metreon in San Francisco today at 6:00pm (exclusive to 200 attendees.)  Also, if you need a little help from BradyGames to get through your games, today they'll get you 20% of retail (coupon code BGCCFF08).


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

 

SQUARE ENIX ENRICHES A BELOVED FRANCHISE WITH

CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-

The Highly Anticipated Prequel Ships to Retailers Today,

Delivering a Tale of Epic Proportions to Fans across North America

LOS ANGELES (March 25, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced that CRISIS CORE™ -FINAL FANTASY® VII-, the much awaited prequel to one of the most influential titles in video-gaming history, has shipped to North American retailers today.

Before Cloud and Sephiroth’s now legendary confrontation and the ensuing battle that captivated millions of gamers worldwide, there was Zack Fair and his simple yet whole-hearted ambition to become a SOLDIER 1st Class. Players will now discover what was hitherto left untold, as they journey through the exciting and intriguing world of CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-, developed exclusively for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Offering a compelling narrative coupled with breathtaking graphics and an action-packed battle system, this latest entry in the COMPILATION OF FINAL FANTASY VII series is sure to captivate both fans of the original FINAL FANTASY VII and newcomers alike.

Launch Event
To celebrate the arrival of this highly anticipated entry in the COMPILATION OF FINAL FANTASY VII, Square Enix is hosting an exclusive launch party at the PLAYSTATION®Store @ Metreon in San Francisco today, March 25th, at 6:00 p.m. The event will be limited to 200 attendees who will have the opportunity to purchase CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-. Fans will also be able to get a first-hand look at concept art and all-new merchandise, win raffle prizes, and much more! The first 100 attendees in line will also receive a special commemorative shirt.


Strategy Guide
Fans can complete their gaming experience with the CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- Signature Series Guide, now available from BradyGames.

BradyGames is proud to present the CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- Signature Series Strategy Guide. This one-of-a-kind strategy guide provides everything you need to get the most out of
CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-; complete walkthroughs, detailed maps, in-depth coverage of all magic and skills, expert boss tactics, and a complete bestiary, and that’s not all! This awesome strategy guide also includes bonus content, an exclusive foldout and more! This strategy guide is the one and only official resource that allows you to play CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- at its maximum potential!

Visit www.bradygames.com and order your copy of the CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- Signature Series Guide today and receive a 20% discount! (Coupon code BGCCFF08)


Mobile Content
CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- content, including an assortment of VideoRings, is now available on mobile service provider Helio. Helio members can access the VideoRings microsite by entering “FANTASY” (3268279) on their mobile device and then pressing the “Jump” key. For more information on Helio, visit http://www.helio.com.

 

STORY

Seven years prior to the events of FINAL FANTASY VII—

 

The Shinra Company is rapidly increasing its influence through its monopoly on mako energy and military might. With the burgeoning city of Midgar as its base and symbol of prosperity, Shinra is on the verge of establishing absolute dominance over the world. SOLDIER is a group of skilled combat operatives within Shinra. The elite within the group—those strong enough to be deemed SOLDIER 1st Class—are respected and idolized by the citizenry.

 

Zack is a young SOLDIER 2nd Class who aspires to become a 1st. He spends his days carrying out assignments under the guidance of his 1st Class mentor, Angeal. During an operation in Wutai, a large number of SOLDIER members, led by 1st Class operative Genesis, go missing. The severity of the situation prompts Shinra executives to deploy even more SOLDIER operatives in hopes of bringing an end to the war with Wutai—and conducting an investigation into the mass desertion. The ones assigned to the mission are Zack, Angeal, and the 1st Class hero who is known the world over as Sephiroth...

 

What truths lie behind Genesis's disappearance? What secrets bind the three SOLDIER 1st Class operatives? For Zack, a cruel and fateful struggle awaits...

