5 MORE DAYS!!! That’s how long you’ll have to wait to get your hands on DISSIDIA duodecim prologus FINAL FANTASY. In case I’ve forgotten how to count, that means prologus will be available March 15th exclusively via the PlayStation Network for $2.99. The details will be posted on the official site later today. In the meanwhile, here’s a quick summary of why prologus is going to be so awesome straight from the press release:

• Witness Lightning before the storm: Lightning, the protagonist of the popular FINAL FANTASY XIII, will be introduced to the DISSIDIA series for the first time. Players can enjoy a taste of the latest installment through a unique scenario featuring Lightning that will recount the events leading to DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY.

• Carry-over items from DISSIDIA duodecim prologus FINAL FANTASY to DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY: Players can continue their journey and have the advantage of carrying over in-game items acquired in DISSIDIA duodecim prologus FINAL FANTASY for use in DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY.
• Unlock a new character: By purchasing DISSIDIA duodecim prologus FINAL FANTASY, players will also receive the immensely popular Aerith Gainsborough from FINAL FANTASY VII as an Assist Character in DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY.

Not that I need to remind you, but DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY will be available a week later on March 22. BTW: If you can say “DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] FINAL FANTASY DISSIDIA duodecim prologus FINAL FANTASY” 20 times really fast you get the honor of pet-sitting Hachi the next time I’m on a biz trip! :-)

Most of the questions were answered by a variety of the development team members, along with a few from me (i.e. PSN availability). Hopefully this last part will cover off on the remaining questions you had.

Well, that’s all from me on Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together. Thanks for all of the questions and feedback… and most importantly… HAVE FUN!

What is the retail price going to be? Will it get a digital release?
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together will be available at retail and via download on the PlayStation store for $39.99 on Feb. 15.

Just so I’m totally clear, does this series have anything to do with Final Fantasy Tactics? The art design looks kinda similar.
Tactics Ogre was created by the same core team that created Final Fantasy Tactics. Hiroshi Minagawa, Yasumi Matsuno, Akihiko Yoshida, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Masaharu Iwata all worked together to bring the world of Ivalice to life in Final Fantasy Tactics, and have reunited again to create the amazing world that Tactics Ogre takes place in. The art design you recognize is probably that of Akihiko Yoshida, who has worked on a variety of Square Enix titles, including Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and of course Final Fantasy XII.

Is a collector’s edition on the way, and will it include the OST?
Unfortunately, there is no collector’s edition planned for North America.

Are those Tarot Cards, which I cannot find any info on the official site of, part of a collector’s edition package?
The Tarot Cards are our special gift to fans of Akihiko Yoshida and Tsubasa Masao and are available for those that preorder the game at GameStop and Amazon.com.

Do the tarot cards come w/ instructions on how to use them?
As there is such a variety of ways to use tarot cards, we’d like for you to enjoy them the way you like best.

If this is coming to PSN for PSP Go users who will get screwed out of the awesome Tarot Card Deck will there be any PSN exclusive DLC for this?
Since the Tarot Card deck was a pre-order exclusive for GameStop and Amazon.com, sadly the answer is no.

Will we be getting the free DLC that’s been announced for Japan? If so, will it be on the UMD or will it be downloadable post release?
In the North American edition, the free DLC that was released in Japan will already be included in the game (in both the retail and PlayStation Network versions). This means players can enjoy the extra scenarios without having to download them later; they are immediately available to play.

Bet you thought I disappeared without delivering the developer Q&A I promised a while back… Sorry it took so long — the team was entrenched in development, so it took a while to catch up with the director of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, Hiroshi Minagawa.

Before we get to the Q&A ,a quick note from me to Minagawa-san: Thank you so much to you and the team for making Let us Cling Together everything we had hoped it would be (and more)! :-)

Now, without further ado, here are answers to some of your questions.

How much of the original team, if any, is actually involved with the remake?
Hiroshi Minagawa, Director, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together: Besides Yasumi Matsuno, who led the overall game design and gameplay scenarios, the composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata were involved, and from our Square Enix staff we had myself and Yoshida Akihiko (artist). Additionally, we had members who are the heart of the Final Fantasy Tactics developers and other staff members who have partaken in the development of the Ogre Battle series, but not Tactics Ogre specifically. We also have new team members who enjoyed playing the game and are now putting in that strong passion as developers of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Surprisingly, those new members who were merely players of the original game remembered the finer details more so than the original development team.

