Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that I’m obsessed with all things Square Enix. Or they’ll tell you I’m nuts and shouldn’t be allowed around sharp objects. Either way.

That in mind, if you’re imagining that I had the latest foray into the Kingdom Hearts universe pre-ordered months ago, you’d be correct.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (the correct pronunciation of which somehow works out to “Three Five Eight Days Over Two”) fills in the missing information concerning Sora’s Nobody, Roxas, during Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and leads into the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2. While Sora sleeps, Namine rebuilding his memory bit by bit after his adventures in Castle Oblivion, Roxas is off on his own adventures with the other members of Organization XIII.

The story begins as Roxas awakens as a Nobody and is recruited by Organization XIII. He soon meets and becomes friends with Axel, as well as another mysterious Nobody by the name of Xion. He shortly learns that he and Xion are “special” Nobodies, though it doesn’t become fully clear to them just what, beyond their ability to use the Keyblade, it is that makes them special until much later.

As usual, Square Enix is in fine form, storywise, bringing back old characters and introducing new ones, toying with the the player’s emotions, and ultimately delivering a fine tale that raises as many questions as it answers.

The gameplay of 358/2 Days is more similar to it’s console-based siblings than to the GBA’s Chain of Memories. Mostly forgoing the DS’s touchpad (though it is used for repositioning the camera), most of the action is the usual button-mashing Kingdom Hearts fans are already familiar with. I will say that I found a lot more use for magic this time around… in previous games, I just wailed on whatever was attacking me with my keyblade, rather than bothering with a magic attack. Magic is a bit more effective in this installment, and occasionally even necessary.

Roxas’ abilities can be customized by earning panels and slots to put panels in. Panels equip just about everything: skills, magic, items, weapons, accessories… there are even level panels, which puts an interesting (though occasionally frustrating) twist on outfitting the character before battle.

In terms of the game as a whole, the one thing I missed most was the lack of exploration. Early in the game, access is limited to only a few areas of the various worlds Roxas must visit… other avenues are blocked of by barriers until later quests. 358/2 Days looses a lot of the sandbox feel Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 offered. Additionally, there are only a scant few worlds even available. I have to say that I was a little disappointed not to see Atlantica, Hollow Bastion, or the Deep Jungle from the first game, or China, the Pridelands, and Port Royale from the second. But then, Roxas’ time is limited, so I suppose that it only makes sense that he can’t go everywhere Sora could and meet everyone that Sora met.

So how does it stack up overall?

Gameplay: 6/10 - I was glad to see the return to the KH1/2-style hack and slashing, but it felt awkward on the DS. I missed my analog sticks, and trying to simultaneously control the camera and my attacks with one hand resulted in an untimely death on more than on occasion before I finally got the hang of it. Sort of.

Characters: 10/10 - Kingdom Hearts has some of my favorite characters, hands down. I was thrilled to get a glimpse into the Organization members we saw so little of in the other games.

Story: 9/10 - While you kind of have to wonder how Axel, Roxas, and Xion don’t weigh half a ton given all the sea salt ice cream they eat on a daily basis, the story is well-paced and entertaining from beginning to end. Bonus points for managing to make me cry at one point.

Overall: 8/10 - There are some flaws, and the feeling that it could have been more… but as with many Square Enix games, most fans are in it primarily for the story, and on that level it delivers.

Confirmed in the latest issue of Famitsu, Capcom is working on a follow-up to Clover Studios’ Okami for release in Japan some time in 2010. The game is in the works for the Nintendo DS and will be called “Okamiden: Chiisaki Taiyou” (which, according to people with better Japanese skills than me, means something along the lines of “Okami Legend: The Small Sun”).

Okamiden will pick up a several months after the end of the first story. Plays will take on the role of Chibiterasu (apparently a younger version of Okami’s Amaterasu). Joining Chibiterasu will be Issun and Sakuya from the first game, along with Susano’s son, Kuninushi.

The gameplay will be similar to that of the original game, requiring players to draw spells on the screen (something that will hopefully translate a lot better to the DS than it did to the Wii).

There hasn’t been any word yet of a U.S. release, but being a fan of Okami, I’m personally looking forward to hearing more about Okamiden.

With the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines for PSP, due out in November, Ubisoft has announced that the game is getting the Entertainment Pack treatment. The limited edition bundle will include the game, an “Altair-white” PSP-3000 handheld system, a 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, and a yet-to-be-announced UMD movie.

Set in Cyprus, the game picks up following immediately after the events of the original 360/PS3 game and explores the link between the original and the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 2. Bloodlines is said to take full advantage of the PSP’s technological abilities to give players an large environments, free-running gameplay, and access to Altair’s signature moves.

In addition, it will also feature some connectivity with the PS3 version of Assassin’s Creed 2… as players unlock certain upgrades in Assassin’s Creed 2, the same upgrades will be unlocked in Bloodlines, and vice versa.

Though it hasn’t been released in the U.S. yet, I finally broke down and imported this one from Japan a while back. Dissidia is sort of the Super Smash Bros. of the Final Fantasy world, bringing together the heros and villains of the series and letting them beat the stuffing out of one another. Exclusive to the PSP, the game is slotted for a release in the U.S. some time this summer.

The premise of the game is that in the war between the goddess of harmony (known as Cosmos) and the god of destruction (called Chaos) things have suddenly shifted in Chaos’ favor. Though evil appears to be winning, a small band of heros band together to restore the balance.

The game itself is a straight-up fighter, very much in the vein of Smash Bros., with a little Soul Caliber thrown in. The battle field allows you to move the characters in full 3D (one of my major grips about SSB Brawl was that it lacked true 3D environments), including the ability to wall-walk and climb pillars and other structures, and slide on rails. Like most fighters, the object is to reduce your opponent’s HP to zero.

