We hacked, slashed, and flew through the first few chapters of a finished version of Drakengard 2.

We recently had a chance to hop on a dragon and take to the skies in a final build of Drakengard 2. We played through the first few chapters to get an idea of what the new game will bring to the series. So far it looks like no drastic changes have been made to the basic Drakengard formula, but the sequel does feel a bit more refined than its predecessor.

The world is in turmoil once again, and it's up to you and your trusty dragon to set things right.

The events in Drakengard 2 begin 18 years after the events in the original game. The hero of the game is a young man named Nowe, who was raised by a dragon named Legna. Some people regard Nowe as something of a savior, due to his unique bond with the dragon and his mysterious past. When he was still young, Nowe was taken in by Oror, leader of the Knights of the Seal. The Knights of the Seal are an elite group of powerful warriors whose duty is to protect the five sacred seals that hold the red dragon and bring peace to the world.

The game begins just as Nowe is preparing for a duel to prove his strength as a member of the Knights of the Seal. Apparently, Oror, the man who found Nowe, was killed three years earlier in some sort of devastating event. The current leader of the Knights is General Gismor. After a brief tutorial about ground combat, Nowe enters a duel with Gismor. Nowe, of course, excels in combat and impresses the general and all of the other officers, including his close companion and mentor, Eris. Soon after the duel, news arrives of a monster attack in the District of Shining Light, and Nowe is ordered to get on his dragon and scout out the area. Conveniently, this gives Nowe a chance for a quick lesson about aerial combat.

The story is divided into chapters, each of which contains a number of multifaceted missions. There are 12 chapters in all, with a supposed 90 missions to complete. As far as the story goes, it's revealed pretty quickly that Nowe doesn't approve of the way the Knights of the Seal conduct their business.

In an early mission a mysterious girl named Manah shows up, and if you played the first game you'll recognize her as a powerful mage whose philosophy about protecting the world doesn't quite jibe with the Knights'. After she breaks one of the seals and kills one of the Knights' guardian lieutenants, Manah is captured and sentenced to death but manages to escape, and Nowe and Eris are ordered to give chase. During this time Nowe begins to question his own motives as well as those of his comrades, and he wants to know more about the mysterious girl he's pursuing. Eventually Nowe's curiosity and defiance of orders land him in hot water with the general; without spoiling too much, we can say that Nowe is expelled from the Knights for his insubordination and has to set out with his dragon on a quest to discover the truth about the seals and save the world from utter annihilation.

The gameplay in Drakengard 2 hasn't changed much from the first one. You still hack and slash your way through hordes of enemies on the ground, and occasionally take to the skies on the back of your dragon for some aerial combat. There are also a few puzzles to tackle, but they aren't especially challenging. Most of the early missions are on foot, although when you're out in an open area you can press the select button to call in your dragon for some added firepower and mobility.

In Drakengard 2 it seems that all of life's little problems can be solved with the help of massive dragon and lots and lots of fireballs.

The flying combat in Drakengard 2 is similar to the previous game in that you can fly around, shoot fireballs, target enemies, and use special breath attacks. The dragon is fairly nimble as well, and you can quickly dodge left and right by pressing the L1 and R1 buttons, speed up by pressing X, or turn around completely by pressing L1 and R1 at the same time. There are quite a few different types of attacks at your disposal while you're in the air. You can fire a normal fireball by pressing square, and if you hold square you can target enemies and fire weaker homing fireballs. You can lock on to an enemy target by pressing triangle, but it isn't as firm a lock as you might be used to in other aerial combat games. The target lock keeps you generally oriented in the direction of your target, but it still requires you to aim. While on your dragon you can also pick up special breath attacks by killing enemies. There are three different types of breath attacks, each with a different firing pattern. You can use a breath attack by pressing the circle button, and they're a great way to quickly clear out a large group of enemies. While flying over land you can hold the L2 button to hover over one area, which is handy when you need to rain fireballs down on groups of enemies below.

