Nintendo's keynote this morning at GDC is bringing exciting new news for Final Fantasy fans. Two new Final Fantasy games were announced for WiiWare, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A Darklord. The first title actually continues the story after the classic Final Fantasy IV, and was originally released as a mobile title in Japan. The story focuses on Ceodore, son of Cecil and Rosa, and the press release also promises a host of familiar faces as supporting characters.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A Darklord is the latest installment in the series and places you in the role of the Darklord's daughter, whose task it is to use traps and other forms of punishment in order to keep heroes away from the tower she lives in. I'm actually more interested in this than I was in My Life As A King, as playing an evil character sometimes appeals to me. Of course, knowing this series, she'll be evil but just cute enough to make it ok.

Besides these two new titles, it was also announced today the the Final Fantasy series will finally be coming to the Virtual Console. The first release will be the original 1987 version of the first Final Fantasy, which ought to be released sometime this year. I'm sure you all own a billion copies of it anyway, but I'm looking very forward to future installments in this series (Final Fantasy VI, please!).

That's about it for now, folks. Check out screens of all the games in our gallery. What do you think?

    SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES NEW DOWNLOADABLE TITLES FOR NINTENDO’S Wii

    Line-up Includes Two WiiWare Titles and FINAL FANTASY Series for Wii Virtual Console

 Game Developers Conference, San Francisco (March 25, 2009) – Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) announced today at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the forthcoming releases of new downloadable titles including FINAL FANTASY® IV: THE AFTER YEARS™ and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a Darklord™ for WiiWare™, as well as the FINAL FANTASY series for the Virtual Console™ for Wii™.

 The release of these new downloadable titles represent Square Enix’s recognition of the growing demand for online distribution of content/services, and the commitment they have made to provide content/services that match the needs of their customers.

Square Enix will be offering two new releases for WiiWare: FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord. FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS is an RPG that continues the story that began in the 1991 Super Famicom™ title FINAL FANTASY IV. In Japan, this title was released as a downloadable cellular phone application in February 2008. It has since been lauded for its deep storytelling, and a year after its release, has been downloaded over 3 million times.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord is the newest installment in the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series, which has shipped over 2 million copies worldwide and is set to grow further in 2009. This title will be a sequel to FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King™, which launched simultaneously with the WiiWare service in May of 2008.

The Virtual Console allows Wii users to download and play classic titles released on previous game consoles, and now for the first time ever, the FINAL FANTASY series will be made available via home console download. The first installment of the series will be FINAL FANTASY, originally released for the Famicom™ in Japan in 1987, which will be available for download in May 2009 in Japan. The North American release is scheduled for a 2009 launch as well.

18 years after FINAL FANTASY IV first stole the hearts of Japanese gamers, the adventure continues in FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS.

Released as a mobile phone game in Japan, this wildly popular sequel has topped 3 million paid downloads as of February 25, 2009. The game focuses primarily on Ceodore, son of FINAL FANTASY IV heroes Cecil and Rosa. He is ably supported by a host of familiar faces from the original cast who star in a series of additional tales.
 
For more information, please visit the official website at http://www.ff4theafteryears.com.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord puts players in the highly fashionable shoes of the Darklord's daughter, a malevolent little Miss, charged with dispatching intruding do-gooders by strategically placing traps and monsters around the tower she calls home.

Players will need to get their hands on ever more diabolical traps and abominable monsters to stop those pesky adventurers from making it to the Dark Crystal at the top of the tower. Be warned, though – with heroes of all the races and job classes from the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series storming the Darklord’s lair in real time, traps and minions will count for nothing unless deployed like a true evil genius. Anything less and the Darklord’s beloved home will be reduced to rubble!

For more information, please visit the official website at http://www.MyLifeasaDarklord.com.