Upload your Replays to Square Enix

Looks like Square Enix is looking to start some social gathering with Dissidia just a few days after its release. The official Square Enix website is now hosting replay uploads. You can go upload replays of your most epic battles, watch other people’s replays, and socialize.

It seems like a neat idea, though it might be a bit soon. The people who still liked the game (there are a lot of Americans who threw it in the trash because of the voice-acting’s affect on the storyline)are probably not done having loads of fun battling it out and watching their own replays, let alone other people’s replays, but whatever floats your boat.

It’s a rather simple process, and you Dissidia players can hop on over to Square Enix’s website to start uploading, watching, and socializing via the link below:

http://member.square-enix.com/na/features/dissidia/battlereplay.php

I’ll be back with more updates soon!
~Trent~

Universal Tuning Release Announced

The North American version of Dissidia has been released for a couple days now, and Square Enix is working at getting us some details on Universal Tuning, the International version of Dissidia.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy Universal Tuning is to be released on November 1st, the same day as the Japanese release of the PSP Go, in both UMD and PSN formats. The official website for Universal Tuning is also up now, which you can view via the link below. There’s not much there, though. All that’s showing is the release date.

http://www.square-enix.co.jp/dissidia_ut/

Updates have been semi-slow since the release, but expect some more coming soon!
~Trent~

Dissida has Moogles, Kupo!

What is there in Final Fantasy games that can be so cute, it makes you forget all your troubles to just take in the “Awww” of the moment? Moogles, of course!

A few of the new cut scenes for the localized versions of Dissidia feature everyone’s favorite bat-winged ‘stuffed animal’ looking creatures with red pon pons on their heads. Today we’ve got a collection of these cut scenes in a YouTube video.

Some are super cute, and one is slightly disturbing. Nonetheless, say hello to our friendly neighborhood Moogles in this collection of clips, featuring Final Fantasy XI’s Shantotto, as well as Final Fantasy VI’s Terra and Kefka.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow’s the big day! I’ll be back with updates soon!
~Trent~

Dissidia: The Leak

PSP games get leaked and pirated. All of the big games have it happen, and Dissidia is no exception. The game was leaked two days ago and is being downloaded by dozens of ‘pirates’ as we speak.

PSP games get converted to ISO/CSO’s and uploaded to the internet. They all do, but not often is it that these illegal files are getting uploaded early. It does happen, though. Rock Band: Unplugged was released to the PSP back in early March, two weeks after it got leaked to the internet for pirates to enjoy on Customized Firmware for their PSP system.

Dissidia getting leaked is not all that surprising. It’s a big game for a big franchise. The bad thing about this game getting pirated is the possibility of a sequel. Tetsuya Nomura, director of the game, talked about a sequel a few months back.

On this topic, he stated that the possibility of a sequel happening depended on the success of the American and PAL releases of Dissidia. These pirates download these games, finish them, and gripe about when a sequel comes out, when they may be the very reason the game may not even get a sequel.

Nice job, pirates. Thanks for helping to ruin everyone’s chances of getting a sequel to this game. Better hope us honest gamers are big enough in number to net a sequel.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. I’ll be back with updates soon, hopefully not as unfortunate as this one.

~Trent~

http://pspupdates.qj.net/Video-Dissidia-Final-Fantasy-leaked-/pg/49/aid/134033

Reviews – GameTrailers, GameSpot

This is the week for updates, that’s for sure. Today we’ve got two updates in one! Two reviews on the game have been recently written and uploaded to the internet by the writers from GameTrailers.com and Gamespot.com.

We’ll start with the GameTrailers review, which you can watch via either of the links below:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-dissidia-final/54674

Gametrailers was very pleased with the game. Their verdict, which I took from the video review, is the following:

Design – 8.9
The overall premise may be just a few degrees shy of a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, but with such incredible follow-through and raw story content, it’s hard not to be amazed.

Gameplay – 8.5
Fights lend themselves to eye-catching spectacles, similar to those found in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and the various little facets that factor into the fighting system gives Dissidia lots of technical appeal.

Presentation – 9.0
The graphics are vibrant, fluidly animated, and the frame rate holds up very well, despite all the chaotic action on the screen. Dissidia is also just as easy on the ears, with an able cast of voice-over talent, lending their pipes to each of the game’s major characters.

Overall – 8.7
It’s everything that you wouldn’t expect a Final Fantasy game to be, but if you’re looking for a feature-rich time sink with fight and flare, then Dissidia is well worth your consideration.

Next, we’ve got the Gamespot review. There is both a written and video review, which may be accessed through the links below:

Written Review – http://www.gamespot.com/psp/action/dissidiafinalfantasy/review.html
Video Review – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak-XnJyBdcU

Gamespot gave Dissidia a slightly lower rating, but they still seemed to praise it. Their final verdict is the following:

The Good
-The fighting is flashy and exciting
-Constant stream of unlockable rewards
-Tons of modes and features
-Fantastic visuals.

