Even though we're beginning our hellish descent into the mouth of madness that is E3, Nintendo is still taking the time to unload the downloadable goods to fans. This week, you'll find some fresh DSiWare, and your usual doses of WiiWare and Virtual Console goodies to boot. So, head past the break to check out what's available this week on Nintendo platforms.

The official Final Fantasy IV: The After Years site is live. Siliconera spotted something quite interesting in the game's features page -- support for four player multiplayer? Interesting. Seems as though you won't have to play Square Enix's upcoming WiiWare RPG alone.

We contacted Square Enix for more information, and Klee Kluo clarified: "The game has multiplayer function during battles only, similar to the original FINAL FANTASY IV. Up to four players can participate in battles by connecting the appropriate number of Wii Remotes or Classic Controllers and assign them to the characters." It seems like a neat addition for The After Years, but we're not entirely sure if our friends would want to take such a passive role and engage only in battles. Perhaps it's still best to play The After Years the way it was meant to be played: on a cell phone as a single-player experience.

It seems that Nintendo's recently discovered trademark for "The After Years" was, in fact, referencing a Wii port of the cell-phone based follow-up to the SNES role-playing classic Final Fantasy IV. An ESRB rating for the sequel confirms that the game will be hitting North American Wiis, though a time frame for its release, or even its release format (retail? WiiWare?) has yet to be revealed. The ESRB stamped the title with an E rating, as it doesn't classify the frequent usage of the word "spoony" as inappropriate for adolescent ears.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which was released in an episodic fashion on a number of Japanese mobile platforms last year, follows the exploits of Ceodore (the progeny of FFIV protagonists Cecil and Rosa) nearly 17 years after the events of the original game. It'll also feature appearances from other major characters from the SNES title -- well, the ones who survived, anyway. Those who played the title will recall that FFIV was somewhat Hamlet-esque in its final body count.

GameFly's sixth annual Q Awards have bestowed Fallout 3 with "Game of the Year" and "Xbox 360 Game of the Year" honors. The winners were selected by tallying over 100,000 votes by the rental service's subscribers. The winners across platforms:

• PS3 game of the year - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• PS2 game of the year - Kingdom Hearts: Re-Chain of Memories
• PSP game of the year - God of War: Chains of Olympus
• Xbox 360 game of the year - Fallout 3
  
• Wii game of the year - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  
• DS game of the year - Final Fantasy IV
  

To see the runners-up in each category, check out the Q Awards page at GameFly. Looking at the list (and taking into account GameFly's demographic), is anyone surprised?

It doesn't look like Square Enix is spending much time on the Wii, but rumor has it that the company may change their tune and throw the little white console one of its favorite bones: a port. Producer Takashi Tokita of Final Fantasy IV The After: Return of the Moon -- the game's mobile sequel -- recently dropped some hints that the game may be making its way here in some form. "Currently [the sequel] is available for mobile phones in Japan. We'll do our best to make this game available for our overseas audiences as well," he said.

So your first thought would be the DS, right? Not according to the folks at RPG Site, who tapped mysterious (and unnamed) sources at Square Enix in their quest for more information. The result? Hints that the game may be reformatted for Wii. We would assume WiiWare, but who knows; they're porting Chrono Trigger, after all, without a hint of a graphical upgrade.

Right now, this is the king rumor in all of rumorland, meaning it's completely out there and not too reliable, but it's interesting, to say the least. Have any thoughts on the chances of this one?

[Via videogaming247]

When we were going to pick the winner of our latest giveaway, we completely realized that we forgot to announce the winner for our previous giveaway. Also, we received quite a few emails from you all. So, without further delay, here's our winners:

• jabby wins our signed copy of Soul Bubbles
• cwk5014 wins our copy of Final Fantasy IV

Congratulations to our winners and best of luck next time to the rest of you!

We've been trying to unload a copy of Square Enix's Final Fantasy IV on you folks for a whole week now and this is your last reminder: the giveaway ends tonight. If you weren't in the know regarding this latest giveaway, then we suggest you read DS Fanboy more. But, hey, you still have a few hours left, so head on over to the original contest post and read up on how to enter. Good luck!

Square Enix's recent remake of RPG classic Final Fantasy IV turned a lot of heads. Most found the title to be quite enjoyable. Having done our part and reviewed the game, it's now time we perform the most painful part of our job: give it away to one lucky reader. What must you do to get your hands on this copy of Final Fantasy IV (retails for $40)? Simply leave a comment telling us if you've played the original game or not between now and Wednesday, September 17th at 11:59PM ET, after which we'll choose one lucky winner via random drawing. Entrants may leave one comment per day.

There are a few things you should know before entering. Entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and at least 18 years of age or older. Read up on the rest of the official rules right here. Good luck!

It would be very difficult to not recommend Final Fantasy IV. Even though it's not the very best in the franchise, being second-best for Final Fantasy is often far better than any other comparable game, and this particular installment ranks pretty highly among the franchise's titles.. That also makes it hard to criticize a remake, as Matrix and Square Enix would have to take some pretty severe steps in the wrong direction to spoil the experience. That said, let's just get it out of the way: this is a great game.

