-
The Critters of Final Fantasy XIV
Raptors, antelopes, mammets, oh my! Square Enix has already unveiled the character races and classes. Now it’s time to have a look a the “beastiary”. “Whether procuring pelts for sale at the market, gathering ingredients for alchemic endeavors, or finding a tasty morsel to quell the incessant grumblings of one’s belly,” states the game’s official…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Hear Final Fantasy XIII’s English Voice Acting In New Old Trailer
How many times have you seen this Final Fantasy XIII trailer? This could easily be your third, but the addition of English language voice acting and lip syncing make it worth watching again. For giggles, you can listen to it alongside the subtitled version, just to see the difference between the properly scripted and the…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009 -
What Does Ichiro Do When He’s Hurt?
He plays Dragon Quest, that’s what. In a recent interview in which he discussed his nine consecutive 200 hit season, the topic of Square Enix‘s role-playing-game came up. The Mariners right fielder said, “Oh, I’ve been indebted to Dragon Quest — especially when I got injured. That was true as well when I played in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2009 -
Japanese Retailer Charging US$5.35 To Play Final Fantasy XIII
This December, Final Fantasy XIII will hit Japan on the PS3. The release date is December 17 — so how long would players need to finish the game? A week? Those who can barrel through the title on the quick might want to pre-order the ¥7,980 (US$88.88) title through retailer TSUTAYA by September 30. That’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 30, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII TGS Trailer, Now In English
The Final Fantasy XIII Trailer from TGS sure was epic, no? Pity for us English-speakers it was all in Japanese. Not so this trailer, which has been thoughtfully subtitled for your viewing pleasure. If only Square Enix’s localisation teams worked this fast…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 30, 2009 -
NieR Screenshot Shows More Flesh Than It Should?
Heroine Kaine in the upcoming Cavia-developed, Square Enix-published RPG NieR is a male-female character that gives players the best of both worlds. This latest screenshot is revealing a little too much, some claim. Various Japanese sites are stating that this Kaine screen shows off the character’s areola. Embarrassing enlarged screenshot below. Breasts in gaming have…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 30, 2009 -
NieR Gestalt Impressions: Bewildered In A Hallway
Nier Gestalt‘s protagonist may be the perfect hero for his game. He looks tired and a bit confused. After a 40 minute wait on a line at last week’s Tokyo Game Show, I played a five minute demo of Square-Enix and Cavia’s 2010 third-person action role playing game, NieR Gestalt. I was unimpressed. The demo…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 29, 2009 -
Square Enix Wants To Sell Over Six Million Copies of FFXIII
The last big game Square Enix released is Dragon Quest IX, which sold over 3.7 million copies in Japan alone. The next big game? Final Fantasy XIII. Square Enix hopes to sell more of that game, way more. The previous title shipped over six million copies worldwide, reports Reuters. The target Square Enix is setting…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2009 -
The Epic Final Fantasy XIII TGS Trailer
Thrilling combat, transforming hot rods, and enough drama to fill your average American high school, all in this Tokyo Game Show trailer for Final Fantasy XIII. After the unwelcome real-time turn that Final Fantasy XII took and the fact that Final Fantasy XI completely doesn’t count, I am more than ready for a return to…
By Mike Fahey Published September 28, 2009 -
Square Enix Japan To Cut 200 to 300 Jobs
If the small number of booths at this year’s Tokyo Game Show is any indication, the Japanese game industry has seen better days. Even large Japanese companies are hurting. The company behind the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Square Enix, is rumored to be trimming down its workforce, we hear. Apparently, somewhere between 200 and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 28, 2009 -
Front Mission Evolved: Hands-On With The Wanzers
Square Enix’s attempt to shift the Front Mission series from turn-based strategy role-playing game to third-person shooter was finally playable to the public at Tokyo Game Show. That gave us a chance to see just how Front Mission has “evolved.” The demo that we played—once on the PlayStation 3, once on the Xbox 360—was largely…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 27, 2009 -
Death By Cube Impressions: One Of TGS’ Bloodiest
Who can resist trying a game called Death By Cube? Not I. In the rear of the Square-Enix booth, away from the crowds lined up for anything and everything Final Kingdom Quest, I found Death By Cube. It is an upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game developed by a studio called Premium Agency, and it will…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 26, 2009 -
Square Enix Creates Puzzle RPG With A Bejeweled Twist
What do you get when the puzzle game masters at PopCap team up with RPG kings Square Enix for a Puzzle-RPG for Xbox Live Arcade and Steam? Sounds like countless productive hours lost to me. Puzzle Quest showed us that the puzzle game and the RPG could be successfully married into an entertaining and highly-addictive…
By Mike Fahey Published September 24, 2009 -
Square-Enix: The Next Gaming Innovation Will Be Billing
The next breakthrough in games will involve how you pay for what you play, the president of Square-Enix said today. Yoichi Wada made the declaration during the traditional state of the industry Tokyo Game Show kick-off panel here in Tokyo. “What’s going to be important for the next five years is not going to be…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 24, 2009 -
First Look At The Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation 3
Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase has, at a Tokyo Game Show press conference earlier today, given us our first look at the previously-announced special, FFXIII-themed limited edition of the PlayStation 3. The FFXIII PS3 will be a pinkish white (or a whitish pink!), carries a “Lightning” theme with FFXIII branding and will be a…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 24, 2009 -
Brace Yourself!! TGS Liveblog Incoming
The 2009 Tokyo Game Show keynote kicks off in less than three hours, with Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai taking to the podium to dish on all things Playstation. Be sure to stay tuned to Kotaku for live, breaking coverage of the keynote set to discuss the strategy for Sony Computer Entertainment for 2009.…
By Brian Crecente Published September 23, 2009 -
GRIN’s Ill-Fated “Fortress” Still Under Development
Citing unnamed sources, GamesIndustry.biz says the Final Fantasy spinoff codenamed “Fortress” has not died along with original developer GRIN. When the Stockholm studio closed, Fortress had already been taken back by Square Enix. GRIN shut down last month, after a lackluster year that saw Terminator: Salvation, Bionic Commando and Wanted: Weapons of Fate all fail…
By Owen Good Published September 21, 2009 -
Square Enix, Modern Warfare 2, If Only
For reference, see this. Thanks Dareon!
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2009 -
Star Ocean: The Last Hope PS3 Really Is International
Looks like the PlayStation 3 version of Star Ocean: The Last Hope International got its expanded name for a reason, shipping simultaneously across the globe in February. We knew it was coming to Japan, and now we know it’s coming everywhere else, as Square Enix announces a February 9th North American ship date for Star…
By Mike Fahey Published September 16, 2009