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Final Fantasy XV
News Posts: Tetsuya Nomura to attend E3 this year by Erren Van DuineJune 10, 2013 The second episode of Square Enix’s mdRadio has shown up a bit early – arriving a day ahead of schedule for some reason or another. While Nomura neglected to talk about Final Fantasy Versus XIII this time – instead reflecting on how fans have been clamoring for a The World End With You sequel and how he’d like to create one – he did sound off on the fact that he will be making his way over to E3 this year. While Nomura will be attending for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX promotion, he explains there is “certain information to be announced at E3″ which he can’t talk about at this moment. He goes on to say “however, I feel like everyone knows what this information will be anyway.” It’s been three years since Nomura last attended E3 – previously having done so for the reveal of Nintendo’s 3DS system along with the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. Given the timing and the loads of hints, rumors, leaks or otherwise leading up to this year it seems the timing for Versus XIII’s reveal is coming to a head. E3 2013: Final Fantasy Versus XIII is Now Final Fantasy XV Nova Fabula Crystallis lives on. by Andrew GoldfarbJune 10, 2013 During the Sony E3 conference today, Square Enix once again revealed Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which has been re-branded as Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix says "while the main concept, world and story continue to be developed as originally envisioned, the First Production Development Team has further improved Final Fantasy XV’s action, gameplay elements and graphic quality to match the technology of the next generation hardware, as well as the expectations of players eagerly awaiting the game’s release." Little is known about the story other than the following short blurb: "The armed forces of Niflheim launch a devastating assault upon the Kingdom of Lucis, casting Crown Prince Noctis and his comrades out of their homes and into the fray. The engaging tale to follow draws audiences into an awe-inspiring world steeped in the rich storytelling traditions of Square Enix’s renowned First Production Development team." Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first announced in 2006, but Square Enix has been mostly silent about the title recently, aside from confirming that it wasn't canceled. Today, Square Enix said "the title’s development expanded and evolved to take full advantage of the capabilities of next generation platforms." Today's announcement confirms news from February that the title is shifting to next-gen and follows up on Square Enix's promise at the PlayStation 4 reveal conference that a new title would be unveiled at E3. ‘Final Fantasy Versus XIII’ announced as "Final Fantasy XV" for PS4, new footage by Matt FurtadoJune 10, 2013 Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura spoke via video at Sony’s E3 2013 press conference and stunned the audience when the company officially announced that “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” is now known as "Final Fantasy XV." "Final Fantasy XV" will be released on PS4. Watch the first gameplay footage of "Final Fantasy XV" here. “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” has been one of the most mysterious and illusive titles of the generation. Originally announced in 2006 alongside “Final Fantasy XIII” and “Final Fantasy Type-0,” the title soon went missing with only vague mentions from Square Enix over the years. Likewise, the title was once declared cancelled, however, Square Enix quickly denied these claims and reaffirmed that “Versus XIII” was still in development. Soon after the cancelled rumors were refuted, rumors of the “Versus XIII” going to the next-gen began to surface. We reported earlier this year that “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” would be released on PS4 as "Final Fantasy XV." In 2012, Square Enix shared that development of “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” has been slow with the majority of the development staff busy working on “Final Fantasy XIV”. Final Fantasy 15 coming to Xbox One by Alexa Ray CorrieaJune 11, 2013 Final Fantasy 15 will launch worldwide on Xbox One as well as on PlayStation 4, Square Enix announced today during a presentation on the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy 15 is the rebranding of Final Fantasy Versus 13, which was announced at E3 2006. "It was a huge amount of joy that we were finally able to announce Final Fantasy 15," said producer Shinji Hashimoto. When asked why the company decided to publish for the Xbox One, he added that in order to reach the most fans, Square Enix has to flexible regarding which platforms their games will launch on. Final Fantasy 15 is being developed with DirectX 11, which Hashimoto said made it possible to port the title to different hardware. This has made it possible for the company to launch the game on Xbox One as well, he said. Final Fantasy XV may branch off into new stories We could be seeing these guys for a long time by Jonathan HolmesJune 11, 2013 Final Fantasy XIII was a first for the series in that it received not one but two direct sequels. It sounds like Final Fantasy XV may follow the same pattern. According to Square-Enix's Shinki Hashimoto- "because Final Fantasy XV is such a large scale game with a great stories, many stories may come of it at later time." That could mean DLC, full retail releases, or something else entirely. Is Final Fantasy an action series now? Square answers Each game to be evaluated as it happens by Jim SterlingJune 11, 2013 There's no doubt that recent Final Fantasy games have shifted to a more action-oriented style, and Square Enix today answered a question some fans may have on their lips -- is Final Fantasy an action series now? Square's Shinji Hashimato was on hand to say that the move to action is "not a trend," and that the company evaluates each gameplay shift. "For Final Fantasy XV, we have action packed game system, but that doesn't mean the next title will be a similar thing," he said. "And we aren't ready to talk about the next game." He also spoke of the level of challenge in XV, stating it'll have a flexible difficulty level, and be a game that's easy to play. "[An] action based RPG fits XV, that's why we chose this. For people like me, I want a game that's easy to operate. [We're] asking the dev team to be flexible about difficulty level. I want you to understand that the Final Fantasy series is always evolving, always challenging. This is a change JUST for XV." The basic message is that, whatever happens with Final Fantasy XV, it doesn't represent a definitive change for the series, and that each Final Fantasy game should be judges as its own entity. A little worrying phrasing, since it seems to be geared toward preparing against an onslaught of angry fans. Here's hoping it's actually a great game, though! I want to play a really good main FF entry again. Final Fantasy XV on PS4 and Xbox One has been “Expanded and Evolved” for Next-Gen, Story Detailed by Jason DunningJune 11, 2013 Just like Kingdom Hearts III, Final Fantasy XV (previously known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII) was announced last night at the Sony Conference, and is also coming to the PS4 and Xbox One, with a release date currently unknown. As Square Enix detailed in a press release, the development for FFXV has “expanded and evolved to take full advantage of the capabilities of next generation platforms.” The main concept, world, and story are still being “developed as originally envisioned,” with the team further improving the action, gameplay, and graphics. Here’s a taste of what you can expect from the story in Final Fantasy XV:
Final Fantasy XV: 'wonderful' supporting staff will keep Nomura on track by Steven BurnsJune 11, 2013 Audible laughs as brand manager deflects question over Versus XIII's long dev cycle Shinji Hashimoto has told the press that the Nomura's 'wonderful supporting staff will keep him on track'. Asked how the company planned to keep the director on schedule - which drew audible laughter from the room - the brand manager insisted that Nomura would be helped out in getting XV out on time. He also confirmed that while XV might have a more action-orientated outlook, future Final Fantasy games won't all be based it. This one isn't so much news as much as it's pulling at strings that may or may not be there: Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III PC Version Hinted by Tetsuya Nomura by Giuseppe NelvaJun 11th 2013 Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III Director Tetsuya Nomura just dropped a bomb at the end of his interview on the Square Enix Presents E3 livestream. When asked by the interviewer for a confirmation on the release of the two games on PS4 and Xbox One, he was quick to point out:
That’s a pretty obvious hint to the possibility of a PC release for the two upcoming Square Enix flagship titles, especially considering that PC is the only remaining platform capable of supporting DirectX 11. It’s also interesting that Nomura-san wasn’t directly asked about other platforms by the interviewer, but touched the topic on its own initiative. PC gamers might not be getting Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, but there might be better things coming their way sometimes in the future. E3 2013: Square Enix Shares More Final Fantasy XV Details by Hailee KenneyJune 11, 2013 After announcing Final Fantasy XV at the Sony press conference, Square Enix has now offered up some more details about the game. Final Fantasy XV is the rebranded version of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which is being developed for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. In a press release, Square Enix sheds some light on the details of the game and the new direction it will be taking. The biggest change is that the game will now take advantage of the advancements coming with the new generation of consoles. While the initial plan for the story remains unchanged, Square Enix plans to use the capabilities of the PS4 and Xbox One to expand on Final Fantasy XV’s gameplay and graphics. Unlike most Final Fantasy games, which have predominantly turn-based battle systems, Final Fantasy XV will feature action RPG gameplay with some third-person-shooter elements. In the press release, Square Enix also provided some more details about the game’s story. The Kingdom of Lucis suffers a crippling attack from the armed forces of Niflheim, forcing Crown Prince Noctis (the game’s protagonist), along with his comrades, out into the fight. Square Enix promises that the story to follow from these events will be will be engaging, featuring a rich world and the top notch storytelling we have come to expect from previous Final Fantasy titles. Details about a possible release date have yet to be revealed. Tetsuya Nomura Talks Disney, Kingdom Hearts 3 & Final Fantasy XV by DenisJune 11, 2013 Square Enix and Disney are at it again! Sony came prepared during their Press Conference with a surprise announcement from Tetsuya Nomura showing of Final Fantasy XV and a small look at Kingdom Hearts 3, which is still in development. If you missed the trailers, we have you covered here. Square Enix Presents sat down with Tetsuya Nomura today during E3 and he discussed the origin of Kingdom Hearts and how it came to be, Nomura explains it was a long process but the outcome at the end was well worth the hard work. Tetsuya Nomura On Disney & Kingdom Hearts: Square Enix presents started their interview talking about where the name “Kingdom Hearts” came from, how it originated and the problems they faced with it. Nomura responded with… ” Originally I wanted to find a title that fits Disney because its a Disney video game and when I first thought of this game I thought of Amusement parks, I wanted to create something that you can imagine through Disney land, I knew of the name animal kingdom at that time so Kingdom became the first name in my mind. The development team was calling the game ” Kingdom ” itself but I couldn’t get IP for that so I thought of ” Heart ” as a core part of the story, we just combined those together and were satisfied with the name Kingdom Hearts. ” The host of Square Enix Presents followed that question with how the collaboration with Disney came about. Nomura’s response…. ” Originally our producer, Shinji Hashimoto became friends with a Disney employee, we had offices in the same building so he chatted with the people of Disney and both parties agreed that a game between the two companies would be great. Later on he came back to me and asked if this was something that would be successful, that is how ultimately the franchise begun. Our relationship with Disney has been great, we have been working with Disney for 10 years. ” Nomura On Kingdom Hearts 3: The host asked about the battle system of Kingdom Hearts 3 and if it was anything that we experienced in the past games. Nomura’s reply… ” For the previous titles, especially Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, they were core games and I wanted to make sure I had appropriate involvement in the games, and for the spin off titles I wanted to experiment with new challenges and new styles. Since this is a core game, I feel like it is appropriate to have a core style. Kingdom Hearts 2 had a lot of praise for the battle system and Kingdom Hearts 3 will take some of that and implement it, the experiments we did do on the spin off titles were very well received and we would also like to include some of those into Kingdom Hearts 3. ” The host also asked if there will be any Final Fantasy characters in KH3 and will we get to play as King Mickey… Nomura’s response, ” Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts 3 is something that is definitely under consideration. I definitely think it is time to include some real Final Fantasy characters. As far as playing as King Mickey, I know a lot of fans want to play as King Mickey so I am taking that into consideration as well. Sora is the main characters and it would be nice to have other playable characters and that again is under consideration. ” Regarding the worlds, Nomura said he definitely wants to have some stable worlds and some surprises. He actually wants to definitely implement a number of surprising worlds this time to KH3, so we should definitely anticipate them. Star Wars anyone? Nomura was also asked about multiplayer in KH3 and if it was possible, he did say it was also in consideration especially during this time where multiplayer is popular. More things he said…
Final Fantasy XV, Nomura’s Take During the interview a battle was shown between Noctis and a huge monster, the gaming is visually stunning and the battle system looks like what the fans have been asking for. We even saw glimpses of battles on walls, that’s right WALLS! The host asked why the name change in which Nomura responded, ” 1 to 2 years after Versus was announced we had long discussions of changing it to Final Fantasy XV because of the scale of Versus and the concept of the game so it was only appropriate to have it as Final Fantasy XV. About two years ago after still discussing it, we heard reports about new generation consoles so at this point it was only right to rename it. ” The host asked Nomura to tell us a bit about Noctis, Nomura’s response… ” Noctis is a very cocky guy and through the story you learn that really hes not as cool as he thinks he is. ” Not a lot was revealed about XV but Nomura said hang in tight because news will start coming in fast! This is an Opinion post, not news: Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV Should Have Remained Exclusive by TreezyJune 12, 2013 With the recent news that both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV will be arriving on the Xbox One, it has me wondering exactly what happened between Sony and Square Enix? First let me start off by going into both games and explaining a little bit about them. I would like to clarify that this piece is not saying that the game would better perform on one console in any way, but these titles would have highly benefited the PlayStation 4 if they were to remain exclusive. Let's start with Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II were groundbreaking titles that rocked the PlayStation 2 over a decade ago. Multiple handheld titles have graced both Nintendo and Sony's handhelds, but the console games have always been Sony exclusive until now. The news that Kingdom Hearts III will also be hitting the Xbox One is slightly confusing to me. Why on earth would Square Enix want to carry the main franchise of Kingdom Hearts over to a company with absolutely no Kingdom Hearts' history? Another confusing aspect is that there are currently no plans for a Wii U version of Kingdom Hearts III, which is odd considering the history Nintendo has with the Kingdom Hearts brand. You would think that if the series were going multiplatform it would at least show support to a company that has history with it. "In the end it's all about the money". While this may be true and the most likely case, it still doesn't make sense. Square Enix currently has the opportunity to spread the Kingdom Hearts series to even more gamers, but have chosen to release their upcoming Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix exclusively on the PlayStation 3. It's weird that Square Enix would choose to release an HD collection on one console and release Kingdom Hearts III on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I'm not saying that this is wrong, I'm happy more gamers will be able to play what is sure to be a great game, I just do not understand the logic behind SE's decision other than money, money, money. Let's talk about Final Fantasy XV (previously known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII). Production