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Square-Enix's Nintendo E3 Lineup

by Steven Rodriguez - April 30, 2003, 12:21 pm EDT
Total comments: 23 Source: Press Release

For the first time ever, Square will be showing off new Nintendo games at E3. Believe it!

Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. To Unveil Epic New Role Playing Games at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, May 14 - 16

LOS ANGELES, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. ("Square Enix U.S.A."), publisher of Square Enix(TM) products in North America, today announced its Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) lineup of new video game releases for multiple gaming platforms. All of the games will be on display at the Square Enix U.S.A. booth (#624) in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Making its first E3 appearance since the recent merger between Square and Enix, Square Enix U.S.A. is poised to take role-playing games (RPGs) to the next level with a variety of innovative titles. The new company will continue its efforts to elevate the popularity of RPGs worldwide. The highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY®XI, the company's first venture into online gaming, will make its North American debut for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PC. The company will bring several high caliber role-playing games to the North American market -- UNLIMITED Saga(TM), FINAL FANTASY®X-2, STAR OCEAN(TM) Till the End of Time and Drakengard(TM) -- all for the PlayStation 2. In addition, Square Enix U.S.A. will showcase FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES(TM) for the Nintendo GameCube(TM), and FINAL FANTASY TACTICS(TM) ADVANCE and SWORD of MANA(TM) for the Game Boy® Advance.

Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance Titles:

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES

Exclusively developed for the Nintendo GameCube, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES is the first title in the popular franchise for the platform. Elements of the traditional single-player RPG have been adapted for the Nintendo GameCube, allowing for up to four-player simultaneous play.

In an innovative new interface, the Game Boy Advance acts as each player's controller, displaying his or her personal information and hiding it from other players. Players advance through the adventure by communicating directly with each other, cooperating and making deals. Since there are obstacles that only certain party members can clear, cooperative play becomes crucial. FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES will be released in 2003. This game is not yet rated. Nintendo of America Inc. will publish this game.

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE is the first FINAL FANTASY title for the Game Boy Advance in North America. Gamers can look forward to an open-ended job class creation system, the intense strategic battle and an exhilarating storyline which made the original PlayStation® game, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, one of the most critically acclaimed titles ever.

Players are thrust into the world of Ivalice, where they meet protagonist Marche and his friend, Mewt, who is struggling with family tragedies. After a snowball fight with school bullies, Mewt finds the book -- Final Fantasy -- and shares it with his friends. Looking to escape their dismal lives, they read it. However, something goes wrong and Ivalice is transformed into the world within the book. Thus Marche and friends begin their journey through the world of FINAL FANTASY.

Players can also unite with other players and form a party using the Game Boy Advance Game Link® cable. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE will be released in 2003. This game is rated "E" (Everyone). Nintendo of America Inc. will publish this game.

SWORD of MANA

SWORD of MANA is the latest installment in the celebrated Mana series, which includes FINAL FANTASY ADVENTURE (Game Boy), SECRET of MANA (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) and LEGEND of MANA for the PlayStation game console. SWORD of MANA is the first game in the series to appear on the Game Boy Advance.

Based on the storyline of FINAL FANTASY ADVENTURE, SWORD of MANA allows players to choose the role of hero or heroine. The player's choice changes his or her understanding of the story and relation to characters based on who is selected at the start of the game. With multiple possible experiences, replay value is high.

In addition to the visual upgrade and moving story, strategic elements have been added to the adventure, including a diverse selection of weapons. Players can select the best weapon for particular enemies, or choose from new attacks and magic spells. The popular "Ring Command System" returns, allowing players to easily choose items, weapons or abilities in battles. SWORD of MANA will be released in 2003. This game is not yet rated. Nintendo of America Inc. will publish this game.

If you'd like to read through the entire release, which goes into detail of Square's PS2 games, click here.

Talkback

Fammy2000April 30, 2003

Allright, but what do we have after these games? I would have thought that Square would have annouced 1001 GBA games by now.

Grey NinjaApril 30, 2003

Personally I was hoping to see the rumored Parasite Eve: Rebirth at E3.

Illini4April 30, 2003

Only two responses so far?? Come on people! Square on Nintendo. More importantly, Square on GAMECUBE! This should be the biggest news for Gamecube this year, and the next, and the next. I read these forums everyday! And I hear the same thing everyday! "Nintendo needs more mature games" "Nintendo needs to have strong 3rd party support." HELLO wake up, and welcome to the world of videogames. You want mature games? I do not know too many casual gamers that can complete a Final Fantasy game today. Very deep story lines, usually debating religion and machines. The only other place you can get that type of content is a modern western civ class in college. Sounds mature to me! Now you want strong 3rd party support. They do not come any stronger than Square! I know they aren't as big as EA or any of those "lets pop out as many low quality games as we can" But Square has one thing most game makers don't have, legions of loyal fans! Zelda is a very popular series, in a survey in Japan Zelda came in 3rd for most influential series. What was number 1? Final Fantasy, with over 60% of the votes! (2nd was dragon warrior, which is now part of Square-Enix). Yea!! Zelda got 3rd, that is good, but a very distant 3rd place. Final Fantasy fans are strong in numbers and loyalty. You bring Final Fantasy to Gamecube or any other future Nintendo home console, and you bring a system that is sure to dominate. Lets face it. If Final Fantasy were on GCN, what could PS2 say they have that is amazingly better than GCN? Really nothing. People then go to Nintendo's console, and so do game makers. So...come on guys! Lets hear some noise in the forum. And to answer the concern of why Square hasn't announced any "old ports" to the GBA, give them some time. Everyone loves money, and who doesn't love selling another million copies of a game released ten years ago?

