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Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary

Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Sony Entertainment Network Sale

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Twenty-five years ago, our company launched a game called Final Fantasy. It was the result of a lot of hard work and dedication. It was also the start of a franchise that would go on to capture the hearts of millions of players around the world.

As we celebrate Final Fantasy’s 25th anniversary, we look back on a series that contains 14 installments, numerous spin-off games, and all sorts of merchandise. We are always impressed by the love our fans show for this franchise.

To celebrate this amazing milestone in the history of Final Fantasy, we’re putting a number of Final Fantasy titles on sale on PlayStation Network, starting when PSN updates tomorrow. For two weeks, the following titles will be on sale in PlayStation Store for 50% off.

We hope you enjoy these classic titles — the memories they evoke, and the new memories they will create.

Via: Posted by Shinji Hashimoto // Senior Executive Managing Officer, Square Enix // Sony PlayStation Blog

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Did Amazon Leak Unannounced PlayStation Vita Feature?

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PlayStation Vita

A lot of commotion has stirred up (see comments) lately from the differences between the PlayStation Vita First Edition bundle, which includes a 4GB Memory Card, PlayStation Vita title Little Deviants, a case and the 3G/Wifi version of the PlayStation Vita – comes out on the 15th of February if you pre-order now, and the release day version that was announced recently on the PlayStation Blog which is $50 USD cheaper and includes an 8GB card. Both versions recently got a AT&T DataConnect Pass that also includes a free PlayStation Store download. No details have been released on the specifics of the download you can get, but that’s neither here nor there. The real topic people have been begging to know is can the PlayStation Vita play PS One Classics.

A recent January PlayStation Blogcast said that their “engineers” have not yet opened up the Vita to be able to play PlayStation One games. That’s what we were told… and that’s what we know, until yesterday. Because we got word the Release Day bundle had a 8GB card, which if you’re counting 8 is more than 4, and a case is not that big of a deal to pick one up later or have it shipped out the same day, we took a look at Amazon to compare the difference.

Here’s a link to the PlayStation Vita First Edition Bundle and here’s a link to the WiFi version of the Release Day bundle. Figure it out yet? No? We’ll tell you.

“Vita can play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store”.

Need a screenshot? No problem.

PS Vita - can it play playstation one games

Looks like it’s time to sell or trade in your PSP’s and PSPGo’s ladies and gentlemen BEFORE they drop the price on the trade-in value at your local game store… Unless Amazon is wrong, in which case we’re not pleased and hope the feature comes as soon as possible.

Update on Trade-in prices: GameStop is offering a whopping $25 dollars for your $169 investment as a standalone trade-in. Wow. RIP OFF. eBay Instant Sale is offering at the moment $55.88 for a like new PSPGo. And the winner for trade-in is Amazon at just under $83.00 for a “like new” condition PSPGo.

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Final Fantasy VI Now Available on the PlayStation Network

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Final fantasy vi

It’s finally here! Final Fantasy VI, also known as Final Fantasy III back in 1994 when it was first released on the SNES, launched today on the PlayStation Network. Many reviewers, including us, have this RPG on their top 10 favorite games of all time.

Square-Enix had this to say about the Square (aka SquareSoft) classic: “Winner of numerous awards and a fan favorite, Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY® VI role–playing game is now available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system via the PlayStation®Network.

First released on the PlayStation® as part of the FINAL FANTASY ANTHOLOGY in 1999, FINAL FANTASY VI captured the hearts and minds of gamers and critics alike, and has been lauded as one of the best in the series.”

The PlayStation Blog cited that Final Fantasy VI has “made it all to #9 on IGN’s top 100 games of all time back in 2007. And in 2009, Game Informer went one better and named it #8, while G4TV named it #1 in their “Top 5 Must-Own RPGs.” The music, the story, the characters and so much more makes this a game that we’ve all loved and are so glad to be able to enjoy it yet again on a modern console.

For many of us as gamers, this brings back tons of memories. It may even be the reason we started loving the Final Fantasy series to begin with. Memories of the infamous Maria and Draco opera scene, the “octopus royalty” Ultros or the villain, Kefka, stand out most. Perhaps it’s the artwork from Yoshitaka Amano or the music from Nobuo Uematsu. The list of what’s to like about this game goes on and on. And what’s even better is that this is the Final Fantasy Anthology version so it has all of the updated full motion video (FMV’s) that were added to the PlayStation version.

