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Square Enix launches FFXV Pocket Edition


Posted on February 9, 2018 by Jason Nason

Square Enix has a history of taking Final Fantasy to new places and today they announced they are taking FFXV to mobile devices. And it’s free to start.

Fans and newcomers can now experience Final Fantasy XV anywhere and anytime with Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, available now on the App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store. With an adorable art style and casual touch controls optimized for mobile devices, the title is now easier than ever to pick up and play.

Purpose-built for mobile devices, this new title retells the beloved story of crown prince Noctis and his brothers-in-arms, Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus, across ten thrilling episodes.

All ten episodes are available now, with the first episode at no charge. Episodes 2-3 are available for $0.99 USD while episodes 3-10 are available for purchase for $3.99 USD individually. They can also br purchased as a bundle for $19.99 USD.


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Square Enix Launches Final Fantasy Type-0 Mobile Game In More Countries


Posted on February 5, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Final Fantasy Awakening –  the online only, multiplayer focused Final Fantasy Type-0 spin off game – is now available in several more countries, Square Enix announced this morning.  

Set in the world of Orience, Final Fantasy Awakening allows players to recruit the 14 members of Class-0 to take part what’s called thee “2+2+1” Battle System – which allows players to select 2 members for their party, swapping them out at will while recharging the abilities of the resting members. Players from around the world join together to earn resources to level up abilities, equipment and unlock new classmates. 

This game does employ a “gacha” system of randomization when it comes to both the rarity and % of unlocked class members. I’ve written previously about how these type of systems can be psychologically manipulative – using the same strategies and flashy graphics proven so successful for the gambling industry. Sadly, despite all of the bad press and negative player feedback sorrunding loot boxes and paid RNG drops – the practice is still prevalent in the mobile and space and increasingly so in console games. 

Final Fantasy Awakening is available in the additional countries of Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, India, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma on the Google Play Store. It was launched in the USA this past October and is not available in Canada as of press time. 

 


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Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition Benchmark Released


Posted on February 1, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Square Enix has released an official benchmark for the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition which will be released on March 6th. The 4GB benchmark is not a playable section of the game but rather a series of pre-configured demo scenes that take about six minutes to run. FFXV: Windows Edition’s benchmark allows users to try out three different quality settings – Lite, Medium and High and three resolutions – 720p, 1080p and 4k. Users of the benchmark have pointed out that it does not offer 1440p resolution support, a common resolution between 1080p and true 4k.

Don’t have access to a gaming PC and want to know how it looks? I recorded the demo on my Dell Inspiron 7000 Gaming Laptop with a Geforce 1050. On this modest medium range gaming setup I got a solid 30 FPS with very few dips (only noticeable during loading screens) on medium settings at 1080p. My gaming laptop ended up with a score of 3000 on the benchmark – which means that it is right around the recommended specs for the medium quality pre-set.

 

We previously reported on the minimum specs for each supported resolution. Here they are:

Recommended Specs for 1080p
• AMD 8350 or Intel i7 3770
• 16GB
• At least 100GB free
• GeForce 1060 6GB variant or Radeon 480 8GB variant

Recommended Specs for 4K
• Windows 10
• Intel 7700k or AMD Ryzen 1600x
• 16GB
• At least 150GB free
• GeForce 1080TI

Square Enix also released a neat little chart that outlines what certain scores mean for the final version of FFXV: Windows Version. It should be pointed out that this chart outs quality pre-sets that go well beyond the released benchmark. The pre-sets expected to be in the final version are: Extremely High, Very High, High, Fairly High, Standard, Slightly Low, Low and Insufficient (does not run the game).

Square also published a reference list about how a whole pile of GPUS should perform in the Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition benchmark under optimal circumstances. Here is a cross section of some of the most popular GPUs and how they should score on the Lite setting:

Geforce 10 Series:

  • Geforce 1080: 1437
  • Geforce 1070: 12797
  • Geforce 1060: 9708

AMD RX 5XX / 4XZX Series:

  • RX Vega: 13263
  • RX 570: 10270
  • RX 470: 9720

Geforce 9 Series:

  • Geforce 980: 11205
  • Geforce 970: 10195
  • Geforce 970m: 7545
  • Geforce 950: 6375

[Source]


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Dissidia: Final Fantasy Opera Omnia Brings FF Action To Mobile Phones


Posted on January 16, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

PlayStation 4 isn’t the only place where Final Fantasy characters from across the mainline series will do battle against one another. It turns out that Cloud, Sephiroth, Y’Sthola, Steiner and dozens of other FF mainstays will be making their way to mobile phones later this month with the release of Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia for Apple iOS and Google Android. 