Could you talk about the localization process? In comparison to previous Ogre Battle Saga games released in North America, are the changes (names, dialogue, and so forth) made to more closely reflect the original vision?
HM: Joseph Reeder and Alexander O. Smith led the localization for this title. Joseph and Alexander are among the best in our translation staff and have worked on other titles such as FINAL FANTASY XII and Vagrant Story. From the early development stages of the Japanese version, the two chatted online with Yasumi Matsuno directly when examining character and class names. In the original version, there were strict word limitations, but in this title we were able to localize Yasumi Matsuno’s scenario and worlds in the best possible form.

So what’s the relation of tarot cards to this game? Is the game steeped in the supernatural?
HM: Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together has two new systems named after the tarot cards called the “C.H.A.R.I.O.T.” (Combat History and Refined Implementation of Tactics) in which players are able to take back moves, and the “W.O.R.L.D.” (Ways of Reordering Life’s Destiny) system in which players can turn back time with their current party. Each action is a system that changes a destiny, and together we call the two systems the “ring of destiny.”

The Tarot cards play an important role in the game – the game starts by asking players a series of questions based on the tarot cards. Tarot cards are also essential to getting specialty items. Based on the answers given by the player, the main character’s parameter varies in the beginning of the game. But rather than worrying about the minor details, we want you to think about the choices and make the decisions in the game.

Does the development team plan to work again on new episodes and do they have a vision for the saga as a whole in terms of gameplay and story?
HM: I would like to say that we do, but because there are strong feelings associated with the series, I don’t want to do a half-hearted job. As a graphic designer, I wanted to express Ogre Battle on a console system, but that would mean an even tougher job requiring more staff members. This was the first time we were able to gather a team of people who have had significant involvement with the Ogre Battle series, and the team we gathered was larger than we had expected.

However, I feel that gathering another team in the future would be difficult due to everyone’s schedules. Given the chance, I would like to work on the continuation of the series but cannot officially talk about it because of the timing and scheduling conflicts. However, the Ogre Battle Saga plotline lies inside Yasumi Matsuno’s imagination. Yasumi Matsuno designs games by having a game system and then creating a plot and scenario based on that game system. Because his style is to create more content as he goes, there is no clear-cut vision for the saga as a whole. On the other hand, we dream of many things, but I wonder if we can make it a reality during our lifetime…

Happy New Year everyone! Last month we revealed the new Tomb Raider in the December issue of Game Informer. Personally I’m thrilled about the new direction Crystal Dynamics is taking Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise overall. There is so much great stuff planned, I CANNOT wait until we can divulge more info.

If all this talk about Tomb Raider is making you nostalgic for the previous titles, I have great news ─ you’ll get to revisit three of them in The Tomb Raider Trilogy. Included are remastered HD versions of Anniversary and Legend as well as the final chapter in the trilogy Underworld. In addition, The Tomb Raider Trilogy includes an exclusive static theme pack, Lara Croft and Viking Thrall avatars for PlayStation Home as well as trailers that go behind the scenes of all three titles.

When can you get your hands on this awesomeness? The Tomb Raider Trilogy will be available March 22 for $39.99.

This awesome Tarot Card Deck is illustrated by Yoshida-san himself! To find out where you can get your own set, visit the official site.

Also, one last thing! I thought this was the perfect time to ask you to submit your questions for the development team. How? Just post your questions here in the comments, we’ll get them over to the team and hope to start the New Year with the first round!

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling together is coming to the PSP! We’ll be announcing the release timing later on. In the meantime, here are some screenshots for your viewing pleasure!

The reason why I am so excited about this is that the original team will be developing it. Who’s on that original team?

• Hiroshi Minagawa (Director)
• Akihiko Yoshida (Character Design)
• Yasumi Matsuno (Game Design)
• Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata (Composers)

Awesome line-up, huh? Check out the press release here and the official site.

It’s been a while since Square Enix had an event at the PlayStation Store, so I can’t wait to see the turn out! I’m wondering if some of the people I saw at the last event will be there—I actually asked the folks over at PlayStation if I could blog here, just in case some of you will be returning (if you are let me know!)

And there will be an added bonus for those who show up tonight. People liked the packaging for the FF & FFII anniversary editions so much, we decided to make shirts out them just for the event. Here’s a peek….

More details on tonight’s celebration are provided here. Feel free to pass the news along. See you tonight!