This message has nothing to do with gaming or anime. This is a personal message about my sister.

On April 8,2009 we found out she has DSRCT (desmoplastic small round cell tumor).

It's a type of sarcoma cancer, for more info click here. Taylor is only 17 years old as of January 31st, 2009.

Please if can take time out of your day, take time to visit Taylor's Caring Bridge and sign her guestbook. She'd really appreciate it and she reads them every time she gets online, the link is found at the end of this post. My mom is always updating the page with news about Taylor, more pictures, etc.

Some of you may know my sister online as Subtle.Edge, SayaBloodPlus18, or EvilAngel18.


http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorhargrove

At this years E3 a big shocker was the announcement of Final Fantasy XIV Online. There is already an official website for North America, which features the new trailer shown. Here is a little tidbit on what to expect from Final Fantasy XIV Online:

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Windows
Producer: Hiromichi Tanaka (FF I, II, III, XI)
Genre: MMORPG
Director: Nobuaki Komoto (FF IX, XI)
Release Date: 2010
Art Director: Akihko Yoshida (Vagrant Story, FF XII)
Unit Price: TBA
Music: Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy Series)
Subscription Fee: TBA
ESRB Rating: Pending

Talk about this being the codename Rapture has flooded message boards and gaming communities alike, due to pictures being leaked with the Crystal Tools logo imprinted on the pictures, and the resembalance to Final Fantasy XI. We can expect to see Galkas, Humes, Elvaans, Mithras and Taru-Taru once again in this title. Hopefully more information will release in due time.

Final Fantasy XIV Onlines Official Site: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com

After announcing three Entertainment Packs this year (Rock Band Unplugged, Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show and Assassin's Creed), Sony announced today that will bundle Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children along with a Mystic Silver PSP 3000 and a 2 gigabyte Memory Stick Pro Duo. The Package will be GameStop exclusive and will cost U$199,99, shipping on August 25th.

Source: The Lifestream.net

In an interview with Final Fantasy Union, Director Takeshi Arakawa and Producer Yoshinori Kitase reveal some of the new additions and changes for the US version. One of them being new character appearances and abilities for the playable characters.

Final Fantasy Union: You’ve mentioned there are some differences between the Japanese and Western versions; will there be any other differences?

Takeshi Arakawa: You can see new abilities for the characters, which are only available in the overseas version. Also there are some characters which don’t appear in any events in the Japanese version but they do in the western version.

FFU: So there will be a few more cameos?

Takeshi Arakawa: Yes, that’s right.

Source: Lifestream.net

Last week some of the Square-Enix staff, namely planning director Takashi Arakawa and Yoshinori Kitase (director, writer and producer) were present at a gaming event in Munich, Germany. Below is a translation (thanks to Tetsujin) regarding their writing of the scenario and possibly ideas for a sequel.

The German gaming site play3 interviewed them about the PSP game Dissidia.

- How do you make sure that no logical errors or plot holes find their way into the story and presentation of so many Final Fantasy games?

We have three measures that prevent that. First of all, a majority of the Square Enix staff already took part in the development of previous FF games. Secondly, we publish guide books in Japan that also serve us as reference archives. And thirdly, we have a couple of employees - like a young female colleague for example - who played through all of the FF games and really know all the details.

- How long does it take to play through Dissidia?

- Arakawa-san: The Japanese version has a whole 40 hours of playtime. The US/European version allows to play through the game in a mere 10 hours by having branches in the game’s story mode. Apart from that, the balancing for the duels has been slightly readjusted. You can still play through the long version of the story mode if you feel like it, though.

- How do you develop for the PSP and how do you see the future of that portable system?

- Arakawa-san: Our development teams are in constant competition with each other. Every department has their own approach and tweaks the engine that fits their game the most.

Kitase-san: A majority of the Kingdom Hearts 2 staff has worked on Dissidia. The similarity between PS2 and PSP paid off for us. What else can be done with the PSP is something we will show with Final Fantasy Agito XIII. Apart from that, we still have lots of other PSP projects in the making.

Another article didn’t reveal anything new except for one interesting bit at the end:

“According to Kitase-san, a sequel would be ‘very interesting’. Maybe it’ll include Kingdom Hearts characters then?
‘Basically, yeah, that’d be possible. Although we’d have to discuss that with Disney, of course…’ ”

Source: Lifestream.net

Soon we're about to get the FFXIII demo included in the Blu Ray release of FFVII: AC Complete. Even though it won't represent 100% of how the game will be in the final release, it sure has some surprises. That is, the release date in Japan.


The USA and European release will probably have the game somewhere around 2010, but if you are a serious addict, learn some Japanese and grab the game this winter.

Via Gamezine

Seems Square Enix didn't care much to announce this but Final Fantasy VII: International made a sudden appearance in the Japanese and Hong Kong PSN stores.

For the price of ¥1500 it offers many new features which were already in the Euro & US version of Final Fantasy VII. This includes both gameplay and story, better change between materias, arrows showing the entrances and exits and an extra cut scene.

There is still no information about an Euro/US version.

Sources: DarkZero

SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS
The official Square Enix community site SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS has just gotten a major upgrade! Register games to earn Points; build a My Page to show off your collection; join Groups to mingle with other members; create an avatar to represent yourself in the community! Visit today to check out everything the new MEMBERS has to offer!

VALKYRIE PROFILE: Covenant of the Plume
Nintendo DS | Available Now | Official Site
The time has come to reap vengeance on the valkyrie who claimed the soul of Wylfred’s father. Armed with the sinister power of the Destiny Plume, he is faced with a life-altering decision. Will he succumb to the darkness in order to exact his revenge? On the crimson-stained battlefield, victory belongs only to true tacticians of war.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time
Nintendo DS, Wii |Available Now | Official Site
A veiled darkness dwells in the shadows of a peaceful era as unforeseen events begin to shape the flow of time. On your birthday, you begin the traditional rite of passage of your village but passing the final test is only the beginning of your adventures.

Fret not, Hero, the tasks before you are not yours alone. Join with other adventurers — whether they’re on the Nintendo DS or the Wii — and undo the echoes of time!

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY
PlayStation Portable | TBA | Official Site
Reigning from distant realms, the two gods had gathered warriors from all lands to lead them in savage war. Under vicious attack without relent, the warriors fighting for Cosmos started to fall one by one. The conflict that has continued for eons is now about to end in Chaos's favor. As for the few surviving warriors — their fates are about to be determined.

What will you fight for?

The theme song for Advent Children complete will see Japanese vocalist Kyosuke Himuro (--performer of Calling, the theme used for Advent Children) team up with Gerard Way from the band My Chemical Romance. The two will perform a song "Safe and Sound" written especially for the movie. The song will also be available to download from iTunes on Mar 29.

You can watch the tailer here.

Sources: AC.net

Tetsuya Nomura hinted at another installment in the FFVII series in the maybe distant future. When asked by a Japanese magazine about the next part of the compilation he replied -- "We do have an idea for the next Compilation, and for the time being, that's all we can say. It won't start up anytime soon."

Source: AC.net

Okay, well you see... the domain was up for renewal and the place where I have the domain at didn't process my credit card, thus the domain was not renewed. When it past the time of renewal the site went down and had some advertisement parked page.

When I contacted them about it, they replied:

Koby,

That was my mistake. I didn't process your credit card so it didn't
renew. I have now renewed it and I won't charge you for the renewal
this year.

I apologize for the error.

Scott Campbell

So the domain was renewed. It might take up to 24 hours for the site to be going correctly again. Because of their mistake though the domain was renewed for one year all for free. ^_^ Scott has always been a very nice person, and their hosting over at KwikHosting was always top notch. If it wasn't for Forgotten Memories out growing their hosting packages I would still be hosted by them today!

Ronfaure (Final Fantasy XI) has been added to the Distant Worlds concert! The first chance to hear this wonderful piece is in Minneapolis on April 11th, and in Grand Rapids on April 14th.

Uematsu-san and Arnie will be twittering from the concerts starting in Minneapolis and Grand Rapids. Tickets are going fast, so get to ffdistantworlds.com/tickets and grab yours today!

San Francisco Symphony tickets go on sale April 21st! Distant Worlds is excited to perform with the San Francisco Symphony for the California debut on July 18 at 8:00pm! The San Francisco Symphony sets the highest possible standard for excellence in musical performance at home and around the world. Tickets for this show are already in demand and we're expecting this one to sell out fast!

Tickets are available at http://www.ffdistantworlds.com/sanfrancisco or by phone at 415-864-6000 starting April 21st.

Detroit show added! Plus special guest: Susan Calloway!

The Detroit Symphony has invited Distant Worlds to perform for one amazing evening this coming June 18th. Arnie Roth has conducted the Detroit Symphony many times in the past and said, "This is one of my favorite orchestras to conduct. Their musicianship and professionalism is phenomenal."

Tickets for Detroit are available April 2 at http://www.ffdistantworlds.com/detroit or by phone at 313-576-5111.

Detroit native Susan Calloway will perform "Memoro de la Stono~Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy XI.

Check out Susan's music on myspace, or at susancalloway.com.

It's about time we finally got a release date on this movie! Advent Children Complete will come to America June 7th. I'm really happy about this, it's now that far off.

It will include:
"Legacy of Final Fantasy VII"
"Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII" and
"Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII Compilation"
The movie will include "On the Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel" also.

But just to warn you guys, I might burst everyones bubble with this; we will not be getting the FFXIII demo T_T I know it's sad but you can always import it and play it
But we will still get awesome trailers for XIII so to me its fair. So look out for June 7th for the release of ACC.

March 23, 2009, marks the fourth anniversary for Forgotten Memories since I purchased the domain back in 2005. As some of you may know, the forum was started a little over a year before the site, so this will mark the 5th year the forum has been running. During the forums prime it had over 2,500 members, 260,000 posts, and over 100 members logging in daily to post, with a total of about 1,000 posts a day. However since that time the forum has been restarted at least nine times in the past.

Well as for the site, since it's opening we have had over 8,563,787 (that's millions and counting) of unique visitors that have come and witnessed the sites existence since it has been up.

The site has had it's ups and downs, such as immature people cracking into the forums, downtime related to poor hosting, and lack of updates due to my laziness and being busy all the time. But here we are still going strong. Most of the Final Fantasy related fan-sites that were around when we first started are no longer up, but we continue to stand strong and bring you the latest Square Enix news (at least whenever we get the chance, lol).

So here is for hoping we will be here for another four great years (that would be 2013 yeah). I thank everyone of you for coming and visiting and hope you will continue to do so as we continue to update. I have a big surprise/update in store coming soon. I wish I could do more, such as a huge image gallery but it's very hard to do so when your stuck in the dark age (dial-up internet, unfortunately).

