200°

Final Fantasy XIII scheduled for March 2010 EU/NA simultaneous release

4 videos of the Final Fantasy XIII's Premiere Party speeches have been posted on Gametrailers.com: the release date announcement, the Final Fantasy XIII elixir announcement and the 2 speeches of Kaz Hirai and Yoshinori Kitase/Motomu Toriyama. Sadly the videos don't include any new footage but they include a rather surprising announcement that was misunderstood by several gaming sites:

Yoshinori Kitase:

"In the past it would be six months to almost a year after the initial release in Japan, so we're hoping to narrow the margin down. We hope it will only be three months after the Japanese release."

With English translations and voice acting as well as French and German translation already completed, I think this is highly possible. Of course Square Enix said in the past that the game needs to be released after April 2010 to fit in their fiscal year but for such a big title they might make an exception isn't it?

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Omega45336d ago

If SE manage to get it out in the US that quickly i would be shocked, but if they manage a simultaneous release in EU as well then wow just wow

SpoonyRedMage5336d ago

It's not impossible. The Last Remnant was simultaneous and some games have been released just days apart. I think Europe may have even got Infinite Undiscovery first.

Of course Europe should take priority over America now as their European division is much, much bigger than their American division.

jahcure5336d ago (Edited 5336d ago )

In march 2010...gonna be a fun month of gaming.

So far for the rest of the year I have to play and or will own:

Batman: AA (PS3) (still sealed)
Unchated 2 (PS3)
Fifa 2010 (PS3)
Halo: OSDT (x360)
R&C:ACIT (PS3)
MW2(PS3)

Rentals
NGS2 (PS3)
FORZA 3 (X360)

And this is only for 2009...there's more games i'll rent but these are front runners.

Finally made it to level 13 and 13 platinums :)

Think i have about 7000GS for my 360. I gotta admit though, since trophies came out i game mostly on my PS3..sony converted me with that one and i can't believe what I was missing out on in terms of features before i took the plunge.

gaffyh5336d ago

It's a little to crowded in March, I believe WKC and Splinter Cell and Alan Wake are also coming in March or near that time?

locos855336d ago

Will be a double edged sword for gamers. Tons of great games but after Christmas I think most of us will be tight on money. It sucks walking by a game you want in a store knowing you don't have the money for it.

But I def will buy God of War 3 and Splinter Cell next year. Both games look great.

ThanatosDMC5336d ago

March and February is when Dead Rising 2 and Lost Planet 2 is suppose to come out. Yeah, lots of games!

Redempteur5336d ago

last remnant was possible because they began the translation way before the final stage of the release ..They had time to do everything ... i'm not sure if this is the case here ..unless someone paid to have it quickly on thier console ..

bunbun7775336d ago

You should see if there is a BioLife in your area-- not for everyone but it is generally safe and if you go twice a week for what amounts to about 90 minutes a visit -- you get an extra like 250 bucks a month.

Plasma donation, of course there are other types of things you can donate for money....

SupaPlaya5336d ago

that whole thing about:

"We won't start development on the 360 version until the PS3 version is done."

is a total lie. In order to make the experience as close to equal as possible, that statement just doesn't make sense.

GameGambits5336d ago

Games I plan to buy or rent in 2010:
FF13
God of War 3
White Knight Chronicles
FF14
Splinter Cell Conviction
Mass Effect 2
MAG
Bioshock 2
Bayonetta
Lost Planet 2

That's a pretty hefty list, and one comprised of games all due out within weeks of each other. I expect more games to push themselves out to summer or as close to end of the fiscal year as they can.

The 3 I know I couldn't live without buying up there though are:
FF14
Lost Planet 2
MAG/BioShock 2 (Tie between these two, so whoever gets the better review scores for their multiplayer from some big name sites will be a buy for sure)

Anyway you look at it 2010 for gamers will be like a re-birth of PS1 and PS2 era where we had PLENTY to pick from. :D

SixTwoTwo5336d ago (Edited 5336d ago )

Why would you be shocked? SE got IU, TLR, and SO4 all out with worldwide releases so why not FFXIII?

@Above... Agreed 2010 is going to be an awesome year for gamers

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-GoldenTimeLover-5336d ago

So what Wada said at the premier party was true that the NA/EU version will be released three months from the JP release. Awesome news.

SupaPlaya5336d ago

they are able to port the game to 360 plus finish the localization in +/- 3 months' time?

Noctis Aftermath5336d ago

No because the 360 version at last count was 70% completed, they were working on it long before it was announced as not ps3 exclusive, pretty much since the time they changed to a multiplat engine it stopped being exclusive.

btw stop bringing this up, it depresses me to think of the bonuses that we could of have but won't anymore.

SupaPlaya5336d ago (Edited 5336d ago )

sorry.

My biggest complaint is no japanese voice over in American version, nor is there english sub in the japanese version.

Whitefox7895336d ago (Edited 5336d ago )

At least Yoshirnori Kitase said they hope it takes three months.

Wada only mentioned the release date for the Japanese version.

So it's not exactly written in stone.....

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Nitrowolf25336d ago

march will be Epic
GOW3 and This. Man i need to start saving more.

