The last update of 2013 is a mass update!

• To the Final Fantasy Legend 2 shrine I've added a pre-patched download of the SaGa 2 DS English translation. I also added 28 SaGa 2 DS emulator screen shots.
• To the Final Fantasy Legend 3 shrine I've finally added the SaGa 3 DS English translation that was finished in September. Along with the SaGa 3 DS update are goodies: 14 official art pictures, 41 emulator screen shots, 45 Japanese screen shots, and 10 desktop wallpapers (the official ones).
• The Makai Toushi SaGa English translation was updated recently. It's up in the Final Fantasy Legend Downloads page.
• I'm killing the split RAR files for large game downloads. The following games are now an easy single ZIP file download: Chrono Trigger DS, Final Fantasy IV DS, SaGa Frontier.
• To the Earthbound shrine I added 6 absolutely gorgeous 3D desktop wallpapers (some previews below). Also, I now offer a pre-patched download of Mother 3.
  
• To the Shining Force 1 shrine I added 3 new desktop wallpapers. I 3D modeled Laser Eye and Photoshopped it over a beautiful mountain scene. The other two are the official Game Boy Advance wallpapers that I re-worked for widescreen resolutions...
  
• The famous Super Mario RPG Revolution hack was recently updated. It's mainly bug fixes.
• Lots of updates to the Video Game Emulators page! I've replaced Visual Boy Advance (which hasn't been updated in nearly a decade) with the far superior continued effort: VisualBoyAdvance-M. Snes9X and DeSmuME were split into 64-bit and 32-bit versions. And I continue to keep the Android emulators section updated (I may have to split it off into a separate page soon).
• You might have heard that Winamp was discontinued. I am now hosting it in the Extracted Game Music section, since Winamp is essential for it.
• To the Wallpaper Tutorial I added a section for Pixlr Editor, the famous Photoshop like photo editor that requires no installation.
• Slight site navigation edit. I've had Video Game Emulation for Newbies listed under the Subsites category, but that's not a very obvious place for it. So I've also added it to the Help section.

Well, this isn't literally the last update to the Anime Video Archive. It's just the last update for a long while. It may not seem like it, but the Anime Video Archive is MASSIVE. Those anime movies total up to nearly 200 GB! For a fan site that's a big deal. I hope you guys appreciate my generosity. It'll probably be a year or so until I add new anime to it.

But enough of that. Let's talk about the new anime I added! I've added...

• Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group
• Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody
• Project A-ko 4: Final
• Gall Force 2: Destruction
• Gall Force 3: Stardust War
• Cyber City Oedo 808 series (3 episodes +soundtrack)
• Fire Emblem OVA series (2 episodes)

The Project A-ko and Gall Force additions complete my collections for them! So I now have up all the Project A-ko movies and a complete Gall Force trilogy. Also, I added a download for all Gall Force soundtracks (which is found on any Gall Force page).

After 5 months of hard work I've completed the remodeling of RPG Lunch Break! So here's what I added:

• I added over 100 games to RPG Lunch Break!! Yes, over 100 games. Why so many? Well, I started RPG Lunch Break as a site that only contained MY favorites. While remodeling RPG Lunch Break one of my goals was to make it more popular. More popularity wasn't going to happen if it kept only my personal favorites there. So I performed a thorough Google search and scanned through lists of top games for every system. I added each game that was commonly considered popular, even if I personally didn't care much for the game.
• EVERY game is now accompanied by a YouTube video featuring gameplay footage. Now you can immediately experience how each game is actually like!
• EVERY game for SNES, Genesis, NES, and Game Boy have the soundtrack for download. (However, Game Gear/SMS and TurboGrafx16 aren't as popular as the other systems so only a handful of games have the soundtrack for download.)
• This new layout is fully responsive! Meaning it will reshape itself for smartphones and tablets to appear as though you're browsing a mobile site.
• You can filter games by genres for easier browsing! It's neat. For example, if you click "Platformer" the entire page will completely remove all traces of non platformers.
• And there's more! The Sega CD & TurboGrafx16-CD games are now downloadable. Previously they weren't. This is a BIG deal because these games are pretty big in size.
• Plus these games are all in zip files! No more fussing with RAR or 7ZIP. Having them in zip also makes it easier for you to download & play these games on a mobile device. I'm all about making things easier for you!
• Lastly, I re-typed the majority of my existing mini reviews. As I was re-reading my old reviews I had many “Jebus Cripes! What was I thinking when I wrote that?!” moments.

