Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/TGS 08: Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer impressionshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/tgs-08-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-trailer-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/tgs-08-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-trailer-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/tgs-08-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-trailer-impressions/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This year's Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer out of Square Enix's Closed Theater follows in the footsteps of last year's trailer in the respect that it's yet again the final video shown during the private screening. The two differ, however, as this year's trailer shows off a bit of in-game footage of Versus XIII for the first time.

The trailer kicks things off with the same line of text we've seen dozens of times before: "This is a fantasy based on reality." The scene moves to the prince's luxury sedan speeding through a tunnel. He's listening to the news on the car radio. The vehicle exits the tunnel and the camera pans up to see the moonlit sky with two giant airships hovering in the distance. Somewhere in between this, we get a reintroduction to the Shakespearean quote that's been used since the debut trailer. At this point, things shift and the new stuff come in.

We see the prince character wearing a casual, all black suit. This is rendered with the in-game engine, and the graphics look as smooth and appealing as the main FFXIII title. He climbs marble stairs up to a loft-like art gallery. There he meets the blonde woman revealed previously wearing a black dress and a small white top. This time she's seen in a white cocktail dress. the two are talking but through Japanese subtitles as there doesn't appear to be any voice work done yet - or, Square Enix purposely took it out for some reason.
The two characters continue to talk in the art gallery. There's an Amano-styled painting hanging on the floor behind the female character. They appear to be having a friendly chat. It's easy to assume that these two could be lovers; there's no doubt they're quite close to one another.

What follows shortly after is a collection of pre-rendered cut scenes taking us through several familiar scenarios from last year: a black car drives down a desert road reaching a body of water where the road ends and a ruined bridge sinking into the sea begins. We also see a council of aged men in black suits seated around a rectangular table. These guys are probably from the other countries that are at war with the prince's city-state and are attempting to pilfer his crystal. A hooded man in a white cloak confronts the prince with magical power in a split second. It's still difficult to get a good look at his face just like in the last trailer he appeared in.

Some other relatively new footage involves the prince's three friends. We've seen these guys in screenshots on Japanese websites and images in Japanese magazines for several months now. Anyway, you'll see the man with the short wavy blond hair, the dude with the glasses, and the chummy fellow with dark hair and a beard just hanging out. There's one scene in particular where all four men are out on a bridge surveying a large building that lies in the background.

The trailer then switches back to the girl and prince talking in the art gallery. Again, no voice acting - just Japanese subtitles. It's here where we're taken back to footage from last year's show; it's the scene where those two "friends" see each other in the street and are about to reluctantly engage one another in battle. We wonder what happened to turn them into enemies.

One thing we noticed about the trailer was that there was hardly any cut scenes involving fighting - and, as you can guess, that definitely means no in-game battle footage. The trailer seemed to be more of an introduction to the game's main and supporting cast rather than taking us through any sort of gameplay reveal. Anyway, that's it for Versus XIII. With it, the Closed Theater ends; however, for us, we've only begun with our impressions on the entire shebang. We'll have a post up soon on the full Square Enix Closed Theater showing, so watch out for that.

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]]>final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-versus-xiiijoystiqfeaturessquare-enixtgs-08tgs08Majed Athab2008-10-10T01:30:00+00:00TGS 08: Final Fantasy XIII trailer impressionshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/tgs-08-final-fantasy-xiii-trailer-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/tgs-08-final-fantasy-xiii-trailer-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/tgs-08-final-fantasy-xiii-trailer-impressions/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Another TGS means another Closed Mega Theater from Square Enix. So what does the house that Final Fantasy built have hiding behind the curtain this time? It's mostly a long line of Kingdom Hearts titles and the entire known components of the Fabula Nova Crystallis project - which of course includes the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII.

Considering that FFXIII is the flagship title for the company, it would be an understatement to say we're a tad excited to see anything new coming from this game at the show ... even if it is the usual scrap here and there. Speaking of scraps, yes, most of the "new" trailer contains footage from previous clips we've seen before (no surprise there); however, the new footage we did see - we believe - will certainly keep the FF faithful interested until the next small bits trickle in.

