In a move that we'd have considered entirely out of the ordinary just a few years ago, Japanese developer Square Enix has shored up on the west coast of the US and opened shop. According to Ars Technica, this new development studio plans to cater to a western audience not by changing the type of games they make, but by employing western developers.

"It's not a good idea to make a game for people you don't understand," game development manager Fumi Shiraishi told AT." According to the piece, this new studio won't set out to develop "another FPS" but will push the envelope with regards to traditional Square Enix-developed titles. Considering the tepid reviews The Last Remnant received in the States, we're hoping this new studio can bring the signature Square Enix style to us with some much needed fresh ideas.

Shiraishi wouldn't reveal what the studio will be working on next, though he did say it falls under the "western niche" banner. So, an Infinite Undiscovery RTS, eh? Well played, Shiraishi. Well played indeed.

The Xbox 360 has only outsold the PlayStation 3 several times before, so we're reticent to bring the Four Horsemen out of their winter hibernation. However, if Japanese hardware sales tracker Media Create is to be believed, the 360 not only outsold the PS3 in Japan last week, it handily trounced all competition, with sales just over 25,000 units (compared to nearly 17,000 units for Wii and just over 16,000 for PS3).

Considering Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released this past week and is outselling every game on the chart by a margin of at least 3:1 (162,232 units, folks -- in one week!), we're taking a stab in the dark here and saying 360 sales had something to do with that. After all, the last few times we put out a call to the horsemen, two other JRPG titles were to blame: Infinite Undiscovery and Tales of Vesperia.

Can you remember the other game that put 360 on top in Japan for a week? Hint: It involves fire and liberation and ... fighter jets. Give up? Too bad! We're still not telling!

It's a slow week for sales in the Great White North, but role-playing fans are in for a treat this week at Best Buy Canada. For a limited time, Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant have been discounted to $39.99 each. Both published by famed developer Square Enix, each title has been a staple in Microsoft's role-playing game push, over the last year. The Last Remnant was developed by the powerhouse Square Enix using Epic's Unreal Engine 3 and Infinite Undiscovery was developed by JRPG fan favorite tri-Ace and offer two very different game play experiences. Canadians looking to spend some quality time with two popular Japanese role-playing games should take notice to this promotion.

[Sale Links: Infinite Undiscovery | The Last Remnant]

After a day of Playstation 3 lightning deals, Amazon.com has seen the video game light by offering Square's Infinite Undiscovery for $29.98 as its daily Gold Box deal. Free shipping too! Possibly tax free!

As with all Gold Box offers, they're only good until the end of the day or until quantities exhaust. So, there you have it fellow deal seekers. A Japanese action-RPG for the Xbox 360, developed by Square Enix and purchasable for under $30. You know you want it.

[Thanks, Doug B.]

With Japanese Xbox 360 sales recently reinvigorated, even outselling the Wii -- or coming damned close, depending on who you believe -- Microsoft is keen to keep up the momentum. Speaking to Edge, Xbox Japan head Takashi Sensui noted the sales boost, saying "[Microsoft needs] to make the strengthening of our RPG lineup a priority." In addition Sensui said that Microsoft is working to keep 360 supplies up in the region, no doubt referring to Japan's retailers exhausting the country's entire supply of 360 consoles following the debut of Tales of Vesperia. The next goal for Microsoft is to break the 1 million unit mark, a goal it's close to reaching with recent sales estimates hovering at nearly 720,000. Sensui is hopeful about the 360's prospects, saying "we believe that Japanese consumers will see what we have to offer and agree that is is the best option available."

With some big name RPGs on the way -- such as Star Ocean: The Last Hope (above) -- and the Tokyo Game Show taking place next month, we're sure we'll be getting an earful of Microsoft's strategy for Japan in the coming weeks.

According to data provided by Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, the Xbox 360 has outsold the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii in Japan for the week ending September 14. At a pre-TGS event Microsoft announced the price of the Xbox 360 would be reduced in Japan on September 11, coupled with the release of the Square-Enix exclusive RPG Infinite Undiscovery, the Xbox 360 has landed on the top of the console charts. The sales breakdown from Enterbrain looks like this:

• Xbox 360: 28,681 units
• Wii: 27,057 units
• PlayStation 3: 8,050 units

Speaking of Infinite Undiscovery, the tri-Ace developed RPG has found success in Japan selling 86,708 units in its first week of release. Recently, Microsoft has seen moderate success with exclusive titles in the region including a sales-spike in August when the Namco Bandai timed-exclusive Tales of Vesperia released -- which led to the Xbox 360 console selling out in the country.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It wasn't so frightening when the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 for a week back when Tales of Vesperia came out, but now that it's sold more than the Wii during the week ending Sept. 14 ... well, now we're stricken with panic. According to Enterbrain, the Xbox 360 sold 28,861 units during the week, while the Wii sold 27,057 (the PS3 managed 8,050).

Xbox 360 sales were more than likely spurred by the one-two punch of a Japanese price cut and the release of console-exclusive Infinite Undiscovery, which sold 86,708 units in its first week. MCV points out that the 360 has now sold 717,275 units in Japan -- the very foundations of our world would be shaken if it actually went on to sell a million units.