During battle, both opponents begin the match with equal BP (Brave Points). Damage to HP is dealt based on the difference between your BP and that of your opponent. There are two basic attacks… a BP attack, which steals BP from your opponent and adds it to your own guage, and an HP attack which depletes your stores of BP in order to damage your opponent’s HP.

In addition, battles also feature Break Mode (in which a character’s BP is reduced to zero and all attacks against him or her result in critical damage), and EX Mode (in which the EX Gauge fills and enables the character to use their EX Burst, Dissidia’s version of a limit break).

The story mode is completed by clearing “chapters”, each chapter being represented by a chessboard-like field that contains battle, treasure, and bonus icons. The object of each chapter is to move and battle your way across the field until you capture the Chaos square (usually occupied by a boss icon).

Each and every hero has his or her own storyline to play through that contributes to the overall plot, and a hero from Final Fantasy I through XI is included in the line-up. Access to the villains (who also have their own storylines) must be unlocked by earning Purchase Points during gameplay and then purchasing them in the in-game shop. Adding to the playtime, clearing the initial “chapters” unlocks the Shade Impulse “chapters” (which in turn, when cleared, unlocks Distant Glory and Inward Chaos).

My overall impression of the game was very favorable. Though it lacks the combo moves that many gamers expect in fighting titles, Dissidia is a solid fusion of one on one fighting with an RPG feel to it. Admittedly, I probably missed out on a lot of the story-related content, my Japanese not being exactly fluent, but it didn’t really detract much from my enjoyment of the game.

So overall, how did it fare?

Story: n/a
I’m going to refrain from giving this a rating until I have a chance to play it in a language I fully understand. But what I did manage to pick up gave me the impression that Square Enix’s strength in crafting a plot hasn’t diminished.

Characters: 9/10
It’s hard to go wrong with classic, well-loved Final Fantasy characters. The only reason it didn’t get a 10/10 is because I wish they’d included more than just two per game.

Gameplay: 8/10
Controls are easy enough to pick up, even without an English language tutorial. Sometimes, maybe a little too simplistic. But that doesn’t mean the game itself is a breeze. There’s plenty of challenge packed in there.

Overall: 9/10
I’m still having a lot of fun with this game, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the U.S. release so I can figure out what all that dialog is about.

As many of you may have heard, the next iteration of the DS is coming to the U.S. in April. The Nintendo DSi features upgrades such as a larger screen and thinner overall design, dual camera (inward and outward facing), and the ability to access and play music from an standard SD card.

The DSi will also have access to DSiWare, the DSi-only version of WiiWare, available for download in exchange for DSi Points.

Buyers should note, however, that the DSi also loses some features… most notably the ability to play GameBoy Advance games. Consequently, as it drops the GBA port entirely, it also loses compatibility with certain peripheral controllers, like Guitar Hero On Tour’s Guitar Grip. Additionally, according to the official specs for the device, the DSi has a shorter battery life than the DS Lite (3-4 hours on high brightness for DSi vs. 5-8 hours for the Lite), but takes slightly less time to recharge.

The Nintendo DSi will be available April 5, and will retail for $169.99.

At last, something I really wanted to hear… Square Enix has finally announced a release date for the North American version of Dissidia Final Fantasy. Well… alright, a release range. Sometime mid-year, 2009. But at least they’ve finally confirmed that we’re getting the damned thing.

Dissida looks to be the Smash Bros. of the Final Fantasy world, bringing together the heros and villains of nearly the entire series into one fighter mash-up.

The PSP title released today in Japan. Along with it come the Suntory-produced Potions. This round comes in grape and grapefruit flavors, but each can bearing a Yoshitaka Amano illustration of one of 16 characters on it. There’s also a nifty commercial for the potions over on YouTube

… although it doesn’t even come close to topping the commercial for the FFXII branded potions awhile back.

In case you missed it, the Dissidia: Final Fantasy trailer from Tokyo Game Show is making the rounds on the internet… and it gives you a pretty good look at every known character to date.

I just wish my Japanese was better so I knew what the heck they’re talking about.

Dissidia will be released for PSP on Dec. 18 in Japan. Maybe Square Enix will be nice and give us a U.S. release date for Christmas?

Dissidia: Final Fantasy, the semi-action RPG/fighter/gushing fountain of fan-service that has been in development for PSP for… well, honestly I don’t even remember how long ago this was announced, actually. I think it was about the same time they announced Crisis Core, come to think of it. Anyway, they’ve decided to give it a release date.

For Japan. *insert grumbles about how they get everything first here*

Courtesy of Kotaku, the PSP title has a street date of December 18, 2008. No information on a U.S. release date was included in the announcement. I suppose I could always import, but my Japanese is severely lacking.

As often as it’s in the news anymore, I’m seriously starting to wonder whether or not that’s anything left that hasn’t been patented. Sony’s been sued over patent issues with their controllers, and with their Blu-Ray technology, Microsoft got slapped with a suit over XBOX Live, and Nintendo’s had their share as well.

Well Nintendo’s got one more to deal with now, courtesy of Rockford, Illinois resident John R. Martin. GamePolitics is reporting that the complaint filed by Mr. Martin is suspected to be related to the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen technology, though no product is mentioned by name, and the patent in question was filed in August 2005… nearly a year after the release of the Nintendo DS.

Hit up GamePolitics for the official complaint and patent filing.

Don’t you just love patent trolls?

Square Enix released a new trailer today for their Final Fantasy mash-up fighting title, Dissidia: Final Fantasy (coming eventually to a PSP near you). In addition to some new character reveals, the trailer also show 2008 as the release window for the game… at least in Japan. It’s anyone’s guess when it will make it stateside. Check out the trailer at GameTrailers.com