We'll start with the beginning: we have an overhead view of this lush, prehistoric land where giant stegosaurus-type creatures roam. Then those flying beasts seen at the beginning of this year's E3 trailer soar above them, moving us along to the zoomed-in scene where the redhead pigtails girl is standing at the edge of a cliff. The camera swings back around revealing a massive, untamed landscape with thick jungles and more wild animals.
We're now taken back to more footage we've seen; though this montage of quick snippets isn't quite an extended director's cut much like the previous scene. It's mostly of the pigtails girl invoking the Carbuncle summon. As that wraps up, we're finally taken to some brand new footage. It's a scene where there's this gargantuan monolith situated in a possibly subterranean world. These glowing green cables attach to it, supposedly gathering energy or maybe feeding energy into it - it's hard to tell. Is this in any way related to the people of Cocoon? It seems so, as those Cocoon soldiers seem to be safeguarding this thing. Then more new footage follows revealing a new character.

The new scene shifts back atop on the surface where a fleet of airships race over a beach. It finds its way over to some city -- most likely Cocoon. One ship lands and a stern-faced man with semi-long, tied back white hair steps out. He appears to be a high ranking military officer and could possibly be a villain.

There's more old footage again in between the new. We kick back with the good stuff seeing a nighttime scene on a thin bridge leading to a landing pad. The pigtails girl is wearing a white hood and cloak and is being escorted by Cocoon soldiers. She's then approached by a woman with long, bleached-blonde hair who wears a long green coat and a pair of glasses. She really seems reminiscent of Sephiroth -- think of a female version of him, but much less intimidating in facial expression.

By the time that scene ends, we're taken to a huge amount of this year's E3 trailer footage - especially the parts focusing on the blond guy with a black bandana and long white coat. The final scene witnesses Lighting talking with that guy and it seems they're not really getting along.

As the full CGI trailer finishes, the final words we see reminds us that the game is still PS3 exclusive for Japan and will be hitting the island nation in 2009. Recapping the footage, we've mostly only learned of two more of the game's characters who will most likely end up being the villains. In that respect, there's quite a lot to speculate on and while it is somewhat disappointing to see yet again so little, we've still got quite a lot of questions to wonder over. What's that huge thing in the underworld-type place? And who exactly are these new characters? They're obviously in the Cocoon military or government, so do they know Lightning and the other characters personally? It seems we ended up with even more questions walking out of the Closed Theater than we did going in.

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]]>final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xiiijoystiqfeaturessquare-enixtgs-08tgs08Majed Athab2008-10-10T00:00:00+00:00Shonen Jump reveals Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for Wii, DShttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/shonen-jump-reveals-final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles-echoes-of/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/shonen-jump-reveals-final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles-echoes-of/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/shonen-jump-reveals-final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles-echoes-of/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Square Enix has revealed a new chapter in the long-titled Final Fantasy sub-series, Crystal Chronicles. According to the latest issue of Shonen Jump (via Gamekyo) FF:CC:Echoes of Time is coming January 29 in Japan for both Wii and DS. The game will allow DS and Wii users to play alongside one another simultaneously, and will enable Mii characters to be used in the DS version.

No other details are provided, but given the timing of this issue, we'd be surprised not to see Echoes of Time at this month's Tokyo Game Show.

[Via NWF, Final Fantasy Union]

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]]>crystal-chroniclesechoes-of-timefinal-fantasysquare-enixRoss Miller2008-10-01T12:15:00+00:00Gamer cosplay takes over NY Anime Festivalhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/28/gamer-cosplay-takes-over-ny-anime-festival/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/28/gamer-cosplay-takes-over-ny-anime-festival/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/28/gamer-cosplay-takes-over-ny-anime-festival/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click to embiggen
It's official. Gaming-related cosplay has crashed the anime party. You'd think a bastion such as the New York Anime Festival would be sacred ground for pure Naruto costume play, but it certainly was not this weekend. With the three-day event at the Manhattan Jacob Javitz Center wrapping up today, we've seen hundreds of gamers strut their stuff amongst the common 'Misa Misas' and 'Sasukes.'

Who did we see at the show? Well for starters, the cool kids from The World Ends With You showed us just how awesome it is to be a Shibuya wallflower. Then, we greased up and wrestled with El Blaze from Virtua Fighter 5 -- he was tough by the way. The Persona 3 crew refrained from shooting themselves in the head to take a picture for us, which was a nice gesture. In honor of the festival's guest of honor, Yoshitaka Amano, several people dressed up as Amano-inspired Final Fantasy characters. Evermore intriguing, people also dressed up as characters from games that are not even out yet. Oh, and almost forgot, Pyramid Head; you can't have a convention without one of those. Anyway, there's more in the gallery below (including a spot of anime cosplay). Can you name all the characters and what games they belong to?

