While not quite as good as the direct feed PVs for Type-0 (Agito) and Versus XIII set to release on Thursday this week, we do have some new information surrounding the Fabula Nova Crystallis series courtesy of Dengeki PlayStation.

Beginning with Final Fantasy Versus XIII, director Tetsuya Nomura chatted up a few new details on the game’s battle system.
Regarding the PV shown at the 1st Production Premiere, Nomura said that the menu HUD for the battle scenes will likely change between now and release. The names of each character will also be incorporated into it by then. Magic will also produce different effects depending on the user.

The blond male shown using guns is said to be quite good with them; he alone will have controls specifically for aiming in order to target an enemy weak point. When other characters use firearms, they will only have a basic lock-on.

As noted in past trailers, there is a large variety of weapons being used in the game, and apparently, Noctis has the ability to use them all. The main party will consist of up to three members, and even those not taking part in battle will still join in with conversations. Nomura notes that there is more than just the four party characters shown in the magazine, however, the final total is still limited.

Regarding characters in the game, Noctis is described as just a normal young man; he’s not ‘cool.’ He feels that he is strong, but is not as strong as he thinks. The blond character is one of Noct’s friends, while the other two shown are childhood friends. Ignis (the guy with glasses) is said to be Noctis’s tactician. The female dragoon facing off against our hero is not Stella. Nomura says that he wouldn’t portray her as such, and that this new character is an enemy. We also see Noctis’s father… his dialogue is actually not directed toward Noctis, despite popular believe.

Throughout the video we see various landscapes, similar to fields seen in other Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy Versus XIII will feature a time progression from day to night. Also similar to past games, you’ll be able to ride airships, chocobos, cars, and even steal military vehicles for your own use.

Closing the interview, Nomura says, “This year we have Type-0 and XIII-2, so please forget about Versus for now,” reminding everyone to be patient and understand that they’re working toward something absolutely incredible. The earliest we may see Versus resurface is at this year’s E3.

Moving on, both Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama were interviewed for the section on Final Fantasy XIII-2.

The game will be, as expected, a full sequel beginning in Gran Pulse after the events of Final Fantasy XIII. The story will expand from the after story, Episode i, which was included in the International version.

Toriyama promises that the story will be more dark and mysterious, and will focus on the goddess Etro, who has already been mentioned in Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s mythology. Besides Lightning, previous characters will return, though some will be completely different.

Those who disliked Final Fantasy X-2 need not worry, XIII-2 will not feature any sort of JPOP feel.

The battle system will be an evolved Active Time Battle system, similar to what we saw in Final Fantasy XIII.

Toriyama also says that this time they’ll be listening to opinions from both inside and outside of Square-Enix, and even from the overseas audience on things like characters, story, and interface.

Lastly, Type-0 was touched on, once again with Kitase and… Toriyama? What is he doing there I wonder…

Type-0’s battle system keyword is “Magic in Action” meaning that magic will be the main type of ability even though you will have weapons. The game’s main concept is “It’s not necessary for everyone to gather,” which means that even though the game has multi-player, those who normally play single player can enjoy such a mode too.

Multi-player sessions will last for a duration of three minutes. This limit can be extended, however, Type-0 is not really a game meant to be played with others for a long period of time. Type-0 will have 12+2 characters: 12 characters + 2 characters (Machina and Rem). It’s not really touched upon what this will mean, but these characters will be able to be controlled in your party.

Three characters can be in battle at once, and when one dies, a new one will step in to replace them.

Movement will take place on the world map, and once you begin a strategy, you will then move onto the battlefield. While playing solo, other players will assist in battle. For helping other players, you will earn points. Your full party will enter battles together.

More information should come out tomorrow from Famitsu, although I suspect most of the information will be similar.

Source: AndriaSang.