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Modern Warfare 2 Censored In Japan
The Japanese version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 features a discrepancy in the localization — and content, it seems. In the section “No Russian”, the player is told, “Remember, no Russian.” Here, this means “Do not speak Russian,” a plot point for this scene. However, in the Japanese version, this is localized as…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 9, 2009 -
A Great Final Fantasy Artist Draws Final Fantasy XIII
Yoshitaka Amano, known for his Final Fantasy character and logo designs, did not do character designs for FFXII — but did design the game’s now iconic title. But if he did draw the characters of FFXIII? The characters in Final Fantasy XIII were designed by Tetsuya Nomura, but Amano offers his take on the cast…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 9, 2009 -
Famitsu: Final Fantasy XIII Misses Perfect Score [Story Spoiler!]
This year, Japanese magazine Famitsu has awarded a perfect 40/40 score to four games: Dragon Quest IX, Monster Hunter 3, Bayonetta and New Super Mario Bros. Years-in-the-making and eagerly-anticipated Final Fantasy XIII did not. Famitsu has four reviewers rate games on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best for a cumulative 40/40 score.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 8, 2009 -
Square Enix President Calls “Western Game” Label “Terribly Discriminatory”
Gotta give Square Enix credit. For an enormous (and still conservative) company, it sure is trying hard to expand its horizons. Just listen to company boss Yoichi Wada talk. “Even now, there have been people in Japan using the label youge- (Western games) with a terribly discriminatory meaning,” Wada said in a recent interview on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2009 -
Level Up Your Head With Final Fantasy XIII Elixir
Another Final Fantasy game means another Final Fantasy drink. Another Final Fantasy drink means, wait for it, another Final Fantasy drink TV ad. The woman in the ad keeps saying “at last” or “finally” over and over again as her noggin is pummeled with various objects. She’s hard headed, this lady.
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2009 -
Dress As This Final Fantasy XIII Lady For $100
The Japanese internet has assembled the costume for character Serah from the goods at low priced, budget-priced Japanese retailer Shimamura. All these items, while not *exactly* the same, are purchasable! The total tally is ¥9,350 or US$103. FF13のセラの服はしまむらで揃える事が出来るらしい [はちま起稿]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2009 -
Tomb Raider Dev Wants Multiplayer Designers for … Tomb Raider?
Well. Color me shocked. Crystal Dynamics has put out a help-wanted ad seeking a designer to lead “multiplayer vision and design effort for “one of the most prestigious AAA franchises in the industry.” Whatever could that be? Given that Crystal Dynamics hasn’t done much of anything other than Tomb Raider since 2005, and given that…
By Owen Good Published December 6, 2009 -
Check Out This Girl’s Final Fantasy XIII Summon
Not much time left before Final Fantasy XIII is released in Japan on December 17, but Square Enix has released some new screenshots — mostly of characters Cid Raines and Oerba Dia Vanille’s summon, Hecatoncheir. FFXIII [Official Site]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 4, 2009 -
Square Enix Remakes Song Summoner For The iPhone
Does your music collection have what it takes to create an unstoppable army? Find out with Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes – Encore, the iPhone remake of Square Enix‘s original iPod game. Right before Apple launched games for the Apple iPhone on the App Store, Square Enix released the original Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes,…
By Mike Fahey Published December 3, 2009 -
Voice of Roxas Tweets Kingdom Hearts PSP Localization
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep hits Japanese PlayStation Portables January 9, but so far Square Enix has been mum on a US release date. Luckily, American voice actors sometimes Twitter their exploits, which gives us KH fans some hope. Jesse McCartney, the voice behind Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II and the recent Kingdom Hearts: 358/2…
By AJ Glasser Published December 2, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII is 50 to 60 Hours Long
Final Fantasy games are not short. So while big titles from other developers might be clocking in at somewhere between 7 and 9 hours, don’t expect a brief Final Fantasy XIII experience. Expect a long haul. In a recent interview, FFXIII director Motomu Toriyama noted, “For XIII, the size of the entire game is considerable.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII Box Art, Now With More Xbox 360
There is definitely something eerie about seeing Final Fantasy box art with the Xbox 360 logo at the top. This is an image I would have sworn was fake prior to July of 2008, when Microsoft and Square Enix outed Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. It was one of the most exciting E3…
By Mike Fahey Published December 1, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII Gets Its Cid
Every Final Fantasy must have its Cid, and for Final Fantasy XIII it’s Cid Raines. While the above image was borrowed from the Final Fantasy Wiki, information about Cid Raines comes by way of a scan from a Final Fantasy XIII spread in Shonen Jump. According to Final Fantasy Union, this time around Cid is…
By Mike Fahey Published November 30, 2009 -
Where’s The PS3 Version of Last Remnant?
The game was originally released on the Xbox 360 in November 2008 and later ported to the PC. The game wasn’t the hit Square Enix hoped, and there have been reports that the game has been canned. Square Enix’s PS3 page lists The Last Remnant PS3 version as “TBA”. However, the game is completely absent…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2009 -
Teacher Skipping School In Final Fantasy XIII Ad
A real judge might have missed court for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and now a fictional teacher in this television commercial is doing the same. The teacher says, “It’s sudden, but starting tomorrow I’m taking time off.” The little girl stands up and asks the teacher why he is taking time off. Then…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII Toilet Water is Coming Soon
What? What?! That’s what “eau de toilet toilette,” means, right? Oh, fine, it’s perfume, specifically a fragrant homage to Final Fantasy XIII, and it’ll be available a month after the game’s release in North America. The 50 ml bottle of “Lightning,” inspired by the character of the same name, will cost 7,140 yen or about…
By Owen Good Published November 27, 2009 -
Square Enix Anticipating The Death of Consoles
Square Enix may be notorious for looking back when developing games, but when it comes to the strategy of big business, they’re looking as far forward as the human eye can see. “In ten years’ time a lot of what we call ‘console games’ won’t exist”, Square Enix boss Yoichi “Imperial Hot” Wada told MCV…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 27, 2009 -
Square Enix Cuts European Jobs
‘Tis the season to be…unemployed, sadly, with Square Enix announcing today that job cuts are on the way for the company’s London studio. That’s Beautiful Game Studios, the developers of the Championship Manager series. A Square Enix statement reads “Our current business model does not allow us to compete in a fast-changing industry with any…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 26, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII 360 Twitter Prize Tweets Back At You
Folks who participated in the Register – Tweet – Win Final Fantasy XIII event have unlocked a special prize for all Xbox 360 FF fans, and it tweets! Well, it warks. Square Enix and Microsoft set up the Register – Tweet – Win event earlier this month, and the retweeting goal has been reached, unleashing…
By Mike Fahey Published November 25, 2009 -
New Final Fantasy XIII Trailer Does Not Skimp On The Cinematics
Square Enix Japan released a new Final Fantasy XIII trailer today. It’s great, because it’s super-long, has some gameplay footage towards the end, and there’s not a late-night infomercial host in sight. Click to view
By Luke Plunkett Published November 25, 2009