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Final Fantasy XIII series to last ten years
Square Enix is planning to make Final Fantasy XIII a decade-long franchise, according to FF Versus XIII producer Shinji Hashimoto. We already knew Square Enix was planning on spanning FFXIII much in the way it revisited Final Fantasy VII across multiple years and multiple consoles, but now we have a tentative timeline for how long the company plans to focus its effort on the series."Different from something like VII, which we expanded upon afterwards, with Fabula Nova Crystallis FFXIII, we've thought about an expansive world setting from the start," said Hashimoto in an interview with Nintendo Dream translated by IGN. "Under the idea of wanting everyone to be sucked into the world for 10 years, we're preparing a number of categories."Hashimoto also classified four groups of developers working on four distinct aspects of the Final Fantasy series: the Nova Crystallis group, the Ivalice Alliance (Final Fantasy Tactics, Revenant Wings), the Crystal Chronicles group (that works "exclusively on Nintendo hardware," according to Nintendo Dream) and the MMO-centric Final Fantasy XI group.Does this mean we'll be waiting until at least 2017 for Final Fantasy XIV? It's unclear, but regardless, we'll have to play nicely with XIII's characters for many years to come.
Xbox 360 Final Fantasy news article XXVII
As Microsoft's Boris Schneider-Johne put it, "one down, two to go". Microsoft is probably very happy to get its grubby mitts on the likes of Devil May Cry 4, but two of Sony's major exclusives -- Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid 4 -- remain unclaimed. Of course, both games have had their share of rumors stating otherwise. Enter a recent issue of the Australian Playstation Magazine, which contained an interview with Square Enix director, Motomu Toriyama. In particular, one quote has made it around the internet in record time: "... in terms of formats we're reaching ... it's not simply exclusive to the PS3 and mobile phones." It's easy to read this quote and assume Toriyama is referring to the imminent arrival of Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360, but that's making quite a leap. Final Fantasy games have all enjoyed success on multiple platforms, ranging from the DS to upcoming PSP ports to even the Gamecube. It's just as likely that Toriyama is referring to the DS, Wii, PSP, or even another movie. Furthermore, he could easily be talking about spin-off titles and not Final Fantasy XIII itself. Hell, Final Fantasy XIII is already set to have three titles (Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII).In other words, don't expect Final Fantasy XIII to jump ship anytime soon. It's still possible of course, but Toriyama's comments are not confirmation of a 360 version.[Via Joystiq]
Final Fantasy XIII series 'not exclusive to PS3 and mobile,' 360 ports still nonexistent
Square Enix director Motomu Toriyama hasn't told PSM Australia anything other than what we've already known: Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII is a collective of projects that has never been declared exclusive to one platform. Yet, when Toriyama suggests that Fabula Nova Crystallis "isn't just limited to three titles" and that "it's not simply exclusive to the PS3 and mobile phones," so many of us are willing to take a leap of faith, heralding these words as a death knell for Sony, and as a confirmation of FFXIII on Xbox 360. Before you join the feverish mob, remember to draw a distinction between the primary game, currently exclusive to PlayStation 3, and the general series, already totaling three titles (Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII) and at least one loose logo, Haeresis ("Dissidia" is also possibly linked to FFXIII).Toriyama has merely reaffirmed that, like Final Fantasy VII, the FFXIII brand will be spun into an array of disparate shards, conveniently linked by a popular title. We may yet see a spin-off on 360 -- or even a port of the PS3 games -- but don't jump to that conclusion based on the PSM interview. Yes, we've still got Haeresis (and possibly Dissidia) without a home, but either DS or PSP, or dare we say Blu-ray, DVD, and UMD, are just as valid destinations as Xbox 360 -- don't count out PlayStation 2 or Wii either. Given all the fuss that Final Fantasy rouses, Square Enix would do best to deliver on all of 'em.The moral is: Final Fantasy XIII -- the game -- is still exclusive to PlayStation 3.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Some more Final Fantasy XIII tidbits -- online?
