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Kotaku EastWhy Final Fantasy XV Has Impressive… Food
The meals in Final Fantasy XV look delicious. And guess what, the reason why the food looks so appetizing is the tech behind it. “To bring home the appeal of the food, we’re incorporating new shaders that give each element of a dish its own luster and firmness,” said FFXV character artist Yuki Matsuo. “We’re…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 8, 2015 -
The Final Fantasy XV Demo Will Get A Patch Next Week
On Tuesday, June 9, Square Enix will release a patch for the demo of Final Fantasy XV. A patch. For a demo. Video games! This might be unprecedented—I can’t think of a single other demo that has been majorly patched—but nothing about Final Fantasy XV has been orthodox in any way. You can see the…
By Jason Schreier Published June 4, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Debunking the Final Fantasy Naming Myth
For years, no, decades, a legend has sprung up around the title Final Fantasy. It says that Square, which was in dire straits, thought this was going to be its last game—hence, Final Fantasy. The game’s creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, says that myth is wrong. As reported by Famitsu (via Game Kana), Sakaguchi recently gave a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 28, 2015 -
Kotaku EastThe Mobius Final Fantasy Trailer with English Subtitles
Destinies and names… So that’s what they were talking about. Mobius Final Fantasy was formerly titled Mevius Final Fantasy. However, in what appears to be in preparation for its international release, the name was changed, along with some other things Unfortunately, at present the only trailer available is the Japanese version, giving non-Japanese-speaking fans little…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 28, 2015 -
Kotaku East
The Worst Japanese Sales Week In a Long Time
Oh boy. The most recent video game sales numbers in Japan are not good. In fact, they’re bad. Very bad. As blog Hokanko points out, the most recent Media Create sales figures—which date from May 11 to May 17—are the worst since 2001. This period was the week that followed Golden Week, a string of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 22, 2015 -
Kotaku EastFinal Fantasy Is One Way To Sell… Toyotas
These are not Final Fantasy Chocobos. They’re Toyotas. But if they were, I guess they’d look like this? Or maybe they’d be fluffier? Not sure, but what is sure is that Toyota hasonce againteamed up with Square Enix to sell Japanese people cars. Chocobos, of course, are those big, flightless bird creatures Final Fantasy characters…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2015 -
The Fabulous First Five Minutes Of Final Fantasy X-2
The Final Fantasy X-2 Remaster with Bonus Final Fantasy X hit the States this week, once again raising the all-important question, “How can you hate a game that opens with a dance number?” First off, sorry about the “singing”. I couldn’t help myself. Secondly, I completely understand why so many Final Fantasy fans hate this…
By Mike Fahey Published May 13, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Years Later, Revisiting Manga Drawings from Childhood
Toraneko is a Japanese artist and illustrator. When she was a kid, she wasn’t just into video games, but also into drawing manga based on them. Now, as an adult, she can show how far her skills have come. Via Twitter, she did just that. Here is the cover to Pokémon manga she drew when…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 12, 2015 -
The Nightly Show Is Wrong About Final Fantasy
On the May 5 episode of the Nightly Show, there was a gag where a phony set of terms and conditions for agreeing to watch the program were flashed on-screen. If you saw it live you’d have only seen it race flash by, but pausing reveals a politically-charged throwdown. For anyone who can’t read the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2015 -
Square Enix’s Latest Tech Demo Looks Gorgeous
Square Enix teamed up with Microsoft to show what the upcoming DirectX 12 can do. How does 63 million polygons per scene sound? It sounds like a lot! Titled Witch Chapter 0 [cry], the demo was shown off at Microsoft Build and appears to feature Angi, the character who appeared in the previous tech demo…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 1, 2015 -
Square Addresses The Top XV Criticisms Of Final Fantasy XV
As it turns out, Final Fantasy fans have OPINIONS. And Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata is listening very closely to those opinions. In a presentation last night that was chock full of interesting details about the upcoming fifteenth Final Fantasy game (for Xbox One and PS4; no release date yet), Tabata and Square Enix…
By Jason Schreier Published April 28, 2015 -
Kotaku East
The Final Fantasy XV Demo Reveals Cultural Differences
Square Enix released the Final Fantasy XV demo worldwide. People in different countries think, well, differently! Gamers are no exception. And the reaction to Episode Duscae is proof positive of that. Square Enix has asurveyfor players to give feedback on the demo. In the most recentFinal Fantasy XV Active Time Report, FFXV director Hajime Tabata…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 28, 2015 -
Final Fantasy XIV The Fake Fighting Game
Lacking anything better to do until the expansion pack arrives in June, the Final Fantasy XIV dev team transformed one of the game’s biggest boss battles into a fighting game I’d play in a heartbeat. It’s Yda’s fists of fury versus Livia Sas Junius of the Garlean Empire, complete with her custom white Magitek armor.…
By Mike Fahey Published April 25, 2015 -
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Is Coming To Steam–Too Bad It Sucks
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, the direct sequel to FFIV, will come to Steam on May 12, Square Enix announced today. This’ll be a 3D remake in the style of the FFIV port that’s also on Steam (and on DS). Too bad it’s terrible. I’ve already written a lot about why The After Years…
By Jason Schreier Published April 23, 2015 -
Kotaku EastHands-on with the Dissidia: Final Fantasy Arcade Game
This past weekend in Tokyo, Square Enix did their first location test of the upcoming Dissidia: Final Fantasy arcade—and Kotaku was on hand to try it out. To begin with, let’s look at the arcade cabinet itself. The game has what appears to be two joysticks. However, they aren’t joysticks as they are stationary and…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 21, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Why People Say Dragon’s Dogma Online Looks Like Final Fantasy XIV
As net users in Japan have pointed out, the Dragon’s Dogma Online interface seems to resemble the user interface in Final Fantasy XIV. That’s not surprising. Not at all. After an initial rocky rollout, a revamped Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was released in 2013 and has become a success for Square Enix. Capcom…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2015 -
Nineteen Classic Video Game Tunes In One Mellow Mix
Can you name the nineteen games that make upThePeterson’s nostalgic music mix? That was a trick question. All nineteen games already have names, so if you were starting up a list and brainstorming ideas, relax—the work’s already been done. I’ve even compiled a list. Resident Evil : Dead Aim – Intro Music Super Mario Land 2…
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2015