 

FEATURES

  • Complete the FINAL FANTASY VII experience and reunite with the most recognized RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura
  • Witness stunning graphics and gorgeous CG cutscenes coupled with top-notch voice acting in a 16:9 widescreen presentation, made possible by the PSP system
  • Innovative DMW (Digital Mind Wave) system enhances the action-packed real-time battle system, allowing players to unleash special attacks or call upon iconic FINAL FANTASY summons
  • Take on challenges with the all-new “Hard Mode” developed exclusively for the North American audiences
  • Acquire unique accessories made available through 300 side missions to further enrich the gameplay experience

 

CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- is rated T (Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings.
CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $39.99 (USD). The official website can be found at http://www.crisiscore.com/.

 

About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc. 

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan's best-selling franchises - FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 80 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 43 million units worldwide - under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

 

Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing, and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com.

 

 

DRAGON QUEST, CRISIS CORE, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BradyGAMES ® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

"Helio," the "Helio" logo and any other product names, service names or logos of HELIO used, quoted and/or referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of HELIO LLC.

CES 2009: Sony Online Entertainment

by: John - posted: 1/9/2009 8:28 AM - Comments (0)
Sony Online Entertainment has always been very generous with us and I was really looking forward to seeing DC Online up close and personal. Being a big comic book fan I was anxious to see how the project is coming. The demonstration given to us showed some of the customization process of the character. You'll be able to pick various powers and sources of the power as well as a focus object. For example, if you want to create a Mr. Freeze type character select the  freezing power and double guns. While you can't be any of the main super heroes or super villains, you can create your own characters that are inspired by real ones.

So what we were shown was a mission involving Doomsday and Luthor's henchmen. Luthor sent some folks to try and gather up some genetic material left over from a fight between Doomsday and Superman. The setup was a pair of heroes going in to secure the materials and take out the enemies. After completing that part of the mission, the pair  were then sent into Star Labs to help with Doomsday as he escapes capture from that area.

The two heroes that were used in the demonstration were distinctly different in terms of power and movement. One had a quick Flash-like dash and super strength. The other wielded dual katanas and moved around acrobatically being able to leap high and far as well as cling onto the side of structures.

The pair teamed up to take down Doomsday and we even got to see Superman come in and join the fight. The look of the characters were pretty clean and it did remind me of a better looking City of Heroes.
We were shown the city of Metropolis and it looked pretty nice.

One thing of note is that no one really dies in the game. When you  lose all your health you are just knocked out. A timer lets you know when you can wake up and get back into action. The same with enemies as you just knock them out. The more you get knocked out the longer it takes for you to return to action. The developers didn't want to put in any deaths and were trying to stick to the comics of twenty years or so ago where heroes and villains were always in a constant struggle where each one would come out on top in certain situations. With PvP, the concept stays the same although I'm interested to see how one team "wins" a fight if they can just keep coming back.

For those that play with friends, you won't be restricted to a server. If the load is available, just hop onto one with your buddies and you'll continue from there. Speaking of buddies, they do have a concept of grouping so you can form your own League or Teen Titans but  a few things are still being fleshed out. They weren't prepared to talk about headquarters yet either although what's a team without some sort of headquarters even if it's just an apartment with spinning furniture that rotates into a command center. We also touched a little bit on a social aspect of having a web site devoted to your team but nothing concrete was mentioned yet.

I'm hoping that there will be some tie-In with a comic so that we can get not only the experience of playing some of the story online but also reading it as well. They are going to be shipping with pretty much all the major heroes and villains when the game is ready. I asked what was the most obscure character they have in there now and their response was they did have a model for Ambush Bug.

You'll see and hear a lot more once we have the video ready to go but  DC Online looks pretty good in its early state. Although we were the first ones that saw the game crash and it happened twice while we were interviewing them.

The final game for me and Sean was Free Realms which from the name you  can discern that it's a free game. It's an MMORPG that's totally free and all you need is an email address to sign up. The game's aimed at
the early teen crowd so you won't get any killings or gore in this MMORPG. You setup a character via a website and then when you are done you jump into a full 3D client. All the software is streamed to you computer so there's no initial big install you have to do.

The game lets you take up various jobs or classes in a simple sort of way. Be a postman, a ninja, or a race car driver to name a few. You aren't limited to a single profession and you can switch to any of them at anytime by going and participating a mini-game aimed at that specific profession. The mini-games encompass both 2D and 3D giving you a nice variety to play with. Two that come to my head are a matching type game for the postman where you try and link up various objects on a board and the other is a Mario Kart like race car driving game.

