I know what you’re thinking: didn’t we just have one of these? Yes, we did, but Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida just loves us too much to stay away for long. But actually this is a special occasion: FFXIV has undergone its final save maintenance, and nothing new from 1.x will now carry over into A Realm Reborn. He also included a couple of new alpha screenshots!


His words are brief and heartfelt , so I’ll just copy them here:

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A little bit of a delay on this one, as your humble author has been taking a break before the long-awaited Distant Worlds concert tomorrow. Continuing with the theme of female characters, number 6 on our list of themes is going to be that of Final Fantasy IV's Rydia.


Here's the original. It's a very soothing and gentle piece of music that instantly relaxes and calms the listener. This version of it is very simplistic and basic with just two instruments playing throughout. A phrase I seem to keep calling back to in this series is that the music reflects the personality of the character it belongs to, and once again it's relevant for this song.

Rydia remains an innocent and pure character with a very sweet nature. This makes her perhaps something more of a stereotypical RPG heroine than the likes of Hilda and Beatrix mentioned previously, but that shouldn't be mistaken for poor writing, as she is an engaging and likeable character.


As with all classic FF character themes, Rydia's has been remixed and rearranged also. I think it is even softer and calmer than the ...

The team over at TheLifestream.net have been very busy preparing something very special. Going by the screen name Pixel both at TheLifestream.net and here at our very own EoFF, one dedicated FF enthusiast Joseph Knight has assembled a team and created audio book versions of the On the Way To a Smile short stories that bridged the gap between Final Fantasy VII's finale and Advent Children's opening act.

You can check out "The Case of Tifa" here, free for download, along with the other short stories. If you've got a long commute to work, this is the perfect way to pass the time. Let your inner FF nerd out a little!

I chatted with Joseph a little just to find out what kind of FF fan he really is.


Q: What got you into Final Fantasy in the first place? Do you love the stories?
JK: FF7 was my first, so it has always had a special place in my heart. These stories [On the Way to a Smile] added so much more to the characters we all love, even more than we saw in the original game or Advent ...

The final box art for the next addition to the popular Tomb Raider series has been released after a long and patient wait from fans.

The cover shows the younger Lara Croft in a gritty setting, holding her wounded arm. This takes a drastic manoeuvre away from the artwork of the earlier games of the series which show the popular heroine in less dangerous situations, sporting a more seductive appearance.

The series is being completely revamped after Square-Enix took over Eidos Interactive in April 2009.

The game itself is also taking a new direction, being based around the early years of Lara’s life, in which she is not the strong and independent heroine that her fans are used to. The new turn has caused some controversy, and has received a mixed reception from the fans and critics alike.

The trailer released in 2011 shows the game in very dark, dangerous and at times frightening settings. It reveals that Lara will be taking quite a beating and be unable to protect herself. This is a far cry from the iconic Lara Croft ...

There has been speculation that a "seventh" sequel of a Square-Enix franchise was getting a remake. Naturally, many assumed it would be the oft-begged-for Final Fantasy VII... but that was eventually shot down. So it should come as no surprise that the game in question is actually Dragon Quest VII. And it's being remade from the ground up for the 3DS.


A rumor began circling the net yesterday, but today Jump magazine in Japan confirmed the rumor and published details and even a screenshot of the remake. They mention that it will utilize StreetPass in some fashion, perhaps in a similar way Dragon Quest IX for the DS did, by exchanging "quest maps" with every person you pass.

This game met an interesting fate in the US when it was originally released. Every Dragon Quest game before it had been released exclusively on Nintendo consoles, but just as with their then-rival Square, Enix opted to move over to the new PlayStation for their seventh entry. However, rather than taking a huge step forward graphically with 3D ...

As the preparation for Final Fantasy XIV's final save maintenance begins, Square Enix have revealed a fun little easter egg. That 'moon' you see up in the sky, casting an ominous shadow over Eorzea, is Dalamud. And it's set for a collision.


The final save maintenance is scheduled between 2pm and 10pm on October 31 PDT, so nothing after that will count towards your characters in A Realm Reborn. But the game will be playable up until November 11, at which point Dalamud is expected to crash into Eorzea and - presumably - wipe everything out!

Make sure you're a part of this memorable moment! Robert Peeler, community manager at Square Enix NA has invited everyone to join him and fellow Square Enix employees in these final moments. It certainly will be a climax to remember!