for Final Fantasy XV began in early 2006 and for seven long years it has been under wraps and marketed as a "PlayStation 3 Exclusive". Several years ago remarks were made that hinted at an Xbox 360 release, which caused major backlash with fans. Fans were then "re-assured" that Final Fantasy XV would be releasing exclusively for the PlayStation 3 only and that there were no plans for a 360 release. Now that the game has been re-branded it's alright for Square-Enix to announce that it's going multiplatform on next gen systems? When I really think about it, this is probably the reason why we have heard so little about Final Fantasy XV in the last few years. If that happens to be the case, then SE should have saved everyone the trouble of worrying about the game's development. SE should have confirmed that they had intentions of going multiplatform when it was first slightly mentioned years ago. If SE would have acknowledged that, we would more than likely have gotten more updates on the game's development, and would have been spared from numerous rumors saying that the game was doomed and likely to be canceled. The big question popping through my mind is how did Sony not retain exclusivity for this title? Every hardcore gamer knows the hype surrounding this game and it has been building for years. You would think Sony would have approached Square-Enix and try to negotiate a deal to keep Final Fantasy XV exclusive to their console, especially a next gen console. It leads to my same conclusion with Kingdom Hearts III, except I sort of expected Final Fantasy XV to go multiplatform, I just wish SE would have confirmed it ages ago. Regardless of why Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy Versus… crap… XV (I have to get used to saying that now) are going multiplatform, they would have been killer titles for the PlayStation 4 if they would have remained exclusive. Sony would have had two more games to add to their line up of awesome exclusives and would have shown that they were clearly ready to dominate the next generation of console gaming. Sony's E3 press conference clearly displayed success when both these games were unveiled, it appeared that Sony would dominate the next gen without competition. Obviously two games can not dictate the entire success of a console, but a popular series can. How many times have you heard someone say they purchased a console because they just had to play an exclusive game? It happens all the time and with these two games in particular it would have benefited Sony a lot if these titles were to remain exclusive to the PlayStation 4. Sony still has a load of great exclusives and will likely impress us with future exclusives. Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV will more than likely be heavily promoted for the PlayStation 4, sort of like Call of Duty is promoted to look like it's for the Xbox only. In the end gamers who enjoy all aspects of gaming will get two games from Tetsuya Nomur that will more than likely be great. This is an Opinion post, not news: E3 2013: Final Fantasy XV and the death of the Japanese RPG? Square Enix's decision to drop the turn-based battle system in favour of action-oriented play risks further alienating fans by Simon ParkinJune 12, 2013 "I couldn't sleep last night." Whether Final Fantasy producer Shinji Hashimoto's insomnia ahead of the first day of the E3 video game conference in Los Angeles is down to excitement or terror is unclear. The news that Japanese mega-dev Square Enix's next mainline Final Fantasy title – the 15th in the long-running series – will be a rebranded version of seemingly dead-in-the-water side project Final Fantasy XIII Versus has been met with considerable consternation by fans. Final Fantasy XV battle gameplay trailer The game, a pet project from character designer turned keeper-of-all-things-Final-Fantasy, Tetsuya Nomura, has been in development for more than seven years – testing Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's oft-repeated maxim that "a delayed game is eventually good" to breaking point. But the controversy over the troubled title's promotion to become the next instalment in the company's most valuable franchise is a style concern as much as anything. Launched in 1986, the original Final Fantasy popularised the Japanese role-playing game – an eastern take on the Dungeons and Dragons boardgames of the 70s – first among the Japanese game-playing public and, following the high profile launch of the seventh game in the series, around the world. Each game presents a new planet, an unfamiliar clutch of characters and a different take on the game's core rules and systems, loosely tied together with a series of recurring themes and motifs. Each new release has leapfrogged the previous one in terms of visual fidelity and technological showboating but the underlying systems have evolved at a far slower rate, leading many to claim the series' design had stagnated. As such, Final Fantasy XV is an attempt to answer these criticisms with an action-oriented play style that appears to have entirely dropped the turn-based battle system and other trappings of its Dungeons and Dragons-inspired past. While Square-Enix has been happy to explore new design territory under the Final Fantasy branding in the past (Final Fantasy Tactics was a deep and thoughtful strategy game, while Final Fantasy Dissidia is a series of fighting games) this is the first time it's risked alienating its fans with a disruptive mainline title. Perhaps for that reason the company calls a press briefing titled "The Future of Final Fantasy" three hours before the E3 conference opens in a nearby hotel. "We have to be flexible to attract more fans," says the besuited Hashimoto, the epitome of the sombre Japanese executive, making clear the company's thinking behind the switch. "I want you to understand Final Fantasy is always evolving." "Adapt or fail" appears to be the logic as both the 13th and 14th games in the series failed to meet commercial or critical expectations. Even so, it will be difficult for the company to slip from the perception that Final Fantasy XV is damaged goods, a problematic project that Square Enix has attempted to solve with a simple rebrand. But for series fans – of which there remain a great many – it also appears like evidence that Square is turning its back on the genre in which it made its name and fortune in favour of mainstream action games. Hashimoto offers no straightforward answer to the concern. "As you are aware, the Final Fantasy series has different game system for every new title. While Final Fantasy XV is an action-packed title, that doesn't mean next game will follow a similar path. And I can't comment on future titles. But I do believe it's possible to make a multimillion-yen project in either style." Neither will Hashimoto speak to the difficulties of converting an early PlayStation 3 project into a PlayStation 4 title. "I'm not able to discuss this," he says, simply reiterating that the game is made in DirectX 11, so will port without difficulty across the next-generation consoles, including the Xbox One. It's too soon to say that Final Fantasy is a series in crisis. But few would dispute it has something of an identity crisis, one seeded by the departure of its creator Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2003 following the box office failure of another company pet project, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a film that lost the company more than $50m. Earlier this year Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, a reboot of the troubled MMO Final Fantasy XIV, said: "It may sound crazy but Square Enix will never give up on the Final Fantasy series." Not crazy at all. Final Fantasy remains the beating heart of a company that would not exist without its decades of commercial success. But will Square Enix give up on the Japanese RPG? That, for the first time, appears to be a distinct possibility. Final Fantasy XV's soundtrack is from Yoko Shimomura Composer of Kingdom Hearts scores first Final Fantasy by Jayson NapolitanoJune 12, 2013 Square Enix has been shuffling composition duties for the Final Fantasy series among a number of composers in recent years, and former Square Enix composer Yoko Shimomura will be continuing that tradition. She was originally tapped to score Final Fantasy XV when it was still known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, so it makes sense that she's continued on with the project after its rebranding. According to a source close to development, Shimomura will be scoring Final Fantasy XV alone, and an orchestrator is yet to be determined. This will mark her first foray into the Final Fantasy series, with past composers including Nobuo Uematsu (XIV), Masashi Hamauzu (XIII), and Hitoshi Sakimoto (XII). While she's best known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series (including the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III), she's also worked on Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, and Front Mission. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing more. Sounds Like Final Fantasy XV Might Get a Sequel by Brian AshcraftJune 12, 2013 The newly announced Final Fantasy XV looks like a big game. It could even be big even for a successive title—something like a Final Fantasy XV-2, if you like. Perhaps! In various forms, the game has been in development for a long time. And when speaking with Famitsu.com, Final Fantasy XV game designer Tetsuya Nomura acknowledged that the trailer did say, "the world has changed", which provided an appropriate segue for the game's title change. (Originally, Final Fantasy XV was titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII.) "The story and the characters have not changed from the onset," Nomura said. The game designer also confirmed that the action RPG gameplay apparently hasn't changed either from the original plans. "However, in the trailer," Nomura added, "there's a line of narration that reads, 'A World of the VERSUS Epic', suggesting that Final Fantasy XV ushers in one climax of a planned, continuous story." Famitsu noted that it sounds like there's the possibility of a sequel of sorts to which Nomura replied, "If you make something this dense, it becomes an extraordinarily grand thing. There was an idea to drop the sheer volume and the density, but, in that situation, desired elements undoubtedly die, too." Continuing, Nomura said, "That's why, I'm thinking in my mind of completing a successive work." Granted, that's not a full confirmation, but as with Lightning Returns, just don't be surprised if sometime in the future Square Enix wheels out another title, set in the Final Fantasy XV world. I won't be. Final Fantasy XV main characters detailed Meet Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Cole. by Sal RomanoJune 12, 2013 Jump this week has the first character descriptions for the newly revealed Final Fantasy XV. Detailed below are Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Cole. Noctis Lucis Caelum JP: ノクティス・ルシス・チェラム CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki The Prince of the Lucis Kingdom with eyes that can sense people’s death. Noctis is a free-spirited guy whose friends call him “Noct.” Gladiolus Amicitia JP: グラディオラス・アミシティア CV: Kenta Miyake The first-born child of a distinguished family protecting the royal family for generations. He is Noctis’ best friend and like a brother to him. Ignis Stupeo Scientia JP: イグニス・ストゥペオ・スキエンティア CV: Mamoru Miyano Noctis’ childhood friend and a staff officer raised with a gifted education. He understands Noctis and acts as his adviser. Prompto Argentum JP: プロンプト・アージェンタム CV: Tetsuya Kakihara A bad influence and friend from Noctis’ student days. He tends to push his luck, but does wants to help his friends? He boasts a courageous exterior. Cole Leones JP: コル・リオニス CV: Hiroki Touchi One of the top three commanding officers of the elite imperial guards. He is strict with Noctis and his friends, but is an honorable and righteous man who has sworn his allegiance to the king and country. Note: The official English surnames of Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus, and the given and surnames of Cole are not confirmed. Published above are romanizations based on the Latin words that sound closest to their reading. Nomura details Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III in Famitsu by Erren Van DuineJune 12, 2013 Nomura’s at E3 this year – that we already know; however, finding interview with him is few and far between – unless you’re Famitsu it seems. The magazine went behind closed doors to interview the director of both titles, gleaming from him a few more details we’d not known previously. Of interest, Nomura says the line in the trailer “about the fifteenth coming” was more of a gag joke than anything – it will not be in the game. He acknowledges that the “A world of the VERSUS epic” tagline at the end of the trailer specifically refers to the possibility of turning the setting into a series of its own. He says the story in FFXV will reach a climax, but it is like the conclusion of a single part of a larger epic poem. There will be room for more stories to be told – so don’t be surprised if a FFXV-2 shows up at some point. Nomura is aware that for large scale console development projects, there might be a need to keep people interested in the long term with online elements (multiplayer) rather than just offer a short term single player experience. There are no concrete plans as of yet but he’s looking at all possibilities to see what fits. Square Enix is also interested in expanding new FF experiences to the PS Vita – note that XV will be playable through it by Sony mandate anyway – as well as smartphones and tablets. In terms of the types of content, they will be new experiences instead of tried and true FF ones. Those worried about another FFXV media hiatus need not – Nomura promises there will be more of XV from now on, especially at larger events such as Tokyo Game Show. Onto Kingdom Hearts III, Nomura says they’re calling the shading technique in the game the “Kingdom Shader” and shaders will change with each Disney world to create more authentic visual experiences based on source material. In regards to the actual engine for XV and KH3, the teams are looking to use Luminous Studio as the main engine. By developing on an Overspec PC environment, it makes porting content to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One quite easy. The battle footage shown for KH3 is a pre-rendered movie as the tools they’re using have difficulty outputting stuff on the actual systems right now – though Nomura promises it runs in real time in the development environment and it should look the same given time. The two biggest new things in KH3 which he talks about are “crazy scale action” and way better enemy AI. He confirms that there will be a three character party in the game, but NPCs and allies in each world will also join in battles, and there will be crazy epic aerial action sound like KH. He also talks about enemy AI being more complex and being able to interact with the player, like Sora riding on a vehicle type enemy and so on. The team is also considering online features for KH3, as well as other features that have not been in a KH title before. Finally, Nomura thinks that it would be great if they can time the release of more information on KH3 at the D23 Expo Japan in October along with TGS. KH3 is seen as a rival production for FFXV, currently in development at Square Enix’s Osaka studio while the main team works on Final Fantasy. Why Square turned Versus XIII into Final Fantasy XV by Edge StaffJune 13, 2013 Final Fantasy Versus XIII became Final Fantasy XV two years ago as a result of the project’s increasing size and scale, Tetsuya Nomura has told us. In one of the more unusual E3 game reveals, Square confirmed during Sony’s conference that Versus XIII will now be released as Final Fantasy XV. We asked Nomura to explain when and why the project changed course in an interview the following day. “As you may know, three years ago we announced three titles, Agito, Versus XIII and XIII But one to two years after that announcement in the company we started discussing the possibility of moving Versus XIII into XV because of the size and scale of Versus XIII,’ he said. “So we were warming up the idea of considering the move to XV – which is the mainstream [entry of the] Final Fantasy series – and between that time and now we had several chances to announce updates of the series and we debated if we should go with Versus XIII or announce the change to XV.” “About two years ago we confirmed, internally, that we would change the title to XV and then at the same time, around that time, the company started working on next-gen consoles, because hard disc was getting ready for the next-gen development. So that became a really good trigger to move on to the change of XV. And also around the same time Zero changed the title name so that was another reason.” After its unveiling at Sony’s E3 presentation, Square confirmed that Final Fantasy XV will be released on Xbox One as well as PS4. Final Fantasy XV's director on art, the modern setting and crazy hair by Devin ColdeweyJune 13, 2013 The surprise announcement of "Final Fantasy XV" at Monday's Sony press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles showed a somber tone, a modern-world setting and a huge break from the franchise's trademark turn-based combat. We sat down with the game's director and character designer, Tetsuya Nomura, to hear all about Square-Enix's next big role-playing game. A translator helped during the interview. Question: Some say that the "Final Fantasy" games are getting too modern for a game with "fantasy" in its name — but of course, tech and magic have always been at odds in the series. How do you see it? Tetsuya Nomura: I don't like the extreme cases of tech or magic. If I choose, I