Final Fantasy IV sequel Wii-bound

In July, Square Enix scored a critical hit with its redux of Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS. Named a runner-up in GameSpot's 2008 DS platform awards (and the Reader's Choice winner), the role-playing game originally released in the US as Final Fantasy II for the Super Nintendo featured all-new 3D graphics, CG cutscenes with voice-overs, a remixed score by series composer Nobuo Uematsu, and a multiplayer head-to-head battle mode.

Now, Square Enix is hoping to follow up that that success with Final Fantasy IV's sequel on the Wii. As revealed by a listing in the Entertainment Software Rating Board's online database, the publisher is prepping Final Fantasy IV: The After Years for Nintendo's console. Though it is unclear whether or not the game will be a WiiWare digital download or boxed copy release, it is apparently based on the 2008 Japanese mobile phone game Final Fantasy IV: The After (no "Years"). Square Enix had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

According to the ESRB's rating summary, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years will be a 2D RPG, which indicates that it will not benefit from the 3D revamp enjoyed by last year's DS game. No other details were revealed, though the ESRB did caution alcohol-sensitive parents that "an item called 'Bacchus Wine' is occasionally used to defeat enemies in battle."