Shop
Here we have all the games in the Shop Section.
PS Vita
One on One Beat Em Up
A collaboration between the publishing arm of Media Works, who made the likes of Catherine and the fine reads in the Dengeki Dreamcast and Saturn magazines, and Sega to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Dengeki. As such speed lines and sleek characters in bike jump suits meet the fine mechanics of a Sega fight title. Doujin designs but a fight engine honed by Segas arcade experience as Akiba meets the master carpenter. Certainly put a flutter in Genki’s calloused fingers and a neon flash in the eye.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Features solid looking contestants realised in full 3D and looking very good for it with full 3D backgrounds and sizeable fighter models doing justice to their real life dimensions. Xing once again show their hand as cunning Playstation programmers. Subtitled K1 Grand Prix.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Ring walks set the tension, but it’s the ability to zoom out to fit in the ring that adds much to the fight action. The camera does zoom in too and the mixed martial arts blows feel like they have real force behind them due to the solid 3D pugilists.
PC Engine HU Card
One on One Beat Em Up
As the title would suggest, jousting between massive mechas – proving beyond doubt the Japanese gaming fraternity’s obbsession with fighting robots. The giant mechas battle it out travelling along a road, hence the ‘Run’ part of the title. Better in two player mode where power ups are keenly fought over.
Sony Hardware
Controller
A generous 3m cable, Slow, Medium and Fast settings for turbo fire and above all Hori’s precision engineering make for a sleek, streamlined stick worthy of the PS3’s contours. A well recommended entry level stick that sits intuiatively in the hand.
PC Engine HU Card
Shoot Em Up
Pilot the winged ship that can launch a fire phoenix attack and is also equipped with a smart bomb attack, but that loses all your power ups. Varied stages including over the surface of a planet, space ship and through a pyramid. Quite challenging too as the game engine seems to up the difficulty ante depending on how many power ups you have remaining at the end of the stage.
Wonderswan
RPG
Improved visuals (including a stunning sea shrine update), conversation speed, combat system and new cut scenes along with an uplifting, orchestral music score. Huge bosses that seem to want to crawl out the screen. Playable as fighter, thief, ninja or three mages. So much loving from Square.
Nintendo DS
RPG
Return to form of the lavish Final Fantasy franchise as a multiplayer team assembles once again to try and track down the source of the mystery poison gas and in the meantime use the heavily guarded Mana trees to keep it at bay. The look is stunning with smoggy gas and bedazzling shards of crystal refraction that maze with a splendid score. In a bid to keep the action ticking over experience points are replaced by the reward for completing action tasks. Its still necessary to build a balanced team with the skills required to progress.
Merchandise
Guide Book
Beautifully illustrated as you may expect for a guide book based on such a high-end game. Famitsu have put together a very comprehensive guide to the game well-worthy of the fine software.
Famicom Cart
RPG
Combines the first two adventures on the series on one rather large cart. Also includes a fold out map with the layout of the two worlds along with a paperback guide book/instruction manual in full colour with plenty of screenshots and illustrations. Highly collectable.
Wonderswan
RPG
Fight back against the evil empire whose Dark Knights have burnt down your village. Square does justice to its immense FF series with this sparkling update of the Famicom original.
Playstation
RPG
Fight back against the evil empire whose Dark Knights have burnt down your village. Square does justice to its immense FF series with this sparkling update of the Famicom original.
Famicom Cart
RPG
Fight back against the evil empire whose Dark Knights have burnt down your village. Square does justice to its immense FF series with this sparkling sequel to the Famicom original.
Famicom Cart
RPG
The early potential of Square’s masterpiece realised in a superb piece of programming. Simple commands to attack, block, run or use an item but when he story is so skilfully woven it stands as a tapestry in RPG design. The airship allows players to take to the skies opening up the gaming universe allowing greater freedom without the trekking.
Nintendo DS
RPG
The fine roots of the series given a Square Enix make over and looking superb on the DS screen.
