Friday, June 4, 2010

“The Western Version of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Officially ... - Softpedia” plus 2 more

“The Western Version of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Officially ... - Softpedia” plus 2 more

The Western Version of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Officially ... - Softpedia

Posted: 28 May 2010 12:04 AM PDT

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The Final Fantasy franchise will spawn a new game this autumn, according to Square Enix. This new installment is entitled Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and the Japanese publisher says it is meant to take the series back to the basics. The release window announced is the autumn of this year and the game will be coming exclusively to the Nintendo DS.

In the tradition of the Final Fantasy series, the title will be a turn-based role playing game. The class system will be similar to that of Final Fantasy X-2, with classes being changed by means of putting on different hats. There will be 20 different jobs available that include black and white mages, rangers, fighters and other Final Fantasy favorites. Square Enix promised that ease of play was one of its targets, with users being able to customize the DS' touch screen to accommodate their favorite battle commands.

A new feature is the cooperative multiplayer, where up to four people will be able to engage various fantasy monsters in turn-based combat. Finishing dungeons in this mode will earn players points that can be traded for new items, like swords, armors or potions that can be used afterwards in the single-player campaign. The picture-book look that characterized the old Final Fantasy games is back as well, with Akihiko Yoshida taking the reigns as art director. In the past, he worked on Final Fantasy XII and the DS version of Final Fantasy III.

The game is being developed by Matrix, the studio responsible for the 3D remakes of Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS. The Japanese version has been available for some time now and Western gamers that do understand Japanese weren't very happy with it, considering the traditional take-on was resulting in too much frustration with the very limited gameplay options. The restricted inventory was a particular gripe, with only 15 slots available for item storage.

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Company of Heroes Online deploying in North America - Gamespot News

Posted: 03 Jun 2010 03:49 PM PDT

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THQ is opening up a new front in its battle for a piece of the online gaming market this fall. Today the publisher announced that Company of Heroes Online, a downloadable free-to-play spin-off of its PC real-time strategy series developed for the Asian market, will launch in North America this fall.

First announced for the Chinese market in 2007, the game is based on the online component of Relic's highly regarded WWII real-time strategy series. The game will be driven by microtransactions, as players can purchase special units and upgrades as an alternative to earning them. The game also features persistent progression that takes players from private to general, as well as army and commander customization options.

Company of Heroes isn't the only franchise THQ is adapting for the free-to-play online crowd. Later this year, the company plans to launch its WWE series online in Korea, with a wider Asian release to follow. Developed by Korean studio Vertigo Games, WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW Online will allow players to create wrestlers and take them through careers in single-player or multiplayer matches, purchasing items, abilities, and themes to help them on their way. The publisher also created an original free-to-play game, Dragonica Online, which it launched domestically last year.

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Casting Disclosed for ‘Angels in America’ - New York Times Blogs

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 02:26 AM PDT

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Initial casting for the September revival of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Angels in America" includes Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter, according to two theater executives involved with the Signature Theater Company production.

Mr. Quinto, who played Spock in the 2009 film "Star Trek" and Sylar on the television series "Heroes," will portray the sarcastic Louis Ironson. Mr. Porter, an actor and singer who has performed in Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, has been cast as Belize, the nurse and former drag queen.

In the 1993 Broadway production of the two-part "Angels," about politics, AIDS and love, Joe Mantello played Louis and Jeffrey Wright played Belize. Mr. Mantello was nominated for a Tony Award for best featured actor in a play for the role in Part 1 of "Angels," "Millennium Approaches." Mr. Wright won the Tony for best featured actor in a play for his work in Part 2, "Perestroika."

The two theater executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for Signature, said on Thursday that the company was in talks with the actor Christian Borle to play Prior Walter, a gay man with AIDS, whose health causes his boyfriend, Louis, to leave him. Mr. Borle was nominated for a Tony in 2007 for best featured actor in a musical when he played the teaching assistant Emmett in "Legally Blonde."

A spokesman for the "Angels" production had no comment on the casting.

The Off Broadway revival will be directed by Michael Greif ("Next to Normal," "Rent"), and will mark the first time that "Angels" has been produced on a major New York stage since the Broadway production of Parts 1 and 2 closed in December 1994.

The two parts of "Angels" will run in repertory at Signature from Sept. 14 through Dec. 19.

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