choose a modern setting — but that's not a good setting for a game. So if you look at "FFXV," it starts in a very modern world similar to Shinjuku (in downtown Tokyo), but when the story starts, you go to the medieval world — but the weapons they are using are high tech-weapons; that kind of combo is what I like. In all "FF" titles in the past, there were no titles in extreme high or low fantasy, they always had a mixture. There was some weight on one side or the other, but it was always mixed. Personally, when I play games, I cannot be emotionally involved if the game starts in an imaginary fantasy world — so I want to start in the modern world and branch out into the fantasy. Question: Does character design have a big effect on gameplay, or is it the other way around? Do level designers say "We need an ice monster" and you comply, or can you also say "This character I've made should definitely use a spear"? Tetsuya Nomura: When I design the "silhouette" (i.e. general outline) I make suggestions such as "this character should carry something long on his back." Before, I used to design weapons as well, but now I only design characters. It was until "FFX" that I was doing weapons — if you remember the Buster Sword and Gunsword, those were suggested back to the developer teams and they used them in gameplay. It was until "FF8" that I designed monsters. If you look at the trailer for "FFXV," the behemoth and giants were originally designed for "FF7" and "FF8" by me; they were redesigned for "XV." Question: Where does character inspiration come from? Modern fashion, history books or does it just spring into your head? Tetsuya Nomura: It's not like I'm always thinking about character design. When I receive orders, I start imagining things. The image of that character, the "silhouette," comes into my mind, and from that I start thinking of details. In the past I would probably flip through the pages of fashion magazines, now I look through the Web pages of my favorite brands. Question: On that note, and this might sound a little silly, but hair has always appeared to be a big part of your character design. Has that become more important as technology enables it? Tetsuya Nomura: If you look at the real world, you don't see too many extreme hairstyles. That's why characters in games should have unique hairstyles. It's just one way to showcase each character's personality. We do have to deform some realistic hairstyles to more game-appropriate styles. Sometimes I wish we had the easiness Western FPS (first-person shooters) have, to make everyone bald. We're a company that's known for unique hairstyles, but in a way we're running out of ideas. Question: Are there any artists or games in particular that have inspired you or that fans should check out? Tetsuya Nomura: The reason I joined Square was because I loved Amano-san's art (Yoshitaka Amano, who has done "FF" logos and design since the beginning). When I was in high school, my art teacher told me about Amano-san. I really only joined because of him; I wasn't interested in the gaming world at all. In a way, it was him who hired me, and whom I respect the most. ‘Final Fantasy XV’ PS4 and Xbox One online multiplayer mode hinted by SHUI TAJune 14, 2013 Tetsuya Nomura has hinted that the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One video game, “Final Fantasy XV,” will come with some sort of online multiplayer mode. According to a report from Siliconera on June 12, the game director mentioned that online features are needed to extend the playtime of the action role-playing title. Adding multiplayer will also “keep the story and anticipation going.” As a result, he revealed that they are currently looking at several options. Opinion: Final Fantasy XV and Change by Trent SeelyJune 18, 2013 I want you to stop for a second and think about your favourite entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. Why exactly did you like that game? Sure, you likely enjoyed the gameplay mechanics (or at least tolerated them), but what made the experience feel truly engrossing for you? Most people don't play Final Fantasy games because they have the best battle systems or gameplay mechanics. In fact, I find that many more conversation regarding an entry's quality are focused more on their narratives, main characters, themes, music, and overall presentation. I'd argue that very few of us come back exclusively for the gameplay. Because of this, I'd also argue that Final Fantasy XV could still be a strong series entry even if it doesn't feature command selection and other RPG elements. When Final Fantasy XV was revealed, a number of gamers were surprised. It was apparent that many individuals had written Final Fantasy Versus XIII off as vapourware, and didn't expect the long-in-development title to ever see the light of day — certainly not as a main series entry. The news brought with it a tremendous amount of internet hype, as all major announcements do, and several notable industry spectators were quick to take the edge off this news for several of the practical reasons I listed in my previous editorial: a tremendously long development cycle, the perception of Versus XIII as being a "spin-off" or "gaiden," and a pre-existing disappointment with the Fabula Nova Crystallis chronicles. However, it was clear after the hype dust had settled that the larger story was the new action-oriented approach. I can honestly say that issues stemming from Final Fantasy XV's action-oriented approach never crossed my mind. Mostly because they're not rational. Of the many complaints which can be levied against this yet-unreleased title, "It looks like the genre has changed to that of an Action RPG or Action title, which means that all future Final Fantasy entries will probably be as well" holds the least ground. To begin, how much footage of Final Fantasy XV have any of us seen, really? As of the posting of this editorial, there has been a 4:14 minute announcement trailer and another video featuring 3:48 minutes worth of "suggested gameplay" (which likely means that gameplay is subject to change and/or that we haven't seen all gameplay mechanics). Not even ten whole minutes of Final Fantasy XV have been shown and the many denizens of the internet have already decided that Final Fantasy XV (a) is an Action game and therefore any RPG elements will be downplayed, if present at all, and (b) will set a precedent for the rest of the Final Fantasy series. It's possible that these people will be correct on both assertions, but it's simply too early to say for certain. Not only is Final Fantasy XV clearly still in development, but it's kind of hard to make any statement on exactly what the game will be like and what kind of impact it will have before Final Fantasy XV is actually released. But let's posit for a second that Final Fantasy XV is in fact an Action RPG or even an Action title with only a handful of RPG elements. How would that kind of change affect the entirety of this beloved RPG franchise? Well, it's not as though this is the first time an entry has come under scrutiny for gameplay design. Final Fantasy XII had a number of detractors upon initial release for being too "MMO-like." Much like the knee-jerk response to Final Fantasy XV's announcement, people saw this gameplay shift, along with the release of Final Fantasy XI, as being a major determinant of where the franchise was "going." Interestingly enough, Final Fantasy XIII featured a return to isolated battle sequences, a lack of open-world roaming, and story-driven pacing, which then prompted numerous complaints of how the series was "going backwards." When it comes to the Final Fantasy series, there seemingly is no way to please everyone. For the most part, this can be attributed to its roots. Change is and has always been a constant of the franchise. Any series veteran will tell you that no matter how similar a few of the games may look on the outside, each of them sport a number of variances on the inside. The distinctions are clearer in the modern entries, but the series has been subject to formulaic alterations since the beginning. In terms of presentation, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy III appear to be almost identical. However, Final Fantasy II abandons the traditional character level progression for a use-based system and Final Fantasy III focused more on a diverse job system than it did actual characters or a central narrative. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System releases also seem very similar on the outside, but each feature their own unique flavour on the inside. Final Fantasy IV was a medieval opera, Final Fantasy V focused on a more advanced job system to save the fate of two worlds, and Final Fantasy VI was an ensemble piece set in eras modern, medieval, and post-apocalyptic. The argument that a change in gameplay genre for Final Fantasy XV means a new precedent for further series entries is somewhat nonsensical, considering that Final Fantasy's main selling point is that there is no precedent. Including direct sequels and spin-offs, the Final Fantasy franchise spans well over thirty titles. There is no way the franchise could have continued for as long as it has or become as massively popular without trying new things. Maybe you'll like those new things when you actually play Final Fantasy XV. Maybe you won't. Only time will tell. While not every new franchise entry can be made to better suit your RPG tastes, the important thing to remember is that some of them already do — and you can enjoy those fantasies whenever you wish. That Umbrella Guy Looks Awesome, but Is Final Fantasy XV Something New, or Just More of the Same? by Ethan GachJune 18, 2013 At this year’s E3, Square Enix announced that what had previously been Final Fantasy Versus XIII was being transformed into the franchise’s next numbered installment: Final Fantasy XV. The trailer Tetsuya Nomura showed off to introduce the new game left many longtime fans of the series, including us, speechless. In what follows Adam Harshberger, Tom Auxier, and I discuss our reactions to the announcement and both of the new trailers Square Enix debuted at the conference. *** Ethan: For a few moments last night I actually felt like a kid again, as if watching the trailers of Final Fantasy VII and VIII for the first time. Let’s not beat around the bush: Final Fantasy XIII hurt a lot. The original Playstation gave us three Final Fantasy titles while it’s most recent successor only gave us one, and a tragically tortured one at that. So I’ve been in Final Fantasy withdraw for–the greater part of a decade now? Square Enix’s three-plus minute trailer filled that void just enough though to remind me how empty it’d felt before. A beautiful combination of cinematic CGI and actual gameplay, Final Fantasy XV looked so real and tangible I wanted to reach out through my computer screen and grab it while laughing maniacally. Adam and Tom, before we go deeper into everything we saw in the trailer I want to leave you with my favorite moment and the one that’s inspired and won me back: the umbrella man. It’s dark and weird and ominously ridiculous–Kuja crossed with Kefka if he were born in Midgard. Adam: It’s funny you said that, Ethan – I felt the same exact way. I planned on opening my first response by talking about that. And I’m still going to. Man, did that feel good. I had some friends over for the presentation last night; we played Dominion, drink beers, sat around, and watched what Sony had to say. It was my turn in Dominion when the Final Fantasy XV trailer came on, and as soon as it started I knew I had to put my cards down and watch. I was enraptured. I was saying the most hopelessly fanboy-ish things in my head the whole time, and when they showed the combat – that crazy, spastic combat – I about shit myself. “Also the old man sticks his tongue out and it’s very sentimental and nice, though also kinda weird and creepy. Exactly what you want from Final Fantasy.” It reminded me of how it felt to have Square Enix capture my imagination again. I was a kid looking at his first Final Fantasy IX screens on the internet and being overwhelmed with wonder. And Ethan! That umbrella guy! You’re right. Something about him was so sinister, in a distinctly Final Fantasy way. He seems like a villain it’d be fun to go up against and hate – like Kefka or Sephiroth. An iconic, memorable enemy that has personality beyond just wanting to end you and everything else. I’m assuming he’s the villain, by the way, though honestly I have no fucking clue. Here’s two things that I thought were really interesting that I’d love to hear you thoughts on, Tom. 1. There’s a scene at at minute into the trailer which got me excited beyond just blind FF fanboyism. A young boy and a middle-aged man are sitting at a dinner table, alone. It’s a very grandiose setting, but everything seems very sad, and it’s a curious scene for an E3 AAA trailer: no guns, no gruff philosophizing on war, no death, no nothing. The boy talks about the soup – he doesn’t like it – but the man tells him not to say anything, or he’ll get the chef fired. You can tell, from the setting, these are too important, ruling-class-type people. It’s a quick and very sad reflection on positions of power and the unseen responsibilities that accompany them. That’s like … a topic. That’s a thing you can say stuff about. I was very happy to see it, a portent of something like depth, in that trailer. 2. Around 1:51, in the midst of the combat footage. I have absolutely zero reservations about SE going the action route. It looks like all the hallmarks are there, regardless – but what really got me was this moment were you see one of your party members (or allies, whatever) in battle. He yells something at the main character. There’s something about this that’s very visceral, I think: imagine seeing Barrett or Zell absolutely kicking ass in a gloriously high-fidelity battle. Imagine them yelling out to you. Imagine how that’d feel. That little sequence screams Final Fantasy to me – that it’s you and your team against an insurmountable evil. I’m happy to see the idea of conserving a “party” throughout the action combat is important to SE. It wouldn’t feel like Final Fantasy if you flew it alone. Tom: You’re right to think I’d zoom in on the soup scene. The soup scene was what I love about Japanese games. I mean, look at what it’s surrounded with. Videogames are full of violent people grandstanding. This trailer, everything else in it, definitely fit that. Final Fantasy XIII had that in spades, too. It had its occasional quiet moments, but they felt aggro. They felt like Square telling us holy shit, look, these two are in love and flying around in fireworks, or goddamn Lightning is really sad, but here she comes again. She’s gonna kick ass. “Maybe it’s not a Japanese Role Playing Game anymore, but maybe it’s something better.” Final Fantasy XV will contain a scene where its protagonist eats soup, and it’s bad soup, and that’ great. I’ve been writing a piece for a while now about how Japanese RPGs and platformers are so similar. In short: they’re lo-fi ways of expressing huge issues. You can’t make a realistic platformer, because the concept is just so alien to reality. It’s the same with Japanese RPGs: if you’re teleporting away from reality to fight battles every so often, it’s not really real, is it? It’s just videogames. And the thing about the Final Fantasy’s of our youth is, it’s that they felt real. They felt genuine. We filled in the blanks the games left us. Then, sometime, the blanks went away. They were left with awkward scenes–Tidus laughing, Vaan pouting, Lightning crashing–we couldn’t reconcile with reality. Final Fantasy XV seems to take out the concept of our battles being different from our reality, and that’d be a great thing. Maybe it’s not a Japanese Role Playing Game anymore, but maybe it’s something better. Here’s another thing: the people in XIII looked like cartoon characters. These guys look like dudes I could know. I mean, sure, dude has an umbrella, but he’s stylized, not obviously a cartoon. He’s acting like he exists in a world that exists outside of the bounds of the game, which is what we need. I got that sense in the hugely underrated XIII-2, which felt like a real fucking videogame. It was silly–I mean, you eventually meet Snow in the far future where he’s fighting a war against a sentient evil plant–but it felt believable. And I want them to sell me my absurd, insane reality, and not force me to buy it wholesale. Then again, I can talk myself into any Final Fantasy game. Ethan: Guess we’re on a different wave length when it comes to Soup! It was cute, sort of endearing, but felt to me like XV’s analog to this glorious moment from X. I definitely agree with what you said Adam about the gritty feel to the mood on screen. something in the mix of medieval and punk made the game seem whimsical and foreboding. It’s got classically influenced airships but also mud crusted jackboots left behind at the Salvation Army and technology crossed with magical crystals. “That trailer was awesome and I’m psyched now to see what they ultimately deliver.” I’ll be honest, as much as people Love Final Fantasy IX and IV, the game’s original take on D&D roleplaying never did a whole lot for me. While I liked going to the underworld to swap Adamantium with the dwarves, and Alexandria may be my favorite Final Fantasy city to date, the naturalistic romanticism (old-school knights, princesses, and magical forest) of those titles left me underwhelmed. Instead, my Golden Age begins with VI and ends with VIII. That trio of entries forced together elements of punk, dystopic futurism, and militaristic, industrialized knighthood that still blows me away to this day. The juxtaposition in the trailer between the upper and lower classes, what’s up in the sky with who’s down on the ground, and the colorful baroque interiors with the muted costumes of the main characters just knocks me off my