Famicom Cart
RPG
The early potential of Square’s masterpiece realised in a superb piece of programming. Simple commands to attack, block, run or use an item but when he story is so skilfully woven it stands as a tapestry in RPG design. The airship allows players to take to the skies opening up the gaming universe allowing greater freedom without the trekking.
Merchandise
Guide Book
A cover worthy of any coffe table, such is the retro chic to this Famicom guide book. Plenty of game world mapping with an item list and character reference to know their weak points.
Soundtracks
Soundtrack
Based on the DS version of Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy maintains its ability to keep its orchestral score as high as its stunning visuals
Playstation
RPG
The innocence of the sprite graphics pulls on the heart strings during the masterfully crafted story’s execution. Known as Final Fantasy II in the West as parts two and three hadn’t received an English language translation. The American version was censored for some reason.
Merchandise
Guide Book
A very pretty piece of art with the games characters illustrated throughout this guide books pages reminding us of the beauty that captured many gamers hearts.
Super Famicom
RPG
Very collectable box art with this Japanese release, especially as the series has gone on to grow in popularity. Although it could be argued the series never attained as many HP as it did in the Super Famicom glory days. The innocence of the sprite graphics pulls on the heart strings during the masterfully crafted story’s execution. Known as Final Fantasy II in the West as parts two and three hadn’t received an English language translation. The American version was censored for some reason.
Merchandise
Guide Book
Guide to the DS title which Square did a delightful job of updating the SFC classic: there is little here that will offend the grizzled RPG veteran. The look is stunning, breath takingly refreshing and a clear triple-A release.
Super Famicom
RPG
Designed with players of their first ever RPG in mind, Square included a guide to the adventure along with the game featuring easier modes. Very collectable box art with this Japanese release, especially as the series has gone on to grow in popularity. Although it could be argued the series never attained as many HP as it did in the Super Famicom glory days. The innocence of the sprite graphics pulls on the heart strings during the masterfully crafted story’s execution. Known as Final Fantasy II in the West as parts two and three hadn’t received an English language translation. The American version was censored for some reason.
Playstation
RPG
Beautifully rendered settings in that delightful green hue for exploring with the equally lavishly rendered sprites that still have enough charm over polygons to feel deep attachment to them.
Nintendo DS
RPG
Masters of their craft Square Enix once again weave wheat into a story with golden thread right through its rich tapestry. The avatars are stylish and add much to the characterisation, but the graphical level attained shows the wonder of the DS in the right programming team. Missing your train stop is a serious hazard with this involving action RPG.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Merchandise
Merchandise
The fun, stunned expression of Cactuar captured in this delightful festival mask from the eternal Final Fantasy series.
Playstation
RPG
Delightful outshoot from the usual RPG action as the Fantasy world is realised in glorious isometric perspective with emphasis firmly on combat. Lavish attention to detail with deceased members of the party being turned into skulls and the beautifully illustrated avatars add to the involvement. The magic effects are expertly handled including some earth shattering attacks with a appropriately soothing or dramatic musical score depending on the action. Thumbs up.
Super Famicom
RPG
Designed with non-RPG gamers in mind making Mystic Quest an easy entry expedition as the young lad to tries to restore parity to earth by reuniting the four crystals. Ogres can be clearly seen removing the bug-bear of random battles that is prevalent in most RPG’s. And the combat is enjoyable with the battle scenes executed with panache as you may expect from a triple-A developer. Terrains to are skilfully sculptured with ice and volcanic levels looking breath taking. And the characters designs and emotive soundtrack bear all the hallmarks of a class act. Full title Final Fantasy USA Mystic Quest.
Merchandise
Guide Book
Basic rules on how to play, a brief character introduction before getting into plotting the gaming world and the data of items and adversaries that appear within.
Playstation
RPG
There are collectors who strive to collect every game Squaresoft has released and with such packaging it is easy to understand why that is. More than worthy of an English language translation with some emotion stirring moments in, some Chocobo must have had his head in the sand in Squares Overseas Department. There are some who feel the FF series lost its innocence in the shift from sprite based to the 32 Bit era so great that the time and effort was made to preserve its essence on CD format.