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Square Enix commits to no one! Or is it everyone?
Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Square Enix's senior VP Michihiro Sasaki got downright cryptic when asked about his company's next-gen alliances: "We don't want PlayStation 3 to be the overwhelming loser, so we want to support them. But we don't want them to be the overwhelming winner either, so we can't support them too much." The statement seems to be a clever way of masking Square Enix's uncertainty about the PlayStation brand. There's no denying that the PS3 price tag will affect the console's user base, and Square Enix clearly doesn't want to commit its franchises solely to a Sony platform that won't necessarily dominant the developing generation of hardware. Of course, Final Fantasy XIII & Final Fantasy Versus XIII are already locks for PS3 -- but ultimately, both could also be released onto other platforms. But then there's Kingdom Hearts, which as 1UP notes, has not been bound to a next-gen platform.Keep an eye on Square Enix developments. Either the company will spread its franchises across several platforms -- including Xbox 360, if the console starts picking up sales in Japan -- or Square Enix will dive head first into multiplatform agreements, which may be the only economically viable solution.
FFIII creators talk other remakes on DS
During the pandemonium that was the Tokyo Game Show, Games Radar managed to get an interview with two head honchos on the Final Fantasy III project. In speaking with Hiromichi Tanaka, Senior Vice President of Software Development and Tomoya Asano, Producer, it's revealed that due to the already insane success from the game's launch in Japan, Square-Enix is looking to adopt a strategy of just outright remaking classic Final Fantasy titles, as opposed to just porting them as they did with Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI. So with ports to the GBA, remakes hitting the DS, as well as brand-new spin-off games, Square-Enix is staking a mighty large claim on the DS. We couldn't be happier, to tell the truth.
TGS 2006: Heroes of Mana trailer excites
In the latest trailer for Heroes of Mana, a lot of cool animation and music whet our appetite, even if it is lacking in actual gameplay. We love RPGs on the go, and while we wait like crazed madmen for a certain last fantasy, we can still muster excitement over the latest Mana title to hit our shores. One question, however, we must ask: why do the characters all look like they're Padaung with the rings off?As always, the video is embedded into the post, after the break.[Via Go Nintendo]
TGS 2006: It's a Wonderful World preview
During the Tokyo Game Show, 1up managed to get their hands on the demo build of It's a Wonderful World, the game coming from those Kingdom Hearts guys. Their impressions of the whole affair (or, at least, the whole affair available) is somewhat positive, although they comment that the language barrier is huge. Considering that the game is incredibly complex (we imagine in a good way), being able to speak and/or read Japanese goes a long way when attempting to play the TGS build of It's a Wonderful Life. We wonder why 1up would not have a person in their starting lineup at the show to fill this much-needed role. Thinking about it, there probably should be one of us there to play the build as well, since we are so not fluent in Japanese. Of course, this would require our staff not die off from starvation, which would in turn require that Joystiq actually open the dungeon door and toss us some grub. Seriously, can we get something to eat that is not made of plastic and USB 2.0 compatible? Guys? Hello?
TGS 2006: off-screen Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker footage
If there's one thing we'll say about Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker after having watched the embedded video is that this game is pretty. The graphics look excellent and following our first taste of the game in action, you may assume we are plenty intrigued.As always, you'll have to continue into the post to check out the video.
Front Mission port announced
The popular turn-based strategy franchise Front Mission is seeing an installment hit the DS in Front Mission The First. A port of the first game in the series, Front Mission The First is said to feature new mechs (Wanzers) that were not included in the original title, as well as Glen Duval from Front Mission 5. Other details are unavailable at this time, as well as any screens for the upcoming game.[Via Go Nintendo]
FFXII Revenant Wings comes to life with info
Based on information stripped from Japanese mag Famitsu, the Final Fantasy XII spinoff game Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the DS is to be under the watchful eye of Motomu Toriyama. Toriyama, who's past projects included Final Fantasy X-2 and is also currently working on the upcoming PS3 game Final Fantasy XIII, will be joined by another series veteran in Ryuma Itou, who worked on Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Itou will be in charge of the art direction. The game's story is to feature two main characters in Vaan and Penelo, 18 years old and 17 years old respectively. They share a common dream of being sky pirates (they totally beat ninjas) and the game's story will focus heavily on the two characters. Also, it is said that the game will feature all of the airships from Final Fantasy XII and a battle system that utilizes the touch screen.