Gallery: NY Anime Festival 08

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]]>castle-crashersconventionsfinal-fantasyjoystiqfeaturesmetal-gear-solidnew-york-anime-festivalworld-ends-with-youMajed Athab2008-09-28T12:00:00+00:00Rumor: Square Enix may sell stand-alone Final Fantasy XIII demohttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/rumor-square-enix-may-sell-stand-alone-final-fantasy-xiii-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/rumor-square-enix-may-sell-stand-alone-final-fantasy-xiii-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/rumor-square-enix-may-sell-stand-alone-final-fantasy-xiii-demo/#commentsFiled under: ,

Speaking in an interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki PS3, Square's Tetsuya Nomura allegedly revealed that the company may offer the demo version of Final Fantasy XIII - set for inclusion with the (for now Asia-only) Blu-ray release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children: Complete - for sale separately at retail.

This as-of-yet-unconfirmed news comes from FinalFantasyXIII.net, which, in addition to its translating of the article, reckons that the idea of charging for the 90-minute-plus demo is fairly unprecedented. You know, we could have sworn we saw Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for $39.99 at Target just the other day ...

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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]]>demofinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xiiisquare-enixtetsuya-nomuraRandy Nelson2008-09-02T17:30:00+00:00Square Enix proposes Tecmo buyouthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/square-enix-proposes-tecmo-buyout/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/square-enix-proposes-tecmo-buyout/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/square-enix-proposes-tecmo-buyout/#commentsFiled under:


It seems Dead Fantasy might just becomes a living reality after all. Square Enix has announced its intention to purchase a majority stake in Tecmo, the Japanese company which recently bid farewell to both its president and most recognizable rockstar developer. As detailed in a press release issued this morning (via IGN), the house that built Final Fantasy (and vice versa) is offering Tecmo shareholders a 30% premium over the company's closing price on August 28th. If successful, the deal would see Tecmo fall under Square Enix Holdings, while retaining its brand and corporate structure.

Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix, expressed hope that both developers would benefit from the deal, with the RPG maker gaining some inspiration from Tecmo's expertise in the action genre. Presumably, the folks at Tecmo would gain some pointers on in-game cameras in return.

We'll let you know what happens as soon as the suits are done talking.

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]]>BreakingNewsBuyoutFinal-FantasyNinja-GaidenSquare-EnixTeam-NinjaTecmoLudwig Kietzmann2008-08-29T11:30:00+00:0018+ hour boss battles nixed from Final Fantasy XIhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/18-hour-boss-battles-nixed-from-final-fantasy-xi/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/18-hour-boss-battles-nixed-from-final-fantasy-xi/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/18-hour-boss-battles-nixed-from-final-fantasy-xi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


We've heard of 18-hour bras, but 18-hour boss battles? Ridiculous! A couple weeks back, we reported on a Final Fantasy XII guild that attempted to take down one of the game's new big bads, the Pandemonium Warden, only to succumb to fatigue, hunger, sleep deprivation, and general near-deathness at the 18-hour mark. Square Enix now says it has heard the fan outcry against the idea of such longevity-rich enemies and is fixing things.

"In response to these events, we have determined that further alterations are required to prevent such battles from exceeding a certain predetermined length of time," reads the latest community update from PlayOnline. What will these "alterations" consist of? "Included in the version update scheduled for early September will be modifications to the degree of difficulty of Pandemonium Warden (and associated pets), Absolute Virtue (and associated pets), and Jailer of Love. The aim of these changes is to create battles where a decisive outcome may be reached within a shorter period of time."

Square's statement also reaffirmed the company's continued "commitment to a healthy and wholesome game environment." You know, one where players aren't passing out while playing.