Occasionally, a mission will require you to fight on the ground, the old-fashioned way. Sometimes you have to fight enemies that are impervious to dragon attacks, and other times you have to enter confined areas where the dragon simply can't fit. The ground combat in Drakengard 2 is extremely simple, and it involves a lot of repetitive button mashing. It isn't much different from the first game, and if you liked the combat there you'll be happy to find plenty more of the same here. You can press the square button for a standard attack and the triangle button for an uppercut attack that knocks enemies into the air. Depending on the order of your attacks, you can string together combos and execute guard-breaking attacks. You can also press L1 and R1 to dodge right or left, and you can press them both together to do a backward handspring. You can block by pressing L2, and you can parry an enemy's strike by blocking and hitting the square button at the right time.

The ground combat plays out a lot like your average hack-and-slash game, with a few fancy combos and some magic thrown in to make things a bit more interesting.

Each character also has a magic attack, which changes depending on the weapon he or she has equipped. Nowe's Valkyrie claw spell fires several sharp projectiles that home in on enemies. Manah is a mage, so she of course has particularly strong magic attacks. The one we saw is called divine blood, and it looks like an ice spell that has a wide area of effect and inflicts massive damage. Magic attacks can be charged up for extra damage, and Manah has the ability to regenerate her magic when not in battle.

You can use items and switch characters in the middle of combat using the grand wheel, which you can call up using the R2 button. Before embarking on a mission you can equip a variety of weapons, items, and accessories on slots in the wheel. Then, while in battle, you can call up the wheel to quickly select the item you want to use or the weapon you want to equip. Certain types of weapons can only be used by specific characters. For example, Nowe uses swords, so you can equip several swords to the wheel and switch them around during battle. Weapons all level up and get stronger as you use them, and each weapon has unique strengths, so it makes sense to have several of the same type of weapon on hand at all times. If you equip a weapon that your current character can't use, it will automatically summon into battle the character who can. For example, if you're using Nowe with a sword and you equip a spear, Eris will be called in to fight. Different characters have different strengths and weaknesses, and they all level up independently as they fight, so it's to your benefit to change characters often. Eris is slow and harder to use than Nowe, but she's especially powerful against undead creatures, unlike Nowe. We've seen three playable characters so far, but there are five different weapon types in the game, so it seems logical that there will be roughly that many characters to choose from.

While Drakengard 2 is focused almost entirely on action, there are a few role-playing conventions thrown in for good measure. Weapons, characters, and your dragon can all level up by gaining experience from combat. Characters get stronger and tougher, as you might expect. Weapons can level up four times, and each time, the weapon becomes stronger and new combos are unlocked. Your dragon can also level up, and in fact, the dragon will evolve at certain points in the story. The evolved version of the dragon is stronger and has a slightly different look and attack.

You can switch characters on the fly simply by equipping a different weapon.

Drakengard 2 is visually quite similar to its predecessor. The graphics do look a bit dated, but the game at least runs smoothly, even with a screen full of enemies. The draw distance is short when you're on the dragon, so you can't see groups of enemies until you're right on top of them. Luckily, the radar in the top right corner of the screen tells you exactly where you need to go. One thing the game does a particularly good job of is creating a sense of scale when you switch between ground and air combat. When you're on the ground, some of the enemies will look huge; but when you call your dragon and take to the skies, all the enemies look tiny. The effect is a bit exaggerated, but it still makes the air-to-ground combat that much more satisfying. There are still plenty of rendered cutscenes that pop up every once in a while, and as you might expect, they're always flashy and dramatic. The soundtrack varies from epic war chants to sinister and suspenseful tunes. The characters are all fully voiced once again, and the each voice fits well with its respective character.

This game probably won't convert any new fans to the Drakengard series, but the slight refinements and brand-new story should appease fans of the first game. Drakengard 2 is set to be released February 14, so be sure to check back then for our full review.

By Greg Mueller

Yuki has idolized the legendary pilot Schmidt since he was a young boy and has been trying to build his own airplane ever since. Loving the freedom of flight, he dreams of one day leaving his small island and reaching the mainland.

