Having trouble sleeping? You don't have to rise from your bed all wasted if you have a Nintendo DS at hand. We'll show you how to fall asleep with this short list of games that can relax your mind.

Don't get us wrong, these games listed are by no means boring - some of them are actually incredibly addictive. Read all about it in the full article!

The games Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales (Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon) will be released in Australia and New Zealand by Ubisoft this May. Both titles have a lot to offer offer Final Fantasy fans from both areas.

Final Fantasy III is much more than a remake of the original that graced the NES 17 years ago.The game has undergone many changes, and if you want to read up on it you can check the previous article we did on it.

In Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales you play a chocobo who must compete in a variety of mini-games and microgames. You will have to do this to save lost friends and restore peace to the land. A pretty strange storyline but that's ok since it's Final Fantasy. The game will have a card-based combat system. In addition, Nintendo's Wi-Fi allows multiplayer with 2-4 players where you can play cooperatively to finish the game or play mini games against each other.

Final Fantasy III will be released on May 4 this year in both Australia and New Zealand with Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales following sometime the end of the month to both regions as well. Check out the screenshots of the PAL version and see if it's your cup of tea.

Finally, Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS now has a release date for Europe. This game by Square Enix is not just a port of the original (how many fans would be disappointed if that were the case), but a remake of the game. Hiromichi Tanaka, Director and Executive Producer of Final Fantasy III, had this to say about the game:

FINAL FANTASY III has been made anew on the Nintendo DS platform, including new graphics in 3D, rebalanced jobs, and brand new characterisation for the four young heroes. We hope that not only FINAL FANTASY fans, but a wide variety of players in Europe, enjoy the new FINAL FANTASY III.

So what can we expect from this iteration of Final Fantasy. The storyline is an FF classic: The land your character inhabits was protected by the crystals of light. This all changed when an earthquake pulled the crystals into the earth, upsetting the world’s fragile balance. In this time of darkness, the people found hope in a Gulgan prophecy: four souls blessed with the light shall once again restore balance to the world.

Near the small village of Ur, fate guides Luneth (your initial character) to a sentient crystal. As the light of the crystal fades, Luneth embarks on a journey to seek three others who will fulfil the prophesy.

In addition to this interesting storyline, the game itself has features that will appeal to FF fans everywhere.

Features:

• The missing link in the evolution of Final Fantasy is unveiled.
• A job-changing system that allows for more than 279,000 party variations
• The Touch Screen interface can be used to explore dungeons, dispatch foes and cast spells.
• A complete visual overhaul with 3D graphics
• Use both DS Wireless Communications and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to access the Mognet and communicate with other players as well as NPCs to uncover hidden dungeons, quests and items
• Character designer Akihiko Yoshida (from Final Fantasy XII) lends his talents by designing the four main character

The game will be released May 4, 2007 in Europe and other PAL territories.

What do we know of RPGs? They have long gameplay times, actual storylines, and of course, they're quite addicting. So what happens when you get an already engaging formula and port it to a handheld? Marriage made in heaven.

Rich Amtower, an associate localization producer talks about on three DS RPGs: Children of Mana, Magical Starsign, and Final Fantasy III - all from Square Enix. He discusses the advantages of having an RPG on the DS, as you can take the adventure with you wherever you go. Plus, it's perfect for both hardcore and casual gamers.

Well, would you agree with him? Let us know.

If you have been praying to Santa for a one-stop, everything-and-nothing-but Final Fantasy franchise website this Christmas, well you got your wish. Square Enix has opened a website dedicated to the wildly popular Final Fantasy series. The site has info on every title ever released on practically all gaming platforms known to man (except Wii for now) including:

• PS3 Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII
• PSP Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics
• Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XI
• Nintendo DS Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy Ring of Fates

Info on other titles for PS2, GBA, PC and mobile are also available. The FF site should be heaven sent for those of you who may have lost track of the extremely prolific franchise. There's only one catch. The website is in Japanese.

