[Multiplatform] Official Final Fantasy XIII Thread

This might fall under the category of "rumor", but taken from past hunches, I'm going to go on a gamble and remain faithful that we're going to get some info on FFXIII by this E3.

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The May issue of EGM, which we're thumbing through right now, hints that before Final Fantasy XII is released in the U.S. Square Enix plans to unveil Final Fantasy XIII at this May's E3. This issue also reveals in its rumor mill section that we should "expect a brief teaser video and confirmation from the publisher that the RPG will be a PS3 exclusive."
This corroborates rumblings we've heard that Final Fantasy XIII is practically close to being finished, and Square has been holding off on revealing it until FFXII (which was delayed several times) was released in Japan.

The issue also features some other tasty rumor nuggets worth checking out: Mario Paint for DS, a new PSP design (and new functions), and a sequel to a popular SNES/N64 franchise for the Revolution (read the mag to find out which it is).

In any case, FFXIII at E3. Commence freaking out. We are.

-1up.com

After enjoying the stellar job he's done on Kingdom Hearts II, I am very much anticipating Nomura's first true Final Fantasy title (he co-wrote FFVII, and only drew the characters for the others). He's fast replacing Kojima as my all-time favorite game director, and if KHII is any indication, he can only improve from here.

Yeah, he loves his fanservice (I don't mean the sexual kind), he loves replicating western-style action, and he really, really, really loves zippers. Well so what. Final Fantasy XIII is going to rock. Why lie.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

It's a bit ironic, considering the characters he created for KH2 (Organization XIII).

....No, I don't think the game will focus on Oragnization XIII. That would be kind of cool, though...

The only thing I'm wondering about is what the setting will be; medievil, sci-fi, or ultramodern (FFVIII)? Considering Nomura's style, and the fact that FFXII falls under the medievil category, I'm thinking it's time for another sci-fi setting.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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Nomura won't have anything (other than Character Design possibly) to do with FFXIII.

EGM said a bit back that Nomura would be the director. That, along with the fact that he hinted that his next project dealt with the number 13, make for some good odds about it being true.

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So when are they going to go with a different naming scheme? XIII is already getting kinda big. Will they just keep going and going up into the hundreds with roman numerals? >_>

I hear you. I've been saying forever that Square needs to give up the roman numerals and start doing FF's with subtitles, like a good novel series. Or at least a combination of the two. Or maybe it'll actually end with XV (last I checked, they registered the patents all the way to Final Fantasy 15).

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XII: Modern Fantasy

Are you sure? It looks pretty medievil to me (princesses, kingdoms, the style of clothing, etc). FFX was more along the lines of modern fantasy, or tropical fantasy if you prefer.

You list FFVI as modern fantasy too, though I believe steampunk is a better example. I think perhaps for the next iteration, I'd like something more akin to FFVIII's style. We already got our fair share of ye old medievil with FFXI and XII, and I don't want the sci-fi to get too excessive that the "Fantasy" portion is just fizzled out (Spirits Within). Likewise, I wouldn't want people whining that it looks like a rip off of FFVII, so they need a setting that's either a step back or a step forward from FFVII's urban setting.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Too bad the article was written before April Fool's, AND it was taken from the May issue of EGM (not the April issue, which was already released).

As usual, the Square PRs of NA don't know crap, and they're just setting themselves for embarrasment yet again.

"There are no plans for a sequel to Final Fantasy X"

(next day)

"Final Fantasy X-2 Announced!"

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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Yesterday 1UP passed along a juicy tidbit about Final Fantasy XIII appearing as a PlayStation 3 exclusive at May's E3 from the pages of the next Electronic Gaming Monthly's Rumor Mill, and it didn't take long for Square Enix's public relations department to send out an official response to the buzzing.
Of course, if I've learned anything from public relations statements in the past, anything past a "no comment" only encourages more people to believe the rumor (and often means there's some truth). Final Fantasy remaining exclusive to Sony isn't much of a shock to begin with, but the news was enough to get Square Enix to prepare this:

"While there have been numerous rumors about Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix has never released any information about the title. The recent online article stating that the title will be exclusive for PlayStation 3 and shown at E3 is not based on any official information obtained by us. I hope readers will remember April Fool's day is tomorrow and many Print and Online outlets pull pranks ever year, before they get their hopes crushed by a joke." -- Sonia Im, PR manager at Square Enix
For the record, 1UP's article was not a joke, nor was EGM's statement about Final Fantasy's alleged next-generation exclusivity. Heck, if it was, that would probably go down as one of the lamest attempts at faking out in the history of botched April Fool's jokes.

C'mon, we're better than that.

-1up.com

There you have it.

I've been thinking a lot about what kind of main character would suffice this time around. The last few main heroes, like Zidane and Tidus, haven't exactly reached the popularity of guys like Cloud or Squall. I doubt Vaan will do any better. Basically the last few heroes have been the cheerful, effeminitely designed type, so I think I've had enough of that.

