Imitation isn't only the sincerest form of flattery, it's also the most legally actionable. At least it is to Square Enix, which recently won a plagiarism case against South Korean music video producer Fantom to the tune of 16 million won (approx. $17,400).
The case centers on the video for the song Temptation Sonata, in which live actors recreate a scene from Square Enix's animated movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. According to a judge for the Seoul Central District Court, the video "illegally used 80% of the storyline, setting, characters and their styles of dress and their demeanors," from the movie scene. We're not sure how the judge came to such an exact statistic, but who are we to argue with such an official sounding pronouncement?
A comparison of the videos (both viewable below the break) shows much more than a passing similarity between the two, and Square was definitely within its rights taking legal action. That said, we have to wonder what Square Enix felt it had to gain from a court case. Is this video really hurting the company's ability to milk insane amounts of money out off the Final Fantasy franchise? Does seeing the video makes someone less likely to buy a copy of Advent Children? What's next, a legal case against the makers of College Saga? We just hope the negative PR associated with this case is worth the massive $17,000 pay day Square Enix made off of it.
In honor of the upcoming Halloween Holiday, we bring something cringe-inducing and nausea-causing: namely, cosplayers singing. Well, at least one of them is singing. The other one is lip-synching, complete with backup dancers. The only thing she's missing is a wind machine to toss her hair about in a sultry and sexy manner while she goes through the motions.
Well, you at least have to applaud their enthusiasm, and their willingness to make complete fools of themselves on the international internets. Plus, Rude actually looks fairly slick in his outfit, even if his acting skills make Pauly Shore look like Jude Law. And Cloud's sword looks, well ... authentic. We're just sayin'.
Anyhow, check out the vid. We hope you were scared because there are more to come as we countdown to Halloween. Don't say you weren't warned.
Hiromichi Tanaka is the executive officer of Square Enix and the producer of company's entry into the MMO market, Final Fantasy XI. This morning at the Austin Game Developer's Conference he's going to be talking to us about the challenges of cross-platform design with a design post-mortum of Final Fantasy XI.
11:06 AM CST: We were supposed to get started at 11AM CST, but the event seems to be running fashionably late.
11:08 AM CST: Introducing Hiromichi Tanaka speaking on Launching Final Fantasy XI on Multiple Platforms.
While a lot of gamers are apparently very excited by the new lower price for the 60GB PS3, Square Enix's US and Europe President and CEO John Yamamoto is not one of them. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Yamamoto was asked about the recent remarks from Konami president Kazumi Kitue on the slow start for Sony's system. Yamamoto said that $500 for the PS3 is "still a bit expensive for most gamers. Most of them think that price is still high." Yamamoto went on to urge a price cut or Europe, saying €500 might be more appropriate in light of the new U.S. price.
Check out the full interview for Yamamoto's thoughts on oft-delayed European Square games, the strength of the DS and how the new E3 is changing Square's plans.
Square Enix has unveiled its "debut" trailer for The Last Remnant. The trailer is certainly pretty, powered by the Unreal Engine 3, and the gameplay (for better and worse) is eerily reminiscent of Koei's Dynasty Warriorsseries.
The text serving as bookends to the one minute, 22 second trailer make a point to highlight that this is an RPG "for the world" that will see simultaneous release in North America and Japan (what about Europe?) on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The actual date of that simultaneous release is unknown. Video embedded after the break.
This week marks the release of the Final Fantasy remake on Sony PSP, the first Square Enix title to make it to the US. The RPG powerhouse showed a multitude of appetizing titles coming to the portable earlier this summer at their massive party at Tokyo's Makuhari Messe.
Long-time Square Enix fans will find yourselves either dismayed or curiously nostalgic (probably a bit of both) by the sheer number of enhanced remakes -- five of the seven PSP titles are ghosts from the company's past with upgraded visuals and new content. What's left is a brawler with an assortment of fighters from the Final Fantasy universe and a long-in-development (though visually impressive) extension of the Final Fantasy VII lore.
Take a gander at the upcoming games after the break.
As with every Square Enix title that comes out on the Nintendo DS, the upcoming Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles: Rings of Fate has a limited edition DS Lite bundle coming for ¥21,840 (approximately US $177), according to Famitsu. The bundle comes with the above DS Lite and game.
Like Revenant Wings and Final Fantasy III before it, the bundle and console are sold in Japan only. By merit of having all games be region-free, these bundles are at least import-friendly if you want to continue playing games in languages you understand.
Role-playing game powerhouse Square Enix have put up a teaser site for an upcoming online merchandise store. Though we're not expecting software titles to be sold, figurines from Dragon Quest, Kingdom Heartsand Final Fantasyare likely (we saw a huge display of fine-crafted figures from those series at Tokyo Game Show last year) and probably clothing with various logos.
Our prediction for best-sellers? Anything with a Slime character on it: key chains, styluses, plush dolls, etc. Our prediction for worst-sellers? Anything sold with actual slime on it. Ew. No date has been given for the grand opening of the store.
