PS3 Fanboy

What would you do to get into the upcoming Square Enix party? Well, don't get your bloodthirst too ready, as the hotly anticipated games, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII (pictured), won't be making a playable appearance at the invite-only event. Once again, only video trailers will be shown. And, in typical Square Enix fashion, we're assuming no recording devices of any sort will be allowed near these screens. Bah!

Ever since its debut, people have been clamoring for a playable test drive of the upcoming RPG. 2008 is the promised time for playable demos. Perhaps E3 or TGS?

[Via Kotaku]

It appears that the Japanese side of Square Enix is going to hold an event promoting some of the company's upcoming software. The event, dubbed DKΣ3713, will take place on August 2 and 3 in Harajuku in Tokyo. It's invite-only which means there's a huge chance you won't be able to go (read: absolutely no chance if you don't live in Japan); however, SE is giving people the chance to sign up and be selected to receive an invite.

Square Enix is giving away 2,400 invites to eager gamers waiting to see the latest on PS3 games: Final Fantasy XIII, Versus XIII, and PSP games: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Dissidia. The application period starts this June 23 and will end July 13. Invites will be selected after those dates. Check out the full list of games here.

We won't be in Japan for this, but we hope our (few) Japanese readers will be able to enjoy the festivities. As for the rest of you, we're sure you're too excited for Metal Gear Solid 4 today that you won't be too bummed out on missing something like this.

It's been a long time since we've heard anything about this seemingly secretive new MMO from Square Enix; however, some promising info on this illusive title has recently popped up. It's been revealed on the Game Developers Conference website that Square Enix has four representatives speaking at the event -- one of which is Taku Murata, general manager of R&D, who will be discussing the technology that goes behind making Square Enix's current-gen games (specifically the White Engine).

The news nugget about the MMO can be found rather subtly on Murata's personal page where it states he'll be talking about the White Engine used in Final Fantasy XIII, the new MMO in development, and other future titles. Of course, this only confirms that the MMO has not disappeared into vaporware, and still leaves a lot of room for speculation. Will we be seeing some new game footage or will new info on the game itself be divulged? We guess we'll just have to wait until GDC rolls in to find out.

[Via Forever Fantasy]

The theme for Final Fantasy XIII is determination, says a new interview in a recent Famitsu. Looking at the long, painful wait that Square Enix fans are enduring for the release of this hotly anticipated title, we can agree.

Nomura has been releasing a few cryptic keys on the upcoming PS3 games, many of which are sure to keep the Square Enix faithful guessing for days. According to FF-XIII.net, "2008 will be the year. There will be tons of news bits, info on characters and summons, and an unexpected connection between the keywords Cocoon and Farushi."

Thankfully, a playable demo continues to be teased by the development staff, eager to show how the new battle system plays. When asked about the release date, Nomura can only offer the vague: "I wonder when we'll be able to sleep..." If that is a clue, we're guessing it has something to do with Birth by Sleep. Of course, we could be totally off-base with that one. Check FF-XIII.net for more new scans. [Update: Better scans here.]

[Thanks, Rob!]

Square Enix knows how to tease. Finally, a new magazine scan features some brand new images of the upcoming PS3 exclusives, Final Fantasy XIII and Versus. Not much can be gathered from the image other than the obvious: it's pretty. We can see some of the summons, but we want Square Enix to give us some delicious video. Soon, please?

[Update: More scans, courtesy of FF-XIII.net.]

[Via NeoGAF]

Is it official concept art or is it very well made fan art? (We're leaning towards the latter.) Images of character designs from the upcoming PS3 Final Fantasy XIII and Versus can be found at Ruliweb. The origins of the art is unclear, but considering the incredible size of the Square Enix fan community, we wouldn't be surprised if this is an overzealous fan that's simply showing off. Kudos to them.

[Via Digg]

Please Square Enix, make the title for this movie longer. Thanks! But in all seriousness, we're excited to see the first footage of this upcoming Blu-ray re-envisioning of Square's ultimate piece of fan service. As you can see, character's clothes will get ripped, characters will get bloodied, and things are just generally dirtier in this "Ultimate" edition. You'll also see some new footage not found in the original cut. It's true that this yet another double dipped movie meant to squeeze every last dollar out of eager fans ... and it's working.

A new DVD release in Japan called CLOUD features new extended trailers of the upcoming Square Enix behemoths: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII Versus. The trailers have been ripped off the disc and uploaded by an anonymous person going by the moniker "Xlude." It appears that these are either very similar to the trailers shown at the Closed Mega Theater at Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. (This means no one outside of Japan has been able to see this before!) [Update: Having reviewed the footage, it's clear that these trailers still don't include everything at TGS. For example, FFXIII featured an Afrika-like scene. Versus included very revealing story details. Read our TGS impressions here and here.]

Enjoy the FFXIII trailer above, and check out Versus after the cut. We're already in love with the style that permeates every second of both these trailers. These two are easily going to sell truckloads of PS3s. We can feel it.