In the woods not far away, Alfina rides alone on a horse-drawn carriage. She is a Communicator, one of the few who can speak with the Guardians, gods that protect the world. She is hurrying to a temple to take the place of her brother, Emelious.

Resentment of his obligated duty as a Communicator has turned Emelious into a cruel and violent being filled with hate. Fate will bring Yuki and Alfina together just as the world is about to fall apart.

Features

• Romp through vibrant and colorful fantasy locales and natural environments
• Stunning cinematic sequences are animated by hand without the use of motion capture
• Scan surroundings to look for search points or treasure chests
• Ply the skies by plane to journey from one place to another
• Use your sword in the "random encounter free" field to destroy objects or stun enemies before attacking
• Seamless transition from field screen to battles with over-the-top animations
• Semi real-time battle system allows for fast paced action and strategizing with a Command Wheel that breaks the RPG mold of typical command text windows
• Perform and link up Aerial Combo attacks for massive damage
• Multiple auto-battle settings for each character dictate fighting strategy in addition, utilize the Strategy Advice System for tips during critical moments in battle
• Control conversation flow during special event scenes

Print this StoryPosted Feb 1, 2006 11:09 pm PT

Web site says Final Fantasy VII movie may get US DVD release before the end of year.

To say that Final Fantasy fans are hardcore may be a bit of an understatement. Square Enix's role-playing franchise has kept its legions of fans enraptured in its complex plotlines since the series debuted in 1987. The problem is, the stories are sometimes interrupted by gameplay. Fans who would rather not replenish their mana or wait for their turn to attack were pleased to hear of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a movie set in the universe of one of the most popular Final Fantasy games.

The final cut of the movie made its way into theaters...in Venice, Italy, as part of the Venice Film Festival. Then the public got a look at the movie...in Japan. Both a DVD and UMD were eventually released in Japan, leaving American FF fans watching imported versions and flipping furiously through Japanese-to-English dictionaries.

Final Fantasy aficionados on this side of the pond may finally be getting their chance to see Advent Children. On the DVD site The Digital Bits, a post states that Sony is trying to get the film released on DVD before the end of 2006.

According to the author, "it's taking a little extra time to work with the director to get all the supplemental elements finished, but the title is on track for release sometime later this year." Mike Stradford, an executive at Sony's DVD division, is cited as the source of information.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in Japan on both DVD and UMD. For more information on the film, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

"Square Enix Promotion Video" will offer free promotional trailers for viewing on iPods and other devices.

TOKYO--Square Enix has launched a new Japanese site named today Square Enix Promotion Video. As the site's name may somewhat hint, it will function as a video podcast distribution area where visitors can check out promotional trailers of Square Enix's various games. The site only features a trailer of Front Mission 5: Scars of War at the current time, but it will be updated multiple times each month with new trailers.

By Gerald Villoria | Jan. 31, 2006
We take a look at the latest blend of button mashing, dragon-breathing action from Square-Enix and Ubisoft.

Spiffy

A blend of play styles offer up more than your traditional hack and slasher.

Iffy

Repetitive button-mashing combat; dated graphics; overused character archetypes.

In 2004, Square-Enix developed Drag-On Dragoon, and renamed it to Drakengard for stateside release. That game featured a protagonist who would engage wave upon wave of enemies in hand-to-hand combat, fighting off entire armies in gameplay that was more than slightly reminiscent of KOEI's Dynasty Warriors series. To keep things interesting, you also engaged countless foes astride a fire-breathing dragon, in gameplay that was more than simply reminiscent of Panzer Dragoon. Ubisoft is publishing Drakengard 2 early this year, and we got the chance to check out this latest dragon-riding entry. While Final Fantasy IV's Cain Highwind will remain the most popular Dragoon knight in Square's stable of characters, Drakengard 2 introduces Nowe as the latest entry in the fantasy milieu's cast of tortured, world-saving heroes.

