According to PSX Extreme (linked above), Nomura has told a publication that we will see a battle scene in FFXIII before the end of the year. He also touched upon the benefits of the Blu-ray format for the game.
To quote: However, according to Final Fantasy XIII-net, (details translated by a NeoGAF forum member), the latest information tells us we will see gameplay footage for FFXIII before 2008 is out.
Square-Enix's Tetsuya Nomura spoke about the game in a Gemaga interview, and he says we will "see a battle scene in FFXIII before the end of the year." He also mentions the benefits of Blu-Ray for their ambitious RPG, and furthermore, they should soon release information on the game's expected-to-be-stellar voiceover cast.
For many, this game remains the most anticipated title of the new generation, and despite the delays, it remains high on everyone's priority list. It is coming to the Xbox 360 as well - PS3 owners still haven't recovered... More »
IGN (linked above) has translated some new details from Famitsu about the Final Fantasy Versus XIII characters 'Noctis Lucis Caelum' and 'Stella Nox Fleuret'.
To quote: The names of the two were revealed at the Tokyo Game Show to be Noctis Lucis Caelum and Stella Nox Fleuret. Stella is described by the magazine as a princess in the Fleuret family.
She and Noctis are shown in the magazine's screens discussing their ability to "see light." This may not sound all that special at first, but in Versus XIII, it's an ability that Noctis suggests keeping quiet about. Stella appears to be more open about the matter, even asking Noctis when he gained the ability.
Wondering what the characters' names mean? Typical for the FNC series, the two names are Latin. The three parts of the hero's name mean "Night, Light, and Sky." The three parts of the heroine's name mean "Star, Darkness, and Sword." Darkness is also the meaning of Stella's country's name.
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New reports suggest that the Final Fantasy XIII demo may be sold SEPARATELY. However in Japan, the demo is still scheduled to be bundled with the Advant Children Blu-ray release, it's just the rest of the world that might get charged to play the demo!
To quote: Thanks to our ever helpful forum member epsilon, we have yet more of Dengeki's interview with Nomura to show you. Square-Enix announced at DKS3173 that the Final Fantasy XIII demo will be packaged with the Advent Children: Complete blu-ray release in March next year. Unfortunately for everyone outside of Japan, the demo will probably arrive much later than that.
Nomura has told Dengeki though that the Final Fantasy XIII demo may be sold separately some time after Advent Children: Complete's release. Square-Enix know they can make a huge amount of revenue by including the Final Fantasy XIII demo with AC:C but is selling the demo separately possibly taking it too far?
In an interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation, Tetsuya Nomura offers some interesting details about Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete, Blu-ray version of the film out there is already a certain time. We thought so far only a few bits of footage had been added, but little information and a complete absence of release date proved to be quite strange.
In fact, according to Nomura, these are passages of the whole scenario that have been added and others who have been modified. The Japanese release date has been decided, but it will have to wait (probably to the event DK Σ3713 in early August) so that it is unveiled. Nomura also notes that a big announcement that should accompany the release date, without giving more details. Such vagueness should encourage the wildest rumors.
Tetsuya Nomura is also rapidly on the development of Final Fantasy XIII Versus, a topic that had already provoked a general cafouillage a few weeks ago. The ... More »
Nobuyuki Oneda, the Chief Financial Officer of Sony has stated that the company has no plans to reduce the price of the PS3.
Oneda remarked that their strategy is not to sell more quantity but to focus on profitability.
To quote: Sony Corp. Chief Financial Officer Nobuyuki Oneda said Friday the company has no plan to reduce the price of its Playstation 3 game console.
"Our strategy is not to sell more quantity for PS3 but to concentrate on profitability," Oneda told investors at a Nomura Asia Equity forum in Singapore. "Our plan is not to reduce the price."
The comments came as rival Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) plans to cut the price on a popular model of its Xbox 360 game console as early as Sunday in an effort to boost sales.
The past five and a bit months have been hard on fans eagerly awaiting news and developments regarding Final Fantasy 13 and Final Fantasy Versus 13. News has been few and far between, and not to mention in desperate need of deciphering. Here is the wrap on all the game-related information from 2008 so far.
January - January saw the brunt of the news in regards to Final Fantasy 13 and Versus 13, starting out with a landslide of magazine scans out of Japan. Although most were just images and not much information was squeezed out of them, a few translations of Famitsu and Dengeki (Japanese Magazines) articles revealed a few note worthy tidbits about the games.
Furthermore, one particular statement by Final Fantasy 13 character designer and Final Fantasy Versus 13 director, Tetsuya Nomura. This is the translation of his infamous statement:
"2008 will be the year. There will be tons of news bits, info on characters and summons, and an unexpected conne... More »
Earlier this year we posted reports from Japanese Gaming Magazines Famitsu and Degeki speaking of a Final Fantasy XIII demo. Tetsuya Nomura, Character Designer for the Final Fantasy XIII, said himself that they plan on releasing a demo so fans of the series and everyone else anticipating the game can see the battle system in real-time for themselves.
This announcement, along with earlier speculation in 2007 about a possible demo, has led to various debates about the format the demo would come in, and to whom it would be open to. A Playstation Network demo, a solo demo disc, or possibly packaged another Square Enix game, all of these are possible. We're going to dissect the ramifications of each of the possibilities to see which we can expect in the near future from Square.
Playstation Network (PSN) Release
A PSN released demo is a no brainer for most of us these days. Anyone interested in demos with a PSN account has downloaded at least a few and... More »
After the new Famitsu scans were released, we got the exciting news that Toriyama is hoping to give the fans a glimpse of the game in the form of a demo sometime this year. He also stated that 2008 will be the year that we finally get solid details on Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
Somehow down the line this is been misinterpreted by many game sites, specifically Joystiq, that Tetsuya Nomura (Character designer) has promised the game will release in 2008. This, infact, is rather wrong. First, it's isnt even Nomura speaking, it's Motomu Toriyama, the games director. Instead he says that he hopes he can show the public a demo of Final Fantasy XIII this year. This is neither a promise or a release date. Another site Gamernode also makes an even worse mistake by publishing that Nomura stated this in an interview with Joystiq, which again is wrong because all the information comes from the new Famitsu scans.
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