[Via Massively]

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]]>final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xipatchsquare-enixRandy Nelson2008-08-26T03:01:00+00:00New Final Fantasy XI boss could take 24 hours to killhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/new-final-fantasy-xi-boss-could-take-24-hours-to-kill/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/new-final-fantasy-xi-boss-could-take-24-hours-to-kill/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/new-final-fantasy-xi-boss-could-take-24-hours-to-kill/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Hey, have you given up? We don't mean just depressed. We're talking to those of you who are ready take the precious gift that each day of life is, attempt to put it back in its clamshell packaging and return it for store credit. Then you might just be ready to take on the Pandemonium Warden, a newly added Final Fantasy XI boss that guild Beyond the Limitation plugged away at for 18 hours before finally giving up the fight. They estimate that with 5 or 6 more hours of work they could have finished the job.

"People were passing out and getting physically ill," guild leaders said. "We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people's lives."

So, to recap: There's a boss in Final Fantasy XI that's so tough that people who play Final Fantasy XI enough to be in a guild don't think it's worth their time. Moreover, he was so difficult it was enough to force them to start making responsible choices with their lives. Mother Brain, you can consider yourself trumped.

[Thanks, Anthony]

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]]>Final-Fantasyfinal-fantasy-xisquare-enixJustin McElroy2008-08-14T11:15:00+00:00The Joystiq Weekend: July 25 - 27, 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/the-joystiq-weekend-july-25-27-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/the-joystiq-weekend-july-25-27-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/the-joystiq-weekend-july-25-27-2008/#commentsFiled under: ,

The cast of LEGO Final Fantasy VII ... only Cloud is seriously lacking in the spikey hair department and Red XIII is nowhere to be found. Check out the highlights for this weekend:

Joystiquery
The Best of Big Download: July 20-26
Costumes of Comic-Con 08: Days 1 and 2
DS Fanboy Lite: July 19 - July 25
Japanese hardware sales, July 14 - July 20: Turn-based edition
Joystiq Podcast 058 - Merchant-off edition
WRUP: The Warehouse Edition
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup gets a Reality Check

News
Guitar Hero III 'Virtuoso Track Pack' now available
England, Wales prisoners lose access to 18-rated games
See first posters, date for Max Payne flick
Unlock the Uncharted Trophies beginning Aug. 22 ... or not
Marc and Dexter: Ecko making iPhone-only slasher
PlayStation 2 travels through time to kill children
Rock Band Weekly: Staind, Testament, Scars on Broadway, The New No 2
Super Street Fighter II HD beta gets time extension
Tera Patrick 'hired' as 'special' 'producer' on Saint's Row 2
Gears of War movie development soldiers on
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe adds a killing Joker
Bungie working on 'three distinct projects'
Peter Moore calls E3 'soulless,' calls for public event
Point your single oversized eyeball at this Resident Evil: Degeneration trailer
Wheelman pumps brakes, delayed until Q1 2009
EA Sports working on fixes for NCAA Football 2009 bugs
Microsoft's Frank O'Connor hints at 'HaloCon', comments on 'Bungiegate'
Warhammer Online launches Sept 23, says EA website
Cryptic Studios job listing reveals Star Trek Online
Toasty! Midway announces Mortal Kombat: Kollection for PS2
Gears of War 2 content unlocked by original Gears achievements, $130 Lancer bundle coming
Too Human demo classes unlock over time, internal clock shift makes them all available
Check out the star-studded Afro Samurai trailer
The NSFAmerica Dead Space 'Lullaby' trailer

Rumors & Speculation
Rumorong: Activision, Red Octane call shenanigans on World Tour set list
Rumor: Ratner to turn God of War film into geek tragedy
Rumor: Vader DLC bringing dark side to Xbox 360 Soul Calibur IV
Rumor: New Marvel vs. Capcom game may be coming 'sooner than you think'

Culture & Community
Rigopulos on why air drumming doesn't work

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]]>dailyrecapfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-viiRoss Miller2008-07-27T23:59:00+00:00Finally! It's your turn to watch last year's Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailerhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/finally-its-your-turn-to-watch-last-years-final-fantasy-versu/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/finally-its-your-turn-to-watch-last-years-final-fantasy-versu/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/finally-its-your-turn-to-watch-last-years-final-fantasy-versu/#commentsFiled under: ,

We're not certain how many months of grinding it took this anonymous cameraman (or woman!) to level up high enough to brave Square Enix's impenetrable fortress, but we do know our hero scored big. Nearly two minutes of Final Fantasy Versus XIII CG footage (shaky as it is) is like the equivalent of all the gil that's stuffed inside the Shinra vault. Better yet, it's aged footage, the type of mana-oozing fluff reel -- note the pretentious, clichéd text in italiano, ovviamente -- that's only ever been eye-balled by suits and trusted VIPs. So let us all take a moment of silence, and push from our minds the gruesome fate that must have befallen our dear hero in the final, and sudden instant that this video is abruptly cut short. Thank you, oh noble ally of the masses, your contribution will not soon be forgotten.

