Final Fantasy VIII Is Coming To PC With High Resolution Graphics (via Siliconera)

Square Enix announced they will release a PC version of Final Fantasy VIII, but it won’t be the same game released over a decade ago. Final Fantasy VIII for PC will have high resolution graphics, Famitsu reports.

The website also says if additional features other than the graphical upgrade are in the game or not is yet to be determined. The PC version had the Chocobo World mini-RPG more accessible since you didn’t need the Japan-only PocketStation to play it. The monochrome mini-RPG powers up Boko’s attack and rewards players with extra items.

Have your say: discuss the new release of Final Fantasy VIII (hat-tip: Captain Highwind)

Master swordsmith creates Cloud’s Buster sword from Final Final Fantasy 7 (via Polygon)

Man at Arms’ Master swordsmith, Tony Swatton, recreated Cloud’s Buster sword from Final Final Fantasy 7. The video demonstrates Swatton in action as he discusses the hefty blade’s creation process. According to the video’s description, he uses high-speed belt grinders, scorching furnaces and pounding power hammers. At the end of the video, the weapon is used to obliterate full soda bottles, pinatas, watermelons and vases.

The Swordsmith recently conducted a Reddit AMA where he talked about his favorite weapon to reproduce (Gimli’s Axe and Raphael’s Sais), how he got into his line of work and how he cut off his nose while polishing a piece of gothic armor.

Have your say: could anyone possibly wield such a sword? (hat-tip: Shademp)

OUYA: Final Fantasy 3 gameplay footage surfaces online (via VG 24/7)

Final Fantasy 3 has been captured running on OUYA by IGN. The clip shows the remake’s visuals and gameplay to give you an idea of how the port fares on the Android-powered rig.

Square-Enix is just one of many big-name publishers that have pledged support for the OUYA platform, but as early reports suggest the console’s store at present is a tad sparse. However, OUYA has responded to early reviews, saying that the console is not yet complete, and that the final build – releasing June 4 – will best reflect the machine’s capabilities and software offering.

Have your say: how much would you pay for Final Fantasy III on the OUYA?

More from the forum

• If you could live in any Final Fantasy world, which would you choose and why?
• In a new (hypothetical) Final Fantasy VII compilation entry, what would be the threat to the planet?
• Barret Wallace: discuss.
• The latest episode of the much-loved Final Fantasy VII Abridged series.

Community news

• Zidane and Garnet have been chosen as the best Final Fantasy pairing by the Lifestream community. They pulled off a surprise win over Cloud and Tifa in the final round.
• Our latest fan art challenge: design a keyblade based for a Final Fantasy character of your choice.
• Happy birthday to Lifestream members Superman and Alex Strife!
• There were no new Lifestream members this week. If you haven’t already, why not sign up to the forums?

Hello again, listeners of TheLifestream.net’s recent venture into podcasts! We’re proud to present our second episode, which you can also now find on iTunes – just search for TheLifestream.net Podcast! This time, we’ve got forum members Pixel, Ryushikaze, Carlie, and Trainer Red joining forces to talk about recent news and other topics, namely:

• TLS’s recent publishing of our 500th article, in which we take a look back at the history of these hallowed halls
• Yosuke Matsuda’s recent announcement regarding plans to refurbish Square Enix
• The recent Final Symphony concert held in Germany, which forum member Tetsujin graciously reviewed for everyone’s benefit

Keep listening for the gang’s opinions on the growth of Final Fantasy stories and whether pre-rendered FMV’s are truly necessary with the graphical capabilities of current generation consoles.

For those of you who remember our first episode, you’ll probably notice that our host and guests make a concerted effort to stay more focused on each topic at hand, providing you with a tighter episode. In line with our original episode, we also feature a great piece of music:

• Terra in Black by Ailseen from OCRemix

Agree or disagree with our responses to the topics? Let us know below or on the forums!

“Final Symphony” – a celebration of the music from Final Fantasy VI, VII and X attended by Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu – played in Wuppertal, Germany on May 11th. The music is arranged to tell the story from each game in a continuous arc, and the unique presentation allows for some never-before orchestrated pieces to reach our ears. Forum member Tetsujin was lucky enough to attend, and gives us his account below.

Video game music enthusiasts and fans of Final Fantasy music will most likely be familiar with concerts such as Symphonic Fantasies or Symphonic Odysseys.

Organized by Thomas Böcker, these concerts have been performing video game music in Germany for a couple of years now. Symphonic Fantasies was even exported to Japan and performed in Tokyo.

What separates Böcker’s concerts from other events such as Distant Worlds are the arrangements. Distant Worlds tries to emulate the feel of the originals as much as possible, taking the songs from the soundtracks and just orchestrating them with little rearranging. The feel is that of a pop concert, with the light show and the huge screen in the back; often including vocal performances of theme songs as well.

Böcker’s concerts are closer to an actual classical performance. There’s no screen, only the musicians. The music is often played in elaborate symphonies consisting of multiple movements or piano concerts. The arrangers get to be more creative, take more risks. Not all the arrangements are guaranteed to be liked by everyone. One-Winged Angel for example is always demanded by people – but never do Böcker’s concerts play it in its pure form, sometimes only just getting to the opening part… only to fake out and play something different!

Both concert forms are very different experiences, allowing Distant Worlds and the “Symphonic”-series to coexist, each with their own merits and unique feel.

Now organizer Böcker and his longtime collaborators; arrangers Jonne Valtonen and Roger Wanamo have done it again: “Final Symphony”.

Whereas previous concerts such as Fantasies and Odysseys included Final Fantasy music, they never focused on it with the former including multiple Square-Enix franchises and the latter being a tribute to Nobuo Uematsu, including a variety of game music he composed outside his more well known Final Fantasy works.

Final Symphony on the other hand is their first FF-only concert with three specific titles chosen for the music selection: VI, VII and X.

Unlike the previous concerts which were performed by the WDR Radio Orchestra in Cologne, Final Symphony took place at the Historische Stadthalle (Historical city hall) in Wuppertal, performed by the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra with another upcoming show on May 30 in London, performed at the Barbican Centre by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Two shows were performed on May 11, one at 14:30 and another at 19:30; with autograph sessions preceding both (free for anyone with a ticket).
FF composers Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu both attended.

The venue itself added a lot to the atmosphere with its beautiful 19th century style of elaborate decorations and ceiling paintings.

Now to the actual program:

As always, the concert started with a fanfare. Jonne Valtonen’s “Circle Within a Circle Within a Circle” set the tone for what was to come.

The first medley was the Final Fantasy VI Symphonic Poem – “Born With the Gift of Magic”, telling VI’s story from Terra’s point of view using music only, arranged by Roger Wanamo.

Beginning with the opera scene’s Overture, the piece quickly changes to a somewhat melancholic version of Terra’s Theme mixed with Troops March On, which could be seen as FFVI’s equivalent of the “Imperial March”. It tells the story of Terra’s enslavement by the Empire and soon changes from the melancholic into the loud and dramatic, now with Terra’s theme in full.

This is followed by Kefka’s Theme, introducing the Emperor’s right-hand man and actual villain of the story. As it goes on the pace gets more frantic as the evil jester descends further into madness.

