Versus XIII - Final Fantasy’s first M Rating?

With Microsoft’s acquisition of Final Fantasy XIII many FF fans whom appear to be emotionally attached to the marriage of Final Fantasy and the PlayStation are now turning to the other next gen title in the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection. We reported earlier that when asked if Final Fantasy Versus XIII would be a multi platform release Shinji Hashimoto’s response was a flat, closed ended, no. For those upset about XIII’s expansion to another console they can rest assured that they will have at least one numbered Final Fantasy exclusive for their system. This is, of course, provided Square Enix does not change their minds about their allegiance to Sony…again. Those subscribing to Sony should rejoice that the visibly better of the two, in these early stages, has remained an exclusive release. However this isn’t an opinion piece so I digress.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII is just as highly anticipated as XIII

At this point everybody has seen both the teaser and the trailer to Versus XIII. It was pretty disheartening to see a guard holding a shotgun that fired like a Call of Duty 4 heavy machine gun. That aside, the trailer set up an extremely sturdy platform for us all to get on top of and scream for more.

The trailer was also strikingly vivid. Two parts in particular appear to be extremely out of the ordinary for a Final Fantasy. The Prince breaks a guards neck with his legs moments before he impales another guard through the heart while falling out of the sky. The impalement is complete with sound effects and blood to add to the realism. By video gaming standards there isn’t much blood but by Final Fantasy standards it was available by the gallon.

The ESRB states that a game rated Teen “may contain violence” and “minimal blood”. Their requirements for a game rated Mature are “intense violence” and “blood and gore”. Only an infinitesimal amount of footage has been released. If the trailer is representative of the kind of violence the game may contain, Final Fantasy may make its first venture out of the Teen ESRB rating.

Strangely, the Versus XIII team is being headed by Tetsuya Nomura and the people who brought you Kindom Hearts, an E rated game.

Of course many readers may have already noticed this and discussed it at length. What makes this worth mentioning again is that if, in fact, Square is willing to make the leap to the M rating for one of it’s newest titles they may also be willing to remake Final Fantasy VII. With the capabilities of this generation’s consoles a remake could be brilliantly revamped, yet true to the original game. Remember the Final Fantasy Tech Demo for the PS3? Imagine that but a couple billion Japanese yen in development costs. More than eleven years since Final Fantasy VII’s original release in Japan, those who’ve played through it are now either of age to play a Mature title or very close.

This is far from definitive proof of a VII remake, in fact the word proof may not even apply. However, the demand is there and with a surprise FF VII related announcement around the corner there may just be a chance.

Yourstrulyinhd (Gerry)

Hashimoto and Kitase talk Final Fantasy XIII & VII

Final Fantasy XIII’s producers talk more about the Xbox 360 version, voice casting, and even hint at a major FFVII announcement in the coming weeks.

Two days after Square Enix president Yoichi Wada stunned attendees at Microsoft’s E3 press conference by revealing that the previously PlayStation 3-exclusive Final Fantasy XIII would also appear on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (in North America and Europe, at least), 1UP had the very rare opportunity to speak with two of the masterminds behind Square Enix’s flagship property. Coproducers Shinji Hashimoto and Yoshinori Kitase still remain nebulous about specific FFXIII gameplay details, but they dropped plenty of hints about both the ambitious multigame Fabula Nova Crystallis project and the future of Final Fantasy VII.

The main points picked up from the interview include:
- They confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII’s story has now been writen and completed and they’re ready to start voice acting.
- The game will appear first on Playstation 3 in Japan.
- Lightning’s character will have a gentle side along with her tough girl look.
- Kitase asks fans to be patient as Square Enix will be keeping Final Fantasy XIII under lock and key a while longer.
- Fans will have to wait for Square Enix’s Private Party 2008 for news on the Final Fantasy VII related surprise.

Below is the full interview:

- Will the development of FFXIII for Xbox 360 result in a delay for the PS3 version in Japan?

Shinji Hashimoto: No, the development of a 360 version won’t necessarily affect the PS3 version, purely because the PS3 game will be completed first. That’s been in development for some time and is still on schedule. And, really, since we haven’t ever announced any sort of release date…then it couldn’t really be “delayed,” right?

- For the upcoming 360/PS3 role-playing game The Last Remnant, Square Enix began the localization process much earlier in development than with past Final Fantasy titles; that game will see a simultaneous worldwide release. We know that FFXIII will still debut in Japan first, but will the traditional nine-to-12-month gap between releases be reduced?

SH: Yes, a simultaneous release would be difficult for FFXIII, but we’re definitely trying to decrease the gap between the Japanese launch and when we release it to the rest of the world.

- In terms of lessening the gap between the Eastern and Western releases, does it help that the game’s been in development for such a long time? The story should be nearly complete by now, right?

Yoshinori Kitase: As you mentioned, it definitely helps the localization when you’ve got a finalized story. Our story is now complete, and we’re just about to start the voice casting and recording. Once that’s complete, we can really get into the localization process.

- Can you discuss the process of developing the game’s engine — as it evolved from the White Engine into Crystal Tools, did everything go as planned, or were there some bumps along the way?

YK: I’d say that it’s on schedule as we’d originally planned, but it certainly hasn’t been easy, and it’s been quite a time-consuming process. FFXIII currently functions in all the basic ways, but we’re still working to polish the engine. People may be under the impression that it’s a total package that only needs to be tweaked a little bit in order to port the game to 360, but that’s not the case — we still have to fix it to make it more platform-specific.

- Lightning, the game’s heroine, seems to break from the tradition of more reserved female characters in your past FF games. She seems much more dynamic and assertive than FFVII’s Aerith, FFVIII’s Rinoa, or FFX’s Yuna, for example. What can you tell us about her?

