Saturday, September 22nd, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 09:58 AM EST
Crisis Core Releases, PSP Sales Skyrocket
Gamesindustry.biz reports that the PSP was the top-selling console in Japan during the week ending September 16th with 95,487 units. The PSP's clinching of the top spot, which is usually dominated by the Nintendo DS, doubtless had something to do with Crisis Core's launch; additionally, the FFVII 10th Anniversary PSP Slims sold during that week more than likely counted toward the total sales figure. Meanwhile, Crisis Core itself was Japan's top selling game during its debut week with 487,659 units.
Thursday, September 20th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 07:08 PM EST
Tokyo Game Show '07: Sephiroth vs... Squall?!
According to PSP Fanboy, a new trailer for the PSP game Final Fantasy Dissidia was shown at the Tokyo Game Show which shows footage of the previously-confirmed Sephiroth engaged in a head-to-head battle. However, his opponent is not the expected Cloud, but Squall Leonheart of FFVIII fame, making him the latest character to be revealed for this title.
This marks a striking difference from the Square Enix Party trailer, which just showed battles against characters who appeared in the same Final Fantasy game together (FFIX's Zidane and Kuja, for example), and makes one wonder what other interesting matchups will be seen later on. Naturally, we expect Cloud to pop up at some point in the future, but for now, Sephiroth will have to settle for fighting this angsty SeeD cadet.
Posted by Reeve at 11:21 AM EST
Brief Announcement
Please join me in welcoming Ex-SOLDIER to the Citadel's staff! Ex-SOLDIER is our new News Editor, having replaced Seb, who has stepped down from the position.
Posted by Reeve at 12:00 AM EST
Tokyo Game Show '07: New Kingdom Hearts Games Officially Unveiled
As anticipated, there was a big Kingdom Hearts-related announcement at the Tokyo Game Show, and it seems there will be three new games in the series, all of which are for portable platforms. KH: Birth by Sleep is a PSP title, while KH: 358/2 Days is for the DS, and KH: Coded is a mobile game. Of course, we expect the usual round of Final Fantasy cameos—including several familiar faces from FFVII—to crop up in these new games. For the time being, check out this story at 1UP for further details.
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 09:28 AM EST
Crisis Core Secret Ending Video
Previously mentioned in recent updates, the actual video for Crisis Core's bonus ending is now online. It is markedly different from the PS3 tech demo—and from the opening of FFVII itself. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 16th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 09:48 AM EST
Crisis Core Second Impressions, Hades Feels a Cool Breeze
Game|Life continues to play Crisis Core, and has posted second impressions, which are somewhat more positive. This time around, the nuances of the Materia system and the nostalgic music are discussed. Game|Life's first impressions were previously mentioned here.
Meanwhile, here's something related to our earlier report about Crisis Core's hidden FMV. Jeux France has found something intriguing in the book that came with the limited-edition FFVII Potion, and has updated their own news post about the CC hidden movie with this information, complete with pictures.
Saturday, September 15th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 10:01 AM EST
The Citadel Roleplay Returns, Crisis Core Sales, Remix Album Reminder
The FFVII Citadel's official Roleplay has returned after a long absence, and after several Forum members requested its reinstatement. This subforum is being moderated by The Slider and discussions about the RP itself are currently underway. New and experienced roleplayers are encouraged to join!
In other news, Crisis Core is the top-selling game on Amazon.co.jp, according to Gamasutra. Jeux France has posted overall sales figures of 350,000 units on the first day alone; this figure includes sales of the limited-edition PSP bundle, which has already become hard to find.
Finally, don't forget that OverClocked ReMix's special FFVII fan remix album (previously mentioned here) is now available for downloading.
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 09:06 AM EST
Crisis Core First Impressions
Again from Game|Life, Chris Kohler has posted his impressions of Crisis Core so far. In general, he is impressed by its graphical quality, but finds the actual gameplay to be sparse and simplistic:
The problem is, all this spectacle has thus far only been punctuated by a few tiny morsels of gameplay. When one of the game's action battle sequences begins, all you have to do is rapidly tap the circle button repeatedly, and Zack will automagically run up to each enemy in turn and slash away at them until they're dead. You can run around, block, and roll away, but there haven't been any situations yet in which any of that has been necessary.
He also shares his thoughts on the game's lack of a quick-continue option and the mission system, and promises to post more thoughts later.
Thursday, September 13th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 08:38 AM EST
Scenes From the Crisis Core Launch, Hades Prepares to Freeze Over
Chris Kohler of Game|Life is currently in Japan in preparation for the Tokyo Game Show. While there, he went out in search of the limited edition Crisis Core PSP (both it and the game itself come out today). He's posted several photos from the line as well as shots of the PSP itself.
Next up is a possible confirmation of the current rumor to end all rumors. Apparently, if you beat Crisis Core twice, you'll be treated to a special movie that looks a lot like the PS3 tech demo. However, this movie ends with the words "to be continued in Final Fantasy VII". Not going to mention the "R" word here; just take from this what you will. In the meantime, read the whole story and see the screenshots at your choice of Kotaku, the NeoGAF forums, and/or Jeux France.
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 05:49 PM EST
Crisis Core's Digital Mind Wave in Action, Site Update
Jeux France has posted two new Crisis Core gameplay videos which show off the Digital Mind Wave system. They can be seen via the link above, or here in the Citadel Forums' ongoing thread of Crisis Core videos.
