Final Fantasy XIII Dispels Negativity
Posted on 2009/10/25 by Kyle
With it's release in Japan set for December 17th, and few events between now and then, Tokyo Game Show 2009 was really the last big event Square Enix had to showcase Final Fantasy XIII. With one of the longest development times in Final Fantasy's history, Square Enix promising to revolutionize the RPG genre with the game, and so many mounting doubts about the game, Final Fantasy XIII had a lot to prove at the event. Gaming Union got some hands-on time with the game at TGS 2009, and it's time to compare and contrast to see if player concerns were really met by Square Enix.
For the last year in particular FFXIII has had gone through an equal amount of hype and doubt among gamers. Starting with the announcement of moving the title to the Xbox 360, concerns continued the mount as more in-game action was shown, and Square Enix's answers at the time not particularly cooling the situation. Gameplay and graphics have long been called into question, so when we got our hands on FFXIII at TGS 2009 we paid extra attention to see if the concerns are really substantiated or not.
Article continues in full story.
Tags:
Final Fantasy XIII, TGS 2009
Final Fantasy XIII
No Final Fantasy Versus XIII Until E3 2010
Posted on 2009/10/25 by Sanrin
In response to criticism involving in-development footage of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, director Tetsuya Nomura has recently revealed a bit more information regarding the footage shown at Tokyo Game Show 2009, as well as some insight as to the game play itself.
"That wasn't development stuff, but a technical demo reel of sorts" he explains in the latest issue of Famitsu, "We hurriedly put together a video because we wanted people to be assured that Versus is also still under development." Nomura also provides some good news for Kingdom Hearts fans, confirming that combat "will fall close to that category, but we're aiming for a fusion of new features with the classic FF style. We see level design as the most important part of development here, but it'll be a while before we can show any of that."
Nomura closed by announcing more information will be given at E3 next year, "if we're quick enough." Let's hope they work hard!
Tags:
Final Fantasy Versus XIII, TGS 2009, Fabula Nova Crystallis
Versus not until E3
Final Fantasy Agito XIII 2010 Release Essentially Confirmed
Posted on 2009/10/23 by Ronin90
Square Enix recently announced that they would start releasing more and more information about Final Fantasy Agito XIII once Final Fantasy XIII is released in December. This strongly suggests that it will be the next title released under the Fabula Nova Crystallis umbrella.
It also suggests that Final Fantasy Agito XIII will be released in 2010, in Japan at least, as Square Enix seldom promote their products way ahead of time any more. Hype for Dissidia: Final Fantasy started around six months before its final release, and the same has happened with Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep.
It would be logical to assume that the game won't come in the first half of the year, but it could easily arrive in Q3 or Q4 of 2010. Either way, Square Enix are sure to announce an official release window towards the start of next year.
Tags:
Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis
Final Fantasy Agito XIII Release Date
Media Blitz For Final Fantasy Agito XIII Starting Next Year
Posted on 2009/10/21 by Ronin90
Out of the three Fabula Nova Crystallis titles, Final Fantasy Agito XIII has probably garnered the least attention. Rightly so, as unlike the other two, it's only being released on the PlayStation Portable.
However, it promises to promote a completely different experience, and many have described it as Final Fantasy mixed with Monster Hunter. The trailer shown at this year's Tokyo Game Show only reinforced this, and Square Enix have announced that they will start releasing much more information next year.
This is definitely good news, as it's a title that should definitely be on people's radars - even if its bigger brothers are stealing all the limelight right now.
Tags:
Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis
Agito Info Coming Soon
New FFXIII Character Tentatively Named Oerba Yun Fang
Posted on 2009/10/15 by Ronin90
A new lady was shown during the TGS trailer for Final Fantasy XIII, and she had a heavy Australian accent. At the time, nobody knew her name, but magazine scans have now surfaced.
There's no official word yet, but sprculation suggests that her name is Oerba Yun Fang, which some people may notice is similar to Oerba Dia Vanille. Nothing is known about their ties, but she is said to be a l'Cie.
Tags:
Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Characters, Oerba Yun Fang
Oerba Yun Fang
Hikari no 4 Senshi Music Revealed
Posted on 2009/10/09 by Ronin90
With the release of Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden not too long away in Japan, Square Enix have decided to release some excerpts of the original soundtrack that will accompany the game.
So far, there have been eight tracks revealed, and although the samples are relatively short, it's still possible to hear some of the old classical tunes returning to form.
The OST will feature a total of 41 tracks, and they have been composed/arranged by Naoshi Mizuta, of Final Fantasy XI fame. It's assumed that Square Enix will be revealing more of tracks closer to the game's release. We'll definitely keep you posted.
Tags:
Hikari no 4 Senshi, Four Warriors Of Light, Final Fantasy Gaiden, Naoshi Mizuta, Square Enix, Nintendo DS
Final Fantasy Gaiden OST
Crystal Bearers European Release Confirmed
Posted on 2009/10/06 by Ronin90
Up until now, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers only had a release date in Japan and North America, and fans in Europe were starting to get worried that the game wouldn't be seen in their territory. However, a release has now been confirmed, along with a prospective release window.
