Eidos Montreal isn’t working on Deus Ex 3 alone. In a recent conversation with Edge, studio GM Stephane D’Astous revealed that Square Enix Tokyo is planning to handle the CGI cinematics for the upcoming follow-up to a bad game. Neat.

"Deus Ex 3 is going to be the first project which will be a concrete product of joint effort between Square Enix and Eidos," said D'Astous. "The cinematics -- by which I mean any CGI pre-rendered cinematics -- are going to be done in Tokyo by Square Enix, and that's going to be amazing."

D’Astous said the idea behind this collaboration came to him one summer morning, probably before he bothered to eat breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day and certainly the most important one in the morning.

"It was in April when Square Enix acquired us, and by June, July I was trying to think of a project we could do together. One morning I woke up and I said, we'll, they're known for their cinematics, so why not get them involved with those?"

In the short conversation, D’Astous also teased that the Square Enix Tokyo team wants to work on Thief 4 (or Thi4f) in addition to Deus Ex 3. But it appears no firm plans are in place quite yet.

Shonen Jump has another Final Fantasy XIII treat for us, and this time it involves everybody's favorite perennial mascot, the Cactuar. Final Fantasy XIII's take on the noble Cactuar is far less radical than its redesigned Chocobos, given that it looks totally unchanged. Still, great to see with such lovely graphics.

The rest of the magazine scan shows off huge landscapes and monsters, boasting of XIII's sense of scale. If there was any doubt that this was a Final Fantasy title, the monster designs seen here put paid to such thoughts. I simply cannot wait to see this on my TV. If it looks this good in trailers and scans, the full thing will likely blow my bollocks off.

And my bollocks are in need of a good blowing off.

Square Enix Europe (formerly Eidos) has today confirmed that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is coming to the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC next year. The follow-up to 2007's Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, the new saga will follow our titular killers as they wend their merry way through the Shanghai Underworld.

Two new videos have been released, one of which is and extended version of the viral teaser we showed a few weeks back, where a dog is battered to death with a chair. There is also a brand new one, "Bowling for Shanghai," which appears to be following the same viral "CCTV" style.

The promotional material looks and sounds promising, but then so did the promo material for the first one, and we all know how that ended. Nevertheless, I love the characters of Kane and Lynch, so I really hope that Dog Days improves the series. Perhaps the guiding hand of new publisher Square Enix shall improve the quality.

We shall see, and I'll definitely remain positive. In the meantime, watch the above teaser and hit the jump for another one.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is the latest pretentious-named Kingdom Hearts game to be hitting handheld systems, and Square Enix has revealed a swanky new PSP to commemorate the occasion. Covered in mystical runes, this new PSP-3000 will be bundled with the game on January 9 in Japan.

It's interesting to note that there isn't a special edition PSPgo. It really does seem that publishers have very little interest in having anything to do with that failed experiment. It may also indicate that a PSN version of Birth By Sleep is not on the cards, at least not for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, check out the new PSP. It's new!

Many would think that having ten thousand Final Fantasy games in development at any given time might be spreading the property a little thin. Not Square Enix. Company head Yoichi Wada has assured fans that the series will never wear out its welcome, and that those behind the franchise are extremely mindful of ensuring this.

"Too much IP use is not good," says Wada. "Having memorable characters and back story is crucial to having a powerful IP. As long as there is a world with enough content and story, players will feel comfortable being in the same world for extended periods of time."

Wada adds that the Fabula Nova Crystallis saga, which will encompass Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Versus, and Final Fantasy XIII Agito, has a very well crafted backstory. He also notes that the worlds created in the Final Fantasy series are what keeps the franchise going strong and staying fresh.

That's as well as maybe, but when you announce Final Fantasy XIV before XIII's even released, not to mention the two other games shipping with the XIII name, and that's in between Crystal Chronicles, various DS remakes, and a host of spin-offs, one could be forgiven for becoming just a little bit tired of the Final Fantasy name. The IP may not be exhausted, but it's wearing me out to keep track of it all.

Here are some brand new Final Fantasy XIII screens to shove down your gullet, courtesy of Japanese magazine/advertiser Famitsu. Check them out, because they look absolutely stunning, as Final Fantasy XIII screens often tend to do.

The new screens show off a lot more of Alexander, the latest summon to be revealed by Square Enix. His Gestalt mode sees him switching between his traditional castle to a massive, ball-shattering robot. It's like Trypticon, but crazier looking. We also get our first glimpse of the character progression system, some clearer shots of the new Chocobos, and a few gorgeous looking environments.

As we now know, Final Fantasy XIII is coming in March 2010. Who's excited?

Alright. Now we know Final Fantasy XIII's coming out March 9th, 2010. Square Enix promised to blow a load of details onto gamer's faces on the 13th of every month, but that video with the smarmy dude in too-tight pants wasn't quite enough to constitute a properly informational spoodging. Thankfully, the game is coming out next month in Japan, and its premier gaming rags are keeping the details coming. Andriasang surfaced with some choice bits about FFXIII's character and battle systems.

As you know, character progression happens via the "Crystarium System," which superficially seems similar to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid. But instead of a single chain of stat and ability upgrades, characters in FFXIII upgrade according to their role in combat. Selecting (and switching) roles during a battle can change a character's style and available skills, allowing for some degree of specialization as characters move around their "Power Line" upgrades. All of this is done by spending Crystal Points acquired in battle. In a good move designed to minimize grinding and manage difficulty, the characters all have "Crystarium Levels" that act as level caps, only raised once past certain points in the story.

And then there's weapon evolution. Not unlike Final Fantasy VIII's ingredient-based weapon upgrades, character weapons can be evolved by combining items found around the world and off of enemies. Once evolved, weapon characteristics and appearances change. For example, Lightning's "Blaze Edge" can turn into a "Slash Carbine," which looks completely different. Even better, the beanie-wearing, Shiva-riding hero Snow's weapon is apparently his coat, which becomes more fabulous with every upgrade. This is the first second time fashion has been acknowledged as a gameplay element in Final Fantasy.

