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“Overseas” Version of Final Fantasy XIII Finished
Final Fantasy XIII has been released on the PS3 in Japan, but the multi-platform version won’t be out in the West until March. Square Enix has, however, announced that development on this “overseas version” is now complete. In an online letter to European gamers, FFXIII game director Motomu Toriyam writes, “FINAL FANTASY XIII overseas version…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010 -
New Final Fantasy Trailer Includes Lovely Music, English Voice Acting
Click to view Caught in the translation bubble that gave Final Fantasy XIII to Japan last month, but won’t deliver it to the rest of us until March, we’re all left to watch trailers of the game set to pop music. In this one we get to watch the new International trailer which is set…
By Brian Crecente Published January 13, 2010 -
Interview: There Is Enough Discarded Final Fantasy XIII To Make Another Game
Square Enix spent years working on Final Fantasy XIII. The game was shown in prototype form at the E3 gaming expo in 2006, but was not finally released in Japan until December 2009. According to the game’s art director, Isamu Kamikokuryou, a substantial amount of these locations that were already running on actual development hardware…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 13, 2010 -
Dragon Quest IX Goes Budget Price In Japan
Released in Japan on July 11, 2009, DS role playing game Dragon Quest IX went on to sell 4 million copies in its native Japan. The game is out this year in the West, but before that… Square Enix will be releasing the game this March in Japan at a budget price. On March 4,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2010 -
Want To Play Final Fantasy XIII? Get On The Bus
Literally. If you live in the San Francisco area, get on the giant Final Fantasy XIII bus that will be touring later this week, and you’ll be able to get your hands on Square Enix‘s upcoming role-playing game. From January 13-16, the bus will be driving around the bay area, giving players a chance to…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 12, 2010 -
Square Enix to Open Dragon Quest-Themed Bar
Dragon Quest fans will recognize the name Luida’s Bar from the role-playing game; it’ll also be the name of an establishment Square Enix is opening in Tokyo later this month, coinciding with Dragon Quest VI‘s release on the DS. The bar opens to the public Jan. 28 in Roppongi, Tokyo, but before that, it’ll be…
By Owen Good Published January 9, 2010 -
Square Enix Says Japanese Retail “Prejudiced” Against Western Games
As far as business execs at large Japanese companies go, Yoichi Wada seems rather forward thinking. He’s been tackling discrimination in video games head on. “Even now, there have been people in Japan using the label youge- (Western games) with a terribly discriminatory meaning,” Wada said in an interview Japanese TV from last December in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 7, 2010 -
Reviews
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Review: The Big Book Of FF Activities
The Crystal Chronicles continue on the Wii with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, the action-packed third installment of Nintendo’s personal Final Fantasy series. A thousand years after the original Crystal Chronicles the world has changed. The four races are three, with the now dominant plant-like Lilties having defeated the Yuke tribe of machine…
By Mike Fahey Published January 6, 2010 -
2009’s Top Five Selling Games in Japan
Last year is so…last year. This being January, it is time to look back at some numbers Famitsu publisher Enterbrain has crunched. The data, just released today, was collected between December 29, 2008 and December 27, 2009. 5. Final Fantasy XIII Launch: December 17, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 1,698,256 copies 4. Tomodachi Collection Launch: June…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010 -
This Final Fantasy XIII Bug Jumps For Joy
Since first being shown at the 2006 E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles, gamers have been eagerly looking forward to Final Fantasy XIII. They have not been looking forward to the in-game bugs. Add this interminable jumping bug to the list of bugs that, like the LSD bug, apparently slipped past Square Enix quality control.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010 -
This Is One Crazy Final Fantasy XIII Bug
At 50 to 60 hours long, Final Fantasy XIII is an enormous game. But with as long as Square Enix worked on the title and with all the money spent, that still hasn’t stopped a few bugs from slipping through. While there aren’t many bugs and the bugs that have been reported seem to be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 4, 2010 -
A New Year’s Message From Square Enix’s President
To kick off 2010, Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada has issued a public statement outlining the publishers corporate goals as they head into the new year. And that goal is? “Taking Root”. Which doesn’t really explain it too well, so let’s allow his Imperial Hotness to elaborate. “In the near future, the rate of convergence…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 4, 2010 -
Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack: The Trailer
Final Fantasy XIII‘s soundtrack is so epic that it warrants its own, 2-minute long Japanese trailer. This trailer, which also appears on Square Enix‘s Japanese website for the game, makes it even harder for me to wait until the end of next month to import the soundtrack for a ridiculous amount of money. McWhertor detailed…
By Mike Fahey Published December 31, 2009 -
This Is How Final Fantasy XIII Was Launched In Hong Kong
This December, Final Fantasy XIII didn’t just go on sale in Japan, it also went on sale in Hong Kong, too. Pictures of the event are starting to make the internet rounds — ahoy! Sony Hong Kong held the FFXIII launch event in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, next to the Sogo department store. There were…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 31, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII Avatar Pets Flutter Onto Xbox Live
Announced last month, those little Final Fantasy chocobo playthings for your 360 avatar are now being sent out to select Xbox Live users. You need to have “won” one in a Twitter promotion, and you can’t of course actually play with the things, since they’re purely decorative, but hey, for those hanging on every day…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 30, 2009 -
Finally, Slime Curling Comes To Dragon Quest
Someone at Square Enix must have been hit hard by an early infection of (Winter) Olympic Fever, as clearly evidence by the addition of Slime Curling mini-gaming to the Dragon Quest VI remake for the Nintendo DS. Yes, Dragon Quest VI is now on every winter sports enthusiast’s radar, also adding what appears to be…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 29, 2009 -
Which Final Fantasy Game Do These FFXIII Launch Customers Love?
On December 17, Japanese game site Gpara asked the first hundred customers waiting in line for Final Fantasy XIII at Shibuya retailer TSUTAYA to name their top three favorite FF games. And today, Gpara is publishing the results. 13.) Final Fantasy II: 2 votes 12.) Final Fantasy XI: 3 votes 11.) Final Fantasy: 3 votes…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2009 -
Square Enix Patents New Battle System
Square Enix designer Tetsuya Nomura recently announced that he is working on unannounced projects — one of which is a brand new title. Could this latest patent shed light onto that? It’s too early to tell; however, this patent application lists Tetsuya Nomura as the inventor of a character switching battle system for RPG/action RPG…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2009 -
Square Enix Doesn’t Divide By East And West
For Square Enix, there is not East and West. It’s all about hard and easy. Just ask Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers producer Akitoshi Kawazu. “The presence of Japanese games is not as strong within the international market these days, and as a business that creates and sells games, the reception in the Western market…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2009