feet–and I barely have any idea what the game is even about yet! Many will chide Square Enix for losing Versus XIII somewhere back in development hell, but you know what? I couldn’t care less now. That trailer was awesome and I’m psyched now to see what they ultimately deliver. Adam: I’m gonna zone in on what Tom said – that maybe this is the moment where Final Fantasy stops being a JRPG. “But if you’re Trying to Do Some Serious Shit In A Modern Videogame, ATBs are not going to help anything. Tom Bissell ain’t gonna do a write-up on Grantland of a turn-based combat game.” Is that alright? Are we cool with that? I should start by saying that I love ATB combat engines more than anything on this Earth. I love the little drama of it, seeing if your character’s bar will fill up before the boss kills her, the split decision making (Do I go for the kill? Or play it safe and heal this turn?), and somewhere there’s an argument in me that music plays a huge role in turn-based JRPG combat – making it fit the story – and I love that. Some of the most passionate, I’m-gonna-murder-this-motherfucker videogame battles of my life have been within the ATB system, in no small part because Square Enix is brilliant about setting them up as payoffs. If you’ve ever felt your stomach drop as you’re “sucked into a major boss battle, you know what I mean. But I don’t care if Square Enix needs to ditch that shit to move forward. But more importantly, no one plays Final Fantasy for the combat engine. There’s magic in those old games, and I think a lot of people would agree with that, but most of it isn’t when you’re watching combat happen. Final Fantasy is about the setting, characters, world, plot, that kind of stuff… in a very distinctly videogame way. You aren’t compelled through Final Fantasy games by the hunt for a new level or bigger sword, you’re compelled through the games because you want to see more of this crazy stuff the developers made for you. Final Fantasy XIII, I’d argue, is the one game where the combat was actually more interesting than the story – and it failed utterly because of that. As long FFXV keeps the focus on what we care about, and keeps the combat as a pleasant distraction and a means for emotional payoff, I think we’ll be fine. I don’t want to be fighting constantly – I want to be drinking in the overblown glory of Final Fantasy. I hope Square Enix remembers that. Tom: Adam, you may have forgotten recent turn based hero simulator X-Com, which everyone loves and whose closest cousin is Final Fantasy Tactics, but I’ll forgive that. The thing is, turn based games tend to be abstractions, and Final Fantasy after X is pretty much the least abstract game in existence. Final Fantasy VI fought the way it did because it couldn’t do anything more graphically intense while still being as complex as it needed to be. XIII, however, showed us they could render pretty much anything, and they chose to do, basically, a watered down “action” version of the old system. Why not just do action? Why not be an action game where I can pick statistics? That seems like where they’re going, and I am beyond okay with it. I love classical styled RPGs, too, probably more than you do, Adam, but they’ve had an awkward life after the original Playstation. Final Fantasy X succeeded on nostalgia and a surprisingly competent story. Everything else had a battle system where you punched dudes in the face. “I hope this is Kingdom Hearts minus the silly Disney characters and plus Umbrella Fedora” I’m really heartened, watching the gameplay video that came out between the beginning of this talk and now. It looks like the middle point between Kingdom Hearts and the Souls games. Cinematic, but with a weight and purpose behind your actions. It looks less like a battle system and more like fucking dudes up, and that’s a marked change. Nobody uses the words “battle system” any more. So I’m glad they ditched it, and I’m glad they kept the rest. Because–as harsh as I am on FFXIII–I really thought the insane background story had potential. It’s why the soup scene gives me hope, Ethan: XIII had the problem where it was always on. XV might have tonal differences. It might have people being happy, or at least not always maddeningly intense. They might play Blitzball, or Triple Triad, or some other batshit minigame I can obsess over (not Tetra Master). Maybe they’ve remembered how to pace a videogame. tl;dr: I hope this is Kingdom Hearts minus the silly Disney characters and plus Umbrella Fedora (I hope that’s his name!) and Actual Japanese Police Cars. Because that sounds pretty sweet. Ethan: Interestingly enough Tom, the shift from “battle systems” to “fucking dudes up,” is one of the few things that actually worries me about the upcoming game. “I would have liked to see just a few moments of one of the characters walking around a town, or field, or house, maybe buying some items, or hell even riding a chocobo.” One of the defenses first erected by the creators to shield Final Fantasy XIII from criticism was that it was more akin to a linear FPS than a traditional JRPG. Which was totally correct, and totally logical, seeing how that was and remains the most beloved genre, but also totally resulted in a complete mess. Watching the E3 gameplay trailer for XV what strikes me is that it’s all about combat. It’s as if the only thing that counts as action and gameplay anymore is “fucking dudes up.” Being a badass is great–but being a badass all the time is not. I understand the trailer has to be big and explosive and fast-paced, but I would have liked to see just a few moments of one of the characters walking around a town, or field, or house, maybe buying some items, or hell even riding a chocobo. The best looking RPG at this E3 was Witcher 3, a game that’s quasi-open world, uses a real-time battle system, and fleshes out it’s story, characters, and worlds through quests and conversations. While I don’t think FFXV should simply try to ape what the West’s been doing (Skyrim, Mass Effect, Witcher, etc.), I do think that there are plenty of examples of how traditional RPG elements can be successfully tweaked and updated. I’m already in love with the quirky magical realism that XV seems to be born from, now I just need to know that creators won’t try to go any further down the rabbit hole into making Final Fantasy the hack’n slash equivalent of Halo. Here’s hoping Final Fantasy XV is the phoenix down that puts the series back on its feet again. Tetsuya Nomura Talks about Final Fantasy XV PC Version, Console Differences, Online, PS Vita Integration by Giuseppe NelvaJune 19, 2013 Issue 1281 of the Japanese magazine Weekly Famitsu included an interview with Tetsuya Nomura in which he talked at length about Final Fantasy XV, sharing some juicy bits of information. First of all, he specified that a PC version of the game is possible but still undecided. The team and the publisher are waiting to see if there will be a demand to play the game with full detail, because at the moment the game requires very expensive top-of-the-line hardware to run. The game is developed directly on DirectX 11, so it can be implemented directly into each hardware, losing the concept of lead platforms. It isn’t tailored to one console. Since both consoles now use Blu-Ray, and optimization still hasn’t been done, it’s still too early to say if there’ll be any difference in performance. (Editor’s Note: I wonder if the Blu-Ray bit is an implicit admission that the lack of Blu-Ray on Xbox 360 did influence the development of Finanl Fantasy XIII as many argued.) Nomura-san also shared that the team is considering a variety of online features. He thinks that online gameplay is necessary to keep players playing for a long time. PS Vita integration is also possible, alongside smartphones and tablets, but more information about this will be shared at a later time. At the end of the interview Nomura-san said that he predicts the quality of the game to increase further from what we saw at E3, and we’ll see more at Tokyo Game Show. He promised that, while Japanese development lagged behind during the current generation, he’ll show the world that this won’t be the case with the next. FFXV PC Undecided, Off-Screen Features Likely by Tony GarsowJune 19, 2013 Final Fantasy Versus XIII was re-revealed as Final Fantasy XV just over a week ago, and the fallout from the brand-new series number is just beginning to settle. Originally, the game was intended to be on PlayStation 3 alone, but now slated for next-generation consoles, the game will be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The team cites “several reasons” for the generational leap in this week’s Famitsu. Director Tetsuya Nomura was available, as well as Visual Field Director Takeshi Nozue and co-director Hajime Tabata (Final Fantasy Type-0, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII). During his on-air E3 Square Enix Presents interview, director Tetsuya Nomura commented that the game was being developed in a PC environment, and that platforms that best support DirectX 11 will be likely candidates for the game’s appearance. While this may rule out a WiiU debut, it has led some PC fans to wonder if Square Enix will throw a bone their way. Yoshihisa Hashimoto, Square Enix’s Chief Technology Officer, has lead the charge into the next-generation for the company with the Luminous Engine that will host games such as Final Fantasy XV. A PC version is currently undecided, but “collaborations” with Luminous Studio are planned for the future. The game, as per the team, will require a top of the line (expensive) machine to run. It’s because of this point that they want to see what the “demand” will be from the PC audience (which is your cue to let them know that you want it). Previously, Final Fantasy games were developed on a “lead console” and ported to other systems such as Final Fantasy XIII. Final Fantasy XI was originally designed to fit within the capabilities of the PlayStation 2 and its hard disk drive, though support outside Japan was dropped when the console’s production eventually ceased. Such is the case with a Final Fantasy XV Xbox One version. While Sony has touted PlayStation Vita will support Cross-Platform Play with PlayStation 4, Square Enix is considering the handheld for use with Final Fantasy XV. In addition to Vita, tablets and smartphones are on the table for various features. Combat in Final Fantasy XV is taking a turn for more action as the above gameplay video illustrates. The team has taken a directional shift away from turn-based or time-based (ATB) combat for an entirely new direction. The team commented that one feature being added to the game is the ability to climb onto monsters in battle. A concept similar to this could be seen in the Final Fantasy Versus XIII 2011 trailer when Noctis was able to use combat vehicles (tanks, magitek). Noctis uses a behemoth’s horns to launch himself in the air in the newest gameplay trailer above. You’ll also be able to switch between the three characters in your party at any time. Noctis, Gladiolus, and Prompto have been featured in footage thusfar, but we have yet to see the return of Ignis in combat or the newly-revealed Cor. Final Fantasy executive producer Shinji Hashimoto hopes that traditional Final Fantasy fans won’t be disappointed and will embrace the shift away from Active Time Battle (a 22-year old convention) and Square Enix is looking forward to hearing feedback about the action-oriented combat. He also assures us that we will be hearing more about the game soon, and that the “dishonest” days of withholding information about games in development for months is at an end. Final Fantasy XV official bios including new character by dFUSEJune 26, 2013 Final Fantasy XV tells the story of a young king sworn to defend the last crystal in the world from the “hectic order” outside of his kingdom. Here are the main characters bios and story outline. Story The only crystal left to the world lies in the Kingdom of Lucis. Upon striking a peace with the garrison state of Niflheim, Lucis rejoices in having at last brought the cold war to a close. Their celebrations, however, are premature. Under the guise of amity, Niflheim dispels the anti-armament runewall and launches a full-scale invasion of the kingdom. The peaceful lives Crown Prince Noctis and his entourage once knew are consumed by the flames of war as they struggle to mount a resistance. Bios
Final Fantasy 15 The Characters by Denis AdvicJune 24, 2013 After an impressive showcase at E3 2013, now renamed Final Fantasy 15 has many characters that have a lot of mystery behind them. The trailer at E3 displayed not only stunning visuals but very impressive character designs. As of right now all of the characters are a mystery, so we have taken the liberty of doing some research and explaining who each character is, their role, and their choice of weapons. Name: Noctis Lucis Caelum Eye Color: Blue, but changes depending on mood. Hair Color: Dark Brown, changes depending on mood as well. Weapon: Various Weapons Personality: Shy, but hides it by acting cool Noctis Lucis Caelum - Noctis is the main protagonist in Final Fantasy 15 and is the Crown Prince of the Lucis kingdom. Noctis is the son of Regis Lucis Caelum, the king of a mafia like royal family that has protected the crystals for many, many generations. Due to an accident that Noctis suffered during his childhood, he can see the light from the heavens which foreshadows a person’s death, in other words he can foresee a person’s death ( poor Noctis ). Noctis dislikes the strict rules of the kingdom and so he acts as he pleases, causing troubles for himself and his peers. Not an outspoken person, Noctis conceals his shyness with his body language. It is known that he protects his friends no matter what, a true friend he is advertised to be. Noctis has short spiky hair and blue eyes. Although, according to Tetsuya Nomura, his hair and eye color changes depending on his mood and actions in battle. As mentioned earlier, Noctis is shy but conceals it by trying to act cool. Nomura stated that Noctis is not like any other character in the Final Fantasy series, it is one of the characters he wanted to try and use for several years now. Name: Regis Lucis Caelum Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Gray, but in flashback scenes he has black hair as its his natural hair color. Weapon: Falchion, unknown other than that. Personality: Unknown Regis Lucis Caelum - Regis is the father of Noctis and is the ruler of the last kingdom to control a crystal. Like Noctis his primary weapon is the falchion with an engine attached to its hilt and has the power to manipulate weapons. There is not much known about Regis other than that he is the king and father of Noctis. Name: Guradiorasu Amishitia Eye Color: Amber Hair Color: Dark Brown Weapon: Bare fisted fighting technique, but he can summon a great sword Personality: Very Cheerful Guradiorasu Amishitia - Guradiorasu is like a brother to Noctis, son and heir to a family that has guarded Lucis’ royalties for generations and generations. He is a very powerful man, he stands above everyone else with his superior height, he wears black leather trousers with a small side chain, an open black shirt with nothing but a pendant underneath, a small arm sleeve over his left wrist, and black shoes with red soles. Of course like mentioned above he has amber eyes and a huge scar over his left eye, how he got that scar is not yet revealed. His arms are covered with tattoos, he sports a jaw beard and has long hair that is shaved off along the sides. He is a very cheerful person as he appears to be in the trailers, in the latest trailer he appears to be the group’s senior commander. In the 1st Production Department Premiere trailer, he is heard urging the group to escape from the soldiers invading the city. Guradiorasu is a bare fist fighter but can summon a greatsword to aid him in battle, not somebody I would want to mess with. Name: Stella Nox Fleuret Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Blonde Weapon: Stella wields a rapier and upon brandishing it, a large, winged crest forms behind her, she can potentially summon different types of weapons like Noctis. Personality: Extremely wealthy, honest and very polite. Stella Nox Fleuret - Stella hails from the Fleuret family from the Kingdom of Tenebrae, she is the only confirmed enemy in Final Fantasy 15. Unlike other female villains Stella is not somebody to be messed with, Stella wields a rapier and upon brandishing it, a large, winged crest forms behind her, similar to how Noctis summons his weapons. It is speculated she can also summon different types of weapons, similar to Noctis. It is speculated that Stella, like Noctis has a special power from a near a death experience when she was younger. Little is known about Stella other than that she meets Noctis at a party, and they share some sort of connection. Nomura said that they do not wish to fight each other but because of some results and unfortunate circumstances in the game, they will be forced to. In the trailer you can clearly see Stella has blonde hair and bright blue eyes, stella wears silver stud earrings, an open short-sleeved white cardigan over a black corset-like top with a frilled black skirt and black knee-high boots. Nomura revealed that Stella is not like any other female character in any of Final Fantasy games, he said Stella will ” stand out “. I’m getting a feeling that Stella is more a kill first then ask questions type of girl, clearly from reading what her weapon is you can tell that she means business. Name: Ignis Stupeo Scientia Eye Color: Green Hair Color: Dark Brown Weapon: Katana or Nodachi, can toss knives at enemies. Personality: Composed, serious, and a cool personality. Ignis Stupeo Scientia - Is a playable character in Final Fantasy 15, he is a close childhood friend of Noctis and Gladilous. He is the acting strategist for the royal family as he is very smart and witty. In the