If this all sounds too complicated, that's OK. JRPGs rarely explain themselves very well outside of play. Just know that the game has two styles of Chocobo. One is the tubby spaniel-bird of Pulse, and the other an apparently sleeker, more traditional Chocobo of Cocoon. There. Complicated stuff, and two kinds of Chocobos. That's Final Fantasy XIII. Sold

For as long as games have been a popular form of entertainment, they have always had to have a special trick. Sure, we don’t want to call it a “gimmick”, but there are always going to be some special something in a game to make it stand out from the pack.

Almost four years ago, Eidos released a game called Just Cause for the Xbox 360, Xbox, and PS2. Back then, the big selling point was the parachute mechanics coupled with the stunt system and the goal of over-throwing a corrupt island government set in the tropics The game went on from there. While far from perfect, it was a fun experience with neat ideas.

But it has been four years. Eidos is now in the process of transforming into Square Enix Europe, nobody would dream of down-porting a game to the original Xbox and PS2, and the 360 and PS3 are regularly put through their paces. Would Just Cause 2 even offer new stuff to wow gamers? It’s a whole new world, but it seems like developer Avalanche Studios is hoping to improved Just Cause 2 in an entirely cohesive way. Beside checking out Avalanche's live streaming of the game, hit the jump for my hands on.

Here it is, folks. Ready? Final Fantasy XIII will be released in North America AND Europe on March 9th, 2010.

This comes a short three months after the Japanese release date, which is somewhat surprising. Additionally, Square Enix has announced its new "Lucky Number 13" campaign, in which new info on the game will be trickled out on the 13th of every month until the game's launch, starting today.

So there you have it, March 9th. Has everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief? Is that soon enough for you? Let us know what you think.

[UPDATE: Check out the (ridiculous) new trailer for the game above, which also confirms the same date for Europe.

There's also apparently a Twitter hashtag dealio happening right here, where you can unlock an exclusive Xbox Live FFXIII item of some sort when enough tweets have been generated.]

This was probably the absolute last thing I expected to hear this month, but it's true. A new sequel to Lufia was announced today in Famitsu by Square Enix, and I couldn't be happier. It's currently titled Estpolis, (which is how the games are known in Japan), but unfortunately there's no information available yet on what systems the game will be coming to, when the game will release, or if we can expect to see a US version.

If you have no idea what Lufia is, it's a criminally under-appreciated RPG series from the SNES days. Often overshadowed by the likes of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, it combined solid RPG gameplay with some unique puzzle solving and a rather decent story. The last time the US saw a Lufia game was in 2002, when Ruins of Lore came out on the GBA. A bit odd that Square is deciding to revive this series, but I'm certainly not complaining. Expect to see more details when the next issue of Famitsu is out.

[Via Escapist]

Square Enix decided to spooge us a load of high-resolution artwork for Final Fantasy XIV yesterday, but after drying off hard drive, I was disappointed to find that it was mostly shots of the Gladiator and Pugilist classes and their gear. They had forgotten to include art for what is obviously the best class in FFXIV, the Culinarian!

Therefore, as a service to you, dear readers, I used a screenshot of the Culinarian's official site page for this header image. Look at that! The Culinarian's primary weapon is a rune-inscribed frying pan! You do NOT f*ck around with a dude who uses that thing to cook.

There was some more information about FFXIV's gear-based "Armoury." Basically it's all based on player's currently equipped stuff. Wear claws and cesti, be a Pugilist, rock a frying pan, be a Culinarian. Stuff like that.

Oh, and Culinarians are also called "Disciples of Hand." That makes it sound awesome. Culinarians are cooking one moment, then slapping a b*tch the next.

I didn’t see much going on in PlayStation Home when I last visited, but things do happen in Sony’s digital dance party simulator. Case in point: this argument I witnessed last week. Uninteresting at a glance, but when you analyze the material, you see a group of teenagers acting as wise and crafty heroes, rejecting the hubris of another individual.

Just kidding. But things do happen in Home, or at least will in this case. Developer and publisher Square Enix plans to debut a brand new Final Fantasy XIII trailer in the theatre area tomorrow. We haven’t the slightest idea what the video will have in it, but if its debuting in Home, it’s probably going to be awesome.

[via Joystiq]

Before Bejeweled Twist became a part of Gyromancer, the Square Enix team responsible for the PopCap Games-powered downloadable considered using Peggle and even Zuma as its puzzle foundation.

In a recent interview with Siliconera, the Gyromancer team collectively stated that the goal was to make “enemy-ally position” plain in the downloadable. As a result, games like Zuma and Peggle were considered with Bejeweled Twist.

“We had confirmed that some sort of puzzle system would be utilized as the base,” the team said, “but it took a while to decide which one exactly to go with. The intention for this game had always been to have a single-player focus, so instead of going for a versus-styled interface, we wanted something that would make the enemy-ally positioning very clear.”

The collective added, “With this mindset, PopCap games like Zuma and Peggle were actually brought up as candidates.”

We’re happy to celebrate the choice of Bejeweled Twist, despite our new knowledge of what Square Enix considered for two reasons: (1) Bejeweled Twist rocks and (2) we don’t get much done with the existence of old Peggle anyway. A new spin on Peggle would, no doubt, annihilate our current level of productivity.

Just as I thought gamers would be getting a chance to play a "Leeroy of all trades" in some kind of Final Fantasy XIV beta packed in with first-press copies of Final Fantasy XIII, my hopes were dampened by Dtoid community member Kaylyn Dicksion, who noted that the term "campaign code" is officially defined by Square Enix as:

"A service where a selected character can receive a limited in-game item using a code included with other merchandise the player buys."

Gaming rag Famitsu confirmed that sad fact, and the campaign code would indeed be for a secret in-game item. No details on what the item would be exactly, though hopes were further crushed by the campaign being Japan-only. Buyers of the special Final Fantasy XIII-themed PS3 bundle would also be given the code.

