Square Enix promises that “2008 will be the year” for new info (and maybe the release?) of the latest in its epic RPG series, Final Fantasy XIII, as it reveals plans to release a demo.

Not even a rough date was given for the demo, only that it main objective will be to give fans a hands-on with the new battle system.

The only hint of the full game’s release was the quote: “I wonder when we’ll be able to sleep…”. Eh? We plan to have a kip tonight - is that when it’s coming out?

Because we know you FF fans are keen on the smallest of details, here’s a few more tid-bits plucked from the translations of the Japanese mags, courtesy of FF-XIII.net.

-Nomura: “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.
- We’re aiming for a demo to give players a hands on on the battle system.
- FF13’s theme: determination.
- Farushi: Their existence surpasses humans.
- Rushi: Those chosen by Farushi to carry out a mission. The pigtail girl is a Rushi. Farushi is not the Crystal.
- Mr. 33cm is also a Rushi.
- This time summons are in digital form.
- A new monster that looks like a cross between a turtle and elephant.
- The red thing on Carbuncle’s head is a ruby.
- Hint on release date: “I wonder when we’ll be able to sleep…”

Source: Computer and Video Games

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After a long wait, famed Final Fantasy music composer Nobuo Uematsu and his band The Black Mages is finally releasing its new album on March 19 in Japan. Titled The Black Mages 3: Darkness and Starlight, it will be presented by Uematsu’s record label Dog Ear Records, which also took care of launching the original soundtrack of Mistwalker’s Blue Dragon.

For those not in the know, The Black Mages is led by the same man who’s been bringing us Final Fantasy music since its first iteration. He only contributed a few compositions in Final Fantasy XI, and wasn’t around to work on the 12th entry because he resigned from Square Enix. Only the FF theme song he created made it to Final Fantasy XII, but he is believed to be behind Final Fantasy XIII.

Other members of The Black Mages include seasoned guitarists Tsuyoshi Sekito who previously composed music for Squaresoft (before the merger with Enix) and Michio Okamiya, Kenichiro Fukui on the keyboard after producing Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children music, former Squaresoft synthesizer programmer Keiji Kawamori who took up the bass guitar, and drummer Arata Hanyuda.

Aside from remixes of Final Fantasy tracks, The Black Mages 3: Darkness and Starlight is expected to have a bonus disc with compositions dedicated to Japanese myths. On another note, Dog Ear Records will also release the original soundtrack of Mistwalker’s Lost Odyssey on January 28, and it will be filled with 56 tracks composed by Uematsu.

Source: QJ

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You’d be justified in arguing the PSP needs another action RPG like it needs another peripheral announcement - in theory we all love them but you can have too much of a good thing. And if you don’t believe us, just check out the commercial performance of high quality games like Jeanne d’Arc and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.

Still it seems that when it comes to Coded Soul from Japanese studio Gaia, the hybridisation of genres is the key element with the action RPG meeting and breeding with monster collection and evolution games such as the hugely successful Monster Hunter Freedom series (hugely successful at least in Japan).

There are plenty of hackneyed elements though. Playing the character of soldier Jay, your girlfriend May needs to be saved and only you can do it. So, heading through the Monolith Gate, into the world of Idea, off you go.

Your power, as the game’s title suggest, is the ability to suck up the souls of defeated enemies, transforming them into potential allies you can add to your group. As you can see from this rather smooth video (click on the video button), the real-time action takes places in Final Fantasy-style battle arenas in which you have direct control over Jay and has various sword and gun-based weapons, while your two artificial intelligent-controlled allies fight alongside you. To that degree, it reminds us a bit of DS monster battler Spectrobes.

And similar to that title, you’ll be able to choose your group from a range of different captured creatures that will learn new skills and attacks as you level them up.

In keeping with Sony’s connectivity push between PSP and PS3, you’ll be able to send special items between Coded Soul and PS3 RPG Folklore to unlock new quests. The game also share a loose collection of monsters with Coded Soul developer Gaia assisting Folklore developer Game Republic in terms of character design.

Coded Soul will be released in Japan on February 7th. As yet, there’s no news about the likelihood of a US or European release.

Source: Pocket Gamer

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Haven’t seen new images for a while. Take these as proof that Square Enix (most likely all of Square Enix) is hard at work on both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy versus XIII. The new issue of Japanese manga Shonen Weekly Jump has images of both. Of course the release date is still “unannounced,” and we’re not expecting the games to drop before late 2009 — if we’re lucky. Hit the jump for a shot of vsXIII.

In the scan we can see images of possibly summons, 2 of which I am certain are Ifrit and Shiva. But more to come at a later date im sure.

Source: Kotaku

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If the PlayStation Portable’s current sway of role-playing titles hasn’t managed to plug your RPG desires, then the following piece of news should go some way to providing all the satiation you’ll ever need…

Specifically, Japanese gaming giant Square Enix has this week confirmed that Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII will be released exclusively across all PAL territories this coming spring on Sony’s slick and sexy handheld.

Set to arrive as the fourth entrant in the hugely popular Final Fantasy VII series - and also a direct prequel to the original PlayStation classic - Crisis Core will likely provide all the trademark excitement, grandeur, and exhilaration of the Final Fantasy franchise while also opening a wealth of new characters and secrets hidden within the world of Final Fantasy VII.

“Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII is one of the most anticipated Final Fantasy releases of all times,” enthused John Yamamoto, president and CEO of Square Enix Ltd. “The game pushes the boundaries of the PSP hardware and will offer a truly fantastic gameplay experience for new fans and fans of the original instalment.”

