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Squaresoft (often just called Square) is a
Japanese
video game company that was created in
1983 as a part of a software development firm called
Denyuusha.
In
1985, Squaresoft began making games for the Nintendo
Famicom (called the
Nintendo Entertainment System in
North America and
Europe). Their early games were not very successful, and by
1987 the company was facing the possibility of going out of business.
However, that same year, Squaresoft employee
Hironobu Sakaguchi was given a chance to make a game that would either
make or break the company. He named his creation
Final Fantasy, a
console role-playing game that revolved around four sacred crystals,
one for each of the
four elements in the
fantasy world. Final Fantasy did much better than Sakaguchi
had ever hoped, in both Japan and the
U.S.; the game was followed by a sequel in
1988, marketed exclusively in Japan until
Final Fantasy Origins. Squaresoft has made fourteen other Final
Fantasy games since, and has become a defining force in the
role-playing genre.
Square has also made other games such as
Xenogears,
Chrono Trigger,
Final Fantasy Tactics,
Threads of Fate (a.k.a. DewPrism),
Vagrant Story, and
Kingdom Hearts (with
Disney Interactive). The company's
Square Pictures division also made a
CGI movie based on Final Fantasy called
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in
2001.
Square agreed to merge with
Enix (another Japanese company best known for its popular
Dragon Quest series) in
2002 so as to curb development costs and become more competitive. In
April of
2003 the merger was completed, forming the new company,
Square Enix.
Softography
-
NES
- 1986:
King's Knight
- 1987:
3-D WorldRunner,
Rad Racer
- 1989:
Final Fantasy
- 1989:
Final Fantasy II (Japan only for the NES,
fan-translated in 1998; Playstation remake released in the United
States under
Final Fantasy Origins)
- 1990:
Final Fantasy III (Japan only, but fan-translated in 1999),
Rad Racer 2
-
Super NES
- 1991:
Final Fantasy IV,
Romancing SaGa (Japan only)
- 1992:
Final Fantasy V (JAP only for the Super NES, but fan-translated in
1998; released in the United States on the Sony Playstation under
Final Fantasy Anthology),
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
- 1993:
Secret Of Mana,
Romancing SaGa 2 (Japan only)
- 1994:
Final Fantasy VI,
Live A Live (Japan only, but fan-translated in 2001)
- 1995:
Chrono Trigger,
Secret Of Evermore,
Seiken Densetsu III (Japan only, but fan-translated in 2000),
Romancing SaGa 3 (Japan only),
Front Mission (Japan only, but fan-translated in 2001)
- 1996:
Bahamut Lagoon (Japan only, but fan-translated in 2002),
Rudra no Hihou (Japan only, fan-translated in 2003),
Super Mario RPG,
Treasure Hunter G (Japan only, fan-translated in 2003)
- 1998:
Radical Dreamers (Japan only, fan-translated in 2003)
-
Playstation
- 1996:
Tobal No. 1
- 1997:
Bushido Blade,
Final Fantasy VII,
Final Fantasy Tactics,
- 1998:
Brave Fencer Musashi,
Bushido Blade 2,
Einhander,
Final Fantasy VIII,
Parasite Eve,
Saga Frontier,
Xenogears
- 1999:
Chocobo Racing,
Chocobo's Dungeon 2,
Final Fantasy Anthology,
IS: Internal Section
- 2000:
Chrono Cross,
Final Fantasy IX,
Front Mission 3,
Legend of Mana,
Parasite Eve II,
Saga Frontier 2,
Threads of Fate,
Vagrant Story
- 2001:
Final Fantasy Chronicles
- 2003:
Final Fantasy Origins
-
Playstation 2
- 2000:
The Bouncer
- 2001:
All-Star Pro Wrestling II,
Final Fantasy X
- 2002:
Kingdom Hearts,
World Fantasista
- 2002:
Unlimited SaGa
-
Nintendo GameCube
- 2004:
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
-
Game Boy
- 1989:
Final Fantasy Legend
- 1991:
Final Fantasy Adventure,
Final Fantasy Legend II
- 1992:
Final Fantasy Legend III
-
Game Boy Advance
- 2003:
Chocoboland,
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
-
PC
- 1998:
Final Fantasy VII
- 1999:
Final Fantasy VIII
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