Despite the mild disappointment I still ended up rather hyped for the game, since the story confirming the code's status also included details on two new player classes, the Gladiator and the Pugilist (pictures below). Based on the details it seems FFXIV's player classes are determined almost entirely by whatever the character happens to be wearing at the time.

Combined with the spiffy, Final Fantasy XII-esque localization, the game's been giving off a Monster Hunter vibe that I'm finding quite favorable.

[Via Siliconera and andriasang]

Here's something you should get used to if you live in the UK -- Square Enix Europe is the publisher of those Tomb Raider games. I know, weird, right? 

That's how it's gonna' be, as Square Enix and Eidos Interactive have announced that -- following Square's acquisition of Eidos -- that the combined companies will now be called "Square Enix Europe." Has an interesting ring to it, doesn't it? 

"We have a formidable product line-up which truly showcases the diversity of our exceptional gaming brands," said president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Europe, Phil Rogers.

He is, of course, talking about the upcoming Final Fantasy title starring Kane, Lynch, and Lara Croft. I would so buy that game.

It seems that we were too mesmerized by Final Fantasy XIII's extra-chunky Chocobos to notice, but eagle eyes over at Gigazine spotted an interesting announcement lurking at the bottom of the same magazine's preview.

Once deciphered, the moon runes revealed that first-run copies of Final Fantasy XIII would come with a so-called "Campaign Code" for Final Fantasy XIV, which is the next MMORPG installment in the franchise, announced way back at E3 for the PS3 and PC.

I'm definitely hoping that "Campaign Code" is an alternative name for "Beta Key," because in my search for a header image for this post I officially became more excited for Final Fantasy XIV than for XIII. Why? That header image is from the official site, which follows "a day in the life of Leeroy," as a method for explaining the game's gear-based character system, and perhaps to reference a certain internet phenomenon.

Don't you want to become a Leeroy of all trades, too?

Did you know that Vagrant Story is coming to the Western PlayStation Network soon? Now you do! Square Enix's classic PlayStation game is regarded as one of the finest RPGs of its generation, and among Square's most accomplished titles. Despite its immense popularity, it never took off as a franchise, but it left a legacy that continues to this day.

Vagrant Story was released on the Japanese PSN quite a while ago.

It was originally believed that the game would arrive as early as next week, but Square Enix has since confirmed otherwise. No official date has been given right now, but hopefully it will arrive soon. Who knows? Maybe it'll even give the PSN version of Final Fantasy VII a run for its money.

Eidos Montreal is inviting the public to come visit their studios and check out Deus Ex 3 and Thief 4 this Sunday. The studio (now owned by Square-Enix) is currently working on the two titles and what better way to get feedback on development then by getting it straight from the fans.

Anyone that attends will get a behind-the-scenes look at the two games, enter contests and ask the team questions about the games. Bonus: Eidos-Montreal won't mind if you bring a CV with you if you're looking for a new job.

Check out the Facebook event page for details on the event and to get on the RSVP list.

[via Fuck Yeah, Lara Croft! -- Thanks, Mig!]

The idea of Dissidia: Final Fantasy is probably more entertaining than the game will be (Jim's review was less than exuberant), which is why I've held off on picking up a copy for myself. Today may be the day, as Amazon has the series-spanning button-masher at a 43% discount. That means it's $22.98 if you didn't want to do the math yourself.

Of course, it's their Deal of the Day and will only be available at that price for twenty-four hours or until they run out of stock. While I'm doubtful that the latter will occur, I'm sure there are some people out there who have at least been curious and waiting for a price drop.

Any of you going to pick this up today? Do you guys think this is a bargain or should the price have to dip a little further?

This is what Chocobos look like in Final Fantasy XIII, and as you can see, they're not so cute anymore. In fact, they look somewhat ridiculous, with spiky mohawk crowns on their head and big spaniel ears. Still, they're absolutely huge, as you can see how it dwarfs the rider. Probably the biggest they've ever been, if you're keeping score at home.

In addition to the Chocobos, another summon has been revealed. This one belongs to Hope, and it's the classic Alexander. As always, Alexander takes the form of a massive castle, ensuring that every battle with him will be a well fort one. Haha, that was a funny piece of humor.

Shonen Jump magazine confirmed that a Final Fantasy XIV beta will be included with the Japanese release of XIII. No word on whether we dirty roundeyes will get a similar deal.

The offspring of PopCap and Square Enix -- y'know, the one that sounds an awful lot like something you'd stick in your mouth -- is nearly upon us.

When we last checked in, there was a discussion going around about how the concept of Gyromancer was spawned as somewhat of a joke. Today, we have a meatier talking point: the game's release date.

Wednesday, November 18 is when the magic happens on both Xbox LIVE Arcade and PC. Along with this news, we received a trailer that does a mighty fine job of showing just what the heck the game plays like.

I love me some Bejeweled Twist, and I have little reason to believe I won't feel the same way about Gyromancer. Who's with me?

I don't know who they're getting rid of and who they're keeping, but I hope they kept the lesbian scissoring bike guy on board. That guy is their greatest asset!

Square Enix is looking to clean up shop, sending home about 10 percent of its 3,000+ employees. The cut is scheduled to take place early next year, in a move that they say will revitalize the company.

It's strange, as Square Enix is making more money than they did last year, and they have their biggest title, Final Fantasy XIII, coming out soon. Altafista reminds us that they've recently done some merger and acquisition work, and that it may be time to clean house a bit.

Despite having a whole wad of brand new and original games all the time, such as Gran Turismo PSP or Critter Crunch, the PlayStation Network proves that nostalgia overcomes all, with Final Fantasy VII remaining the online service's most popular download in both the United States and Japan.

