One of the most important factors in differentiating a good soundtrack from a terrible one is the ability for the material to remain fresh. Nothing kills a game experience like an overplayed melody that can’t help but get stuck in your head while at the same time driving you closer and closer to the edge of insanity. There is a fine line between something that is endearing (Such as the Final Fantasy Win Anthem) and one that makes you want to end it all (like the Dungeon Theme from Persona 3). While it is hard to craft enough music to round out a 50+ hour game, some games have proven that even with a relatively small number of tracks it is indeed possible to create music that doesn’t grate while remaining fresh even after a prolonged play session.

When looking at the recent news coming out of Japan from Square-Enix, it is quite easy to become lost and not know which announcements are pertinent to US gamers. Spanning from a partnership with a US based studio, to Dragon Quest 10 being developed for the Nintendo Wii, recent press releases have been the talk of the Internet and have major implications for US gamers.

When Chrono Trigger was released for the Super Nintendo 13 years ago it was truly a revolutionary game. It combined the talents of the then sovereign Developers Square and Enix to create one of the most memorable RPGs of the time. For those not yet initiated into the “Cult of Chrono,” it may seem odd to have such deep reverence, which could easily be mistaken for the blatant rants of a fanboy, for a game that seems generic at first glance; However even after a decade, Chrono still remains the benchmark for RPGs and games as a whole.

Ever wonder how Square Enix approaches character design? Check out this revealing tutorial after the jump.

Square-Enix, a Company that has obviously shown that they LOVE money, has found that the easiest way to make said piles of money is to use Japan’s favorite game machine, the DS. The staggering amount of recent releases of Square-Enix…