If youre lucky enough to live in Japan, you can have the chance to see Advent Children Complete on the big screen! Square Enix Members (silver and above) have a chance to register for tickets to one of 8 premiere screenings to be held on April 11 and 12. Around 800 people will be chosen for this opportunity. Screenings will be held at the Opus Communication Zone, Sony Building in Tokyo. Registrations close 22 March and successful applicants to be notified April 1.

SE Members Info and Registration Details
Source: Advent Children.net

More than just the latest chapter in the Final Fantasy saga, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes Of Time is an innovative new concept in multiplayer gaming that enables Wii and DS users to play side by side for the first time. This breakthrough in gaming connectivity allows players on both Nintendo platforms to journey together in the fantastical action RPG flavored world of the beloved Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Utilizing the new Square Enix Pollux cross-platform game system, it offers gameplay designed from the ground up to provide seamless, hassle-free in-game switching beteen single to multiplayer modes.

This videogame is being released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, and to commemorate that Pazsaz Entertainment Network is giving away one copy of the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes Of Time videogame (retail value: $39.99 per videogame) each to three lucky winners. This videogame has been rated Everyone 10+ (for ages 10+) by the ESRB. To enter, completely fill in the form below between February 21, 2009 and March 31, 2009. You must be at least 18 years old to enter and a resident of the United States. No group entries. Incomplete or incorrectly filled out entries will be disqualified. Complete contest rules may be found here.

Winners' names will be available after April 15,2009 at http://www.pazsaz.com/cwinnrs.html

You can enter the contest here.

Enterbrain's Weekly Famitsu magazine confirmed on Friday that the Final Fantasy VII spinoff novel On the Way to a Smile Episode: Denzel will be adapted into an anime for the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete release on April 16. The anime will ship as an extra supplement on Advent Children's Blu-ray Disc releases. The Denzel part of On the Way to a Smile story begins as the character Denzel aims to enlist in the World Regenesis Organization (WRO) and "leaps" back into Denzel's past.

Scriptwriter Kazushige Nojima (Last Order Final Fantasy VII , Advent Children) wrote three On the Way to a Smile novelettes about what happened to the characters Denzel, Tifa, and Barret during the two years between the original Final Fantasy VII game and the computer-animated Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children feature. The Square Enix production company posted the Denzel novelette online. The novelette also appeared in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Prologue book and the limited edition Japanese collector's set of Advent Children.

A new On the Way to a Smile -Final Fantasy VII- book, which will ship on the same day as the Advent Children Complete release, will include the original three novelettes along with novelettes for the characters Yuffie, Turks, and Red XIII. A-1 Pictures, the anime studio attached to Sony's Aniplex production company, and BeSTACK are producing the Denzel anime project.

A little while back a trailer for the English version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray surfaced on Gametrailers.com. The trailer, which actually has no English character voices, says April 16, "limited release worldwide". Seeing as the trailer looks fairly poorly made and a little fishy, we contacted Square Enix for a statement about this trailer and the prospective release date and they had the following to say:-

"The April 16th release date is for Japan. We cannot confirm the US release date at this time."

Square Enix's PR has a hand in all its advertising, so them saying they can't confirm the release date when the date is shown in the trailer pretty much writes-off the April North American release for Advent Children Complete. Who knows what is up with that trailer.

We'll have the details on the official North American release date when Square Enix releases them.

On my quest to continue to improve the design of version 8, I welcome version 8.2, the second alteration obviously. I'm still working on some various stuff such as the gaming coverage navigations, etc..

Mostly what has changed is the left navigation and some changes to the news layout. I am working on a new version of Forgotten Memories (not a new layout, but an actual total change)... I've finally decided what I want to do with the site as I've been very unhappy with how it has turned out and progressed.. so I've got plenty in mind and that of which will not just be a revamp but a total change in how the site is ran, what the focus of the site will be on, and much more.

So stay tuned as I keep you posted on it, yet reveal almost nothing of whats to come. LOL, it'll be a surprise.

Square Enix has announced on Tuesday that it settled its lawsuit against four wholesalers of unauthorized sword replicas from the Final Fantasy game franchise and computer-generated anime. Georgia's Edgework Imports, Inc., Top Swords, Inc., and Wholesale Gallery, Inc. agreed to "a consent judgment for US$600,000 and injunctive relief" along with another company, California's Pacific Solutions Marketing, Inc. The rest of the settlement terms for Square Enix's first major American anti-piracy suit remain private. Square Enix had arranged earlier settlements with four other companies: KingofSwords.com, Master Cutlery, Inc., SwordDemon.com and TrueSwords.com.

The four defendants of the recently settled lawsuit gave the following prepared statement: "We regret having sold unauthorized replica merchandise based on the Final Fantasy franchise to our customers. We would not have begun importing and selling these swords if we knew that Square Enix would respond so aggressively to stop us. We will never make this mistake again."

Yasuhiko Hasegawa, Square Enix's general counsel, added, "We appreciate the efforts of our fans in identifying those who seek to sell them cheap replicas that undermine our efforts to bring only top quality goods and content to our customers."

Source: ANN

Well, I based the skin on the latest layout of the site, and then decided on changing up a bit compared to most of my previous table rows for the topsite list. I've decided to allow 468x60 banners instead of just the 88x31 buttons for members now.. and I am considering some kind of screenshot feature and placement however undecided at the moment..

Please do give me your C&C of the new design:

http://topsites.forgottenmem.net

Square-Enix revealed in a press release that they would be delaying Dragon Quest IX's Japanese launch from March 28th to July 11th. Apparently they're having trouble tackling a lot of bugs during development stating that "It's not in a state we can deliver to players".

Yoichi Wada has come out with a statement saying that the delays in the debugging process of Dragon Quest, may affect the 2009 Japanese launch of Final Fantasy XIII. He said that they may instead be aiming for a fiscal year 2009 release which could be anytime up until April 2010.

I finally got around to updating the Aardvark Topsite skins, and managed to update every last one of them!

To avoid confusion and to clean the page up, I have removed the downloads for the older versions of Aardvark Topsites, so all skins on the page are now only linked for the 5.2.0 version of the topsite script.

Please do enjoy, and remember to keep the credits intact.

Original Name: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete
Release Date: Apr 16, 2009
Starring: Takahiro Sakurai, Tomoyuki Morikawa, Ayumi Ito, Masahiro Kobayashi, Shotaro Morikubo
Language: Japanese, English
Genre: Animation
Version: Japan
PAX-Code: PAX0002558636
Catalog No.: ACCW-34031
Item Code: 4988601461399

Box contents:
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete BD Movie
Final Fantasy XIII Trial Version (Japanese Language Only!)

Thanks to Play-asia for the movie info

You can go here to pre-order: Clicky

Pre-order now before its gone!

I think paying around $70 is a good price for a amazing movie. Im surprised that its going to be dubbed also XD maybe thats why they pushed it back till april. Cant wait for the release!

I apologize for this, but I somehow never uploaded the index page to The Legend of Dragoon section. Well it's up now, so please do check it out and enjoy. I will hopefully be adding the rest of the pages to the section soon as it is one of my favorite RPG's of all time.

Square Enix has released some new information about the gameplay of its upcoming Wii and DS-based Action RPG Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. After playing through the game once, the developers are offering the player plenty of modes to toy around with. In Free Play mode, the entire world including the final dungeon can be freely explored. In addition to collecting items, players will also be able to take on powerful enemies waiting in a bonus dungeon.

Those who want to play through Echoes of Time again from the beginning, are obviously free to do so as well. In fact, multiple play-throughs are recommended, because half of the equipment will only become available during play-throughs 2 and 3.

Last but not least, there is a Game Plus option. Players will begin a new game with all the experience, equipment and items they have gathered during their first play through. Additionally, they can choose which character they want to control. One can either pick an existing character from the first play through or create an entirely new character. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time hit Japanese retail store shelves, on January 29th. Square Enix will bring the game to this side of the Pacific sometime in spring.

A fourth playable character by the name of Sazh Katzroy has been revealed in Final Fantasy XIII. He is the first (playable) black character to appear in a Final Fantasy main series installment since Final Fantasy VII's memorable Barrett Wallace. Sazh has a little Chocobo. In battle he wields two guns. He loves to crack jokes, but also is aware of what behavior is appropriate for a man of his age. He apparently also has his very own reasons for joining the party.

The PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIII will be available in Japan sometime later this year. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 releases of the game are set to go on sale in the US and Europe in 2010.

A new trailer has been released in preparation for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete's release on Blu-ray in April. GameTrailers.com has posted a new three minute trailer and it features a whole lot of new footage. Many scenes are redone, some are entirely new, and some are from On a Way to a Smile.

WATCH ONLINE:
(High Definition) Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Trailer
(Standard Definition) Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Trailer

DOWNLOAD:
Video
Subtitle Script

After seeing how successful the limited edition Final Fantasy VII Playstation 3 is right now in Japan, Microsoft are surely taking notes about what a similar deal could do for their console. While it's incredibly unlikely that they'll manage to strike up a deal in Japan with Square Enix, it's much more likely that they could arrange something for North America.

Although Final Fantasy XIII isn't going to be released for more than a year in the West, it's definitely a subject of intrigue and Microsoft have now shown that they are a definite force to be reckoned with in North America, if nowhere else. This can be highlighted by the imminent release of an exclusive Resident Evil 5 Bundle, which will see a limited edition red Xbox 360 come with a red controller, a copy of the game and an NXE theme. There's no word of a similar deal for the Playstation 3 in North America, but there is going to be a much more personalised Limited Edition PS3 for the game in Japan.

If Microsoft could wager a deal, it could be massive for their console. Not only would fans clamour to get hold of the limited edition console (as they are with the Final Fantasy VII PS3), but it would give an added incentive for people to purchase Final Fantasy XIII on their console, as opposed to the Playstation 3. Nobody is really sure how the sales are going to pan out in the war between the two consoles, but right now, anything could help tip the balance and it's probably something that both Sony and Microsoft are exploring the possibility of.

With two limited edition PSPs and a limited edition Playstation 3, Square Enix have clearly shown support for Sony in Japan. They haven't ever shown such support for them elsewhere with regards to limited edition consoles though, and with Microsoft's increasingly good relations it could see the first Square Enix limited edition console on North American shores.

I just thought I should take time out to review/introduce some of the latest releases by Square-Enix as well as some that are due to be released shortly.