Here's the most recent North American sales chart, with FFVII sitting atop it like some mad old king:

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Zombie Apocalypse
3. TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
4. .deTuned
5. UNO
6. Gran Turismo PSP
7. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty
9. Critter Crunch
10. God of War: Chains of Olympus

Final Fantasy VII's performance is pretty impressive for a game released in 1997, and it's kind of amusing to note that the PSP and PS3, two systems sold on the strength of their graphical horsepower, are making loads of cash off an old and graphically dated RPG. Still, the PSPgo is pretty much the best PSOne I ever had, so I can totally understand it.

During the third quarter, Dragon Quest IX not only managed to be the best selling DS game in the world, but the best selling game, period. When you consider the fact that the RPG has not even been been sold outside of Japan yet, that is an immense accomplishment.

Between July and September, Square Enix's handheld romp sold an impressive 3.93 million copies, single-handedly giving the Japanese market a huge boost. It defeated Wii Sports Resort and its 3.0 million, as well as Pokemon Heartgold/SoulSilver with 2.1 million.

The top five global sales for Q3 are as follows:

• 1. Dragon Quest IX: 3,925,000
• 2. Wii Sports Resort: 3,014,000
• 3. Madden NFL 10: 2,612,000
• 4. Pokemon Heartgold/Soulsilver: 2,068,000
• 5. Halo 3: ODST: 1,847,000

So yeah, Dragon Quest IX deserves major kudos for beating stiff competition while restricted to an ailing market. An undeniably amazing achievement.

Screenshot attack! Here's a nice big fat wad of Final Fantasy XIII screenshots, just because Square Enix felt like reminding everybody that the biggest RPG of the generation still exists. I'm sure we all forgot!

The latest screens show off big firey red things, loads of sexy looking battle screens, and more images of that rather saucy looking lady who likes to hang out with Bahamut. A few of the screens look like duplicates from previous galleries, but there's plenty of new stuff to check out as well, so make sure you do that.

Admit it. You're getting pretty excited for this game.

Final Fantasy XIII won't have a traditional level up system, instead swapping out the familiar EXP of your average RPG with Crystalium. Despite the pompous name (would we expect anything else from a Square Enix game?), the Crystalium system is an interesting new way to progress your characters, totally doing away old concepts.

The new method of character leveling takes some cues from Final Fantasy X, given that you spend Crystal Points, earned after each battle, to unlock skills and abilities on a circular chart. Special abilities like "Fire" spells, and attribute improvements like HP, are all found on this chart, and new paths on the chart open up as skills are unlocked.

So, that's your experience system in Final Fantasy XIII. Now let us all sit back and imagine a world where Square Enix has run out of silly made-up words for its game features.

Space Invaders Extreme is regarded by many as among the greatest DS games of all time, and an essential component of any portable gaming repertoire. It was undoubtedly a brilliant game, and so a followup was assured.

That followup is here, with brand new features, new gameplay additions and, most importantly, a whole new range of kick-ass music. New doesn't always mean good, however, so the question is this: Does Space Invaders Extreme 2 manage to live up to the prestige of the original, or is this invasion an unwelcome one?

Read on as we review Space Invaders Extreme 2.

Thexder began life life in 1985 on the NEC PC-8801. Although regarded as a classic, the SHMUP never became a massive franchise. It gained international success when converted for the MSX system, and had a sequel called Fire Hawk: Thexder The Second Contract, but that was about it, and the series was forgotten. 

Fast forward to 2009, and Square Enix has decided to revive Thexder as Thexder Neo on the PSP. Sticking to the original game's roots, Neo sees players control a lazer-blasting robot that can transform into a jet and take on all sorts of mechanical foes. Is Thexder Neo a worthwhile revival, or was this one robot better left rusting on the scrapheap? Read on as we review the latest retro comeback.

As we trudge ever onward toward Final Fantasy XIII's 2010 Western release, I am getting more and more eager to get my hands on it. It's been an incredibly long wait, but the gorgeous looking RPG is finally a dot on the horizon, and now we have some new screens with English subtitles affixed, reaffirming the proximity of the localized version.

The screens give us a nice high quality image of Bahamut, as well as some new shots of Ifrit's "Gestalt" mode and some beautiful environments. Really though, you know what to expect with this gallery. It's a console-based Final Fantasy game -- you don't need more screens to confirm how amazing it looks.

So, do like the lady in the header image says -- shut up and come quiet. 

Haha, come. Do you get it? Like semen.

Surely any fan of the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series is wondering what to expect from the upcoming Wii title The Crystal Bearers. After all,you have Bon Jovi doing the music for the commercial (whoa), the ability to use your enemy as your weapon, and the fact that the game has a December 26th release date (why the day AFTER Christmas?).

We considered the best people to reveal all these mysteries and more were probably Square Enix themselves, and lucky for us, we got a chance to talk to them about itm specifically with Crystal Bearers producer Akitoshi Kawazu. Follow me past the jump to learn how much gameplay you can expect to get out of The Crystal Bearers, why they chose to work with a non-traditional control scheme and much more. 

I have an odd relationship with the Kingdom Hearts series. On on level, I love it. The RPG/action hybrid combat, the Walt Disney fan service, and the Final Fantasy cameos make it a truly interesting and fun series. However, the pompous story and limited vocabulary in which everybody says "heart" or "darkness" every eight seconds makes me want to vomit.

Just take this upcoming PSP game, for example. It's called Birth By Sleep. What kind of up-its-own-arse name is that? It's not as bad as the DS game, which is called 358/2 Days, but it's still dripping in exaggerated self-importance. Anyway, here's a trailer for it. It looks gorgeous for a portable game, as is Square Enix's modus operandi. 

The new video includes footage of Anti-Sakaguchi, who we talked about yesterday, as well the ludicrous clothing and effeminate hairstyles that we know and love from the Kingdom Hearts games. The Seven Dwarves also have a role as well, which is nice. It's already looking more promising than the rather bland and boring 358/2 Days, in any case. What do you reckon?

