Famitsu has an anniversary feature on Final Fantasy VII this week, complete with an interview with character designer Tetsuya Nomura.
In the interview, Nomura admits that there is much desire for a Final Fantasy VII remake. The answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked. "The focus is now on making new titles", he says. They're working to make these new games match or even top Final Fantasy VII.
Nomura also says that he personally believes Yoshinori Kitase is the true successor to the FF series.
The Nomura interview also included some development trivia. The Yuffie character was originally planned to be a wanted person, according to Nomura. In Midgar, you'd see wanted posters showing her face. Each poster would have a different face, and the Yuffie that joined your party would have the face of the last poster that you saw.]]>
In Kingdom Hearts 3D, Sora and Riku enter the Sleeping Worlds to complete their Mark of Mastery exams in preparation for an impending threat. They will encounter new enemies and new worlds on their quest to become true Keyblade Masters. Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] continues the tradition of engaging entertainment with new gameplay features along with the new worlds and creatures.
Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] will be released in North America on July 31st. The Mark of Mastery edition will cost $54.99, with the regular edition costing $39.99.
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On May 16th, 2002, Squaresoft released Final Fantasy XI for the PlayStation 2 system in Japan. It was the first game to ever require the PS2 Hard Drive and Modem add-on and was a major departure from the rest of the Final Fantasy series - all firmly single-player affairs.
It launched for the PC several months later in November 2002, and then landed in the West for PS2, PC and Xbox 360 between 2002 and 2006. The game saw numerous expansion packs and is still going strong to this day even after the arrival of Final Fantasy XIV, with over one million accounts playing and the game still bringing a healthy amount of revenue for Square Enix.
Happy Birthday, Final Fantasy XI. Hopefully the game remains strong for some time to come. Got some great FF11 memories?
Check back soon for interviews on Final Fantasy XI's anniversary, as well as Final Fantasy VII's fifteen year anniversary!]]>
If you need more Final Fantasy XIII-2 in your life, today you're in luck. As of now you can spend a bit of dough and get a bunch of extra content for the game, including two episodes and a ton of new outfits. Note this is the final bit of DLC, so enjoy it while it lasts.
The first episode is titled "Snow's Story: Perpetual Battlefield", and finds Snow -- now torn from his fiancee -- battling the Arbiter of Time (among other baddies) at the Coliseum. Beating the Arbiter will unlock Snow as a party member.
The second is named Lightning's Story: Requiem of the Goddess and depicts the fight between Lightning and Caius. Lightning boasts exclusive new abilities, and the XIII-2 version of herself can be unlocked as a party member. Square encourages folks to beat the main game before playing this for story reasons.
Episodes are priced at what seems to be a rather reasonable $3.99, while outfits are priced at a not so reasonable $2.99. The list:
"Snow's Story: Perpetual Battlefield" DLC episode: 320 Microsoft Points, $3.99 via PlayStation®Network
"Lightning's Story: Requiem of the Goddess" DLC episode: 400 Microsoft Points, $4.99 via PlayStation®Network
White Mage outfit for Serah Farron: 240 Microsoft Points, $2.99 via PlayStation®Network
Black Mage outfit for Noel Kreiss: 240 Microsoft Points, $2.99 via PlayStation®Network
"A Wondrous Wardrobe" 16 outfits for Mog: 240 Microsoft Points, $2.99 via PlayStation®Network
Here is the trailer Square Enix launched along with it:
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For the fiscal year ending March 2012, Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII-2 ensured the company posted an overall profit in their financial earnings.
Net sales increased to ¥127 billion, which is a 2.1% increase regarding 2011′s ¥125 billion in sales. A yearly profit of ¥6.06 billion was also confirmed, a substantial increase from 2011's loss of ¥12 billion.
Attributing to the profit is both Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution which "favourably grew sales of packaged software". Mobage compatible mobile phones-based Final Fantasy Brigade is another game that helped see the publisher turn a profit with the title boasting two million users, as well as the fact that it's experiencing "robust growth".]]>
Square Enix has finally revealed the pre-order bonus for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Gamers in North America who reserve the game in advance will receive a set of three limited edition AR cards.
The first AR card will randomly unlock one of three rare Dream Eaters (Ursa Circus, Sudo Neku or Meowjesty), and the second one will unlock the R&R Seal Dream Eater. The final AR card will unlock a 360 degree viewing stand, allowing players to view their Dream Eaters from all angles.]]>
Square Enix has just updated the Japanese official site with the full pricing and date information for this month’s DLC content.
As previously revealed by PlayStation Asia, both Lightning and Snow’s episodes will release together on May 15th, along with Noel, Serah and Mog’s new costumes. The pricing for each item is as follows:
Snow and Valfodr “Arena of Eternity”: ¥400/320MSP ($5)
Lightning’s Story “Requiem of the Goddess”: ¥600/400MSP (~$7)
Serah’s White Mage costume: ¥300/240MSP (~$3)
Noel’s Black Mage costume: ¥300/240MSP (~$3)
Moogle 16 piece costume set: ¥300/240MSP (~$3)
So there you have it, what will likely be the final set of DLC will be released all at once, so you can expect official North American and European announcements soon after.]]>
Square Enix have confirmed their hefty lineup for E3 2012, and if you're hoping for a lot of games for you Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts lovers, you will most likely be disappointed as there are only two games to whet your appetite.
Many of the game's Square Enix have confirmed are targeted towards the western market, but keep in mind that E3 is a westernized based event. Those expecting Final Fantasy Versus XIII will most likely have to wait for TGS for the next big information.
So what are these titles you may ask, well they are as follows:
- Tomb Raider (2012 reboot)
- Hitman Absolution
- Sleeping Dogs (formally True Crime: Hong Kong)
- Quantum Conundrum
- Heroes of Ruin
- Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
E3 2012 begins on June 5th - June 7th. Expect more news as it approaches. ]]>
Tetsuya Nomura has requested fans of Final Fantasy Versus XIII to be patient regarding the long-awaited status update on the PlayStation 3 exclusive.
The action role-playing game's designer and director told the latest issue of Game Informer that, despite being announced six years ago and its last update being over a year ago, fans should endure the unspecified length of waiting for an update.
"We would like to ask for your patience on an official announcement for this title. It always takes time when tackling the challenge of doing something completely new, but we are doing our best to bring information to the fans as quickly as we can.
"Your patience is greatly appreciated."
"Your patience is greatly appreciated."
When Nomura does decide to show off the game, you can bet that it would arguably have been worth the wait. He stated earlier in the year that the next time Final Fantasy Versus XIII is publicly shown, it will be in the form of a live demonstration.
Square Enix has not confirmed whether or not the title will be at E3 2012. ]]>
He went on to rule out a sequel to Birth By Sleep and also confirmed there are no plans to release a Final Mix version of Kingdom Hearts 3D, as has been the case for previous entries in the series.
and then there the expected big surprise game reveal from SE that would be announced very soon.]]>