We began by selecting to play the game in challenge mode, intended for players familiar with action games. The alternate mode allows players with less hack-and-slash experience to play through the story on a lesser difficulty setting. The story begins by introducing a world where a great draconic evil has been locked away by an order of templars known as the Knights of the Seal. Nowe is the newest member of the Knights, and the introductory tutorial introduces you to the basics of hand to hand combat, including attacks, blocks, sidesteps and aerial recoveries. Chain combos are a key element to the action, as keeping an uninterrupted chain going will result in a bonus to the experience you earn. You can also release stored magical energy in combat, usually resulting in an area-effect type of blast best suited to clearing large amounts of enemies. This introduction culminates in a duel with one of the current leaders of the order, who does a poor job of showing his disdain for Nowe, the destined savior of the people. Things get worse when Nowe encounters the oppressed populace, who have unkind things to say about the Knights and the horrible treatment received under their protection. You can see where this is going.


After trouncing the other Knights, you are introduced to Legna, the blue dragon who raised Nowe after his father's untimely death. The bond between rider and dragon is a central part of the storyline, in the same vein as the story of Eragon, from Christopher Paolini's excellent series of novels. Legna serves a dual role, of course, as both terrifyingly deadly mount, and wise advisor. From a purely combat perspective, Legna is capable of shooting down enemies in a variety of ways. Your dragon can shoot single, powerful fireballs that deal considerable splash damage to nearby foes, and when used against aerial foes can cause a power up to drop that replenishes his magical reserves. Legna can also lock onto up to four enemies at once, or get multiple target locks onto a single foe, after which a volley of fire-and-forget bursts of flame can be released. As dragons and their riders have been known to do, Nowe and Legna can combine their magical energies into particularly devastating attacks.

The character designs, as one may expect, have been taken directly from Square's art department archive. Nowe would fit right in alongside all the other stylish swordsmen wielding oversized blades that we've seen over the years. The other characters you encounter along the way mix things up, though, for whenever you need a break from Nowe's sword-swinging; and believe us, there's quite a lot of it. As can be expected, there are attractive heroines to interact with and take up arms alongside, as well as other commonly used character archetypes, including the effeminate dandy more concerned with his looks than anything else, and the angsty girl with the sunken eyes and demeanor to match. The characters are nicely fleshed out, and the voice acting seems to match up well with each personality, so we're interested in seeing if the story is compelling and cohesive enough to keep the mission-based gameplay progressing in interesting ways.

The weapon variety is sparse at first, but as you encounter new characters along the way, you will gain access to many more, over 60 in all. Drakengard 2 utilizes a rotating wheel interface, where you can fill slots with any of the implements of war that you've acquired during the adventure. Swapping to a weapon like Eris' spear will magically swap Nowe out and bring her in, allowing you to switch between characters at will. The difference between characters is evident in the different combos that can be executed by weapon type, and in the characteristics of each weapon. Some weapons have longer reach than others, wider swings, or are better capable of breaking through opponents' guards.


The enemies we've seen thus far haven't been particularly intelligent; suicidal seems more like it. The challenge lies in the type of encounters you'll face, generally being you against swarms of enemies. Much like how generic soldiers are killed with ease in the Dynasty Warriors games, we were mowing through monsters non-stop, with defensive tactics only really being needed for boss fights. Battling ogres, for instance, we had to sidestep the wide swings of a massive club and hack at the gargantuan's exposed heel, which would cause him to kneel down, now exposed to our big damage dealing combo. Nothing groundbreaking, but satisfying.

The graphics didn't do much to impress, with bland textures being used throughout, and a fairly short draw-in distance for enemies who would appear on radar, but couldn't be seen until you got pretty close. Some creatures were downright laughable. The floating gargoyle cubes we incinerated during our initial flight look like something out of a game's early development tech demo, setting a fairly low standard for creature models to come. The characters fare better, with smooth attack and dodge animations, and decent looking effects to accompany the more impressive magical abilities. It goes without saying, though, that current generation PlayStation 2 games have set a much higher standard for visuals.