It seems that you can't have a major PS3 game these days without it forcing data onto your hard drive like some kind of terrible date rapist. It wouldn't be so bad if the PS3 wasn't slow and sluggish about everything it does, but unfortunately it is. Luckily, however, one of the biggest games of the generation is not so big that it feels the need to clutter your HDD. Final Fantasy XIII is install-free!

According to IGN, the Square Enix development team has worked hard to eliminate the need for an installation, and has added that load times are kept to a bare minimum, only occurring in the transition from the world map to a town area. Everything in the game's open world section is said to move "seamlessly."

Forced installations can be annoying, and considering I've seen games do it and still have lengthy loading times, I'm not sure there are any considerable benefits. Fortunately, it seems that with a little effort and actual development, you don't need the installation. We'll have to see just how smooth the loading is when Final Fantasy XIII arrives next year, but if it's as good as they say, then it pretty much exposes the HDD installation as bunk used by lazy developers.

Last week's debate turned out pretty close considering each series has opposing goals, but there was plenty of Dtoid Army support on both sides. Here's are the racing results:

• Twisted Metal series (37 votes) -- Winner!
• Gran Turismo series (23 votes)

I've been noticing in the comments lately that some of you are wondering why on Azeroth some of these debates are being chosen. There's a simple answer and a complex one. The simple answer is not just that we've already covered many of your suggestions in previous debates over the past three years, but more importantly that the goal from day one has always been to step outside our comfort zones and tackle debates you wouldn't find on any and every other forum on the net. Doing this forces you to think less like a gamer and more like a game designer, which helps produce even more interesting discussions.

The complex answer is that -- not only as a game design graduate but also as just a guy who loves games and movies and all forms of entertainment -- it's my belief that any two works of art can be compared and contrasted with one another. Can we not compare the detailed works of Da Vinci with the abstract works of Picasso? Is it really impossible to talk about a comedy and horror movie in the same discussion by showing how a few film techniques from one genre could benefit the other? You can't tell me that you don't love songs by two drastically different bands, and often give thought to which group you like better if forced to choose. Why is it that we're more accepting of comparing paintings, music and movies to one another regardless of their complexities, timelines, and art styles, yet we're so resistant to comparing any two games to one another? Just some food for thought; feel free to poison my food in the comments.

Despite all of what I just wrote, I'm still a big fan of revisiting epic-scaled cliché debates each year to look back and see how opinions have changed as games/series continue to age and expand and stand or fall against the test of time. This week we have two of the most well known and highly praised series in the entire industry, and I'm eagerly awaiting the outcome.

Which series do you like better as a whole, and why? What aspects or individual games of the series made up your mind? Is your choice mainly due to support for that series, or your dislike of other series? Give it some serious thought, share your thought process with all of us, and then get some Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy gaming friends to join in on the fun.

New Bonus Questions! Hit the jump to see not one, but all of the bonus questions. From now on I'm going to try a slightly new format to encourage more discussion!

I guess Bon Jovi wasn't enough, as Square-Enix has just started with another weird way to promote Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. This time it involves a moogle with maracas and party hat talking to a cutey girl bomb-balloon about... stuff. These two are your hosts for The Theater Bearers; a straight-to-YouTube video series set to hype the crowd for The Crystal Bearers' upcoming November release in Japan. 

The videos are all in Japanese, so I'll do my best to translate for you. The first vid focuses on the game's hero, Layle, and how much ass he kicks. The second is about Layle's two sidekicks; one male, one female, both sexy. The third shows Layle's psychic powers and ethical dilemmas that come along with them in greater detail. Will you use you abilities to pickpocket old ladies, or fix up the town by smashing gigantic balls against each other? It's up to you to decide, say the little pink moogle and the ditsy, girly bomb.

But who cares about all that? All I'm thinking about now is how awesome it would be for this new flat moogle-guy to grab a microphone hat and start rapping about toilets. The videogame world needs more paper-thin rapping heroes, and these guys look like they could do the job.

OK, I'm gonna go now, before I start crying about how disappointing Major Minor's Majestic March was and how badly I want a new Parappa/Lammy game. While I'm gone, hit the jump for the other two videos in The Theater Bearers series, plus a couple of bonus vids that show how lethal "flying V" guitars and the milk of giant hamsters can be.

[via Gonintendo]

I know you're probably staring at that header picture in confusion, trying to figure out what Final Fantasy and Bon Jovi have in common. The answer is nothing, so don't struggle to figure it out. Well, nothing before the news report on Andria Sang this morning that Bon Jovi has been asked by Square Enix to provide the music for an upcoming commercial for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. I'm going to give you a minute to think about that and try to wrap your head around it.

The song being used is called "We Weren't Born To Follow" and comes from the upcoming album The Circle, which is due out November 4th. The single for this song is due out later this month. There's nothing wrong with the choice, it just seems a wildly different choice then, well, the J-pop I would normally expect. Bon Jovi will be in Japan October 26th-30th to promote the album. 

Dammit, Square Enix. Dammit! I said I wasn't going to play any more MMORPGs! I don't have time! And yet, when you make Final Fantasy XIV look like THIS, well, how else am I supposed to react?

At any rate, I'll have to withhold my unreasonable urges at least long enough to show you these new screens and art from the game, courtesy of Andria Sang.You can get a really close look at some of the races here, as well as more jaw dropping shots of the CG. When is this coming out again? Who's willing to play with me?I take back everything I said about not having time for MMOs. I'll make time!

NieR director Yoko Taro is working on a game that undeniably looks sexy in the graphical department, but it seems like too many hi-def visuals can spoil your eyes. Taro recently spoke of his personal experiences at the Tokyo Game Show, describing the various Square Enix trailers he saw and outright claiming that he found Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers "painful" to watch.

"I wanted to see the NieR video at TGS, so I watched the Square Enix booth theater continuously," explains Taro, who apparently isn't allowed to look at his own trailers. "It was looping, so after FFXIII came Crystal Bearers. To be honest, the graphics in Crystal Bearers are hard on the eyes ... Bearers' graphics are well done, I get the feeling that you could call them the highest level for Wii. However, SD graphics are just painful."