Unlike its console sibling, Dissidia NT, Opera Omnia turns back the clock to the classic Final Fantasy days and features a turn based battle system like those found in the SNES and PlayStation era titles. The battle system in Opera Omnia isn’t a direct copy of older ATB based games – the BRAVE mechanic from the proir Dissidia games makes its first appearance here. Land a hit at just the right time to do massive amounts of brave damage! 

The art style reminds me of the FFIII remake from the Nintendo DS, with adorable low polygon versions of all of your favorite characters, who will.. Ahem *pardon the pun* square off in this free to play title.  

Android users can pre-register for Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omni on the Google Play Store right now. No word yet on an exact release date and what regions the game will launch in but it will also be coming to Apple devices this month as well.  


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Final Fantasy XV’s System Requirements Aren’t For The Faint of Heart


Posted on January 16, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Final Fantasy XV is finally about to hit Windows PC this March after nearly a year and a half of PlayStation exclusivity. If you’re wondering about how finely tuned your gaming rig will have to be to render Noctis. Prompto, Ignis, Gladio and their sweet ride, the Regalia, you might want to sit down ft a moment.

16GBs of RAM, 6GB of video RAM and an AMD 8350 are required just to play the game in 1080p – which seems a bit excessive considering the PS4 achieves the same resolution at 30FPS with just 8GB of RAM and a much lower clocked CPU.

Now to be fair, Comparing PC specs to console specs is apples to oranges considering just how optimized a console port can be under the right circumstances. Still you might be wondering how much HDD space you’ll need for XV? Oh just 150GB.

Recommended Specs for 1080p
• AMD 8350 or Intel i7 3770
• 16GB
• At least 100GB free
• GeForce 1060 6GB variant or Radeon 480 8GB variant

Recommended Specs for 4K
• Windows 10
• Intel 7700k or AMD Ryzen 1600x
• 16GB
• At least 150GB free
• GeForce 1080TI

With all of the talk of technical specs out of the way – the Windows version of Final Fantasy XV does being some new additions: namely a drivable boat and a brand new map / set of quests that take place in the ruined capital city.
Here’s a rundown of features provided by Square Enix. A benchmark to test your own rigs against the FFXV behemoth will be released on Feb 1.

• Expanded Map: Insomnia City Ruins – all-new side quests and enemies such as Cerberus and Omega will be available through the expanded map of the Crown City of Insomnia. Players will also take on the Rulers of Yore.
• A fully-controllable Royal Vessel boat, expanding the world of Eos and allowing players to explore the area between Cape Caem and Altissia. Players will also be able to fish aboard the vessel and discover new fishes and dishes.
• A new accessory that can activate the new action “Armiger Unleashed” – players will be able to unleash powerful attacks while the Armiger is summoned. After collecting all of the royal arms, players will be able to find an accessory in an unidentified part of the world, enabling access to Armiger Unleashed.
• A new first-person camera mode, allowing players to experience the game from Noctis’ perspective.
• More than a dozen pieces of downloadable content including weapons, Regalia car skins and item sets
• All season pass content including EPISODE GLADIOLUS, EPISODE PROMPTO, MULTIPLAYER EXPANSION: COMRADES** and EPISODE IGNIS
• Archive – players can review the “Cosmogony” stories scattered throughout the FINAL FANTASY XV world. Additional local myths and legends will also be placed in various new locations, allowing players to obtain more information about the world.
• Quest to obtain and Strengthen Regalia Type-D
• New Trophies
• The FINAL FANTASY XV base game


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Check Out 70 Brand New Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Screenshots


Posted on January 14, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

The Dissidia Final Fantasy NT beta is in full swing on the PlayStation Network right now and I’ve been playing it extensively. Below are over 70 screenshots that I took over this past weekend and I hope everyone enjoys them. There’s a great mix of menu screens, in-game battle screens, victory animation screens and screenshots of the defeat animations.