[Via Final Fantasy-XIII.net]

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]]>final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-versus-xiiijump-festasquare-enixJames Ransom-Wiley2008-07-23T17:00:00+00:00Final Fantasy XIII: 360 development starting after PS3 versionhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-xbox-360-development-coming-after-ps3-versio/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-xbox-360-development-coming-after-ps3-versio/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-xbox-360-development-coming-after-ps3-versio/#commentsFiled under: , ,


When is Final Fantasy XIII coming out? To deliver even a vague answer, you'll need to consider the long and winding path the immensely anticipated RPG still has to take -- and the Xbox 360 version isn't about to take a shortcut. Speaking at a special Square Enix Q&A event at E3, Square Enix exec Shinji Hashimoto detailed the developer's strategy, taking care to consider not only the game's multiplatform development, but its localization period as well.

Final Fantasy XIII is currently being developed using Square Enix's "Crystal Tools" technology with the PC as base platform. "As we have already announced, we will complete the PS3 version in Japan," explained Hashimoto. "After that, we will start the localization for US and Europe." Once localization is underway, Square will begin development of the Xbox 360 version, with the aim of releasing it in America (with no meaningful content changes) alongside the localized PlayStation 3 version. "Because of languages and other conditions, it may not release in US and Europe simultaneously," noted Hashimoto.

Convenient summary: Final Fantasy XIII isn't coming out soon.

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]]>E3-2008Final-FantasyFinal-Fantasy-XIIIJapanShinji-HashimotoSquare-EnixLudwig Kietzmann2008-07-14T23:45:00+00:00New Final Fantasy XIII trailer, proudly proclaims 'PS3 Only' ... in Japanhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/new-final-fantasy-xiii-trailer-proudly-proclaims-ps3-only/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/new-final-fantasy-xiii-trailer-proudly-proclaims-ps3-only/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/new-final-fantasy-xiii-trailer-proudly-proclaims-ps3-only/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It's not often you get to see new footage of Final Fantasy XIII. But, that's exactly what we have here. Moments after announcing an Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix has released a trailer that still touts its PS3 exclusivity. There's tons of new pre-rendered footage to be feast upon, and a little bit of real-time content ... and it all ends with "for PLAYSTATION 3 Only ... in Japan."

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]]>breakingnewse3-2008final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xiiisquare-enixAndrew Yoon2008-07-14T18:00:00+00:00Final Fantasy XIII not available on 360 in Japan, Versus XIII still PS3-exclusivehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-not-available-on-360-in-japan-versus-xiii-st/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-not-available-on-360-in-japan-versus-xiii-st/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-not-available-on-360-in-japan-versus-xiii-st/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The Square Enix conference was all about one thing: Final Fantasy XIII. Today's startling announcement was on the mind of everyone in attendance. As a result, journalists were quite fixated on the topic.

According to Siliconera, Final Fantasy XIII's 360 port has not been announced for release in Asia. The team is currently focused on finishing the Japanese PS3 version of Final Fantasy XIII. "The priority is to bring it to the PS3 first." Once the game releases in Japan, the team can then work on localization and porting it to the Xbox 360. This may mean we're going to suffer through an intolerable wait for an English-language release.

The main reason behind today's announcement is obvious: the Xbox 360's significant userbase in countries not named "Japan." However, although Final Fantasy XIII has been announced for Microsoft's console, Versus XIII is still in development as a PS3 exclusive. Of course, considering today's revelation -- will that exclusivity truly last?