trailers Ignis can be seen driving Noctis around, sort of as a bodyguard to protect him outside of the kingdom. Ignis follows a similar fashion style to Noctis, wearing black leather jackets. He wears glasses and has short, dark brown hair swept up. Ignis received a special education for gifted children to work as a staff officer for Noctis and acts as the understanding consultant for him. In battle, Ignis is the type of fighter that does multiple damage to an enemy and if there are multiple of enemies, he does multiple damage to each enemy. He also has the ability to throw knives at enemies very accurately. His main weapon of choice though, is the Katana. Probably one of my favorite character so far, he is displayed not only as a true friend but he cares for the kingdom and the lives of people who live in it. Name: Prompto Argentum Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: unruly blond hair Weapon: Prompto can use variety of firearms including handguns and shotguns. As an expert marksman, he’s the only character in the game who can manually aim firearms and attack enemy weak points. Personality: Playful Prompto Argentum - Prompto isn’t the biggest, he’s not the tallest or smartest, but he is one hell of a marksmen. He wears two bands on his right arm, black gloves, a dark green shirt and a sleeveless black vest with a dark red flannel shirt attached underneath. He wears black pants and black boots with red soles and lined with white fur. He is described as a ” skirt chaser ” and a bad influence on Noctis since his school days. Prompto is reckless and always in a playful mood, could he be a liability to Noctis? We do know that Prompto is a manual gunner, meaning he can aim and penetrate large monsters weak spots. I’m not sure about Prompto, I can see him getting someone killed. Name: Cor Leonis Eye Color: Light blue eyes Hair Color: Brown Weapon: Unknown Personality: Stubborn Cor Leonis - Is one of the top three commanding officers of the elite imperial guards. He is very strict when it comes to Noctis and his friends, one thing that is certain is that he is an honorable man has sworn his allegiance to the king and country. Cor is said to be a playable character in Final Fantasy 15. Cor is said to be one of the three best fighters in the entire kingdom, so whatever his weapon is, its pretty big time. Not a lot is known about him as of right now, but the little we do know is that he’s loyal to his kingdom. Name: Unknown ( Nickname around the net is ” White Robe ” Eye Color: Green Hair Color: Gray Weapon: Gun ( Is seen pointing a gun at Regis ) Personality: Unknown White Robe - Not a lot is known about him, we do know that he is after the Kingdom’s crystal and is seen in a standoff, pointing a gun at Regis Lucis Caelum. Nomura did confirm that there are two different white robed men, info about the other one is unknown yet. Unknown Characters: Final Fantasy XV All-Star Development Team Revealed by ManPacJune 27, 2013 Square Enix has confirmed that the widely respected First Production Department developing Final Fantasy XV (formerly known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII) includes many famous creators. Shinji Hashimoto (producer), Tetsuya Nomura (director and character designer), Hajime Tabata (co-director) and Takeshi Nozue (lead art director) are all on board for the development of Final Fantasy XV, as is Yoko Shimomura, the famed composer who is best known for her work in the Kingdom Hearts series. The only crystal left to the world lies in the Kingdom of Lucis. Upon striking a peace with the garrison state of Niflheim, Lucis rejoices in having at last brought the cold war to a close. Their celebrations, however, are premature. Under the guise of amity, Niflheim dispels the anti-armament runewall and launches a full-scale invasion of the kingdom. The peaceful lives Crown Prince Noctis and his entourage once knew are consumed by the flames of war as they struggle to mount a resistance. Square Enix Wanted to Remove UI, Hit Counters and Switching Characters by Ravi SinhaJune 26, 2013 In a recent interview, Final Fantasy XV director Tetsuya Nomura addressed issues of the game being an out-and-out action title without being an RPG. “It is being presented as ‘a Final Fantasy action game,’ but I wasn’t thinking of it like that.” Surprisingly, there was the intention to make Final Fantasy XV a pure action title. “True, we did want to get rid of the UI, remove hit counters, restrict the playable character to Noct and so on. But if we did all it that it would become just another action game like all the others. The team is saying, ‘don’t forget this is Final Fantasy before it is an action game.’” Understandably, there’s no confirmation on whether it’s an RPG at all, so when asked how he would describe Final Fantasy, Nomura stated that, “I think it is thinking about the numbers while fighting in a party. ‘FF’ is different to existing action games and FPSes, you can see the quantity of damage you’re taking and inflicting, and how much you are healing. Managing those numbers is the ‘thinking about the numbers’ part. “And in FFXV you can switch freely between 3 characters, so it is also about party combat. There are lots of combos and you need to be aware of characters outside the party.” Opinion Post: E3 2013: Final Fantasy XV: Where is the RPG? There's still plenty of reason to be worried about Square Enix, despite their recent reveal of Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III by Ari MargoJune 27, 2013 Just before the start of E3 2013 I told the rest of the crew of Gamer Horizon that I was really hoping Square Enix would show up at one of the press conferences and wow us with Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts III or SOMETHING. Their last appearance at the PlayStation 4 reveal event was less than spectacular; all they showed then was a video that we had already seen before. “Please be excited,” eh? I don’t think so. But then, they did exactly what I wanted them to do, and announced both Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III! Why then am I filled with a growing sense of dread instead of excitement? To be honest, I’m even more worried about Square Enix now than I was before the games were revealed. It probably has a little to do with the games Square Enix has been releasing lately. Despite having actually enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII and it’s spinoff sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2, I’d still place them towards the bottom of a “best to worst” list of Final Fantasy titles. And while Final Fantasy XII was a great game, the last Final Fantasy I really loved was Final Fantasy X. Though some may argue this point by naming games like Dragon Quest IX and The World Ends With You, I feel as though Square Enix—the company formed by the merging of the two best RPG developers of my childhood—has forgotten how to make RPGs. It seems their focus has shifted from role playing to action. I won’t hold this against Kingdom Hearts III, which should be an action RPG according to its roots. When the trailer finally gets to the gameplay we see the main character taking cover, avoiding gunfire, and fighting enemies while moving around in real time. If this trailer is a representation of the majority of the gameplay in Final Fantasy XV, it’s safe to say that it is an action game through and through. Beyond that, our hero is seen climbing up walls and fighting on the side of a building. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the trailer is more reminiscent of Devil May Cry, God or War, Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted than Final Fantasy—at least in terms of gameplay. If it weren’t for a brief mention of crystals, some awesome CGI, a few magic spells and airships flying through the skies, it would be difficult to find the “Final Fantasy” in this trailer at all. Of course, unlike the persistently traditional Dragon Quest series, Final Fantasy is known—especially in recent years—for radically reimagining itself with every installment. For example (aside from Final Fantasy X-2), we haven’t seen the Active Time Battle system since Final Fantasy IX, and every game since has had a unique battle engine. But no matter how the series evolved, one thing remained consistent: Final Fantasy games are always RPGs. I am really struggling to find the “RPG” in Final Fantasy XV. There are hints of an RPG here and there throughout the trailer. We can see numbers that presumably represent the hit points of the characters in a party of 3, and we can assume that there is a leveling mechanic that determines how the characters grow. It’s also clear that there is still a heavy focus on storytelling. But aside from that, we don’t see many RPG mechanics in the trailer at all. Perhaps they shouldn’t have changed the name. As a spinoff, Final Fantasy Versus XIII had every right to be an action game. But as the fifteenth numbered Final Fantasy game, it seems disappointing. Who knows? Maybe it will be a great game. Despite the concerned tone of this article, I am looking forward to Final Fantasy XV. I just feel like Square Enix decided to rename the game because three years since the release of Final Fantasy XIII (and disregarding spinoffs and Final Fantasy XIV because it’s an MMORPG), they had nothing else to show to the diehard Final Fantasy fans at E3 this year. Beyond that, did you know Final Fantasy Versus XIII was originally announced in May of 2006? That’s 7 years of development already! What’s going on? In only 4 years between 1997 and 2000, Square Enix (and Squaresoft) managed to release Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX. Yet Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XIII came out over the course of 10 years from 2001 to 2010. With Final Fantasy XV likely to be released in 2014 it seems we can now only expect a main series single player Final Fantasy game once every four or five years. I know game design has become much more expensive and time consuming as technology has developed, but it still seems ridiculous that after 7 years of development, all we’re getting from Final Fantasy XV is a renamed spinoff. Still, I can’t help but to wonder if there was or is another Final Fantasy XV in development. If so, it’s probably safe to assume it has been renamed Final Fantasy XVI, but I get the feeling we won’t see or hear a peep about that until E3 2015, and we’ll be lucky to see it released by the end of the decade (we’ll probably get Final Fantasy XV-2 or something of the sort between now and then though). I just hope when Final Fantasy XVI is revealed that it’s an RPG. So yes, I got what I wanted from Square Enix at E3 2013. Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV are coming. But can you blame me for being worried about the future of what was once my favorite RPG developer? Director Nomura Talks Similarities Between Final Fantasy XV And Kingdom Hearts by SatoJune 28, 2013 We recently got a look at a couple internal interviews conducted by Square Enix, where director Tetsuya Nomura revealed that Final Fantasy XV will be considered for hardware that uses DirectX 11 and how they had to recreate graphics after losing the data for the original Kingdom Hearts. In a new Famitsu interview, Nomura shares new information regarding Final Fantasy XV, along with some comparisons to the Kingdom Hearts series. In Final Fantasy XV’s gameplay trailer from E3, we got a good look at the action portion of the game, that showed Noctis warping around while using different weapons to take on Iron Giants and a Behemoth. According to Nomura, the scene was that of a very high leveled Noctis, who makes use of various weapons and his warping ability. In the early stages of the game, it won’t be quite the same. Famitsu points out that the trailer seems to show a lot of cooperative actions between Noctis and his allies. They also mention how some people may be concerned about whether these actions will make the gameplay a little too complicated to control. “The starting point will have a sense of control that is similar to that of Kingdom Hearts’ ‘easy and refreshing action,’ so it won’t be difficult,” says Nomura. “Most of it will come pretty naturally to you. We’re currently testing out different operational methods with each hardware. Regarding allies, in addition to cooperative attacks, there will also be situational actions, which will be part of various scenarios in battles.” In Final Fantasy XV, you’ll get to ride on Behemoths and pull off other extravagant actions against enemies. Nomura also mentions that the free-run aspect doesn’t only apply to the map, but also monsters. For example, you’ll also get to climb onto monsters and aim for specific parts of their bodies. Nomura reiterates, “There’s a battle where Leviathan is causing a waterspout. There’s a scene that shows a fight inside the tornado while jumping between the debris of collapsed buildings. I believe that boss fights will feature such particular flashy situations.” Speaking of sea monsters, Nomura also revealed some information regarding the nation that appears to have an abundant supply of water. According to Nomura, the nation of Accordo (pictured above) is heavily inspired by the city of Venice, Italy. Nomura visited Venice visited back in 2004 and 2005. In addition to Accordo, Lucis, Solheim and Tenebrae are the four great nations that were originally entrusted to protect the four crystals. However, the Kingdom of Lucis remains to be the only one that’s been able to protect it up until now. There will also be several cities and towns in the world of Final Fantasy XV. Some fans have been curious about the bottom-left part of the screen that appears to indicate a variety of weapons. According to Nomura, it was originally set in a way where weapons would automatically switch according to the combo structures. This has since then been changed, allowing players to have the option to select their own weapons at all times. In regards to other commands and gauges, Nomura will be revealing more in the near future. We’ve seen the speed that Noctis is capable of in the gameplay trailer from E3. Nomura, who says they’re focusing greatly on the sense of speed, compares it to the Kingdom Hearts series in that players can get a grasp of the character’s movements, but a person who is simply watching might not understand what’s going on. The two upcoming titles may have some similarities, but they’re not quite the same, according to Nomura. Famitsu asks about the difference they have planned between Final Fantasy XV compared to Kingdom Hearts. “While Final Fantasy XV focuses on the realistic side of things, Kingdom Hearts is more about the ‘bold action,’” says Nomura in regards to the comparison. “In short, it’s about having movements that wouldn’t be possible, but making it look real instead of unnatural. In a way, it connects it to Kingdom Hearts’ fresh characteristics.” Famitsu also expressed their curiosity toward the two characters who appear to be villains (pictured above). One is an older man with white hair and sharp eyes, while the other appears to be a peculiar redhead. “These two are are hostile characters who are against Noctis, and there will be plenty of other villains” says Nomura. “The red-haired character is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara, so we decided to give him red hair. Mr. Fujiwara voiced the roles of Reno from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Axel from the Kingdom Hearts series, so we decided to go with red hair to keep the same flow.” Finally, Famitsu points out that there appears to be an overwhelming amount of male characters. Nomura jokingly responds, “At the end of the trailer in the part with the aligned faces, there’s one new female character… Okay, it’s full of guys (laughs).” Nomura-san gets interviewed at Japan Expo speaks about KH3 and FFXV by Humad Ali ShahJuly 07, 2013 Tetsuya Nomura, the director of Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV showed up at the Japan Expo in France and was interviewed by Finaland and Final Fantasy Dream about his two upcoming games. The complete interview is as follows: Finaland & FFDream: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX includes Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, which was released exclusively in Japan. How then will the new cutscenes be localized for the Western version? Will it be dubbed in French? Tetsuya Nomura :Unfortunately we didn’t have any opportunity to put the french voice over in this 1.5 version so it’s going to be french subtitles only. Finaland & FFDream : How did you come to split the development team into two teams? How far are you involved in the development of Kingdom Hearts III? TN : For this HD version of Kingdom Hearts 1.5, the main programmers never actually worked in the Kingdom Hearts series before and they did all the remastering, all the processing, all the actual work by themselves and for Kingdom Hearts III the other staff is doing all the testing, deciding which kind of elements we want to put in the game and everything. So there’s one team doing HD 1.5 and another one doing KH3, that’s how we’ve been working for the last couple years. Regarding my personal involvement in Kingdom Hearts III, I always have been heavily involved in this project compared to the other games i’m actually producing or directing. The team creating Kingdom Hearts III is in the studios in Osaka, and as you guys know Osaka and Tokyo are a little bit far away from each other but we meet enough with meetings quite often and we’re doing telephone conferences too. So we communicate all the time as I am quite heavily involved on this project. Finaland & FFDream : With the acquisition of Marvel and Lucas Arts by Disney, could you imagine adding some kind of stuff from these licenses in the game ? TN : (laughs) Of course it would be great if we could add those licenses as well. But there are lots of rules and restrictions by disney so we can’t actually put everything people want, so it’s a quite difficult decision but we’re gonna prepare some surprises for you so, just wait for the informations. Finaland & FFDream : Because you know that Kitase-san (Yoshinori Kitase) is a big fan of Star Wars ! So you have to do that ! TN : (laughs) We’re not going to decide it whether Kitase-san likes Star Wars or not but we’ve been talking about Star Wars itself since it became Disney’s content recently. When I eared the news I was like “Wow ! Wow !”