Here's a little something for those not averse to using non-traditional means to get specific rare items in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Coder melonhead has come up with a Windows app that will let users apply changes to the game itself, making the acquisition of rare items that much easier. More details in the full article.

Download: FFTPatcher v0.168
Download: .NET Framework 2.

Before the holidays end, why don't you oblige your self to one more treat with Amazon.com's sweet deal: a copy of Final Fantasy Tactics: the War of the Lions at a more affordable price?

Want to know how much it costs now? Find out in the full article?

Good news for all Final Fantasy Tactics fans out there in the United Kingdom. Amazon UK is offering a 40% discount on sales of the recently-released Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. The UK branch of Amazon brought the price of the game down from the original £29.99 (US$ 61) to the new rate of  £17.98 (US$ 37), a whopping  £12.01 (US$ 24) in savings.

The War of the Lions is the remake of the classic Playstation turn-based strategy RPG Final Fantasy Tactics. Square Enix took the original game and breathed new life into it by throwing plenty of novelties into the mix: cel-shading rendered full motion videos, voice-overs (for the American version), new episodes, new cutscenes, new characters, new character classes, and new items and equipment. The game also features an increased character party limit and a wireless multiplayer mode not available in its original incarnation.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is one of the four games in the Ivalice Alliance, a subseries of FF games set in the fictional world of Ivalice.

Square Enix answered a few questions about the Ivalice Alliance in an interview and even hinted at the possibility of a Vagrant Story port to the Sony PSP. From how Squeenix responded to the query, we'd also bet on a game starring Basch and a U.S. version of Final Fantasy XII International: Zodiac Job System.

Now that Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is out, we've seen how Square Enix can port such dated games to the PlayStation Portable. Vagrant Story, another PlayStation title from the Ivalice Alliance, is sure to woo fans if it gets a makeover. When asked if there are plans to port that to the PSP like what Square Enix did with FFT, Ivalice Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu replied:

Vagrant Story was a title that pushed the PS one to its limits. The technical hurdles in porting it to the PSP would be extremely high. Of course, I think it's the next natural candidate for such an update, and there's no denying its extreme popularity overseas.

Basch, who was initially intended to be Final Fantasy XII's leading man, doesn't seem to be out of the scene. FFXII: Revenant Wings for the Nintendo DS has Vaan as the main guy, which leaves the question of what happens to who's supposedly the main character in FFXII. Square Enix declined to answer, and left us scrambling for our thinking caps.

On another note, producer Hiroyuki Ito left a tiny open window for any North American FFXII International: Zodiac Job System release. Chances are slim, but enough for the faithful. According to Ito:

Right now, the prospects of a North American version are the playoff prospects of a 9-6 team, down 2 with 2:02 left to play, facing 4th and 7 on the opponent's 43-yard line.

You can check out the entire interview of Kawazu and Ito with 1Up by following the Read link below.

After a decade since the game first came out on the PSOne, Square Enix delivers the newest incarnation of the original Final Fantasy Tactics game onto the handheld. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions does more than port the well loved strategy RPG onto the PSP, it fleshes out the original game with a lot of added content.

In a video interview with Takamasa Shiba, the producer of the game, and Shingo Kosuge, the co-producer, Shiba and Kosuge talk about the rich and involving nature of the game and why they decided to port it onto the PSP.

According to them, the new Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSP tries to appeal to the likes of hardcore RPG gamers who like to level up their characters (a.k.a. the obssessive-compulsive). The switch to the handheld meant players can develop their characters on the go rather than spend hours stuck in front of their TVs. Couple that with a great story and a host of added cell-shaded CG scenes, you've got a remake that's sure to hook both old fans and new gamers alike.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the original Final Fantasy Tactics game (shame on you!), it's a turn-based strategy game with a unique job advancement system, which is the bread and butter of most Final Fantasy titles you see nowadays. The deep storyline gives the game a very immersive RPG feel that draws everyone in right from the start.

The game is set to be released this October 9 in local stores and is exclusive to the PlayStation Portable. In the meantime, you can check out the videos we have right after the jump!

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for Sony PSP is just around the corner, and it wouldn't hurt to hype things up a bit by giving you guys a refresher on the extra characters that can be unlocked in-game.

First off, there's Cloud of Final Fantasy VII fame. So how did he manage to stumble out of his high-tech dimension and into medieval Ivalice? It just so happens that he got sucked from his dimension, and the impact of interdimensional travel affected the poor guy so much that he's always plagued with headaches and keeps on mumbling strange words, like "Sephiroth".

Another is Balthier, that dashing sky pirate from Final Fantasy XII. He also hails from Ivalice, and flies around in his airship (known as the Strahl) stealing treasure from the greedy and giving it to the poor. Balthier is especially useful in acquiring supplies, if you get our drift. Want to make sure that you get him in-game? Check this link to find out how to unlock him.

Finally, there's Luso, a hunter who also plays a part in Final Fantasy A2: Sealed Grimoire for the DS. He will serve as the group's scribe, recording the adventures that they go through each day.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions will hit store shelves on October 5, but for us Final Fantasy nuts, the wait couldn't be much longer.

In time for when their game hits shelves on October 9, Square Enix has released the official trailer for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Those of you who played the original Final Fantasy Tactics game on the PlayStation will find the trailer very, very familiar. In fact, it may get pretty nostalgic.

If you remember the opening narrative in the introduction of the original game, you'd recognize it as the same passage in the trailer although worded a bit differently. The music from the trailer is exactly the same from the original intro but the video is different and displays a stunning work of gorgeous cel-shaded animation.

Without further ado, here's the official trailer of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions:

 

If you're itching to know more about Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War, or simply want a refresher on the exploits of Ramza, Agrias and Delita, then you might want to head on over to the game's official website. Why, you ask? It's just that the web presence of the world's most beloved turn-based strategy game has recently updated, and is now chock-full of neat extras, features, and images. Awesome!

Those new to this Square Enix franchise will find the game's backstory and cast pages quite useful - while those already acquainted with the game should take a gander at the new content section. There's also a Multimedia page where you can download wallpapers (still under construction, unfortunately), as well as look at the official trailer of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War.

Certainly a very good update from Square Enix, and with the game's North American and Europe release dates around the corner, it's just in time. You can check out the actual website by clicking on the Read link we've supplied below.

As we count down toward the release of Square Enix' Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions in October, let's check out some new screenshots and character art of the Sony PlayStation Portable RPG fresh from GameSpot.

Today's FFT: The War of the Lions screenshot and character art theme revolves around the summons. They're pretty much a staple in the world of Ivalice. We've seen the Lich (the one that looks like Death with bones for wings) a couple of posts ago, and well, we wish there was more information about them.

Anyway, check out the screenshots and art. They might just tide you over until FF Tactics: The War of the Lions' release.
 

Check out the rest of the screenshots and art after the jump!

Because some gamers simply don't want to go through all the trouble of searching for hidden secrets and unlocking bonuses, GamesRadar revealed the steps to recruit Balthier in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions on the Sony PSP. Many of us want to see this gun-totting dude in action in the remake of Square Enix' popular strategy game, so here's how to get him.

For your viewing pleasure, here are the steps:

1. When you reach Chapter 4, head over to The Mining Town of Gollund.
2. Check out the "Rash of Thefts" rumor from the tavern
3. Drop by The Merchant City of Dorter's tavern and read the "A Call for guards" rumor
4. Leave town, then you'll automatically encounter battle
5. Win with the help of Balthier and he's yours

Sounds easy enough? Then you know what to do to get this Final Fantasy XII star in your team when Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions hits shelves next month. Other unlockable characters await, so you might want to put some muscle in finding them too.