Following the merger between Square Enix and Eidos, it was unclear how publishing would work, but it's now been revealed that Eidos will be publishing the title in Europe. According to Eidos France the game will actually be arriving on the Nintendo Wii in February of 2010.
This is great news for fans of the spin-off series, as they won't have to wait that long to play the game.
Tags:
Crystal Bearers, Crystal Chronicles, Crystal Bearers European Release
Crystal Bearers European Release
Crystal Bearers OST Release Date Announced
Posted on 2009/10/05 by Ronin90
The release date for the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers original soundtrack has been announced in Japan, and curiously, it's actually some time after the game is released.
Currently scheduled for release on the 9th of December, 2009, the OST sees its release around a month after the game, but before the North American version hits store shelves.
Composed by Kumi Tanioka, Hidenori Iwasaki and Ryo Yamazaki, it promises to be quite different from the standard fare heard in previous Final Fantasy accompaniment.
Tags:
Crystal Bearers, Crystal Chronicles, Crystal Bearers OST
Crystal Bearers OST
Final Fantasy I Now On Wii Virtual Console
Posted on 2009/10/05 by Shawn
Square Enix and Nintendo have finally released Final Fantasy I outside of Japan on the Wii's Virtual Console. The game was released on Japan's Virtual Console earlier this year, the start of a move to release all of the pre-PlayStation Final Fantasy games on the console.
The original game on the NES, as the name suggests, was supposed to be the "final" game released by the company, due to financial difficulties. After stellar sales in Japan and later North America, the series has grown into a immense franchise with a devout and large following.
Final Fantasy I can be bought on the Wii Shop Channel's Virtual Console for 500 Nintendo Points. It can be played with the Wii Remote, Classic Controller, and the Nintendo GameCube controller.
Tags:
Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy, Square Enix, NES, Wii, Virtual Console, Wii Shop Channel, Nintendo
Outside of Japan
Versus XIII Gameplay: Why Did Square Enix Even Bother?
Posted on 2009/10/04 by Ronin90
Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been in Final Fantasy XIII's shadow for quite some time now, as Square Enix have expectedly diverted all their attention towards their biggest asset. People had been hoping to see something new at TGS, but following Square Enix's announcement that Final Fantasy Versus XIII wasn't going to be shown there wasn't any real surprise.
However, there was surprise when reports surfaced that it was actually being shown, and of course Final Fantasy Union had to investigate. It turned out that gameplay footage was being shown in what was essentially their very toned down "Closed Mega Theatre".
Read the full article to find out what exactly was shown, and why Square Enix were wrong to display the footage at this year's Tokyo Game Show.
Tags:
Final Fantasy Versus XIII, TGS 2009, Weekly Musings
Versus Tech Demo Doesn't Inspire
FXN Podcast: Episode 28 TGS 2009
Posted on 2009/10/03 by Kyle
Kyle and Darryl do the FXN Podcast from Japan on the last day of Tokyo Game Show 2009! The duo got their mitts on Final Fantasy XIII, and eyes glued to Versus XIII and Agito. Listen in for impressions of Final Fantasy XIII, discussion of Dissidia, and why the heck Square Enix showed Versus XIII at TGS09.
Listen / Subscribe to the FXN Podcast on iTunes
Direct Link: FXN Final Fantasy Podcast Episode 28 TGS 2009
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Show Breakdown
00:00 - Intro
03:31 - Final Fantasy XIII Impressions
19:52 - Final Fantasy Trailer Series Impressions
29:30 - Dissidia Discussion
54:51 - Outro
56:45 - Fin
Tags:
FXN Final Fantasy Podcast, Dissidia Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Episode 28
Crystal Bearers Mini-OST Needs Fan Input
Posted on 2009/10/02 by Ronin90
With Final Fantasy Chrystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers not long from release, Square Enix are trying to decide what music should feature on the Mini-OST that will accompany the game.
To aid them, it appears as though they want users to select six-tracks from the ten that are available and they've set up a page with short samples of these tracks to help people decide.
In theory, it should make the Mini-OST a much more interesting proposition, as the tracks will have been user selected, but we'll see how true that is when the game is released on the 12th of November, 2009 in Japan.
The game is also scheduled to be released on the 26th of December, 2009 in North America.
Tags:
Crystal Bearers, Crystal Chronicles
Crystal Bearers Mini-OST
Final Fantasy VIII PSN Coming to Europe Soon
Posted on 2009/10/01 by Shawn
Square Enix recently released Final Fantasy VIII on the Japanese PlayStation Store to mark the start of TGS 2009, making European and North American fans wondering when the game would hit their shores.
Final Fantasy VIII was a radical departure from Final Fantasy VIII, using more life-life character models and foregoing the usual magic and stat-building process w/ a new Junctioning feature which used magic to augment your stats.
According to a comment by Mike Kebby (PlayStation Store Team, SCEE) in the latest PlayStation Store update, Europeans can expect to be able to purchase the game in the next few weeks. No word on a date for North America, but it is likely Sony and Square Enix will be releasing the game close to one another for both regions.
Tags:
Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy, Square Enix, PlayStation Store, PlayStation Network, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Sony
Likely North America as Well