. Yeah obviously it’s gonna be great if we could add it, but like I said there are a lot of restrictions and rules by Disney so we don’t know what’s gonna happen but yeah, we’ll see. Finaland & FFDream : Can we expect a multiplayer cooperative mode with many playables characters in KHIII ? TN : The Kingdom Hearts series always had Sora as the main character, so we want to make the most of Sora, playable Sora of course. But again, Kingdom Hearts III is going to be the last chapter of the Kingdom Hearts main numbering title series, so lots of fans actually want to play as their favorite characters in Kingdom Hearts III so we will consider that, we will listen to what fans wants but hopefully we could give you some surprises in the future announcements. Finaland & FFDream : You watch a lot of movies, how does that inspire you ? Do you pick some ideas in the movies you watch ? TN : I watch movies a lot, I mean A LOT (laughs), normally like two, three films a day, it’s my pace. I watch quite a lot so I don’t always remember the names or titles even. So I watch and then I get a bit of inspirations from films and stuff, I can’t name the actual titles of the movies that actually inspired me to create games but when I’m watching movies sometimes I feel like “ Oh ! That’s nice !” or “That’s good!”, something like that. Finaland & FFDream : Nomura-san, your character outfits are more and more detailed. When we saw Cloud for the first time in 1997 and now Noctis in 2013, there’s a lot of greatness in them. Have you received some fashion lessons or do you just follow fashion ? TN : Obviously I always think about the current kind of trend and fashion and everything when I create the characters but this time for XV and Noctis and all the main characters that have been revealed, this time we actually asked for a professional brand to create the characters outfits, we also have the actual clothes in the office so our CG team and all the teams can actually see the clothes with their own eyes to create exactly the same image in the game. And that’s really easier because previously when I created the characters, all the CG team and all of our entire development team always asked me “Is this leather? Is this coton? Is this nylon? How many percentage ? Dadadada” That’s a lot of detailed questions so it’s always difficult to precise what kind of texture are the clothes made off and stuff like that, so that’s why this time we had the actual clothes made and then we take it from there and put it in the game. Finaland & FFDream : Nomura-san, you work on a lot of project like Final Fantasy XV, the Kingdom Hearts Saga, The World Ends With You. How do you manage all the projects you have at the same time? TN : Actually I am not very good at managing myself, especially at managing lots of different projects, but because of my staff and all the staffs are very very intelligent, very good and very capable I’m able to run all the different projects at the same time. And also the most important are the Co-Directors in each project, again they are very capable and skilled people, they are the people actually managing the actual everyday job on the ground. That’s why I’m here, they are supporting me all the time. Finaland & FFDream : You’ve created a lot of characters for the Final Fantasy series. What’s your favorite character between all those you’ve created ? TN : Hmm if I had to choose a favorite character, I would say Sora, and Noctis. Why them? Of course Sora, I’ve been together with him for more than ten years now, this is the first time i’ve been with a character for such a long time, so he’s very very special for me and he’s been adopted by Disney also, so he’s a very very good boy. More like a good son actually. Also there is Noctis, he hasn’t been in front of you, I mean moving etc yet in a real gameplay but he will soon, in the future. Do you know the name Sora mean the “sky”, in japanese and Noctis, his family name is Caelum which mean sky as well so basically, Noctis mean “night sky”, so they are kind of complete opposites to each other. There is a reason why I named these characters as opposites. Noctis is kind of like my latest boy, or latest son and I expect him to be more clever than Cloud. Finaland & FFDream : Okay, one question Tetsuya Nomura, very important for us, and for Hideo Kojima because Hideo Kojima said he’d love a remake of Final Fantasy VII, but what about you ? Would you like to play a Metal Gear Solid 1 Remake ? TN : To play ? Finaland & FFDream : Yes, to play. TN : Of course I’d like, if he were going to do a MGS remake. Finaland & FFDream : And what do you think about the differences of the Fox Engine and your own Luminous Engine ? TN : I think the Fox Engine and Luminous Engine are totally different engines because they each got different kind of abilities and skills and stuff that we could use in a game. One engine can do certain things the other engine can’t for example. It depends on what you want to do, but I think they totally are two different kind of engines. Finaland & FFDream : A Final Fantasy XV question, what should we expect in terms of vehicles ? Can we pilot airships and explore the world of Final Fantasy XV and discover its secrets ? TN : We don’t have any big plans for having different type of vehicles and stuff like that. There’s one you saw in the recent trailer of course. Well two things you probably could use, first, the car, the car is gonna be the vehicle you’ll use probably the most in the game. The other one, the magitek armor, you can actually control and ride the magitek armor as well, in a future reveal you’ll probably find more. Finaland & FFDream : A motorbike ? TN : (laughs) In Final Fantasy XV you play as a party, you’re always with your friends so five guys riding a motorbike together, I’m not sure if this would works. Finaland & FFDream : In a gang ! Like Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. TN : (laugh), yeah maybe it doesn’t look very good in a game. Finaland & FFDream : Why did you change Stella’s design and made her look so much younger. Is it because of story development or because you made a survey with the audience ? TN : There is no specific reason behind hit, but we didn’t want to make her look younger, we just wanted to make her a little bit prettier. That’s all. Finaland & FFDream : But in 2007 she was very nice ! She’s very nice and still pretty but she’s still a little younger. TN : When I created Stella, back in 2007, I actually created something that is not my type of character, but obviously time has past since then, about six years now, and then she actually became something that I quite like now. Finaland & FFDream : In the trailer we could briefly see Noctis with red eyes. Will the red eyes give him some sort of special power during the battles ? TN : In the last promotion trailer, Noctis got red eyes because he got the ability of teleportation, so that’s why when he did that, his eyes got red. Actually Visual Works created the trailer back then in 2007. When you actually play the game, you can’t really see and zoom in the face of the character anyway. And he moves very fast as well so… if the character’s face is actually seen in a zoomed-in on the screen, we probably could still make his eyes red but we haven’t decided whether we’re gonna need the red eyes or not. Finaland & FFDream : The game looks very serious and fatalist. Have you planned to add some sort of fun moments or funny mini-games ? TN : We are actually thinking to have some sort of fun elements in the game, but for the moment the priority is to create the main game itself. I will add or not add stuff like that depending on how the development of the main game goes , but yeah we are thinking about that. Finaland & FFDream : About the artistic direction of the game. The appearance of the Kingdom of Lucis is much like the Shinjuku district in Tokyo and Accordo has the same feeling of Venice, in Italy. Can we hope to see some places inspired by the french regions perhaps ? Paris perhaps ? TN : Well do you have any games actually based in Paris ? Finaland & FFDream : Deling City from Final Fantasy VIII with the Arc de Triomphe. TN : If we’ve used it before we might not want to use it in a new game (laughs). So i’m not sure about using Paris. In my opinion, in lot of RPG games there are many European motives, European things, cities and stuff where your characters live and play but you guys still think like you need more European things or French things? Finaland & FFDream : We’d just love to see that in Final Fantasy, we are sure it would be very nice. TN : Well we’ll thing about that, that’s all I can say. Finaland & FFDream : Thank you very much ! We’ve seen a lot of male characters with Noctis and his friends. Is there going to be girls as playable characters as well ? TN : I can’t say anything specific now but it would be… quite difficult, to have a girl playable. Finaland & FFDream : Question about this place, we are in Japan Expo, there are more than two hundred thousand people there, loving japanese culture so much. We actually watch anime in original version and we watched Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete only in japanese. Can we hope to get the original japanese voices for Final Fantasy XV in Europe. TN : That all depends of the capacity of the disc. The two main reason are the disc space and also the lip sync, because if we’re making the game, with the characters speaking in english but with the voices in japanese, the lip sync would not match. Even though you’d prefer having the japanese voices? Finaland & FFDream : Yes, actually, please, we have a solution for you, can you think of a limited edition with only japanese voices and french text, would it be possible to do that? TN : You really want this that much? Finaland & FFDream : YES YES YES we really want japanese voices. TN : (laughs) You’ll have to say this YES YES YES to Square enix though for not to me. If you guys really want THAT kind of request very much from all the fans and all the community side and everything, it would probably be best to tell Square Enix France or Square Enix Europe to make that happen. Square Enix France of Europe could speak to Square Enix Japan and it probably could make it happen, but we’ll see. Finaland & FFDream : Thank you ! Next question, is it Game Over if Noctis dies ? TN : At some time I said that the game was gonna be over when Noctis died, when we were talking about Versus XIII, but now as Versus XIII became Final Fantasy XV we haven’t decided it actually so we can’t really say if it’s going to change or not, we’ll see. Finaland & FFDream : Will we be able to customize weapons and equipments of our characters ? TN : I’m sorry but we can’t say anything about that, yet. Finaland & FFDream : What can you tell us about the future of Dissidia, on PSVita or PS4 maybe ? With the addition of Noctis ? TN : I’m not that heavily involved in Dissidia project, but if director Takahashi want to include Noctis in the next Dissidia game, I would probably think about it then, but I can’t really say anything so far. Finaland & FFDream : You made the two video presentations for E3 from Artnia the place for all your fans in Japan The announcement was so exciting for us, how do you react to that and are you glad to be back? TN : I was very very busy, I didn’t prepare enough to do that video message recording at all… Finaland & FFDream : It was GOOD ! TN : (laughs) Actually that recording was, yes, happening in Artnia, recorded by the promo and publicity staffs. There was not even a microphone there, so it probably was quite difficult for you guys to listen to what I actually said. I was myself really surprised as well because Sony said they needed a video message so that’s why we did it, only a couple of days before flying for E3. Finaland & FFDream : What will the addition of Hajime Tabata, the great producer of Final Fantasy Type-0 bring to the FFXV team ? TN : The reason why we bringed Tabata-san into the team is because he always said to me that it wanted to join the Final Fantasy XV project. I asked him in the team, his vitality and mentality are always very motivated and very high. In the future campaign and until the game is out, Tabata-san himself will be going to speak in front of you guys more often so please ask him in details when he’s available. Finaland & FFDream : Nomura-san can we imagine that you’ll work on Final Fantasy XV-2 just after finishing the first one? TN : Obviously we haven’t decided yet. We don’t have any concrete plan for a future sequel of FFXV, it would be good if we could do that but we can’t announce it or say anything into detail for the moment so wait for future informations. Finaland & FFDream : Last question, Nomura-san it’s the first time we saw you with the fan communities in France, we are very happy to see you. Do you think that you will come again next time ? TN : Of course i’d love to come again, but other people working on my project obviously want to come to meet the fans and meet you guys as well, so we’re gonna decide depending on what kind of event or opportunity we’ll have in a future. You guys definitely want to see the same face every year so (laughs) we’ll see about that. Finaland & FFDream : We always see Kitase-san and Toriyama-san. Hashimoto-san too. We saw them every year for XIII, XIII-2, Lightning Returns. I saw Shinji Hashimoto in 2010 and we talked about Versus XIII and we were talking about teleportation in the game and he said “Oh I don’t know if Nomura-san will do that” and now we actually see that in the game and it’s just amazing. Thank you very much for your work and we all hope that you will succeed with this project. TN : This time I came here to promote Kingdom Hearts 1.5 (laughs) so it’s a bit early for me to talk to you about the details of Final Fantasy XV, but when we’ll have to decide when to release, or for the campaign kick-off i’ll probably come back again, we’ll see, and thank you. Final Fantasy 15 Won E3 According To Japanese Gamers, Followed By MGS5 & Kingdom Hearts 3 by Ravi SinhaJuly 07, 2013 Popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently took a poll asking readers what games caught their attention most at this year’s E3. This was the year that saw several high profile announcements, along with a bunch of reveals for existing blockbusters. Unsurprisingly however, it was the Japan-made games that got the most attention. The surveys indicated that Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 15, which formerly went by the name Final Fantasy Versus XIII, ranked first. This was followed by Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and the long awaited announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3. Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS came fourth, while the only non-Japanese title to make the top 5 was Ubisoft’s Watch_Dogs in fifth place. Much was made about Metal Gear Solid 5 in particular with readers praising its graphics and open world gameplay. One reader stated that, “I felt this game offers something really powerful that only the next gen can produce, not just another case of the visuals getting better.” The top three, however, are yet to receive release dates. The Sounds of Yoko Shimomura by Robert MangioneJuly 08, 2013 Yoko Shimomura is a well-known game composer with prestigious credits like Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter II to her name. With Mario and Luigi: Dream Team releasing in August and Kingdom Hearts III announced at this year’s E3, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Shimomura’s work and examine her compositional style over the course of her career. Currently working freelance, Shimomura is probably best known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series but has many more credits to her name. Yoko Shimomura has composed for every Mario RPG save for the Paper Mario series. One of Yoko Shimomura’s defining traits is capturing emotion in her work. In an interview Shimomura claimed that “anything that moves my emotion gives me inspiration.” She also cited Street Fighter II and Super Mario RPG as two of her most significant works. While she didn’t compose the entirety of SFII’s soundtrack, she did compose Ryu’s theme, which I consider to be one of the finest in the series. It’s an upbeat song that suggests the idea of strength and determination to me, perfectly capturing the spirit of a man on a journey with the pure intent of pushing his mastery of martial arts to the limit. Shimomura’s later compositions take on an ethereal feel with an emphasis on chanting and piano. The surreal tone in games like Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario RPG wouldn’t be the same without the lower-pitched melodies of the games’ darker areas like Belome’s Temple or the Forest Maze. The use of chanting in music like Kingdom Hearts II’s boss theme also serves to make the piece sound more threatening. I’ve always felt that human sounds – like chanting – create dissonance by connecting organic sounds to an electronic medium. However, Shimomura is also talented enough to compose music that better serves lighthearted games like the Mario and Luigi RPG series by emphasizing instruments over voices. Shimomura's music helps enforce the darker tone that the Kingdom Hearts entry took in its second entry. On a personal note, I’ve always found the battle music in the Kingdom Hearts series to be some of its best. The songs do such a good job of capturing the