This time we've found the scans containing the interview with Square-Enix's Motomu Toriyama. We've read them, sure. We've decided to give you some of what we learned and let you read the rest. Some of this was already known, some of it is speculation, but all of it is Final Fantasy deliciousness.We already knew the game was going to take on the FF8 approach -- more science-fiction than fantasy (technology-wise, cities with big buildings not made out of wood or thatch or brick). Fine by me. As an aside, I've heard tons of whines about that particular entry into the series and I'd like to hear why it rubbed you the wrong way. Personally, the FF thorn(s) in my side are IX and Mystic Quest. I wouldn't call FF7 sci-fi based because it was one city that was "technologically advanced"... it was more industrialized than sci-fi. FF8 was sci-fi. FF8 had the Gun-Blade. So does XIII. What're the odds?We also know the battle system is going to be a revamped ATB system -- pushed to its limits as far as speed goes. This, to me, is also a great move. Not sure how many of you dared to demasculinize yourselves with Final Fantasy X-2, but that was easily the greatest rendition of ATB to-date. If they're going to make it faster with XIII, I'm on board. Just so Lightning isn't girly like those three ladies were. She doesn't seem to be.The game is being built from the ground up with the PS3 in mind. The high-definition capabilities, the Blu-ray, the multi-core mumbo jumbo... it's all needed to run this game in the way Square-Enix desires it. Online? They're thinking about it. Wonder what they'd do. Either way, expect a whole new level of expression on character's faces and gestures.Mini-games are a possibility, but they'd probably be dragged out into their own full-length releases. Hopefully, these will be cheaper and on the PS-Store, because I won't dole out a constant stream of $60 for mini-games-gone-full.There's a bit more info in the scans, but we're not going to go into every title and what's already known about them. If you want to play a little bit of catch-up, go ahead and check out the scans. We're going to find some news not relating to Square-Enix.
Final Fantasy XIII games "not limited to PS3 and mobile"
The Australian PSM had an interview with Square-Enix's Motomu Toriyama. It was all right. He mostly talked about the main Final Fantasy XIII game. But he was asked a question that wasn't expected and he gave an answer that was even less expected. What was asked? Dunno. What was said? "In fact, the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII project isn't just limited to three titles -- there are many different aspects. In terms of the formats we're reaching, as well, it's not simply exclusive to the PS3 and mobile phones. There is more."Now, before all the competing consoles do a jig and cry in happiness for a game they wouldn't even play, this doesn't say anything about the exclusivity of XIII and Versus XIII. What we're gleaning from this is another game for another platform -- maybe Crystal Chronicles on the Wii actually takes place in the same universe? Or an Advent Children-style short movie where the two main characters of the games meet and duke it out? It's pretty interesting to think about -- oh, a graphic novel! Maybe.
Final Fantasy XIII demo statement due this month?
Nick Doerr taps his fingers impatiently, waiting to hear the mail delivery truck to roll past his apartment complex's mailbox hut. Every day, he wonders if that new issue of EGM will arrive. Since the month of the magazine and the actual month are never the same and the delivery dates appear arbitrary, it's little more than a guessing game. However, he's a reason to be excited this time around. Final Fantasy XIII is coming. Maybe.We reported a long time ago that there might be a demo coming out this year for FFXIII: Crazy Latinese Subtitle and estimated its arrival... let's see... after TGS'07 -- the demo itself was scheduled to be completed by E3'07. Apparently EGM had a little blip inside an issue (it may have been the April issue) confirming such a demo heading to the PS-Store. If we're already hearing that, can we expect it sooner? E3 is just around the corner and down a block, so maybe we'll get that demo then, instead? Whatever, keep your ears open.
