tetsuya nomura
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Nomura 'definitely' wants to make a The World Ends With You sequel
It seems all of our training exercises to develop our latent mind control abilities are starting to pay off. After months of attempting to bend the will of Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura to try and get him to create a follow-up to 2008's surprisingly lovable handheld RPG The World Ends With You, the designer recently told Nintendo Power (transcribed by Siliconera) that "I definitely want to make a sequel." See that, Nomura? We're in your mind. Of course, games at Square Enix are developed in a set order, and Nomura explained he's "very busy working on other titles right now, but when the time is right, I would love to make another installment of The World Ends with You." Now we just have to use our psychic powers to convince Nomura to go ahead and skip all those other games. Then we're going to make him do a funny little dance. Because we can.
Nomura: Kingdom Hearts 3D 'probably' being developed by Birth by Sleep team
Square Enix sent out some (unfortunately flat) images representing two of its announced 3DS titles, Kingdom Hearts 3D and Chocobo Racing 3D. We're going to go ahead and assume you aren't tired of looking at 3DS images yet, and place them in galleries for your perusal. Don't expect the games to look exactly like this upon release -- these images essentially represent tech demos. Tetsuya Nomura told Siliconera that Kingdom Hearts 3D "will probably be developed by the team who was in charge of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, the Osaka team." In other words, Square Enix hasn't even gotten to the point in the game's development where it figures out who's developing it.%Gallery-95619%%Gallery-95618%
Jiminy Cricket voice actor mentions Kingdom Hearts: Recoded
The official website for professional voice actor Phil Snyder mentions a heretofore unannounced project with a somewhat familiar title: Kingdom Hearts: Recoded. Apparently, Snyder is following in the footsteps of the late Eddie Carroll, and providing the voice for the series' pocket-sized accomplice, Jiminy Cricket. The project's title seems to suggest that Square-Enix is working on a remake of the formerly Japan-only episodic mobile game, Kingdom Hearts: Coded. We may end up getting concrete details about this project soon -- Siliconera reports the July issue of Game Informer features an interview with Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura, who explains that one of the two upcoming installments in the Keyblade-wielding franchise will be announced at E3. He didn't explain which language the game will actually be recoded in, but our money's on HTML5, since oh my God we can't believe we're making this joke what have we become.
Nomura mentions three more Kingdom Hearts games in interview
An interview with Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura, printed in the Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Ultimania guide book, outs the planning of three new games in the Disney/Square action RPG series. And one of them is, for real, Kingdom Hearts III. However, Nomura hasn't started the actual production of the title -- evidently he's busy with Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which is apparently a real game that people are working on. "We won't take up KH3 until we've reached a certain target with FF Versus XIII," Nomura said, according to Andriasang's translation of the text provided by FF-Reunion. One of the two additional Kingdom Hearts games will be out this year. Another, due later, features multiple protagonists like Birth by Sleep. Nomura also dashed any hope of another super-deluxe re-release like the Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix. "The voice actors for the overseas version are all high caliber, so it wouldn't be bad to release a Final Mix version," he said. " ... However, because for KH2FM+ we released Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as a set, we have the feeling that people's expectations for the content of a Final Mix have become extremely high. I'd like to say this here -- we won't do anything that big ever again. (laughs)."
Yep, there's a world map in Final Fantasy Versus XIII
With Final Fantasy XIII finally done and in stores, Square Enix fans are now scouring the internet for the next big project in the Final Fantasy series: The still-PS3-exclusive Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Character designer and director Tetsuya Nomura was interviewed on Twitter, an appropriate venue that forces brevity and a general lack of detail. According to Nomura (as translated by Andriasang), "not everything is connected together" in Versus, "so the various areas have different levels of progress." He did manage to reveal at least two facts about the upcoming game: "You can fly across the world map in an air ship." Adding both world maps and controllable air ships should help appease Final Fantasy fans disappointed by their absence in XIII. While Versus represents a spin-off for the franchise, it sounds like it may be closer to a traditional FF experience than its counterpart. For hardcore Square Enix fans, that news alone should be enough to restart the long wait to the next Final Fantasy game.