FFIII launch in Japan (or how I learned to love standing in line)
Well kiddies, the Japanese launch has finally come for Final Fantasy III and, as expected, those gamers in the land of the rising fun are going crazy. Supposedly, lines started as early as 3am at Akihabara's Yodobashi Camera with around 80 people already gathered. Other reports noted that most of the rush was for the special Final Fantasy III bundle, as once announcements were made that bundles were sold out lines began to dissolve. Pictures of various retail outlets and those lucky enough to score the game and/or bundle may be found here.Should we anticipate such a demand for the game in our local retail outlets here in the States? What about over in Europe? Or is all this demand drummed up solely for the bundle pack?
Another FFIII trailer gets posted, readers riot
We realize that by now you're probably so oversaturated with Final Fantasy III content that you believe the fried chicken at last night's dinner was actually Chocobo and perhaps the small notches in your belt are not in fact made to hold up your pants, but could possibly have been intended for the purpose of storing Materia. We know, we've been that way for years.So in the spirit of obsession sharing, we present the latest and greatest trailer for Final Fantasy III, which weighs in at a whopping 3+ minutes of footage, which contains airships, boats, and Japanese dialogue.
A bunch of new FFIII videos
6 new videos for Final Fantasy III have hit the web and present some of the various areas of the game you may have neglected seeing. With some battling, town segments, and a look at the job editor, we find ourselves graciously satiated by the glorious bounty of sustenance each video provides. The videos have showed up on You Tube, however they are of a much worse quality. If you don't feel like waiting for each video to load, check out the post linked back to Joystiq for the You Tube videos. The 6 different videos include: Scene after first boss battle Battle Town Town & world map Job editor (lets you change jobs and shows your character) World map, dungeon, and battle [Via Joystiq]
Screenshot roundup: Children of Mana
The US boxart and various screens have been released for the latest installment in the World of Mana series. Children of Mana, which is being developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo for the DS, is set for release on October 30th in North America. The final game will feature four-player co-op gameplay and see the return of the 8 elemental spirits. The game's homepage for English-speaking readers can be found here, while Japanese-speaking readers can access the entire World of Mana page here.
FF III secures almost 450K copies to retailers in Japan
According to a Dutch gaming site, pre-orders for Final Fantasy III have already hit between 400,000 and 450,000 in Japan. This is just amazing. The report makes no mention of how many of these pre-orders are the bundle packs available to Japanese consumers, yet even despite this omission, we can't help but stare in awe at our jaws, which are firmly planted by our feet on the floor.Is this an indication of what pre-orders will be like when the game releases in the US and Europe?[Via N-Sider]
Final Fantasy III in action
Coming in at almost 4 minutes, this footage of Final Fantasy III in action is likely to cause your salivation for the title to reach new, disgustingly moist, heights. The footage, while hefty on the battling, shows some dungeon crawling and sheds some light on the load times of the title, which are easily put up with.