STAR OCEAN: SECOND EVOLUTION
PlayStation Portable | Available Now | Official Site
The Star Ocean saga continues with the PSP release of STAR OCEAN: SECOND EVOLUTION. Take the role of the either the young impetuous hero Claude, son of the famed Admiral Ronyx J. Kenny, or Rena, the young girl whose planet is threatened, as they embark on an adventure to save Rena's world from annihilation. Completely rebuilt for the PSP, this brand-new version of the fan favorite features all-new animated scenes, new private actions, and some new surprises.

DRAGON QUEST V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Nintendo DS | 02.17.09 | Official Site
The legend of Zenithia continues with the first-ever North American release of DRAGON QUEST V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. Follow the hero through a span of three generations, as he journeys and battles his way through lands filled with bizarre and dangerous creatures. Recruit up to 70 different monsters to fight for your party. And when the time comes, choose the woman you will marry! Check out the website for details on how to win a DRAGON QUEST prize pack, along with an autographed copy of the game signed by game designer Yuji Horii.

STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope
Xbox 360 | 02.24.09 | Official Site
Earth has been rendered uninhabitable by World War III, and now humanity must turn to the stars in search of a new home. Explore the galaxy on your quest, make allies and enemies among the alien races you encounter, and uncover an evil so great it threatens all creation. Real-time battles, spectacular visuals, and a universe of adventure and danger await in the great Star Ocean.

VALKYRIE PROFILE: Covenant of the Plume
Nintendo DS | 03.17.09 | Official Site
Follow Wylfred's dark quest for revenge on the valkyrie Lenneth in the third entry of the critically acclaimed VALKYRIE PROFILE series. Discover multiple possible story endings as you decide the fate of your allies, with results that will change the course of the game.

Earlier this week it was announced that there would be a special edition Playstation 3 coming out in conjunction with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray. The package features a PS3, Advent Children Complete and the Final Fantasy XIII demo.

Since it went on sale on the Japanese Amazon, it's jumped up to #2 on the "Best Sellers" list, with Advent Children Complete holding the #1 spot. It's jumped straight in ahead of Dragon Quest IX, which is coming out in a couple of months for the Wii, so that should give an indication as tothe popularity of this item.

Due to the limited availability, Amazon are only going to allow customers to pre-order the item at specific times. It's unsure if they will inform people beforehand, or if consumers will just have to get lucky when looking at the page. For the moment though, it's not possible to pre-order the bundle from Amazon, and they have not announced the frequency of their sales windows, or how long the windows will stay open for.

One thing is for sure though, this could seriously shift a lot of systems for Sony. Looking at how successful the Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Dissidia: Final Fantasy special edition PSPs were can give some indication as to the potential effect this could have long-term for the PS3 as well. This, combined with the scheduled PS3 releases in Q1/Q2 could definitely kick-start the PS3 in Japan.

Well I've ended the latest battles with the results of:

Serge vs. Kid = Serge, Jack vs. Ridley = Ridley, Dart vs. Rose = Dart, Lavitz vs. Albert = Lavitz, Caim vs. Inuart = Inuart, Sion vs. Kou = Kou, Echidna vs. Kaldea = Kaldea, and Tifa vs. Aeris = Tifa.

And that ended all of the preliminaries, thus the semi-finals have began. During this time there will only be a poll for one battle at a time, and I will also put that poll within the poll booth spot to make sure more people see and vote. There are 28 RPG character contestants at this point, and they are split into 4 brackets, the first three having 8 contestants, and the fourth having 4 which means the fourth bracket gets a pass in round 1 of the semi finals.

To determine who battles who, I gave each character a number and then rolled dice. The tournament board you see on the Character Battles page is the result. So go vote for your favorite character. The current battle is between Yuki (from Grandia 3), and Squall (Final Fantasy VIII).

Square Enix has released some new tidbits of information regarding Final Fantasy XIII. The trailer, which the company has shown off in various lengths since the game's debut, depicts heroine Lightning entering a train carrying citizens set to be deported from the Cocoon. Among those convicts is Vanille, the red-haired girl set to become a member of Lightning's party. Snow, the other playable character featured prominently in various trailers, is the head of a resistance movement fighting against the theocratic government of the Cocoon. In their struggle against the government, the party will not only have to deal with normal soldiers, but also far more potent opposition including powerful officers, weapons and monsters.

All those foes will be visible on the field map. Running into an enemy will trigger an encounter. The transition between exploration and battle will be seamless. As previously mentioned, Final Fantasy XIII employs an enhanced version of the good old Active Time Battle system. Accordingly, battles are command-based. Once a command has been selected, the respective character will execute it immediately. During each turn, a character can only execute a certain number of actions. Each character has a certain amount of action points at his or her disposal. Various commands require one or more action points to execute. If Lighting has three action points at her disposal, she can for instance use three standard attacks (each consuming one action point) or use all three points to cast Fire II. Depending on the order of the commands' input, characters will perform different actions. In the upper right-hand corner of the screen a bonus gauge is visible. Above the gauge the number of successful chain attacks is displayed. The developers haven't shed any light on the workings of this bonus gauge yet, though.

Final Fantasy XIII is set to hit retail store shelves on both sides of the Pacific sometime later this year.

Source: RPGfan

Square Enix has opened a new portal site for its Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII series. From this portal site three subpages, one for each game can be accessed.

At this point, the Final Fantasy XIII website only features previously released screenshots and character profiles of the three playable characters revealed thus far (Lightning, Snow and Oerba Dia Vanille). Vanille is the red-haired female character. She is described as cute and acting in a bright manner. Within her slumbers a strong determination, even though she is not yet aware of this fact.

The subpages for the PlayStation 3-based Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII for PlayStation Portable are mere teaser sites featuring no new information yet.

Final Fantasy XIII will be available sometime later this year. Whereas Square Enix will only release the PlayStation 3 version in Japan, the game will be available for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the US and Europe. Final Fantasy Versus XIII's release date has yet to be announced. Final Fantasy Agito XIII is set to hit retail store shelves in Japan later this year.

Source: RPGfan

The Character Battles have been updated once again. Results were:

Jecht vs. Auron = Auron Wins
Kuja vs. Seymour = Kuja wins
Sephiroth vs. Ultimecia = Sephiroth wins
Vivi vs. Balthier = Vivi wins
Yuki vs. Ryudo = Yuki wins
Sora vs. Riku = Riku wins
Yuri vs. Kurando = Yuri wins

Also the Poll Booth has been changed, last results were:

The last Remnant?
Awesome - 4
Flop/Sucks - 6
Didn't Buy it - 6
Don't have Xbox 360 - 18
total votes: 34

**edit**

Alright another update, lol.. been doing mostly just that..

well last poll results were:
Enjoying the Holidays?
Yes - 15
No - 3
Didn't get anything good - 1

Character Battle Results:
Karin vs. Alice = Alice wins
Millenia vs. Elena = Elena wins
Shion vs. KOS-MOS = KOS-MOS wins
chaos vs. Jr. = chaos wins
Fayt vs. Nel = Fayt wins
Donald vs. Goofy = Goofy wins
Crono vs. Frog = Crono wins
Magus vs. Ozzie = Magus wins

Also we have reverted the layout back to the normal one. It is the update from 8.0 to 8.1 though, the x-mas edition had the changes in it already though. Please let us know what you think.

I'm currently writing pages for Final Fantasy 1 through Final Fantasy 6 and will hopefully have them up soon.

Okay, so I know I promised fixes to the layout.. but it's getting close to Christmas so instead we put up the X-MAS edition. I know it isn't really really good or anything but I hope you don't mind and enjoy it for the holidays. Expect the normal layout to be put back up sometime shortly after Christmas or New Years.

-Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

After the poll of what people think of the Version 8 layout, and hearing feedback from our viewers and from some of my friends; I have compiled a list of things that I feel I should change. So when I get home I will begin work on the changes and will get them up in about 2 to 4 weeks hopefully. So expect that soon, and I'll probably make a news announcement with a poll asking if you prefer the update over the current version.

Some changes to expect for Version 8.1:

• Some font alterations on the images
• Change of Background Image
• Fixing up/Alteration of Right Navigation Bar
• Changing of the Content Tables
• Cleaning the Network Bar
• Altering the News Layout
• Fixing the Poll's Design

I feel currently there is too much lines everywhere (the background, the navigation, breadcrumbs bar, and content tables).. which really takes away from the layout so with most of those changes you can expect to see less of the diagonal lines and perhaps only for the links in the left navigation.

So stay tuned for the update.

I've changed the poll. Last poll results were:

Question:
Is version 8 great?

Choices:
v8 is great [27 votes]
It's alright [15 votes]
v7 was better [7 votes]
dislike both [5 votes]

Also ended the last 5 character battles and got 7 new ones started. We are currently going through the elimination rounds quickly and wish to get into the tournament rounds for it soon, lol.. Remember it's all just fun and games though and you can vote however you want. Last Character Battle Results:

Squall vs. Zidane = Squall wins
Cloud vs. Vincent = Cloud wins
Tidus vs. Cecil = Tidus wins
Yuna vs. Rikku = Yuna wins
Ashe vs. Vaan = Ashe Wins

With the countdown on the mysterious teaser site prominently featuring Bahamut reaching zero today, Square Enix revealed Blood of Bahamut. The DS-based title is a multiplayer RPG that allows up to four users to play together via the DS' wireless connection. The player's aim is to take on giants so large that people used to live on them. In addition to story-related missions, it will also be possible to play so-called free missions. Both can be enjoyed in either single or multi-player mode.

Blood of Bahamut takes place in a world created by Bahamut's blood. Unfortunately, it lost its surface a long time ago, forcing people to build their towns on the backs of sleeping giants. Men worshipped these creatures as gods. However, one day the towering creatures woke up from their seemingly endless slumber and all hell broke loose. Knowing there is no safe haven anymore, people leave their villages looking to find exactly such a place. At this time of despair, seven heroes stand up to fight what looks like an invincible opposition.

So far the following two playable characters have been revealed. Wielding a giant sword, Ibuki is a young summoner in whose body rests the spirit of the dragon. The young man has a strong sense of justice. He saw it as his responsibility to stand up and fight the giants. After having lost her family when she was but a child, the female lead Yui is dreaming of one day founding her own family. After having lost her family, she has been living and studying together with Ibuki. A capable magic user, she has decided to join Ibuki in his struggle against the giant beasts.

Blood of Bahamut has yet to receive an official release date in Japan.