Up next was Esper World. The sort of uneasy tone and sense of mystery that this song conveyed in the original was only enhanced by the orchestra’s performance. In the middle of this segment, there is a quiet rendition of Terra’s Theme played on a Celesta (I might be wrong here since I’m admittedly not that knowledgeable when it comes to instruments), which is basically like a piano that sounds like tiny bells. I felt reminded of John Williams’ music for the Harry Potter movies (Hedwig’s Theme starts with a Celesta as well), specifically the scene where Harry finds out he’s a wizard – all too fitting as no doubt this was supposed to symbolize Terra finding out about her heritage as half-Esper.

Eventually the music goes into full action mode as it fades into Metamorphosis and the Battle Theme mixed with Protect the Espers. Kefka’s Theme makes a short return as well as the battle between good and evil reaches its climax – and suddenly stops. The battle is over. As the music slowly returns and builds up into what is the most triumphant version of Terra’s Theme so far, it is clear who emerged victorious.

Once more the notes of the Opera Overture sound, ending the FFVI medley the way it started.

Next up was the three-part Final Fantasy X Piano Concerto, arranged by none other than Masashi Hamauzu himself. Once again, the piano would be played by Benyamin Nuss who has become somewhat of a staple of these concerts and recently recorded for the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMix.

The first part consisted of an elaborate arrangement of the Zanarkand and Besaid themes. While it was still rather pleasant to listen to, I felt like it didn’t quite have the same emotional impact as the Zanarkand theme sometimes got lost in the overly complex piano arrangements.

The second part arranged both the Hymn of the Fayth as well Thunder Plains. Without a choir to sing the lyrics of the hymn, this arrangement was done a bit closer to the version you hear in FFX’s ending theme although overall more subdued. The Thunder Plains arrangement felt close to how it is in the game with piano played at a faster pace though.

Anyone expecting a bit more bombast was most likely a bit upset up until that point, although it returned with the third part, beginning with Assault and ending with the Final Battle theme.

Overall I expected a little more from this. I felt it was a bit disappointing in the selection of songs and the way they were arranged, especially seeing as how I generally enjoy Hamauzu’s compositions and arrangements, his version of Donkey Kong Country’s Aquatic Ambiance being one of my favorites from Symphonic Legends.

After a break, it was time for what was undoubtedly the evening’s highlight: The Final Fantasy VII Symphony in Three Movements arranged by Valtonen, with a length of 40(!) minutes, surpassing even the 36-minute Symphonic Poem for the Legend of Zelda from Legends.

Similar to the FFVI symphony, this one tried to recap events of the game with music. The first part focused on the infamous Nibelheim Incident.

As the first notes of FFVII’s Opening melody play, this focus already becomes apparent as the strings throw in a hint of Those Chosen by the Planet, before the orchestra plays the opening fanfare at full strength.

This leads directly into a portion of the FFVII Main Theme which usually starts at two thirds in. There’s a sense of foreboding and soon the music turns outright menacing as everybody’s favorite boss theme, One-Winged Angel, begins to play. The difference being there’s no choir this time and Sephiroth’s theme is instead used as more of a leitmotif throughout the entire first movement.

Sephiroth finding out about his origins as having been born out of the Jenova Project is signified here by the intro of OWA transitioning right into J-E-N-O-V-A. (It should also be positively noted that the audience here did not start to cheer and applaud at the mere sound of OWA’s first notes as they have done at Symphonic Fantasies and Odysseys).

At the end, OWA returns with full force. The choir isn’t missed too much as the orchestra makes up for it by playing even louder, with more aggression and ferocity and even now the Jenova theme pops up every now and then, ending the first movement with a bang.

The second movement can be seen as a musical interpretation of FFVII’s love triangle. Has the love triangle so far only brought forth endless and pointless debates on internet forums, shipping wars and pink swastikas; here something good finally came of it.

Words Drowned by Fireworks has been beautifully orchestrated and sets the romantic mood for the second half of the movement. The first half ends with the strings and percussion cleverly simulating the sound of fireworks. The second half sees the return of Aerith’s Theme as well as Tifa’s Theme being orchestrated for the first time. Representing Cloud, the FFVII Main Theme comes back as well, played in a more romantic fashion.

All these themes have been brilliantly interwoven and form what I think might just be one of the most beautiful arrangements of video game music so far.

However, the triangle is resolved the same way it was in the game. Suddenly the thundering OWA intro returns and Cloud’s and Aerith’s theme become more distorted, ending this movement on a tragic note.

That brings us to the third movement, which included quite a few premieres, starting with an arrangement of Countdown (which itself contains a version of Cid’s Theme which would also return proper) as well as Cosmo Canyon and The Great Warrior which are songs that I have long been waiting for to get the orchestral treatment and I wasn’t disappointed.

Better yet, after Birth of God was performed for the first time at Symphonic Odysseys only one FFVII battle theme remained unorchestrated – Jenova Absolute. This gap has now been closed. What follows is a fairly straightforward arrangement of The Planet’s Crisis’ last part, evoking images of the Lifestream breaking out of the earth to destroy Meteor, ending the symphony on a high note.

I don’t have enough words to fully express my praise for this last symphony. I don’t think this can be topped anytime soon. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I’m glad I had the chance to sit in the audience for this. The standing ovations for the orchestra, the arrangers and of course the composers were well deserved.

Oh, but wait. None of these concerts is complete without a surprise encore, right?

After the grandiose medleys the first encore was a bit more somber, with another FFVII song that was long overdue for orchestration: Anxious Heart.

The second encore began as FFVI’s Battle to the Death – but they pulled a familiar troll move by replacing it with a far more lighthearted melody: FFVI’s Moogle Theme.

I enjoyed both performances although it could be argued whether these two were appropriate as the evening’s finale.

Nevertheless, it was an absolutely fantastic concert. The people involved once again proved to possess a high amount of skill and professionalism as well as intimate knowledge and understanding of the source material. I hope Final Symphony’s arrangements will someday be recorded and released. Unfortunately no such thing is currently planned and it would be a shame if this was the only instance to properly listen to them (nevermind low quality bootleg recordings).

I cannot wait for whatever’s in store for us next from Böcker and his usual suspects!

Discuss Final Symphony on our Forums.

First Screenshots of Final Fantasy X-2 HD Revealed (via IGN)

Square Enix has released the first screenshots of Final Fantasy X-2’s HD remaster. The 12 new images show off Yuna, Rikku and Paine as they’ll look on your PlayStation 3 and Vita when the Final Fantasy X HD collection is released later this year.

According to Square, “the variety of screenshots shows that each of the main character models have been reworked to offer more facial expressions in the game. The textures of the surrounding environment and backgrounds were also carefully redrawn for the Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster. Finally, the resolution of Yuna’s concert performance (a pre-render movie) has been increased for the HD version.”

Have your say: check out these comparison images with the original release (hat-tip: Tetsujin)

‘Final Fantasy V’ Review – The Nostalgic Gravy Train Continues (via Touch Arcade)

While most fans of Square Enix should be rightfully concerned with some of the recent Final Fantasy mobile offerings, one area competently executed are their ports of preexisting console FF offerings.