FFXIII exclusivity... under discussion? A different view
For some reason, we feel like this news is a little older than "6:36AM"... probably read it in a few applications. But we're not here to talk about them! We're here to discuss Georga Fornay's comments in a French-language newspaper about Final Fantasy XIII. Who is he? President of Sony Computer Entertainment France. What'd he say? Let's eavesdrop."The development costs of games have exploded, and it has become more difficult to have exclusives, outside of our own games. But we have for launch day [in France] 30 games, including MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Virtua Fighter 5. Moreover, we are expecting 200 games [for the PS3] by the end of 2007... As far as Final Fantasy XIII goes, I can tell you that the exclusivity is in discussion."Some may twist this into thinking that Sony might be losing exclusivity to the coveted Square-Enix title. We remain cautiously optimistic. Perhaps Square was looking at going to other consoles, but Sony realizes they need this game (need is a tricky word, but let's go with it). They tell Square to sit down, enjoy some brunch. Let's discuss. Basically, instead of assuming the title was exclusive and that may be changing, let's assume it was not exclusive, but Sony is finally making that jump. Besides, there were never those "Only on PS2!" stickers when Final Fantasy X, X-2, and XII were released. Those were all over games like Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Know what we're saying? How do you feel about this?
Final Fantasy XIII heading to Xbox 360?
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Sony_says_Final_Fantasy_XIII_could_hit_360'; The PS3 exclusivity rumor train is unstoppable these days. Just days ago it was revealed that both Devil May Cry 4 and Ace Combat 6 were going multiplatform, and now we hear, courtesy of GameSpot, that the one of the biggest exclusives of all may be spreading the console love as well. Yes, it appears that Final Fantasy XIII -- you know, "that RPG" -- could be jumping the fence in search of greener pastures. In an interview with Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, Georges Fornay, president of Sony Computer Entertainment France, hinted at the possibility. Fornay noted that development costs for games have skyrocketed, making it difficult for 3rd party developers to produce exclusive titles. Said Fornay, "As far as Final Fantasy XIII goes, I can tell you that the exclusivity is in discussion." Square-Enix has yet to comment on Fornay's statement.Final Fantasy creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, recently added fuel to this rumor, stating that the FFXIII's White Engine is capable of multiplatform development, and that he believed making FFXIII a multiplatform game would be a "wise" decision. Is the Xbox 360 about to pick up another of the PS3's heavy hitters? Only time will tell. If Final Fantasy XIII were to come out on Xbox, would it sway your decision to get a PS3?
Final Fantasy XIII gets a battle director!
The battle director for Final Fantasy XIII has been named this day. The honor goes to Toshiro Tsuchida -- the very same guy who was the battle director for Final Fantasy X and has been involved with all the Front Mission games. Does this mean we can expect a turn-based battle system with strategy elements? According to Tetsuya Nomura, no. No it does not.Nomura has given a few details on the battle system and if memory serves, many of us at PS3Fanboy had guessed the system before it was announced. Anyway, Nomura said the fights will resemble those in Kingdom Hearts (hopefully less button-mashing, more strategy...) with a bit of a third-person shooter features tossed in. It seems each weapon will have a separate camera and control system. Could you imagine Sora using a dozen different types of weapons each with completely unique move sets? That would be a lot of crap to micromanage. And Nick loves his micromanaging.
Final Fantasy XIII -- ATB revamped?