It's build for the casual gamer really and there are some aspects that let you jump in and out of the game quickly. If you just want to play for 15 minutes and do a race you can and have your buddies join you in doing so. To help get you into the mini-games faster in other cities, you can warp to the cities you discover via a warp stone. That way you aren' t using up all your time trying to travel to one place or another.

Since it's free, the developers are looking to have some in game advertising but there will also be a subscription model. They didn't know if the paid folks will have an advertisement free experience yet though. I mean there's this one shop in a town I saw with a big coffee cup that's similar to Starbucks. They are hoping to add advertisement but not be obnoxious and to accomplish this by creating advertisement that fit the style of the area you are in. To also help the company
earn revenue, there are going to be some items that you can buy using Station Cash. Now, these items won't affect any core gameplay as they are more cosmetic than anything.

Free Realms looks like it'll be a fun little game for the casual and young folks. Since all the content is coming from the Sony server, parents can be assured everything is going to be family friendly. Even the ability to do free chat is restricted for a certain age. There are some social aspects of the product and it will be determined if some information will be exposed so other sites can publish the information as well. Free Realms might be the MMORPG that everyone can enjoy
without worrying about any offensive material or offensive players.

Dan will be back with more on the PSN side of things but DC Online looks great and Free Realms looks like a fun little MMORPG that's free for everyone to play.

CES 2009: Hands-on with Psyko’s 5.1 surround sound gaming headset

by: Sean Cahill - posted: 1/9/2009 4:21 AM - Comments (0)
This morning, Dan and I had the chance to meet up with a couple of “Psykos” from Psyko Audio Labs in the form of “Sales Psyko” Jason Hay and “Head Psyko” James Hildebrandt. My hands-on was with their latest product, the 5.1 Gaming Headset. Talking with James and Jason, we discussed how PC gamers especially would be missing out on the sweet spots of surround sound or wouldn’t be able to enjoy the quality of a true surround system for various reasons. This is the reason for Psyko Audio Labs bringingforth this product.

The unit itself is fairly large for a headset and, while looking bulky, is actually quite comfortable. This is thanks to the multiple pads on both the headpiece as well as around the ears. For someone, like myself, who wears glasses, this is very important as normal headsets can cause the metal pieces of glasses to somewhat dig into your skin. I didn’t get that sensation putting these on, which is a huge positive.

The headset itself can function as a 5.1 surround system by having the speakers placed strategically to mimic the placement of a surround sound, keeping you in the sweet spot that is so important with surround systems. The sound that I experienced was through a Call of Duty demonstration, which allowed to hear bullets not only feeling like they were going by my head, but I could also hear them randomly behind me and off to the front-left and front-right directions.

Arguably, the best feature regarding this headset has absolutely nothing to do with sound. The earphones themselves actually have hardened plastic pieces covering the main portion of your ear and can be flipped open to provide venting for you. Since the headphones are noise cancelling, this is a nice feature to have if anyone needs to speak to you and you do not want to take the headphones off. While this might seem like a bit of a gimmick, it’s actually a nice add-on to the headset itself.

The unit plugs into a module that allows you to not only control the volume, but the bass as well. The module then runs out via different cables and can go directly into your sound card in the back of the PC. This is both a positive and a negative, however. It’s a positive because it allows for the best possible sound quality, but it becomes a negative since you may have to unplug your actual speakers unless you use an adapter.

The Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset has a suggested MSRP of $249.99 and is expected to be available with limited quality in Spring 2009. This is one of the better accessories that I saw in the first full day of the show being open. The sound is very immersive and provides a realistic environment in the game that you are playing. I had a few different people mention this product in my various conversations throughout the day, which bodes well for Psyko.
[READ MORE]

CES 2009: Hands-on with ezGear’s brand new You Rock Guitar

by: Sean Cahill - posted: 1/9/2009 4:14 AM - Comments (0)
As a part of our continuing coverage of CES 2009, Gaming Nexus is proud to bring you hands-on impressions with ezGear’s You Rock Guitar, which was formally announced just yesterday. We are especially proud of the fact that we were the first media members to actually have a hands-on with the unit itself.