Final Fantasy V ($15.99), the latest port to grace iOS, thankfully continues the trend of offering improved versions of the classic RPG series. Offering one of the better implementations of the main series’ job system, FFV is a great game in its own right, successfully makes the transition to iOS and should be added to the collection of any nostalgic RPG collector.

Have your say: if you’ve played the iOS version of Final Fantasy V, we want to hear from you!

16 years later, Final Fantasy VII is still teaching lessons (via Gamezone)

I was 12 years old in 1997, a perfect time to be introduced to Final Fantasy VII because I was going through puberty, which we all know is a strange experience. I was young with little confidence; it’s no wonder that I attached so easily to the characters of FFVII. But what about 16 years later? Does the game still hold the same meaning now that I’m a grown man?

At that time in my life, I was vicariously living through Cloud Strife. I was an awkward kid who wasn’t good at talking with others, and because of this, I had no confidence around the girls I liked. This is why when I got home from school, I would play FFVII. Cloud and his friends didn’t have to worry about girls. They had a world to save.

Have your say: what did of Final Fantasy VII the first time you played it?

More from the forum

• Gaia, Gaea or simply “The Planet”: what is the canonical name for Final Fantasy VII’s world?
• Help a newbie out: in what order should the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII be consumed?
• Scenes from the Ultimania books: who are the canon party members in Final Fantasy VII?
• Lightning Returns news: the band “Language” will be contributing to the soundtrack, and more.

Community news

• Our community playthrough of Final Fantasy IX is over! Share your thoughts on one of the series’ most emotional endings.
• It’s the final round of our Final Fantasy pairing competition: cast your vote for either Cloti or Zidgar… Gardane… Zignet… Zidane and Garnet. You have until the end of the week.
• Happy birthday to Lifestream members Someone named Octo and Omega!
• A warm welcome to our newest Lifestream members, Fumi and Ffxiii1ll!

We are proud to present the labor of site member Morello, who took on the task of compiling the English script from Advent Children, Advent Children Complete and the animation Episode Denzel.

All of these can now be found in our Advent Children Resource Page or you can access them directly below:

- Script: Advent Children Complete

- Script: Advent Children

- Script: Episode Denzel

So whenever you want to reference a specific quote from any of the above for a Final Fantasy VII discussion, or if you simply feel like reading the manuscript, you now know where to look! You can comment and praise Morello’s work in the thread where the script compilations were first published.

Almost five years and 500 actual articles later, TheLifestream.net takes a look back at where it all began. Join us.

As we stroll through the history of TheLifestream, we’ll also look over comments from site members new and old as they reflect on their feelings about where we came from and where we are going.

TheLifestream has grown a lot back from when it was just an idea between a few of us determined to build a new location to host translations, obsucre information, thoughts and other content that we’d worked on putting together in the past but which had lost a central home.

Since then, there’ve been more developments and I’ve learned more things about FFVII than I’d ever thought possible. We’ve established a fantastic group of folks who dig deep into every little aspect and pull out the most amazing details or bring them to life in ways that we’d only ever imagined.

On top of that, I’ve gotten to know folks via our boards who have impacted my life in a number of ways. It’s just been so rewarding to see the little corner of the Internet that we put together blossom into a better version of what we’d always imagined it would become, and to watch it grow into something new as others move to carry the dream we set out to achieve.

—Pierce Arner/X-SOLDIER

Like a phoenix

Our first article was posted September 25, 2008, by site owner Cthulhu, announcing the birth of TheLifestream.net. Born almost literally from the digital ashes of AdventChildren.net, the new site was intended to be focused first and foremost on news and official content related to Final Fantasy VII — a vision of what the defunct site should have been, one might say.

As such, TheLifestream.net went without a community forum for a couple of months, attention instead going to news about the upcoming Dissidia Final Fantasy and salvaging translations from the FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania that had previously been hosted at AdventChildren.net. Due to an abundance of requests from site visitors, however, it wasn’t long before the forum went live. With that, a new plan came into focus, though with the same vision of providing a fun, stable community for fans of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy in general to learn more about the games they loved.

The original plan was for there to be seamless synergy between the site’s front page content and its forum, such that neither seemed isolated from the other nor felt like it belonged to a different site altogether. Due to technical limitations, real-life obligations and frequent cases of CBA-ness — as well as that sort of thing being a generally tricky business to begin with — things haven’t always gone according to plan.

I’ve been inhabiting Final Fantasy forums since 2003. They have been my homes on the Internet, the first and last places I check into whenever I have spare time, and often when I have none. I haven’t left a single one of my homes out of choice; they have all been demolished or repossessed. Perhaps that’s why I feel the need to invest so much time in maintaining my fourth home, my current home: TheLifestream.

I’ve only been living here since January 2012, but I already know that I want to stay here for a lot longer. I’ll admit that the place isn’t perfect — the floorboards are a bit creaky, the curtains need replacing and some of my housemates are a little on the eccentric side — but all that really matters is that I feel welcome here.

Thanks to that, I’m trying to do my bit to make this a nicer place for everyone. Perhaps we can even squeeze in a few extra residents — we’ve got room to grow.

—Flintlock

In the interim

We settled into a routine, accepted the front page as “good enough,” and went about our business for quite a while. That’s not to say nothing was done in that time, though. Certainly not.

The following three years would see a great host of unique and valuable content find a home on TheLifestream: Pixel’s amazing On the Way to a Smile audiobooks series; Schala-Kitty’s 10 Days to Dissidia countdown; Ryushikaze, et al.’s ever-entertaining Fan’s Eye View commentaries; translations from several other official guide books, including the FFVIII Ultimania, FFIX Ultimania, Dissidia Ultimania and others; the memorable Mog’s Fantastic Journey series; ForceStealer’s engaging THE ENDGAME series on FF final dungeons; and S and G’s summaries of game content exclusive to Japan that many FFVII fans may have missed out on, including Before Crisis chapter summaries and the history of Deepground from Dirge of Cerberus.

We also came to host a number of stand-alone articles that would become important resources to the fandom in their own right, such as an article on FFVII canon; more than one article on the ever-controversial FFVII Love Triangle Debate; an analysis of the similarities in plot between FFIII and Kingdom Hearts; our own Ultimania Omega guide for the Dissidia series; a summary of Kazushige Nojima’s official FFVII spin-off novel, The Kids Are Alright; and predictions on where the future of FFVII’s story may take us.

We certainly weren’t doing nothing, but in some ways we were still standing still. We had a lot of great content, but a cluttered, disorganized interface for it. Finding past articles was no easy feat unless you already knew where to go, and site navigation lacked clear directions.

TheLifestream was still a good site, but it had the potential to be a great site. It just had to move past its stagnancy.

These issues were not unknown to us — but other obligations and chronic CBA-ness reigned supreme. That is, until …

I joined TLS about two or three weeks after it started up. While I wasn’t part of the crew that got it absolutely started, I’ve basically been here since the beginning and I’ve been working as a mod and occasional site contributor since.

I’ve seen some of our best times and I hope to hell I’ve already seen our worst. I’ve enjoyed contributing my voice in a figurative and literal sense to TheLifestream, especially with the various audio commentaries, Let’s Plays (including the one I need to get back to) and our newly formed podcast.