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]]>e3-2008final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-versus-xiiifinal-fantasy-xiiifinal-fantasy-xiii-versussquare-enixAndrew Yoon2008-07-14T16:56:00+00:00Final Fantasy XIII coming to Xbox 360http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-coming-to-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-coming-to-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/14/final-fantasy-xiii-coming-to-xbox-360/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Sorry, Sony. The Xbox 360 is finally going to get a blockbuster RPG. Square has announced at the Microsoft press conference that Final Fantasy XIII is going to be released on Xbox 360 the same day as PS3 in North America and Europe. What a huge coup for Microsoft, and what a great piece of news for Xbox 360 owners who also happen to be great console RPG lovers.

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]]>breakingnewse3e3-2008final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xiiijoystiqfeaturedsquare-enixMike Schramm2008-07-14T15:04:00+00:00Today in Joystiq: July 10, 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/today-in-joystiq-july-10-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/today-in-joystiq-july-10-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/today-in-joystiq-july-10-2008/#commentsFiled under:

In one of the more clever Munnies we've seen in this rampant Munny craze, here's Kefka from Final Fantasy VI, care of Tomopop. Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
E3 1995-2007: A Retrospective
Joystiq interview: Mercenaries 2 senior producer Jonathan Zamkoff
Microsoft E3 2008 press conference: Let's play bingo!
Vote in Big Download's Spore creature contest
X3F Week in Review: July 4, 2008 - July 10, 2008
The Xbox 360 $299 price drop gallery

News
Nintendo's new hero (?): Captain Rainbow
GameTap Thursday: ClayFighter and Aveyond
Heavenly Sword writer to script Mirror's Edge
Madden '10, other EA games to include downloadable songs
Gamekyo: Jade Raymond working on surival game 'I Am Alive'
Here's the new Mirror's Edge 2D trailer and some 3D screenshots
Jobs: 1/3 of iPhone App Store launch apps are games
The Max Payne movie trailer
2K Games bringing Champions Online to PC, 360
You're not good enough for Ubisoft's Hell's Kitchen game
Burnout Paradise's 'Cagney' update delayed on Xbox 360 until July 24
Microsoft bringing home Too Human demo next week
Dragon Age becomes ... Dragon Age: Origins
SouthPeak bringing Brave: A Warrior's Tale to Wii, 360
Activision dreams up Guitar Hero music platform to rival iTunes
Next-gen.biz to become Edge Magazine Online
Wario Land: Shake It! video blowout
Sony, Double Fusion sign in-game ad deal
Midway appoints Codemasters vet to drive Wheelman
PSN Thursday: The calm before the E3 storm
Mega Man 9 debut trailer, confirmed for XBLA and PSN
Konami lodges patent suit against Harmonix, MTV over Rock Band
Game Informer reveals 'Ion' premium Rock Band 2 drum kit

Rumors & Speculation
Report: Infinity Ward 'definitely' working on sci-fi shooter
Levine contract could include royalties from BioShock sequels

Culture & Community
The E3 2008 press conference schedule
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed trailer runs free

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]]>dailyrecapfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-vikefkamunnyRoss Miller2008-07-10T23:59:00+00:00Square Enix E3 lineup loaded with sequels, remakeshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/09/square-enix-e3-lineup-loaded-with-sequels-remakes/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/09/square-enix-e3-lineup-loaded-with-sequels-remakes/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/09/square-enix-e3-lineup-loaded-with-sequels-remakes/#comments
With 2008's edition of E3 just days away, the role-playing steam engine that is Square Enix has revealed what titles that it will spring on press types as they shuffle past. Of the eleven titles on display, the company's lineup this year is noticeably remake and sequel heavy, with over half of the games representing a return to the well for another drink. Boasting "simultaneous global releases for several platforms," the company has also re-confirmed dates for much of its lineup as well, with the following games also noted as being playable during the show:
 In addition, the remainder listed below will be shown in non-playable form:
And coming soon to a grocery store near you, Star Ocean: Whole Wheat Clusters.

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]]>chrono-triggerchronotriggerdragon-questdragon-quest-ive3-2008exitfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-ivinfinite-undiscoverylegend-of-kagesong-summonersquare-enixsquareenixstar-oceanstaroceanthe-last-remnantJason Dobson2008-07-09T12:00:00+00:00Square Enix: Final Fantasy Versus XIII not on holdhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/square-enix-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-not-on-hold/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/square-enix-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-not-on-hold/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/square-enix-final-fantasy-versus-xiii-not-on-hold/#commentsFiled under: ,


In a statement issued to Eurogamer, Square Enix has denied a recent report which stated that Final Fantasy Versus XIII had been put on hold in order to prioritize completion of regular ol' Final Fantasy XIII. According to a translated Famitsu interview with Versus director, Tetsuya Nomura, work on the spin-off title had been temporarily suspended while staffers helped out on the next highly anticipated, and not even remotely final, Final Fantasy installment.