The You Rock Guitar is designed to be more than just a video game controller. While it has the functionality to work with video game systems, specifically for Rock Band and Guitar Hero, this unit can actually be used with your computer, whether it be for a Macintosh or Windows-based operating system. The unit sports a unique fret board, which is a full 22 frets, that is string-less and is actually touch-based. In other words, when you strum it, if you slide your finger down the fret itself, the sound will change. The area you actually strum does have extremely strong wires that mimic strings.

On top of the functionality with Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and you personal computers, you can actually connect the unit to a real guitar amp and play music that way as well. The unit has 100 pre-loaded sounds built into it, which is changeable on the side of the unit. Connectivity will vary, depending on what you are hooking the unit up to, but there are various ways to do so, such as a ¼ inch connector or mini-USB.

Holding it in my hands, I could tell the unit is extremely solid. I was not able to play any of the sounds as the unit did not have anything hooked up to it, but it isn’t a surprise considering that the unit was just announced to the public yesterday. The size of the unit is a little larger than your average Guitar Hero controller and the fret board has raised spots on it to let you know where your fingers should be. If you don’t know how to play the guitar normally, that isn’t a concern either as the unit will actually have a learning interface to help you learn how to play guitar.

MSRP on the You Rock Guitar is $149.99. At the booth, the unit was mentioned as being around $120 dollars, but the actual final price is not set in stone yet. The unit will ship out in Spring 2009 with mass production and availability coming during Summer 2009.
[READ MORE]

News Roundup: Star Trek Dream Origins

by: Randy - posted: 1/9/2009 12:11 AM - Comments (0)
  • Kirby's Dream Land 3, Just Cause, Grid, and Magic Academy round-up This Week in Defunct Games and GameTap.
  • It's time to buy that new video card--Here's TheTechLounge's Video Card Price/Performance Guide (Jan 09).
  • The first "Ask Cryptic" of 2009 enlightens on Star Trek Online art and ship capabilities.
  • Claim a Wind Slayer beta key in their ongoing tests.
  • These are the top 5 things Massive Gamer expects to see in MMOs in 2009.  WoW to hit 14 million?
  • The EVGA GeForce GTX 295 SLI combines the power of two GTX 200GPUs on a single graphics card.
  • Here's your MMO watchlist for 2009--with an honorable mention going to...Dragon Age: Origins.
  • King's Bounty continues to pull in accolades.
  • The AMD Phenom II X4 940 Processor might reverse the not-so-phenomenal Phenom line's rep.
Thanks to Defunct Games, TheTechLounge, Cryptic Studios, Legit Reviews, IGN, and ActionTrip for today's news roundup.

Fallout 3 DLC--ninjas, Chinese bases, and modern combat

by: Randy - posted: 1/8/2009 11:57 PM - Comments (0)
Three more screens have emerged from the icy Alaskan northlands for Fallout 3's upcoming DLC, Operation Anchorage.  Since this scenario takes place pre-apocalypse, it's interesting to note how modern the combat and ninja (!) suits look--as compared to the Golden Age of America piecemeal arms and armament of the baseline Fallout 3.
[READ MORE]

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 PS3 downloadable content

by: Randy - posted: 1/8/2009 11:40 PM - Comments (0)
The first downloadable content package is flying off the top turnbuckle for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 [GamingNexus Grade: A-].  The PS3-only DLC--going for $4.99--will include new playable Superstars and ring gear.  There's Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase, and Charlie Haas to step into the ring for the first time; Kelly Kelly and Maria get holiday costumes (a bit late but, uh, who's really complaining?); Kane gets masked; while Chris Jericho, MVP, and Edge get new ring gear.