On the other hand, I don't really want another angsty character, because Cloud and Squall pretty much defined that trait. But I would like a character that I can call bad-ass with confident.

So that's why I'd like for them to take the middle road; a main character who's badass, but has enough wit and kindness to him that he isn't considered an angsty mess. The perfect example (and a certain someone is going to get very smug when I say this) is Yuri from Shadow Hearts 2.

Either that, or a female main lead. Not a female who shares the lead with a male (Tifa, Rinoa, Ashe), but a geniune main female character, like Terra/Celes (who both share the role, but both happen to be women).

I was speaking idiomatically.

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Doesn't really prove anything though. It's not like EGM's Rumour Mill is a single solid source of legit information because if it were then it wouldn't be the "Rumour" Mill.

That's true, hence why I said I would take a gamble and believe them. As far as I know, whenever they mentioned a rumor for something FF, they've been right just about every time. Turks game? Happened. FFVII sequel? Half right. Vincent game? Check.

In any case, Nomura confirmed that we would be seeing his next project by TGS 2006, at the latest. Of course, it could be that E3 will give us an FFXIII teaser while TGS will give us an additional project.

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I'm really hoping for a FFIX-like Final Fantasy!
We've had FFX, FFXI and FFXII with mostly (reasonably) realistic looking human characters....but now I'm hoping for a cast and settings that are much like the ones in FFIV, FFV, FFVI & FFIX again!
(and FFVII too, but the super-deformed characters were changed to more realistic looking characters because of Advent Children and KH)

I hear you. After 3 depressing games, FFIX was a breath of fresh air, and I loved the character designs (as close to Disney as FF will get). Still, I'm certain Square will want to create something photorealistic as their debut PS3title. The FFIX style would be a better fit for the Revolution anyway, if they ever bothered.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I wouldn't want another CC either, unless they actually created a world of believable characters and story. But yeah, something that takes place entirely in FFIX's world would be a real treat, and I think it's doable too. Unlike FFX, a lighthearted plot with no real threat to the world would work for FFIX. It would be interesting enough to see how everyone is doing after a couple of years.

FELIPE NO

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RUMOR: Game Informer's Loose Talk rumor reported that Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII will adopt the real time battle system from Final Fantasy XII

-Magic Box

Having not played FFXII (well, beyond the demo), I don't know what to make of this, but a faster-paced battle system would definetely be key in a PS3 RPG. The days of characters standing still waiting for their turn have to end, as it would look kind of silly if the characters were rendered with photorealism.

What I'd love to see is the Reaction command from KH2 implemented. It would make for some awesome battles, especially if combined with a limit break.

Most amazing jew boots

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Hmm. That's funny cause,
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Finally, a Final Fantasy VII remake for trhe PS3 is apperantly actually in development and will be using the real-time battle system from Final fantasy XII

Yeah, I know. I think basically no one knows for sure if it's one or the other. But the fact that the same feature is being listed for two possible FF's, I think that might be a good indication that one of them will show up soon.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I hear that a lot, but honestly it feels pretty obvious (to me) that Terra is the main lead. The story pretty much relies on her, from the beginning to the end, even though it's optional to get her in the 2nd half. Since Celes is required though, I like to think both she and Terra share the role. After all, I read originally they were supposed to be just one female character who would experience everything both girls did.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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Yoshitaka Amano, one of the character designers who works on Final Fantasy games, was interviewed by Japan Vibes recently. The French magazine's interview revealed something interesting. Fortunately, French is Canada's second language so I actually understand what they're saying! Here is the translation of one of the juicy parts:

JV: A word about your other projects at the moment?
YA: I took part recently in the animated film, The Planet of the Winds which has not yet screened. Other than that, I am currently working on Final Fantasy XIII and I have many other projects.

As you can see, that confirms that FFXIII is already underway. Unfortunately, Amano did not mention the console the game's aimed at or even mentioned what in particular he's in charge of. It would have been interesting to know if he's only working on the logo or if they're into the character design stages already. Although chances are that it'll be a PlayStation 3 exclusive, Square-Enix is slowly turning into a multiplatform company - so who knows?

http://ps3.qj.net/



I wonder if Amano "working" on the game means he's actually the character designer? Even if Nomura's the director, I'm sure some people would kill to have Amano as lead character designer (motsy).

I will say his art's certainly improved since his old FF days.

How ya doing, buddy?

Gawawaitwhathowwhenwhowhyhuh!?

Pics? A trailer? Anything????

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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2:08 PM - Yoshinori Kitase, producer, is on stage. The scenes shown from the FF13 trailer were from in-game renders

Oh, yes. Bring it.

