FFVII & FFXI Anniv. Square Enix interviews
May 16th, 2012 by Tony
2012 is the 15th Anniversary of Final Fantasy VII‘s release and the 10th Anniversary of Final Fantasy XI‘s inception. Famitsu sat down with Square Enix staff including Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura to discuss the past as well as the present.
As you might have been aware, there’s a large demand for a Final Fantasy VII remake — to which Tetsuya Nomura addressed fans that newer games (such as Final Fantasy Versus XIII) take precedent over such projects. Why? Nomura states that they want to create new Final Fantasy games that can surpass peoples’ expectations instead of remaking classics. A Final Fantasy VII remake or a new Final Fantasy that is just as good or better.
Nomura went on to say that Final Fantasy producer and 1st Production Department head Yoshinori Kitase is the successor to the Final Fantasy legacy after creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Sakaguchi, in past interviews, has also expressed his trust in Kitase as the heir tho the franchise he started.
“I still go out drinking with Yoshinori Kitase, the current producer of Final Fantasy, once in a while, and on those occasions he does tell me that it’s all fine. Sometimes, I personally complain a little bit about certain things about the franchise. But when I left Square, I left the franchise in Kitase’s hands, and he promised me he would protect and progress the Final Fantasy brand. He has been my right-hand man since round about the middle of Final Fantasy III, and therefore I have a lot of trust in him.”
In past interviews on the subject of a Final Fantasy VII remake, Kitase treads carefully — stating that there are certain pitfalls and challenges with such a project. Firstly, the company’s manpower was (and is) devoted to their current games and it would be a costly project to undertake. Secondly, there’s always the huge amount of nostalgia and high expectation to live up to — so much so that a remake may end up disappointing more fans than pleasing them.
As developers, there would be a desire to recreate the game faithfully while making tasteful improvements. This would include refining the game’s elements or removing features that didn’t work. However, many of these things — even imperfections — give the game it’s unique character as Kitase put it. With so much hype to live up to, he concluded that it might be best to keep the memory of Final Fantasy VII as it is.
On the lighter side of things, Nomura talked a bit about the development of Final Fantasy VII — letting us know that the character Yuffie was originally imagined as more of a fugitive (which isn’t a large stretch of the imagination) and her wanted poster would appear in the game. Other party members that join you would receive wanted posters, the last remaining members of AVALANCHE.
Famitsu also has an interview with the staff of Final Fantasy XI, details of which have yet to surface online. Stay tuned to Final Fantasy Network!
Theatrhythm’s Dark Notes mix Field and Battle
May 15th, 2012 by Tony
In the upcoming Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, players will be able to amass Rythmia by completing field, battle, and event stages. Collect enough Rythmia, and you’ll be able to unlock the Chaos Shrine. Here, you’ll be able to accept Dark Note challenges, which randomly generate combinations of field and battle songs to keep you on your toes. Through this feature you’ll be able to unlock new characters and collect rare items.
These notes can be shared through the 3DS’s Street Pass or 3DS Local Play.
Requiem of the Goddess DLC trailer
May 14th, 2012 by Tony
Available tomorrow across all regions “Requiem of the Goddess” will feature Lightning battling against Caius in the “Next Prologue” for Final Fantasy XIII-2. Availalbe on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Tuesday, we have our first sneak peek here. Take a look:
Update: We have new screenshots of the North American version!
Next round of Theatrhythm DLC hits May 16
May 13th, 2012 by Tony
Japan will get yet another batch of DLC songs for Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy on the 3DS. Each song costs 150 yen and uses the original version that appears in each game. The game will release on July 3rd here in North America and July 6th in Europe.
The following post-game DLC will release in Japan on May 16th for the 3DS eShop.
Take a listen!
Final Fantasy III “Crystal Tower” (Field Music)
Final Fantasy VIII “The Castle″ (Field Music)
Final Fantasy X “Challenge” (Battle Music)
Final Fantasy XI “Ragnarok” (Battle Music)
Bravely Default’s Jobs & Jobmasters detailed
May 11th, 2012 by Tony
Challenge a Jobmaster in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy for the Nintendo 3DS, and you’ll be rewarded with that job upon victory. Protagonists Tiz and Agnes will be able to use different jobs including: Monk, Black Mage, White Mage, and Knight. All four Jobmasters featured in the screenshots below belong to the Duchy of Etrania’s air force, who uses — you guessed it — airships. This nation is currently dispatching it’s troops to Kradisul, a city-state that has seen many conflicts.
Bearing (Monk Jobmaster) is rough around the edges, but easy to sway — he’s also the one steering the airship. Holly (White Mage Jobmaster) doesn’t have quarters of her own on the airship — so as a female she has lost a lot of sleep amongst her male subordinates as her bed is on the deck. Ominos (Black Mage Jobmaster) is very mischievous and combative with Holly — their relationship likened to cats and dogs. Argent (Knight Jobmaster) commands respect among his subordinates with a fierce personality.
Via: 4gamer.net
Still More Surfing: Cloud IX
May 10th, 2012 by Tony
You might remember that we featured KadeshFlow‘s rendition of Serah’s Theme in Final Fantasy XIII last year. Well now he’s back with a new video “Cloud IX” — a FFVII-themed rap. KadeshFlow & Co. star as the cast of Final Fantasy VII! Check it out below:
If you’re interested in downloading the song, you can do so by clicking here. You’ll be able to name your price and choose from MP3, FLAC or other high-quality formats.
Last Round of FFXIII-2 DLC set for May 15
May 9th, 2012 by Tony
It’s been a few weeks since our last Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC update, but on Tuesday, May 15th, we’ll be getting the last batch of downloadable content announced for the game. This includes a White/Black Mage outfit for Serah and Noel, 16 outfits for Mog, a DLC fight with Valfodr, and DLC scenarios for Snow and Lightning.
While pricing has not been announced for the North America region, expect outfit, Coliseum, and scenario DLC top be priced similarly to those in its category.
Via: PlayStation Taiwan, Nova Crystallis
Still More Surfing: Narshe 3D Makeover
May 4th, 2012 by Tony
Using the original sprite sheets from Final Fantasy VI, YouTube user GDKT0486 has been able to recreate several locales from the game in Minecraft with great efficacy. Below we see their newest creation: the coal mines city of Narshe, a base for the Resistance against the Gestahlian Empire.
Other areas include: South Figaro, Figaro Castle, and the Fanatic’s Tower.
Via: GDKT0486
Thanks: bgizzles45
Nomura comments on Versus XIII development
May 4th, 2012 by Tony
This month’s newest issue of GameInformer features an interview with Tetsuya Nomura, director of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. While the interview was predominantly about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3D, Nomura did have some words for Versus fans eagerly anticipating more news about the title.
“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.”
Originally announced in 2006 for Japan, Final Fantasy Versus XIII development is now underway by Square Enix’s 1st Production Department. It should be noted however, that the game was absent from Square Enix’s E3 2012 lineup via IGN.
This would make Tokyo Game Show 2012 the most likely venue for Square Enix to blow the lid off Versus information.
