Just recently, I began playing Square Enix’s WiiWare game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King. Yes, I know, I’m late to the party. Pretend my invitation got lost in the mail. (I was waiting for Wii Points cards to go on sale.) I was fairly sure I’d enjoy the game, as a friend recommended it and, when I’d seen her play it on her console, it seemed like a lot of fun.

Before breaking ground on my first kingdom, I decided to peruse the downloadable content menu. I know that the extra buildings, quests and costumes aren’t essential, but I had 900 points left over to squander, and decided to window shop.

Initially, the prices didn’t really phase me. 100 points for a costume, 200 points for some dungeons and 300 points for one additional race didn’t seem all that bad. I eagerly decided that the 100 point Luxurious Houses were essential for a prosperous playthrough.

It’s only when I considered the ethnic diversity of my kingdom that the prices really hit me…

Square Enix has combined an expected announcement with two unexpected ones. We all knew that the Final Fantasy IV cell phone game sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was headed to Wiiware. We’ve now learned it won’t be alone. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King’s sequel, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord will be joining it on Wiiware and the original NES Final Fantasy will be released on Virtual Console. I guess somebody’s going to have to start charging up Wii Points. All three games currently have a 2009 release window, with no exact release dates or prices mentioned.

Square Enix has made more Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King add-ons available. The Wiiware game has already received some nice little extras from Square Enix, and the latest additions are sure to add even more replay value to the kingdom-rebuilding simulation.

The new content includes a building with two dungeons, castle additions and character costumes. King Leo and Chime can now dress for summer, if players buy the Fresh King (100 Wii Points/$1) and Summer Chime (100WP/$1) outfits. The castle can also become bigger and better, with a general Castle Renovation (100WP/$1), that adds a dungeon, a jukebox and an adventurer renamer, and a Library (200WP/$2), that adds a dungeon and teaches adventurers abilities. There is also the Infinity Spire (300WP/$3), which is two dungeons and also a sort-of trophy, since each time it is conquered, it grows larger.

The first Square Enix WiiWare title, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, is now available on the Wii Shop Channel. The main game, which includes the main story, 17 different kinds of buildings, Clavat adventurers with four different jobs for each gender, 38 dungeons, three difficulty modes and three different visiting races (Lilty, Selkie and Yuke), costs 1,500 Wii Points (WP)/$15.00.

Along with the main game, quite a bit of additional content is already available through the Wii Shop Channel. A 300 WP Dungeon Pack, with 11 extra dungeons, the 800 WP Triple Race Pack, which lets Lilties, Selkies and Yukes homes to the game, 100 WP extra costumes for the King and Chime, 100 Luxurious Homes and a 200 WP Sacred Shrine. If you don’t want all three races, each one’s building can be purchased separately for 300 WP.