Jan 15, 2008

Final Fantasy IV

Lost your bearings? FFIV is the one that introduced the ‘Active Time Battle System’ - the same time-meter-based attack system that’s been used in pretty much all Final Fantasy games since. You might have seen IV before on GBA or maybe even PSOne - but never like this. You get the same 3D refit as the recent FFIII remake. You get voices. You get animated cutscenes. And you get one of history’s greatest traditional RPGs, playable on the bus.

Above: Final Fantasy IV and Fire Emblem: Dragon of Darkness and Sword of Light

New International Track & Field

There are over 20 events, with comedy big-head versions of Konami favourites like psychotic Silent Hill murderer freak Pyramid Head, and a Wi-Fi mode that includes online leaderboards and a world record tickertape. The big question: why does one athlete on the website have a shotgun?

Fire Emblem: Dragon of Darkness and Sword of Light

If you’ve always wished Advance Wars had blue-rinsed fops and snarling dogs instead of proper human beings, have a look at this. FE:DODASOL (as we’re forced to call it to leave room to write anything else) is a remake of the first Fire Emblem - originally released on NES in 1990 - and stars Marth, who you’ll no doubt recognise from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl. Details are sparse, but the takey-turny strategy should be as solidly compulsive as ever.