Final Fantasy XIII team 'aiming' for three-DVD release

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 20th 2009 at 3:20PM }

Click to embiggen.

Square Enix's decision to simultaneously launch Final Fantasy XIII on both PS3 and Xbox 360 certainly caused a lot of fan fervor. With each DVD holding far less data than a Blu-ray disc, PlayStation fanboys soon came up with mock-ups of the 360 version of the game, some with as many as 40 discs! Xbox 360 users won't have to worry, though, as reality is shaping up quite differently.

Speaking at GamesCom, Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase commented: "This isn't the final count yet, but we're aiming for about three discs." The team is working to compress as much as possible, while still keeping the quality high. Interestingly enough, at three discs, Final Fantasy XIII won't take the crown for the 360 game with the highest disc count. Instead, Microsoft's exclusive Lost Odyssey manages to stay on top with its four.

Releasing a multi-disc Final Fantasy game isn't new for Square Enix. In fact, the company launched Final Fantasy VII on three discs back in the PS1 era. In spite of the burden of having to change discs, we heard that game turned out pretty alright.

Gallery: Final Fantasy XIII (GamesCom 2009)

Tags: disc-changing, dvd, final-fantasy, final-fantasy-13, final-fantasy-xiii, gamescom-2009, square-enix

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Preston @ Aug 20th 2009 3:22PM

I wonder if they're going to keep the Japanese audio track on the 360 version. . .otherwise I might as well just buy the PS3 one.

DeepFriedSushi @ Aug 20th 2009 3:39PM

probably wont just weird how you would want an audio track you dont understand so you can read subtitles. FF games always had excellent voice actors so youre not missing much.

Preston @ Aug 20th 2009 3:40PM

@deepfried - Because American voice acting is often atrocious, and I don't want to mute the game entirely. I've been less than impressed of what I've seen from the VAs in 13 so far for the English version.

Contract Killer for Hire (Will work for PS3 Exclusives) PSN: Manifest37 @ Aug 20th 2009 3:44PM

lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgWrKRu-ry4&feature=related

ShadowXOR @ Aug 20th 2009 3:48PM

You're just a weaboo. 99% of the time the Japanese voice acting sucks too you're just too stupid to know and whack it to anything from Japan.

Preston @ Aug 20th 2009 3:55PM

@shadow - And you're just an idiot, but that's expected of 99% of the posters on here. :)

MooseMuffin @ Aug 20th 2009 4:03PM

Actually 99% of all videogame voice acting is awful. Given the choice I'd rather hear some cool sounding nonsensical voices and read the lines.

waves @ Aug 20th 2009 4:05PM

Here here. Even if the Japanese voice acting does suck, I'd rather listen to it and read subtitles then listen to whiney American voice acting. I here that enough already...

epsilon343 @ Aug 20th 2009 4:08PM

That's funny, cause whenever I watch videos of Japanese games with their audio tracks still in place I can't help but think about how awful and ridiculous it sounds...

Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 20th 2009 4:09PM

Itza me! Mario!!

Jason Statham (Has a ps3 now) @ Aug 20th 2009 4:12PM

You know, I don't necessarily understand why people are bitching about the lack of japanese dubs now, considering the fact that all Final Fantasy games since X had an english only track.

Ballistic H @ Aug 20th 2009 4:18PM

No Japanese audio track for 360. The French Canadian version Of Mass Effect, Halo 3, etc with French audio track were on an entirely different packaging with a tag saying "French only". PS3 games like Killzone 2, etc have the option of around 7 different languages menus and tracks in the same disc.

ShadowXOR @ Aug 20th 2009 4:22PM

I would rather listen to whiney American voices than squeaky Japanese women that all sound horrible, and similar. The male Japanese voices are generally OK but I've never heard a single Japanese female voice that sounded good to me.

Paul @ Aug 20th 2009 4:26PM

preston, next time just lie and tell people you know japanese.

Moptimus Slime (The Innocent Ace) @ Aug 20th 2009 4:39PM

99% of female voice actors suck, regardless of what language they speak. But at least in Japanese I can think to myself "Who knows, maybe everyone actually sounds like that in Japan" instead of listening to the English track and thinking "WHO THE HELL SOUNDS LIKE THIS?"

Especially if its a Bandai game/animu. Seriously Bandai, how about you spend more than 5 dollars on your English voice actors?

Matias @ Aug 20th 2009 4:41PM

True, it's the only way you won't get insulted for wanting a choice.

English and japanese are both foreign languages to me, but I still preffer them (be it English in movies or tv series, and japanese in anime and games) instead of a spanish dub (latin spanish, my mother language), because it retains it's original feeling, even if it's worse/bad. And I don't see the problem with reading subs neither.

Ballistic H @ Aug 20th 2009 4:41PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAA4JX8l03g

Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 20th 2009 5:01PM

@ ShadowXOR

You just gave me a great idea. I'm going to dub Japanese porn with American voice actors. I always feel guilty watching Japanese porn because the women often look distressed and sound like they're being forced into it. You wanna go 50/50 on this new business venture?