Square Enix released some new information about the highly anticipated newest main series installment in its Dragon Quest series on the pages of Shounen JUMP magazine. The DS-based Dragon Quest IX will allow the player to create his or her own character by customizing face, hairstyle and figure, etc. This character creation is not limited to the protagonist, though. The developers at Level 5 will also allow the player to create customized party members. Those lacking the creativity, time or interest to create their own characters, do not need to worry though. Existing characters can be hired at Ruida's bar. Two such characters, Roxanne and Rikka, were mentioned in today's article. Last but not least, the following job classes have been confirmed to appear in the game: mage, warrior, thief, monk and martial arts expert.

Dragon Quest IX will hit Japanese retail store shelves next March.

Square Enix offered some new tidbits about Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII in this week's issue of Weekly Famitsuu. The male character seen in the various trailers of Final Fantasy XIII is called Snow Villiers. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura commented that the development is going to improve the visual quality of the game even further.

Final Fantasy XIII will be available on PlayStation 3 in Japan sometime next year. A multiplatform release will follow in the US and Europe thereafter.

As reported two months ago, Final Fantasy Agito XIII will feature directly controllable summons. When they are called upon, Ifrit and Co. will replace the character who has summoned them as a party member. Speaking of parties, Agito XIII will support up to three active members. While Square Enix wasn't sure whether the planned infrastructure mode would make it into the final product in August, this week's update suggests that this will indeed be the case.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII for PlayStation Portable will be available in Japan sometime next year.

Source: Geemu Jouhou! Geemu no Hanashi, and RPGfan

I'm in the process of uploading the new layout which will become Version 8 of Forgotten Memories, entitled "Return of Cecil" as it features Final Fantasy IV with the new artwork that was made because of the new Nintendo DS release of the game. Final Fantasy IV has long been my favorite of the series and I intend to add coverage of the game soon.

I finally finished doing the coding adjustments of the pages so the new layout will work, but since it took so long to do it, I decided to go ahead and put it up on the site instead of waiting to revamp all the content pages coding and writing. For the most part though most pages have been completely updated, however there still needs some tweaks on a lot of them as most of the pages were written back in 2004-2005 (some even before we had a site, lol). The image gallery will be here a little later then expected, my upload speed is very slow at the moment and will take some time to finish it up, so the image gallery may be up by Thanksgiving hopefully with tons and tons of artwork and game logos, etc.

There is, as you might have noticed, several new pages added to the site, such as the Character Battles (which happens to be a little messy, lol), and the arrival of the Omake (which I had been wanting to do for ages). The Legend of Dragoon page has gotten a huge over-haul. I had originally intended to open a site solely for the game, but decided best to just add the content to Forgotten Memories so there it is.. I'm still working on more pages for the series too, and intend to upload the "If you Still Believe" MP3 version of the song.

Roms and Emulators will come later if you noticed the button at the top of the layout. As for Final Fantasy 1-6, I've decided they are older games, and we need to concentrate on newer games, so instead of doing huge content pages for them, I will dedicate one page to each game with character bios, storyline, review, etc.. Well I guess that is pretty much it for now, so expect some clean up, etc.. to be going on and all pages to be updated soon.

Advent Children Complete which is set to hit Japan on Blu-ray during March 2009, has been spotted within Square Enix’s Tokyo Game Show 2008 booklet. Below are two scans which have surfaced portraying scenes from the upcoming movie.

Warning Major Spoilers:


Here are the amazing High Quality Scans:


Enjoy

Well now that TGS 2008 is up and about, I got some new information about the upcoming game: Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

They released the rest of the cast that will appear in the game.
Bartz Klauser from Final Fantasy V
Terra (Tina) Branford from Final Fantasy VI
And they relased Cloud Strife also from Final Fantasy VII.
We all know cloud was going to be in the game haha.

The hero is named Edge Maverick, and the heroine is Reimi Saionji. Two other party members have been named Faize Sheifa Beleth and Lymle Remli Phi. The one named Faize wields a rapier while Lymle appears to be a child sorceress.

The battle system will be similar to Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, with both short and long range attacks that can be linked together. Each character has a unique set of attacks that can be used in combos with regular hits and they gain them through experience. A new "side stepping and Jump system", where the effect of jumping will vary by character, with some able to use repeated jump attacks or jump higher than others.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope had a playable demo at this years Tokyo Game Show, and the game will be released in the Spring of 2009 for the XBox 360. The exact dates are as follows: Japan on February 19, 2009, and North America on March 3, 2009.

For a review of the game hands on, check out RPGfan. They managed to play the demo during the Tokyo Game Show and have their review on it.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has opened the official website of Demon's Souls. As previously announced, the PlayStation 3-based action RPG is developed externally by From Software.The game's background story begins with a king discovering a shrine located in a remote mountain range. Inside the ancient structure he obtains a new source of power known as "soul." The prosperity brought upon the country by this new power did not last long, though. Seeking even greater power, the king returned to the shrine. There he woke up an ancient beast which unleashed a colorless fog and demons. The fog, which had quickly covered the entire land, cut off the country's connections to the outside world. Meanwhile, the demons began to rob the people of their souls and eat them. Two decades later, the people are clinging to one last hope. Demon's Souls will be available in Japan sometime next year.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan today announced Demon's Souls. The PlayStation 3-based action RPG is developed by From Software, makers of Enchanted Arms and Armored Core. The game is set to be playable at next week's Tokyo Game Show.

Described as a dark fantasy title, Demon's Souls won't be about Final Fantasy-style FMV sequences, but rather about gameplay emphasizing a feeling of satisfaction and exploration, in other words "back to the roots". At the game's beginning, the player is asked to create a character by specifying name, sex, face type, hair style, etc. Slightly similar to Lionhead's Fable, the player is free in making his or her own decisions. Even if he or she is asked to save the world, this request can be ignored. The game will continue nonetheless.

System-wise, players have to study an enemy's attack pattern and while defending, exploit their foe's weak spot. Weapons will come with certain limitations. For instance, it might be impossible to swing a weapon with great range in a narrow location. Furthermore, actions in battle will change, depending on whether a weapon is wielded in one hand or both hands.

Demon's Souls will be available in Japan sometime next year.

Konami today announced that it will release (Gensou) Suikoden Tierkreis for the Nintendo DS in Japan on December 18th. Apart from the standard version set to retail for 5,500 yen ($52.08 USD), Konami's online store Konami Style will offer two special editions.

The Konami Style special edition will include the game, the original soundtrack, an artbook, a book cover, one out of five bookmarks and a drama CD.

The special set will ship with a 2009 calendar, a set of four cards, Gensou Suikoden Vol.1 and 2 drama CDs in addition to the items included in the special edition. The former will cost 10.550 yen ($99.91 USD), while the latter will be available for 19.200 yen ($181.82 USD).

Square Enix today announced Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. The sequel to Ring of Fates will be available for Wii and DS. Users will be able to play the game together simultaneously, regardless whether they are playing Echoes of Time on a DS or Wii unit. Via a WiFi connection, parties of up to four players can be formed. Apparently, Miis created on the Wii will also appear in the DS version.

The game's story begins, when the protagonist, who had just turned 16, heads out of his village for the first time. Eventually, he will set out on a journey to uncover the secrets of the Crystal.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for Wii and DS will be available in Japan on January 29th 2009 for 4,800 yen ($45.78 USD).

Alongside the standalone version of The Last Remnant, Microsoft and Square Enix will release an Xbox 360 bundle in Japan. Available in limited quantities, the bundle will include a 60GB Xbox 360 unit, the game, an original face plate and a premium soundtrack CD. The bundle will go on sale on November 20th for 34,800 yen ($329.55 USD).

Ignition Entertainment, publishers of titles like Obscure: Aftermath and Mercury Meltdown have announced that they will be publishing Blue Dragon Plus next year. The sequel to Mistwalker's first Xbox 360 RPG, Blue Dragon Plus features a real-time strategy battle system, not unlike Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. Blue Dragon Plus will see release in both Europe and North America in March 2009.

I've officially closed Kingdom Hearts Trinity, and all Kingdom Hearts content has been added to Forgotten Memories. At the moment the section looks a little messy but it will be cleaned up and more organized when I finish up with version 8 of Forgotten Memories.

Until then please enjoy. The KHTRINITY.COM domain name is now redirecting to our Kingdom Hearts section, and if anyone wants to buy the domain to start up a website such as for Kingdom Hearts, then you can contact me.

September 4th is upon us and the deadline for Tecmo accepting the proposal has passed. Tecmo have released a statement which outlines why they decided to reject the offer in favour of merging with KOEI instead:

"Through a merger, we expect we can grow further by respecting both companies' identities and having an environment in which employees can fully exhibit their skills," Tecmo and Koei said in a statement."

It seems with KOEI, instead of Square Enix, Tecmo would increase their corporate value.

A Square Enix spokesperson said:
"The company would decide on its next step after seeking the rationale for Tecmo's rejection, details of the Tecmo-Koei merger plan, and reasons why it is considered better than Square Enix's proposal."

Square Enix seemed to offer brand recognition in the West, but Tecmo feels they have this already with the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, and so focus on KOEI- which would be a better compliment to them and would make KOEI and Tecmo more competitive in the global market.

Source: Reuters

Square Enix recently announced that Dissidia: Final Fantasy would be hitting Japanese stores just in time for Christmas, on 18^th December. Square Enix also announced that the game would be released in a bundle with the currently unreleased PSP-3000 model.

The PSP-3000 is basically just a PSP-2000 with added features such as a PS Home button, an anti-glare screen and a microphone. No word on whether or not the bundle will contain a special edition PSP (like many Square Enix and Sony bundles), however we’ll keep you posted.

No word yet of an American or European release date. Check out the Official Site for Dissida: FF.

The 3rd Birthday is an upcoming video game from Square Enix. The game is being developed for the NTT DoCoMo cell phone platform and the Playstation Portable and will mark the third entry in the Parasite Eve series after Parasite Eve II, which was released in 2000. Very little information about the plot has been released.

The 3rd Birthday is a Spin-off of the Parasite Eve series, which is why "Parasite Eve" has been excluded from its title. The title references the third appearance of Aya Brea and the significant changes for the design of the game compared to its predecessors. However, as it is the third game in the "Parasite Eve" series, fans have been erroneously referring to the game as "Parasite Eve 3".

The Plot
Late night on Christmas Eve, Aya and the other members of CTI: New York are called into headquarters in response to an outbreak of attacks in Manhattan by a creature called Twisted. These creatures emerged from a mysterious time contortion, details about which will be revealed later.

