Final Fantasy XIII is coming to Xbox 360

Remember the speculation made by us concerning “Final Fantasy XIII coming to Xbox 360?” Well it turned out we were right!

Yoichi Wada has just announced that Final Fantasty XIII is coming to the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version of the game will be released the same day as the Playstation 3. No doubt Final Fantasy Versus XIII will follow suit.

The rumour is that sadly the Japanese Xbox 360 will not recieve the game, only the Japanese Playstation 3 version will.

Press Releases:
“Final Fantasy XIII” is the eagerly anticipated title from Square Enix that takes full advantage of the superior power and technology in Xbox 360, providing tangible, intuitive controls while delivering seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics. Using the latest in cutting-edge technology, this latest addition to the “Final Fantasy” series is worthy of the title “next generation.”

“Final Fantasy XIII” will be available on Xbox 360 at launch in North America and Europe. Xbox 360 is the only place gamers can play the year’s biggest games, such as “Gears of War 2,” “Resident Evil 5,” “Fable II” and exclusive “Grand Theft Auto IV” episodes.

Money talks eh?…

Footage from E3 courtesy of FinalFantasyXIII.net

Passionate/delusional PS3 fans have even created a petition online under the misguided belief that their demands are more important than money, and the deluded view that the greater gaming public doesn’t deserve to experience the game as much as they do. Xbox 360 fans are current tasting sweet victory.

Famitsu update & trailer and demo list at DKΣ3713

Famitsu have posted an updated list of titles that will appear at Square Enix’s private event, DKΣ3713. Sadly for Final Fantasy fans the only demo confirmed for DKΣ3713 is Dissidia: Final Fantasy for the PSP. However if its any constellation Final Fantasy XIII/Versus/Agito trailers will still be making an appearance.

Trailers ONLY:
Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3)
Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PlayStation 3)
Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Mobile)
Kingdom Hearts Coded (Mobile)
The 3rd Birthday (Mobile)
Final Fantasy VII AC: Complete (DVD/Blu-Ray)

Trailers & Playable Demo(s):
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (PSP)
Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
Sigma Harmonics (DS)

Fingures crossed for the XIII trailers to show us a bit more into the characters and story.

Famitsu also conducted an interview with Nomura about the upcoming DKΣ3713 private event. (see below)

The details acquired from the interview include:

DKΣ3713 is a private show so for the general public that wants to see and play the games, TGS in October will feature more new information.

The event will be at the same format as previous S-E events, with closed theatre as well as playable booths outside.

Birth by Sleep will be playable for the first time at the event.

Despite the news that Square Enix was going to scale back from Mobile development, it appears that Kingdom Hearts: Coded, 3rd Birthday and Agito XIII will still be going ahead.

Agito XIII seems to be facing serious development issues at the moment. There is a huge worldview and historical timeline.

The director of Agito XIII is doing the outline of the entire story synopsis himself now, development is still in early stages.

Versus XIII is on hold until Final Fantasy XIII is done, because the entire Versus team is helping to finish Final Fantasy XIII at the moment. It is number one priority.

While the planners and programmers are all working on Final Fantasy XIII, the Versus project is getting the designers to work on a lot of image illustrations and conceptual visuals. The story for Versus is also pretty much complete.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days is being tuned and balanced, but it is not quite as polished as Dissidia yet. They’ll be taking feedback from the playable demo.

Birth by Sleep is not anywhere close to a final build, but Nomura wants to let people get a chance to try it out first.

And finally Advent Children Complete might finally be close to getting a release date.

Source: Famitsu

Final Fantasy XIII to hit Wii rather than Xbox 360?

Earlier this year, you may have read a similar article commenting on the possibilities of a Final Fantasy XIII title being released on Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Within the “Final Fantasy XIII to hit Xbox 360?” article, the evidence acquired reflected a huge possibility of Final Fantasy XIII or one of its spin-offs hitting the Xbox 360. However is Final Fantasy XIII or its various spin-off titles also likely/more likely to appear on the Nintendo Wii?

Unlike the Xbox 360, the Wii has already seen a few Final Fantasy titles released on its platform, with Final Fantasy Chronicles: My Life as a King being the latest. Nintendo’s DS has also received the Final Fantasy treatment with popular remakes such as Final Fantasy II and IV appearing on Nintendo stores shelves. Therefore Final Fantasy XIII would be a welcome guest on either the Wii or DS considering the good relations between Nintendo and Square Enix.

But does Square Enix want Final Fantasy XIII/it’s spin-offs on a Wii or DS rather than an Xbox360?
The main differences between the Wii and Xbox 360 in favour of the Xbox 360 are that Microsoft’s console has far greater graphics and a much more mature online multiplayer than the Wii.

However there lies a thorn in Xbox 360’s side. Many forget that the PS3 online service is not that far behind Microsoft’s Xbox Live and that it should be a serious contender in future years. Adding to that, we all know how superior the processing power of Sony’s Playstation 3 is.

Would a Final Fantasy XIII title therefore be that much different appearing on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 to Square Enix’s preferred home on the Playstation 3? – The answer no. Enter the Wii.

The Wii in all honestly is not an “ordinary” console. Although it lacks technology compared to the other 6th generation consoles, it exhibits originality. Whoever thought of using a remote control to play on a major videogame console deserves a knighthood. The creation could be held high among mankind’s wheel at the beginning of time.

The differences between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 compared to the Wii are likely to force Square Enix to release a Final Fantasy XIII title on the Wii rather than the Xbox 360.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a prime example of how a RPG could work on a Wii. Twilight Princess was that good that Review websites such as IGN, EGM, 1UP.com, Game Informer, CVG, GamesRadar, PALGN and Gaming Nexus hailed it as the greatest Zelda game ever made. The main reason was due to the game play allowed constructed by the Wii remote and numb chuck combo.

If Square Enix create something similar using a Final Fantasy XIII title it would no doubt be a massive hit. However it leaves them with the decision of whether it would be worthwhile to release a title on the Xbox 360 if the Wii is seen as a far more interesting and beneficial project considering the amount of people with a Wii.

Could this mean the death of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 hopes of recieving a Final Fantasy XIII title now that the Wii is in the frame?