It seems the people over at Square-Enix are having a little mercy on their fans. You remember the FFXIII trailer, don't you? With that weird slidey-bar thing at the bottom that looked like a menu slapped on to fool people into believing that what they were looking at was real-time? Motomu Toriyama sat down with Famitsu magazine and delivered some details on the gameplay and the story. We won't talk about the story, but you can read up on what was discussed if you don't mind learning a little about the world of Final Fantasy XIII.The battle system is said to be the most intense yet and different from what fans are used to. First off, the battles are going to be seamless -- they'll take place where you run into enemies (just like Chrono Trigger... I bring that up because I had a discussion with a friend as to why no game emulated the SBS, Seamless Battle System, outside of CT... not even its sequel). That's an awesome first step. But, presentation is important, too, said Toriyama. "since it's on the Playstation 3 we've got our eye on new presentation. The foundation is based on active-time battles, but the waiting time until you choose a command is gone for the most part. The image we presented to the public -- rushing into a real time battle with that kind of force -- we want to continue that overflowing feeling of tension that RPGs up to now haven't had."Summons are also a big deal. They're not really giant monster-creatures that come on screen and do a single massive attack then fade away. They're mechas, in a sense, with two forms. For example, Shiva can transform into a motorcycle and Toriyama said that it "may be the case" that you can ride your hog into battle. Intense, indeed. What this all sounds like is that RPG's will no longer be the genre that allow you to continuously pound X (or circle) during fights whilst your secondary claw grabs some potato chips or whips up some brownies (hey, it could be done). What do you guys think? Is FFXIII headed in a good direction, or are you worried it might turn into an Action-RPG?[thanks to 1UP.com for the image]
Final Fantasy XIII release date confusion (remains confusing)
PlayStation Universe is reporting that Final Fantasy XIII has been confirmed for release in 2008. The news is based on an interview with Tetsuya Nomura (Director of Final Fantasy Versus XIII), which appeared in the January 19 issue of Japan's Famitsu magazine (the cover of which we've photographed here to make Joystiq prettier). Closer inspection of the interview reveals that Nomura simply made the following statement with regard to Versus XIII:"We're planning to have the final in-game graphics prepared at some point during 2007, so please wait for that -- and then we can speak about Versus XIII in more detail."In light of that, a 2007 release for Versus XIII does seem unlikely, we admit, although not impossible. Release timings for Final Fantasy XIII and Agito XIII are not mentioned, though, and in the latest issue of Famitsu (February 9) all three games are still listed as having "unconfirmed" release dates.
Final Fantasy XIII details... deep, intimate details
Goodness gracious! There has been quite an influx of Final Fantasy XIII news lately. Well, most of the news comes in the way of magazine scans. Sometimes there's a Versus XIII scan thrown in there with the others. But sometimes we're graced with the news of a playable demo due out possibly after this year's E3 and/or Tokyo Game Show. This time, however, we learn details from the people making the game themselves: Square Enix. SIXAXIS controls, people's shoe sizes, Lightning's favorite food (or not...) and so on. We'll make a list of neat bits o' news. Director Motome Toriyama admitted that the opening scene of FFXIII is "probably the most [intense] in the Final Fantasy series so far." Toriyama promised surprises galore for us, this being the 20th anniversary of the series. One such surprise is to get Final Fantasy XIII into our hands as soon as possible (does that portend the final game will be released before the end of the year, or just the demo?). Tetsuya Nomura revealed details about the blonde-haired guy that looks a bit like Seifer. The character is huge, literally. He can run whilst carrying two people and his shoe size is approximately 33 centimeters. In Versus XIII, your character can instantly warp to wherever he's thrown his sword. Handy and deadly. Also in Versus, you won't play the whole game alone. You'll get party members and will have fighting akin to Kingdom Hearts, but will probably be somewhere between KH and Final Fantasy XII. Versus XIII is lagging behind the main FF, so we'll only get a new kickass trailer for it in the near future. Because we'd like to keep the story details as much of a surprise as possible (I've learned that reading up on every little bit tends to ruin the immersion into the world game developers create), we won't mention those, but if you're curious, you can most certainly read up on it over at IGN. Exciting.
