Summon creatures appear upon pressing the R trigger together with the circle button. In the case of Ifrit, summons appear as equipable items (as represented on the HUD). Judging by the way they're used in the trailer, the summons primarily affect the Brave gauge -- Carbuncle adjusts the enemy's Brave to match the player's, while boosts a player's Brave by 1.5.
New Dissidia vid shows off some summons
Summon creatures appear upon pressing the R trigger together with the circle button. In the case of Ifrit, summons appear as equipable items (as represented on the HUD). Judging by the way they're used in the trailer, the summons primarily affect the Brave gauge -- Carbuncle adjusts the enemy's Brave to match the player's, while boosts a player's Brave by 1.5.
Dissidia may be a downloadable title too
However, a reader over at Siliconera noticed a listing on Sony's official website that might suggest otherwise: Dissidia: Final Fantasy is categorized as both as a UMD and downloadable release on the site. If this is proven to be true, it could be great news for Final Fantasy fans with access to the Japanese PS Store -- you can just download the title directly.
[Via Siliconera]
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Dissidia: Final Fantasy

The overall battle system is rather easy to pick up; attacking with the square button deals the amount of damage currently in your "Brave" gauge while attacking with the circle button drains your enemy's Brave, replenishing your own and then eventually putting enemies into a "Break" state as you can see here in these videos. Now while the general concept of the game's battle system is easy to grasp, mastering the play style of the individual characters is another story. After having played as both Squall and Tidus for a solid amount of time, we noticed that neither character played like the other. Even though their special moves use the same button inputs, they move and attack completely different.
Continue reading PSP Fanboy hands-on: Dissidia: Final Fantasy
TGS 08: Terra and Cloud confirmed for Dissidia, roster now complete

With Bartz and Ex-Death confirmed recently, that makes the entire 20 heroes and villains roster complete. Check back with us later, we'll have some more on Dissidia including full hands-on here at PSP Fanboy and full Square Enix Closed Theater impressions over on Joystiq. So keep an eye on both.
Bartz and Exdeath of Final Fantasy V join Dissidia
[Thanks, Darryl!]
Two new Dissidia vids teach us how to fight
What's going on there is that some attacks drain an opponent's Brave and adds onto yours. This adds a bit of strategy as you can take an enemy down to zero and he'll go into a "Break" status. It's some sort of temporarily vulnerable state. It's a new take on the usual beat em' genre. We can't wait to see more of this game at TGS.
Continue reading Two new Dissidia vids teach us how to fight
Dissidia: Relive the never final battle
Dissidia limited edition PSP is ridiculously limited edition
So your best bet: eBay.
[Thanks, Darryl!]
Final Fantasy IV characters join Dissidia ranks
All that's really left is to figure out who the heroes of VII (no-brainer really ... unless a Caith Sith surprise is in store) and VI (more difficult to gauge considering characters shared the spotlight equally) are. That, and what's the fate of V -- in or not? Lots of conflicting reports on that one so we'll wait and see. Maybe TGS is the time to get those last inkling details before the big release this December.
[Via PSPHyper]
What's playable, and what's not, at Square Enix's TGS booth

Playable
Trailers-Only
- Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3)
- Final Fantasy Agito XIII (PSP)
- The 3rd Birthday (PSP)
- Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (Blu-ray)
Dissidia: Final Fantasy trailer shows off Kefka & more
Download to PSP
With Dissidia, Square Enix's upcoming PSP-exclusive brawler, coming by year's end in Japan, the company has been quick to release tons of new videos for Final Fantasy fans everywhere. This new trailer shows a lot more CG, a lot more action, and even highlights Final Fantasy VI's Kefka -- a favorite character for many fans of the franchise.
[Thanks, Morty!]
Dissidia and Patapon 2 dated, new bundles announced

All three games will be sold alongside bundled packs that include the new bright-screened PSP-3000. Patapon 2 Donchaka not only dons a new subtitle, but will also be available as a PS Store download for those who want to save a couple of bucks over the UMD version. This is a similar strategy as seen by Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or2 and Bleach Soul Carnival. Tax-inclusive prices for games and bundles are after the break ... just in case you wanted to know how much money will be leaving your wallet this holiday season.
[Via press release]
Continue reading Dissidia and Patapon 2 dated, new bundles announced
Jecht, Tidus pure gameplay Dissidia trailer
Download to PSP
The last Dissidia: Final Fantasy video showcase featured a set of not so beloved Final Fantasy characters -- a punk onion dude and the ultra sexy Cloud of Darkness. Yet, despite that fact, the gameplay footage was still awe-inspiring and kept you drooling for more. This time around, we've got more of the same; however, we're sure you're going enjoy watching these characters a whole lot more.
Final Fantasy X's daddy issues duo, Jecht and Tidus, show us how it's done in this here video clip. Not only are they dishing out mad skills as usual, they're taking the fight all around the fighting arena, giving us a sense of how large and dynamic the stages can get. It seems that every little glimpse of Dissidia that we get, it gets harder and harder to look away. Keep an eye on this one folks. This is looking to be the game to have for this year (in Japan anyway).
Watch two minutes of Dissidia gameplay footage
We're mostly used to seeing an amalgamation of different cut scenes in our Dissidia: Final Fantasy trailers; however, this time we're treated to over two minutes of pure gameplay. The battle you'll be witnessing is between Final Fantasy III light and dark reps, Onion Kid and The Cloud of Darkness.
One thing this blogger particularly took notice of was the short pause for the Onion Kid during his break status; he does a class change and then has to choose an ability from a drop down menu. It's interesting to see that while the game is a fast and fluid fisticuff, the developers could still incorporate some of the traditional turn-based Final Fantasy elements into the game. Are you not grasping that thought fully? Well, you will once you see the trailer.
Birth by Sleep and Dissidia: video, Famitsu scans, trailer summary

- The new enemies are called Unbirths.
- Xehanort and Maleficent are both after the Princesses of Hearts
- Ven's level is the Castle of Dreams, Cinderella's world. Ven cooperates with Jaq the mouse to collect materials to make Cinderella's dress. After going through a maze and finding the necessary items, a boss fight ensues with Lucifer. No, not Lucifer the demon, but rather the cat from Cinderella.
[Thanks, Kristopher G. and MonkeyKHI!]
Source -- PSPHyper; Famitsu scans
Source -- KHInsider; trailer summary and hands-on impressions
Source -- IGN Video; Game Scoop: Square Enix Party
Continue reading Birth by Sleep and Dissidia: video, Famitsu scans, trailer summary