Some more history on the game from Wikipedia shows: The game was known as Final Fantasy III when it was first released in North America, as the original Final Fantasy III had not been released outside of Japan at the time. However, later localizations used the original title. Final Fantasy VI was originally directed by series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, but he eventually stepped down as director after becoming Vice President of the company. The director role was passed on to Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito. Yoshitaka Amano, a long-time contributor to the Final Fantasy series, returned as the image and character designer, while regular composer Nobuo Uematsu wrote the game’s score, which has been released on several soundtrack albums.

Not only that, but at Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds, a large majority of the music can be heard live. Dancing Mad, Terra’s Theme and the Maria and Draco Opera – beautiful pieces. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out. Don’t pass up the chance because it’s amazing.

Arnie roth final fantasy 6 opera distant worlds atlanta

For us, this makes our PSPGo even more enjoyable. We can now say that we’ve got Final Fantasy IV through IX on one handheld system. Hopefully they’ll launch Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII with the upcoming PlayStation Vita. That will be a good day. So go! Find yourself in the middle of one of the most enjoyable Role-Playing Games in history!

Final fantasy vi famicom box art

“Imperial Magitek Armor? Not even Narshe’s safe anymore!”

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PSP Go Launch Day Review

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October 1st, 2009 – Written by Izmeiah Brown, Technical Staff for TurkReno, Inc.

The PSP has had a shaky history: It had a pretty good launch back in 05, and I remember going with my dad to pick mine up on launch day with a copy of Darkstalkers. It was a beautiful thing. However, it’s hard to beat Nintendo in the handheld department, and even harder to stay afloat in the drowning wave that is the DS, and the DSi, respectfully. However, Sony stuck to their guns and despite poor sales last year the PSP system has endured. Now the third iteration in the PSP saga has been unveiled, the PSP Go.

The PSP go at first didn’t seem like a good idea to me. Yes, you can cook a seven course meal before a UMD completely loads, but that’s just the way it was, and fans of the PSP (as I am) dealt with it. However the PSP Go foregoes any notion of a UMD drive and instead opts for digital downloads to deliver its content. This content can be gained one of three ways. The first method is via the included Media Go software which allows you to connect and download games. This method is relatively simple, has a clean interface, and was pretty much hassle free, kudos to Sony for that. The second method is to connect online to the PlayStation Store and download directly to your PSP Go via an internet connection. Lastly is the ability to download via the PlayStation Store to your PS3 system, and then transfer your game via the connection cable included with the PSP Go. All of these choices work well and actually worked really quickly. My downtime for downloading Rock Band Unplugged was about 10 or so minutes, and while speaking of games the PlayStation Store has updated to commemorate this launch to include a plethora of downloadable titles (seriously like 100 or so)  for the PSP Go, and PSP systems.

New to the PlayStation Portable system is the ability to use Bluetooth devices. This makes a lot of sense considering that Skype has been on the PSP for a while now, and now headsets can be used with this feature. Music, Photos, and Video all look and sound really good on the PSP Go, and with the inclusion of a 16 gig hard drive you’ll get lots of play time if you’re using it for an mp3 player. Sony has also stated that they will give vouchers for PSP Go digital copies of movies with the purchase of certain Blu-Ray films in the future. Also if 16 gig’s isn’t enough for your voracious consumption of digital goodness the PSP Go also has a slot for Memory Stick Micro (M2) media cards.

The PSP Go seems to run a bit smoother when compared to the PSP 2001 model that I have. I have a digital copy of Persona, and also a UMD version and the experience is a little zippier and faster on the PSP Go. Also the LCD is very crisp and sharp even though it’s a little smaller than the Original PSP’s with a measurement of 3.8 inches.

I thought at first the movement of the analog nub to the right of the D-pad was going to be an annoyance but actually it’s quite welcome, and I adjusted to it being there very quickly. The start and select buttons gave me a bit more trouble as I had to check to make sure which I was pressing. The overall feel of the system is very nice and for the 3 hours I played Persona, and a few other titles my hands did not cramp at all, something that happens commonly with my PSP.

All in all I have to say that this is a great system. If you’ve already got a PSP and a lot of UMD’s (like I do) then you may want to stick with what you have as the price-point is a little high at $250.00. However, If you’re new to the PSP or if you’re wanting a sleek little system with a lot of perks over the PSP then the PSP Go is definitely the way to go. We highly recommend it.

The details:

Screen Size: 3.78 inch WideScreen LCD
Screen Resolution: 480 x 272 pixels
Form Factor: 4.8 x 2.6 x 0.6 inches
Online Gaming: Infrastructure and Ad Hoc for both.
Music: Yes
Photos: Yes
Movies: Purchase and rental
Internet Browsing: Yes
Memory: 16GB Built-in, expandable Memory Stick Micro (M2)
Bluetooth: Yes
Connect to Console: Remote Play
Store: Playstation Store
Skype: Built-in

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