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[golem]

http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/final-fantasy-xi/615384p1.html

The session began, expectedly, with a question about the development of Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360. According to Wada, the game will be ready for the system's launch. Development has been progressing smoothly. There will be no fundamental changes to the game over the PC and PS2 versions -- they want to present the same world and game concept to Xbox 360 gamers. Also, as the game has to be cross compatible with the PC and PS2 versions, they do not intend to make any significant changes that might create incompatibility issues. They will continue to release "discs" (presumably Wada meant expansion packs) to add new content to all versions of FFXI.

...

A question of whether or not Square Enix's PlayOnline service, which governs its online games and requires a special registration, will be compatible with or allowed on Xbox Live, which is a closed network. According to Wada, the user experience on Xbox Live will include PlayOnline, and be substantially similar to that seen currently on the PC and PS2. Further details are forthcoming. As far as the Xbox version of FFXI supporting voice chat and friends list, Wada could not yet clarify this issue.

...

Next up was a question about the mysterious Final Fantasy XII, which is not showing on the E3 floor despite being fully playable last year. Wada assured us that it's just due to the tight development schedule and that the timing wasn't right to show it again. The company plans to showcase the game at a special show in Japan from July 30-31.


lots more at link

 

[TheDuce22]

How can an xbox live game ship without voice chat. How can I talk to people without a keyboard?

 

[PhatSaqs]

Fuck a FF11 @ launch.

But I guess it's a start :lol

 

[jimbo]

Good question. No voice chat no buy from me. I'm done with interrupting my gameplay so I can type. That's soooo 10 years ago.

 

[golem]

360 has usb keyboard support

 

[Malakhov]

You can yse a usb keyboard with the xbox 360. Seriously though, who cares about FFXI?

 

[Mrbob]

How can an xbox live game ship without voice chat. How can I talk to people without a keyboard?

USB keyboard.

Wait, The Xbox 360 version of FF11 won't come with the expansions? Sheesh.

I fully expect to see Square Enix support on the 360 only being online enabled games where SE can get a monthly fee.

 

[seismologist]

voice chat in FFXI would be a nightmare how would they handle areas where there's like 30 people talking at the same time?

 

[BuckRobotron]

Good to hear that other games are in consideration for 360 beyond this. Hopefully something more single-player oriented, but indeed the Live focus seems to have really sold Square-Enix more than anything else.

 

[TheDuce22]

Wait, The Xbox 360 version of FF11 won't come with the expansions? Sheesh.

I think he means future expansions. It should ship with all the current ones. Since when did MS allow keyboard and mouse on xbox live? I must have missed something. I will probably buy this because I allread have a subscription and it is in HD. Just doesnt seem like it will be very popular at all on xbl.

voice chat in FFXI would be a nightmare how would they handle areas where there's like 30 people talking at the same time?

Limit it to partys, make it based on proximity, theres tons of stuff they could do.

 

[DarkCloud]

USB keyboard.

Wait, The Xbox 360 version of FF11 won't come with the expansions? Sheesh.

I fully expect to see Square Enix support on the 360 only being online enabled games where SE can get a monthly fee.

Huh? the footage shown at the PC was clearly Chains of Promathia. He's just stating that the game will see upgrade discs as the PC and other versions see them. It'l come with FFXI, Zilart, and Chains of Promathia all in one package...much like the European release on PC.

 

[Malakhov]

Further development for the 360 is under consideration but no titles can be named at this time. Wada did mention that the company would like to continue to explore the system and be more comprehensive than simply offering a port of an older, if still actively popular, game to the system. Continuing in this vein, Wada explained that FFXI would be ported to other platforms in the future if they could support the game and had an interested user base.

Well that's good

 

[Mrbob]

Ahh, I see. I got confused by this statement:

The session began, expectedly, with a question about the development of Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360. According to Wada, the game will be ready for the system's launch. Development has been progressing smoothly. There will be no fundamental changes to the game over the PC and PS2 versions -- they want to present the same world and game concept to Xbox 360 gamers. Also, as the game has to be cross compatible with the PC and PS2 versions, they do not intend to make any significant changes that might create incompatibility issues. They will continue to release "discs" (presumably Wada meant expansion packs) to add new content to all versions of FFXI.

I thought he meant they would be selling the expansion packs seperate down the road.

Cool news. I never did get the expansions. I may pick this up now.

 

[TheDuce22]

Square would not be doing this if they werent losing so many people to the newer mmogs like world of warcraft. Im pretty certian of that.

 

[DarkCloud]

And I think that's where a majority of the sales for this game will come from...PC and PS2 players that wish to upgrade. PC players that are more console oriented but play on the PC cause it's the better looking (and cheapest) version. And PS2 players looking to upgrade once support for the PS2 version ceases (unless square will continue making PS2 expansions long after the system is dead...plus the HDD issue) yet still want to game on their TV.

There are still quite a few FFXI players to sell this game to. No idea if it will pull many new players in though. Square would be fools to judge what support to give the X360 based on this games sales though...

 

[Apenheul]

So.. any word about the Final Fantasy III remake, or the Secret of Mana game for DS?

 

[Link1110]

Final Fantasy III remake

Really, that's my #1 game I'm looking forward to from Sq-Enix right now, with Romancing SaGa being a close second.

 

[Lionheart]

Don't know if it was already posted (or in this interview as well?), but according to GameFront, Wada said they were also looking into porting Final Fantasy XI to even more platforms outside X360 / PC / PS2. He said they would first need to take a look at the online network though.

So could it be ported to PS3 and / or Revolution as well?

 

[Azrael]

Voice chat would just present too many problems. You've got Japanese and English speaking players on the same servers. How is voice chat going to work when there are Japanese gamers in your party? At least with the keyboard you can use auto-translate and, usually, get what you want to say across. Second, the game is not broadband only, so you've got 56k PS2 and PC users. Also, would you really want voice chat in areas like Jeuno?

 

[Azrael]

So could it be ported to PS3 and / or Revolution as well?

I think all PlayOnline titles will appear on all three systems.

 

[Tabris]

According to Wada, the game will be ready for the system's launch. Development has been progressing smoothly. There will be no fundamental changes to the game over the PC and PS2 versions

I love to say it...I told ya so!

 

[PC Gaijin]

Microsoft has already said they'll allow USB keyboards for text input (hell, they already allowed that for PSO on Xbox). A mouse is useless in FFXI. As for voice chat -- I'm not in favor of it after my experience with PSO on Live -- but there are ways to make it work. PSO did it fairly well with voice in parties and proximity-based voice in lobbies. Mixed language parties are more of a problem, but you can use the auto-translator via the control pad as well (and honestly, the auto-translator in XI sucks terribly anyway compared to the one in PSO).

If I didn't already play the PC version on a decent rig, I'd be interested in XI on 360. The PS2 version is total ass thanks to muddy textures, interlacing, and the low resolution (very, very cramped with a couple windows open). If the 360 version runs at 720p and widescreen (which it should, since all 360 games are supposed to support 720p, and XI already has a widescreen option) then the game should look quite pretty considering the 360 should be as powerful as a current high-end PC.

 

[jett]

Next up was a question about the mysterious Final Fantasy XII, which is not showing on the E3 floor despite being fully playable last year. Wada assured us that it's just due to the tight development schedule and that the timing wasn't right to show it again. The company plans to showcase the game at a special show in Japan from July 30-31.

Damn duckroll was right. What the hell is going on with that game.

 

[ronito]

FFXII has been renamed to Final Fantasyem Forever