Nomura Uncertain on Final Fantasy Versus XIII for E3
Feb 17th
Speaking in this week’s Famitsu regarding Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, director Tetsuya Nomura was asked to comment on his upcoming projects, namely Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
Nomura says that development is going well, however there is still more to be done. From the beginning, the character presentation on the world map was similar to FF* (the magazine has intentionally censored the asterisk parts), where you would see a very small Noctis running around. It was somewhat lacking and so it was altered to be more like FF*’s system.
Due to these revisions, Nomura is unsure if development will have progressed to a point where it can be shown at this year’s E3, despite having planned it to be there. They have to balance it with other titles being released, and he is currently discussing this with the producers.
Source: FF-Reunion.
Final Fantasy XIII Launch Party Announced
Feb 12th
Square-Enix announced today, as part of the “Lucky 13 Campaign” that they will be hosting two launch events on March 8, 2010 for the North American release of Final Fantasy XIII. Fans who have signed up for Square-Enix Members can enter to win one of 200 tickets to the Final Fantasy XIII Experience, and bronze members and above have a chance to win one of 50 invitations to the Final Fantasy XIII Launch Party.
The press statement can be read below:
In celebration of the release of FINAL FANTASY XIII, Square Enix is hosting two special events on March 8, 2010 in San Francisco.
At the FINAL FANTASY XIII EXPERIENCE—a fan-focused, daytime event which will take place across two sessions of two hours each—attendees will enjoy the game first hand, browse a gallery of stunning artwork, view trailers and
meet the development staff. Some lucky fans will also win fantastic raffle prizes at the event.A select group of guests will also be invited to the FINAL FANTASY XIII LAUNCH PARTY to take place later in the evening. Industry luminaries such as Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor (Supreme Commander), Microsoft Game Studios’ Corrinne Yu (Halo), and FINAL FANTASY XIII director Motomu Toriyama will
celebrate the FINAL FANTASY series and its latest iteration.SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS is offering an opportunity to win one of 200 invitations for two to the FINAL FANTASY XIII EXPERIENCE. Additionally, Bronze members and above have a chance to win one of 50 invitations for two to the FINAL FANTASY XIII LAUNCH PARTY as part of our biggest sweepstakes yet.
Final Fantasy Versus XIII Development Progressing
Feb 12th
Speaking with French outlet Xbox-Mag, Final Fantasy XIII staff members Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama made some comments regarding PlayStation 3 exclusive, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
Before you get your hopes up, they say we’ll still have to wait a little bit longer before they can reveal any new information on the game. Since development of Final Fantasy XIII has been completed, many of those staff have now gone over to work on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and are now working to finish it.
Hopefully new information will be shared soon, now that Final Fantasy XIII is out in Japan and will be out in just under a month in Europe and North America.
Final Fantasy XIII Sponsoring the NBA All-Star Game Today
Feb 12th
If you didn’t already know, Square-Enix is sponsoring the 2010 NBA All-Star game today with Final Fantasy XIII. Here’s the press release:
New York, NY – February 10, 2010 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Square Enix Inc. (Square Enix) today announced a promotional partnership that will make FINAL FANTASY® XIII – the latest in the world-renowned action-packed role-playing videogame series that has shipped more than 92 million units – the presenting partner of the 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.As the presenting partner of the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, FINAL FANTASY XIII will have prominent exposure throughout Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, where the game will be played. The role-playing videogame, which features futuristic characters and gameplay, will receive significant presence during the broadcast on ESPN, which will televise the NBA All-Star event for the sixth consecutive year. There will also be a dedicated FINAL FANTASY XIII area at NBA All-Star Jam Session where fans will be able to preview the videogame, which will be available for both PlayStation®3 and the Xbox 360® on March 9, 2010.
“FINAL FANTASY XIII ,the next evolution in videogame entertainment, will appeal to first time players and series fans alike,” said John Yamamoto, President and CEO of Square Enix, Inc., “We are delighted to be the presenting partner at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and give fans a chance to experience the most highly anticipated game of the year before it launches on March 9.”
“FINAL FANTASY is a storied brand in the videogame category and this partnership will bring an exciting new element to this year’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President of Marketing Partnerships. “A good portion of our fanbase overlaps with the young, videogame-playing audience, so it is a natural fit for us to partner with a leading franchise like FINAL FANTASY around one of our marquee All-Star events.”
The 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by FINAL FANTASY XIII will tip off on Friday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. EST/ 6:00 p.m. CST from NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas inside the Dallas Convention Center. This year’s celebrity participants will include a cast of players from film, TV, and music who will be outfitted in retro 1986 NBA All-Star uniforms paying tribute to NBA All-Star 1986 in Dallas. The game will also feature former NBA players and current WNBA players.
FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated franchise, bringing the series to multiple high-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every installment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.
Now, don’t get me wrong, mass advertising is a great idea, but I think Square-Enix is definitely targeting the wrong crowd, especially with a game as Japanese as Final Fantasy XIII. Perhaps they would have done better to get an ad spot in before Avatar like they did in Japan, 3D and all.
NovaCrystallis.com Now on Twitter and More
Jan 29th
If you haven’t already noticed, some recent changes have come to the site.
You can now follow me on Twitter @novacrystalis. I’ll be sharing minor updates through there that really aren’t worth an entire new post.
An IRC chat room as also been linked to the site and can be found here or at the Chat tab on the top of the site. If you already have an IRC client, you can join the chat simply by logging on to the server irc.rizon.net and joining #FFXIII.
Final Fantasy XIII Limited Edition Vinyl Record Announced
Jan 29th
Square-Enix announces today that they’ll be releasing a limited edition 12 inch vinyl record featuring eight Final Fantasy XIII tracks selected by composer Masashi Hamauzu, sold exclusively on their e-store.
The record releases on February 26th for the price of 2,800 yen.
The name of the album is “W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII” and features these select tracks from the recently released full OST:
SIDE A:
- Nautilus
- Fang’s Theme
- Sunleth Waterscape
- Daddy’s Got the Blues
SIDE B:
- Pulse de Chocobo
- World Without Color
- Flash
- Ragnarok -Sans Pipe Organ-
Pre-orders are already live on Square’s official e-store found here: http://store.jp.square-enix.com/special/ff13lp .