EDIT: Female lead!? Really!?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Futuristic setting. Yuna-type with a gun and a sword.

Grab your raincoats, a flood of angry discussions is coming.

Of course the smart thing would be to wait until some screens and footage come up. Yep, that would be the smart thing....

How ya doing, buddy?

The problem is it sounds similar to FFX-2, which apparently is the most hated of all FF's. The fact that she "resembles Yuna" is enough to piss off people, as we'll get to the whole debate how all of Nomura's characters look alike.

Whatever, I'm just glad 2 of my predictions have come to light so far (main female, futuristic setting).

EDIT:

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PLEASE tell me Nomura is NOT the character designer.

See?

Also, does it matter? It's a futuristic setting with a gun-toting girl, with or without Nomura.

FELIPE NO

Wait, what? It's a seperate PS3 game from FFXIII? They're making a back-to-back sequel?

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Now it's Fabula Nova Crystallis--"the new tale of the crystal" in Latin. They're big on the Latin today. Whoa, wait, another new game? Another PS3 game?! Final Fantasy Versus XIII? They're emphasizing that in Latin, versus means "to change direction." This is a Tetsuya Nomura game, and he's taking the stage now.

2:17 Nomura is providing more details. The CG movie we just saw, featuring a spiky-haired character (natch) squaring off against machine gun-wielding soldiers, was created by the Advent Children team, but the game itself will be made by the Kingdom Hearts team, and will feature "extreme action elements." He says "bonding" will be the primary theme of the game.

I knew it. Reaction Commands, PS3 style. So saw it coming.

Spikey character-the Yuna lookalike? Or is it a male counterpart?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

So basically they're turning FFXIII into a compilation like VII.

I really wish, for the sake of the setting, they'd drop the roman numerals and go with Final Fantasy 13. It just looks more fitting that way.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I'm especially interested in "the most advanced civilization of any FF". The most futuristic city I've seen in any FF was Eshtar in FFVIII. I wonder how they could possibly take it even higher? Obviously this was done to show the insane power of the PS3. Not that anything's wrong with that.

I was thinking about this particular passage.

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Now it's Fabula Nova Crystallis--"the new tale of the crystal" in Latin. They're big on the Latin today. Whoa, wait, another new game? Another PS3 game?! Final Fantasy Versus XIII? They're emphasizing that in Latin, versus means "to change direction." This is a Tetsuya Nomura game, and he's taking the stage now.

Are we certain "Final Fantasy Versus XIII" is an XIII-related game? It might not even be the official title, and instead it's Nomura's way of saying that his FF will be different from the official FFXIII.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Spoiler:

That about says it.

And yeah, she does resemble Ashe more than Yuna. Regardless, I like her instantly.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I'll say it again: Reaction Commands.

Either that, or a variation. It's the most logical thing to do. It would look pretty stupid to have these photorealistic characters standing still, waiting to take turns at each other. I wholeheartedly welcome a more fluid, action-packed battle system.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I do have one early fear with these multiple FFXIII games. I'm afraid they might try to do a multi-episode story here, meaning that the first game (FFXIII) won't have a complete story, and just end with a teaser that basically says "buy Final Fantasy Versus XIII! Then buy the next game after that!". I had told myself before that I was tired of multi-episode games, and how I want more games that tell a complete story from start to finish, without having to buy a handheld game to get the entire story.

But I suppose it's too early to worry about any of that. I hope they give a tentative release date, and hopefully within the next year.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I was about to post it. That trailer was freaking amazing. No, fuck the SE fanboy nonsense, it was amazing. The music was excellent too.

I like how the girl is now my favorite FF female character.

After Tifa.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Kairi, where did you get those hi-res screens from? I need to find a better picture for my avatar.

One thing I hope they DON'T do in this FF is planet-hopping. Plenty of other RPGs have focused on travelling to other planets, but I believe Square will finally kill the "fantasy" in "Final Fantasy" if they decide to do the same. I prefer if all the events take place in one planet (earth, or whatever they're going to call it).

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I'm gonna change my name from Yuna to whatever her name is.

I'm going to take a wild guess here: Fuma. Don't know why, she just looks like a Fuma.

FELIPE NO

Even if they could make each planet that sizable, I think that might be a bit too much to take in. I'm all for epic and long RPGs, but even I'm leary at the thought of having to learn a whole set of rules each time I visit a new planet.

"Hey, could you do me a favor and deliver this [random item name] to my friend over at [random planet name]. He's about a billion light years away, thanks."

"Hey, thanks for the item, but unfortunately I leant out the item I was supposed to trade to a friend over at [another random planet]. Could you go over there and pick it up for me? It's only a 3 day cryo-stasis trip."

No thanks. Colonies, maybe, but not entire planets.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Where is everyone getting the high quality pics from? I need to change the crappy avatar.

Jam it back in, in the dark.