That doesn't mean that this particular version is great -- it just means that the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV is built on an excellent foundation. But it's not exactly the game you remember, and if you didn't play it, it's also pretty far removed from many of the other RPGs on the system. The result is an odd hybrid of old school and new.

Square Enix's latest remake has been on the minds of gamers for a pretty long time now. With it finally releasing, many of you have likely wondered how it would compare to the original, let alone the previous remake, Final Fantasy III. Who else could be better to weigh in than the critics? So, without further delay, let's get to the reviews!

• GamePro (95/100) says the game is still an epic experience: "Ultimately, Final Fantasy IV remains the same epic experience it was seventeen years ago, and the DS's improvements are a welcome treat for fans of the series and newcomers to the franchise alike. With an engrossing story, ambitious characters, and challenging yet rewarding gameplay, I can't help but recommend Final Fantasy IV as a worthwhile purchase, especially if you missed it the first time around. Even if you aren't a huge Final Fantasy fan, this is still one fantastic role-playing title worth checking out."

• Gamespot (90/100) thinks the game is great, despite some minor issues with the voice work: "Although it has been rereleased several times throughout the years, this full remake of one of the most celebrated stories in video game history is in many ways more poignant and impressive than it was all those years ago, despite minor irks with the voice acting. With a cast of memorable characters and villains, a more accurate and authentic translation, a new skill-customization system, and a few important new story elements that help to better explain key plot points, this is the definitive version of Final Fantasy IV that everyone should experience."

• IGN (87/100) is of the mind that FFIV is quite impressive: "It's a rush in the most traditional way, and it's an RPG that makes you feel for your characters, fight for every level, and strategize before battles in ways new role-playing games don't bother to do anymore. For fans, FFIV is an impressive resurrection to an awesome, pioneering RPG. For newcomers, you're about to get a lesson in "hardcore gaming 101," but if you put in the time, and put up with the difficulty, you'll have a chance to really "get" what Final Fantasy is all about."

• 1UP (75/100) scored the game the lowest of this bunch: "It's not a bad little game -- it is, after all, an upgraded version of a 16-bit masterpiece -- but it's needlessly redundant for anyone who picked up FFIV Advance. Of course, die-hard Final Fantasy fans will want to test their mettle against the crazy-hard new difficulty level while checking out the new voices for old favorites: Cecil is appropriately wussy, Kain sounds as tough as you'd expect, and Golbez now sounds like Darth Vader instead of just looking like him. But everyone else might want to wait it out a few years for that inevitable, definitive next-gen remake. When it comes to Square Enix, what goes around comes around. And around. And around."

It's a tough week. Not only are we coming off the excitement of E3, but we're faced with several great releases this week, too. Will you be shelling out for more than one game? At least in Australia, the choice this week is much, much simpler.

• Final Fantasy IV
• Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
• Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society
• New International Track & Field

Check out the rest of the major markets after the break.

Wow, it's a great week to be a Wii owner. Well, we mean, it's comparatively great, if only because console competitors Xbox 360 and PS3 are getting absolutely nothing. On the other hand, all those Wii offerings were beat out for the top slot by a DS game that, in its original form, was released 17 years ago, so we guess it's all a matter of perspective.

If you've got a hankerin' for mummy-centric games that star a character that sort of but not really looks like Brendan Fraser we've got a full list after the break.

This week's installment of Promotional Consideration comes with an excellent bonus -- a Circuit City deal for the Final Fantasy IV remake, which ships to stores next week. The electronics retailer is offering a $10 gift card with any purchase of the 3D RPG, on- and offline. Factor in free-shipping for orders totaling over $24, and this makes up for "the Square Enix tax," that extra $10 the publisher often adds to its DS games.

Now that we've done our part to sell the game to you, let's look at how Square Enix has been pushing Final Fantasy IV.

If you've already played the SNES version of Final Fantasy IV and think you'll find the DS remake a breeze, then here's one way to make things tougher (which doesn't involve remixed bosses): try playing it in a different language.

Siliconera's Spencer Yip discovered that the North American version of Final Fantasy IV will ship next week with the French, German, Italian, and Spanish dialog from the European edition included. Accessing any of these is easy -- just change the language setting on the main DS menu. Perfect for anyone in the States who doesn't use English as a first language, or any non-English-speaking Europeans who want a cheap import!

Join us after the break, where we'll teach you how to say a popular and useful phrase in many languages!

Following the announcement of the titles on display at this year's E3, Square Enix released one screenshot of each of the new games. Above, you'll see the single, very blown-up image of Chrono Trigger DS. After the break, new screen of Final Fantasy IV, Exit DS, The Legend of Kage 2, and Dragon Quest IV.

The Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV screens definitely feature the English versions of the game, but with the other three, it's kind of hard to tell for various reasons! The Chrono Trigger image has no text, so it sort of doesn't matter if the screen has been localized or not. Exit has English text, but it's the same English text found in the Japanese game. And Kage has both Japanese and English elements in its interface. If we hadn't just been told these games were coming out over here, we wouldn't be sure if these games were coming out over here.