I hadn’t intended to write a review for this particular DVD, and in fact hadn’t originally sought to watch it at all. However as fate would have it, I was given the opportunity to view this exotically eye-catching anime through a sheer twist of fate, and boredom of myself and a friend.

I had no idea what to expect going into the anime, except that I’d seen commercials for the DVD release on the Sci-Fi channel whilst in-between my bouts of Ani-Monday. (which is, I can only guess, a newer version of the older Saturday Anime the channel used to show) The visuals represented by said commercial were, to say the least, incredibly pretty and were enough to pique my interests. A few weeks later, I manage to get my hands on a friend’s rental copy of the 2-disc feature, and plopped down.
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This is pretty much a companion piece to my Final Fantasy I – VI special from two weeks ago. What makes this funny is that the Final Fantasy Legend series is actually the English translation of what is known in Japan as the Saga series. When Square released it over here, it changed the name to Final Fantasy Legend to capitalize off the growing popularity of the series. It has nothing to do with Final Fantasy, but then again it’s just as well, as none of the Final Fantasy games have anything to do with each other. Besides, these three games have managed to become excellent role-playing games in their own right.

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My birthday was this past week, so in lieu of my usual $20 Game of the week and Lost Classics segments this week, I decided to give you a look at the the first half of one of the greatest console role playing game franchise of all time. That’s right, it’s my birthday, but I’m giving you the gift. See how cool I am? Well, onto our special feature.

After Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as we knew it over here at the time), Final Fantasy was and still remains one of RPG gaming’s most prolific franchises. It introduced and refined several conventions that are seen in RPGs such as the turn-based battle system, character customization, ability progression, and story writing. Even so, it wasn’t until FFVII bought the series into 3-d that the series gained mainstream popularity. However, the first six games of the series still hold a special place in the hearts of many longtime FF fans.

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Although this game was one of the first role playing games to be released on the original Playstation in Japan, it would end up being the one of the last RPGs on the original PS1 in America. Arc the lad spawned several sequels and an anime series. Ironically, even though it was Sony Computer Entertainment themselves who owned the franchise, the ‘anti-2-d’ stance of its American branch was the main factor that prevented this game’s release. Working Designs (best known for its U.S.releases of Lunar) even attempted to score the U.S. publishing rights to the three games, but they were denied by Sony. However, things turned around thanks to new management at Sony and the success of other RPGs, most notable Final Fantasy VII and VIII. After several months of delays, Working Designs finally gave us the chance to play this classic. Not only that, we got all three PS1 games to boot. Arc the Lad Collection carried a $75 price tag, but being able to play this classic RPG series made the hefty price worth it.

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Although it’s all but unknown over here, Hirohiko Araki’s manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has enjoyed a sizable following in its native Japan. A bizarre mash up of vampires, martial artists, fortune tellers, superheroes, and gangsters, Jojo is a story about the trials and tribulations of the Joestar family. A major focus of the series are the stands, psychic entities which grant their users powers. Much of the series has been inspired by music, as it features several characters who have been named after songs, rappers, and rock bands. The series has been divided into 6 arcs, each taking place in a different time period and centered around a different main character. Capcom produced a series of games based on the third story arc, in which Jotaro Joestar, his grandfather, and their allies travel to Egypt to defeat a vampire in order to save Jotaro’s mother from her own stand (don’t ask). Although they are fighting games, they are as far removed from Street Fighter as they get. The first game, Jojo’s Venture, was released in the arcades in 1998 and was bought to the PS1 and Dreamcast with exclusive features. In typical Capcom fashion, Jojo’s Venture received a championship edition-style update complete with new characters and features known as Heritage for the Future. A third game was released in Japan for the PS2, but never made it over here.
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Welcome back to Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. This is part 2 of our special edition X-men $20 GOTW and lost classics. In the first part we looked at some of the lows of the X-men franchise. In this second part, we’ll take a look at the Marvel Vs Capcom series, as well as Activision’s X-men games. You can find pretty much all of these games in stores, and most of them retail for $20 or less.
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Today, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a man who has dedicated his life to equality between people of all races. In the 1960s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-men, a comic book about a team of superheroes dedicated to equality between human and mutant. Even though the cast was all Caucasian at the time, the book explored race relations in a profoundly brilliant manner without the material being heavy handed. Over time, the team’s roster would expand to include heroes from many different backgrounds, from the Jewish Kitty Pryde and the African Storm to the Native American Mirage. Throughout their 40+ year history, the X-men have seen many ups and downs, both in and out of comics, and video gaming is no different. What better way is there to celebrate Dr King’s dream than to have a look back at the interactive adventures of Xavier’s finest? In the first part of this two part special, we’ll take a look at some of the earliest games starring the children of the atom. The second part, coming later this week, will feature the Marvel vs Capcom games as well as Activision’s X-men titles.
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Back in September, we reported near-live from the Tokyo Game Show floor about an upcoming SNK arcade collection, which SNK elaborated upon over the weekend with a complete game listing:

SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PSP(r) (PlayStation® Portable) system.

SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 will include the following SNK games:

• ART OF FIGHTING – The first game in SNK’s second fighting-game franchise, set in the same universe as FATAL FURY.
• BASEBALL STARS 2 – The sequel to SNK’s popular baseball arcade game.
• BURNING FIGHT – New York detectives battle organized crime in this fighter.
• FATAL FURY – First released in 1991, FATAL FURY introduced the two-plane fighting system.
• KING OF FIGHTERS ‘94 – The first game in the popular KING OF FIGHTERS series.
• KING OF THE MONSTERS – In KING OF THE MONSTERS, giant monsters fight for power in epic battles.
• LAST RESORT – A challenging futuristic shooter.
• MAGICIAN LORD – Players help the wizard Elta save his homeworld in this platformer.
• METAL SLUG – Known for its humor and fast- moving gameplay, this run-and-gun side-scroller was the first in the popular series.
• NEO TURF MASTERS – A golf game which debuted on the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999.
• SAMURAI SHODOWN – Set in the 18th century, SAMURAI SHODOWN features bladed-weapon combat and an international cast f characters.
• SENGOKU – In SENGOKU, players face off against undead feudal Japanese armies.
• SHOCK TROOPERS – In this run-and-gun adventure, players save a scientist and his granddaughter from the Bloody Scorpions.
• SUPER SIDEKICKS 3 – A soccer game featuring teams from all over the world.
• TOP HUNTER – Bounty hunters protect colonists from space pirates in this futuristic action game.
• WORLD HEROES – This classic fighter pits players against historical figures in a tournament enabled by time travel.

“With 16 of our most beloved games, SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 is a must-have addition to any arcade fan’s collection,” said Ben Herman, president of SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION. “It’s the most comprehensive SNK compilation to date.”

SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 will be available for PlayStation2 system and the PSP(r) (PlayStation(r) Portable) in the first half of 2008.

This almost makes up for being four months late about the rest of our video coverage!

There’s no mention of a Wii title in the release, but we’re confident there will be one eventually (as per our video report), and various other sites have mentioned finding an ESRB rating for a Wii version.

Thanks to sites like Nintendo Wii Fanboy for giving credit where due.