People have been banging on about a Final Fantasy VII remake for quite some time now, but according to some recent information from Japan (via Goo Ranking), Japanese gamers actually want a Final Fantasy VIII remake more.
When queried about which games they'd want remade with PlayStation 3 visuals, Final Fantasy VIII topped the list, with Final Fantasy VII second and Final Fantasy IX third.
Does this mean there are going to be loads of petitions for a Final Fantasy VIII remake too?
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the legendary father of Final Fantasy, has dug up some old files on Final Fantasy IX while going through his backup drive. He may have left Square Enix and is currently busy with The Last Story, but no one can deny the influence he's had on the industry. Final Fantasy IX fans may enjoy this little bit of treasure as well.
Sakaguchi wrote on the Mistwalker blog with details on the file, which is the original scenario idea for the opening sequence of Final Fantasy IX - dated July 17, 1998. It's quite detailed and it goes through each movie sequence, boss fights and even dialogues between characters.
As for why Sakaguchi decided to share this piece of treasure with everyone, he alludes to a similar relationship between the characters of Final Fantasy IX and The Last Story.
"Looking at gameplay systems, The Last Story was born through new explorations. However, I get the feeling that in terms of the characters' positions, FFIX most closely resembles it."
Square-Enix have shocked European PlayStation 3 and PSP owners by releasing Final Fantasy IX on the PlayStation store today. Many were expecting to have to wait a few months to get the chance to play the classic PlayStation title again after its Japanese release, but we assure you, it is now available for download.
European fans are now able to download Final Fantasy IX for the same price of Final Fantasy VII and VIII . It is £7.99 in the UK or €9.99 in the rest of Europe.
No definitive date on a North American release yet, but with the sudden European release, expect it out of the door soon. Now with the complete PlayStation Final Fantasy collection available via PlayStation Network, what will be next for Square-Enix on the download front?
After a ton of speculation, Final Fantasy IX was finally announced for the PlayStation Network in Japan last month. However, Square Enix were completely quiet on a Western release, until now.
The announcement has come via an official post on the US PlayStation Blog website, although that's pretty much the only detail that was divulged in the post.
As yet, no release date has been specified, and there's no word about the game becoming available in the European store - surely that's only a matter of time though.
Square Enix, the bunch of teases, have confirmed that PlayStation Classic, Final Fantasy IX, is on its way to the Japanese PlayStation Store. The company have been bit by bit talking about that potentially happening since Producer Shinji Hashimoto asked fans via twitter to give him their opinions of the game.
The release was confirmed by Square Enix President, Yoichi Wada, in a six second twitvideo post on Twitter. There was no word on a Western PSN release, but it's likely safe to assume it will follow the Japanese release by a few months.
Pricing was not announced, and neither was the Japanese release date.
There's only one original PlayStation Final Fantasy game missing from the PlayStation Store, but that could be resolved soon enough. Final Fantasy IX has yet to see a PSN release, but in a Twitter post to Square Enix Members, SE producer Shinji Hashimoto hinted that the possibility is on the table.
After collecting opinions of the game, Hashimoto said, "Thanks to everyone for your opinions on FF9. Regarding an FF9 download release, everyone is so passionate about it that I'll be proposing it at the next board meeting. Look forward to next week!"
Considering the success of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII on PSN, it will be little surprise when IX is announced for PSN. The only surprising thing is that Square Enix hadn't already considered it.
Square-Enix are sure getting a lot of use out of Twitter, as yet again, questions that have been on fans minds are getting some answers via the official Square-Enix Members account.
With the giant success of Final Fantasy VII and VIII on the PlayStation Store the past year, many assumed that, at some point in the future, Final Fantasy IX would also appear on the store. If you were one of those people, you are probably right, with Hashimoto responding to that question with, "We're looking into it."
With all that additional revenue from Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII topping the PSN charts on their release, why wouldn't Square-Enix put Final Fantasy IX on the store? Hopefully we will get an update with maybe even a release soon.
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