I hope we’ll be around a lot longer, and I plan on contributing for a while yet — even if I get distracted by other projects from time to time. I like this place and I definitely want to help make it the best site and forum it can be.

Incidentally, I’m still amused our most popular articles are the most banal and trivial ones in the grand scheme of things.

—Ryushikaze

New life from fresh blood

Throughout 2011, content contributor Shademp (author of the illuminating Unused Text series and other articles on FFVII’s development) began to envision a redesign of TheLifestream.net’s front page that would organize its content, streamline locating it and improve both the aesthetics and navigation. After proposing his ideas to the rest of staff just before year’s end, he was soon appointed to the position of Content Coordinator and set about reimagining the site layout, officially putting forth a declaration of new site goals on February 5, 2012.

The following months would see a drastic shift in presentation from confusing clutter to magnificent organization. TheLifestream was finally becoming that which it not only had the potential to be, but that which it needed to be.

Though one individual’s suggestion served as the spark that gave fire to this overhaul of site design, Shademp himself is the first to acknowledge that it would have never been possible without numerous hands getting involved. From his own words on his history with TheLifestream:

As you can read, I joined TLS in December 2008, immediately after spotting that the site existed. I had been a member of the Adventchildren.net forums, where I was known as “Watcher”. The loss of this site was very unwelcome to me, because I liked its news coverage and translations.

I was happy when I found TheLifestream.net, because that meant a decent “centre” for FFVII news. I didn’t care so much (initially) for the guide book translations as I did for the magazine translations and the related news.

It was an exciting time because of news about Advent Children Complete, On the Way to a Smile and Dissidia. Even when the flood of news settled, the site’s content grew on me over time. I already considered TheLifestream to be the “forum home” for FFVII fans. It wasn’t the place with the most FFVII info or media downloads, but it was (and still is) a place with exclusive translations and exclusively intelligent discourses about the FFVII franchise. This is why TLS has always been a more important FFVII fanbase home to me than FF7citadel, GameFAQs or the FFWiki.

The love for the site was what made me settle on making it the home for the Unused Text series instead of a more wiki-style site like The Cutting Room Floor. I have never regretted this decision.

My love for the site was also partially fueled by an observation of what the site *could* be. I always expected the site to grow even further than what it did. When it seemed to be in a still state, both due to a lack of news and with its imperfect site design, my old wish to lead “my own” FFVII site stirred. With the influence and respect gained through my UT articles, I seized the opportunity and became the site’s content manager.

But I feel that I can only take a tiny bit of credit for how the site later evolved. Without Fangu, the frontpage project would never have taken off. Without Prince Lex and Flintlock, the redesign would not have benefitted as much and the site would not run itself so smoothly as it does now. They really are the trinity that made TLS 2012-2013 possible: Fangu, Prince Lex and Flintlock. (Me, Cthulhu, Pixel + whoever-I-am-forgetting were also very important too, of course)

There are so many pages and features I have envisioned in my head that never materialized, further confirming in my head that I was not nearly as worthy of the title “content manager” (alternatively, “site director”) as I once thought. I hope that I’ll reach that point in my life where I can write up massive contributions for the site and feel no loss of life energy while doing so.

A shining future

Where does TheLifestream go from here? Well, that’s up to you and everyone else out there who wants to take part. We’re always eager to feature new content and meet other fans, and there’s never a week that goes by without someone pitching a great idea on the forum.

The only limits are time and availability, but with so many passionate fans already hard at work around here, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be something going on. Whether it be a translation project that’s already in-progress, our latest Weekly Roundup (a relatively recent innovation for our site from the brilliant mind of Flintlock) or the inception of our brand new monthly podcast, there’s surely something to wet your whistle — and maybe even something you want to get involved with.

You’ll never know until you look, so take a peak at TheLifestream forums, won’t you? Even if you don’t see something in the Active Projects section that suits your fancy, you might spot a discussion somewhere that tickles your pickle.

To close out our look back, let us peruse more comments submitted for this article from members of TheLifestream community, as well as some statistics for the front page articles that Flintlock wished to share. Starting with Shademp’s chosen successor, newly appointed Site Director Prince Lex, let’s take in his sentiments as concern the future in particular:

I love this place. I originally came from a forum called Qhimm.com, named for its owner. The Qhimm forums are a place dedicated to unravelling the programming behind the PC Version of Final Fantasy VII. To date, they’ve produced countless mods that are incredibly impressive. From allowing you to replay VII with orchestral tracks to playing the game in HD with remade character models, the level of dedication is amazing.

I’ve loved VII since I first played it in 1997 — it was and still is my favourite game. So the attraction to Qhimm (where I’ve been a member since 2000-ish) was to be around people who loved VII as much as I did.

After a while I began to realise that while enhancing the VII experience on PC was cool, what I loved about the game were the characters and story. When Advent Children was announced, I checked Adventchildren.net almost daily for news. I even joined the forum, but my post count was something like 3. It wasn’t until recently that I realised “ACF” as our members describe it was said forum (mind was blown).

I joined The Lifestream in mid-2009 and I was immediately struck by the awesome content and design of the site — it wasn’t until a year or so later that I noticed Aerith in the site banner. I lurked for a really long time, reading the awesome in-depth analyses and translations posted to the front page. This was when I really started to think about spending a lot of time here.

Here there were people who were fanatics — they were as obsessed as I was about this story and the canon — and, most importantly, about everything beneath the surface. The mistranlations, the missing scenes, everything that was unused.

To this end, Shademp is truly a standout. The Unused Text series is one of my favourite things about this place. Lets not forget his acquisition of the FFVII Toshiba DVD FMV — what an amazing thing to discover fifteen years after the game’s release. There’s also the audiobooks. They sound like they’re professionally done and they’re so enjoyable to listen to. Not to mention the exclusive translations from some of the most dedicated VII fans ever: Tres, hito, etc. Truly amazing stuff.

I started writing for the site in late 2011 (franchise guide pages for each game, index pages, news reports) and it’s something I love to do. There’s a ton of content on the site already — exclusive stuff that can only be found here — and the sky’s the limit with future content.

I recently became the site director, and although our goal is to become the best source of all Compilation information on the net, it’s now hard to think of another site that has us beat. There isn’t one. We’re awesome! Now, I think it’s about maintaining that and pushing for more content wherever we can.

Last year we had the awesome redesign championed by the phenomenal programmer Fangu, we have some amazing members who’ve been providing content for years (Tres, Mako, Ryu, Force, etc.) and to keep us current and updated at least once a week, the Weekly Roundups launched and run by Flintlock. In terms of look, content and community, we’re doing incredibly well. Onwards and upwards!

What’s really special about this place is the people behind it. The dedicated fans that love to geek out with each other, that love to debate about the most minute or major plot points SIXTEEN YEARS after the game’s release. It’s a priviledge to know the people on the forum, and I’ve met some lifelong friends here that I’ll never forget.

One of my personal goals as site director — in addition to ensuring the maintenance, integrity and completion of our content — is to more actively involve the entire memberbase. Some of the discussions we have are worthy of their own immortalised space on the front-end site, and fan works from across the board are encouraged for an all new fan works section that will be developed over this coming summer.

So stay tuned: The only way is up!