I need to give you the back story first. To begin with, I've had all the TurboGrafx16-CD (a.k.a. PC Engine CD) RPGs available for download in Classic CD RPGs for about a decade now. Playing them wasn't easy because all the popular TurboGrafx16 emulators don't support running CD games via their ISO. You would have to burn the game to a CD-R or use complicated virtual CD-ROM software. It's ridiculous that it's 2013 and popular TurboGrafx16 emulators still don't support ISOs! Genesis emulators have been running Sega CD games from ISOs for years, so I don't see how difficult it can be for TurboGrafx16-CD games.

Okay, enough of my rant. Now I present a solution :) After many hours of research trying to find a solution to the TG16-CD dilemma, I found that the multi-system emulator Mednafen happens to be the only emulator that supports running CD games! It's not a very popular emulator; probably since it's not very user friendly and tricky to setup. But it works! And TG16-CD games play fine on it.

Now I'll tell you the goodies I've added to FantasyAnime today:

• To the Downloads section of Classic CD RPGs I've replaced the multi-part RAR files with single ZIP files. In addition, I'm offering 2 downloads per game: an MP3 version and a WAV version. By doing this I am removing ALL the annoying steps involved with playing Sega CD and TurboGrafx16-CD games!
• To the emulators page I've added Mednafen for playing my TurboGrafx16-CD RPGs via their ISO.
• And since Mednafen is not very user friendly, I've added a Mednafen tutorial to Video Game Emulation for Newbies.

As a side note, it kills me making updates to my old layouts! Classic CD RPGs and Video Game Emulation for Newbies are definitely on the "to be remodeled" cue. I want them to be pretty and responsive like these pages. Also, I am remodeling RPG Lunch Break right now and I plan to finally add downloads for the Sega CD and TG16-CD games that I cover there :)

I've added the following fantasy anime to the Anime Video Archive:

• Dragon Half (2 episodes +manga)
• Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (2 episodes)
• Record of the Lodoss War (13 episodes +soundtrack)
• RG Veda (2 long episodes +manga)
• Tales of Phantasia (4 episodes +soundtrack)
• Ys Book 1 & 2, and Ys II (11 episodes)

This is a MASSIVE update. It may not seem like it from a short list, but consider that this is 34 episodes - nearly 18 hours of video. I'm really happy with this update because now my anime site has a strong presence of fantasy anime. Because, duh, this site is called FantasyAnime!

Also, the #1 N64 emulator, Project64, has been updated! You can grab it from my video game emulators page. I am offering the portable version, meaning no annoying install wizard.

• I've finally added the ROM for Chrono Trigger on the Nintendo DS!
• Game saves galore! I've added a perfect collection of saves for Shining Force 2 and Secret of Mana. And for Jackie's perfect Chrono Trigger saves (which only consisted of ZSNES state states), I collected SRM's for them so now they can be used on any SNES emulator.
• I've re-rendered my Dungeons & Dragons Arcade videos and they are now in full HD! I'm going to try to do the same for other movie clips of other RPGs; movies that are currently in a less than desired video quality.
• The Final Fantasy 6 "Stand Guard" hack has been updated. The font was replaced and the game's entire script has been edited and improved.
• Lastly, I made some changes to the FantasyAnime layout here. In the main navigation, I renamed "Features" to "Emulators". And the main navigation in the mobile version of the site is now a very convenient drop-down field (previously it was a mess of buttons). Click the thumbnail to see what I'm talking about.