Aya is the main focus of this game. Due to her special powers, she still has the body of a woman in her 20s, although in terms of age she should actually be 35 years old. Motomu Toriyama, the scenario director, feels that it is rare to be able to focus on a woman in her mid 30s in a game and is taking the opportunity to properly depict the thinking and lifestyle of a cool woman. Square Enix announced the title at their 2007 party in Japan for the gaming press. A promotional teaser has also been released which shows Aya in wedding garb.

At the private fan event DKΣ3713 in August 2008, it was announced that The 3rd Birthday is also being developed for the PSP with no mention of the previously announced mobile phone version.

Preview Screenshots

Motomu Toriyama, the director of Final Fantasy XIII, divulged bits of information about the upcoming RPG in an interview with Famitsu PS3. We already know the demo is lengthy, but now we also know that it will allow players "to play from the opening through the prologue," similar to the Final Fantasy VII demo. Besides Lightning, players will also be able to play as the blonde male (shown above) in the demo. He remains nameless, but whatever his name is, it will be weather-related as well.

Toriyama then talks about a "new style" where Final Fantasy XIII will not have an actual main character. Instead, players will experience the story from the viewpoints of different characters. One of the main focuses of the demo will be to allow players to try out this "new style." The battle system also allows you to switch characters; it will be party-based and the player will switch between each character during combat.

Also finally some great new images worth mentioning have surfaced. You get to see Lightning, Mr.33cm, and some pigtailed girl, plus some other great scenes. So check them out!

Final Fantasy XIII Screens:
01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14

On a recent even of Square Enix in Japan, news rolled in announcing a special exclusive addition in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete release to PS3.

The special exclusive would be a demo of the new FFXIII which Square Enix has kept held for such a long time. It will be the first real feel of the gameplay they have prepared.

Since Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is a Blu-Ray Disk, and the demo will be in it, there is no chance for XBox 360 users to experience the demo. So basically it will be a Playstation 3 exclusive.

I finished version 8, now it's simply a matter of me updating all pages to how I want them to be before I add the layout to the site. Until then here is a preview for those interested. The new layout features Final Fantasy IV (4), though main image is of Cecil, the main character. The layout is wider as well, lol..



As for the current layout, version 7, I'm selling it for anyone interested, please contact me.

Square Enix posted a countdown site on their Japanese site, displaying a clock that simply shows your computer's current time, though it was highly reminiscent of the stylized C "clock" of the Chrono Trigger logo. The graphic, ticking sound and URL of the site (/ctds/) led many to believe what was made official today: Square Enix will release a new version of its classic 16-bit RPG Chrono Trigger in both Japan and North America this winter. According to the official press release, the game will be basically the same, though with the addition of touch screen functionality (the extent of which has not been made clear yet), a new dungeon and a wireless play mode. The full press release is below.

This will mark the third release of the title since the original in 1995 - not counting reissues such as the PSOne Books label in Japan. Chrono Trigger was originally released for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo in 1995. Four years later, a Tose-developed PlayStation port hit Japanese retail store shelves. This PlayStation version was released in the US as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles.

Originally released in 1995 on Super Nintendo and shipping more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, CHRONO TRIGGER has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by critics and fans alike. With a unique and multifaceted storyline, the game revolutionized the world of RPGs with never-before-seen features, including an unprecedented soundtrack and multiple endings determined by side quests and the player's actions.

With artwork by famed manga artist Akira Toriyama and an unprecedented and inspiring musical score created by Yasunori Mitsuda, CHRONO TRIGGER represents the best-in-class of the video game world. This newly revamped edition maintains all of the game's original elements and spirit while introducing the portability, dual-screen presentation and Touch-Screen functionality of Nintendo DS. Players will soon be able to rediscover the exhilarating RPG experience, breathtaking storyline and innovative gameplay in the palm of their hands.

STORY
When a newly developed teleportation device malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, young Crono must travel through time to rescue his misfortunate companion from an intricate web of past and present perils. The swashbuckling adventure that ensues soon unveils an evil force set to destroy the world, triggering Crono's race against time to change the course of history and bring about a brighter future.

Source: RPGFan

Okay excuse the cheesy title. Anyhow after our latest poll over 80% of viewers think it's time for a new layout. I've been pondering and pondering idea's for what I should do for a new one. I could not come up with anything until today. I now have an idea what I want to see in a version 8 and thus when I get home I'll see about making it a reality. This announcement is just to let you know, expect a version 8 layout eventually. I don't want to get your hopes up, just to end up disappointing so I'm not going to give an expected release date or anything.

Also our Topsites have moved back to our own hosting so please re-add the code or re-join! I've added a lot of cool new features to it, especially to the stats pages. Also if your site reffers someone to the topsite and they join, you will be listed as a refferer which equals more exposure to your own site!

Something else I felt like mentioning: Kingdom Hearts Trinity (our KH site of course) and Shinra Insider (my sisters site) will be closing, and their content will be added to Forgotten Memories. Which mostly means some of the most top-quality KH1 content will be added to Forgotten Memories. I am also going to be dropping some of our affiliates, accepting new ones, and converting some of KHT and SI affiliates to Forgotten Memories. I have also been working on a Gallery for Forgotten Memories, in which will possibly be released when version 8 is released. As far as the version 7 layout goes, I'm either going to use it for one of my other projects or sell it to someone interested in it. I won't be releasing it for free like previous layouts we have used.

I will also be upgrading all the topsite skins within our free downloads to the latest Aardvark release for those of you who have been bombing my email address with questions regarding them. =P Though doing so may take a while, and the first one I'm going to work on is the curved skin.

In an interview with Famitsuu, character designer and director Tetsuya Nomura has shed some light on Square Enix's recently announced summer event DK Sigma 3713 Private Party 2008. Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (both PlayStation Portable), Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as well as Sigma Harmonics (both Nintendo DS) will be available at the event set to take place in early August.

The company also plans to set up a trailer theater at the event. The non-playable titles set to be exhibited at the private party are Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII (both PlayStation 3), Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Kingdom Hearts Coded, The 3rd Birthday (all mobile phones) and the blu-ray version of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.

The DK Sigma 3713 Private Party 2008 will be held in Tokyo's Harajuku Quest Hall on August 2nd and 3rd.

The newest issue of Shounen JUMP magazine revealed that Final Fantasy X protagonist Tidus and his father Jecht will be part of Dissidia: Final Fantasy's growing cast. Apart from Tidus and Jecht, the Warrior of Light, Garland (from Final Fantasy I), Frioniel, the Emperor (both from Final Fantasy II), Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth, Squall, Ultimecia (both from Final Fantasy VIII) as well as Final Fantasy IX's Zidane and Kuja have already been confirmed to appear in the PlayStation Portable-based fighting game.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy has yet to receive an official release date. Fans will be able to get a closer look at the title in early August, though, as Square Enix will show off the game during its recently announced DK Sigma 3713 Private Party in Tokyo

During a Microsoft RPG event in Japan last week Square Enix announced that Star Ocean: The Last Hope, also known as Star Ocean 4, will be released for the X-BOX 360 in the year 2009. When they were asked if it will be released on the Playstation 3, Yoshinori Yamagishi, the Square Enix producer, said "We cannot announce anything on that. We can say that it will be released first on the Xbox 360. Whether we'll release it on the Playstation 3 is undecided. We may release it, we may not."

So good news for X-BOX 360 fans, however not so good for expecting Playstation 3 fans, like myself. Though of course, we broke people still have to save up the next-gen systems, lol.

Recently Square Enix stated that they are considering taking stakes in game developers to combat rising competition from established game publishers and other entertainment companies.

"Economies of scale and breadth of scope are getting important. It may be a business alliance or it may be us taking a stake in others, but we need to go beyond traditional Square Enix," Square Enix President Yoichi Wada told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday.

"We face competition not only from Japanese videogame companies but from game companies worldwide. We also see some new players from outside the videogame industry coming in," he said.

Game makers are rapidly consolidating to boost their competitiveness, with Electronic Arts planning to take over rival videogame maker Take-Two, while Vivendi's is merging with Activision.

Even Square Enix, creator of blockbuster game series including Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts, was created through a merger of two leading Japanese game makers in 2003. When they were asked if Square Enix is currently in talks with others, Wada said: "That's part of a CEO's job. That's part of our routine work."

Last month Square Enix said they would move to a holding company structure in October, saying it was necessary to move to the kind of organization that could respond to business tie-ups and investment opportunities quickly and flexibly. Wada said Square Enix has no fixed budget for investing in other companies, but he pointed out that management is allowed to issue about 290 million additional shares without approval at a general shareholders' meeting.

"I'm not suggesting we are going to use up all that. But we have a capacity to do that," he said.

Based on Tuesday's closing price, 290 million shares in Square Enix are worth 960 billion yen ($9.20 billion). Wada also said he aims to boost the ratio of overseas videogame software sales among its total game software revenues to 80 percent in three years from about 50 percent now.

Source: Reuters

Some of you may remember that Square Enix bought out Taito, the creators of many classic arcade games including Space Invaders, a few years ago. Well a couple days ago, Square Enix finally announced that it was time to release new versions of two old classics, Space Invaders and Arkanoid. The new games being, Space Invaders Extreme for both the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS and Arkanoïd DS for the Nintendo DS, will both be launched across Europe on July 4th.

The remakes are designed to bring a new generation to these classic games, as well as to stay true to their roots whilst simultaneously taking advantages of the capabilities offered by the new technology. So fans who live in Europe, mark your calendars for July 4th.

Today Square Enix North America have confirmed the news we already knew, the three Nintendo DS Dragon Quest remakes (of titles IV-VI) are to be released in North America, and later on in Europe as well (no formal announcement has been made for this as of yet).

This news was apparently all but confirmed with the Japanese release of the game, which apparently allowed players to choose whether to play the game in Japanese or English. Hacking of the game also revealed that chunks of the game's script had already been translated into Europe's other four "Multi5" languages (French, German, Italian, and Spanish), so it seems the game is destined for Europe too.

Square Enix has announced that the first of the three games, Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosenwill be released in North American stores on September 16th, with Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie soon to follow, noting that neither of these have been released in Japan yet.

As far as Europe is concerned, the USK (the German video game rating board) has Dragon Quest IV registered already, and they usually get games registered before the rest of Europe, so this is a good sign. Noticeable, however, is the situation that happened with Dragon Quest VIII - in which they've dropped the Roman numeral - has returned and are instead simply calling it Dragon Quest: Chapters of the Chosen.

Square Enix's North American branch has already prepared a portal site for the Castle in the Sky trilogy, through which you can access a very bare-bones site for Chapters of the Chosen.

