Square Union

TGS 2008: Closed Mega Theatre Yet Again

Square Enix's layout for their booth at this year's Tokyo Game Show has been announced, and while it's interesting that both Pingu and Snoopy have got their own spaces, what's more important - and perhaps most disappointing - is that the Closed Mega Theatre is again make its return. Fans of Square Enix have got used to the Closed Mega Theatre in recent years, as Square Enix usually show previously unseen footage for an exclusive audience. The footage is then released sometimes up to 6 months later and to be honest, it's rather annoying. It does however hint that they have something worth showing, so perhaps we'll see more progress on both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII and you can expect there to be lots of speculation and mis-information floating around yet again, like there was after last year's Closed Mega Theatre at the Tokyo Game Show.

SquareSound Interviews Nobuo Uematsu

Earlier this year, SquareSound attended the Distant Worlds concert along with Michael Gluck (Piano Squall). While there, they had the opportunity to interview famed Video Game music composer Nobuo Uematsu and extremely notable conductor Arnie Roth. Throughout the interview, Uematsu revealed some interesting facts - notably that he hoped he would become a Professional Wrestler. To watch the full interview, check it out at the link below. Nobuo Uematsu Interview

Square Enix Have Their Offer Rejected

When Yoicha Wada proudly announced that Square Enix had been in talks with Tecmo about a takeover for a while, he made it seem like it was a done deal. Unfortunately, the new Tecmo president Yasuharu Kakihara didn't agree. Square Enix made an offer of $200m for Tecmo, but they have decided to reject the offer and will turn down any more advances that come from Square Enix. Instead, they have decided to pursue a prospective merger with Koei, the creators of the ever popular Dynasty Warriors franchise. Square Enix will be bitterly disappointed with this news, as they were hoping to gain more of a foothold in the western market. It looks like they will have to try something else though.

Sigma Harmonics Japanese Sales Fail To Inspire

With The World Ends With You prompting Yoichi Wada to suggest that games of this nature will be produced much less due to poor sales, Square Enix were probably hoping that their next new IP - Sigma Harmonics - would perform much better. Both fabled producer Yoshinori Kitase and respected musician Masashi Hamauzu were brought on to the staff, but even these two high profile names have failed to inspire the Japanese public to go out and purchase the game.

Cloud Voted 2nd Most Popular Gaming Character In Japan

Oricon Monitor Research have conducted a survey over 1000 individuals to decide who is the most popular gaming character in Japan. The group covered all demographics, with people chose from multiple ages groups, and each gender being equally represented. The character that came first is hardly surprising (Mario), but Cloud managed to coming in second place - beating both Yoshi, Solid Snake and Slime. The Chocobo was actually the second highest representative from the Final Fantasy franchise, finishing seventh.

Final Fantasy XIII Demo Playable At TGS 2008

Following the announcement at DKΣ3713 yesterday that the Final Fantasy XIII demo would be exclusively appearing on the Playstation 3 via Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete in March 2009, Square Enix have also announced that the demo will be playable by the media at this year's TGS. This is exciting news and hopefully the media enjoy playing the demo as much as they did playing the demo for Final Fantasy Dissidia.

Dissidia To Be Released December 2008

Final Fantasy Dissidia has been announced to have a release date of December 2008 in Japan, which points towards a Q1 release for North American audiences and perhaps a Q2 release for European games. Square Enix have been quite quiet on the Dissidia front quiet recently, so expect some more nes at the upcoming Japanese gaming shows.

Advent Children Complete Finally Gets A Release Date

After a long wait and numerous delays, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete has finally received a release date from Square Enix. It was announced during the DKΣ3713 event, and it has been confirmed that the Blu-ray disc will come with a Final Fantasy XIII demo as part of the product.

Final Fantasy XIII Demo Confirmed

Square Enix have finally announced that a Final Fantasy XIII demo is on the way, and it will be exclusive to the Playstation 3 system. They announced at the DKσ3713 2008 private party, that the demo will come packed in with Advent Children Complete, which is going to be released during March of 2009.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Jump Festa Trailer Leaked

The trailer that was meant to be shown at Jump Festa 2008 for Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been leaked by a mystery user via his Photobucket account. It contains never seen before footage, but the audio isn't actually audio from the trailer unfortunately. Click through to the source to view the video, enjoy!

E3 2008: Final Fantasy XIII Not Receiving Worldwide Release

So, Final Fantasy XIII is being released on the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3, but that isn't the case everywhere. Square Enix announced during their press conference that Japan wouldn't be seeing an XBox 360 version and their PS3 version would hit before the US and Europe see their versions. They then said that they would try to release the US and European versions as close as possible, suggesting that Europe will yet again see a Square Enix title 3rd in line.

E3 2008: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Still PS3 Exclusive

After the huge news that Final Fantasy XIII is going to be coming to the XBox 360, during their press conference, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy Versus XIII would not be joining it. This isn't because they don't want it to though. Apparently it is being developed with an old engine which will no longer be used upon Final Fantasy Versus XIII's completion.

Final Fantasy XIII Confirmed For XBox 360

This announcement has been expected for quite some time in some circles and others hoped this day would never come. This announcement has caused mass confusion for some, but in general it is a good day for gamers. However, it is certainly not a good day for the gaming industry and it's an even worse day for Square Enix themselves.

Dissidia and Final Fantasy XIII Not At E3

Square Enix were quite strong with their comments regarding Final Fantasy XIII and its prospective appearance at E3 this year, but they have since released their official press release which shows the games that will be at this year's show. Oddly enough, Final Fantasy Dissidia, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII are all completely absent from the list. It seems as though Square Enix have done a complete u-turn from their old days, where they spammed information at every turn, with them now seemingly reluctant to release any information at all.

Dirge of Cerberus International Announced

In quite a surprise move, Square Enix recently announced that they would be releasing an "International" version of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. This type of title is usually only reserved for games in the main series, but obviously they don't think people have suffered enough already.

New Final Fantasy Dissidia Trailer

Although an article was just posted about a lack of progress and news on the part of Final Fantasy Dissidia, a new trailer has just been released to the public. However, it doesn't really disclose anything new about the game, and just confirms what we already knew; that Tidus will be in the game. Having said that, it does showcase a 3-way battle, or more, a 2 vs 1 battle with Tidus teaming up with Zidane to take on Ultimecia.

What Has Happened to Final Fantasy Dissidia?

Final Fantasy Dissidia is a game being developed by Square Enix for the Playstation Portable. It was officially announced on the 8th of May 2007, after the trademark "Dissidia" was registered on the 6th of April 2007. The purpose of the game is to help celebrate 20 years of Final Fantasy and as such, it will feature memorable characters from the fabled series. However, given a really quick start to its development, things seem to have slowed right down.

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Released in Europe

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core has finally been released in Europe after quite a long wait. Those lucky enough to pre-order will have got their hands on the special edition, while those who weren't quick enough had to settle for the normal version. It's been a long wait for Europe, but the wait will hopefully be more than worth it.

Final Fantasy XIII The Priority

Famitsu recently conducted an interview with Tetsuya Nomura, who is the director of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The interview covered various topics, ranging from Square Enix's mobile endevours, to the DKα3713 private event that they have planned for fans. However, one piece of news was much more interesting.

New Final Fantasy Dissidia Famitsu Scan

A new scan has surfaced from June's edition of Famitsu, and it focusses on Tidus and Jecht. This confirms that Jecht will be in the game, as this was previously a rumour, with Seymour thought to be in the game instead. Final Fantasy Dissidia Scans