spirit of the Disney movies they’re modeled after while staying true to Yoko Shimomura’s style of composition. In particular, the use of instruments similar to the ones used in the defining songs from movies the worlds are based on is a nice touch. Shimomura will also be composing for the upcoming Final Fantasy XV. Kingdom Hearts is the closest she’s gotten to the Final Fantasy franchise, but she certainly has big shoes to fill given how former series composer Nobuo Uematsu’s presence still looms over the series long after his departure. Given the claim by Tetsuya Nomura that Final Fantasy XV is intended to go “deeper in terms of offering some crude reality in terms of human emotion or human behaviour,” Shimomura seems like a splendid choice. Simple moments like this can leave a big impression, and seem well-suited to Shimomura’s style. Final Fantasy XV: Everything We Know by Jason SchreierJuly 10, 2013 The 15th Final Fantasy doesn't have a release date yet, nor does it even have a release year, but there's still plenty of information floating around about the next entry in Square Enix's titanic flagship series. What used to be called Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been in development for over seven years now, and it will be out for Xbox One and PS4 at some indeterminate point in the future. Let's look at everything we know about the game so far. (We'll be updating this post every so often as we learn more about Final Fantasy XV, so stay tuned.) The Trailers Let's start things off with some video footage. First there was the Versus reveal in 2006: A big Versus trailer came out in 2011: Then there was the re-reveal: in 2013, Versus morphed into Final Fantasy XV, now slated for Xbox One and PS4. Finally, here's some recent gameplay footage, also from 2013. Sure is pretty. The Cast There are five main party members in Final Fantasy XV, and if you think they look like a boy band, you're not alone. Here are their official descriptions, via Square Enix: Quote: Noctis Lucis Caelum: A childhood affliction endowed Noctis, heir apparent to the throne of Lucis, with the mystical power to see a heavenly light, through which he could sense others' deaths. Noctis rejects rigid royal conventions and acts as somewhat of a renegade, much to the dismay of those who tend to him. Yet while "Noct" may act brash at times, he does so in defense of those loyal to him. Gladiolus Amicitia: As lord of the noble House Amicitia, Gladiolus continues a line sworn to protect the crown. "Gladio" shares a friendship with Noctis that transcends birth and title, and his loyalty to his liege is born not of duty, but of brotherhood. Ignis Scientia: Ever the unwavering voice of reason, Ignis was weaned on shrewd logic and a classical education from boyhood so that he might one day counsel the would-be king, Noctis. He applies the deep mutual understanding and trust they have built over time to help smooth over Noctis's brusqueness with others. Prompto Argentum: The puckish playboy Prompto befriended Noctis in his school days. He wears a chip on his shoulder as an outsider to the royal circle, but remains eager to do all he can for the cause. Cor Leonis: A living legend of Lucian lore, Lord Commander Cor Leonis's devotion to the art of war is surpassed only by that to his king. Little love is lost between the ill-starred stalwart and Noctis's retinue, yet honor binds him to keep watch over the group all the same. No women? We've seen a few appearances from a woman named Stella, who appears to play a pivotal role in the plot—like Noctis, she has a strange power related to the spirits of the dead—but Square Enix has stayed quiet about whether she, or any other women, will be playable in Final Fantasy XV. We also know a little bit about a couple of the villains. There's this guy, who doesn't have a name but really wants to beat up Noctis's dad (and steal his crystal). And then there's pink-haired umbrella man, who seems like one of those badass honorable villains that will eventually join and/or help out your party. Oh, and there's hair. Lots of hair. "Sometimes I wish we had the easiness Western FPS (first-person shooters) have, to make everyone bald," director Tetsuya Nomura told NBC. "We're a company that's known for unique hairstyles, but in a way we're running out of ideas." The Story Noctis n' crew have got some struggles to overcome. Here's Square's story synopsis: Quote: The only crystal left to the world lies in the Kingdom of Lucis. Upon striking a peace with the garrison state of Niflheim, Lucis rejoices in having at last brought the cold war to a close. Their celebrations, however, are premature. Under the guise of amity, Niflheim dispels the anti-armament runewall and launches a full-scale invasion of the kingdom. The peaceful lives Crown Prince Noctis and his entourage once knew are consumed by the flames of war as they struggle to mount a resistance. Some other facts:
The Combat
The World
Oh, and Nomura has already started talking about a potential sequel. He thinks it'll be tough to wrap up all of his vision for Final Fantasy XV in just one game. Final Fantasy XV: Everything We Know by Jason SchreierJuly 10, 2013 The 15th Final Fantasy doesn't have a release date yet, nor does it even have a release year, but there's still plenty of information floating around about the next entry in Square Enix's titanic flagship series. What used to be called Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been in development for over seven years now, and it will be out for Xbox One and PS4 at some indeterminate point in the future. Let's look at everything we know about the game so far. (We'll be updating this post every so often as we learn more about Final Fantasy XV, so stay tuned.) The Trailers Let's start things off with some video footage. First there was the Versus reveal in 2006: A big Versus trailer came out in 2011: Then there was the re-reveal: in 2013, Versus morphed into Final Fantasy XV, now slated for Xbox One and PS4. Finally, here's some recent gameplay footage, also from 2013. Sure is pretty. The Cast There are five main party members in Final Fantasy XV, and if you think they look like a boy band, you're not alone. Here are their official descriptions, via Square Enix: Quote: Noctis Lucis Caelum: A childhood affliction endowed Noctis, heir apparent to the throne of Lucis, with the mystical power to see a heavenly light, through which he could sense others' deaths. Noctis rejects rigid royal conventions and acts as somewhat of a renegade, much to the dismay of those who tend to him. Yet while "Noct" may act brash at times, he does so in defense of those loyal to him. Gladiolus Amicitia: As lord of the noble House Amicitia, Gladiolus continues a line sworn to protect the crown. "Gladio" shares a friendship with Noctis that transcends birth and title, and his loyalty to his liege is born not of duty, but of brotherhood. Ignis Scientia: Ever the unwavering voice of reason, Ignis was weaned on shrewd logic and a classical education from boyhood so that he might one day counsel the would-be king, Noctis. He applies the deep mutual understanding and trust they have built over time to help smooth over Noctis's brusqueness with others. Prompto Argentum: The puckish playboy Prompto befriended Noctis in his school days. He wears a chip on his shoulder as an outsider to the royal circle, but remains eager to do all he can for the cause. Cor Leonis: A living legend of Lucian lore, Lord Commander Cor Leonis's devotion to the art of war is surpassed only by that to his king. Little love is lost between the ill-starred stalwart and Noctis's retinue, yet honor binds him to keep watch over the group all the same. No women? We've seen a few appearances from a woman named Stella, who appears to play a pivotal role in the plot—like Noctis, she has a strange power related to the spirits of the dead—but Square Enix has stayed quiet about whether she, or any other women, will be playable in Final Fantasy XV. We also know a little bit about a couple of the villains. There's this guy, who doesn't have a name but really wants to beat up Noctis's dad (and steal his crystal). And then there's pink-haired umbrella man, who seems like one of those badass honorable villains that will eventually join and/or help out your party. Oh, and there's hair. Lots of hair. "Sometimes I wish we had the easiness Western FPS (first-person shooters) have, to make everyone bald," director Tetsuya Nomura told NBC. "We're a company that's known for unique hairstyles, but in a way we're running out of ideas." The Story Noctis n' crew have got some struggles to overcome. Here's Square's story synopsis: Quote: The only crystal left to the world lies in the Kingdom of Lucis. Upon striking a peace with the garrison state of Niflheim, Lucis rejoices in having at last brought the cold war to a close. Their celebrations, however, are premature. Under the guise of amity, Niflheim dispels the anti-armament runewall and launches a full-scale invasion of the kingdom. The peaceful lives Crown Prince Noctis and his entourage once knew are consumed by the flames of war as they struggle to mount a resistance. Some other facts:
The Combat
The World
Oh, and Nomura has already started talking about a potential sequel. He thinks it'll be tough to wrap up all of his vision for Final Fantasy XV in just one game. The Mystery Behind the Myth by GTJuly 11, 2013 From old Shakespeare quotes to the rebirth of Versus, we explore every angle and trailer to gaze deep into the crystals and shed light on the latest flash of Final Fantasy. (6:49) Talking Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts & Development Philosophy with Tetsuya Nomura We chat to Square Enix's most prolific designer. by Alex DonaldsonJuly 16, 2013 For readers of a site like RPG Site, Tetsuya Nomura really needs little to no introduction. To most he is the character designer of Final Fantasy VII, arguably the most beloved in the series, but his career extends far beyond that. He's responsible for much of the design in the eigth, tenth and thirteenth FF titles, too, and is the creator and Director of the Kingdom Hearts series - a franchise with unprecedentedly rapid growth that led it to even threaten eclipsing Final Fantasy sales for a period. It's no surprise that so much of the current Japanese output of Square Enix hinges of the creative juices of this particular individual. He's now at the helm of both Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III, the company's two biggest next-generation bets. In a sense, Nomura embodies all that Square Enix currently is - and after rocky financial returns, his vision needs to produce results. We catch up with Nomura at the tail end of a rare slew of interviews. He's known for his privacy, preferring to remain with the team working than head out on press tours, and this is his first time being interviewed in Europe since around 2006. He tells me he's very tired, but still puts in the effort to answer my questions on development, philosophy and the bizarre sort of fame his characters have gifted him in detail. RPG Site: It must be an interesting time for you right now - in Kingdom Hearts 1.5 you're revisiting a major milestone in your career, while building two new ones in Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III. When you look back at your older titles, such as KH1 or FF7 and 8, what do you see? Do you see changes you would like to make, or do you release your creations once complete? Tetsuya Nomura: Well, as a creator I always create something new - I keep challenging myself to create something new. Looking back on my old games and everything I was involved in, I often think to myself 'I could have done this' or 'I could have added that,' and stuff like that. It's part of the process. Right now, though, for Kingdom Hearts specifically - the original game was released more than ten years ago now, but looking back, the original Kingdom Hearts Final Mix... I don't feel like I should add this or that, or any more. Back then, it was perfect as it is. Even though I've played this HD version of the game knowing its age, I don't feel that it's very old when I play it. I can still feel the passion I had back then in this original game - so, yeah. If we remake a game, maybe we then go and think about adding new elements and sequences and stuff like that, or making large changes - but I think a HD remaster, with the visual upgrade, is the right thing for this particular game. RPG Site: One thing that fascinates me about you, as with Kojima-san, is your taste in and love of movies. I saw a great quote from you at E3 about Les Miserables. I'm curious about your personal taste in movies and how that inspires what you do - can you tell us a bit about that, and how your taste in moves effects your game creation philosophy? Tetsuya Nomura: Hmmm... Well, yes, I watch movies a lot. I mean -- a LOT. Sometimes I watch a film to try to get some inspiration from it, and sometimes I just watch them for fun, with a really flat feeling about it, not thinking anything. Basically, normally, I'm not feeling anything - I just put the film on and watch. Because I watch so many films, I struggle to remember specific ones that I got my inspirations from, but if we were talking genres, I love watching horror films probably the most. If you look at my work on Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts -- [laughs] Is there any horror influence there? For me personally, it doesn't work that because I have been inspired by something I then create something similar - it doesn't work like that for me. It all depends on the genre, and the kind of feeling I get from a particular movie - that all depends on what I feel after I've watched a film. Maybe I get something, maybe I can't. If you take Les Miserables, which you mentioned - I don't like the musical genre anyway. It's not because I like musicals I liked that film -- but as a total score, that film was really good. It's not like I love one particular type of film - it's all about the balance. The balance of artwork, actors and actresses, also story - if everything matches, it can make one particular film great, like Les Miserables. Les Miserables and Romeo and Juliet [The 1996 movie version], which of course I also like - they are old, traditional plays that have been updated. I've never actually seen the original stage play, but the reason why I really like those classic plays is because of the total balance of everything - the balance of all the levels. For me, especially the last scene of Les Miserables where everybody is singing together - that scene was unbelievable. RPG Site: Even the dead get their encore, right? Nomura: [laughs] It's amazing, isn't it? Very moving - all the music, it's a very powerful scene. That kind of classic play always has a really good total balance. RPG Site: You use the word balance a lot; is that something you seek in your game design? Do you think there's a parallel between movie and game creation? Nomura: To an extent, but of course there's a massive difference between balance in films and balance creating a game. Especially creating some games for next-gen consoles - because the next gen consoles have a high spec and a lot of new functionality and everything - there's a kind of gap between the film-making and game creating at the moment. Especially at the moment for game-making, there's just loads of staff involved... as a director, I can't do anything by myself! A director on a film can control things more, but I can't instruct all the people by myself. If the game is triple-A, a big, big project... the way I can use my power, and how to direct people... it's very difficult! RPG Site: After the E3 announcement and showing, a lot of people online are defining FF15 as having Kingdom Hearts style combat. When 15 was Versus, I always figured it as an experiment - that your team would then go on to KH3 after completing that - but now Osaka is on KH3, which also looks to have that signature gameplay style. Does that concern you - that the two games could end up too similar in gameplay? Nomura: Okay, so... [pauses] Two games. Both directed by myself. [laughs] However, both games are developed by two completely different teams. The two of them - they don't fight, but they compete - in a friendly way - and they try to create better things together. Both sides are, of course, developed for next-gen consoles as well. There's a difference between the two, of course; Final Fantasy XV is a numbered title - the big history behind Final Fantasy, the task they have on their shoulders is huge, because it's the latest Final Fantasy game and has to live up to that history. For the Kingdom Hearts team there is less history, but there are thousands of people around the world who are so passionate about the Kingdom Hearts series and have been for years - and this of course is the first announced numbered Kingdom Hearts title in many years, as well. People's hopes and expectations are very, very high there, as well - so that is on their shoulders as well. So, the two teams have different kinds of tasks, different kinds of missions they have to complete and accomplish. That's the most important thing for both teams. From the user's point of view, I don't think they worry about these things, or think 'which is better?' or anything like that - both teams look in a different direction. The most important thing for me is that they focus on the tasks - the missions - that each team has. RPG Site: It's appears it's all about sequels and spin-offs now. There were many Kingdom Hearts titles between II and III, while on the FF side we have sequels - X-2, XIII-2, Lighting Returns - and you've already announced FF15 will have sequels. How does planning for multiple titles at a time instead of just one effect you as a creator? Nomura: To start, the reason why we have had so many Kingdom Hearts spin-off games... well, look - it's above your imagination, seriously, believe it or not - creating