More comments from members

Oh yeah, those guys did a great job adding stuff to my site.

—Cthulhu

I’ve been a member on TLS for 4 years. When I first joined the site, I wasn’t really interested in it outside of hanging out and having fun with my friends. I never thought I would’ve stayed in the forum for long, and while I did have some long periods of inactivity, I could never bring myself to leave for good.

Eventually, the site started growing on me. I became a more active member of the community and came to care for the members — and through the ups and downs, I now consider this place a home online. It might not be perfect, but I love it and I’m happy to say I consider a lot of the members my friends; some even close friends.

Congratulations, TLS, on reaching 500 articles. Looking forward to your next 500.

—Carlie

I’ve been with TLS since November of 2011, so about a year and a half now. Another member, ForceStealer, used to make a lot of front page posts and would often recommend that I read them. I remember in particular his excellent series on the final dungeons of the FF series (really, if you’re just joining us on TLS, you should look them up!).

After reading one of his articles, I found myself clicking on the link for the forums … and then I was hooked. It certainly made the time at work go by more quickly.

It definitely seems like more care and more effort is being put into the site now than it was a year ago, especially anything concerning Final Fantasy. We definitely still get together as a community to share our personal gripes over crappy days and appreciation for the days that just go beautifully, but there is also a TON of community conversation pertaining to things related to Final Fantasy. I think that’s a move in the right direction, considering that we are a forum of Final Fantasy fans.

We’ve had several members really start to stand out in terms of contribution to the site in general. We’ve had great writers make themselves known, and a wonderful group of people who know how to manipulate code and formatting in a way that I’ll never be able to understand. All I know is that they really know how to make our site look great.

The front page overhaul was much needed, and I really like the results. I also like that the front page has become more of a community effort. Everyone is encouraged to find news worthy of our new Weekly Roundups, and things that we do in the forums are often cited and publicized on the front page. What better way to draw in new members? I can think of several who made their way into the forums after having read a front page article or feature.

As for what I hope TheLifestream.net becomes? I hope that it becomes a place that many more people think of when they need a resource for reliable and interesting information. We have so many really well done fan-made translations of sometimes hard to find resources, as well as thorough essays on hot button topics and links to scans of things such as the Ultimanias, which you’d certainly be hard pressed to find elsewhere. We have audiobooks of works such as the On the Way to a Smile stories, which were directed and produced by one of our own members. We have commentaries out the yang.

We really have a lot of stuff, and I want people to know that.

—AvecAloes

When I joined the forums in October 2011 I didn’t have any specific intentions of getting involved as a mod or tech. I’d already done the mod thing and I was already doing a lot of the tech stuff at college and at my part-time job. TLS just seemed like a chill place with a lot of interesting people. My first impression of the content part of TLS was that this is a place with a lot of resourceful people who produce very interesting articles — articles that are unique and continuously add something new to a 14-year-old game.

As time went on, I got to know Ryu and especially Yop/Cthulhu/Hodor through the IRC channel, and I realized there wasn’t really any ongoing development on the site. Yop had ideas of how to better maintain it, but due to work he didn’t have time or energy to take the chance of breaking something and then having to spend unknown amounts of time fixing it. Shademp was appointed as Content Manager around that time, but didn’t really have a sparring partner for any ideas he came up with. The old WordPress design had a lot of ad hoc fixxes which I knew would take time streamlining, and I knew this was too much work for one person to take on. So I signed up for duty on February 26th 2012 for what we decided to name The New Front Page Project.

Shademp was the man with the vision and brought out the PM whip when the rest of us snoozed off. Yop functioned as owner and tech, moving TLS to a dedicated server so we could use the old one as a test environment. Flintlock came into the project during springtime and came up with a great design that was possible to implement with WordPress without too much hassle.

Because that was the goal all along: To not completely restructure the site, but to upgrade the existing foundation to work on the newest WordPress version, so it would be easier to maintain (update, add plugins, etc.) without breaking anything. We had a lot of discussions on whether to keep WordPress or use something else (WikiMedia, something self-written, etc.), but landed on utilizing WordPress’s team of developers to handle the bugs we’d never think of and serving us with new updates. I also wanted the Content Manager to be able to manage as much as possible (like the menus) without having to ask a tech to do it. That, along with writing clean code that worked with any WordPress standard and didn’t introduce any ad-hoc haxxes — plus making the design responsive to work well on pads and phones — was my primary focus.

Shademp and I both felt very strongly that, in order for this project to happen, we needed a deadline — which we only broke with a few months. The launch of the New Front Page was first set for sometime during the summer — the relaunch happened November 3rd, 2012, after a couple of weeks of public review. Even after the relaunch, Yop in particular kept working on fixing small stuff.

I had a great time working on the front page project, though tempers did run high at points (I certainly got to say hello to my Inner Queen on a few occations). However we managed to solve any conflict without major drama, and we did manage to publish the finished result, which I think is quite good considering nobody got paid and everyone’s real life was a constant danger to the project. Especially thank you to Shademp — it was a pleasure working with you and getting to know you during this process. Thank you for the work you put into TLS during your time as Content Manager.

So, what are our plans for the future? The team, which now includes Prince Lex as Content Manager, are making a list of prioritized tasks which we’ll start implementing on the test server this summer.

There’s a lot more I could say about the process and progress, especially content-wise where a lot of great work is being done. And there’s many people I could give special credit to, but I’ll end this by thanking everyone at TLS for their feedback, both during this process and now. Especially thank you to the authors for being patient about the new features they’ve had to get used to when writing articles, like the Featured Image. The cool thing is, when WordPress decides to make features like the Featured Image easier for authors to use, all we have to do is click the “Update WordPress” button. And it works! Which to me is a pleasant reward — when you write shit resilient enough to live a life on its own. I want TLS to live on for many years, even if I won’t have time to contribute. Happy 500th!

—Fangu

Back before I first joined TLS, I was a regular user at GameFAQs who had recently played FFVII and was somewhat obsessed with it. Immediately after beating it, I watched Advent Children, played Dirge of Cerberus, replayed Crisis Core and replayed the original game multiple times. But that wasn’t enough for me.

I started poasting in the FFVII boards on GameFAQs, as well as reading articles about it there. One particularly interesting GameFAQs article I found was the FFVII Ultimania Omega Translations FAQ by Ryu_Kaze. When I saw it I was like “Hey, this looks interesting. I’ve heard about the Ultimanias and I heard they’ve only been released in Japan. Maybe now I can finally know what they say.” At the end of the article, it recommended a few other articles, one of which was the FFVII AC Plot Analysis by Squall_of_SeeD.

I read said plot analysis and it really helped me understand things about the Compilation. One particular part that piqued my interest was the “Who was Cloud in love with?” section. I had thought it had always been obvious Cloud was in love with Tifa and was surprised people were actually debating whether or not he loved Tifa or Aerith. I ended up becoming quite interested in the FFVII LTD and started reading old LTD topics on GameFAQs.

