SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Like a star athlete who just won a championship, video game heroine Lightning has followed up on saving the world of Final Fantasy XIII by landing an endorsement deal.

Global, Japan
(ad • cool • design • fashion • Final Fantasy • FInal Fantasy XIII • lightning • Louis Vuitton • video games)

Parody of Akira movie poster makes pretty much any character look as cool as Kaneda【Art】

KK Miller
Jan 2, 2016

Akira‘s theatrical poster is almost as iconic as the movie itself. But who knew that a character walking towards their ride could look as badass as Kaneda?

Internet, Japan
(AKIRA • Dragon Ball • Final Fantasy • Parody • poster)

“You win!” Pet bird in Japan can’t stop singing Final Fantasy’s victory music

Casey Baseel
Dec 17, 2015

The video game-loving owner of this bird must feel like a winner every day.

Japan
(birds • cute • Final Fantasy • funny • pets • Victory Fanfare • video • video games)

Cloud vs. Link — Final Fantasy’s Tetsuya Nomura makes awesome illustration to celebrate crossover

Casey Baseel
Dec 16, 2015

Is it still considered fan art when you’re the pro who created one of the two video game icons crossing swords?

Japan
(cloud • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • link • nintendo • Smash Brothers • Tetsuya Nomura • the legend of Zelda • video games)

Final Fantasy VII gets new combat engine, oh and it’s now a multi-part series, too 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Dec 7, 2015

Cloud and company are coming back…multiple times?!?

Japan
(Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • Final Fantasy VII remake • Square Enix • video • video games)

Nintendo announces Final Fantasy’s Cloud will make Smash Bros. debut in next update【Video】

Casey Baseel
Nov 13, 2015

“I never thought this day would come,” says the Final Fantasy VII hero. Neither did we, Cloud. Neither did we.

Japan
(cloud • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • nintendo • Smash Bros • Square Enix • video • video games)

The Moogle is out of the bag! Final Fantasy staple will be part of FF XV

KK Miller
Nov 12, 2015

While the stories for Final Fantasy games generally have nothing to do with each other, there have been a few threads that tangentially tie the games together, such as magic, a character named Cid, and an airship. Another popular element is a set of characters that have been around since the third installment of the game, the humble Moogles.

So when the official Final Fantasy XV Twitter account polled its followers to see if they wanted the beloved Moogles in the franchise’s newest game, the obvious answer was a resounding, “Of course, kupo!”

Global, Internet, Japan
(Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy XV • moogles • Square Enix • video games)

Final Fantasy fan art with a Western touch creates illustrations just right for any Disney fan

KK Miller
Nov 10, 2015

Just as languages around the world are each unique yet beautiful, art has also developed its own flavor depending on where you are from. When comparing Western and Asian animation, there is a distinct style difference when it comes to the shape of faces, size of facial features, and the overall aesthetic. Both styles are very appealing, but when push comes to shove, all of us probably have a preference between the two.

Art is also a conversation though, and it can be transposed between two different worlds, such as Western art with an Asian flair or vice versa. One artist’s rendition of Final Fantasy characters drawn with a Western touch is making us super-excited because they look like they are ready for their Disney close-ups.

Internet, SE Asia
(art • Disney • fan art • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • Square Enix • video games • Yuna)

Don’t be fooled by the rocks they got, the Final Fantasy team needs more from around the block

KK Miller
Oct 23, 2015

It’s hard to say which game is more highly anticipated, Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts 3, but with both of them tentatively scheduled for a 2016 release date, we just might find out. Or not…because a recent tweet about the latest Final Fantasy game is causing us to believe that a 2016 release date could be a pipe dream. Although there has been no delay announced, if the date is pushed back it might be in part due to the rocky situation they are in: they need more rocks!

Global, Japan
(beautiful • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy XV • nature • pretty • rocks • Square Enix • video games)

Final Fantasy XV team’s “location hunt” video looks suspiciously like awesome adventure vacation

Mike
Sep 21, 2015

As the graphics in video games have become increasingly sophisticated, a new and unexpected expense has surfaced for design teams hoping to make their game’s environments as realistic as possible: the so-called “location hunt.”

While in the good ol’ days of pixel graphics, design teams could just look at some photographs or even paintings of real-world locations for inspiration, modern gaming’s open, 3-D worlds demand level and object design so advanced that it becomes a near-necessity for teams to travel to locales that closely resemble the digital worlds they’re hoping to create, getting actual eyes on, say, that volcanic mountain they plan to have the player venture through, or checking out the minute curves and angles of some military hardware they plan on dropping into the game.

Ironically, though, while the “location hunt” is still considered work, outside of the unlucky design team that has to go inside of a volcano for that epic RPG boss fight or something, these excursions can actually end up looking suspiciously like a vacation. Just ask the Final Fantasy XV design team, who recently posted a YouTube video of their location hunt.