a HD game is unbelievably difficult. [laughs] People think it's easy - even a HD remake like 1.5, they think 'Ah, easy job' - but it actually isn't like that at all. Everything is difficult in the process, even with a HD remaster of a game. For 1.5 for instance, when we decided to make it, we had to decide where we were going to concentrate because it was so difficult, there was so much work involved. The main reason why we had so many spin-offs for Kingdom Hearts is because we couldn't start preparing for Kingdom Hearts III for a while - for a long time - because... well, because of some reasons, basically. However, if we didn't release any Kingdom Hearts games after the second at all, people might forget about the game, might forget about the series. Obviously, I didn't want to do that - that's why we decided to make a spin-off game until the preparation for Kingdom Hearts III was ready to do. So, in a way, because of this, if there were no spin-off games, there was no Kingdom Hearts III. It was kind of needed to have all those spin-offs - a lot of spin-offs - because the time was quite long before the Kingdom Hearts III preparation started. With Final Fantasy, each game has a different reason why we decided to do sequels and stuff - for Final Fantasy X, for XIII... Of course, with Final Fantasy XV, we announced at E3 that there will - probably - be a sequel to this game, as well. There's a lot of different reasons, and they all depend on the game and the situation as well. Of course with FFXV I wanted to release the previous version of the game constantly - but it was very, very difficult to do so. Now we have re-revealed the game, I'm excited to bring more information in the future. RPG Site: For creators like you, your famous characters will follow you forever. Cloud, Squall, Sora - and now Noctis - they'll follow you everywhere, and likely live on long after your career is over. In turn, you have become somewhat famous for creating them. I once asked this question to Sakaguchi-san, and he said that he did sometimes think this - Do you ever wish you could escape that legacy, and create something as an unknown, like 20 years ago? Nomura: I've never actually felt that way ever before! [laughs] I'm not sure if you know the term, but in Japan I'm what you'd call a salary man! [laughs] The company's slave, basically - I don't feel any fame too much. I never feel the pressure - and because of that I've never felt the desire to drop my name and go anonymous. I've really never felt burdened at all. All the characters I've created up until now... they're my kids! My children. I've obviously never thought about dropping or abandoning my kids! [laughs] Really, I've never felt that way before. Final Fantasy XV Director Tetsuya Nomura Doesn’t Feel His Fame Defines Himself “The Company’s Slave” by Giuseppe NelvaJuly 16, 2013 Tetsuya Nomura is very popular between fans of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts fanchises, but he doesn’t think of himself as a famous man, as he stated as part of an interesting interview on RPGSite (that for once doesn’t ask him if he prefers PS4 or Xbox One), giving us a small glimpse on the Japanese game development culture. The interviewer asked Nomura-san if ever wished to escape his fame and go back to being an anonymous game developer, and the response was somewhat surprising, and intriguing. Quote: I’ve never actually felt that way ever before! (laughs) I’m not sure if you know the term, but in Japan I’m what you’d call a salary man! (laughs) The company’s slave, basically – I don’t feel any fame too much. I never feel the pressure – and because of that I’ve never felt the desire to drop my name and go anonymous. That’s actually a quite realistic representation of the Japanese game industry. Setting a few superstars aside, not many developers are put on a pedestal and treated in a much different way than any salary man, even if they are high level ones like Nomura-san. It’s mostly a matter of local culture, that influences individuals to feel more like they’re one of the cogs in the machine instead of an unique little snowflake. In Japan the team normally matters more than the single star developer. Of course there are exceptions like Kojima or Nagoshi, but what Nomura-san described is the norm. Talking Talent, Western Development & Sequels with Final Fantasy Producer Shinji Hashimoto We chat to the boss of all things Final Fantasy. by Alex DonaldsonJuly 24, 2013 Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto isn't what I'd categorize as a game creator, but he is certainly a game changer. While talent such as Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura are the face of Final Fantasy development, Hashimoto is undoubtedly the face of the franchise on the business side. Hashimoto spends a lot of time on stage presenting the latest FF products. We were over at Japan Expo 2013 in Paris to chat Kingdom Hearts & Final Fantasy XV with Tetsuya Nomura and Final Fantasy XIV with Naoki Yoshida when we spotted Hashimoto hanging around the Square Enix interview rooms. We asked him if he'd give us a few minutes, and the following impromptu chat about the future of Final Fantasy, development talent and East-West collaboration within Square Enix is the result. Thanks to Square Enix Europe for letting this fly and translating last-minute. RPG Site: The last time you and I spoke directly was at E3 a few years ago, and you were working with Double Helix on Front Mission. This year at E3 I was very surprised to learn that Murdered: Soul Suspect is a Japanese game being developed by a Western team. Last time we spoke, you spoke in some detail and rather passionately about how you felt about East/West collaboration - mixed-origin teams, or swapping properties - how do you feel about all that now, a few years since we last spoke? Shinji Hashimoto: Obviously, since the merge with Eidos, the company as Square Enix has been trying to put and get more input from the Western types of games and everything - as you already know anyway. Especially Murdered, like you mentioned - Tomb Raider, as well, Visual Works of course created the trailer - that kind of stuff. It's a mix of things we've been doing. "If any Western studio actually approached us, we'd of course think about [A Western FF]." RPG Site: Along those lines - theoretically - if a Western Studio approached you and said "We want to pitch you a FF spin-off with a Western flavour," what would you say? Hashimoto: [laughs] I wouldn't say no straight away! [laughs] It depends on the proposal and everything, though, of course. Obviously Final Fantasy is traditionally a Japanese game, so it would really just depend on how discussion goes. But, yes - if any Western studio actually approached us, we'd of course think about it. Of course, there's a lot of different genres the Eastern and Western studios are doing - we've seen loads, for decades now. I don't know why, but one of the things about Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts is that they're very unique - it's a very unique proposition that we have. I think that's why it's quite difficult for people to approach us with such ideas. We're on our third FF13 game now - and it sounds like FF15 will get the same treatment. Hashimoto: This may be a bit of generic answer, but we do treat each game, even sequels, like a full numbered game. They're... thick. They're very, very important. Thinking about the creators' feelings towards the project, obviously, we can't just release an all new game every year or so - it's quite difficult. It's not like because we're creating sequels - that doesn't mean we don't include new elements and things. We're always building new stuff, and putting new things in, even with a sequel. Please understand that; we treat every game we make the same, and as a very important game. RPG Site: A question about talent; it's 16 years since Nomura-san stepped into the spotlight with FF7, longer for Kitase-san and so on -- but I feel like we haven't seen as many new young bucks coming up into the FF series in the last five to ten years. Do you internally have your eyes on developing young talent within the FF and KH teams? Do you have an idea who the next Tetsuya Nomura might be at this point? Hashimoto: I just want to make sure - we have loads of other talent within Square Enix already! [laughs] However, because they're still junior or are quite young, there has been no opportunity to introduce them, to put them in front of the public just yet. Please be assured that there are loads - and you will probably see them soon! FF15 was met with a pleasing response. That's why we need to treat these two big IPs very carefully, with staff we present, too - they're very important. RPG Site: I can definitely see that - The showing at E3 conjured a very strong feeling for me, and I feel I'd become quite jaded. You delivered at E3; hopefully that continues. Hashimoto: [laughs] Thank you so much. That's good to hear. RPG Site: I can see Nomura-san's crew need the room back for their next interview, so I'm going to wrap up by betraying my inner fan and ask a more specific talent question - Hiroyuki Ito, the creator of ATB, the director of FF9 - my favourite, which of course you produced - and FF12... Is he still at the company - and is he working on anything that we already know about? Hashimoto: [laughs] You're a very unique journalist, asking about Ito-san! Yeah. He's still at Square Enix. He's been planning and doing some proposals for a new project at the moment, so... Really, he's the kind of guy that wants to challenge new things all the time, so, yeah. At the moment, he's doing... [laughs] He's putting some ideas together. RPG Site: I'm very interested to see what he does next. For RPG gameplay systems I really do feel he's one of the best there is; one of your strongest assets. Hashimoto: Like you say, he's very talented and very involved. He's very, very in-depth... he likes the depth of the gameplay systems side of things. He really loves to go really deep on mechanics and things, and that takes time. I'm very excited to see his ideas soon! Final Fantasy XV will retain the feeling of an “old school” Final Fantasy by Erren Van DuineJuly 24, 2013 Last month at E3, Square Enix not only surprised the world by revealing the title now known as Final Fantasy XV, but also used the event to reveal the long-anticipated Kingdom Hearts III. While we’ve learned much about both games in the weeks prior, many have started to wonder if director Tetsuya Nomura would be able to keep his promises from interviews past. Though Nomura himself is one of few words, Final Fantasy World had a chance to catch up with him at Japan Expo to discuss both titles while fielding some unique questions. Although Nomura has been apart of the company since his twenties, Kingdom Hearts was actually the first game he served on as director. Obviously it’s been ten years since the original game released, but Nomura doesn’t feel like the game is very old at all. “It still feels fresh and new. Back then, all the staff I worked with, included myself, had a rich passion about this game. That’s why I still don’t think it’s dated at all, even after 10 years.” Ten years is a long time and given that sort of time gap, it’s not unusual for some developers to update their games beyond visuals and controls. In the case of Kingdom Hearts HD, there was actually a lot more ambition to it than what ended up in the final product. “The one thing I probably should mention was 358/2 Days,” said Nomura. “Obviously in this one there were only cinematics, the HD movie. I wanted to put the full playable in 358/2 Days in HD 1.5 if we could, but obviously we couldn’t – because we had to prioritize the KHIII development instead – which the fans have been waiting for such a long time. We prioritized that over the addition of elements in the HD version. “The elements of the original version, like the systems and everything, were okay back then because of the balance of the original game. There were a lot of new systems I created over the past 10 years, but if I wanted to put these new things in the original KH1, I don’t think the balance of the game would really work. The original version is set on the system I put on it. If we’re going to do a remake, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can put in additional features.” Of course, it’s no secret by now that Nomura is eying the next set of Kingdom Hearts HD remasters. Based on the end credits for HD 1.5, it appears Kingdom Hearts II, Birth by Sleep and Re:coded will be bundled together for the next high definition outing. Further information – including an official announcement – has yet to be made on that project. With the announcement of Kingdom Hearts III, it was revealed that the core Kingdom Hearts team would be shifting duties to Square Enix Osaka – the team who previously worked on titles such as Birth by Sleep, Dream Drop Distance and even the recent HD Remaster. Aside from HD 1.5, the Osaka studio hasn’t actually developed any original Kingdom Hearts titles for console from scratch, and so for KHIII the team has done a lot of prep work – testing various situations and the like. “I feel like the preparations are actually done, so we are good to go for the development,” Nomura replied. The proximity of both studios – Square Enix Tokyo and Square Enix Osaka – isn’t exactly near, so how does Nomura interact with each team? “In the Osaka studio there is actually the co-director Tai Yasue and the producer Rie Nishi,” he explained. “They are core members of the Kingdom Hearts project and when they actually have a lot of topics to discuss with myself, they always come to Tokyo.” This process is typical for Kingdom Hearts, however, with the relocation of Square Enix’s offices in Shinjuku, things have become a lot easier for the team. They now have access to a TV conference system, so if Yasue or Nishi send out a document or proposal in advance, Nomura can add his own comments and show it to them on video. In a sense, Nomura has become more of a supervisor to the Osaka team – especially with KHIII as both Yasue and Nishi propose their own ideas and Nomura then discusses whether they will implement them or not. “Of course there are a lot of good and interesting ideas coming from the team. Obviously, the more the merrier, so if we have more people to think about something it’s always better than thinking all by myself.” Within its ten years of existence, the Kingdom Hearts series has gained its own identity, even though it’s sort of this mash-up between Square and Disney. The question is then, at this point will Final Fantasy characters be a necessary inclusion in KHIII? There is still that possibility, according to Nomura. “It’s not something like, because the KH series is already established we don’t need more FF characters. But it’s more like we have been releasing a lot of KH handheld spinoffs over the past few years. Because of handheld space capacity and limitations, the story volume was quite limited. For KHIII obviously the disc space is going to be bigger, so we can include a lot of in-depth story. It depends on the volume of the game itself – there is a possibility that we are going to insert a lot of FF characters into KHIII as well.” On the subject of Final Fantasy XV, the soundtrack will be composed by Yoko Shimomura – the same composer who also works on the Kingdom Hearts series. Although she will be helming the score for both of Square Enix’s next generation games, Nomura assured that he is guiding her on different directions for each title. “In the case of KH, I usually ask Shimomura to create music scene by scene, so that different scenes have different kinds of themes or requests. But for FFXV, I gave her the overall image of everything from the beginning already, as well as some examples of what types of music to use.” The project originally known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been in development for the better part of seven years – a project with a lofty goal of recreating the feeling of old school FF games despite its unique name. Now with the direction change to that of a mainline title, one has to wonder if Nomura’s vision had changed. Nomura admitted, “Yes, I probably mentioned the old school Final Fantasy feeling [when talking about] FFXV. If you see the trailer you might actually think it’s very action based – especially compared to the previous FFs. We wanted to create like an action-based FF this time because we wanted to create a dynamic feeling between the story and the game itself. Of course, we are going to put many FF elements into it, because otherwise there is no point calling Final Fantasy XV. Naturally, we still think we should have some old school FF feeling to the game.” On that same subject, Nomura had promised over two years ago that the real-time cutscenes in Versus XIII would all be playable. Much like other untouched elements, it seems this one will be making its way into FFXV. “Yeah, I would like to achieve that as much as I can,” said Nomura. “Our goal is to ensure that the player never actually stops playing. This is the reason behind it and it will be great if we can achieve that.” Naturally, the power of the new consoles will help make this a reality. Following the announcement of Final Fantasy XV, Nomura has revealed that he would be assisted by Crisis Core: FFVII and Final Fantasy Type-0 director Hajime Tabata – in which he seems to have placed a lot of confidence. “He’s been doing a great job already,” explained Nomura. “Meeting with the team on a daily basis to discuss development and everything – he is extremely passionate about this project.” Nomura did not elaborate fully on Tabata’s involvement, but Tabata himself will have the chance to express himself fully in interviews with both the Japanese and Western press. Author:
Kalila
Date Created: 2013-06-20 17:24:25
Date Last Modified: 2013-07-26 07:25:16
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