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[Doom_Bringer]

Final Fantasy XII release lags in Japan
Square Enix says upcoming RPG won't be released this fiscal year; new release date is April '05 at the earliest.

TOKYO--According to the Asahi Shinbun and Impress Gamewatch, Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII won't release until spring 2005 at the earliest. While Square Enix previously stated that the PlayStation 2 RPG would hit Japan sometime between this winter and spring, during its midterm financial meeting today the company announced that the game will not be released during the current fiscal year. Square's fiscal year ends March 31, 2005.

While Square Enix hasn't yet launched any one blockbuster title in recent months, the company still made 3.13 billion yen ($30.4 million) in net profit during the six-month period ending September 30, 2004--up substantially from the previous year.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/19/news_6113625.html

Looks like it will lauch near Xbox 2's release in NA

 

[explodet]

Square Enix probably needs more time to count all the money they're getting from Dragon Quest 8.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Square Enix probably needs more time to count all the money they're getting from Dragon Quest 8.

huh? I don't see what this has to do with DQ8. FFXII was scheduled for March 2005.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

As long as it's out by the Christmas season next year, I'll be happy.

EDIT: In the US, that is.

 

[Elios83]

I don't think it's really a delay.Square has always said FFXII in Spring 2005 in Japan.
They simply crushed the hope that spring was intended as soon as March.An April/May release is the most probable thing to me.
Of course there will be a US version for Christmas 2005 and a European version in February 2006....

 

[Doom_Bringer]

God I love the style of this game. Last good Final Fantasy I played was 10 in 2002. I want this game now!!!! >_<

 

[Elios83]

God I love the style of this game. Last good Final Fantasy I played was 10 in 2002. I want this game now!!!! >_<

As a huge fan of the series I hope this episode will bring the quality back to the absolute top reached with FFVI and FFVII.That's a hard task but Matsuno has been working on this for a very long time,and considering this is not the first title they are developing on the current hardware if they're taking so long something big must be coming.

 

[explodet]

huh? I don't see what this has to do with DQ8. FFXII was scheduled for March 2005.

Just a joke, dude. I eagerly await FFXII as well.

 

[Solid]

DELAYSTATION2

 

[Nerevar]

DELAYSTATION2

:lol

 

[mumu]

DELAYSTATION2

Not bad i must say.

 

[jiggle]

Damn you SquAre!!!!

God I hope it'll come out around the same time in JP & US.

 

[WarPig]

I don't think it's really a delay.Square has always said FFXII in Spring 2005 in Japan.

Nah, they didn't, really. After they canned the summer '04 release date, they said "winter 2004 to spring 2005." Now they're just saying "2005, and not within the current fiscal year."

There are all kinds of fucking bizarro rumors around this one.

DFS.

 

[Alias03]

God I love the style of this game. Last good Final Fantasy I played was 10 in 2002. I want this game now!!!! >_<

X came out in 2001

 

[WarPig]

X came out in 2001

But it wouldn't be surprising if somebody played it in '02, because it came out with maybe two weeks left in '01.

DFS.

 

[SantaC]

last good FF game was FF9 imo.

 

[WarPig]

last good FF game was FF9 imo.

Aw, man, not this shit again.

DFS.

 

[SantaC]

Aw, man, not this shit again.

DFS.

Don't get me wrong, I love the FF games. The playstation 1 games were outstanding. FFX was good, but not up to the usual square standard imo. Hopefully FFXII will bring it back.

 

[Master Z]

With all this delay, is it possible for a simultaneous JPN/US release? C'mon Squarenix, you can do it!!

 

[Bizarro Sun Yat-sen]

Nah, they didn't, really. After they canned the summer '04 release date, they said "winter 2004 to spring 2005." Now they're just saying "2005, and not within the current fiscal year."

IIRC the official line did shift from "winter 04 or spring 05" to just "spring 05" at some point (TGS?) before shifting to "April or later"

 

[Drek]

Looks like it will lauch near Xbox 2's release in NA

Think that might be the point? Sony and Square are tight, maybe a little under the table dealings looking to make sure the Xbox 2 hype train doesn't get up to full speed?

Its a smart business move regardless for Square, they needed a larger buffer between DQ8 and FFXII.

 

[WarPig]

IIRC the official line did shift from "winter 04 or spring 05" to just "spring 05" at some point (TGS?) before shifting to "April or later"

Coulda been. The whole picture has been very fluid for the past six months or so.

DFS.

 

[ferricide]

SELL YOUR .......... never mind.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

last good FF game was FF9 imo.

bull shit, Final Fantasy X kills it.

"DELAYSTATION2"

:lol

 

[lexi]

Taking bets they delay to match the release of Zelda. Which is going to be torture for my wallet.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Taking bets they delay to match the release of Zelda. Which is going to be torture for my wallet.

No it has nothing to do with the new Zelda. They said they wanted to improve the game or some stuff like that.

 

[AssMan]

God I love the style of this game. Last good Final Fantasy I played was 10 in 2002. I want this game now!!!! >_<

I LOVE YOU IGNPS2!!!!

 

[belgurdo]

last good FF game was FF9 imo.

Jesus, no.

 

[Rei_Toei]

If I recall correctly, FFX was released in America aprox. 5 months after the Japanese release. Soo, if SE manages to get XII in stores in april/may in Japan, maybe it could be released in America a little before the holiday season, unless XII is going to take more time to translate/localize/whatever. Or because they think the game will do better around the holiday season.

