Quote:July 08, 2003 - Nintendo today updated its Japanese info website for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles with confirmation that the final game will indeed require GBA units for its multiplayer mode.
Though pre-release versions of the game (such as the one we experienced at E3) enabled standard controllers to be used when playing with two or more players, the final Japanese game requires that each player uses his own Game Boy Advance unit, connected to the GameCube controller ports via GBA link cables.
The single player quest can be enjoyed with three different control configurations:
1. Standard GameCube controller
2. Game Boy Advance as controller
3. Standard GameCube controller & GBA
To make the multiplayer requirements a bit more palatable, the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles ships with a free GBA link cable.
When a Game Boy Advance is connected, the handheld functions as a menu screen.
While the left GameCube screen shows all the action, the GBA screen to the right displays attack and defend commands (blue bars), abilities like Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder (pink bars), and items like the life-renewing Phoenix Down (green bar).
The right side of the GBA display shows character stats, such as strength, defense, magic, etc. Here's what the two displays look like side-by-side:
As seen at E3, there is also a GBA map mode that helps pinpoint the player location.
No word yet on whether the US version will have the exact same requirements, but given the relatively close launch date, we're expecting the two versions to be identical. We'll have more on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soon.
Quote:July 07, 2003 - IGNcube learned today that Nintendo's long-awaited system link feature will be included with F-Zero GX.
Jointly developed by Sega's Amusement Vision and Nintendo, the GameCube sequel will let four players race against each other in split-screen and full-screen modes. A Nintendo spokesperson said that the company has yet to decide whether it will even promote the connection feature when the game releases here in August.
Nintendo showed off its networking feature first with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! at the E3 expo in May. Given the niche appeal of off-line system link gameplay modes, don't expect the feature to be a big focus in Nintendo's marketing of the titles unless the company decides to push online network play via third-party apps in the near future.
More as it breaks.
Hot damn this is great news! That means that we'll be able to get it online one way or another.
Quote: Square Enix announced they are currently examining the sale decisions of Final Fantasy III. The game was originally scheduled to release on WonderSwan Color, Square Enix mentioned that are interested to port the game to GameBoy Advance.
What's to consider? It'd sell 100 times more on the GBA!
But it's a little different from past installments in the series...
Quote:Square Enix announced a new sword action TV game called Kenshin Dragon Quest: Yomigaerishi Densetsu no Ken. The game is stored in the "Crest Unit", which connects directly to TV. A sword controller is attached to the system, which is used to attack the enemies on screen. The gameplay is similar to Namco's arcade sword slashing action game Mazen. Square Enix is planning to ship 1 million units in Japan, the game will be released in Japan on September 19, for 6980 yen.
I don't know about everyone else, but I want this game. It probably won't come out over here though.
Quote:A new Arkansas statute designed to restrict material deemed "harmful to minors" went into effect last week, placing virtually all the state's comic book retailers in violation of the law. Act 858 (full text) targets magazines or comics that appeal to a "prurient interest" or "lacks serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic or political value for minors." Although designed to keep Penthouse and similar publications out of minors' hands, Arkansas' definition of "harmful to minors" places titles like Batman, Spider-Man, and most manga under the new law.
The result is a series of new expectations for librarians and retailers--and a great deal of unrest among store owners and consumers. Under Act 858, "blinder racks," a longtime staple of adult video and book stores, are to become commonplace in libraries and comic stores. Everything from Sailor Moon to Catcher in the Rye must be covered and "segregated in a manner that physically prohibits access" to youth, according to the new law.
Immediately after the legislature confirmed the bill, a broad coalition ranging from an independent bookstore to the Arkansas Library Association filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, arguing that the new law is unconstitutional. In a news release from the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, bookstore proprietor Mary Gay Shipley said, "I don't sell 'dirty books,' and I resent being treated like I run an adult bookstore." The sentiment is a common one among those challenging the law.
Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, spoke with ANN. "We are deeply concerned that the language of the bill would require booksellers to create an "adults only" section in their stores for material that is First Amendment protected for adults." Finan emphasizes that the new law prohibits display of a wide range of publications, "including works with serious literary and artistic merit."
The public's impression of "restricted" material is among ABFEE's greatest concerns. "The law would create a serious chilling effect because placing material in an area restricted to adults stigmatizes it." Fearing the impact on sales, he suggests, "Many people will be understandably reluctant to enter an area that seems to be reserved for pornography."
In a statement to ANN, Rita Sklar, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arkansas, clarified the coalition's goals. "We're not saying we oppose the idea of a six-year-old being able to get his hands on a copy of Penthouse. It's you or I not being able to get our hands on a copy of Of Mice and Men." She suggested that many libraries and bookstores may find it easier simply to prohibit minors from entering.
Lawmakers defend their decision to pass the law. "It could open up a can of worms. There's no doubt about that," Republican Kevin Anderson told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "But our intentions were pure."
In the first seven days of the law have brought no significant lawsuits against retailers and no wave of bookstore closures, but Arkansas store owners remain concerned. The potential for any individual to file a complaint about a store offering "restricted" materials is too high for plaintiffs like Shipley to drop the District Court lawsuit. A trial testing the law's constitutionality is likely in the near future.
Retailers hope to find a trial judge on the same page, but at present, the view remains blocked.
Let's do this tonight! And if not tonight, tomorrow night! Today I'm going to run over to Radio Shack to get a cheap headset, so I suggest the rest of you do the same if you don't already have one. Come on, guys!
![[Image: ffcc_linkedupandready.jpg]](http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/ffcc_linkedupandready.jpg)