LarVanian5336d ago

Sorry Square but I'm saving my money for GOW3 and Heavy Rain :D.

PS360WII5336d ago

Oh goodies! I do hope it works out for a March release :)

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70°

The 7 Best Final Fantasy Characters: Unveiling the Legends

While FFVII ranks highly, there's more to the series than one game. Here's Chit Hot's picks for the seven best Final Fantasy characters.

220°

The older it gets, the more I respect Final Fantasy XIII

Alex Donaldson: "Hindsight is a hell of a thing, however, and in the years since Final Fantasy XIII, my respect for the decisions its developers made has skyrocketed. In the two Final Fantasy titles since we see both the brilliance and the folly in alternative approaches - and in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we get a more nuanced understanding of what FF13 was trying to accomplish from many of the same development leads."

Einhander1972126d ago

FFXIII is actually one of the best Final Fantasy games.

I also sort of was disappointed at the time, never as much as the bandwagon. But really all the fantastic 3D rendered cutscenes and I actually liked the characters and the story though convoluted was actually fantastic and the ending was extremely emotional. So much budget and time were put into that game Square had such big plans, I actually have always felt kind of bad for how things played out.

I have been thinking for years how great it would be to get all three games on one disk for PS4 or 5.

Nyxus126d ago

I always liked this game, and I agree, a rerelease for current gen would be nice.

Shane Kim125d ago (Edited 125d ago )

Gotta take off the nostalgia glasses. It's the worst FF. Shiva as a bike, I mean come on.

Elda124d ago

Shiva as a bike is strange but saying FFXIII is the worst FF is not at all a fact, that's simply your opinion.

Terry_B124d ago

*One of the 3 equally bad FF's

DivineHand125124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

When I got my series X a year ago, I bought FF13 for nostalgia reasons but ended up being disappointed. When I first played it around the time it launched, I didn't have a lot of experience with final fantasy games, so I enjoyed it. Fast forward to when I played it again, I found that the game had many unnecessary filler moments instead of just giving us meaningful content.

The game is also very linear and a quote on the article said it best. "It is like a sewage pipe that leads to the ocean until it opens up on Grand Pulse."

The story didn't make much sense either and I believe it is my mistake as I played the FF7 remake on PS5 prior which is a night and day difference in terms of pacing, storytelling and likeable characters even though cloud is aloof.

FinalFantasyFanatic124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

Probably was a mistake to play any of the golden era FFs first (e.g. FF6 through FF10), it makes it harder to enjoy some of the FFs that aren't as good. I think FF12 was where major issues with the series started becoming apparent, and it just got worse from there.

FinalFantasyFanatic124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

I didn't really care for it that much, the only saving grace was that it had a better story than 15 (overall it was better than 15) and possibly 12, and even then, you had to read some of it through primers, like reading a book. Plus the battle system was reasonably fun for what it was, even if it was more the spectacle that was exciting for me (e.g. summoning). And to be fair, the 13 trilogy got better with every games, I still don't like Snow though.

Gamingsince1981124d ago

Ff13 is only good if you haven't played a ff before, or any other games that are decent for that matter.

-Foxtrot124d ago

It is in fact no way the best Final Fantasy game, it's one of the worst

Linear corridors, Cutscene, Fight, Cutscene...rinse and repeat

Dialogue and characters are pretty bad, especially Lightning as the main FF hero, they literally said they tried to make a "Female Cloud" and they failed.

Story was pretty awful

I could go on

I think the only alright thing that came from the game was the music.

Elda124d ago

That's not a fact that's your personal opinion. The game sold 11 million copies between its 2009 release up until 2014 including critically reviewed as an 8 out of 10 or an 80 out of 100. The game does have some issues but it's not at all a fact as one of the worst FF games.

-Foxtrot123d ago

Elda

Not just mine mate

A large majority

So….

Traecy123d ago

N4G commenters such as yourself aren't the majority. The game was well received.

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gold_drake126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

i liked the game alot but i didnt like how they handled the terminology.

i dont mind reading data logs but it had soo many.

but i always loved the music and how it looked. the battle system wasnt too bad either.

but i like 13-2 more :)

i still dont understand why we never got a remaster of the trilogy

Eonjay124d ago

Xbox kinda did. Besides the video files of course which are still best on PS3 due to bluray.

Snookies12126d ago

XIII is a pretty solid game, but XIII-2 is WAY better. XIII-2 was one of the few games I decided to go for a Platinum trophy in, early on. Had so much fun the entire way through getting it too!

Eonjay124d ago

Totally agree. FF 13 was okay but 13-2 is my favorite FF game ever.

shinoff2183126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

I hated this to when it released. I haven't much liked a ff game since ff10 as much , aside from ff7remake. I decided to give it another shot on my series x since it's not on a current ps and was liking it quite a bit(just takes me some time to get over things ) until star ocean 2 remake came out I was all over that.

Square should definitely remaster it or something for ps4 ps5

KillerB124d ago

my favorite jrpg trilogy ever

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70°

Interview: Making music with Masashi Hamauzu

Square Enix Blog: "How do you compose iconic songs that help define a legacy? We speak to legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu about his work on Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and how to make unforgettable music."

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