Grey NinjaApril 30, 2003

Illini, this was HUGE news back in the day, but really we have heard this news many times already. It kind of loses its charm after you hear it repeated so many times. face-icon-small-wink.gif It's just kind of ordinary now that Square is back. It will be quite magical when I go buy a Final Fantasy game for my console again, but IMHO, Square has lost their touch, so that kind of downplays it too. I am just hoping that the game turns out really good for old time's sake.

mouse_clickerApril 30, 2003

All this Square news is just the same stuff repeated. We've known about the SoM, FFTT, and FFCC games for quite a while now. All this stuff is just the press releases on how it's coming to America, which we already knew. Square on the Gamecube is great and all, but it's only 1 game! I'll get really excited when Square-Enix really supports it.

Blade2t3April 30, 2003

Does any one else think that squares FinalFantasy series went a little down hill after 8

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusApril 30, 2003

No we won't be getting into that discussion.

mouse_clickerApril 30, 2003

FF IZ t3H SUXX0RZ!!!1!!!!11!!1!

Just a question- anyone know when exactly FF:CC's coming out here in the states? Methinks that's going to be a month of good sales for Nintendo.

BlkPaladinApril 30, 2003

They haven't announced an US release yet. As for the Japanese release it is July 18th. So it will probally hit sometime during the Christmas shopping season and will help Nintendo out a bit in the US.

Illini4April 30, 2003

Blade2t3-- I agree! Final Fantasy has lost a lot since VIII. I did like IX, it was very much "fantasy." But, honestly, I just couldn't get into FFX. But I am not saying FF on GCN will bring games with awesome gameplay. We have Mr. Myamoto for those games. But Final Fantasy will bring many new GCN owners! Now that is the only thing Nintendo needs to worry about. But Blade2t3 brings up a great point, FF isn't what it used to be. But I am sure we will be able to enjoy 1-6 in all their glory on our GBA!

BlkPaladinApril 30, 2003

I would have to agree that the quality has went down but they still make some very good RPGs. One of the biggest examples of the lower quality is that they are making a sequal to FFX because fans didn't like how Square ended that title with a lot hanging.

And who knows may be they can find some of the magic they lost when they decided they wanted to make interactive movies.

abbotApril 30, 2003

I want to see another Mario Rpg. But none of that Paper Mario. I want to see the real deal now that square is back!

BlkPaladinMay 01, 2003

I don't know, we may see Nintedo strike up a deal that they struck with Capcom, Namco, and Sega, then it would be plausible to see such a title. But currently it doesn't seem likely.

AlkettoryMay 01, 2003

Quote

Just a question- anyone know when exactly FF:CC's coming out here in the states? Methinks that's going to be a month of good sales for Nintendo.


According to PGC, it comes out in the US on 11/3/2003. EBGames preorder page also gives the same date.

DjunknownMay 01, 2003

If there's one thing people need to remember (I think I already said this, if not I'll say it again...for the first time.) Just as how guns themselves don't kill people, Companies themselves don't make games.

Its the people WITH the guns who kill people and people IN companies that make games. So for those saying that Square isn't what it used to be, chances are it isn't but they are trying as hard as they can to maintain its image. Sword of Mana has members of staff who worked on each of the Mana series, so unless they were smoking crack, it should be as good as they say it is.

as far FFCC, we'll simply have to play to believe it. and FFT is concerned, GBA has yet to make a sucky strategy game, so it'd be unlikely that will the first one to bomb.

BlkPaladinMay 02, 2003

Its kind of hard to mess up a SRPG, though it has been done, Hirogami comes to mind for the PSOne. We weren't in preticularly talking about Sword of Mana which is being made by Brownie Brown who Nintendo made a second party (Much like the agrement that brought us Metal Grear Solid)

The drop in quality comes from them losing the developers within the company. (After the spilit, after FFVII, it seems they are basically working with all new talent, not the talent that Nintendo expended time and money to train.)

REBEL SCUMMay 04, 2003

I think square should remake all its old games into GCN and GBA games.

PIACMay 04, 2003

what is it with you and remakles REBEL SCUM?

REBEL SCUMMay 04, 2003

I just think it would be cool.

KDR_11kMay 04, 2003

I really hope the PAL release won't be 3 months after the US again... Hopefully Square has a different approach than Nintendo...

Fammy2000May 05, 2003

Maybe all good games have been made. It's kinda like sampling in music. New games should sample old games. =)

BlkPaladinMay 06, 2003

As for the PAL conversion that still is up in the air. Nintendo is handling the publishing in the US, so they may handle the publishing in Europe also.

rodtodMay 06, 2003

FF: Crystal Chronicles has the same battle system as Kingdom Hearts right, in that both aren't turn based combat, but real-time with independent movement of your party? Also, now that Square has joined forces with Enix, will they be making less FMV's in their games, or more? I guess it depends on where they want to focus their newly-expanded resources...

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