Mr Khan @ Aug 20th 2009 5:20PM

The grain of truth behind the superiority of Japanese voice actors is the fact that the Japanese voice actors are generally celebrities in their own right, and thus command a higher salary and generally just put more passion into their work. The American voice actors aren't bad, but they aren't anyone worth writing home about. I mean, you might recognize that Orihime and Hinata have the same actress, but you won't know who the hell she is (or have particular reason to care)

Saint @ Aug 20th 2009 5:39PM

I'm skipping like half of the replies here and aimming for dead center:

The first 9 Final Fantasies will ALWAYS be supperior to the new series.

No voice acting. The voice I gave Locke is 10x better than any voice actor scratching for a paycheck could possibly do.

Imagination. You can still use it.

Ballistic H @ Aug 20th 2009 5:58PM

I have to agree with Preston: most JRPG fans and anime fans I see on the net and real life prefer original voice acting than the english dub.

ryohazuki @ Aug 20th 2009 6:56PM

i'm sorry but i'm on the pro side of the original japanese language debate. i'd much rather have it in the original language that it was intended, no matter the medium or the country it came from. If i watch a french movie, damn right i'm gonna watch it in french. Thats how the original creators made it, thats how they wanted it.
besides, even though its a language I may not understand, I've seen far too often the japanese voice actors sound much more convincing and emotional than the english counterparts. Part of that comes from the english actors usually have to have lines written and spoken that makes the voice match the lip movement more closely, in part making some of the acting sound stunted or dry. The actor may be a really great actor, but if they have to cut their sentance short or put an awkward pause in it because the onscreen persona's lips stopped moving, well its gonna sound weird, right?

Dartmerc @ Aug 20th 2009 7:20PM

None of this half arsed bullshit - every reply to this comment needs to be 3 stars, or no stars.
Which will I become? Time will tell.

phinnvr6 @ Aug 20th 2009 10:38PM

Lol "might"? The PS3 will be the best version if you have the choice. It's the lead dev platform and will ship on one Blu-ray. I'm definitely getting the PS3 version of both FF-XIII and FF-XIII Versus (which might be exclusive to ps3 anyway). Hell I pretty much only buy PS3 games in the last 6+ months away there is just too much good stuff on it.

G-Anderton @ Aug 21st 2009 4:04AM

I do have to laugh at the english speakers that think Japanese voice acting is "better". I have a Japanese buddy who informs me that, in fact, anime voice actors are just as shite as the english voice actors. The Japanese actors simply have an advantage because they aren't trying to do a dub over a language that is structured entirely different from their own. realistically I don't have a preference. I enjoy the english track (always good for a laugh) and I enjoy the japanese track because reading doesn't frighten me like it does most people these days.

pika2000 @ Aug 21st 2009 4:04AM

No. Both version (360 and PS3) will be the same. There will be NO Japanese audio for the PS3 version.

Jack_Jackington @ Aug 20th 2009 3:22PM

360 owners always get the better deal. 1 game and 2 movies on DVD for $60

Platinum_Skeet @ Aug 20th 2009 3:24PM

Oh! I see what you did there.... =P

SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Aug 20th 2009 3:28PM

You gone and done it now.
They'll be coming for you. Can't you hear them?
*Watches glass of water begin to shake*
RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!..

Cody @ Aug 20th 2009 4:13PM

@ Platinum,

Is your avatar a picture of Pharrel from Neptunes?

If not, you look just like Pharrel from Neptunes.

Whispertrance @ Aug 20th 2009 4:26PM

Zing!

David @ Aug 20th 2009 4:57PM

yeah it hurts to share, doesn't it?

Hedgeson @ Aug 20th 2009 9:13PM

I think you will be... surprised, when you finally open the game's case at home.

north_garden @ Aug 20th 2009 3:24PM

I'm not saying a word.

Nerdy Desi @ Aug 20th 2009 3:26PM

Of course, you said five.

Jack_Jackington @ Aug 20th 2009 3:28PM

aren't you technically saying something by saying you aren't going to say anything?

Sinister Rouge @ Aug 20th 2009 3:29PM

Word

Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 20th 2009 4:47PM

My brain bloweded up.

Maximun2k10 @ Aug 20th 2009 3:23PM

Xbox 360 Fanboy self defense mode in 3,2,1...

CH3BURASHKA @ Aug 20th 2009 3:24PM

http://jooyeol.files.wordpress.com/2006/05/explosion.jpg

eNrique @ Aug 20th 2009 4:46PM

Yeah, what an age we live in, huh, Snake?
Wonder what will they think of next!

CH3BURASHKA @ Aug 20th 2009 3:23PM

Can't they just make a shorter, more concise 1 disc version? It's quality we want, not quantity.

StormX @ Aug 20th 2009 3:29PM

Then you should probably be looking towards another company.

Have you not heard Squeenix's newest motto? We run franchises into the ground.

copa @ Aug 20th 2009 3:32PM

Besides, the last time Squeenix put a Final Fantasy on 3 DVDs was number 7.

If I remember correctly, that one was a legendary critical and commercial failure.

Sephiroth? More like SWAPhiroth, amirite?

copa @ Aug 20th 2009 3:41PM

OK, that was smooth. I just read the full posting and realized that I basically repeated the last paragraph from the story.

Victor @ Aug 20th 2009 3:42PM

I don't really think they'll be able to boast about having 3 DVDs, they'd probably prefer to release the game in one disc, but apparently it's not possible.
I don't see problem in swapping game discs in a linear fashion though. It's not like getting up from the couch is going to kill you :P