Nomura 'not sure' about Final Fantasy Versus XIII at E3
As Square Enix developers are prone to do, acclaimed Final Fantasy lead Tetsuya Nomura recently dropped some vague information about one of the handful of Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII games that was announced like, a million years ago (okay, okay -- in 2006). Apparently, due to the display of the world map not being up to snuff, Final Fantasy Versus XIII may not make an appearance at this year's E3. "We were hoping to debut it at E3, but we're not sure now," Nomura told Famitsu (as relayed by FF-Reunion.net). "For displaying characters on the world map, we were originally planning on using the method used by 'FF#,' with a small Noctus running about on the screen, but that didn't look too great, so we ended up switching to the method used by 'FF#.'" Allegedly, the "#" designations used by Famitsu in the preceding quotation were an effort to mask the particular Final Fantasy installments Nomura was referring to. "Famitsu had to block them out," explained Andriasang. Nomura also suggested that Versus might be benched for E3 2010 in order to give other Square Enix titles at the show more time in the spotlight. Nomura did not mention Agito XIII in the Famitsu article, but did note that, in terms of other projects, "There are a number of them, along with some for which we need to begin preparations for a reveal." That's right -- forget about finally showing us more of the game that was announced four years ago, bring on Final Fantasy XV! [Via Andriasang]
Xbox 360 retailing in a Final Fantasy XIII bundle for the rest of us
Japan's been Final Fantasy-ing for a while now, but it looks like an import FFXIII PS3 isn't your only shot at pointy-haired excellence. Outside of Japan, Microsoft has the exclusive "official" Final Fantasy XIII bundles, in the form of a $399 Xbox 360 that packs a 250GB HDD, two controllers, a standard edition of the game, and some exclusive avatar downloads. Separately available will be some limited edition faceplates (pictured after the break) created by designer Tetsuya Nomura, but if you want a full console paint job you're still going to have to turn Japanese and fork it over for a PS3 -- or level up on your Bob Ross technique and paint it yourself. The bundle should hit stores March 9th.
Nomura working to 'realize' Kingdom Hearts III, explains Sora's furry origins
Two noteworthy pieces of information came out of a recent Famitsu interview (as translated by Andriasang) with Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura regarding the prolific Disney-Final Fantasy mash-up franchise, Kingdom Hearts. The first isn't all that surprising -- when questioned at the end of the interview about Kingdom Hearts III, Nomura simply replied "Regarding III, fans and partners alike are pressing us for it, so we'll work to realize it as soon as possible." Here's the more intriguing (or disturbing, depending on how you look at it) tidbit -- when asked about Sora's character design, Nomura remarked that the Disney staff made a few alterations to his outfit, explaining his stupid big shoes and pants. He went on to reveal that, in addition to wielding a chainsaw-sword instead of a giant key, Sora once possessed a tail and "beast-like ears." That can only mean one thing in our book: Furry. We'll take outrageously baggy pants over unsettling therianthropy any day of the week.
Nomura: FFVII remake not happening 'for the time being'
Look, Cloud Strife fans, we feel your pain. We do! Honestly. We're just not exactly shocked to see Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura stating that the possibility of a Final Fantasy VII remake being created as a no go, at least "for the time being." In a recent issue of Famitsu (translated via Andriasang) -- the Cloud Strife-themed part of a multiweek look at game characters -- the character's creator admitted that he is quite aware "fans are looking forward to an oft-rumored remake of FFVII." Unfortunately, he also noted "I don't believe this will happen for the time being." In a seemingly futile effort to assuage the damage done by that statement, he added, "It's possible that he will appear in other titles as a guest character." You mean like Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Mr. Nomura? Yeah, we're just as worried as you are, folks.
Nomura has more unannounced games, one 'not entirely new'
If you're reading gaming blogs on a regular basis, Tetsuya Nomura needs no introduction. While Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is by no means finished, Nomura is already talking about what's next. In the latest issue of Famitsu (via Siliconera; scan can be seen here), he confirms two additional projects: one that is already fairly far along in development and another unannounced project that's "not entirely new." Aside from Birth By Sleep, Nomura's other known projects include Final Fantasy Agito XIII and 3rd Birthday, a new game in the Parasite Eve series. Keep an eye on Famitsu's site, where the full interview will soon be available.
