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Today's Nintendo Direct, while maybe a little short notice to fans, obviously had some time to build up industry steam; among the many wild announcements at this evening's Direct were details on four Square Enix games appearing on Switch in the very near future. A couple of the games had been previously announced, but a couple were pretty well out of left field. Here are the details:

• Actraiser: Renaissance, a detailed remaster of the really unique Super Nintendo game of the early 90's, was both announced and released today. It's got some really crisp and pretty visuals, a remastered soundtrack with new compositions, and some new content too, and it's out for Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, Android and iOS already.
• Chocobo GP is a spiritual successor to the PlayStation Chocobo Racing game released over 20 years ago. From watching the trailer, it does look like a less polished version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, frankly, but it could be pretty entertaining to race in some of the Final Fantasy-themed courses they might come up with, and it looks like the gameplay modes could add some diversity too. And it has Gilgamesh! It's coming for Switch sometime in 2022.
• Also coming in 2022, March 4 to be precise, is Triangle Strategy - it's no longer a "Project" but I guess a snappier name never really came to mind. Based on the demo from ages ago, this one could really be the successor to the original Final Fantasy Tactics that people have been waiting for, and not only that, Squenix have outlined some of the updates being made based on demo feedback and I think they're hitting the right ideas.
• Finally, an RPG from Yoko Taro that was first announced a couple weeks ago - Voice of Cards. Subtitled "The Isle Dragon Roars," this is a really unique looking game that plays as a combination of console and tabletop RPG, with the entire game laid out as playing cards and combat happening in a hybrid tabletop CCG/turn-based JRPG sort of format. The writing even appears to take some tone from the idea of a Dungeon Master providing exposition to a party at a D&D session. It's coming out at the end of October.

To me, this looks like a really diverse set of games coming up for Switch players to experience, and even if they don't all end up amazing, it's refreshing to see some of these shots being taken.

Source: Gematsu, IGN

Earlier this week, a data leak that came from Nvidia's GeForce Now service heavily implied that there could be some really exciting Square Enix games coming available for PC gamers. As a leak, it's of course speculative and possibly straight-up incorrect, but if we can be allowed to dream for a bit, this could mean fun times for Final Fantasy gaming on your favorite computing device.

Two games appear on the list that are essentially no-brainers for some point in the future: Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI. There's no reason to think that both of these games won't eventually appear on PC no matter what, and in the case of the former, it's not even the first time it's been seen in a leak. Of course, with no further details, there's no way to know when FF7R might come about, or if it will be the enhanced version released for PS5 with Intergrade. Final Fantasy XVI is almost surely even further down the line, since the game's not complete and will have some level of timed exclusivity to PlayStation 5 anyway.

The other two games might be more interesting, anyway, or at least they would be for me. As described in the leak, those games are titled "Final Fantasy Tactics Remastered" and "Final Fantasy 9 Remake." I, for one, have been wanting a PC port of FFT since the original came out over 20 years ago, and would probably line up to buy that game for the fifth time if such a port were released. For Final Fantasy IX, this would be a really shocking addition if it were a genuine remake. I would suspect that this part of the leak is the result either of a typo or a misinterpretation, honestly; either might suggest that it's another port that matches the existing PC version of FF9, which seems more realistic than a genuine redux of the entire game. If it is a genuine remake, though, that will probably be one spectacular game.

I'll be watching for more information regardless, as this is all potentially exciting stuff!

Source: Game Rant

Tokyo Game Show is back for 2021, in an all-digital format due to ongoing COVID concerns. Because of that, Square Enix are coming with what we might consider a slightly abbreviated lineup; it is of course possible that they don't feel ready to show more of Final Fantasy XVI, but I think it could be just as likely that an all-online exhibition doesn't have the spectacle they'd like for their flagship game, either. These are the games that the company is bringing to TGS for English-speaking audiences:

• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Forspoken
• Stranger of Paradise
• Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier
• Project Triangle Strategy (how does this game not have its final name yet?)
• Collection of SaGa
• Brave Exvius and War of the Visions

The English streams will begin at 6am Eastern Time on October 1 and will run for probably around four hours. Then, they will restart at midnight Eastern on October 2 for another several hours, take a break, and will come back with another section at 8am Eastern. The final day will start at 11pm Eastern (still on October 2 for us in the West) with a presentation of the ongoing CCG and will wrap up starting at 4:30am Eastern October 3 with The First Soldier.

If you would prefer to watch the streams even without English support, the list of games at TGS will be larger. Dragon Quest X Offline and Online, Imperial SaGa Eclipse, Romancing SaGa ReUniverse, and Deep Insanity: Asylum (a new PC and mobile RPG) will appear in Japanese only in other streams. The full schedule including the Japanese-only video has been provided by Gematsu.

Source: Square Enix TGS, Gematsu

The releases of the Pixel Remaster versions of the first six Final Fantasy games continues on September 8 with Final Fantasy IV, Square Enix have just announced. As with all the remasters, the releases are for Steam, Android and iOS and will be simultaneous worldwide.

Those who would like to play via Steam can currently preorder Final Fantasy IV alone on a 20% discount and will also receive a three-track soundtrack and two wallpapers. You can also order the bundle and get all the games that have already unlocked, all the future games as they release, and similar OST and wallpaper bundles for all six games also at a discount. The single game package is currently $14.39, and the six-game bundle is $74.82.

Sorry, still no information about a potential Switch release, for those of you asking.