Square-Enix and Namco-Bandai are on the patch
At a press meeting in Tokyo yesterday, president of Square-Enix Yoichi Wada and vice-president of Namco-Bandai Shin Unozawa talked about the next generation of gaming and the importance of online features. They stressed this was not limited to MMO's but all future titles. A lot of the talk seemed to beat around the bush for lower development costs, citing ad placements in games (ramping it up for the online world ... ads are in a ton of games already, so possibly a randomized billboard or something? You know?) and software updates rather than gratuitous amounts of bug testing. Which is a patch, more or less.So, is releasing software updates better than actually going through bug testing? Sure, it costs less, but those who've played games like Oblivion know that these updates can come too late -- eternally trapped as a vampire since the quest to cure was bugged, unable to enter this guild or that, effectively losing many hours of work on the game. But would such a thing have been caught by bug-testers anyway? If nothing else, the release of next-gen games would be pushed back a lot farther without patches as an option.Hopefully the PS3 will smartly incorporate software testing but not allow unfinished or unpolished games to reach the market (although it does happen...). Oh, about the Playstation 3, Unozawa tossed in: "The Playstation 3 will definately sell." That's nice of him to say! That's "definately" reassuring.
Best Buy puts up Final Fantasy VII listing
At the ripe price of 60 bucks, Final Fantasy VII for PS3 is showing up on Best Buy's website. Oh but wait, there's more. It even goes as far to list December 1st as being release date, obviously for here in the States. With everyone and their grandmother talking about a next-gen remake, this puts a bit more substance to the discussion (albeit only a little).Now who wants to start taking bids on how long it takes for Square Enix to get this removed?[Via Gaming Horizon]
Confirmed: PS3 motion-sensing controller will work with FFXIII
In an interview with Shinji Hashimoto, Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura about the Final Fantasy XIII project, EGM's Executive Editor Shane Bettenhausen attempts to pry loose rich, succulent information on what is possibly the most desired PS3 title of 2007. Arguments involving the superiority of gears comprised of mainly metal aside, the interview focuses on the background and universe that will encompass Final Fantasy XIII, along with the decisions to go with a tough female lead character. Most interesting in this interview, however, is the confirmation that the PS3's new controller features will be implemented into the final game.EGM: Will the FFXIII PS3 games use the PS3's motion-sensing controller functionality? TN: Yeah, we already have some ideas about how to use it.
EGM sits down with FFXIII developers
It's a fantasy of the final kind that just keeps on chuggin'. Shane Bettenhausen of EGM fame got to talk it up with Shinji Hashimoto, Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura and Toriyama about Square Enix and their Final Fantasy XIII project.While the interview will be appearing in this month's magazine, the whole unabridged version can be seen on 1UP. Mr. Kitase starts it up by conceding that they had originally thought about doing FFXIII on PS2 before deciding that both it and FFVersusXIII would ship on PlayStation 3. On the subject of narrative crossovers, Nomura says that each world is separate and will not allow for other characters meet each other.Of course he follows that up stating that there is the "possibility in the future" of that happening, but obviously they haven't gotten to that bridge yet. Check out the full interview to see what else they had to say (motion-sensing anyone?).
Japanese mags reveal details on FFXIII
Turns out the scenario work on the upcoming game from Square Enix is about 80% complete, according to Motomu Toriyama. Along with the decision to go Blu-ray as one DVD was apparently not enough to contain the beast that is Final Fantasy XIII, the team believes that the shader abilities of the PS3 will help them convey the deep, rich emotion that fans of the franchise demand.
More Final Fantasy XIII images and info
Some more details from Square Enix on the game via The Magic Box: Final Fantasy XIII will not have online functions Each episode will have different and independent characters, the stories also takes place in different times in history The only things in common for the 3 titles are Chocobos, Moggles, magic and myths around the Crystals The Legend of the Crystals is the central theme of the 3 games The latin word "Versus" in Final Fantasy Versus XIII means the change of a direction The latin word "Agito" in Final Fantasy XIII Agito means stimulus or moving violently, this game will have action elements implemented in the system
New Final Fantasy XIII magazine scans
The drool-inducing aesthetics that define the Final Fantasy series never cease to amaze. FFXIII is no exception. Check out these gorgeous scans from a Japanese magazine to get a feel for the upcoming epic. It's being taken care of by the same team behind FFX, and with an all new "white engine" backing it, this title is a serious hook for RPG fans looking forward to the PlayStation 3.