No details yet, but THQ is promising future DLC for the Xbox Live Marketplace.
[READ MORE]

Friend up Matt Hazard and poke him on Facebook

by: Randy - posted: 1/8/2009 11:17 PM - Comments (0)
Add yourself as a friend to the official Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard page in Facebook and you'll have webcam access to the development team over at Marathon Megasoft Software.  There's a 'hello' from Eat Lead Producer Brian Etheridge, as well as a video of Eat Lead's star, Will Arnett (Arrested Development, Blades of Glory), recounting some of his favorite Matt Hazard moments in Matt Hazard in Alien Assassination Arena.  On the Facebook page you too can falsely remenisce over memorable moments in the Matt Hazard (non-) body of work.

In related news, the brilliantly funny Neil Patrick Harris (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog)--who voices Matt Hazard's nemesis, Wallace "Wally" Wellesley--is hosting Saturday Night Live on Saturday, January 10.

CES 2009: Microsoft gaming at their booth

by: Dan - posted: 1/8/2009 11:12 PM - Comments (0)
Sean and I had an appointment over in the LVCC Central hall this morning, so when we arrived and found a vacant booth, we decided to take our newly found free time and swing back up front to the Microsoft booth to check out their lineup of games they had on display.

Unlike last year when there wasn’t a single Xbox 360 on display, they had several available and showing some new and unreleased titles. Up and running were recent titles Scene It? Light Camera Action and Lips, as well as the playable versions of the unreleased titles Halo Wars and Banjo Kazooie. I played a bit of Banjo and Sean spent some time with Halo Wars. We will post the impression later along with some video we shot of the gameplay.

There also were several Games for Windows titles, with the most notable being Relic and THQ’s Dawn of War II. Sean was able to spend about 20 minutes getting a demo of the game from the guys from Relic and will post an impression in the near future.
[READ MORE]

Red Alert 3 to get expanded in March

by: Chuck - posted: 1/8/2009 10:50 PM - Comments (0)
Red Alert fans will be happy to know that EA will be releasing a stand alone expansion pack for Command and Conquer:Red Alert 3.  Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a PC exclusive expansion pack that will pick up the action from the main game and "build on feedback from the Command & Conquer community".  Which means more cheesy cut-scenes and more Gemma Atkinson along with the kick ass RTS action.
[READ MORE]

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II closed beta, open beta, and system requirements

by: Randy - posted: 1/8/2009 10:36 PM - Comments (0)
The relentless Warhammer machine marches ever onward.  The Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II beta lies on the grim horizon, and already-established fans of the series will be lightly rewarded for their loyalty.  Owners of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm will have access to the Dawn of War II beta on January 21.  Everyone else has to line up and wait until January 28 until the beta opens for them; which is still a good leap and bound before the February 23 retail launch.  Beta folks will get all four playable races, five multiplayer maps, and Microsoft's Games for Windows - Live TrueSkill Matchmaking (not a dating service).

Also, THQ posted system requirements for Dawn of War II.  See details after the jump. [READ MORE]

Fable 2 DLC dated

by: Chuck - posted: 1/8/2009 10:16 PM - Comments (0)
Microsoft announced today that the once delayed  Knothole Island DLC for Fable II will be available for download on January 13th.  The pack will set you back 800 points and will include the new island as well as a host of new adventures on the island.  I'm a bit surprised that the DLC package is this cheap (I was thinking it was going to be around 1200 points or so).  I still haven't played the game yet but I'd like to since Randy enjoyed the game so much. [READ MORE]

CES 2009: Capcom

by: John - posted: 1/8/2009 9:31 PM - Comments (0)
Capcom was stationed at Planet Hollywood and I had to do a nice hike from the convention center to their suite in the hotel. During my travels up to their hotel suite, I was treated to some game footage of Resident Evil 5 on some LCD screens above some slot machines. They had some more branding on the tables and signs around the casino floor.  With that, I set up to the suite to check out three games.

First up is Dark Void. This third person action shooter is reminiscent of Gears of War but adds some unique wrinkles. For starters the main character has a jet pack. Press the Y button and you'll launch yourself in the air. The animation looks really slick with the way the arms and legs move as you take off. It reminded me of the old Rocket Ranger game on the Amiga and the folks did an impressive job given that it's all hand done and not motion captured.

You do have a cove