"The allure just isn't there anymore for the Final Fantasy titles and we have to ask why. Loyal fans try to create hype, but the games are just not combining new and old expectations. Maybe it's because every game, we have to warm up to new characters and worlds. Square sets itself up for hit and miss titles with no character regularity. The only motif running through the series I can identify is a blond guy and clueless protagonists. Most of the recent Final Fantasy games (dare I say Square ..."

"Amongst a number of mistakes and oversights that Nintendo only has to blame on itself, one of the main reasons that its consoles languished in last place behind its competitors in the past two generations was a lack of continued, comprehensive support from third party developers. However, with the arrival of the Nintendo Wii (despite a reserved first year from many quarters), things are looking very much on the up. Whether core or casual gaming is your bag, what we know of upcoming third part..."

"Not really news as such ... more of pondering and speculation. But those always make for interesting posts, don't they? IGN hit up Motomu Toriyama, the man behind Final Fantasy X-2 for a rather interesting interview concerning the localized version of Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings for the DS.

Most of the interview is just what you'd expect. Increased difficulty, extra content blah blah ... if you're interested, you can read the full interview at the link above. Me? I'm more interested i..."

"Square Enix have come out and made a statement on Final Fantasy XIII. Shinji Hashimoto spoke to Japanese gaming magazine Nikkei BP and said that they were developing FF Crystal Chronicles for the Wii, but “as for FF on the Xbox 360, it’s currently a completely blank page.”

Given the console situation in Square Enix’s main market of Japan, this wasn’t totally unexpected, but it should put a stop to the usual rumour-mongering. It’s worth noting that he didn’t totally rule it out for some poi..."

"The bad news: yes, this limited edition DS Lite is available in Japan only. The good news: unlike the rather awesome special edition, Pikachu-embossed, yellow DS Lite GamerSquad reported on a while ago, you don’t actually have to ask for an application to buy this one. Hence, these puppies are far more import-friendly."

"Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced The Crystal Bearers at E3 2005, with little information provided since then. But Hashimoto affirmed that the game is coming along. "Recently, I was able to check the progress on the Wii version. It's coming along extremely well," he said. "However, developing a game that makes use of the Wii Remote is difficult. For our Wii game Dragon Quest Swords, adjustments related to the remote took a long time."

Regarding Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen..."