We made the above picture for a never-to-be-seen feature on Square Enix titles -- and by "we" I mean myself -- but I loved the image so much that I wanted it to see the light of day. We'd love to see this as a limited edition PSP when Dissidia is released. Check out the highlights for today, a say a word for Manhunt's harsh 24 hours:
Those looking for a better understanding of Final FantasyDissidia, the Square Enix fighting game coming for the PSP, can finally watch the trailer for the game. The 2 minute, 12 second video breaks down as follows (note: times are approximate):
46 seconds of text (35%)
56 seconds of pre-rendered CG (42%)
30 seconds of in-game footage (23%)
Sounds like a Final Fantasy game to us. (We kid 'cos we love.) The latest from Famitsu reports that the game revolves around two gods, Cosmos (representing order) and Chaos (representing ... well, you know). An imbalance in the world lead to Chaos having an upper hand in an eternal war, and both sides bring forth their best fighters to do battle. Confirmed characters include Warrior of Light and Garland (FFI), Zidan and Kuja (FFIX) and Sephiroth. [Via PSP Fanboy]
Depicting a galaxy filled with armed spaceships that simply cannot get along, last year's Project Sylpheedattempted to address the Xbox 360's lack of Eastern-developed titles, as well as its critical non-abundance of space shooters. Developed by Game Arts and published by Square Enix then, the game is finally nearing Planet America under the Microsoft Game Studios flagship. Be thankful we didn't add a woeful "impulse speed" joke to that line.
If saucer-eyed pilots blasting each other to smithereens amidst the surprisingly colorful backdrop of space sounds like it'll float your cup of tea, be sure to check out the 613MB Project Sylpheed demo now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Update: The retail version is expected to arrive on July 10th at a pleasing $40 price.
Joystiq reader Mike Black, in purportedly his first tip ever (bless his heart), has drawn our attention to a custom Forza 2 design he made "after around 30 hours of work and over 2000 layers." We're impressed, especially given that it's one of our favorite RPGs of all time (full picture). Check out the highlights for today:
Though the exact word used by the Financial Times article is "over-engineered," a word we deemed too complex for today's headline. Yoichi Wada, chief executive of Square Enix, feels that consoles such as the PS3 and 360 are over-engineered and out of place in today's gaming market, noting that handheld platforms will be the ones to dominate this year. After handing Dragon Quest IX (and thus the keys to Japan) to the Nintendo DS and inundating the PSP with remakes, Wada's belief should come as no surprise.
"There is a new breed of gamers in the market – we have to make games for all kinds of people," he says. "In the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the GameBoy, but the environment has changed completely." It's the same story we've been hearing for months, that one filled with flailing grandmas and casual players shouting "Blue!" at the top of their lungs. Wada isn't giving up on the hardcore gamer just yet, though. Despite thinking that "there are too many specs" on the more advanced systems, he reckons they'll fare better in "a year or two years." Isn't that about the time Final Fantasy XIII comes out?
The "anniversary bash" referring to a celebration, not that thing you do in the comments section every time we talk about Square Enix's upcoming remakes. Indeed, the plan is to "commemorate 20 years of devotion, dedication and passion from the greatest fans in the gaming industry," so there won't be any place for you at the Metreon's PlayStation store in San Francisco come this June 26th.
The first 100 people to arrive promptly at6PM (on the the day before, knowing hardcore Final Fans) will receive free items that are exclusive to the event, while everyone else will have to be satisfied with purchasing the PSP version of the first, err, Final Fantasy. Square Enix also promises a special showing of July's re-sequel, Final Fantasy II. I'll see you there -- look out for the guy dressed as eager ladies' man and last-minute quitter, Irvine.
That's not who I'm going as, but watch out for that guy. He's a creep.
A few days ago we reported that Square Enix had officially, without a doubt, and definitively closed the door on any possible iteration of a new Final Fantasy appearing on the Xbox 360 anytime soon. But it looks like they were quoted incorrectly in the source story. A Square Enix spokesperson contacted GamesIndustry.biz and set the record straight about the quote.
Apparently, what they meant was that there was no Final Fantasy title in development for the Xbox 360 at that moment, but that it did not mean there never would be. According to industry analyst Michael Pachter, "The series has always been single console and given the Xbox 360 sell through in Japan, it would be hard to put the next Final Fantasy instalment on the 360 only."
Well, that and the fact that alienating their PlayStation fanbase might cause a full-scale riot. Pachter goes on to imagine that they will most likely develop the next title as PS3 only, and "deal with the backlash from the west." So, get prepped and ready for disappointment, you backlashers. Besides, by the time there's a new Final Fantasy game out of development and ready for purchase, you'll either be playing it on a PlayStation 9, or directly on your cerebral cortex via all manner of implants.
Imitation isn't only the sincerest form of flattery, it's also the most legally actionable. At least it is to Square Enix, which recently won a plagiarism case against South Korean music video producer Fantom to the tune of 16 million won (approx. $17,400).
While a lot of gamers are apparently 
Though the exact word used by the 
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