"Nintendo should use their profits to make a backwards compatible HD Wii, or release an optional upconverter for the Wii, or give the television industry money to properly handle SD video."

I find certain Wii games hard to look at, but a well-designed title can look pretty good. I personally think a lot of Nintendo's first-party games are actually quite good looking, at least for what they are. What do you think, though? Do you find Wii titles hard on the eyes, or is that a complaint for the graphic whores only?

A few days ago we brought you the first subbed video of the incredible Final Fantasy XIII trailer that I salivated all over as this year's Tokyo Game Show. I wasn't expecting to see the English-speaking version so soon, but sure enough it popped up today (via Console Monster).

As a whole, I enjoyed what I heard, although the one voice that rubbed me completely the wrong way was Snow's. Not because it's terrible (although I'm sure some of you will think it is), but because it's not a good fit for the look of his character in my mind. I also can't say I'm sure what I thought it should have sounded like, though. What's your take on this -- like it, or loathe it?

Do you love Square Enix? If you do, you may very well want to import a new soundtrack CD that's hitting Japan on November 25. Titled Love SQ, the soundtrack is a compilation of classic videogame tunes from the libraries of Square and Enix. Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Romancing Saga and Legend of Mana are all represented.

These aren't just straight original tracks, of course. Each cut has been arranged by an established Japanese musician, so this could be a most interesting album indeed. Here's the full track listing:

• Final Fantasy -- Main Theme (PE'Z)
• Final Fantasy III -- Yuukyuu no Kaze (De De Mouse)
• Chrono Trigger -- Chrono Trigger & Toki no Kairo (Novoiski)
• Chrono Trigger -- Harukanaru Toki no Kanata e (livetune)
• Chrono Trigger -- Kaeru no Theme & Sentou Shori (Sexy-Synthesizer)
• Final Fantasy -- Chocobo no Theme (Good Luck Heiwa)
• Romancing Saga -- Medley (note native)
• Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana -- Medley (muZik)
• Final Fantasy -- Battle Medley (Pia-no-jaC)
• Final Fantasy -- Prelude (no.9)

Aside from the fact that the track list is so small, this could be quite a cool little album. What do you reckon? Do you love Square Enix enough to seek out these tunes, or have you had it up to here with rearranged Uematsu tunes?

Hey, at least "One Winged Angel" isn't on it.

If you're curious to see the differences between NieR Gestalt for Xbox 360 and NieR Replicant for PS3, then you'll need to find a young rich Japanese widow to marry and become a citizen in the land of the Rising Sun. Only Gestalt is releasing outside of Japan, with Replicant being a Japan-only deal. At least, that's the implication.

While not specifically stated, Japanese-to-English blog Andriasang is reporting that a Famitsu interview with executive producer Yosuke Saito "heavily implied" the international status of NieR. Considering it's only ever been called NieR in the West, with no mention of a Gestalt or Replicant, it's an implication that is quite likely true.

According to the interview, NieR Replicant is designed to appeal specifically to the Japanese market, with Gestalt being designed with a more Western slant. This explains why the game's titular character is younger and more effeminate in Replicant, and why the main character is his sister and not his daughter. Japan loves a girly virgin. 

In other news, NieR will be a single-player affair, with no co-op planned. I approve of this, because I'm sick of shoehorned co-op in my action games. Also, DLC is being considered. 

So there.

Those of you following Final Fantasy XIII should all have seen the impressive looking summons by now, and the more curious among you might want to know how they work. Well, you're in luck! Square Enix has unleashed some fresh details on how the powerful characters will be used in its upcoming RPG, so sit down, shut up, and pay attention.

As you may already know, the summons act in a manner similar to the Aeons (yes I had a slip of the E-tongue and put Eidolons first, you geeks!) of Final Fantasy X. After using TP to bring forth a summon, the battle will enter co-op mode, where the summoner and the conjured beast fight side by side. The summon's lifespan is determined by its SP. The SP will decrease over time, and enemy attacks will also knock points off. 

The TP gauge turns into a "Drive" gauge, which increases with each successful combo attack. If you collect enough Drive power and have the required amount of SP, that's when you can launch "Gestalt Mode." The summon will transform into vehicle that the main character can ride. We know that Shiva will turn into a bike, Ifrit will turn into a car and Odin will turn into a horse.

So, that's how summons work in Final Fantasy XIII. Exciting stuff, eh? Check out the offical Web site for more, including a new character description for Lightning's sister, Serah Fannon. You'll need to understand Moonspeak to read her bio, though.

If you're going to buy one game for your shiny, expensive PSPgo system today, then heavily consider Thexder Neo, Square Enix's downloadable remake of the 1985 sidescrolling classic. It features a jet that transforms into a robot, and that's just wonderful.

Judging by the trailer, Thexder Neo will provide some simple, classic, old school shooting, but with a fresh coat of paint. We need more of that on the PSP, please! I think this may very well deserve a day one purchase from me. It's available on the European PlayStation Store right now for £7.99 and on the US Store for $9.99.

Hit the link for the vid.

At Tokyo Game Show, I stood beneath a screen that was easily two stories tall and watched the latest Final Fantasy XIII trailer with drool leaking from the corners of my mouth and surely a dozen Japanese people staring and thinking I was even weirder than usual. Honestly, I couldn't help it. Never have I been so affected by watching something I couldn't completely understand, and I felt more sure than ever at that moment that the game really did have what it takes to blow me away.

GameTrailers recently posted a subbed version of said trailer, and it quite confirms pretty much everything I was feeling when I first saw it on that titanic screen. Revealing bits of the deeper relationships between the characters, it led me to believe I really have something to look forward to from this game besides the fun of great fights and beautiful cutscenes.

What do you think after seeing this subbed trailer?

