Posted May 21st 2008 7:00PM by JC Fletcher Filed under: News
There seems to be an inordinately low level of hype surrounding the July release of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. It's an original Final Fantasy RPG (of sorts) on the Wii! That's awesome, right? Roguelikes, as well, are relatively hot right now, so we think this is a noteworthy release.
The website has been updated with a short story introduction, descriptions of three of Chocobo's available jobs (Knight, White Mage, and Black Mage), and even gameplay information, which describes areas in the game's town and the weird "Romantic Phrases" sidequest. In this quest, you find hidden "Romantic Phrases" in letters and recite them to Romantic Hero X.
There are also two wallpapers, one of which was the source for the lovely art adorning this post. We've stared at it long enough that we're now convinced we like the game.
If you were wondering where you'd get your cuteness fix this summer, wonder no more. Square-Enix just announced that Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon would be hitting North American Wiis on July 8th of this year, confirming earlier rumors that were floating around the internets.
This game is mostly for the Squeenix fans who squeal at the thought of a Chocobo wearing various class outfits, but those of you who enjoy dungeon-crawling RPGs might consider it, too -- especially at the $39.99 price tag. The story revolves around Chocobo and Cid, who find themselves in a town where people have lost their memories. The only way to retrieve the memories of the townsfolk, of course, is to battle through dungeons. The game also offers Wi-Fi card battles against friends and arcade-style minigames that can be found at the Mog House.
The Wii can certainly use some more RPGs, in our opinion, and this is definitely a welcome one. Should this title interest you, you can also check out its official English website here (although there's nothing there, yet).
We love Gamefly. We hear they're okay for sending games to people, which is great. But more importantly, they love to reveal unannounced games to us. Case in point: their "Coming Soon" page includes a listing for Final Fantasy: Chocobo Dungeon. We've long suspected that Square Enix would decide to localize their adorable roguelike, Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu. There's really no reason not to believe Gamefly on this one. It's currently marked for a July 3rd release date on the website.
Also found on the "Coming Soon" page: oddities! Like Space Chimps! Well, that's not really that odd, since there's a CG movie coming out by the same name. Anything called Space Chimps qualifies as odd by default, though, we think. But much more unequivocally odd is Guinness Book of World Records ... the game! Look forward to that this October, according to Gamefly.
Gametrailers has posted a surprisingly comprehensive preview of Square Enix's new roguelike-lite, Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu (Dungeon of Forgotten Time). It does a good job of introducing the basics of the turn-based system, the methods of upgrading your character, and, of course, the storyline.
We were amused by the major fakeout involved in the story: Chocobo and a treasure hunter named Cid head to a big tower, which we think is going to be the basis for the game, like The Tower of Druaga or something. They've got this perfectly serviceable roguelike setting, a tower made up of many floors, full of treasure, and then -- nope! The tower gets hit with some kind of beam that sends Chocobo and Cid into a vortex, landing them in the Land of Forgotten Time. Okay, we thought, so they'll explore this land, then, like Shiren the Wanderer.
Then a space-baby shows up and lets Chocobo go into people's minds to recover their memories.And those are the dungeons.
This glimpse of the opening for Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu makes us long for the game to retain the Japanese voice acting come the inevitable English-language release. It just looks and sounds so good! Of course, we'll probably love it as much in English, but it's hard to argue with this video, which is why we've decided to drop it into our weekly spotlight.
The Wii did well last week in Japan, finally managing to outsell the PlayStation 3 again by five to one. Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario and Sonic continued to find success in the software sales charts, while Wii Sports and Wii Play extend their quests toward spectacularly high numbers.
We're glad to see that Super Mario Galaxy is doing well (the game is great, in case you haven't noticed), and are still awed by the phenomenon that is Wii Sports. Only one game in the top ten (and top fifteen, for that matter) was for a non-Nintendo system, which exemplifies the company's current dominance in Japan. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is mysteriously missing from the charts, however, leading some to speculate that the game sold less than FIFA 360 (which took the last place with 2,400 copies sold).
Check after the break to see the sales numbers for Japan's hardware and software.
Square Enix has updated their Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu homepage with two versions of a really cute commercial. We know it's Square Enix and everything, but we're still a bit taken aback by the high production values on display in this ad (accessible from the homepage via the "movie" link). It's a Wii sequel to a spinoff series that we thought was a low-budget, low-key affair. The FMVs are actually really nice!
