Looks like me getting a PS3 for FF13 wont be necessary after all as Square-Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 at Microsoft’s E3 2008 press conference.
The announcement debuted in the form of a new trailer which initially looked like a Panzer Dragoon game with dragons flying in a trench. A ship lands in the trailer and flying mechanical soldiers drop out. Included in the trailer were massive airships.
Sony CEO Howard Stringer has reportedly dismissed Nintendo’s Wii as an “expensive niche” games machine. Speaking at the Allen & Co Media Conference last week, Stringer said the Wii doesn’t compete with the PlayStation 3 because it doesn’t have the ability to play Blu-ray movies or have full access to the internet. Hmm, where did i hear that before?
“I’ve played a Nintendo Wii. I don’t see it as a competitor,” said Stringer, reports Bloomberg. “It’s more of an expensive niche game device. We’re selling a lot of PlayStation 3s now and it’s still the best way to buy a Blu-ray player,” he added.
Well look at that, Internet rumors of an Xbox 360 price cut have been circulating for quite some time and Target went ahead and made it official from a retailing standpoint earlier today. The new Xbox 360 60GB model will retail for $349, which the “old” SKU Pro previously sold for. The Elite model, which comes with a 120 GB hard drive, remains at $449, and the Arcade SKU, which has no hard drive, is still $279. I hoped for an overall price increase with additional storage but that just proves that you dont always get what you want.
“We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we’re giving it to them at no extra charge,” said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. “No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you’ll have three times the storage to manage all that great content.”
2K Games has announced that it will be the North American and international publisher for Cryptic Studios’ newest MMO, Champions Online for the Xbox 360 and PC. Champions Online is scheduled for release in spring of 2009.
“2K Games is excited to work with such a talented group as Cryptic Studios,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Given their stellar pedigree and amazing grasp of the MMO genre, we are confident that Champions Online will deliver an innovative and exciting action MMO experience to gamers.”
If Cryptic has learned a thing or two since COH/COV launched, then we may just be in for a MMO treat.
Zombies will meet their (sexy) match when D3Publisher brings the popular bikini-clad samurai sisters Aya and Saki to the US in Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers for the Nintendo Wii. Bikini Zombie Slayers will ship to retail stores in early 2009, giving gamers their long-awaited taste of the series famous for its iconic characters and heart-pounding third-person hack-and-slash action.
“Onechanbara perfectly blends the thrill and excitement of a zombie-filled horror flick with a pair of sisters that pack a powerful sword behind impeccable beauty,” said Yoji Takenaka, executive vice president and chief operating officer, North America and Europe, D3P. “Gamers will be delighted that a lot of features have been included to make a fun and easy to pick-up and play title at a great price.”
It’s E3 Time once again and Square Enix’s offerings are some of my personally anticipated showings. One SMALL question though: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS FINAL FANTASY XIII?
Here’s a list of what’s on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3:
On display at the Los Angeles Convention Center at Concourse 401 from July 15 – 17, the following titles will have playable kiosks: CHRONO TRIGGER®, DRAGON QUEST®: The Chapters of the Chosen™, FINAL FANTASY® IV, INFINITE UNDISCOVERY and
SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes.
E3 2008 Line-up
(Square Enix)
Multiplatform
THE LAST REMNANT
Platform: Microsoft Xbox 360® / PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system
Genre: RPG
PAL Release Date: (Xbox 360) This Winter / (PLAYSTATION 3 system) TBA
iPod
SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes
Platforms: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod
Genre: Role-Playing
Now Available (EU, JP, NA)
Nintendo DS Read More
*Drumroll* Here are the best selling games of 2008 in Japan so far….
10. Wii Play (Wii) 411,416 copies
9. Mario Kart DS (DS) 416,935 copies
8. Mario Party DS (DS) 497,547 copies
7. Wii Sports (Wii) 544,958 copies
6. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) 576,437 copies
OMG Mario Kart FTW!
Here is the latest sales stats by Gamasutra that shows an upsurge in the seven year old Diablo 2 (!!!) Battlechest sales:
PC
North America: 1. Diablo Battle Chest (Blizzard), 2. World of Warcraft Battle Chest (Blizzard), 3. The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff (EA Games), 4. Spore Creature Creator (EA Games), 5. The Orange Box (EA Games).
Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces the release of SONG SUMMONER™: The Unsung Heroes, on sale at the iTunes Store worldwide (www.itunes.com) and available for play in English and Japanese on the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.
SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes is a Role-Playing Game that transforms your iPod® songs into powerful “Tune Troopers” that you can control in battle. As the protagonist Ziggy, you will embark on an epic journey to rescue your brother from the clutches of the Mechanical Militia. Intriguing characters, an epic story and a tactics-based battle system combine for a rich RPG experience previously only available on home and handheld game consoles.
SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes
Publisher: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Platform:
iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod
Genre: Role-Playing
Launch Date: 7th July, 2008
Price: £3.99/€4.99 (iTunes Store download)
Majesco Entertainment Company, Mistwalker and AQ Interactive today announced a new Nintendo DS RPG called AWAY Shuffle Dungeon. Players take control of the (creatively named ) young hero “Sword,” the sole resident left of the once booming Webb Village, who must (wait for it…) rescue as many kidnapped townsfolk as possible from a mysterious unknown that has been slowly “spiriting them away”. AWAY Shuffle Dungeon includes creative contributions from renowned industry visionaries: RPG creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, character designer Naoto Oshima and composer Nobuo Uematsu.
“We are very excited to be working with the collective creative talent of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Naoto Oshima and Nobuo Uematsu,” said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. “Their experience creating high quality, best-selling games means that AWAY will be well-positioned for success when it hits retail this fall.”
Games Industry Wire: Games industry news from b5media
Written by Kevin Codamon [email] for b5media.
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