I've decided to come clean and admit something that I've hidden away for over 15 years. Back in the winter of 1991, I had my very first real emotional reponse while playing a video game. The game of course was Final Fantasy II for the Super Nintendo (later dubbed Final Fantasy IV to harmonize the sequence with the Japanese releases). I remember it well, and while I want to tell you the whole story, I'm afraid doing so would be a major spoiler to uninitiated. Needless to say, Final Fantasy IV is a must-play gaming experience if you enjoy JRPGs. Fortunately, Square Enix is localizing FF IV for the Nintendo DS and should be arriving on North America store shelves on July 22nd.A teaser site containing minimal information has just gone live and can be found here. May not be much, but it's enough to make a spoony bard like me more than a little teary-eyed.
Oh, and if you're really interested to hear my sobbing FF IV tale, feel free to email me at Paul@nextgenplayer.com.