"Reports that development for Final Fantasy Versus XIII is on hold are false," countered Square Enix. "The truth of the situation is that when free, some staff from the Versus team have been helping with the XIII team on development of Final Fantasy XIII. Development for both titles is continuing as originally scheduled."

That almost sounds like good news, until you realize that the "originally scheduled" release date for either title is likely quite far off. And that makes us so very, very sad.

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]]>FamitsuFinal-FantasyFinal-Fantasy-Versus-XIIIFinal-Fantasy-XIIISquare-EnixTetsuya-NomuraVersus-XIIILudwig Kietzmann2008-06-19T11:30:00+00:00Final Fantasy Versus XIII on hold [update: Square denies]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/18/final-fantasy-versus-xiii-on-hold/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/18/final-fantasy-versus-xiii-on-hold/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/18/final-fantasy-versus-xiii-on-hold/#commentsFiled under:

the waiting
Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been temporarily suspended and its programming team transitioned into assist mode, according to a translation of a Famitsu interview with Versus director Tetsuya Nomura (scanned here). Nomura explained that Square Enix's top priority is completing work on Final Fantasy XIII, which means the Versus team has placed its project on ice and headed across the hall to lend a hand. A few remaining designers are still working on conceptual art for Versus, and the story is supposedly complete. Despite the stoppage, Nomura did confirm that Versus will still be featured at Square Enix's pretentious, invite-only "DKΣ3713" event in August, alongside Plain Old Final Fantasy XIII, in non-playable format (read: "a minute of ambiguous footage in a closed theater").

Update: Square Enix has denied the report, but has confirmed that staff members from Versus are aiding FFXIII's development.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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]]>breakingnewsDK3713final-fantasyfinal-fantasy-versus-xiiisquare-enixtetsuya-nomuraJames Ransom-Wiley2008-06-18T14:33:00+00:00Final Fantasy Tactics A2 trailer full of whimsy, tacticshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/14/final-fantasy-tactics-a2-trailer-full-of-whimsy-tactics/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/14/final-fantasy-tactics-a2-trailer-full-of-whimsy-tactics/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/14/final-fantasy-tactics-a2-trailer-full-of-whimsy-tactics/#commentsFiled under: , ,


It's actually pretty difficult for us to tell if the above trailer is any good -- you see, when the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance came out, we played it until our GBA SP's brilliant backlight peppered our poor eyeballs with cataracts. From what we can tell through blurs and blind spots, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift looks similar to it's last-gen predecessor, with a few minor graphical tweaks and improvements in sound. Considering Square-Enix has added a handful of new classes and races, and yet another lengthy single-player campaign, we're wondering where we can find a black market eyeball dealer/installer in our neck of the woods, and if they can pencil us in before the game's June 24 release date.

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]]>dsfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-tactics-a2finalfantasygrimoire-of-the-riftivalicenintendodssquare-enixtrailerGriffin McElroy2008-06-14T18:00:00+00:00Wii Fanboy Weekly: June 5 - June 11http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/11/wii-fanboy-weekly-june-5-june-11/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/11/wii-fanboy-weekly-june-5-june-11/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/11/wii-fanboy-weekly-june-5-june-11/#commentsFiled under:


Before you question how you're able to read Shigeru Miyamoto's thoughts (let alone visualize them in a speech bubble in clear, easy-to-read text), we would like to ask you about your thoughts on Wii Fit? Do you have it? Want it, but can't find it? The latter story seems to be the one most can identify with right now, so we figured we'd compile a list of some alternatives, which consist of past combinations of gaming and exercise (exergaming, if you will), along with a little bit of our own flair tossed in.

Oh, and for those of you who enjoy free stuff, check out our latest Virtually Free giveaway. We're hooking one person up with My Life as a King.

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]]>exergamingffccfinal-fantasymy-life-as-a-kingsquaresquare-enixweekly-recapwii-fitwiiwareDavid Hinkle2008-06-11T21:40:00+00:00