Following the end of Final Fantasy XIV 1.x, producer/director Naoki Yoshida will be hosting a Letter from the Producer LIVE Part IV, so keep tuned here ...

Ever wanted the classic Chrono Trigger at your fingertips wherever you went? Well your prayers have been heard, because Square Enix has just announced the game's debut on the Google Play store.


Help Crono defend the world from the greatest threat by travelling through time itself. Time travel is literally the coolest thing ever. For those of you who've never given this gem a go, here's your chance to experience the wonder that is Chrono Trigger.

It's going to cost you a cool $9.99, but with the number of top gaming lists Chrono Trigger has topped, you'd be a fool not to give it a shot! ...

Naoki Yoshida, producer for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, just released a short Letter from the Producer with some quick updates. Most significantly, he announced that the alpha testing of A Realm Reborn will officially begin on October 29, 2012!

Yoshi-P also snuck in some nifty screenshots from the developer’s stress testing of ARR. Here they are, with Yoshi-P’s commentary:

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Greetings! It's the final showcase for this month, and we have some exciting fan art in our gallery! Some great artwork has been added into our DeviantArt group gallery; unfortunately only a good handful made the selection for this week's showcase! So please enjoy, and don't forget to send the artists your regards! Without further ado, let's take a look at the showcase, shall we?
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Hey everyone! GoBo back after taking a break from this for a week! And an exciting two weeks it has been! We saw the end of the Olympics and the rise and fall of a competition! So let's see what's happened shall we?

• EoFF had a poster give away. This fun little event required you to complete challenges around the forum, with each successful one scoring your more chances to win one of 40 limited edition Final Fantasy Anniversary posters! One example of a task would be posting in a thread asking the Staff questions. Winners were revealed live in our #eoff chatroom! This is just the beginning of our own Anniversary Celebrations, so keep your eye out for this banner for more fun events!
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• The Olympics have a victor! Team Final Fantasy VI! After a long struggle, Jiro magnificently led his team to ultimate victory!
• Loony BoB has set up a Triple Triad Card Award system! You can win cards just by taking

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This oddly named title has been getting all of praise in Japan. While we still haven't heard wind of it heading to Western shores, our Japanese brothers and sisters are getting ready to enjoy even more of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy with a free PC companion being released.

Square Enix says there'll be a way to link up the two games, with the PC version no doubt being used to unlock things in the main game. This is building off the city building elements (pun intended) that we reported last month. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is shaping up to be an awesome game, so Square Enix: why haven't you let us play it yet?


[Source: siliconera] ...

Epic Games have been hard at work creating its Unreal Engine 4 and Square Enix are the first ones to publicly license it. With the latest technology at its back, Square Enix will be able to realise all of its gaming goals. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping! Perhaps now with the Unreal Engine 4, SE might put Final Fantasy Versus XIII together and release it for us. I'm expecting sexy, sexy characters graphics like we saw in the Agni's Philosophy tech demo. Wait, that was from the Luminous Engine, not Unreal 4. Who owns the Luminous Engine again? ...Oh.


[Source: Joystiq] ...

Remember how there was a sequel teased at the end of the iOS port of The World Ends With You? We might very well have it on the way, in a sense. Continuing with Square Enix's complete and utter focus on social and mobile gaming, The World Ends With You: Live Remix is set to be released for smartphones too.


There's still no news on exactly what TWEWY: Live Remix is all about - it could very well be a spin off and not a true sequel - but Kotaku are predicting a release "in Winter." That's Summer for you Southern hemisphere folks. Only way to find out if this is the sequel we're all waiting for is to pick it up, I suppose!

[Source: Kotaku] ...

The battle systems in Final Fantasy form the crux of the gameplay; without battles, there would be very little else to pass the time between story events. With such an important role to play, it's a wonder that Hiroyuki Ito is an uncommon name. Ito created the turn-based battle system that Final Fantasy began with, and has played a major role in shaping each subsequent version, even pioneering the ATB system.

In an interview with 1UP, Ito revealed the inspiration behind Final Fantasy's turn-based battle system: American Football. He cited the concept of two teams lining up on opposite sides, each with pre-set plays, ready to execute. Ito had another interesting influence when it came down to creating the Active Time Battle system too; he tried to create "action-like game with no action elements" by using techniques from racing games.

"At the time, there was a shift going on in Formula One racing, where they introduced semi-automatic transmissions," ...