If you're feeling bloated and half-retarded from eating enough starch to make a crude cement mix, a strategy RPG might be the last thing on your mind. But don't let something like feeling disgusted with yourself for stealing a final glass of gravy keep you from playing games; abandoning our pastime in favor of a well-deserved food coma would awaken a terrible anger in the spirits of the long-dead pilgrims whose only hope for their progeny was mounds of oily food consumed by the bucket and damn fine portable gaming.

So, don't pass out just yet, brave reader. Hit the jump for our review of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. 

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Who would have thought? The Final Fantasy XII world of Ivalice has been shrunk down to pocket size. Fans have been keeping an eye out for Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings ever since we heard about it earlier this year, and they (we) can't wait to jump into the first real-time strategy game starring Vaan and the gang.

It's been awhile since we saw this gameplay footage, and lately we've been craving a bit more - or at least I have. Thankfully, Square Enix brought along a fancy new trailer for this DS title that will ship on November 20th in North America.

Wait, did I see chocobos kicking each other's asses?

Square Enix is riding the Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings hype train, releasing a veritable plethora of screen shots and trailers, not to mention spreads in V-Jump and Shonen-Jump magazines, over the past week. And I've hunter/gathered it all. For you, the reader.

So, what do we have here? The above clip is a teaser of Vaan and Co. duking it out with some Judges, one of the cooler sets of enemies in all of Final Fantasy as far as I'm concerned. All bad guys should wear totally over-the-top armor. Period.

Anyway, this video doesn't mean that much to me since I don't read a word of Japanatorese. All I know is that there was a lot of dialogue, some dramatic red text, and a bunch of exclamation points. Probably something along the lines of saving the world from evil, or something equally important. It does, however, do a nice job of showcasing the different dungeons you'll be crawling through, as well as a bit of Ivalice's considerable racial diversity.

Hit the jump for another gameplay video, magazine scans, a gallery of screen shots, and a few more details.  

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If this game wasn't so damned good looking I'd be sick of hearing about it. Ten new images from an unknown source (presumably Famitsu) surfaced today on DenDenStyle with loads of illustrations and screenshots of the game's expansive cast of heroes and critters. The density in detail of these screens is amazing -- the more I see the more I wished it was a Super Nintendo cart I could play in my living room.

Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings will be released in Japan exactly 2 months from today in Japan, so you still have time to finish all of those other DS and Gameboy Advance prequels you abandoned long ago (tisk tisk). Want more?  We have more!

These special edition Final Fantasy DS lites make me want to engulf the entire Squeenix corporate kingdom in suffocating hugs. Please, take my favorite console of the moment and etch it with art from my favorite series. Meanwhile, I have melted into a pool of hot trembly goo. They know how to work their fans.

It's all yours for 21,840 yen (about $180 american dollars) and includes the DS and Revenant Wings. Good luck finding one. Unless you steal it off the body of a Japanese 16 year old after bashing his his head in, you're unlikely to get your mitts on this coveted little jewel.

I can't read a word of French. Sure, I know how to tell you that you smell like a filthy prostitute rank with the scent of a hundred hungry patrons, but who doesn't know how to say that? La putain de ta m'ere! Seriously though, thanks to Jeux - France, we have new art and screenies from Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings for you to peruse and perhaps rub your private parts upon. For you old school RPG fans, this game ought to be a delight. (Translation: I can't wait.)

Damn, this game is going to be awesome. Square Enix has released a new Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings trailer that finally shows off some real gameplay for this DS title. I'm not the biggest fan of the Final Fantasy series, but this trailer is impressive. Just take a look at the number of characters battling all over the screen. The mix of retro style sprites and 3D backgrounds adds that nostalgic touch to the game as well. I could see it as the next big hit for the DS. Check it out here also.

 

Faithful Dtoid contributor WestCabaretDrive (yeah, the Lost Planet guy!) has translated the entire first page of this Final Fantasy Revenant Wings scan. You can see the high resolution version here or hit the jump for the translation. He's also working on the second page which features an interview with Toriyama, so we'll post it as soon as it's in. We need to give him more free video games often!

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Two delicious pages of Famitsu loaded with details about the upcoming deliciously touch screen DS Final Fantasy game, but alas, we can't read a damn word of them. If you've been remotely courting a Japanese pen pal for six years and she's looking for some fun in Osaka at 4am in the morning, won't you kindly SMS these to her so she can translate in impeccable english? The second page includes an interview and reaffirms that Penelo's got some serious junk in the trunk.

[Thanks White Warrior! -- and I hope it's a reference to BloodSport.] 

Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings is a DS-bound sequel to FFXII on the PlayStation 2. The game takes place a few years after the end of FFXII, and revolves around Vaan and his buddy Penelo, both a little more mature now, travelling through Puruvama in their airship, collecting treasure, doing battle with monsters, and performing other such adventurous Final Fantasy-ish feats.

The gameplay system will apparently be simpler than the mechanics featured in Final Fantasy XII, and will, of course, rely heavily on the stylus and touch screen. Group battles will be controlled using the stylus, and will still utilize the Gambit system to some extent. Each character will have two gambits, with more complicated ones becoming available throughout the game. According to Eisuke Yokoyama, the game's producer, Revenant Wings will feature more party members than FFXII did, and that Fran and Balthier will definitely be available.

It would be impossible to put in all of Ivalice (the FFXII world), said Yokoyama, but you’ll be able to go to the main locations. You'll also be able to see how the characters have gone on to live following the events of Final Fantasy XII, so those who’ve played the PS2 RPG will have some bonuses to look forward to. 

Revenant Wings will also feature the return of the summons (Espers?), and will have the most summons seen in any FF game to date. They will be the key to battles, however, their uses will be different from past games. Sadly, the game won't feature Wi-fi support, according to scenario writer Motomu Toriyama; not until they're sure lag can be eliminated. It will, however, take full advantage of the DS's dual screens, not just for battles, but other game systems as well (presumably maps and the like).

We'll have more on Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings as new information is revealed over the coming months, so stay tuned.

[Via VideoGamesBlogger and Pocket Gamer]

[Update: Jeux-France has some cool pictures/art from the game. You can check them out below. Also, according to them, a video from the game will be shown at Jump Fiesta on December 16 and 17. More info will also be revealed about Rings of Fate and The Crystal Bearers for the Wii at the event. Don't know about the rest of you, but after looking at those pics, I'm even more excited about the new DS titles.]

Thanks a lot, Nick!