Some new Final Fantasy XIII screens have hit the net, showing off more of Odin, the obligatory summon that finds his way into most FF games worth their salt. Like all summons in the game, Odin will be controlled either as a player character, or as a "Gestalt," where he'll transform into some sort of vehicle for one of the characters. Odin's Gestalt mode allows Lightning to ride his horse. Snazzy!

As we've come to expect from Final Fantasy XIII screens, the new images are quite gorgeous and make the battles look like some of the best combat yet seen in the RPG series. I'm not officially in anticipation of this game after the lengthy wait and Spring 2010 still seems like a long way away. 

How about you guys? Got the hype tinglies yet?

Following the TGS teaser trailer for Front Mission Evolved that Dale recently posted, a full trailer (via Siliconera) with actual slices of gameplay footage has made it onto the web.

The game, which drops the series' tradition of turn-based RPG play for something a bit more Armored Core-esque, has been given a "spring 2010" release date.

Although I was never invested in the Front Mission series, it seems a good number of you guys aren't too happy about the major shift in gameplay style for Evolved. Personally, I'm more worried about the game's developer, Double Helix. G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra and Silent Hill: Homecoming were not terrific, folks.

For the time being, I suppose we'll have to remain skeptical until our worries are proven to be unfounded.

PopCap and Square Enix's Final Fantasy Bejeweled, or as I like to call it, Gyromancer, started similar to how most videogames do: as a joke. Alright, maybe that's just how it happens in my mind and isn't at all indicative of real life. Maybe.

Jason Kapalka, co-founder of PopCap, told GameLife that he was "half-joking" when he pitched the original concept for Gyromancer to Square Enix. Since Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords borrows from Bejeweled, he thought it would be "karmically neutral" for them to make a puzzle/RPG hybrid game in the same vein.

But instead of PopCap straight up copying a company who copied them, which would have been hilarious and probably ended tragically, they took the high road and gave Gyromancer the mechanics from Bejeweled Twist. Kapalka says it feels more "strategic," and better suits "their vision for the game’s storyline and world."

If only the jokes we made here on Destructoid would get turned into videogames. Oh wait, that totally happens already. How silly of me.

It's a dreary Monday morning, but I know what will brighten it up. A great, big, melodramatic Final Fantasy XIII trailer from the Tokyo Game Show. Square Enix has now released the video to the public, so make sure you check out the hotness. It's very hot indeed.

JRPG nerds will be very happy with what they see in this seven-minute extravaganza. Japanese music, lots of swords, and ridiculous summons that transform into fire cars. Now that the game is finally approaching some sort of release, I must say I'm getting quite excited. Hopefully it'll be a badass RPG, something that consoles have lacked for a long time now. 

Hit the link and watch the vid. What do you reckon?

While Square Enix licenses and puts out many pretty RPGs these days, I personally haven't made a really strong connection with any of them. Titles like Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant unfortunately failed to meet my expectations, and even though I have no plans to give up hope, let's just say my excitement for anything they do other than Final Fantasy has dwindled just a bit.

The Nier games seemed like they could possibly be a lot of fun though, and so once I got to TGS today I headed for the Microsoft booth to see if I could get my hands on Nier Gestalt. Sure enough, I got my wish, and if you'd like to read more about what the game was like, hit the break and I'll tell you.

For everything we loved about the playable demos of Final Fantasy XIII at this year's Tokyo Game Show, there was bound to be a few things that didn't jive with us. Nothing's perfect, as they say.

Square Enix's next big thing is shaping up to be great, but we had a few gripes after our demo sessions this week. I will say now that I don't think that any of these below listed items are deal breakers. Even though we've only seen three demos of the game since it's announcement, I think it's safe to say that Final Fantasy XIII will be a pretty solid game.

They haven't shown us what the odd sports-based or skill-based subgame will be, so I can't gripe about that one yet. I'm sure whatever it is will be terrible, though.

As I try not to let myself get too excited for big budget Square-Enix games lately, I haven't really been following Nier: Gestalt. The above trailer has successfully demolished that stance. It's simply packed full of way too many awsome things to not have completely grabbed my attention.

Among those things are a spooky atmosphere, a few hundred gallons of blood, a robot, magic circles, scary monsters, and blades as far as the eye can see. Oh, and also a pretty girl in an assless, underboob-displaying babydoll dress, dual-weilding giant saws. That happened.

It's all set to appropriately epic music and is a fine piece of production on the whole. If the actual game lives up to the incredible badassery of its trailer, my wallet is in even more trouble than it already was for 2010. That's assuming it comes stateside not too long after its Japanese release, of course. This just went from "don't care" to one of my most anticipated titles of next year in a matter of seconds. Simply gorgeous.

Every since Colette compared Square Enix's 0 Day Attack on Earth to Earth Defense Force 2017, I have been freakishly interested in the shmup. Quite frankly, I suck at the genre, but even that discouraging fact isn't enough to dissuade me.

Perhaps the game's new TGS-flavored trailer is expertly cut to make 0 Day Attack on Earth seem playable for unskilled individuals such as myself in order to trick us into surrendering our wallets. Perhaps not. Whatever the case may be, the footage shown looks epic for all the right reasons.

See guys, you don't have to make your shooter solely for the hardcore crowd. If the game is good, or at least appears to be good from the outside, we'll come play. It's as simple as that.

Square Enix and Taito are have updated the classic Arkanoid for WiiWare. Arkanoid Plus! will have multiplayer, co-op, arcade mode, time mode, 122 levels and tons of upgrades and power-ups. There's no release date yet, but expect it "soon."

Arkanoid type games are some of my favorite. These type of games relax me more so than any other game out there and I view them as Zen type gaming. Sure, sometimes there's a ton of stuff happening on the screen, but I never get excited or frantic when it happens. 

Also, the music in the trailer is pretty dope. 

I couldn't make this sh*t up if I tried. Really. Browsing through the Square Enix merchandise booth, I discovered this in a lone case: Cloud Strife Eau de Toilette. Yes, now you can not only emulate Cloud, cosplay him poorly and continue to obsess over Final Fantasy VII, but you can also SMELL like him. Best idea ever, right?

