Monday, May 30th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 12:20 PM EST
Odds & Ends
Happy Memorial Day to all our US visitors! I have a lot of updates to the Citadel today, including some new Compilation of FFVII screenshots, a bit of Dirge of Cerberus news, and information about a couple of Citadel-related contests.
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Saturday, May 21st, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 04:14 PM EST
A Musical Interlude
First off, if you've never been to one of the Dear Friends concerts, I hope you get the opportunity. Last night, Cyrus Dogstar and I attended the Hartford, CT performance, and it was a great experience. Many of Nobuo Uematsu's most memorable compositions were performed, including two from FFVII; also featured was an all-new piece that will be heard in Advent Children. If you're interested, I've posted my review of the concert in the Forums.
On a related topic, today I've added two new pages about the music of Final Fantasy VII. First off is a comprehensive discography of FFVII music, covering everything from the Original Soundtrack to the FFIX version of "Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony". You can find this page under Game Information. Also new is a bit of info about FFVII's "hidden track", a piece of music that can only be found by sifting through the game's source files. For future reference, this second page is in the Buried in the Programming wing of the Secrets & Mysteries section.
In addition, under Images & Media, the two large .zip files of FFVII MIDIs have been reorganized for your convenience. Hats off to Colgo Kakol on the Forums for the suggestion.
Finally, we recently learned via Adventchildren.net that Square Enix is now selling select AC merchandise to North American fans through its website. The AC Merchandise page has thus been updated with the U.S. prices, as well as links to Square Enix's online stores. Also, the official press release announcing the movie's arrival date (see previous updates) has been added to Game Information.
Tuesday, May 17th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 08:22 AM EST
E3 Report: FFVII, Before Crisis, Crisis Core
Recently, Sony unveiled the super-slick PlayStation 3, and Square Enix held their pre-show press conference. Here are some interesting details from both:
For the PlayStation 3's technical demo, a newly-animated version of Final Fantasy VII's opening movie was shown. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean a remake is in the works, as the demo was just that-- a demo. You can download this clip via this page on GameSpot (scroll to the bottom). For a couple of screenshots of the demo, as well as pictures of the PS3 itself, check out this story on afterdawn.com. (Special thanks to Uncle Elmo and Cyrus Dogstar)
Next, a bit of exciting news-- Before Crisis is heading to the United States! Specific release information was not revealed, but the game will be available to mobile gamers in the States sometime in 2006. Could a European release not be far behind? (Source: GameSpot)
Finally, GameSpot (getting sick of this yet? ^_~) has posted their first impressions of Crisis Core, for which a concept trailer was recently shown. Interestingly, this game seems to feature Zack as the main character, and also apparently includes a remake of the "five years ago" bit from the original FFVII.
Monday, May 16th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 09:39 PM EST
New Advent Children Trailer
Thanks to Uncle Elmo at the Forums for directing us to this year's E3 trailer for Advent Children. It's currently available at GameSpot, on their AC Media page; be forewarned that it contains huge spoilers.
Saturday, May 14th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 08:10 PM EST
European Release Info for Advent Children
Thanks to CloudANDTidus on the Forums for pointing out this story at Eurogamer, which mentions that Advent Children will be released in Europe by the end of the year. The article also mentions that the details as to any sort of UMD release are still being hashed out: "Inside sources tell us that this is because Sony Pictures and Sony Computer Entertainment are still discussing how to handle release dates for the two formats. In fact, we hear they're squabbling over opting for simultaneous launches, versus giving one format priority over the other. Well now."
We'll be sure to post a more concrete European release date, as well as information about the UMD release, once such news becomes available.
Posted by Reeve at 01:18 PM EST
Revisions, Updates, and Tweaks
First off, as a part of the continuing revamp of the Strategy section, I've overhauled the Items guide.
Secondly, in the Advent Children area of the Compilation of FFVII section, the new release date has been noted, and two pages have been updated: Errors & Mistakes contains some additional thoughts about the sign near the Healin Lodge, and Merchandise has had a couple of minor tweaks made to it. Please keep in mind that the Citadel is avoiding plot spoilers until the movie comes out; if you wish to discuss such spoilers, please do so in the Forums' "Advent Children Thread," but be mindful of the "spoiler tag" rules.
Finally, a new chapter has been added to JetNoir's alternate universe fanfic Midgar Story. You can find this tale in the Epics wing of the Fanfiction section
Thursday, May 12th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 09:56 PM EST
U.S. Release Date for Advent Children Confirmed!
Well, it looks like Advent Children will be due out in the United States on September 14th-- the same day as the Japanese release! No confirmed dates yet for Europe, Australia, and the rest of the world, though they might not be far off from the one for the U.S. and Japan. You can read more about this announcement at IGN. Thanks to ludo on the Forums for the tip!
Tuesday, May 10th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 08:50 PM EST
Advent Children Release Date Announced!
Thanks to Kain424 on the Forums for sharing this exciting bit of news; namely, a concrete release date for Advent Children. According to director Tetsuya Nomura, it will be released in Japan on September 14th of this year, for a retail price of ¥4,800. Unfortunately, we currently don't know if this date is for the DVD release, the UMD, the special edition, or all three; nor do we yet have any international release dates. Check out this article at GameSpot for more details.
Another interesting bit of news has also come down the pipe: Square Enix has made sixteen of its Final Fantasy soundtracks and arrange albums available on the iTunes Music Store, making it the first time game soundtracks have been made available through the service. Gamers.com has the full story.
Finally, a new chapter of Yuronova's Sacrifices is now available; you may find it in the Epics wing of the Fanfiction section.
Wednesday, May 4th, 2005
Posted by Reeve at 11:03 PM EST
Tetsuya Nomura Speaks
Thanks to CloudANDTidus for tipping us off about a recent interview with Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura, where he discusses Kingdom Hearts II and the various Compilation of FFVII projects. Here are some choice quotes:
On Before Crisis: "We plan to increase the player characters by two. The story is heating up as the climax approaches, so please stick with us for a bit more."
On Crisis Core: "We're planning an interesting, previously unseen gameplay system. We announced [Crisis Core] as an action RPG, but I think it will end up as something that exceeds everyone's expectations. I personally want to get my hands on it quickly."
On Dirge of Cerberus: "We should be able to release it earlier than most expect. It's a title that's been surrounded by a number of secrets until now, but at E3 you'll be able to get a taste of it and I think you'll be even more excited. For this game, I'm mainly doing character designs. The game is strongly influenced by Yoshinori Kitase (FFVII director, DC producer)."
And of course, on Advent Children: "We've kept you waiting, but we should be able to announce a number of things soon. Please look forward to it."
For more of the interview, check out this article at IGN. As this year's E3 quickly approaches, it looks like there will be a lot to look forward to from Square Enix, and we'll be sure to report on the most interesting and important news items. Stay tuned...!