Full impressions and over an hour of video will be going live on the site later on in the week as well. If you haven’t caught the Dissidia hype, Square Enix will be rotating the roster of available characters 3 times over the 9 day beta – with the next roster rotation taking place tomorrow (Monday) at 2PM PST.


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The World Ends with You remake coming to Switch in 2018


Posted on January 12, 2018 by Jason Nason

Nintendo will be publishing The World Ends with You: Final Remix from Square Enix on the Nintendo Switch in 2018.

This remake of the 2008 Nintendo DS game has been updated for Nintendo Switch with HD visuals and a new epilogue that sheds new light on the game’s story. Players can join rhythmic battles using either Joy-Con controllers or the Nintendo Switch touch screen.

In the game you play as 15-year-old Neku Sakuraba who wakes up in an intersection awash with people, alone and unaware of how he got there. Then he receives a text message containing a mission, and the warning “You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure.” With that, Neku is thrust into a life-or-death Game that sends him scrambling down streets paved with one riddle after another.

With a time limit of seven days, Neku will team up with unlikely allies as the Game’s stakes grow more and more deadly…

The game was previously remade and released as “Solo Remix” for Android and in the iOS App Store. The World Ends with You: Final Remix is scheduled to launch in 2018 for Nintendo Switch.

http://darkainartsgamers.tumblr.com/post/169599189665/more-at-httpgamersdarkainartscom


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DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT Open Beta Buster Swords On To PSN Today


Posted on January 12, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Warm up your PlayStation hard drives and your prep your reflexes because upcoming fighting title DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT has an open beta taking place across the next week. Featuring characters, stages, summons and costumes from the mainline Final Fantasy titles, the latest DISSIDIA title offers players both online and offline challenges, even in the open beta. 

There are three broad windows over the next seven days where PlayStation 4 owners can try out DISSIDIA Final Fantasy: 

  • From Friday, January 12 @ 6:00 AM PST to Monday, January 15 @ 1:00 PM PST 
  • From Monday, January 15 @ 2:00 PM PST to Thursday, January 18 @ 1:00 PM PST 
  • From Thursday, January 18 @ 2:00 PM PST to Sunday, January 21 @ 1:00 PM PST 

Characters will be rotated in and out throughout the three test periods, so if you don’t find a character that you are particuarly fond of (or in my case probably good with >___>), there’s always a chance your favorite FF heroine or hero will show up during the next window.  

Personally I am hoping to try out both Lightening and Y’Shtola – FFXIV being one of the games I’ve played habitually since 2014. I’ll also try my hand at Pretty Boy Combat ™ if Noctis, Cloud or Sephiroth are playable during any of the Open Beta windows. 

Oh and as a final note, the download size of the DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT Open Beta is quite large – clocking in at just over 25GB. 


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Final Fantasy XII Coming To Steam This Feb


Posted on January 11, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

The world of Ivalice is making the jump to Windows PC on February 1st with the release of Final Fantasy 12.  Join Princess Ashe, Vaan, Basch, Fran and others as the tale of the Rozzaria’s invasion of Dalmasca unfolds. Together they’ll have to band together to liberate their homeland, in one of the most politically interesting Final Fantasy titles. 

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac age includes a number of enhancements when compared to the 2006 PlayStation 2 original.  Along with the improved HD resolution support, The Zodiac Age also includes new texture work, a 60 FPS cap and all of the improvements found within Final Fantasy XII: International, which never saw release in the west. 

Here’s a list of the major enhancements found within Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on PC: 

  • 60FPS – Ivalice will look better than ever with the game running at 60FPS. 
  • Compatible with 21:9 ultra-wide monitors – Up to three HD monitors can be used for a potential 48(16×3):9 experience. 
  • New Game Plus and New Game Minus – Post-game content modes are now accessible from the beginning of the game. 
  • Three background music options – The original, re-orchestrated and soundtrack versions are now available from the beginning of the game. 
  • Maximized License Points and Gil – New functionality added to grant players max License Points and Gil from the configuration screen. 
  • Full controller support, Steam Trading Cards and more to optimize the PC player experience. 