[Thanks, FF-XIII.net!]

Yoichi Wada is the CEO of Square Enix, making him a very important spokesperson for the company -- especially their well-established Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises (the latter formerly under Enix's care). Wada took some time to speak with CNet Japan about the latest generation of consoles. Besides saying that the PS3 is a media hub and a gaming console, he noted that only the Xbox 360 has appropriately touted itself as a gaming machine. The Wii, he says, well, "people aren't buying the Wii as a game machine, but as a toy." His comment about the PS3 was meant to say the system hasn't clearly defined what it is and that it should, soon.

He also goes on to say that Square Enix isn't just a DQ and FF company -- Wada says they make so many of those games because "... people keep asking for new installments." It's not entirely relevant to the PS3, but Square Enix is making a lot of fresh IPs in the coming year aside from the next entries in their beloved franchises. With his attitude, though, he seems hesitant to put them on the PS3. Hopefully people will understand that the PS3 is a gaming console, but has the capacity to be so much more. It's not confusing; it's just hard to believe it can do so much.

[via Kotaku]

The latest issue of popular Japanese gaming magazine Dengeki includes an intriguing interview with Final Fantasy Versus XIII director Tetsuya Nomura. During the interview Nomura lets slip a number of interesting things regarding the development of FF Versus XIII. He mentions seeing an early build of an airship traversing the world map, a feature of the Final Fantasy franchise which we haven't seen since Final Fantasy IX. Nomura feels the game is coming along nicely and it is finally looking like a Final Fantasy.

There's still a long way to go and FFXIII will be ready first, but we're looking forward to seeing more of the game in action. Square Enix will be revealing some footage in December - probably from the closed mega theater at the Tokyo Game Show. Nomura also mentions that during a meeting a programmer for FF Versus XIII asked whether they could program with PS3 exclusivity in mind, to which Nomura replied "Of course, Versus is PS3 exclusive." Just in case you had any doubts.

Know of the old adage: save the best for last? Square Enix did just that with its incredible Final Fantasy Versus XIII presentation. In spite of being comprised of completely non-interactive and most likely pre-rendered footage, the Versus trailer absolutely stunned the audience due to its incredible sense of style. The trailer begins, telling viewers that "this is a fantasy based in reality." What could that mean?

The footage begins with a car driving by, segueing to a familiar scene of the mysterious male protagonist deflecting bullets from an opposing military force. Quickly, the trailer flashes to a girl in a school outfit that seems to be awaiting someone. Latin text is interspersed throughout, fitting to the beat of both the visuals and music. Already, there's a strong sense of style and intrigue.

A meticulously designed cathedral is the next scene in the trailer, and we see a mysterious hooded individual eerily similar to a character in Advent Children. All the while, snippets of the lead killing the opposing soldiers in a surprisingly gory way. We were shocked to see blood spurt out of the villains -- could this be the first M-rated Final Fantasy game?

After adamantly insisting that you do not videotape or record the screening in any way or else, the Square Enix private theater showcased numerous titles from the ever-expanding Final Fantasy universe. The first trailer on display was the lead game in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, Final Fantasy XIII. In English, a narrator explains a corruption that seems to plaguing the land. "Those tainted by the outside were exiled," he explains.

Earlier trailers highlighted Lightning, but the trailer at TGS showed off a number of new characters, environments and creatures. A gunman that seems to have specific mastery over water shoots a crystal, creating a massive water summon. Paths of ice form in the sky, as he rides along on a motorcycle. Certainly, a spectacle to behold. Then a massive African-inspired scene provides a stark contrast to the futuristic environments we've seen of the game so far. Fantastic Mammoth-like beasts walk across a river in a scene that could've been ripped out of a Afrika gone slightly astray. Debuting in this new trailer was a brand new female character that stands, staring at a frozen planet orbiting in the sky. The trailer ends with a proud proclamation "PS3 Only," to silence any doubters.

Once again, we were stunned by the visuals of the trailer, which went beyond the quality of most Hollywood productions. The new dry landscape showcased provides reassurance that the game will not remain stagnant in its visual look. However, in spite of the incredible excitement generated by the trailer, we were surprised that a different game in the Square Enix theater stole the show.

With Tokyo Game Show only a few days away, the rumors have been flying at us faster than people running from the theaters after watching Dragon Wars. The latest rumor making its rounds is the possibility of Square announcing Final Fantasy Melody XIII for the PS3 at TGS.

A forum member at Ruliweb posted the above image with little-to-no information other than Square would be unveiling the title at the event. While we'd love to blindly accept this rumor, we remain skeptical since this is the same site that made fooled people last month with the fake Sega TGS lineup.

With Final Fantasy XIII still in development, would Square be developing a spin-off title concurrently? If the image is legit, it could be for the FF XIII soundtrack.

[Via PS3 Informer]