Nomura: No Closed Mega Theater at TGS, but playable FFXIII, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
Tokyo Game Show attendees will have one fewer giant line to contend with this year: Square Enix will not run its traditional "Closed Mega Theater," during which new trailers are debuted. Producer Tetsuya Nomura told Famitsu (as translated by Andriasang) that the company is putting its efforts into promoting games that are coming out sooner, which means playable demos instead of giant trailers for distant games. The focus on playable and near-future titles also means that Square Enix won't be showing games like Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII, and The 3rd Birthday -- all of which appeared in trailer form at the last TGS, but still aren't playable. Instead, trailers for a few upcoming games will be shown to attendees who play the demos for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (coming this winter!) or Final Fantasy XIII. [Image credit, more Birth By Sleep screens]
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep has three separate adventures
An interview with Tetsuya Nomura in the latest issue of Japan's Weekly Famistu finally sheds more light on PSP's installment in the Kingdom Hearts series, Birth By Sleep. 1UP reports that, in the article, the series' creator reveals that the game's three main characters will be playable in their own, separate campaigns, complete with unique boss battles. Nomura also estimates that each character's play-through should take about 15 hours.Famitsu's story also mentions that Birth By Sleep will incorporate the worlds of Cinderella and Lilo & Stitch, the latter set in deep space before the cute-yet-calamitous creature crash lands on Earth. Nomura notes that a release date for the game likely won't be announced until after Final Fantasy XIII's is, but that it's still expected to hit Japan this winter.
Nomura: The Kingdom Hearts Keyblade was originally a chainsaw
In an interview with Famitsu, Square Enix character designer and Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura revealed some secrets about the early history of the franchise. The ensemble-cast design of the games, for example, stemmed from a disagreement between Square and Disney over the protagonist: "Square wanted to make a game starring Mickey Mouse," Nomura said, as translated by 1UP, "and Disney wanted a Donald Duck title. Meanwhile, I wanted neither." The resulting compromise was "a game featuring lots of characters without focusing on any particular one."The Keyblade weapon, despite being an early component of the game, was not Nomura's first idea for a signature weapon. "Actually," he said, "the first weapon I showed Disney was a chainsaw. It was this chainsaw-like weapon that I had a rough sketch of when I first showed my concepts to Disney." Disney reacted pretty much like you would expect Disney executives to react to the heavy use of a chainsaw in a game about Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck: "Everyone got this scrunched-up look on their face and nobody said a word in the entire room. Dead silence. And I thought 'No, I guess this wouldn't work, huh?'"It occurred to us that the chainsaw was the perfect Nomura weapon, because the teeth on the chain are reminiscent of those on a zipper.
Rumor: Incoming Kingdom Hearts announcement next week
Did you know that Tetsuya Nomura never sleeps? When the Square Enix designer isn't working on Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts Coded and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, he can usually be found talking to interviewers. One such tête à tête, which can apparently be found in the latest issue of Japanese mag Famitsu (translated by HeartStation), indicates that there may be even more work on Nomura's plate than we thought, as he says that Square Enix will be making an announcement regarding the Kingdom Hearts series sometime next week.We know what we'd like to hear (Kingdom Hearts 3!), but we're not holding our breath. Alternatively, it could be an announcement regarding Coded coming to the West (possibly via the iPhone?) or a new handheld title. Whatever it may be, we'll be keeping an eye out next week for further info.[Via KH Insider]
Advent Children may be done, but Final Fantasy VII isn't
The upcoming Blu-ray release of Advent Children Complete represents the end of the Advent Children saga. No more director's cuts, or extended director's cuts, super-special ultimate final director's cuts. This is it -- at least, according to Square Enix producer Tetsuya Nomura.While Advent Children may be done, the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" is far from over. Looks like a feature-length film, PS2 shooter and PSP prequel RPG haven't milked the original PS1 RPG enough. IGN reports that Nomura already has ideas for "the next product in the compilation." Final Fantasy VII remake, perhaps? Or more exciting: a Final Fantasy VII dating sim for the DS. You know you want to win Cloud's cold, broken, emo heart!There may be more FF7 in the works, but fans will have to wait quite a bit to see what's next. With multiple Kingdom Hearts games and two Final Fantasy XIII titles in the works, Nomura has plenty to focus his efforts on.