>> http://na.square-enix.com/zenithia/

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen has already been available in Japan since December and is to be available in North America on September 16th, no news yet as to a European release. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride is to be released in Japan on July 17th, no news yet as to releases in other countries, and finally Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie has not had any release announcement as of yet.

Source: Square Enix, FFinsight

Indeed it took a while, but it seems Square Enix finally decided to put a release date for Crisis Core and that will be on this June, 20.

The prequel of the best-seller Final Fantasy VII, is expected to boost PlayStation Portable sales in Europe just as it did in Japan.

On top of that, Square Enix announced that the European Version will feature "additional gameplay challenges not included in the original Japanese version." Be quick and get a pre-order till game finishes stocks.

The Stylish New Action-RPG Makes Its Way to Retailers across North America

Square Enix, announced that THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU was shipped to North American retailers April 22nd.

The creators of FINAL FANTASY and KINGDOM HEARTS bring a new mix of innovation and style to Nintendo DS with THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU. Drop into the center of Japan’s youth culture with this stylish new title, set to revolutionize the way that Nintendo DS games are experienced with its creative battle system, distinctive art style and hip soundtrack.

With a completely unique take on the capabilities of the Nintendo DS system, THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU takes familiar Nintendo DS functionalities and adds an exhilarating new edge. The battle system challenges players to take control of two characters simultaneously, choosing from a variety of touch and sound commands to unleash dynamic psychic abilities. With a soundtrack that complements the vibrant, urban visual style and a plot filled with riveting twists and turns, THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU promises to set new standards for the next generation of gamers.

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU is rated T (Teen) and will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $39.99 (USD). The official website can be found at http://theworldendswithyou.com/.

The Star Ocean series has long been considered one of the best RPGs late in the Super Famicom's life. However, United States gamers only got their first taste of the series via Star Ocean: The Second Story for the PlayStation. Well, the first Star Ocean game has been remade for the PSP in Japan, and RPGfan has an import review of it for us. A United States release date has not been announced for this title yet, but we will keep a lookout for any word about that. In the meantime, check out RPGfans' review.

Score Card------
Graphics: 94%
Sound: 91%
Gameplay: 95%
Control: 90%
Story: 80%
Overall: 94%

Seems like the remake is going to be great. Too bad I don't have a PSP.

Square Enix announced that this summer they will be adding three new titles to its Ultimate Hits series of budget re-releases. The titles being re-released are Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. Unfortunately only Japan will see them. The exact date is June 26th and the games will be priced at 2,800 yen ($27.67 USD) each.

Source: RPGFan

Well, I figured it was time for a new poll, and possibly a new layout. However I have no layout idea's in mind at the moment anyhow. So I was going to see what you all thought? I really like this current layout, and not sure if we should even change it, because I don't think I can come up with something I like as much as it..

Old Poll Stats:

Question:
Most Looking Forward To?

Choices:
Final Fantasy Versus XIII [327 votes]
The Last Remnant [36 votes]
Star Ocean IV [58 votes]
Final Fantasy XIII [251 votes]
FFVII: Crisis Core [248 votes]

Seems most people are wanting Final Fantasy Versus XIII more than the others.

It looks like we haven't seen the last of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII set of titles with some interesting information revealed through an interview over at 1UP with Crisis Core director Hajime Tabata.

When asked if the game marks the compilation's finale, he answered:
"No, it does not. The Compilation's finale will take some other form."

Interesting.

Source: 1UP, FF Skies

Square Enix has announced that they will be releasing the Nintendo DS title Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift on June 24, 2008 in North America. The follow-up to 2003's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, A2 is the third title in the "Ivalice Alliance" series. FFTA2 will feature stylus-based control, as well as more jobs than its Game Boy Advance cousin.

"Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift makes the tactical RPG genre accessible to fans who may be unfamiliar with the grid-based battle system," said Director Yuichi Murasawa. "While maintaining the classic functionality of the much-loved gameplay, this newest release boasts upgrades that enable a more engrossing and fulfilling tactical RPG experience."

Players will follow the story of Luso, a boy who stumbles upon a magical book that transports him to the land of Ivalice. Luso will meet up with characters from Final Fantasy XII, as well, such as Vaan, Penelo, and Al-Cid. FFTA2 will launch at the MSRP of $39.99 and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Square Enix has stated that coming to North America this summer is Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Dungeon for the Nintendo Wii. Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Dungeon will go on sale in the United States on July 8th for $39.99 USD. While Final Fantasy IV will ship sometime in July.

Featuring the unique art of Toshiyuki Itahana, Chocobo's Dungeon stars Chocobo and Cid as they are transported to a mysterious town full of people that lose their memories each time the clocktower's bell tolls. One day a boy named Raffaello arrives and creates dungeons full of memories, leaving Chocobo to collect them for the townspeople.

In this title, Chocobo has numerous classic Final Fantasy jobs--such as Black Mage, White Mage, and Knight--to help him through his journey. Players will be able to search for hidden letters during their travels to create special phrases and unlock secret dungeons and job classes. The game features Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing players to pit themselves against each other in card battles with a 3D pop-up book style similar to that of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the Nintendo DS. There is also a Mog House that will allow players to test their skills through a number of mini-games, using the Wii controller's unique abilities

Well, sorry guys, but yes we will be in Hiatus for a bit. For those who don't know what Hiatus means, basically we wont be updating Forgotten Memories for a bit. How long you ask? It's not really sure, but all our focus is on the impending release of Kametsu.

Have no worries though, Forgotten Memories is here to stay, we aren't about to go anywhere. Just think of it as a temporary quiet time. I'll still occasionally post some Square Enix news but I wont try to stay completely on-top of it.. it's not like I have been lately anyways.. so sorry about this. If you want to keep up with the latest news I suggest you check out our forums or the official Square Enix website for now.

As always, I am looking for staff to help out around here, in fact now instead of just looking for news posters, I'm actually looking into possibly hiring someone to run Forgotten Memories completely. To be frank, I've actually lost almost all interest in video games *gasps*. So well if you want to help out, or run the place, please send me an email. =P

Sorry about the unexpected downtime of only Forgotten Memories and those hosted under the domain. The rest of the sites were fine. As this downtime was due to the domain renewal.

Apparently my payment went through on time but the domain renewal software screwed up and didn't renew the domain, causing the domain to expire. I've talked to the person in charge though and everything is sorted out now, so it should be all working.

If it's still not working (then you wont see this message, so it doesn't matter, lol, but) then that simply means your ISP hasn't updated their DNS cache yet, and thus it should work within the next 24 hours.

I'm sorry about this, and hopefully it never happens again.

You may have heard of a small fansite called Final Remnant, once hosted by our good friend Greg from FFSynthesis, and ran by ryuzaki. Well after talking for a while, Final Remnant has officially joined The Forgotten Network and is now hosted by us, and considered the official fansite of the network.

So if you are interested in the new RPG by Square-Enix, then give a moment of your time and go check out Final Remnant.

Square Enix announced a couple days ago that FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates has shipped to North American retailers. Now available exclusively for Nintendo DS, the imaginative world of FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates is set to captivate players across the nation.

"We are extremely excited to bring FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates to North American audiences," said Director Mitsuru Kamiyama. "The intuitive controls welcome players of all skill levels to jump right into the action, and the seamless, highly interactive multiplay experience allows players to work together as a team in this fun-for-all adventure."

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) and will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $39.99 (USD).

The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/ffccrof/.

Square Enix today announced that on March 13, 2008, the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge LEE Kyun-yong) found in favor of Square Enix and ordered Fantom Entertainment Group (Fantom) and Mr. HONG Jeong-ho to pay damages of 300 Million Korean Won for infringing Square Enix’s copyright. The complaint alleged that Fantom, a Korean talent agency, used portions of the Square Enix CG-animated film FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDRENT without obtaining permission from Square Enix. This includes the modification and adaptation of scenes into live-action shots, and the commercial appropriation of these live-action shots for IVY’s Yuhok ui Sonata (Sonata of Temptation) music video directed and produced by Mr. HONG Jeong-ho. IVY is a popular recording artist belonging to Fantom.

For the full story click here

Square Enix announced today at the Game Developers Conference that the White Engine - the engine that they are using to program Final Fantasy XIII - is officially getting a name change. The White Engine, as it was known until now will be known as "Crystal Tools".

But not only the name change was made official, it was also announced that the newly renamed Crystal Tools is compatible with the Nintendo Wii which was thought not possible to make by many in the gaming industry. Taku Murata, GM of Square Enix, simply said, "it is a secret" in regards of the Wii support.

It could possibly mean Square Enix is planning to make more games for the Nintendo Wii then we currently know about.

Gary Gygax, co-creator of the first role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, has died at the age of 69.

Gygax, who developed the game in 1974 with Dave Arneson, had been suffering from health problems for several years.

Famous for its mythical creatures and odd-shaped dice, Dungeons and Dragons was an instant success that spawned a slew of video games, books and films. Gygax was also a author who wrote numerous fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.

He died on Tuesday at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, leaving a wife and six children.

Skills and abilities
Ernest Gary Gygax grew up in Chicago, moving to Lake Geneva at the age of eight. His father, a Swiss immigrant, read fantasy books that got his son hooked on the genre, according to Gygax's widow Gail.

Gygax was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s when he began playing war-themed board games. It was these that inspired him and Arneson to develop Dungeons and Dragons, in which players create fictional characters by rolling dice that determine their skills and abilities.

An estimated 20 million people worldwide have played the game, with more than $1bn (£505m) spent on equipment and books. "I thought we would sell about 50,000 copies," Gygax told the BBC News website in 2004.

Gygax and Arneson sold their rights to Dungeons and Dragons in the 1990s, when the game's popularity began to wane.

According to his widow, though, he hosted weekly games as recently as January. "It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman," she said.

Source: BBC News

As you might have noticed I have made some of our content sections not click able, such as Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, and Dirge of Cerberus. The reasoning behind this is that those sections was way out dated as our Final Fantasy XII section was all written way before the release of the game, and as for our Dirge of Cerberus section. it was merely an introductory page written way before it's release so it needs a complete overhaul. Our Final Fantasy XIII page hasn't been updated since it was put up and with so much new information about it and it's compilation I figured it needed to be removed.

So what does this all mean? Well I will be working on the site again (ya, finally lol), though it will be rather slow-paced for a while seeing how I'm still working on opening Kametsu (and that takes priority atm). I'd like to introduce sections for FF1-6, though they will probally be mostly just a summary/review of the game with some eye candy and other forms of media rather then full blown content sections as they are rather old (even if they have been updated to the NDS/GBA, haha).