YK: The game’s director and scenarist definitely wanted to create a new type of character, one who’s stronger and carries herself in a certain manner. But although she’s strong and outspoken, she also has a kindness within her that balances her personality. Right now, the team is trying very hard to find someone who can portray both her powerful and gentle sides.

The summons are back and even more powerful.

- It’s been seven years since FFX released, and although FFXI, FFXII, and the other various spin-offs have been largely well received, none had the unique feel of a “Kitase Final Fantasy.” Do you worry that it’s been so long since FFVII, FFVIII, and FFX that the fans’ expectations will be hard to meet? Do you feel a strong pressure to deliver this game?

YK: Even though it’s been seven years since FFX, I haven’t been far from the series, since I was working on the various Compilation of FFVII games. I don’t specifically feel any pressure; instead, I’m looking forward to being able to provide FFXIII to the fans and seeing their reaction to the game.

- For the last two years, you’ve been adding a few new scenes to the existing FFXIII trailer at each successive press event. How much longer will you keep this trend going? Will you blow us all away with an all-new trailer anytime soon?

SH: We’re going to work like this for just a little bit longer; with every update, we’re working very hard to include new material. Please be patient — it’ll be just a little bit longer.

- Do you have any update on the mobile title Final Fantasy Agito XIII? U.S. cellphone tech is starting to catch up with Japan’s, and we have the iPhone now…. Do you think that’s a potential platform for it?

SH: No plans have been confirmed, but we’re constantly researching the potential for bringing it to the U.S. Still, Japanese mobile tech is very powerful compared to other markets.

- Has there been any negative reaction from Japanese Xbox 360 owners about the FFXIII announcement? It’s not coming out on 360 there, and Japanese gamers won’t be able to play the U.S. import on their systems, since the console’s region-locked.

SH: There doesn’t seem to be any overly negative feedback yet, as Japanese users have known since the beginning that it’s coming to PS3.

Final Fantasy XIII’s graphics will be the best yet.

- In the last few FF titles, you’ve had a vocal theme song performed by a popular artist. Have you decided if FFXIII will also have one?

YK: We’re definitely considering a vocal theme for FFXIII, but we’re nowhere near recording it or anything like that yet.

- Recently, Square Enix was one of the first publishers to announce downloadable content for a WiiWare title. Do you think you may offer DLC for FFXIII as well?

YK: Currently, there is no DLC planned for FFXIII, but I’m personally very interested in the concept, so I’m very conscious of it.

- Last week, Final Fantasy Versus XIII director Tetsuya Nomura said that he’s hard at work adding new scenes to the FFVII: Advent Children Complete Blu-ray release. Can you give us any update on that project?

SH: You can look forward to the upcoming invite-only fan event DKS3713 [taking place in Tokyo on August 2 and 3], where we’ll have a major announcement that will shock the fans in attendance.

- Both of you named FFVII as your favorite FF game. Do you think we’ll see more Compilation of FFVII titles?

SH: Well, there’s Advent Children Complete, of course.

- FFVII’s characters are so beloved that they’ll probably never go away, right? Just like Mickey Mouse….

SH: [Laughs] That’s true, because today’s 15-year-old kids were only 5 when the game released. Even though they weren’t interested in it then, now they’re getting into it. We’re seeing a new cycle of fans emerging….

Source: 1UP

Final Fantasy VII to hit PS3?

Ever since the famous Playstation 3 technical demo, fans have been asking can a Final fantasy VII remake actually become reality?
That question arises again all due to a certain Tetsuya Nomura droping a vague hint that something big is going down at head office, with this being announced soon at DKΣ3713. You can read what else Nomura said during an interview with Dengeki by clicking here.

Unsurprisingly Final Fantasy VII loyalists have jumped to the conclusion that the surprise is to be a Final Fantasy VII remake. But why?

The Technical Demo was originally made to display the Playstation 3 power

If you were to browse gaming forum to forum you would always come across a thread asking for a Final Fantasy VII remake or reasons why or not this would happen. Even after digestion you would still have no idea whether or not a remake is the right way to go. Some arguements for and against a remake can be found here.

Kitase has previously given his views first hand on a remake. His comments can be read in full here. But Kitase didn’t rule out a remake wasn’t possible because Crisis Core was just thought up in two days. Final Fantasy VII could therefore theorectically be thought up in the same time. The question is when will it be released with Square Enix up to their eye balls in work with Final Fantasy XIII and co.

FinalFantasySeries.net believes the answer to whether a Final Fantasy VII remake is possible can only be decided via the money and time avaliable to such a big task.

A Final Fantasy VII remake will be the biggest thing since sliced bread, fans will flock in far and wide to get their hands on this title. However funds will need to be accumulated for such a big task, which is a reason why a remake cant happen intill Final Fantasy XIII and their other titles are released. Time again is sparse with money so a remake will have to wait unless Square Enix don’t want to disappoint. Then again they could have these major resources no one knows of to create the remake - which is highly unlikely.

Some fans therefore instead believe the “surprise” could infact be another sequel to VII entitled Final Fantasy VII-2.

VII’s sequels have made Final Fantasy VII the largest compilation Square Enix has to offer. Spearheads Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase’s main aim was to make the project Square Enix’s first steps toward … ‘polymorphic content’. As a result they have created well-known properties on several platforms, allowing exposure of the products to as wide an audience as possible.

The current compilation includes games; Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and films; Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and Last Order: Final Fantasy VII.

Why a VII-2? - The Final Fantasy VII story is far from closed off due to unclosed plot threads (such as Genesis still running around) clearly being placed down - deliberately. The fans therefore speculate that Final Fantasy VII-2 is the “surprise” and last chapter of the compilation sending off Final Fantasy VII once and for all, that of course ignoring remakes of various sequel titles and the eventual remake of Final Fantasy VII.