One particular LTDer, Ryushikaze, especially piqued my interest, and for three main reasons:

1. He was much more sensible and logical than the other debaters, even his fellow Clotis (I also found “Cloti” to be weird portmanteau couple name at that time; I had figured the couple name would be Clifa, but I digress)
2. His username was extremely similar to that of the guy who had written the Ultimania translation article
3. His name had been mentioned a few times in the SoS FFVII plot analysis

I learned much from him, took what I learned and started participating in LTDs myself. One thing I noticed was that Ryu hadn’t participated in a LTD on GameFAQs in a long time. I wondered where he was now. Now, as I was still obsessed with FFVII, I stumbled upon TheLifestream.net while looking for translations of the other Ultimanias. I started reading the popular articles and one that especially caught my interest was the “This just in: The LTD over” article, as it was about the LTD and was written by Ryushikaze. I started reading the comments, which — unsurprisingly — had a LTD going on.

Ryu kept asking a particular Clerith to please debate on the forum, providing links. I clicked the links and discovered TLS Forums. I looked at Ryu’s profile and noticed he had been fairly active over the past few years. He was even recently active, and I realized that this was where he had been. I noticed Squall_of_SeeD was an active user here as well under the username of Hawkeye. The forums themselves were also quite interesting. I ended up joining soon after, and I’ve been a regular member ever since, even neglecting GameFAQs for these forums.

tl;dr: You have Tres and Ryu to thank for bringing me to the forums, albeit indirectly (well, sort of directly in the case of Ryu).

—Matthew Daniel

Looking through folders on my computer is like looking through the history of TLS. I stumbled upon the planning of a new site rising from the ashes of AdventChildren.net. It was great to get back in touch with so many great people after that site fell apart. We knew we wanted to create a new place to hang out, a place without all of the bullshit that had come before.

And so, TheLifestream.net was born. It didnt have much content, and had even less style, but we knew we were on the precipice of something great. We quickly threw together a banner and layout. Looking at it now, I dont know what the hell I was thinking. It consisted of a really awkward swirl that just didnt work, but we knew it was only temporary.

Once our amazing team had started writing the great content and translations for the site, it was time to put together a better design. I had ideas, so figured I would pitch them, hoping someone with talent and experience could flesh them out, but eventually I kinda fell into the role of designer, and with the help of the community, we refined the design until it became what you see today.

It has been an honour to be here from the beginning, and to see the site flourish into one of the best fansites out there. The talent and dedication of everyone who has made TLS what it is has amazed me, and long may it continue.

—Pixel

I gave a lot of thought to what it was that I would say in regards to TLS’s 500th article. The only thing that I can really think of is that it is quite an awesome achievement, and everyone who has contributed to TLS getting to this point should be very proud. There is so much content on this site that is worth reading, whether it be a long, thought-out, well-researched article or a hotly contested opinion piece. However you feel, you can’t really deny how much effort and passion has gone into making this site what it is.

It is a bit strange to stop and think that I first became a part of this site back in 2008; around five years or so (give or take, I can’t remember the month). There are a lot of memories here, and we’ve all made and lost friends in the process. I still remember the first time I ever did a commentary with Ryu and Force. I think that may have been the first time I had spoken to either of them outside of text-based posts on the forum, and we’ve done so much since then, and other people have joined us along the way. It’s crazy how time flies when you’re having fun.

—Tennyo

Most of my history with TLS (and ACF before that) has been around providing rare information and translations for Before Crisis and Dirge of Cerberus Online. As one of the world’s leading FFVII sites, I felt TLS.net would be the best place to host details about these Japanese-only releases where fans could visit and learn. The debates stirred by my articles and threads have helped keep my joy of the Compilation alive and I hope it has done so for others too. For me, it has always been THE place to go to learn and get sensible discussion on all things FFVII.

I have seen many people from all walks of life come together on this site to undertake some fantastic fan-made projects. From translations and fanfiction novels to the OTWTAS audiobooks and some members’ (including myself, until recently) participation in the forthcoming FFVII web series. It is a delight to have so many dedicated fans in one place, and for so many to have become friends. Long may it continue. I hope that the next FFVII Compilation installment will bring us all back together the way it has done many times before.

—S and G

It’s going to be difficult to put into a few paragraphs what this site has meant to me over the years. I remember AdventChildren.net, as I was a member there from nearly its beginning, and then I observed TheLifestream as a lurker for about a year after it went live.

I’ve observed the whole gamut of the site’s history, even if I wasn’t there every step of the way. I am grateful to say I have been here for most of it, though, and it has been one of the most rewarding endeavours of my life. That may sound sad, but I don’t care.

I’ve met genuine friends here — cried with them, laughed with them, gotten angry with and at them. This site has been a big part of my life.

Not just the articles I’ve written or the translations I’ve done, but the bonds I’ve made. The discussions I’ve had. The ideas that have been exchanged. Consideration and compassion that has been shared. They’ve played a role in shaping who I am today, and, so, all of us here are part of each other now. That’s a community. That’s a family.

Thanks, you guys. I’m looking forward to our shining future.

—TresDias/Squall of SeeD/Glenn Morrow

Article statistics

Top authors

1. Makoeyes987 — 134
2. ForceStealer — 45
3. Ryushizake — 44

Categories

1. Translations — 108
2. General Final Fantasy — 107 (includes Dissidia Final Fantasy)
3. Compilation of Final Fantasy VII — 62

Tags

1. Final Fantasy VII — 115
2. Dissidia — 78
3. Advent Children — 75

Most-commented posts

1. This just in: The Love Triangle Debate- over — 774
2. On the Way to a Smile – Lifestream Black and Lifestream White — 348
3. The Love Triangle of FFVII – An Analysis by Squall_of_SeeD — 288

TLS front page posts by year

• 2013 — 26 (in five months)
• 2012 — 67
• 2011 — 62
• 2010 — 90
• 2009 — 180
• 2008 — 75 (in four months)

Flintlock’s note: it’s clear that we’ve been getting less active, but there are two mitigating factors. Firstly, we used to publish a lot of small articles that might feature in a roundup nowadays, and secondly, there is a lot less Compilation news than there used to be. That’s why it looks like we’re getting lazy!

Square Enix to Release Remastered Soundtracks of FFIV-FFVI  (via Silicon Era)

Square Enix has a trio of nostalgic Final Fantasy CDs in the works. Final Fantasy IV Original Soundtrack Remaster Version is slated for release on July 3.

While we’ve seen a bunch of Final Fantasy IV soundtracks over the years, this CD has remastered Super Famicom tunes including “The Red Wings,” “The Theme of Love,” and “Battle with Golbez’s Four Fiends.” First print copies will have a Yoshitaka Amano illustration on the cover.

Later this year, Square Enix will release remastered soundtracks for Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI.

Love the original versions of these soundtracks? We’re constantly having discussions and polls about our favorite FF tunes, so join the discussion and let us know what you think about this! (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

Players Given Another Chance to Experience The Coliseum from FF XIII-2 in Lightning Returns: FFXIII (VIA Gaming Union)

Square Enix has confirmed that The Coliseum from Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be making a return in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

The news came from the game’s producer, Yoshinori Kitase, as he was speaking to a French website called Final Fantasy Dream. Kitase said that the Coliseum would return, but that it might not be in the same form.