I also want to try and get a Gallery script going. I didn't want to use a script because of it not being very SEO friendly, but with as much images (artwork, wallpapers, screenshots, scans, etc..) as I plan on adding it would take far too long to code and thumbnail them all. So unless I can find an awesome thumbnail program, or a great image script (thats kind of like our current one, but does thumbnails too), then I will have to resort to Coppermine's Gallery script.

Okay, I see that many people will be like... "what again with the talk".... "why not DO something rather then just talk"... "you always say you will do something but you never get around to it"... "you always promise it will be different this time, but it never is.."... or well thats how I feel it is, because I've kept saying I will do something but STILL NOTHING... but this time I promise that it will "eventually", hopefully sooner then later, actually happen. xD :/

As for those who haven't noticed, Forgotten Memories Forums have moved and been renamed Kametsu Forums. So please visit us, our new forum offers discussions about anime, rpgs and other games, and even ANIME DOWNLOADS such as XENOSAGA THE ANIMATION, etc.. I hope to have Final Fantasy Unlimited (the FF anime) uploaded and offered for download soon as well.

Oh one more thing, soon Forgotten Memories will be offering Emulator downloads for Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, and hopefully (if I can find a working one) even Playstation and Playstation 2. With them, I will also be offering ROMS such as Final Fantasy 1, Final Fantasy 2, Final Fantasy 3, Final Fantasy 4, Final Fantasy 5, Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Dragon Quest 1&2 and 5&6 (aka Dragon Warriors), Harvest Moon, Star Ocean 1, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, Dark Alliance, Breath of Fire 1&2, Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest Monsters 1&2, Final Fantasy Legends, Final Fantasy Legends 2 , Final Fantasy Legends 3, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Sword of Mana, and more! So stay tuned.

One last thing, I am hiring a couple news posters, and will be looking for more, if you are interested please join the forum (if you haven't already) and reply to this thread or Private Message me, thank you.

Among most rumors, people speculated about FFXIII coming out in 2008. Well, as a response to this rumors, Square Enix says the following:

"Although information regarding the release date of FINAL FANTASY XIII has been reported by certain videogame websites, Square Enix itself has yet to make an official statement on this topic. Any reports of a confirmed release date are erroneous and should be disregarded.

Square Enix will make an official announcement in the future concerning the release date when it has been determined."

So FFXIII might -really- need another year. Too bad for most FF Fans who are waiting for the new game. They might need to wait more, as it seems.

PS: o.o My first news lol!

Square Enix is adding yet another entry to the long list of Final Fantasy games to get sequels. This time, it's Final Fantasy IV. Titled Final Fantasy IV: The After, it follows Theodore, a direct descendant of Cecil from the original game. Though not much is yet known about the game's plot, the magazine scans reveal that Theodore will be going to the Moon, from which his ancestors hail.

Unfortunately for fans in North America, that is not where the news ends. Like so many other games in Japan, this will be a mobile title that is playable on phones from the DoCoMo 903i series and higher. This means the chances for North American release are unlikely.

Final Fantasy IV: The After will be available for download in February of next year. At this time, there has not yet been an announcement whether the game will be a one-time download, but other similar games have been episodic in nature.

Source: RPGamer

The public voting for The Forgotten Awards has now ended. The polls are closed now, so you can still view the votes on the vote page but can no longer vote.

Phase 2 of the voting will begin shortly. This phase is where I browse each site of each category and decide the one I feel most deserves the award. Then I write a small review saying how I feel they might be able to improve even more if possible, as well as the one chosen will get a votes boost of 10 votes. So expect to see this soon, there will be a new page titled reviews on the awards page which will indicate phase 2. Unfortunately however this seasons awards votes had big differences, and no one was close enough for the 10 votes to really matter. Therefore the results you see on the polls are the official winners.

I will work on the awards badges and pass them out to the winners, and update the past winners page. Congratulations to you all, and hopefully everyone has benefited from the awards.

*Update* - The Past Winners page has been updated with the winners award badges.

Square Enix announced a while back that the next expansion pack for Final Fantasy XI, Wings of the Goddess, will ship to retailers across North America on November 20, 2007. Well today is finally here.

Service for Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess officially goes live on November 22, 2007. Available for the PlayStation 2, Windows and Xbox 360. The latest expansion adds new jobs, new characters and new adventures to the ever-evolving world of Vana’diel.

Accommodating players in North America, Europe and Japan, Final Fantasy XI is the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game capable of simultaneous multiplayer cooperation across three different platforms. Now in its fifth year of service, Final Fantasy XI has a community of more than 500,000 subscribers and more than 1.7 million player characters from around the world. Take a look at the Official Final Fantasy XI website.

Square Enix, announced today that FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS, available exclusively for the Nintendo DS, is shipping to retailers across North America.

“We are extremely excited to see FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS make its debut in North America,” said Director Motomu Toriyama. “We adjusted the overall difficulty level of the game for the North American market and introduced a new dungeon and a new boss from FINAL FANTASY XII. We believe that the US consumers will find the changes very challenging and entertaining.”

Featuring full Touch Screen functionality, FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS allows players to control massive armies, unleash special moves and activate Gambits, all with the use of the stylus. The world of Ivalice comes alive through the respected musical stylings of Hitoshi Sakimoto and the direction of Motomu Toriyama, the director of FINAL FANTASY X-2 and the upcoming FINAL FANTASY XIII.

FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS has been rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and will be available at retailers for a suggested retail price of $39.99. For more information on FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS, please visit the Official FF12 RW website.

Hello,

This is Koby from The Forgotten Network, just letting you know that The Forgotten Awards that you have signed up for to participate in have now entered the voting process. Please let everyone know to start voting, and remember no bribing, etc.. just ask people to vote for who they link is best. Thanks.

Oh and one more thing, remember anyone not linking to the awards will be disqualified. =P So please be sure to keep the link up until voting is over, and if you see any site without the link, please report it. I will personally be checking all sites too.

Oh and I almost forgot. Voting Ends: December 19th. So be sure to get all votes in before hand. Everyone can vote once per 2 days. So if they vote, remind them they can come back in 2 days and vote again if they wish. It's just to keep the voting active mostly. And one more thing, remember: "the biggest change is whats going to happen after the voting. This year there is two parts to the voting. The first being the same as always; where the visitors vote for a site through a poll. However the second part of the voting is left up to me. I will go through the sites and the one I see fit as best in that category will get a boost of 10 votes counted in the end. I will also put up on the awards site my reasons for choosing those sites, and how I believe they can improve even more!"

Thank you all for competing this year, and hopefully with the success of the third time for holding these awards, I will be able to hold a 4th, perhaps in this coming summer. xD

Click here to Vote!!!

Goodluck to you all,
-Koby.

AWR Music Productions, LLC announces that “Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY” will kick off on Tuesday December 4, 2007 at 8 pm at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Sweden. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the release of the first FINAL FANTASY game to hit the market, Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY features the music of Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu.

The premiere performance will be by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and the choir Allmänna Sången, followed by the only confirmed US concert date, March 1, 2008 at 8 pm at The Rosemont Theatre, performed by the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra Festival Choir. Nobuo Uematsu will be in attendance at both of these spectacular events which will launch the long awaited series of international concerts. The award-winning music from SQUARE ENIX’s world-renowned FINAL FANTASY video game series and the state of the art videos and art stills shown on massive screens will highlight the games most memorable sequences and thrill audiences.

The release of the new Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY CD will coincide with the start of the world-tour on December 4, 2007 in Sweden. Recorded by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir Allmänna Sången, produced and conducted by Arnie Roth, this CD will be available for sale at all of the concert venues.

Music CD Release Information
-----------------------------------
1) Opening - Bombing Mission (FINAL FANTASY VII)
2) Medley (FINAL FANTASY I-III)
3) Theme of Love (FINAL FANTASY IV)
4) Liberi Fatali (FINAL FANTASY VIII)
5) Aerith’s Theme (FINAL FANTASY VII)
6) Swing de Chocobo (FINAL FANTASY series)
7) Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds (FINAL FANTASY XI)
8) Opera “Maria and Draco” (FINAL FANTASY VI)
9) Love Grows (FINAL FANTASY VIII)
10) Don’t be Afraid (FINAL FANTASY VIII)
11) Fisherman’s Horizon (FINAL FANTASY VIII)
12) Vamo’ Alla Flamenco (FINAL FANTASY IX)
13) One-Winged Angel (FINAL FANTASY VII)

Running time: 75 min.

Latest information about “Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY” can be found at the official website: http://www.ffdistantworlds.com

I have rid the site of Wordpress and now use a script that pulls the news directly from our community forums. Therefore comments on the news is done there and our registered users can comment, instead of having two user databases (one for the forum and one for Wordpress). So there should be more commenting done on the news now. Because of this change however, the news is no longer separated or filed under different categories giving you the option of only viewing Final Fantasy XIII news, etc.. and so on. I hope you don't mind that.

Also our Awards Competition is doing great. Almost all sign up positions have been filled. However it isn't as popular or doing as great as I had expected or planned before opening it, but it's doing great all the same. So please if you haven't already joined, please do so. I will start the voting as soon as all positions are filled or the deadline of November 15th is reached, whichever happens first. When voting does begin I will email all webmasters and webmistresses who joined in about it to let you know it has.

To all visitors out there, be sure to check out and join our community forums if you haven't already! They are becoming pretty active over the past week or so, so I am sure you will enjoy it. Plus we have all kinds of nice features such as an Arcade, RPG System, Triple Triad System, a Roleplay Section, Clans (aka Guilds), and you can even talk to others using Al Bhed (a language from Final Fantasy X). You are sure to enjoy it there.

Hope you enjoy your visit,
-Koby.

Today Nintendo announced the games that will be available for their new service Wii Ware and a Final Fantasy title was announced for it. The game is called Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land in which the game requires you to build your own land and rule over it.

Wii Ware will launch in Japan in March 2008. This game will be available for 1500 Wii Points. Check Famitsu for screenshots, and take a look at the Official website.

Today marked the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Exclusively for the Playstation Portable system with never-before-seen cinematic sequences, and entirely new English translation, 16:9 wide screen presentation and multi player features that will reintroduce this classic to a new generation for gamers.

In this new release, there are new jobs, the Onion Knight and Dark Knight classes add more depth and strategy to the already extensive array of classes and abilities in the game. A brand new experience awaits you on the battlefield using the unique multiplayer function of the PSP.

The new, beautiful, cel-shaded CG cinematic rendered in the game's original art style enhance the epic storytelling of Final Fantasy Tactics. Also Balthier, a Sky Pirate from Final Fantasy XII, makes his cameo on the PSP along with the debut of Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2.