After playing some of Drakengard 2, we're left with the impression that the series hasn't changed drastically since the last game. Still, there's a place in many game libraries for the kind of hack and slash game where you can sit back and wail away on dozens of foes without skipping a beat, and here you've got a dragon raining carnage from above for good measure. We'll be diving headfirst into the storyline and unlocking every character and weapon we can find for our full review, which you'll find here when the game is released.

Grandia III Official Trailer 3 here

Dragon Quest VIII publisher reports a 67.7 percent year-on-year earnings decline, but retains outlook for fiscal year.

TOKYO--Today, Square Enix reported its consolidated results for the nine-month period ended December 2005. The company's net sales were up 13.2 percent to 68.9 billion yen ($585 million) compared to the same period last year. However, its operating income fell 75.5 percent to 6.33 billion yen ($53.8 million), and its net profit declined by 67.7 percent to 4.29 billion yen ($36.5 million).

Square Enix attributed most of its financial difficulties to its primary business--games. The company had a profitable nine months, releasing a number of hits: Kingdom Hearts II, which shipped 1.1 million units in Japan since its release in December; Romancing SaGa for the PS2, which shipped 500,000 units (Japan: 450,000; USA: 50,000); and Dragon Quest VIII, which shipped 430,000 units in North America. However, the numbers couldn't match those of the previous year, when Dragon Quest VIII shipped 3 million units in its first three days of release in Japan. The segment's sales fell 43.3 percent to 21.2 billion yen ($180 million), and its operating income plunged 95.1 percent to 974 million yen ($8.28 million).

Square Enix's other operations also saw year-on-year declines. Sales in its online game division fell by 9.2 percent to 9.62 billion yen ($81.8 million), and operating income fell 15.7 percent to 3.75 billion yen ($3.19 million). Sales at its mobile content division rose by 17.5 percent to 3.66 billion yen ($31.1 million), but its operating income fell 26.4 percent to 736 million yen ($6.26 million).

Square Enix's publishing division saw a small decline due to the lack of large strategy guidebook releases, but it continued to make a profit from comic books. The segment's sales fell 9.5 percent to 6.97 billion yen ($59.3 million), and its operation income fell 23.7 percent to 1.85 billion yen ($15.7 million).

Square Enix's miscellaneous operations division was the only part of the company that saw a rise in operating income, due to the success of its DVD/UMD movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Sales from the division rose by 209.8 percent to 6.55 billion yen ($55.7 million), and operating income rose by 250.3 percent to 2.15 billion yen ($18.3 million).

Square Enix's consolidated results for the nine months period include the fourth-quarter balance sheet from Taito, which became a subsidiary of Square Enix at the end of September. Taito's sales for the three-month period were 20.9 billion yen ($178 million), and it made an operating loss of 234 million yen ($1.99 million). Interestingly, Square Enix posts Taito's figures as its "Amusement Machine" division, which seems to be the role that Square Enix has planned for its new subsidiary.

Square Enix has not changed the outlook for its full fiscal year ending March 31, 2005. The company expects net sales of 136 billion yen ($1.16 billion), operating income of 28.5 billion yen ($242 million), and net profit of 17.5 billion yen ($149 million).

TOKYO--Square Enix announced today that its cumulative shipments of Dragon Quest VIII have reached more than 4 million units worldwide. The 430,000 units shipped in North America as of the end of December helped push the game over the milestone number.

In Japan, Dragon Quest VIII was released in November 2004 and shipped 3 million units in its first three days on the market. The English version was released in North America on November 17, 2005.

The Dragon Quest series has been a popular role-playing franchise in Japan, and Square Enix will release a Dragon Quest VIII spin-off named Dragon Quest: Shounen Yangus no Fushigi na Daibouken in the country on April 20. The game will follow DQVIII hero Yangus through his childhood. Like previous releases in the Fushigi no Dungeon series, it will feature randomly generated dungeon maps.

Also, at his Dragon Quest concert over the weekend, series composer Kouichi Sugiyama told the audience that additional DQVIII spin-offs aside from Shounen Yangus no Fushigi are in development at Square Enix. However, he told the crowd he isn't allowed to disclose any details at the current time.