This announcement came well after the reveal that there would be no story related DLC for LR:FFXIII, which led some to believe there would be a total absence of DLC. Did you buy any of the XIII-2 Coliseum battles? Are you looking forward to seeing more of the Coliseum? Who do you hope to be able to fight this time? Tell us your thoughts! (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

Final Fantasy Tactics S Coming Soon for iOS and Android(VIA Pocket Gamer, Final Fantasy Network)

Square Enix has opened a new Japanese website and pre-registration for a new smartphone title called “Final Fantasy Tactics S”. This “social” game, something of a spinoff of the Ivalice Alliance, will feature designs originally created by Ryoma Ito. The game will also include races, jobs, and monsters featured in 2008′s Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift for the Nintendo DS.

This release coming so soon after Square Enix’s announcement that they would stop focusing on the mobile game market and put more effort into their console offerings might confuse some, but then again, this is Square Enix. So far, FF Tactics S has only been announced for Japanese customers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t be seeing it here in the West. Enjoy Tactics or Square Enix’s mobile games? Let us know! (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

Writer for Joystiq.com Fills Us In on His Experience Playing the First Two Beta Phases of Final Fantasy XIV (VIA Joystiq)

This week, it turned out that I could stop being mum about the Final Fantasy XIV beta… I’m going to talk about aspects of the first two beta phases in as much detail as I can realistically fit into a column starting with one of those obvious cornerstones of video games: combat. This isn’t meant to be about impressions so much as dissecting and analyzing what I’ve played to this point, what is working, and what isn’t. If you want to know my more in-depth impressions of killing things in Final Fantasy XIV’s early test version, read on.

Eliot Lefebvre, the author of The Mog Log at joystiq.com, goes on to tell us his initial thoughts on the combat mechanics of what the beta phases have had to offer, as well as giving us a few details about the specific classes that he was able to play as. He leaves us with an overall positive feeling about his time in the world of FFXIV:

And it’s fun. The combat system had to try to retain the baroque sensibilities of its predecessor while being faster and more strategic, and it managed those changes quite well. Not perfectly, but the design document was pulling in a few dozen directions. 

Are any of you interested in Square’s latest venture into MMOs? Chime in! (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

Fans of Final Fantasy Type-0 Once Again Try to Petition Square Enix for a Western Release(VIA Just Push Start)

Fans of Final Fantasy Type-0 are pushing really hard for the game to be localized for Western countries. Their latest effort is for fans to tweet to Square Enix directly.

The Facebook page called “Operation Suzaku” is already dedicated to this cause and has nearly 17,000 fans. Since the Facebook campaign hasn’t worked, the page is hoping its new Twitter petition might do the trick.

The page announced the following:

“Today is our Twitter day. In order to let Square Enix know we are still waiting for Final Fantasy Type-0, you are all invited to copy/paste the following message on your Twitter account:

Dear @1stPD_PR, @SQEX_Members_NA, @SQUARE_ENIX_EU and @PlayStation please localize #FinalFantasy #Type0 for the West, we have money!” 

Do you wish Square Enix would release Type-0 outside Japan? Do you think that this crazy Twitter scheme could work, or are you bitter and think that Square Enix has forgotten how to listen to their fans? Give us your opinion! (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

Final Fantasy XI’s Seekers of Andoulin DLC Gets a New Patch (VIA Gaming Target) 

The Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin patch has a release date of Monday, April 29, announced Square Enix. This new FFXI: Seekers of Adoulin update will include:

Delve – By using a special item, up to eighteen players can plunge into spatial distortions known as “fractures” to vanquish five powerful monsters and their leader. Players are rewarded with powerful equipment after completing a successful fracture.

Otherworldly Skirmishes – Up to six different players can enter an ethereal realm to fight against a swarm of enemies by using a special sculpture in the land of Ulbuka. Surviving against the swarm will yield victors a cache of powerful armor and additional armaments.

Seekers of Andoulin came out for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in March, 2013. Do any of you play FFXI? Have the DLC? Looking forward to the patch? Sound off! (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

More from the forum

• Limit Breaks: Join Shademp and others in discussing how Limit Breaks should be handled in future FF titles.
  
• Need a break from the mundane? Let Sephiroth cheer you up.
  
• Or just join the debate over whether Sephiroth should be considered a fallen hero or not.

Community news

• We’re down to the end game of our Final Fantasy IX community playthrough. Have you been participating? Be sure to let everyone know how your favorite characters are faring. If you haven’t joined us for this one, be on the lookout for our next community playthrough!
• We’re getting down to the wire with our Final Fantasy couples showdown. Get in the forums to vote and defend your favorite FF couples before they’re bumped out of the competition!
• Join us in wishing forum member Tetsujin a very happy birthday this week!
• Let’s all give a warm welcome to new member Aminee Starlight!

Yesterday however, on April 25th, Square Enix uploaded a trailer for a Japanese port of Final Fantasy VII International. The trailer is the same as the one for the European and American PC release last year, with the only difference being added Japanese subtitles.

No release date has been set, other than that it is coming “soon”. Great thanks to TheLifestream member AvecAloes for bringing this news to our attention. Discuss the news on our forums.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII will be revealed soon, preparations are underway (via Nova Crystallis)

You’ll have to wait a little bit longer for information on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, according to Tetsuya Nomura. Joining in on the inaugural episode of Square Enix Merchandise Radio, the game director and character designer was on-hand as a special guest. Naturally, the other staff present couldn’t help but ask about when the next details will be revealed for his elusive project.

“It’s a delicate situation within the company. Very delicate.” explains Nomura. “We’ve been quiet for a year now, but the date is already set for our next reveal and we are steadily working toward preparing information for that. Last year we failed to announce anything about the game – to be honest I talked about sharing new information but wasn’t able to and I want to apologize for that.”

Have your say: will there really be more Versus information soon? (hat-tip: Captain Highwind)

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Spotted On The European PS Store (via Explosion)

Final Fantasy X and X-2 are getting a remastered version before the end of the year, as many Japanese role-playing games fans surely known. Aside from a first launch trailer and screenshots for Final Fantasy X HD, not much is known about these remasters. One thing, however, is assured: Final Fantasy X HD will look great, as seen by the screenshots. Square Enix stated that the game will look as good as Final Fantasy XIII and things are not too far from the truth.

Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD Remasters have now appeared on the European Playstation Store: the pages don’t reveal anything that we didn’t know yet and the set release date is clearly a placeholder. The interesting thing is that they have appeared on the PS3 Store, meaning that they might get released digitally on PS3.

Have your say: will you buy the remastered versions of X and X-2? (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

Square Enix’s Bravely Default releases on 3DS in 2014 (via Gamezone)

Some great news for role-playing game enthusiasts slipped by today’s bigger 3DS announcements from Nintendo. Square Enix’s Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is coming to the handheld next year in North America and Europe. Nintendo is publishing the title, which fans have suspected would reach the West for a while now. The localization will be in English.

The classic-style RPG uses a job system, which both the four playable characters and enemies adopt. You can discover more jobs as you play. Below is a new, subtitled trailer for the game.

Have your say: will Final Fantasy Type-0 ever get an English localisation?

More from the forum

• On that day, five years ago… where did Cloud get the strength to defeat Sephiroth from?
• Does Cid’s dialogue in Rocket Town contradict the Final Fantasy VII plot?
• A fan-made Final Fantasy VII piano album to rival the official collection.
• There are lots of Chocobo themes in the Final Fantasy series, but which is the best?