So I've added the following anime to the Anime Video Archive:

• Project A-ko: Uncivil Wars
• Sailor Moon R: Promise of the Rose +soundtrack
• Sailor Moon S: Hearts in Ice +soundtrack
• Sailor Moon Super S: Black Dream Hole +soundtrack
• Shamanic Princess (all 6 episodes) +soundtrack
• Tank Police (all 4 episodes)
• Venus Wars +soundtrack
• Wrath of the Ninja

It took longer than expected. Since I'm adding movie sequels and series' for the first time, I had to modify the layout and create new templates for them. In addition...

• I typed up a personal review for each anime.
• I added the soundtrack for Vampire Hunter D.
• I had to remove Ninja Scroll. Sorry! Its popularity grew bigger than what I can handle.

As a side note: I was able to grab dubbed and subtitled versions of everything except Tank Police. For some reason my DVD ripping software wasn't grabbing all the subtitles. It was very weird. Sorry, I tried.

• Gosh darn it, I should've added this ages ago! Well I'm adding it now as FantasyAnime's official Christmas present: I've put up the PSX version of Tales of Phantasia for download. And not just any version - this is pre-patched with the 100% complete English patch! Happy Holidays from FantasyAnime! ^_^
• I spent $140 getting the Sailor Moon movies, Tank Police, and Venus Wars for the Anime Video Archive. I hope you appreciate the effort! Sheesh, rare anime DVDs are getting expensive. Anyway, I'm in the process of adding them and a few other anime movies. Expect them up in a few weeks :)
• I usually don't post translation news here, but this one's a biggie! The English translation project for Energy Breaker (SNES) was finished last month. Get a taste of it in this YouTube vid. You can grab the English patch at RomHacking. This game is definitely shrine worthy! Perhaps in the near future...
• I've added 4 new Chrono Trigger wallpapers and 2 new Secret of Mana wallpapers. Here are previews:
  

Providing hundreds of anime screen shots was always my highlighted feature since I started FantasyAnime in '98. But then as the Internet matured, screen shots (pictures in general) weren't that cool anymore. Along with my own declining interest to support anime screen shot shrines, I left the anime portion of FantasyAnime rather neglected. That is, until now! Since video is the all the rage these days, I have created The Anime Video Archive!

At launch I have 14 full length anime movies up on the site. They consist of a variety of late 80s/early 90s anime, along with some surprises. More will eventually be added (possibly even a few series'). I offer high quality versions (equivalent to 480p) and low quality versions (equivalent to 360p). For the majority of the anime, I offer both dubbed and subtitled versions. They're in HTML5 video so they will work on any system and any device. In addition, the site is built responsive so on smartphones/tablets it will rearrange itself to appear like a mobile site. If you don't want to stream my anime, you have the option to download it. Screen shots are provided for each anime. For some anime I provide the soundtrack and behind-the-scenes footage.

With this update I have decided to retire the Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo and Ranma 1/2 anime shrines. I will no longer offer anime shrines - all my anime efforts will be directed toward the Anime Video Archive. My content from these retired anime shrines will eventually be consolidated into the Anime Video Archive.

• To begin with, I need to apologize if any of you sent me an e-mail between 8/27-8/30 (the first week of the new layout launch). My new email form script was faulty and sent emails to the abyss of nothingness (it deleted them). I rolled back to my trusty 'ol email form script that I've used all these years and now it's working fine. (sighs) As the saying goes, “If it ain't broke don't fix it.”
• I have a BIG Final Fantasy IV update! To the music section I've added the NDS soundtrack and complete zip collections of all the soundtracks. I've added the recently released Sound Restoration hack for the Game Boy Advance version of FF4. Lastly, the webmistress of VideoGameSprites.net graciously collected *perfect* game saves for the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance versions of FF4.
• To Classic CD RPGs added 40 more Ys IV screen shots.