Boasting an “engaging battle system” and also additional gameplay aspects not included in the existing Japanese version of the game, Crisis Core will chart the rise of the evil Shinra Company as its military might and monopoly on Mako energy afford it more and more power from its base of operations in the city of Midgar.

Players will assume the role of Zack (a young recruit in Shinra’s ‘Soldier’ skilled combat group), who finds himself part of an investigative team sent to locate a missing Soldier squad in the war torn land of Wutai. The team consists of Zack, Angeal, and legendary Soldier hero Sephiroth.

Features packed into Crisis Core include:

• Complete the Final Fantasy VII experience and reunite with the most recognised RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura.
• Witness stunning graphics and CG cut scenes coupled with top-notch voice acting in a 16:9 widescreen presentation, made possible by the PSP system hardware.
• Innovative D.M.W. (Digital Mind Wave) system enhances the action-packed real-time battle system, allowing players to unleash special attacks or call upon iconic Final Fantasy summons.
• Take on challenges with the all-new “Hard Mode,” which was not in the original Japanese release.
• Acquire unique accessories, items and abilities made available through 300 side missions to further enrich the gameplay experience.

Source: Monsters and Critics

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Whirling to a DS near you, Nintendo Power has finally given up the goods regarding Sonic’s first RPG, originally reported back in August. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, produced by BioWare (of Mass Effect fame), has finally been announced. It features 11 party members–all your favorites–including Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Big the Cat and, of course, the main man himself: Sonic. It purports to be a turn-based RPG utilizing the unique touch screen ability of the DS.

The story so far: Sonic is having a well-deserved vacation after scrambling Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik for the umpteenth time. Tails gives him a ring and lets him know that Knuckles has been kidnapped by a new group called the “Marauders.” The interesting twist is that this is not an evil scheme hatched by Robotnik, but the entirety of the plot remains a mystery.

Source: RPGamer

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Publisher poised to acquire European studio in 2008 as part of new worldwide focus
Square Enix is preparing a renewed push in Western territories this year – and has admitted that it would consider acquiring a European studio.

Speaking exclusively to MCV, the president and CEO of Square’s European and US divisions John Yamamoto said the firm was focusing on how to better seduce Western markets when developing new titles.

Yamamoto commented: “We are now more focused on developing product that will help our expansion in the Western markets and of course this includes more fully localised titles than ever before.

“In addition, we understand the importance of more global simultaneous releases and this too is a priority. Finally, we are also carefully examining options available for adding product from Western developers to accelerate our growth outside of Japan.”

And he refused to rule out the possibility of snapping up a UK or European studio in 2008 to help the publisher’s cause.

“We’re not currently in negotiations, but we want to continue growing and become one of the top global publishers, so acquisition is an option,” he said.

Square Enix recently hit the headlines when global president Yoichi Wada told Cnet Japan that Sony needed to ‘clearly define’ what the PS3 offered fans.

The publisher’s line-up for 2008 includes Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II on PSP; Dragon Quest Swords on Wii; and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker on DS.

Source: MCVUK

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On Wednesday this week a recent US patent was discovered that many rumoured to be the name of the new Sonic RPG planned for the Nintendo DS. Those utterings have turned out to be true as this week Nintendo Power has published a seven-page article on Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. We’ve got the first key details below.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, reports Nintendo Power, takes the form of a turn-based battling RPG (there are no random battles, enemies can be seen in the field of play, like in Paper Mario). Teams consist of four party members at a time, although there are 11 in total and currently 7 are known (Sonic Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow and Big the Cat).

Attacks for all characters are specified before they are initiated in an attempt to keep the game’s momentum up, while special moves take the form of the Elite Beat Agents-style input. Team attacks are also possible, while levelling up and special attacks can be purchased with the currency of gold rings.

As for the title’s storyline, it is set two years after Sonic last defeat Dr. Eggman. Presumably while chilling out, Sonic gets a call from Tails who breaks the news that Knuckles has been kidnapped by a group called the Marauders, and also that a total of six chaos emeralds are also missing. The magazine reveals that Dr. Eggman is not the main villain, possible because Bioware wants to re-introduce a bit of credibility into the character.

There are two acts, one taking place in the standard Sonic universe and another in a darker, more mysterious world. In addition, there is talk of a “twist” between Sonic and Dr. Eggman, something that alludes to their encounters in previous games.

Other snippets of information from Nintendo Power reveal that Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood includes side quests, characters with unique skills (floating Tails for example) and a control method that uses just the stylus (similar to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass). The graphical style is said to have a hand-drawn, watercolour appearance, a style complemented by “fully animated cut scenes” and remixes of classic Sonic tunes.

Source: Nintendic

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Blue Dragon Plus, the “real-time simulation RPG” for Nintendo DS based on the Xbox 360 RPG, seems to have been pushed back from its scheduled launch window.

Although publisher AQ Interactive announced last year that the game would be released this March, the company’s new product page for the game lists an “undetermined” release date.

Siliconera suggests that perhaps developer Feelplus, fresh from finishing up the Japanese version of Lost Odyssey for Xbox 360, needs more time to finish the game.

Source: Wired

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We like nothing more than having a quick perusal of the US Patent & Trademark Office; sure there’s a lot of obscure entries to trawl through in the hope of finding something worthwhile, but occasionally you do.

While Sonic Chronicles could be little more than just another Sonic recompilation, we’re hoping it’s the title for Bioware’s Sonic RPG currently in development at the Canadian outfit.

Further listings hint towards an unknown game titled The Dark Brotherhood, although we’re even more in the dark about this one than Sonic Chronicles.

Source: Total Video Games

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