I been checking Amazon lately, buying new copies of some of the older Final Fantasy titles that I already owned that no longer work, etc.. and I happen to come across a listing for Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII is now available to pre-order from Amazon.com with a release date of November 30th, 2008. It is stated to be for the Playstation 3 with a price tag of $59.99 so get your pre-order today if you wish.

Sony is to cut the PlayStation 3 price in Europe by 100€ to 200€ to boost Christmas sales. The 40 gigabyte hard drive PS3 model will go on sale at 399€ and the more powerful version will be lowered 100€ to be sold at 499€.

A Sony spokesman didn't confirm this, but said that an announcement was imminent.

After the $100 price cut on the US, Sony made clear they wanted to take similar actions on Europe to compete against the Nintendo Wii (selling at 249€), and the XBOX 360 (selling at 349€ / 279€ depending on the model).

Square Enix has revealed the blu-ray edition of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, now titled Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is now apparently set for a release sometime next year.

The PlayStation Portable-based action title Dissidia: Final Fantasy has yet to receive an official release date, but at least we now know that the various characters appearing in the game are apparently guided by two opposing gods representing harmony and chaos.

Instead of traditional random encounters, the Level 5-developed Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS will apparently feature symbol-based encounters. Due to delays, Square Enix’s biggest Nintendo DS title to date will only hit Japanese retail store shelves next year.

Source: Shinra Insider

Square Enix recently announced that Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess for the Playstation 2, PC, and Xbox 360 will be released in Japan and North America on November 20, 2007. However Europe will see the release two days later on November 22.

The Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess expansion pack is the forth to the series and adds new locations to explore, as well as a new job known as Dancer.

During a recent press conference Square Enix stated that Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, both part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation, will be exclusively for the Sony Playstation 3. However it is possible that future Fabula Nova Crystallis games will be announced for a release on the X-Box 360.

So it’s good news for Playstation 3 fans, as it will definitely bring alot of people who didn’t want to get a PS3 to actually go and get it. However it’s bad news for those who have already got the 360 and was expecting to be able to play those games.

Other news, it seems due to the recent release of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core in Japan, the Playstation Portable sales have increased drastically and now has sold even more then the Nintendo DS. Guess Sony should really be thanking Square Enix right about now.

I have removed a couple sites from the awards due to not having the awards link or button on their site. Sites that were removed was: Overloadx, Castle Oblivion, FF Unlimited, Moogles Page, and Valiturus Cross.

Therefore their positions are now open. Be sure to join if you haven’t already! If you weren’t joining because the category you wanted was filled, check again, it just might be open now!
From now on, I will start making a list of those who are removed for not linking back and those sites will be permanently banned from the competition, to never be allowed to join in future competitions. Because I’m tired of adding people then having to check and remove them each time we hold this competition.

On a different note, our community forums could really use some more active members, so why not check them out and perhaps join? They have a nice Arcade, RPG System, Triple Triad, you can Speak Al Bhed with other members, make a forum family, roleplay with other members, and have friendly discussions about alot of different topics.

Square Enix have started there own conference and revealing new Kingdom Hearts titles:

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for PSP looks to be a single-player adventure in the vein of the PlayStation 2 iterations, though not “Kingdom Hearts III.” Birth by Sleep’s protagonist was not explicitly named in the presentation, but he looked an awful lot like Zack of Final Fantasy VII/Crisis Core fame.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS appears to star Roxas from Kingdom Hearts II, but its main draw looks to be four-player simultaneous play using members of Organization XIII. It will be in full 3D.

Kingdom Hearts: Coded is a mobile game, likely for Japanese cell phones. It stars the familiar cast of main characters from the original Kingdom Hearts (Sora & co.) and seems to be set between the first and second PlayStation 2 titles.

Each title is said to have a time-related theme: Birth by Sleep is “the distant past,” KH: 358/2 Days is “time of the other side,” and Code is “time has gone by.”

Source: 1UP & GAH

Other News: I apologize for the recent downtime today. I wasn’t expecting it because my host didn’t notify me like they should have. I noticed it was down and contacted them but didn’t get a reply, so I called them on the phone and tech support said they were switching us to another server again.

Anyhow, the forum and all other sites are back up and running alright.

The updated Final Fantasy VII section has been put up. It isn’t exactly what I’d call completely revamped, but it has been recoded to better suit the site, and alot of it has been re-written to fix spelling and grammar mistakes. I still have alot planned for the Final Fantasy VII section however, such as adding alot more information to the characters biography (enough to give them each their own page), alot of artwork to add, etc..

Also I fixed the link to the Final Fantasy XIII section as I noticed the link was going to a 300 error. I’m surprised no one had reported it before. However it doesn’t much matter because of Final Fantasy XIII section is way outdated and has nothing of importance on it. I’m going to be adding alot of content to that section soon. Our Final Fantasy XII section needs updating too, all of our information on that page was from before the game was released. Therefore there are alot of mistranslations in characters names, and other various stuff. Heck, pretty much all of our sections need updating with the exceptions of the latest added ones, and will be updated.

On another note, sign-ups to the awards competition are going fantastic! Just a couple days in and almost all categories are filled. So be sure to join them quick if you haven’t already to ensure that there will be some open positions. However due to the amount of sites joining this early, I may have to consider allowing more sites per category. ^_^ Also everyone be sure to check out our forums if you haven’t recently. There is a new skin up as well as we have a great RPG and Triple Triad system in which you can battle other members or duel them. You can even make or join an existing clan!

I’m also considering changing our news software from wordpress to one that uses the forums, so that commenting and stuff like that will be done there. However I’m a little undecided as that would mean losing all of our current news, as well as losing the category feature that categorizes the news. Please comment and let me know what you think.

I’d also really like to get fanwork up such as fanart and fan fictions so please all fans, if you would be so kind as to send in your fanwork, it’d be much appreciated! ^_^

The latest edition of the Japanese magazine Famitsu featured an article about Star Ocean 4. Yoshinori Yamagishi, Star Oceans’ Producer, and assistant producer Hajime Kojima sat down and talked about the newly announced installment of Tri-Ace’s flagship series. While Star Ocean 4 has been confirmed to be in development for a couple months now, the target platform has been the subject of a lot of speculation. Sadly, Famitsu does not put an end to this speculation, as Tri-Ace has yet to make a decision regarding the target platform. Kojima only said that the game will be released for a platform or platforms capable of displaying beautiful visuals. This most likely means either PlayStation 3, X-BOX 360, or both.

The game’s development has progressed to the point where the basics of the battle system are up and running. Once completed, the battle system will support up to four active party members. The developers describe it as an “orthodox progression” of the prequel’s battle system with new features. However the game’s story is already finished. Yoshinori Yamagishi was not willing to give away any details regarding the era, in which the game takes place. He only said more information would be revealed at the Tokyo Game Show. Hajime Kojima, however, assured fans that characters and races from previous installments would appear in Star Ocean 4 and the world would be the same as well. He went on to explain that previous installments did not really have a “star ocean” feel to them, but in Star Ocean 4 it would be possible to travel through space in one’s own spaceship. There will also be events centering around spaceship battles. Tri-Ace is promising a huge world, as there will be a lot of planets, not just two or three. That being said, the game will not be entirely science fiction-oriented, but also offer a fair share of fantasy elements.

The game’s protagonist is a blonde-haired young male named Edge Maverick, the heroine’s name is Reimi. The two are apparently childhood friends. Private action events will also make their return in Star Ocean 4. At the end of the interview, the Tri-Ace representatives briefly touched on the subject of the Star Ocean and Star Ocean: The Second Story remakes for PlayStation Portable. The new Star Ocean will be a complete remake, featuring new scenario and gameplay elements. As for Star Ocean: The Second Story, Tri-Ace was not so forthcoming with information. It was only stated that the game will offer a new experience, even to those fans who have already played the original game on PlayStation. Star Ocean 4 has yet to receive an official release date.

In the Weekly Shonen Magazine new information regarding Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: The Sealed Grimoire was revealed. It would seem that Square Enix has been putting alot of Final Fantasy XII into Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: The Sealed Grimoire as the Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII games are in what is known as the “Ivalice Alliance”.

It was announced Penelo and Vaan will appear in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: The Sealed Grimoire and a couple months back it was announced Balthier was set to appear as well.

Recently the Japanese magazine Famitsu published an article containing new information regarding four new job classes that will be appearing in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2.

The Hume’s race will receive the class Youjinbou, a sword-wielding job that other then it’s weapon nothing is known of. The magic using Viera’s race has a new Green Mage class that specializes in status-affecting spells. The race of Moogle’s inherited the Chocobo Knight job, which allows the Moogles to ride Chocobo’s and use their skills. The last job class was given to the Bangaa’s race, which was the Cannoneer job, specializing in long range cannon attacks.

You can be sure to expect more job classes to be announced and added to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 before the release of the game.

Also Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: The Sealed Grimoire for the Nintendo DS has finally been given a release date for Japan, the set release date is 25th October 2007. Unfortunately no US or European release date has been set yet, but we will let you know as soon as it does!

I have been promising and saying I will put it up/write content for the original Shadow Hearts game ever since I officially closed The Judgement Ring (a Shadow Hearts fansite in the Network). Well I finally got around to finishing enough of the section that I thought it was okay to go ahead and put it up. There will be more coming to the section eventually, but I want to start focusing on some of the other sections as well. I still need to upload the updated Final Fantasy VII section, and I will do that eventually, *laughs out loud*. Well I hope you enjoy the new section for now!

Update
A new poll has been put up. Last poll results were
Excited about Star Ocean 4?
Choices:
Totally [240 votes]
A little bit [80 votes]
Not at all [60 votes]
No [121 votes]

Update 2
Wow, I’m on a frenzy tonight.. *laughs out loud* Well I have uploaded a new section for the new Square Enix title, The Last Remnant. So be sure to go check it out. Not a whole lot is there, but hey the game isn’t out. Either way we still have quite a bit of information on it. Artwork, Magazine Scans, etc… aren’t up yet but will be soon. I want to write content for the XenoSaga series soon.

Update 3
Our topsite list and all other topsite lists hosted by us has been closed. Our free hosting will not allow hosting of topsite list anymore either. The reason for this is they use alot of resources and kept overloading the server which is the reason for all the problems lately. So to keep the site running smoothly I had to close them, sorry for any inconvenience. If you still want a link, we can always do a link exchange or perhaps an affiliation, who knows…

Update 4
The Forgotten Awards v3 are now up and running, so please go there and sign up to compete for the winning spot, an award badge, and free advertisement.