Major bummer. Square Enix prez Yoichi Wada has just announced that the delay of Dragon Quest IX for the DS may affect the release of Final Fantasy XIII.

Well, frak.

For over a year now, it's been the same old story in Famitsu's Most Wanted list: Japanese gamers who took part in their polls voted Final Fantasy XIII as the most anticipated title. It's claimed the throne for over twelve months already, but that's changed now. What are Japanese gamers looking forward to the most these days? Dragon Quest IX for the DS. Yeah, leave it to the Japanese gamers to replace an RPG with another RPG - another Square Enix RPG, for that matter - on their most wanted list.

At the Tokyo Game Show, Cloud and Terra were finally announced to be the missing members of the Dissidia roster. Though I'm not particularly surprised. What else is Square Enix up to down at TGS? Well how about a customized PSP-3000 with a Dissidia theme? Check out shots of the handheld in the full article.

What do you think are the titles that will create the most splash at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show? Enterbrain president Hamamura gives off his own list, and we'd have to agree with notes.

So what do Japanese gamers these days want to get their hands on the most? The latest list of most wanted games from Famitsu reveals a heavy leaning towards RPGs (mostly from Square Enix - no surprise there), with a healthy dose of other games from different genres, publishers, and platforms. See the Top 15 Famitsu Most Wanted list in the full article.

Square Enix president Yoichi Wada was recently interviewed by Bloomberg Japan. DUring the interview, he mentioned a few interesting details about Dragon Quest IX for the DS and the direction he wants to see his company go.

If you want to find out what he said, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

After what seems to be a long drought of Dragon Quest IX screenshots, here's a new batch to tide the long wait over. The 3D graphics - while simplistic - looks crisp and clean, and the customizable characters certainly don't look half-bad either.

The game will also keep Dragon Quest's old-school battle system, making this title a sentimental must-have for hardcore fans of the game, only in miniature 3D. These screenshots certainly makes the wait harder for Dragon Quest enthusiasts, especially when the release of Dragon Quest IX is unfortunately pushed back by a delay.

This Dragon Quest title will hit Japanese store shelves in the fourth quarter of this year, and a Western release date is not yet announced.

    

More screenshots after the jump!

  

TGS is right around the corner, and it's no surprise that the big boys of the videogame industry are packing their biggest guns for the event. Such is the case with Square Enix, having recently announced that it will be showing new, exclusive trailers of its highly-anticipated titles in two separate Mega Theaters at TGS. Talk about jumping into the fray armed!

So what titles are going to get the special trailer treatment from Squeenix? In no particular order, they're Dragon Quest IX (DS), The Last Remnant (Xbox 360), Final Fantasy XI (Xbox 360, PC), Final Fantasy Dissidia (PSP) and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII (PS3). That's five titles we haven't been hearing much of lately, with emphasis on the highly-anticipated sequel to one of the greatest RPG series ever made.

There's a catch, though. Final Fantasy Dissidia and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII will have their trailers shown in Squeenix's Closed Mega Theater, while the others will be airing at the Open Mega Theater. So it's going to be pretty tough for anyone who'd want to watch what's the latest with the Final Fantasy character-packed fighting game for the PSP, as well as the first ever main female lead of a Final Fantasy game (second if you count Yuna).

  

Square Enix RPG fans, today is just not your day: Square Enix just announced that Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS has been delayed from its supposed release date this year to 2008.

The RPG maker stated its need for more time in order to improve Dragon Quest IX and to make sure that gamers will be satisfied once the completed game comes out.

As for when Dragon Quest IX will finally be released, here's a hint: it could possibly be released after the three Dragon Quest remakes are out. If you are upset by this development, don't be: there are simply so many other games to be released later this year, including The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

We simply just have to grin and bear the delay, and thankfully we have plenty of reasons to grin.

While Microsoft is readying up a media barrage for North America to promote Bungie's Halo 3 game (Xbox 360), it looks like Japan's populace may not be quite as receptive. Famitsu's latest "Most Wanted" polls of the region indicate that the game is gone from the poll's top 20 list, being overrun by Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends for the PlayStation 2.

Games making another appearance in the list include White Knight Story and The Last Remnant (PS3, Xbox 360). And in case you're wondering, the lists' top five stalwarts are still there, solidly rooted to their current places - at least until more developments arise.

1. Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Square Enix)
2. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
3. Biohazard 5 (PS3, Capcom)
4. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3, Konami)
5. Monster Hunter 3 (PS3, Capcom)
6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii, Nintendo)
7. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Microsoft)
8. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII (PSP, Square Enix)
9. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, Capcom)
10. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)  
11. The Last Remnant (PS3, Xbox 360; Square Enix)
12. Animal Crossing (Wii, Nintendo)
13. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
14. Final Fantasy IV (NDS, Square Enix)
15. Ash (DS, Mistwalker)
    
16. Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (PS2, Koei)
17. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii, Capcom)
18. White Knight Story (PS3, Sony)
19. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3, Sony)
20. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (NDS, Level 5)