 

[SantaC]

Jesus, no.

it's hard to read in my opinion, isn't it

Ok I stated it wrong. Last Fantastic FF was FF9. I liked FFX, but i felt something was missing. Probably the horrible voices let it down abit.

 

[Razoric]

Could they possibly be translating it now for the U.S. or has that probably not even started yet?

 

[Doom_Bringer]

I LOVE YOU IGNPS2!!!!

hell no

 

[SaitoH]

The last good FF game was FF3/6.

=P~~~~

 

[Doom_Bringer]

The last good FF game was FF3/6.

=P~~~~

yeah if you are a nin10do fanboy

OH NOS! SQUARE HAS LEFT THE BUIDING!!!11

 

[SaitoH]

yeah if you are a nin10do fanboy

OH NOS! SQUARE HAS LEFT THE BUIDING!!!11

Square sucks ass and I like my PS2 best of the current gen systems.

=P~~~

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Square sucks ass and I like my PS2 best of the current gen systems.

=P~~~

bah don't troll in my thead bitch

 

[snapty00]

But it wouldn't be surprising if somebody played it in '02, because it came out with maybe two weeks left in '01.

DFS.

Or even 2003 or 2004!

I can't stand Final Fantasy X. There was this weird system used to do things, and I totally didn't understand it. I probably could've understood it had I wanted to do so, but I just couldn't be bothered. :\ I didn't even like Blitz game thing.

 

[SaitoH]

bah don't troll in my thead bitch

lol

 

[Jonnyram]

The TGS trailer said Summer 2005, so this isn't really a surprise.

 

[cvxfreak]

The TGS trailer said Summer 2005, so this isn't really a surprise.

IAWTP

 

[Prince of Space]

Could they possibly be translating it now for the U.S. or has that probably not even started yet?

They probably have already started, since FFXII is practically done already. SE is just holding its release off for DQ.

If they have started, I'd count on a US release within a few months of the JP version.

 

[belgurdo]

Or even 2003 or 2004!

I can't stand Final Fantasy X. There was this weird system used to do things, and I totally didn't understand it. I probably could've understood it had I wanted to do so, but I just couldn't be bothered. :\ I didn't even like Blitz game thing.

Dude, it was just dropping marbles on a board. No different than those "level up to get some points and move a sliding bar up and down" deals you see in PC RPGs all the time

And if you didn't fuck up the Jecht Shot thing on the boat then blitzball is piss easy (cept for the fucking Al Bhed)

 

[SantaC]

Or even 2003 or 2004!

I can't stand Final Fantasy X. There was this weird system used to do things, and I totally didn't understand it. I probably could've understood it had I wanted to do so, but I just couldn't be bothered. :\ I didn't even like Blitz game thing.

no wonder you like the xdude

 

[Ranger X]

Square RPGs are suffering in the dungeon department (except maybe some action-rpgs like Musashi or something) and i got REALLY tired of them around FF9 (hopefully the game had interesting story/characters/locations and a good battle system imo) and FF10. Nowadays i can't stand ANY rpgs dungeon where i'm not actually doing something else than walking in a sinuous path. At least if we could have explored something in FF10 it would have been alot better. Oh yeah, and "no voice acting is better than shitty voice acting".

 

[speedpop]

I'm kinda not too fussed over this whole delay ordeal, beforehand I would get way too hyped for them.

Do have faith that FFXII will kick arse though, Matsuno is a legend at story telling.

 

[DIrtyWeasel]

As a huge fan of the series I hope this episode will bring the quality back to the absolute top reached with FFVI and FFVII.That's a hard task but Matsuno has been working on this for a very long time,and considering this is not the first title they are developing on the current hardware if they're taking so long something big must be coming.

FFVI and VII were also the two I enjoyed the most.
I don't know if i'll like FFXII, too many changes. What about it makes it a Final Fantasy rather than any other RPG?

 

[jiggle]

What about it makes it a Final Fantasy rather than any other RPG?

Well, who knows since the game's not out. But these could be likely characteristics:
Superb storytelling.
Likable characters.
Beautiful graphics.
Recurring characters.
Fun gameplay.
Airship.
Great music.



Other than battling, it's pretty much very similar to its predecessors imo.

 

[Scott]

Other than battling, it's pretty much very similar to its predecessors imo.

Actually, the battling is very similar as well, as FFXI was Matsuno's inspiration for a lot of the game's ideas (MMORPG components in an offline RPG)... The psuedo real-time combat, visible encounters, the aggro system, zones, the area of effect skills, etc -- all either lifted straight from FFXI, or tweaked a bit to fit an offline game better (ie: an added pause option to manually select actions in battle). The "Gambit" system is even in place to mimic real players, at least from what I can tell, as there are Gambits you can equip to have them act like certain class types (Tank, Mage, Ranged, etc).

He even took it one step farther and lifted the Tiny Mandragora monster model straight from FFXI, because he liked it so much.

 

[Tamanon]

Last good FF was FFXI I love that game. Can't wait for Twelve, btw.

And I know it's heresy but I enjoyed X-2 more than X, although both were quite great.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Isn't it obvious that the best is FF (random Roman numeral) and the worst is FF (random Roman numeral). FF (one or two random letters) was OK, too.