Through the first week of the game’s launch on February 1st, Square Enix will be offering a 20% discount through the Steam Store.  

Here are the minimum and recommended specs: 

MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows Win 7-64bit or later
Processor: Pentium G3260 @ 3.0GHz (2 cores)
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GTX 660 or AMD equivalent w/ 2GB VRAM
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 50 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card

RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows Win 7-64bit or later
Processor: I5-4460 @ 3.2GHz (4 cores)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GTX 980 or AMD equivalent w/ 4GB VRAM
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 50 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
Additional Notes: Screen resolution: 1920×1080. Depending on the monitor and PC graphics card environment and setup used, this title can expand its display resolution to 4K. However, please be aware that 4K resolutions are not officially supported.


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Dragon Quest Builders Gets a Playable Demo On Nintendo Switch


Posted on January 11, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Square Enix has released a limited demo version of their upcoming Nintendo Switch port of Dragon Quest Builders. If the demo is anything like the original PlayStation 4 demo, it will allow players to experience around two hours of the main story and unlimited time repairing a single village and exploring a large section of the map. The resources and upgrades in the demo version are quite limited compared to the full version but some have reported a total playtime of between four and six hours – not bad for free.

Here’s the official description:

Dragon Quest Builders – Demo Version – A free demo for the Dragon Quest Builders game is available today in Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. Gather, craft, and build the kingdom of your dreams to restore the ruined world of Alefgard! As the legendary Builder, you’ll construct rooms, towns and defenses while fighting monsters. The full version of Dragon Quest Builders launches for Nintendo Switch on Feb. 9.

Dragon Quest Builders was originally released in January 2016 for PS4 and was one of the first tiles to be development for the then code-named Nintendo NX. A sequel, Dragon Quest Builders 2, was unveiled in the Summer of 2017 and is expected to launch on both PS4 and Nintendo Switch sometime later this year.


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Throwback World War II FPS Battalion 1944 Announces Beta


Posted on January 10, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Indie developer Bulkhead Interactive confirmed that their ambitious WW2 shooter, Battalion 1944 will enter exclusive closed beta from January 19th thru the 22nd. Players who pre-purchased from the Humble Bundle Store or backed the game on Kickstarter will get guaranteed access. Everyone else is able to enter on the game’s official website for a chance to participate.

Built upon the technology of Unreal Engine 4, Battalion 1944 is focused on “skill based gameplay” – meaning that pay to win mechanics and some of the comforts we’ve come to expect like auto-aim and movement assists aren’t present. The game features era-accurate weapons and is focused primarily on infantry combat – so you won’t be hoping into a tank and blowing up entire enemy teams, sorry. One of the more unique aspects is the ability for individual players to form teams (called Battalions, of course) – where they can collectively work together based up their skill and progression to unlock rewards. Battalion 1944 also features both LAN and clan support, something they a lot of modern FPS games have done away with as they move towards Games As A Service.

Howard Philpott, Creative Producer on the game had this to say:

“the action in a Battalion 1944 encounter is as feverish as it is credible. We’ve looked to bed the play down in maps that are both competitive and authentic, for which our trips to Normandy proved immensely useful”.

After the closed beta weekend Battalion 1944 will enter Steam Early Access for $11.99 USD and will include six as of yet unannounced gameplay modes.


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Star Ocean: The Last Hope Remastered PC Port Now Available


Posted on November 28, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Square Enix has officially launched the Windows PC and PlayStation 4 port of Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Available exclusively through online retailers like Steam and the PlayStation Network, Star Ocean: The Last Hope takes all of the content from the 2009 original, adds all the extras from the 2010 PS3 release and gives it a touch-up thanks to brand new assets + support for up to 4K resolution. 

In addition to a 10% launch discount, Square is offering PC players a free “mini soundtrack” featuring select tracks from the game for those who purchase before December 12th. PlayStation owners have until January 8th to secure their digital bonuses which include a Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope PS4 theme and 12 profile avatars. The 10% launch discount will be discontinued on all platforms after December 12th however. 