I finally finished the site redesign!! It took me forever because I put a great deal of care into it Doesn't it look like a real, professional grade site now? :) I added a whole new level of functionality. However keep in mind that this new layout only applies to the main pages. The shrines and subsites remain the same (they'll get the same remodeling treatment eventually in phase 2). So here's a breakdown of what I did:

• The highlighted feature (and what required the most work) was to make this layout responsive. That means if you browse this site on a smartphone or tablet, everything will rearrange itself to accommodate for the smaller screen as if I created a separate mobile site.
• There is now a site search (powered by Google).
• The entire site is now tied together with a global top level navigation and global footer.
• Site news now has a presence on the homepage, as well as a slideshow showcasing highlighted content.
• Each RPG series now has a homepage. You can see it by clicking these banners:
• When you hover over a shrine link a pop-up appears with more info.
• I consolidated the tutorials to a dedicated Help section. In addition, I added an area called Guidance where I approach common desires visitors have.
• I added a dedicated section for all of FantasyAnime's social media channels.
• I added an About section for the site. It includes a history page, yearly blog, 'about the author' page, and a page listing all the goodies that make up this layout.
• The Links section has massively been pruned/reduced to show only links relevant to the games and anime.
• I added a store - buy something to support FantasyAnime! :)

• For Final Fantasy VI, added two new wallpapers. Previews below:
  
• Updated SSF, the Sega Saturn emulator. Find it in my emulators page.
• As for FantasyAnime 2.0 (the remodeling of FantasyAnime) I have finished the homepage - check it out towards the right! This entire page is responsive, meaning on tablets and smartphones it will rearrange into a fully fledged mobile site. I'm currently working on the section pages. I've been illustrating header banners for them - check it out towards the left! Cool huh? Every page will have personality. Man, this redesign project is taking me much longer than I had anticipated. Making a solid site these days is so time consuming.

• Okay so I've been pretty good at maintaining the Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr social media channels for FantasyAnime, so I thought I'd add more channels to the pile! FantasyAnime now has an official presence on Pinterest and Google+! So subscribe to one of FantasyAnime's social medial channels and join in on the scandalous fun! ;)
• Updated the Nintendo DS emulator, DeSmuMe, to the latest version. Find it in my emulators page.
• For Chrono Trigger, added two new desktop wallpapers based on Zeal. Here are previews:
  
• Hey and FantasyAnime 2.0 is still in the works! Check it out - here's my progress so far (click the thumbnail toward the right). This design is just a draft so it's not 100% definite, but this is surely the direction I'm going. I'm going to give more emphasis to the news and more emphasis to existing site content via a slideshow. The games will be organized with small thumbnails and a bit of info. I'm still thinking how to incorporate more game info; maybe a little box pops up upon hovering over a game link. I'm so excited! FantasyAnime will be so much better when I finish.

• My first update for 2012! Yay! You might be asking, “Hold on, you haven't updated in 4 months. Are you abandoning the site??” - NO, at all. Firstly, I finally finished my Masters in Internet Marketing in December, so I have free time again. I've since been working on BIG changes for FantasyAnime. And big changes take time. FantasyAnime is getting a highly professional face lift. When I'm done it's going to look like a 'real' site, yet still carry the essence of what makes my FantasyAnime a great place. Anyhow, onto the updates...
• I've added the Final Fantasy 5 Advance Sound Restoration hack. Now you can play FF5 Advance with music the way it was meant to be heard!
• No longer will you have to patch the many hacks I provide in my FantasyAnime. I've begun pre-patching them for you. Thus far, all the Final Fantasy 5 and Final Fantasy 6 hacks are available pre-patched.
• To RPG Lunch Break's SNES section, I've added the new Mega Man X3 hack that lets you play as Zero as a permanent character.