But mostly we just wanted to post about the commercials so we could post this picture. We totally cheated by snapping the screenshot mid-blink, but we think the resemblance is uncanny.
The Japanese website for Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon (you know, that game starring that delicious looking cute little yellow bird) has been updated, provided the internet surfer looking for more juicy content just what they desire most. No, it isn't a fabulous recipe for extra crispy, deep fried Chocobo (is it so wrong that we spend a lot of time thinking about how delicious a fictional creature is?), it's new stuff about the upcoming game.
There is new screens, some art and a closer look at the different job classes on over at the site, so give it a look.
Gallery: Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu
The latest trailer for Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is mysterious because we can't find out what we like about it most. Maybe it's the soothing music that feels like it should be playing during the credits of Battle Royale or something (don't ask us how we came up with that association, they really don't sound that alike). Maybe it's the young green-haired boy, who reminds us of Cabbage Head (oh, how we miss you Kids in the Hall). Or, maybe it's because that Chocobo is just so darn cute.
Perhaps the only thing cuter than a chocobo plush is a chocobo plus with a mage outfit. Just look at him in his little hat! We want this so badly. If only we could justify spending $25 ($30 with shipping) on a plush. But hey, some of you might be more spendthrifty than us, so buy away!
Also, if you like these sorts of things, check out the Santa Claus and white mage chocobos after the break.
Well, maybe not the whole mystery, but we're definitely getting a more clear picture of what this game is all about.
And, as far as mysterious dungeons go, we can think of nothing more than a giant, delicious and cute bird who should traverse them. Especially one that is so multi-talented. And, if you were looking for some new screens for the upcoming Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, then JeuxFrance has enough screens that, should you wish, you could print each one out and sew them together, making yourself a nice little blanket.
Of course, we can't condone such a thing. We'd hate to see you get a nasty papercut.
In the showdown of Wii Mysterious Dungeon games, Chocobo's Dungeon has one major advantage over Shiren the Wanderer 3: the awwwwww factor. The adorableness of the Chocobo protagonist and pretty much everything else in the game may help sway roguelike fans who are on the fence about which title to buy.
As if the game didn't already overload on the cute, these new screenshots reveal a new character named Dungeon Hero X. Where did he come from? Is he friend, enemy, or both? No one knows (although we doubt he's firing the "Mog Beam" at the poor Chocobo out of friendship). It is a mystery of the Mystery Dungeon. A cute mystery.
Square Enix has released a new video of the Wii version of Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, and it looks a lot like its predecessors, in a good way! This series has a longhistory, and it's nice to see that this looks like it's going to be a real Mysterious Dungeongame and not some kind of dungeon-themed party minigame fest.
The best part of the whole trailer is how cozy the town looks: the little chocobo is seen walking down cobblestone streets, surrounded by butterflies, napping on a dock, playing on a swing set, and even having a nice cup of coffee at a cafe. Of course, this all serves to make it seem more cruel and horrible when he's trapped in a lava-filled dungeon. We laughed.
Posted May 28th 2007 3:10PM by James Konik Filed under: News
If the recent barrage of games from Square Enix hasn't sated your appetite for all things chocobo-related, you'll want to be signing up for Game Town, their new mini-game service. The site is currently in beta, with Japanese registration forms. Luckily, IGN has posted a guide on how to sign up with as little fuss as possible.
So far there's only a couple of chocobo games to play, but there are a whole bunch of 'coming soon' slots just waiting to be filled. We reckon there's a good chance we'll be seeing mini-games based on new Square Enix titles showing up here over the next few weeks.
Posted May 10th 2007 10:35AM by James Konik Filed under: News
Why don't scientists show a little more imagination? Genetically engineered Chocobos would solve most of the world's problems in a stroke. Traffic jams would be a thing of the past and all those cute yellow beasties running around would keep everyone way too happy for war or, y'know, other bad stuff.
It may be some time before this vision becomes a reality, leaving us with Chocobo's Dungeon: Labyrinth of Forgetting, which is heading to Wii in the not-too-distant future. The Chocobo's Dungeon games feature randomly generated levels, making them a little different every time you play. Details on the new title are pretty thin on the ground at the moment; expect more news at the end of the month.