For Final Fantasy fans in the US, it was a reason to rejoice: previously a Japan-only release so long ago, Square-Enix bumped up Final Fantasy III to DS standards and released its (properly localized) glory for the first time in the United States. But now it's time to spread the wealth across the Atlantic as Squeenix brings Final Fantasy III to Europe, too.

It's time to complete those missing holes in your Final Fantasy library, boys and girls.

The plot of III revolves around the Crystals of Light and Darkness, and four chosen Champions of the Light (read: young children) who must set out to restore balance to the world. The original, old-school FFIII introduced the by-now-familiar Job system as well as special battle commands for each Job like Steal or the Summons. The DS version introduces new classes and tweaks old ones to restore some balance to a game that's about restoring balance.

Good work, Squeenix, you're going worldwide, baby. Now if you can bring Front Mission 1st worldwide as well...

Yeah-huh, you got that right, your much-awaited Final Fantasy III is now up for grabs at your local retail stores!

Square Enix has announced today that the formerly Famicom-exclusive RPG title, which was the very first game off the FF series that sold more than a million units in Japan, has shipped to retail stores all across North America.

With touch screen features, 3D graphics, and Wi-Fi support, FF III is the only title from the series that was never localized in North America and Square Enix is thrilled to finally let NA users experience the legend unfold. Rated E 10+ by the ESRB, Final Fantasy III currently sells for the SRP of US$ 39.99.

Nothing says "YEEHAW!" like a good old butt-kicking. If you wanted to do it in a very cute yet threatening way, though, you'd need the help of some pixelized mages and warriors.

It's great that Square-Enix's Final Fantasy III is on the DS then! Not only do you get to see a bunch of kiddie-looking adults trying to save the world, but you also get hours of gameplay fun with one of the definitive RPGs to ever grace consoles.

These next few trailers will be showing off three aspects of the upcoming DS version of the game. In our first trailer, you'll get a glimpse of a fun sea battle, where white mages really do pitiful damage when you let them try something. The second and third trailers, which you'll find after the jump, show off the remade world map and status menus and the fun of exploring your surroundings. Not that there's a lot of change, but it's a lot prettier, to be sure.

In any case, enjoy the vids, and don't stop your ship to pick up mermaids next time.



Check out more videos after the Jump!

With only two more weeks left before Final Fantasy III hits the shelves, fans of the hit Final Fantasy series still can't get enough game goodies!

Good thing Square Enix's FF III site is now up, running, alive, (insert desired adjective here) and kicking! The site has different parts dedicated to character profiles, jobs, the game storyline, and tons more, including downloadable wallpapers and trailers.

So if you've been experiencing FF-withdrawal symptoms, fret no more 'cuz you can now head on to the site and get your much needed Final Fantasy fix by clicking on the link below. *winks*

Pre-order: [Final Fantasy III DS]

Enterbrain, the publishers of popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, has revealed the best selling games in Japan this year and guess what format they play on? That's right: DS. DS has sold the most consoles in the first half of the fiscal year, which runs from March 27 to September 24. Mario was one of the original adventure platformers and is a big seller just about everywhere, and during the first half of the fiscal year, New Super Mario Bros. for the DS managed to sell 3.09 million units!

The Japanese weren't satisfied with just one DS title, though. The popular Brain Age sequel, Motto Nou wo Kitaeru took second place, with 1.53 million copies sold in the given period. DS titles didn't take up the whole list though, with a PS2 game, Winning Eleven 10, selling 1.04 million units.

Then it goes straight back to DS titles, with the original Brain Age at number four selling 900,000 units, followed by Animal Crossing DS (870,000), Tetris DS (840,000), Final Fantasy III(730,000), the English language training program Eigo Zuke (670,000), the digital cookbook Shaberu DS Rori Navi (500,000), and Tamagotchi Puchi Puchi Omisecchi(500,000 units).

With three DS titles nominated for Game Of the Year in the Golden Joystick awards as well, it appears that 2006 is shaping up to be the year of the DS. But the release of PS3 and Wii in November should shake things up a little before Christmas. I wonder if New Super Mario Bros can hold onto the number one spot during this period? What do you think? Ssound off your comments!