Have you been dreaming of an open world game with massive firepower and fully destructible environments without all the pesky legal repercussions in GTAIV? Mercenaries 2 just might be your game. You get to blow things up ... a lot ... with cruise missiles. Let's not forget online co-op either, which means you can blow things up with cruise missiles ... with friends.

As though Mercenaries 2 wasn't enough, we also have all of these:

• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
• Warhammer: Battle March
• Rapala Fishing Frenzy
• Infinite Undiscovery
• FaceBreaker
• NFL Head Coach 2009

Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise? Infinite Undiscovery? FaceBreaker? Yeah, so apparently "Holiday 2008" is already upon us.

Terrible news for immobile couch potatoes: According to a Square Enix representative, Infinite Undiscovery will ship on two discs when it releases exclusively on the Xbox 360 in September. The real-time role-playing title from tri-Ace marks the first game to be published by Square Enix on an Xbox platform since 2006's space shooter, Project Sylpheed.

Shipping on September 2 in North America, September 5 in Europe and September 11 in Japan, Infinite Undiscovery promises an epic 20-25 hour adventure for the Xbox 360. And that's just while you're busy changing discs.

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:

• Chrono Trigger (DS; Holiday 2008)
• Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS; September 16)
• Final Fantasy IV (DS; July 22)
• Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360; September 2)
• Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes (iPod; Now Available)

In addition, the remainder listed below will be shown in non-playable form:

• The Last Remnant (Xbox 360, PS3; Winter for Xbox 360, TBA for PS3)
• Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP; October 21)
• Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP; January 6)
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360; 2009)
• Exit DS (DS; October 7)
• The Legend of Kage 2 (DS; October 7)

And coming soon to a grocery store near you, Star Ocean: Whole Wheat Clusters.

Microsoft held a press conference on Tuesday morning Joystiq Time to show off its upcoming Japanese RPGs, including Star Ocean: The Last Hope (just announced for Xbox 360), The Last Remnant (launching "on the Xbox 360 first" this Winter), Infinite Undiscovery (whose "worldwide" release isn't quite simultaneous), and Namco Bandai's Tale of Vesperia (reaching North America in August with an Xbox demo this month). Hit up the galleries below to get a peek at each of these four titles.

One of the many role-playing titles showcased at the recent Xbox 360 Japanese RPG event was the interestingly named, Infinite Undiscovery. At the event a new trailer for the Square Enix published, tri-Ace developed RPG was showcased (English version above) that showed off some of the story and gameplay elements of the game. While at the event Microsoft announced the release schedule for the title and it appears gamers all around the world will have their chance to battle it out as a fashionably conscience teenage warrior sooner than expected. Infinite Undiscovery hits North America on September 2, Europe on September 5 with Japanese and Asian markets joining in the fun on September 11.

Fans of Square Enix RPGs may have assumed PS3 was the safe bet this generation of consoles. However, during a press conference in Japan today, the famed RPG maker announced its plans to support Xbox 360, with at least one exclusive, and two timed exclusives for Microsoft's current generation platform.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the fourth iteration of the popular RPG series, has been announced for Xbox 360 only. The official website makes it clear that the game will be a 360 title, but plans for a PS3 version haven't been completely ruled out yet. "We cannot announce anything on that. We can say that it will be released first [on the Xbox 360]. Whether we'll release it on the PS3 is undecided. We may release it, we may not." [Source]

Another Square Enix game, The Last Remnant, will be multiplatform. However, the game will debut on Xbox 360 first this year, with a PS3 version to come some time after, perhaps next year. This continues Microsoft's aggressive push to secure the Japanese RPG market, with Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery being an Xbox 360 exclusive as well. PS3 fans need not fret too much, because at the very least, the Final Fantasy XIII games are still exclusive on PS3. For now.

[Via Joystiq]

Well, apparently there were some minor caveats to Square Enix's trumpeted "worldwide release" for Infinite Undiscovery on September 2. You see, by "worldwide," the publisher actually meant "Americawide," but since this could likely be interpreted as some sort of critique against the continent's expanding obesity problem, it was better to just pretend that September 2, September 5 and September 11 all sort of vaguely fall in the same calender square.

As announced at a recent press conference in Japan (via 1UP's liveblog), these are the slightly staggered ship dates for tri-Ace's Xbox 360 RPG:

• North America: Sept. 2
• Europe: Sept. 5
• Japan: Sept. 11

Though we like to tease, we're very impressed that Square Enix, known for excruciating localization delays between releases, is stepping up its global game.

Square Enix fanboys can break out the bean dip, party streamers and begin their rejoicing rituals, because it's all but confirmed that Square has a few other projects headed to our beloved Xbox 360. How can we be sure? Well, it has just been brought to our attention that the press release announcing the release date for Infinite Undiscovery also (ever so subtly) mentions that it will be "the first in a completely new lineup of Square Enix titles for Xbox 360". A new Square "lineup" that could be as few as two titles or as many as ten, but a lineup we're sure includes Last Remnant. Though, we advise following Joystiq's advice and not getting our fanboy hopes up for the next Final Fantasy installment, because only a bunch of disappointment and sadness will result. And yes, we would love to be proved wrong.

[Via Joystiq]