Check out the launch trailer for the game below. 


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Final Fantasy Dimensions II releases on mobile today


Posted on November 8, 2017 by Jason Nason

The latest mobile Final Fantasy adventure has arrived in Final Fantasy Dimensions II. A new adventure that transcends time and space…

The hero Morrow and heroine Aemo travel through the present, past, and future and gain allies along the way on their great quest to save the world. In the game you’ll equip and fight with crystals known as signet stones to acquire new abilities for your characters.

The eastern continent of Ajima and the western continent of Westa. A great disaster caused by human error destroys the civilization of magic that prospered during the Ancient Era and divides the world into east and west, ushering in a long period of conflict between the two. A young boy named Morrow who lives in Navos, a small island at the center of the world, loses himself listening to tales of Wrieg’s travels, a Westan adventurer.

Morrow follows Wrieg after he senses something strange from an odd shooting star and meets a mysterious girl from the future named Aemo. The world of Eidola exists outside the present, past, future, and beyond.

Many of these signet stones possess the powers of the Eidolons, summoned beasts from throughout the history of the Final Fantasy series!

Final Fantasy Dimensions II retails for $19.99 CAD.


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World of Final Fantasy Coming To Steam This November


Posted on November 1, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Chibi versions of some of our favorite Final Fantasy characters will migrate onto a brand new platform, Windows PC, with the re-release of World of Final Fantasy on Steam later this month. 

Exploring the world of Grymoire as twins Reynn & Lann as they aim to capture classic FF monsters is an enjoyable and light-hearted romp, in my experience.  While I have yet to finish World of Final Fantasy on either PS4 or PS Vita yet, the time I did spend with the game was not only enjoyable but the writing (and generous amount of puns) left me with a smile on my face.  

Players who purchase the Day One edition on November 21st will get access to an exclusive soundtrack sampler, a digital wallpaper and the chance to catch a number of previously unavailable mirages. These exclusive monsters include: 

  • Sephiroth summon 
  • White Chocobo  
  • Glow Moogle  
  • Red Bonnetberry 
  • Sky Dragon  
  • Kaguya Flan  
  • Nidhogg  
  • 2P Serafie  
  • Iris  
  • Dark Behemoth  
  • Astraea  
  • Kobold Mimic  
  • Topaz Carbuncle  
  • 2P Tama 
  • Balthier 
  • Boko 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 

MINIMUM: 

OS: Windows 7 64bit
Processor: Intel Core i3 2.0GHz or above
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 1GB or higher, Radeon HD 5770 1GB or higher
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 15 GB available space
Sound Card: Sound device that supports DirectX 11 

RECOMMENDED: 

OS: Windows 8/8.1 64bit and Windows 10 64 bit
Processor: Intel Core i3 2.4GHz or above
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB or higher, Radeon HD 7850 2GB or higher
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 15 GB available space
Sound Card: Sound device that supports DirectX 11 

 


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Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope Confirmed For PS4 and Steam Next Month    


Posted on October 18, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Players will be able to venture towards the stars once again with the impending 4K UHD remaster of Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope on both Windows PC via Steam and PlayStation 4. Square Enix confirmed this morning via press release that this HD remaster will be available digitally on November 28th in North America. 

In addition to cleaned up textures and the addition of visual quality sliders on PC, Star Ocean 4 on PC will also support resolutions up to 4K, Steam Achievements and a downloadable bonus “mini-soundtrack” bundled with the game. A post-launch 10% discount will be available on Steam alongside the mini-soundtrack only until December 12th. PlayStation owners can also get a similar 10% discount on the PlayStation Store as well as a PS4 Star Ocean theme and 12 Character Avatars for their profiles. PlayStation bonuses are available until January 12thStar Ocean 4: The Last Hope 4K HD Remaster will be priced at an MSRP of $20.99 USD. 

Star Ocen 4: The Last Hope was originally released as an Xbox 360 exclusive back in Feb 2009 on an at the time staggering 3 DVDs (remember when MS used to court Japanese developers for exclusives? Yeah that was shortlived). It was followed a year later with the release of Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope International for PS3 which included additional music tracks, animated character portraits for party members and both Japanese / English vocal tracks.


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