In other news, the Citadel has been updated today with nine recent Crisis Core screenshots, all available via the CC Images & Media page. Also up today are two new pages: the first concerns the FFVII 10th Anniversary Gallery and can be found in Game Information, and the second, devoted to AC Easter Eggs & Other Secrets, is located in the Compilation of FFVII section.
As a reminder, we're currently working through our email backlog, and as such, only certain types of submissions are being accepted at this time. Please see the Submission Policies for complete details.
Posted by Reeve at 08:18 AM EST
FFVII Fan-Made Remix Album Available This Friday
OverClocked ReMix, the web's premiere source of video game music remixes, will soon release their latest game-specific project, Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream. This album, which comprises of over forty tracks, will be freely available from its official site on September 14th; meanwhile, a review is already up at Music4Games, the first time a fan-made album has been reviewed on that site.
There have been a few Square/Final Fantasy fan remix projects in the past (most famously Project Majestic Mix), but this is the first all-FFVII one that I'm aware of. If you're interested, don't forget to download it on Friday!
Friday, September 7th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 05:51 PM EST
Update: FFVII's PS3 Compatibility
Thanks to CloudANDTidus for discovering that the new models of the PlayStation 3 currently available in North America—which feature software-based PS1 and PS2 emulation, like their European counterparts—can run Final Fantasy VII. According to Sony's PS3 backwards compatibility search tool, there is only one error which is said to occur with the game: "On Disc 1, when the first battle begins at the Mako Reactor, a flashing black square appears around the user’s character's pointer." On the other hand, the PS2 game Dirge of Cerberus runs with no major problems.
The Citadel first reported on FFVII's compatibility with the PS3 back in March, shortly before the console's launch in Europe. Unfortunately, a quick check of the current backwards compatibility listing for European PS3s still shows FFVII as being absent.
Thursday, September 6th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 09:31 AM EST
Crisis Core Opening FMV, Famitsu Scans and Interview
Jeux France has a new video up, this time of the true opening for Crisis Core. This seems to be the movie that plays when one actually starts a new game, and features some very familiar elements (though sadly, this exciting opening is all FMV, no gameplay).
Rounding out the Jeux France piece are some new scans from Famitsu, including images of a magnificent Bahamut summon and the ubiquitous Cait Sith, as well as screenshots from the opening movie. IGN has translated the interview featured on some of these scans, and has published its most notable details here. As usual, be mindful of potential spoilers.
ETA: Famitsu scores for Crisis Core are in! They gave it a 35/40 (breakdown: 9/9/8/9), which is much better than the 28/40 (breakdown: 7/7/7/7) that Dirge of Cerberus received.
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 09:51 AM EST
Crisis Core Gameplay Videos
We've already seen plenty of Crisis Core's cutscenes and FMVs, but very little showing what the actual gameplay will be like. Jeux France has filled this hole with two new videos from Square Enix: one focusing on basic battle, and another on materia usage. These videos may be seen via the link above or here in the Citadel Forums' recent thread of Crisis Core vids. Please note that there may be minor spoilers present.
Monday, September 3rd, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 10:43 PM EST
Crisis Core, AC Complete at the Tokyo Game Show
Game|Life reports that Square Enix has announced their lineup for this year's Tokyo Game Show, which takes place September 20th through the 23rd. Among the titles being exhibited are Crisis Core (which will have been released in Japan by then) and Advent Children Complete.
Besides these Compilation of FFVII entries, another title being shown (in video form only) which may be of interest to the Citadel's visitors is the multi-FF extravaganza Final Fantasy Dissidia, in which Sephiroth is confirmed to be appearing; additionally, a big Kingdom Hearts-related announcement is expected around the time of the show. We'll be sure to post more information as it comes out.
Saturday, September 1st, 2007
Posted by Reeve at 11:42 AM EST
Crisis Core: Two Videos
Two new videos for Crisis Core have recently surfaced—the game's opening credits and a fifteen second television commercial. For your convenience, I've posted both here in the Citadel Forums; be aware that they contain potential spoilers.
(ETA [09/02/07]: Actually, make that three videos. For anyone who's interested, l0rca has posted a subtitled version of the Square Enix Party trailer [previously mentioned here] in that same thread.)
Posted by Reeve at 12:05 AM EST
This Month's Theme: On That Day, Four Years Ago
Where were you when you first heard about Advent Children? Were you an old-school FFVII fan shocked and/or elated by the news of an official sequel, or a newbie who thought it looked kind of cool?
In recognition of Advent Children's unveiling at the 2003 Tokyo Game Show, this month's theme is dedicated to the film's silver-haired villains, all of whom were amongst the first official new additions to the FFVII universe since the original game's release: Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz. The characters were drawn by Niya Yoru, and are set against a background by myself. As always, the previous themes can be found on the Tenth Anniversary page.
For today's site update, I've created a save file containing all four Gold Saucer dates, which is now available in the Downloads section. This file, which was created to replace a similar one the Citadel once hosted and has since lost, is for use with the PC version of FFVII. If you have this version and have never seen some of these dates (especially the hilarious Yuffie and Barret ones), check it out!
And speaking of Barret, Forum regulars may recall my posting his official short story there earlier this year. Today I've added this story—simply titled "Barret"—to the Compilation section, where it can be found with the "On the Way to a Smile" tales. Elsewhere in the Compilation section, the Compilation-Related Articles listing sees a small update to account for CloudANDTidus' recent piece about Crisis Core.
Finally, I must note that due to a large backlog, submissions other than news, fanfiction, fanart, and articles will not be accepted until further notice. Thanks for your cooperation.