Dissidia creators talk FFXII, FFXIII characters
Speaking in an interview with Japan's Weekly Famitsu (which is courteously translated by 1UP), the Dissidia dev team has spoken out about the possible inclusion of Final Fantasy XII and XIII characters making their way into the game. Creative producer Tetsuya Nomura replied to the mag when drilled on those sought after games, but Noms had some disappointing news to reveal: "One idea we had was to include an FFXIII character, but having one debut in Dissidia would lock down the image of his or her skills and so forth, perhaps affecting FFXIII in the process. As a result, we couldn't get permission."That's rather understandable. But wait; what about FFXII? Well, Nomura was a little more mysterious in his answer for this one: "As for FFXII, just stay tuned for now (laughs)." Is he laughing because we're totally not going to see a character from the game? Or, is he laughing because we're definitely going to see one? Commence dramatic progressive argument in our comments section!
New Final Fantasy Versus XIII details surface
Famitsu has a four-page spread in their latest issue all about the PS3-exclusive Final Fantasy Versus XIII. You've probably seen some of it in the scans earlier this morning. In the magazine, the full name of Versus' sleepy protagonist prince is revealed to be Noctis Lucis Caelum -- which is Latin for "night, light and sky." The blonde-haired female friend of his is named Stella Nox Fleuret. Her name is Latin for "star, darkness and sword" and she appears to be a princess from another country. It is interesting to note that their respective appearances reflect each other's names.The game's director, Tetsuya Nomura, points out that part of the plot was revealed in the TGS Closed Theater trailer. He notes that the discussion seen between these two characters in that trailer focused on their abilities to "see light." Noctis seems afraid to talk about these abilities, while Stella is very frank and opens up the dialogue by asking Noctis about how he obtained his ability. It's rather funny to think that we now know slightly more about Versus XIII than we do of the main XIII title. That's especially harrowing after knowing Versus XIII isn't expected until after XIII is out.[Via IGN]
Rumor: Square Enix may sell stand-alone Final Fantasy XIII demo
Speaking in an interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki PS3, Square's Tetsuya Nomura allegedly revealed that the company may offer the demo version of Final Fantasy XIII – set for inclusion with the (for now Asia-only) Blu-ray release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children: Complete – for sale separately at retail.This as-of-yet-unconfirmed news comes from FinalFantasyXIII.net, which, in addition to its translating of the article, reckons that the idea of charging for the 90-minute-plus demo is fairly unprecedented. You know, we could have sworn we saw Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for $39.99 at Target just the other day ...[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Square Enix CEO gifts sweet DS Lite to XSEED CEO
You're looking at the gift. See, XSEED's CEO is Jun Iwasaki, who used to run Square Enix before he left to found his current company. The head honcho over at Square Enix now, Tetsuya Nomura, decided to hook him up with the custom It's a Wonderful World (The World Ends With You) handheld in what we can only hope is an example to others in the future. We have to break down these barriers!We want to see a Coca Cola truck driver letting a Pepsi truck driver merge during heavy traffic. We want to see DS and PSP enthusiasts swapping consoles, sharing great experiences with each other. It's ... it's just such a feel good moment.%Gallery-11943%
Square Enix: Final Fantasy Versus XIII not on hold
In a statement issued to Eurogamer, Square Enix has denied a recent report which stated that Final Fantasy Versus XIII had been put on hold in order to prioritize completion of regular ol' Final Fantasy XIII. According to a translated Famitsu interview with Versus director, Tetsuya Nomura, work on the spin-off title had been temporarily suspended while staffers helped out on the next highly anticipated, and not even remotely final, Final Fantasy installment. "Reports that development for Final Fantasy Versus XIII is on hold are false," countered Square Enix. "The truth of the situation is that when free, some staff from the Versus team have been helping with the XIII team on development of Final Fantasy XIII. Development for both titles is continuing as originally scheduled."That almost sounds like good news, until you realize that the "originally scheduled" release date for either title is likely quite far off. And that makes us so very, very sad.