If you look at the pics in the gallery, you'll notice I took a close up shot of the little card next to the cologne. That's because I wanted you to clearly read the price, which is 6,800 yen, or about seventy dollars in US funds. SEVENTY DOLLARS TO SMELL LIKE CLOUD. The mind reels. Now go to the comments and tell me what you think about this. If you think it's a great idea, you better be able to tell me why.

PopCap Games has teamed up with Square Enix for a little RPG/puzzle hybrid action that's bound to hit Steam and Xbox LIVE Arcade. Gyromancer, as it's called, could easily be mistaken for Puzzle Quest, but that's perfectly fine as far as I'm concerned.

It's not as if there's an overabundance of this specific type of game, and seriously, what two companies could be better suited for such a project than these guys? On that note, Gyromancer will almost certainly have to live up to high expectations based purely on these studios' prior work.

At least from what I have seen so far, the game looks to have a higher quality story than you might expect, but that just leads back to Square Enix being involved, I suppose. Make sure to catch the trailer by clicking the header image.

[Surprise, a Destructoid Exclusive -- you saw it here first!]

Given that 87% of Square Enix' total sales come from the Land of the Rising Sun, it's no surprise that they would try to promote one of their biggest franchises at the biggest games convention in Japan (and probably the world). Tokyo Games Show has already revealed a Final Fantasy XIII–branded PlayStation 3, a few new screenshots from Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and a new trailer for Final Fantasy XIV; and here's a hot-off-the-presses trailer for the Wii-exclusive Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, for your viewing pleasure.

Although The Crystal Bearers has had its fair share of development troubles, the game has a firm release date of December 26, just barely qualifying for Jonathan Holmes' most anticipated game of the year. The Crystal Bearers is already making waves with the promise of badass telekinetic combat and a protagonist named Layle, one of the eponymous crystal bearers. As you can tell from the trailer, Layle would rather blow things up than expose his midriff, whine, or lose his memory; instead, he's a mercenary: he kills people for money.

How refreshing.

Anyway, say what you will about Final Fantasy or Crystal Chronicles, but this trailer makes The Crystal Bearers look like the most metal Final Fantasy game since Locke and Co. fought the Ghost Train. I mean, you fight a skeleton riding a  flaming motorcycle, for Chrissakes. For everyone that ever wanted Balthier to get his own game, The Crystal Bearers might be for you -- I'm pretty sure that Layle is going to "Phoenix down" Goldenrod (HEYO!) before the end of the game, and he rocks a tuxedo. He might be the best Final Fantasy protagonist since Zidane.

Yeah, I said it.

Living in the middle of the Square Enix booth, hangs a giant screen that glows with wonder and the answers to our very existence. Hundreds of members of the press gather like clock work to vast in it's glory, and receive their holy communion from the Square Enix saints named Cloud and Sephiroth. I too was curious to learn the meaning of life, and so was my trusty camera. Sadly, the evil men and women of the Square Enix booth didn't share my enthusiasm and did everything in their power to give me the unholy symbol of doom as they cross their arms and shouted at me. But nothing can stop me and my stubborn Cuban-American nature.

Can you count how many times I was told to turn my camera off?

Final Fantasy VIII had perhaps the hardest job of any game ever released on the Sony PlayStation -- it had to follow Final Fantasy VII. Despite being a very fine RPG in its own right, the comparisons to VII made it something of a black sheep for many years following its release. It wasn't VIII's fault, really. It's simply that gamers were bound to make themselves disappointed no matter what the next Final Fantasy was going to be.

Soon we will be able to relive those memories when Final Fantasy VIII comes to the PlayStation Network for use on the PS3 and PSP. The game just hit the Japanese PlayStation Store for 1,500 Yen and, given the fact that FF VII came to the West shortly after its JP release, we can hopefully expect VIII to arrive sometime in the near future. That's a very good thing. 

So, Final Fantasy VIII is on the way, or already here if you can understand Moon Speak. Who's excited? C'mon, admit that VIII really is quite a good game, even with that silly "Draw" system.

Well, it's about time. Square-Enix have finally whispered the name Final Fantasy Versus XIII again, and released a precious few screenshots for those of us who've been watching for such things.

As someone who's not incredibly stoked for the vanilla XIII or the inexplicably already-hyped FFXIV, This pleases me. It's said to be done by the programming team who developed Kingdom Hearts II (with its oh-so-sweet combat) and the visual arts team responsible for Advent Children. It's also the only part of the Fabula Nova Crystalis project I'm actually excited for. Is that just me, or is anyone else really looking forward to Versus?

Either way, it's nice to know they aren't so busy working on Final Fantasy 23 they can't throw us a bone.

[Via Andriasang]

There's plenty of news to be found at the Tokyo Game Show, but after a few hours of prowling the floor I discovered that sniffing around the corners of the floor pays off. Case in point: while checking out the Square Enix merchandise booth in one of the far halls, I discovered two prototype figures from Bayonetta!

As you can see, what's shown here is the lovely lady herself alongside another lass who I am not yet familiar with. There's no release date on these right now, but as you can see they are clearly prototypes, so it may be a while until we can get our filthy paws on them. Still, I was so happy to see her -- I've been saying I how much I hoped someone would make a figure of the iconic lady, and now I can fork over my money for her likeness in the very near future!

I'm so the last guy to post about Final Fantasy stuff, but I really dig the music in the trailer so deal with it.

The trailer gives you a basic plot overview of the game and shows off the fantastic looking graphics. I'm so used to seeing MMOs look like complete ass that I was actually suprised by what I saw in the trailer. Unless of course everything in this trailer is CG. In which case, dang.

Oh, there might be some kind of card game too. Maybe it will be like Yu-Gi-Oh!

Final Fantasy XIV will be out in 2010. There's also going to be a Beta test which you can try to get on through the official Web site.