Community news

• The Final Fantasy IX community playthrough is nearing its conclusion. If you’ve been playing along, this week you should be making your final preparations for the assault on the Iifa Tree.
• In our ongoing fan-art challenge, we want you to draw a Final Fantasy character in one of their most famous poses.
• Our Final Fantasy couples showdown has reached its third round. Vote for the couples you want to progress.
• Do you have any thoughts on how we should develop our site this summer? Let us know!
• Happy birthday to Lifestream forum member I Am Not Me, who reached the age of 17 on Saturday!
• A warm welcome to our newest member, vacuity!

YouTube member Smooth McGroove, real name Max Gleason, has been recording multi-layered a cappella (vocals only) versions of video game compositions since last December, when his renditions of Zelda’s Lullaby and the Ocarina of Time Title Theme first gained him widespread attention. Since then, he has turned his hand – and his voice – to a variety of different games, such as Super Mario 64, Castlevania and, most successfully, Street Fighter 2. Of interest to us, however, are his covers of three tracks from Final Fantasy VII: Aerith’s Theme (right), J-E-N-O-V-A and the main battle theme (below).

If you enjoy these songs, be sure to check out McGroove’s a cappella versions of Final Fantasy VIII’s Balamb Garden and Final Fantasy X’s To Zanarkand as well.

We’re blown away by the quality and creativity of his work. Let us know what you think on our forum or in the comments below!

Rumour: Ex-Square Enix Developer Defends Recently Axed Boss (via Kotaku)

Online in Japan, an individual claiming to have worked, until recently, at Square Enix as a programmer wrote a post about Wada’s departure. The post isn’t an attack on Wada, but rather, it seems to be a defence written in the wake of another Japanese site trashing Wada.

“I don’t know a company president who loves playing his own company’s games more than Wada,” the alleged former programmer stated. Continuing, the writer went on to add that while Wada was not a game developer and certainly didn’t have a deep knowledge of game development, he would read game design documents and take part in development meetings. That doesn’t mean Wada was a perfect boss: “If anything, Wada’s mistake, his weakness was that because he loved and cherished his developers so much that he put too much trust in them,” the post continued.

Have your say: what should Square Enix do next? (hat-tip: Prince Lex)

New Realm Reborn Video Highlights Familiar Magitek Armor (via Anime News Network)

Square Enix began streaming a 70-second video on Thursday for the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that highlights the game’s Magitek Armor, a new version of the armored unit that Terra from Final Fantasy VI used during the game. The video features Terra’s theme song and three Magitek-armored units walking in the snow, which is reminiscent of the opening sequence from the original SNES game.

Square Enix will release the updated Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn game on personal computers and the PlayStation 3 console, but game director and producer Naoki Yoshida has said that after Square Enix launches the PS3 version, there “might be an opportunity to discuss” releasing the game for the PS4 console.

Compare Square Enix’s remake of FFVI graphics with this fan-made version on our forum.

‘Chocobo Lattes, Alcoholic Materia Served At Square Enix’s Artnia Cafe (via Siliconera)

If you’re planning to visit Tokyo, you can get a stack of strawberry pancakes and a cappuccino with chocobo foam art. Those are some of the items Artnia, the Square Enix cafe, serves up.

Artnia also serves cocktails based on summons and materia. For example, there is Shiva, a short cocktail with the aroma of lychee, and Ifrit, a long cocktail with orange and blackcurrant flavors. Saturday night drink recipes anyone?

Discuss the Artnia Café on our forum.

More from the forum

• Danseru-kun is playing through Final Fantasy VIII for the first time. Follow her progress here.
• Check out these fantastic a cappella covers of Final Fantasy VII songs.
• Aerith’s Theme reached third place in the Classic FM Hall of Fame, up from 16th place last year.

Community news

• We need your help for the next article in our The Seven series: what are the best Final Fantasy FMVs?
• It’s round two of the Final Fantasy couples showdown. Vote for the couples you want to progress.
• Happy birthday to Lifestream members Clourline, Ghost X and Pixel!

Square Enix’s New President Plans To Review The Entire Company (via Siliconera)

After the announcement of Square Enix’s net income loss of 13 billion yen, it was announced that Yosuke Matsuda will be replacing Yoichi Wada as the president of the company. Since then, there’s been many questions about what this means for Square Enix and what will become of Yoichi Wada. In a recent Square Enix Holdings briefing session, the to-be president, Yosuke Matsuda, talked about his plans for the company:

“After having succeeded the important role as the president, I plan on reviewing all Square Enix duties, business and assets on a zero-based budgeting standpoint. Due to the radical change of environment, I’d like to fundamentally review what works and what doesn’t work for our company, then cast all of our resources towards extending what makes us successful and thoroughly squeezing out what doesn’t.”

Have your say: what has gone wrong at Square Enix?

Final Fantasy 5 out now on iOS, priced $15.99 (via Joystiq)

Not that its impending arrival was much of a secret, but Final Fantasy V arrived on the App Store today and is available now for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices for $15.99.

As this trailer neatly shows, this version is based on the 2006 Game Boy Advance release, and so includes the additional Sealed Temple dungeon and optional Enuo boss. It also features new character designs and graphical tweaks, courtesy of veteran FF sprite artist Kazuko Shibuya.

An Android version comes to Japan this summer. Going by recent history, that indicates it’ll arrive in western territories around the same time.

Check out Square Enix’s clever use of a Tokyo subway station’s architecture to advertise this release of Final Fantasy V.

‘Evoland’ is a playable history of gaming, from 8-bit to HD (via The Verge)

When you first start playing Evoland, it doesn’t look all that impressive. The pixelated visuals are lacking in color, and there isn’t even any sound — it’s like an original GameBoy game blown up to the size of your monitor. But as you play, you’ll not only unlock new items and abilities like in most games, but also new features that bring Evoland closer to the present. Essentially you’re playing through the modern history of games, going from an 8-bit black-and-white world all the way to detailed 3D — you’ll even have to unlock modern conveniences like the ability to save.

The game doesn’t cover the entirety of gaming history, but instead focuses on just a few types of experiences, mostly role playing games. You’ll find elements pulled from series like Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, and even a bit of Diablo. This means that not only does the look and feel of the game change as you progress, but the gameplay changes as well.

If you’ve spotted any of the numerous Final Fantasy references in Evoland, let us know!

More from the forum

• Check out these drawings of Final Fantasy characters in different job classes – and add your own.
• If you’re still not sure, find out what Final Fantasy VII is about. Warning: contains tongue-in-cheek humour.
• Which Final Fantasy characters do you hate?

Community news

• Don’t miss the first ever Lifestream podcast!
• The Final Fantasy IX community playthrough takes in the Desert Palace and Oeilvert, arguably one of the most challenging sections of the game.
• NORG wants to determine the greatest Final Fantasy couple – real or imagined. Help him out by voting for your favourites.
• In a similar vein, Ghost X is planning a tournament to find out the Final Fantasy series’ greatest inn. It’s still at the planning stage, so make your nominations.
• Happy birthday to Lifestream member Junko Enoshima!