Playable Final Fantasy XIII demo coming in third quarter of 2007
Oh my goodness! Did you read the title right? We think you did, because it's true. Gosh, what was the last Final Fantasy demo? Was it for VIII? That was a long, long time ago. Packaged with Brave Fencer Musashi, if memory serves. Oh, nevermind. Final Fantasy XII was packaged with Dragon Quest VIII. Damn! Even so, that was a big gap in itself -- now we're getting a demo for each game, then.In the latest issue of Dengeki, Square-Enix confirmed the release of a Final Fantasy XIII (not Versus, apparently) demo sometime this year. Sqeenix wants the demo to be finished by E3 2007 -- which is pretty much closed off to the public now. If they want to be very nice, they can release the demo on the PS-Store shortly thereafter. If not, we'll probably see the release of the demo after the Tokyo Game Show 2007. Either way, awesome! No news on it going multiplatform and it's going to stay that way, from the looks of it.
More delicious Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII scans
Why does this game look so ridiculously sexy? Maybe I'm a sucker for weird reddish-pink blonde hair. Maybe I'm a sucker for RPGs. Maybe I'm just tired of playing PS2 games and really want to feel what the "next-gen" is in regards to role-playing titles. Whatever the case, both of the PS3 Final Fantasy XIII titles are lookin' hot. Or hawt, depending on how nerdy we want to get. We can't really say what the article is telling us, since Babelfish has decided to shun us at the time of this writing. It doesn't matter, though. We'd much rather have those scans translated. Is it just us, or is Shiva transforming into a motorcycle in one of the scans? Transforming is awesome. Especially if you're Optimus Prime.What's interesting, though, is that there's finally something that appears to be "cinematic" and we can therefore assume the other images we've seen thus far are at the very least "cutscene gameplay" -- that is, extra nice... er... normal graphics. We chose to throw the cinematic image up because, well, it looks damn near like a real person. But it isn't. Because no one looks like that. Unfortunately. Are we gushing too much? It's just exciting! Take a look yourselves and grin in silence.
Final Fantasy XIII scans -- still pretty
"Its exit is programmed for the year 2007 in Japan." You have got to love Babelfish. Its translations are top-notch. That's 100% besides the point, though. This is all about a few magazine scans from Japanese magazine Shonen Jump. What do we see? Well, besides the usual pretty Yuna/Ashe character (who goes by the name of Lightning, I think is what was pulled from these scans), there's this other dude in a white coat and some kind of detective hat. You know what? He does look a bit like Seifer. More along the lines of the Kingdom Hearts 2 Seifer, but older. Whatever. He'll be a good guy. Since there's not much else to say and not much else known about this darn game, why don't we play the "guess the RPG stereotype" game for this Seifer-clone? What do you think he'll be? Strong silent type? Womanizer? Amnesiac? Really good fighter with a cold heart, but still teaches the main character how to fight? Go for it. Also, if the translation is right, this game is programmed for exit in 2007 -- sooner than we thought, but you must remember how far Final Fantasy XII was pushed back.
Final Fantasy XIII -- a work in progress, via Maya
This is for all the techno-babble junkies out there, so correct us if we get it wrong, but Maya is the program being used to create the world of Final Fantasy XIII, and this is your rare chance to check out a strange, er, "commercial", where you can see the detailed world of the upcoming title as it's being built. The detail is sickening. We expect no less from Square-Enix, though. No gameplay footage, no main characters... just a dude at a computer swiveling a frighteningly beautiful city around via his mouse. Check it out, give it a "hmm" nod, or don't. As my mentor, Captain Planet, used to say, "the power is yours!"