The Bad
-Disappointing story
-The camera can get troublesome.

Overall Score – 8.5

There you have it, people. Two more reviews up for Dissidia, and both are very positive in their scores. I’ll be back with more updates soon!
~Trent~

Dissidia: Universal Tuning Announced

We’ve got a special type of news today. It’s surprisingly not on the American or PAL versions of Dissidia, which are to be released in the coming weeks, but a new Japanese version.

It is called “Dissidia Universal Tuning” also known as the “International Version” International Versions of Final Fantasy games are new Japanese versions of the games with the additions of anything they added to the localized version not available in the original Japanese release or even new features. Worthy note is Final Fantasy XII International, which got a major overhaul from the localized version and a new addition to the battle system, only available in that version.

All we know about “Dissidia International” is that they’re going to include the English voice-actors into the Japanese game as well as the original Japanese voice-overs, along with the additions to be seen in the upcoming North American and PAL releases.

There are rumors about new characters for this version of the game, but I highly doubt it, seeing as how an interview on the North American version told us that they didn’t even think they could fit the Japanese VA’s onto the localized UMD due to a lack of space on the disc. Seeing as how they’re cramming it on there for this International version, I doubt there’ll be much, if any free space left on the disc.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. Dissidia: Final Fantasy hits American shelves in less than a week. Expect some reviews out to the internet very soon.
~L2K~

Source

http://ff7ac.hotcafe.to/

IGN Review – 8.9/10

IGN.com has been courteous enough to send out an early review for Dissidia, which will be released in one week from today. Don’t worry, they liked the game, so we got a good rating for you.

You check out the full review in two formats. First is the written review, which offers much more content, at the link below:

http://psp.ign.com/articles/101/1014058p1.html

Or you can watch the video review, which is shown at the link below via Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=633N0qgSn3E

The results, like I said, were desirable, as here is IGN’s final verdict on Square’s RPG/Fighter hybrid. It is scaled from 1 to 10, with 1 being poor and 10 being outstanding.

Presentation – 9.0
An incredible amount of content comes packed on this UMD, with a great set of features and modes. Story could have been better told, but overall experience is outstanding.

Graphics – 8.0
Although I would have like to see more CG cutscenes and better facial animations, this is a very good-looking PSP game.

Sound – 8.5
Disappointing voice acting (though some performances are great). A phenomenal soundtrack filled with classic Final Fantasy arrangements and some stunning original pieces.

Gameplay – 8.5
An engaging, RPG-inspired battle system with a great cast of classic characters. Customization options are immense.

Lasting Appeal – 9.0
I can’t even begin to imagine how much time I could sink into this game. A host of unlockables and rewards will keep players happy for a long, long time

Overall – 8.9/10 - Great

Well, there you have it. IGN really liked the game, and this is likely only the first of many reviews to come from various websites.

I’ll be back with more updates soon.
~Trent~

Square Enix: Dissidia will be “the” game to have for PSP

Square Enix is great at making games for PSP. Sales Director Doug Bone comments on the success of last year’s Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII along with predictions for Dissidia.

“Crisis Core was the PSP’s summertime smash for last year. Thanks to Dissidia’s strength of narrative and solid fighting mechanics, it manages to remain essential to the Final Fantasy hardcore whilst still becoming the definitive beat-‘em-up for PSP”

He also mentions the Japanese version of the game, which has been released for almost eight months:

“This has already been reflected in Japan, where despite RPGs being the dominant genre, Dissidia has outsold Crisis Core considerably and we have no doubt that this will be reflected in the UK, where pre-orders are tracking even higher than initial expectations”

Dissidia will be big, there’s no doubt about that. It sold almost 400,000 copies in its first day on the japanese market. Senior Product Manager Adrieane Arnese also adds to Bones’s statement:

“Dissidia Final Fantasy is a milestone release for Square Enix”

Square Enix sure is confident in the success of the game, as am I. Just 20 more days. I’ll be back soon with even more updates!

~Trent~

Gamespot launches Dissidia Sweepstakes

Gamespot has made a sweepstakes for the release of Dissidia to give a few of the fans of the series some very nice bonus items. There are no fees involved. All that’s required is that you live in the USA, your email address, and phone number in the link below.

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/sweepstakes/dff/default.aspx

They are to contact their winners “soon” which is likely to be before the release of August 25th. Possible prizes are as follows:

1st Prize: One winner will be awarded a full-size Gabranth helmet replica from Final Fantasy XII.

2nd Prize: Ten winners will be awarded a Play Arts figure from the Summons/Monsters set, which can include Gilgamesh, The Magus Sister, and both Shiva’s and Yojimbo’s normal and “heretic” forms.

3rd Prize: Ten winners will be awarded a Play Arts figure from the Dissida set, which can include Cloud, Squall, Zidane, and Tidus.

This month of counting down to the release sure is getting exciting. I’ll be back with more updates as they come in.

~Trent~