Japan
(adventure • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy XV • Square Enix • travel • video • video games)

Couple weds in a dreamy, Final Fantasy-themed wedding ceremony【Video】

Krista Rogers
Sep 9, 2015

Ever wondered what a wedding planned around your favorite video game franchise would look like? Newly married couple Grace and Chris have an answer to that question in the form of the following video taken at their stunning Final Fantasy-themed wedding ceremony filmed in Hawaii!

Japan, USA
(Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy IX • hawaii • video • video games • Wedding)

Gold Saucer on the go! Final Fantasy VII out now for iOS devices with skippable battles

Casey Baseel
Aug 20, 2015

When Final Fantasy VII hit the PlayStation in 1997, it was one of the most graphically advanced games ever produced. For months leading up to the title’s release, gamers had been drooling over magazine previews plastered with work-in-progress screenshots of what developer Square was doing with its first foray into the bold new world of CD-based games and polygonal graphics.

Flash forward 18 years, and technology has progressed to the point that Final Fantasy VII looks pretty retro to most modern eyes. As a matter of fact, it’s so retro that not only is Square Enix is remaking it for the PlayStation 4, mobile phones now have enough power to run the original, which is why Final Fantasy VII has just been released in iOS form.

Japan
(Fial Fantasy VII • Final Fantasy • iOS • iPhone • Square Enix • video games)

Final Fantasy’s Cloud gets special illustrated birthday card from designer Tetsuya Nomura

Casey Baseel
Aug 13, 2015

If you’re putting together a profile for a video game or anime character, the inclusion of certain bits of information are optional, such as favorite food, hobby, or breast weight. But just about every fictional character coming from Japan has an official birthday. As a matter of fact, it’s become such a standard bit of background information for anime and video game characters that you can search online and find dozens to sing happy birthday to on any given day.

This week, though, was the birthday of an especially popular figure: Cloud Strife. Not only did the hero of Final Fantasy VII hero receive plenty of warm wishes from fans, he also got an illustrated birthday card from his designer himself, Tetsuya Nomura.

Japan
(art • cloud • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • Square Enix • Tetsuya Nomura • video games)

Yes, Cloud will still wear a dress in the Final Fantasy VII remake

Casey Baseel
Jun 18, 2015

With the recent announcement of a Final Fantasy VII remake, gamers are already starting to imagine which parts from the RPG classic will be making the trip to the PlayStation 4. While they haven’t been officially announced, we’ll probably once again see the scene where Sephiroth flashes video gaming’s most memorable stink eye in front of a fiery backdrop, the moment when Cloud and childhood friend Tifa share a heart-to-heart talk in a starlit playground, and also that one part where the spikey-haired hero wades into the water holding Aerith (I think he was trying to teach her to swim or something, but I don’t remember exactly).

But while none of those have been officially confirmed for the new game, there is one thing director Tetsuya Nomura has made clear. The part where the main character dresses up as a woman to infiltrate a brothel? Totally going to be in the new Final Fantasy VII.

Japan
(Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • playstation • Square Enix • video games)

Final Fantasy creator reveals the real reason behind the “Final” part of the hit series’ title

Casey Baseel
May 26, 2015

To those unfamiliar with the history of video game developer Square (now merged with former rival Enix and renamed Square Enix), the title of the prolific Final Fantasy series must seem pretty ironic. After all, the franchise’s Roman numeral-numbered sequels now go all the way up to XV, and by the time you add in the sequel’s sequels, like the recently rereleased Final Fantasy X-2, and spinoffs like Final Fantasy Tactics (which of course has a sequel of its own, too), there doesn’t seem to be anything “final” about the series at all.

Some gamers will be quick to point out, though, that had the original Final Fantasy not been a hit, Square wouldn’t have had the financial resources to keep going and would have had to shut its doors, and the title is a nod to that desperation. Others will correct them, saying that in fact the “Final” portion of the title was chosen because Hironobu Sakaguchi, the driving force behind the creation of the series and its most popular installments, was going to quit the gaming industry if the first Final Fantasy wasn’t a success.

But as Sakaguchi himself recently revealed, neither of those was really the reason Square decided to call what would go on to be its defining game series Final Fantasy.

Japan
(Final Fantasy • Square Enix • video games)

Toyota Chocobos?! Iconic Final Fantasy music used in new car ad 【Videos】

Casey Baseel
May 19, 2015

Following several years of building dependable, affordable, yet almost utterly soulless automobiles, Toyota is trying to get back to creating and market cars with a sense of joy and playfulness. After all, it’s a waste to treat driving as just going from Point A to Point B in the dullest way possible instead of the fun journey it has the potential to be.

That’s why in its newest commercial, Toyota is invoking the spirit of adventure with a fleet of yellow hybrids running about the countryside with the musical accompaniment of one of the most instantly recognizable pieces of Final Fantasy music ever composed.