Square Enix talks up innovation, hints at new hardware
Though you might be inclined to give Square Enix president, Yoichi Wada, an incredulous stare as he discusses the merits of innovation before the release of Final Fantasy Thirteen, a recent interview with Nikkei Business Online points to his fairly levelheaded approach to the topic. "If we don't see some [next-generation] titles that differ from traditional games, the industry is in trouble. Nintendo's DS lineup gives you an idea of the potential..." However, Mr. Wada goes on to say that immmediately tossing out all previous conventions and concepts isn't necessarily the best solution. "We must change. But if we change all at once, the system will collapse, and since our profits are built on that system, it's a difficult question. So you have to introduce change from a completely unrelated direction within a separate budget framework. This is something all the companies are worrying about right now. Fortunately, we're financially prepared to handle change." It raises the interesting point that change may be easy to trumpet but difficult to usher in, requiring gradual steps and some assistance from current franchises. The earlier point regarding the DS' success is an interesting one, since Nintendo's many franchises and characters were arguably instrumental in introducing a different way of playing games.The ability of unique hardware to funnel innovation in certain ways also intrigues Square, which is why "Square Enix will collaborate with Taito, a company that produces physical hardware. In our talks with Taito, ideas for an actual physical product have come up. In any case, we will be releasing some 'thing.' It's interesting in that it's not the sort of thing you expect from Square Enix." With that in mind, we now can't wait to play some sort of Final Fantasy game on a Square Enix thing at an undisclosed time in the future.[Via Gamasutra]
Famitsu's most wanted and most ignored
Respected Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently published the results of a poll to find the games most wanted by the public. Look at the top five. Aside from the #1 spot, Sony dominates. 9 Nintendo titles, 11 Sony titles and 1 Microsoft title. What's an XBox, Japanese gamers wonder. An interesting aside is that many of the Sony games are in fact for the PS2 and still generate as much if not more desire than the next-gen Wii and 360. Combined.So what, you ask? So that. It's just a list of what's anticipated in Japan. Take it for what it's worth, but the fact of the matter is, in Japan at least, Sony is still jumping out of everyone's mouth. Final Fantasy XIII, Resident Evil 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Dawn of Mana, Final Fantasy XIII Versus... sure, sequels, but anticipated ones. If they weren't desired, sequels wouldn't necessarily be made. Basically, hooray Sony! At least there are some hot PS2 titles on the way, along with the buzzworthy PS3 titles.
3 Final Fantasy XIII games; 2 just for PS3
Final Fantasy XII won't be out for the PS2 in the States until October, but we now have a glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII thanks to Square Enix's pre-E3 press event -- and this installment in the series won't be coming alone.Like the different titles in the Compilation of FFVII collection of games and movies, the initially announced installments in the FFXIII universe will span multiple platforms which, in this case, include both the PS3 and sufficiently advanced mobile handsets. Not much is known about the mobile-bound Final Fantasy Agito XIII, but the subtitle-less version of FFXIII will concern a gun-and-sword-toting heroine in a futuristic world, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII will focus on "a spiky-haired character," "extreme action elements," and a primary theme of "bonding" (whatever that means). Anybody ready to "resist the world"?The multiple titles might explain the earlier rumor reported in March that FFXIII was "practically close to being finished" (maybe only one of these games was nearing completion). Whatever the case may be, we're just happy that more than one not-so-Final-Fantasy will be hitting the next PlayStation in relatively rapid succession. RPG feasting: on the way.[Via Joystiq]
Final Fantasy XIII announced for PS3 [Update 1]
As we just reported, Final Fantasy XIII has been announced for the PlayStation 3 (and, so far, only for Sony's console) -- showing that Square Enix is still supporting Sony. According to Chris Kohler at Game|Life, the trailer "looks amazing. Female main character. Looked like prerendered video, except it was realtime. Dramatic action-packed battles with crazy camerawork."The title is being produced by Yoshinori Kitase (Final Fantasies 5-8 and 10, Chrono Trigger) and directed by Motomu Toriyama (FFX, X-2, and the Final Fantasy VII tech demo shown at last year's E3).As far as we know, this is a PlayStation 3 exclusive. While no love was shown for Microsoft, the Xbox 360 does have three RPGs on the way from Japanese developer MistWalker, formed by Final Fantasy veteran Hironobu Sakaguchi.Update: Gamespot reports that there are actually 3 different Final Fantasy XIII titles. The second title, featuring more spiky-haired madness, is also bound for PS3 and is directed by Advent Children's Tetsuya Nomura. The final game in the XIII trio is destined for mobile platforms.