Source: Gematsu

Have you been cooped up in pandemic mode for the last year and a half like the rest of us? Do you want to get out and see some live Final Fantasy music before everything gets shut down again because we're still not winning against said pandemic? The Final Fantasy VII Remake concert series has an absolute shedload of dates coming up in North America that might be just for you. Check out this big list:

• August 27/28: Fort Worth, Texas
• October 16: Orlando
• October 23: Los Angeles
• November 12: Boston
• November 20: St. Petersburg, Florida
• November 27/28: Honolulu
• December 28/29: Atlanta
• January 28, 2022: Nashville
• February 6: Chicago (with a matinee and evening show)
• February 12: Montréal
• February 25: Omaha
• March 2/3: Toronto
• March 5: Guadalajara
• March 18/19: Denver
• March 23: Phoenix
• TBA: Two dates at Carnegie Hall, New York

Most of these dates are already on sale or will be on sale in the next few weeks. So, if one of these dates are near you, go check it out now!

Also, with Final Fantasy IV celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Square Enix have also announced a new vinyl album featuring original tracks and new arrangements of the classic Uematsu tracks. I'm not sure if they have sold through their quantity for pre-order already, but the official site is currently showing a "Waitlist" button. While I personally feel that Final Fantasy IV has one of the better overall soundtracks in the series - come watch me also gush about Celtic Moon in Discord sometime - the $40 price point for vinyl plus digital download dissuades me just a bit. The album is tentatively slated to release on August 25, so if you manage to get a copy please come let us know how it is!

Yesterday, Square Enix announced a new iteration in the Bravely Default series: but it's iOS/Android and free-to-play with in-game transactions. Also, there was no release announced outside of Japan, but that might just be because it's early.

On the bright side, the game looks very nice visually, and the gameplay certainly tracks to what Bravely fans have gotten used to. Additionally, it appears that some key personnel from the development of Bravely Default and Bravely Second are involved, which seems like it might tie the game a little more closely to those games and not the later, and less-well-received Bravely Default II, which was released earlier this year.

There's no release date announced for Japan as yet, and again, no indication of a release outside Japan yet either.

Source: Kotaku

The Pixel Remaster games announced around E3 this year now have started to show up, with the first three games of the series coming first. Gematsu is reporting that Final Fantasy I, II, and III will be the first games released on July 28 worldwide for Steam, iOS and Android. Steam has all three available for preorder at 20% discounts, leaving the prices at $9.59 US for the first two games and $14.39 for Final Fantasy III.

There are no updates for release dates on the Pixel Remaster releases of IV, V, or VI as yet, nor prices.

Source: Gematsu

Gematsu brings us news this morning that the long-assumed version of Final Fantasy VII Remake for PCs might well be on the way. Via Wario64 on Twitter, it looks like the Epic Game Store JSON configuration data contains an entry for a game called "Pineapple QA" that is in reality a placeholder for FF7R.

The screenshot does not indicate whether the game is the original, or the Intergrade edition including the Yuffie episode, though if this information is accurate it will certainly become clear over time. Gematsu postulate that because Integrade has a minimum six-month PS5 exclusivity, the game could release as early as December. If it is instead the original version, I'm not sure if the same exclusivity would apply, but at this point I can't imagine Squenix wanting to release any version other than the newest upgrade to any other platforms.

Source: Gematsu

Square Enix's E3 presentation was this afternoon! Clocking in at forty-five minutes, most of the news featured other franchises, but there were some tidbits for Final Fantasy fans.

First up is Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster. Covering the first six main games, these titles (released individually) will be coming soon to Steam, Android and iOS, though a release date wasn't mentioned. No other information was released other than these promise to be "pixel perfect" remasters.

The other major announcement for Final Fantasy fans is Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, an upcoming action game in collaboration with Team NINJA from KOEI TECMO GAMES, creators of the NINJA GAIDEN and Nioh series. Coming in 2022 for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One as well as PC, this spinoff appears to be heavily influenced by the original Final Fantasy game, although with new characters. Jack and his allies Ash and Jed throw open the gates to the Chaos Shrine, resolved to defeat Chaos. Take a look at the video here: YouTube

A free trial of this game is now available to download and play through June 24th.

The presentation also featured glimpses from Square Enix's mobile games, both current and upcoming. Seen were:

• the repeat collaboration between Final Fantasy I and War of the Visions:FFBE
• the upcoming fifth anniversary of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
• footage of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier
• a sample of NieR Reincarnation

There was also a short reminder about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, showing footage of Yuffie, but no new information on future titles in that franchise.

Finally, they showed (old) teaser footage of their other upcoming games, including Forspoken, Final Fantasy XVI, and Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, but those of us wishing for further glimpses at these titles were left disappointed.

Source: The Verge, Square Enix

Dragon Quest as a franchise turned 35 years old this week, and Square Enix went to town on bringing around new games. Gematsu has them all covered, so here is a quick list for Dragon Quest fans out there:

• A twelfth entry in the mainline series, subtitled "The Flames of Fate," was announced with no release date but plans for a simultaneous worldwide release. A trailer lives behind the click.
• Another new game, Dragon Quest Treasures, is a spinoff featuring characters from Dragon Quest XI as children, and is centered around treasure hunting. It, too, has a trailer past the link but not much other information to speak of.
• For the MMO Dragon Quest, DQX, there were two new updates this week. First, the next expansion for version 6 will arrive in Japan this fall; additionally, an "offline" version was also announced for 2022.
• Finally, an "HD-2D" remake of the third Dragon Quest game will be coming soon as well. Dragon Quest III was the final game for the NES, and the remake will combine pixel art and engine effects to re-render the game in a 3D environment. There’s no release date available for this game either, but there is (obviously?) a trailer too.

Seems like there will be plenty of content for Dragon Quest fans over the next couple years, to say the least.

Source: Gematsu