Square Enix Trying to Score a Goal

With the announcement of Samurai Eleven. Samurai Eleven (thought to be a Musashi sequel) is a free mobile soccer game that gives you command of a team of four consisting of a forward, midfielder, defender, and a goalkeeper. The game has over 150 techniques that your players could learn. The game supports social practive matches and cooperative play against bosses. Items can be purchased in-game but you have to pay for them with actually money. All that gil you've farmed means nothing! Seems as if Square Enix might be trying to ride the the success of Inazuma Eleven on the Nintendo DS. Good luck with that! Better yet, you tell me which one looks more interesting.

Saumrai Eleven

Inazuma Eleven

Leaked Final Fantasy Versus XIII Gameplay

This will probably get removed from Youtube soon so enjoy it while you can. The game looks pretty solid but coming from the same team that developed Kingdom Hearts titles I was expecting over the top gameplay or something similar to the action in Final Fantasy: Advent Children. This game does have a darker theme so I shouldn't expect that KH flair. This game still has a long way to go so hopefully we'll get a real peek at it later.

Final Fantasy XIII Coming to 360 In Japan

No thank you Sephiroth, but you can take it and throw it at those PS3 fanboys in Japan. I hate the word "fanboy" but I had no choice but use it in this case. Alot of people forget the phrase "money makes the world go around." It's true in most cases and it's no different with Square-Enix. Yes, they said it wasn't going to be released on 360 in Japan but there are some or at least a few 360-only owners in Japan. (I don't know how many.) I'm not saying that's the reason it's being released but Square-Enix is trying to or will profit from this release in some kind of way. What if someone found the cure to some disease and decided not to share it? What if a super hero had powers to save someone and only used it to grill meat? Video games aren't as serious as those cases but the point is people shouldn't be so selfish over such simple things and also Square-Enix most people do whatever it takes to make that dollar. Square Enix's CEO Yoichi Wada received the backlash on his Twitter account for their decision. Here's some of the comments left on his account below:

Is it true? After saying so many times it would never be released on the Xbox in Japan, if you really do release it nobody will trust your word again.

Say something!

You’re going to betray us after saying it would never come out? I’m cancelling my pre-orders.

You liar!

Lying to customers is how you do business, eh? I’ll never buy a Square Enix title again.

With all the illegal lies and misdirection about FF13 you made, I reported you to the ministry of consumer affairs. And you promised DLC and quietly abandoned it – you’re detestable.

Charlatan!

Stop your pompous waffling and resign! Haven’t you made enough money yet? Next time put a guy who actually loves games in charge.

What’s up with game developers? Practically everything they say is a lie…

Well done, Scrooge.

Hey Wada! What the hell is this about FF13 on the 360 in Japan? You kept advertising the game in all the mags as a domestic PS3 exclusive! If you go through with this nobody’ll trust you again… Honestly I hate you so much I’d like to kill you. Quit soon. This is your last chance.

You’d better be prepared to run, or you’ll be killed! At the very least you ought to be prepared for a few rocks thrown your way!

Pretty ridiculous. Other than that, the game will have a few new features.

• English voices
• Original English theme song
• First purchase booklet
• Easy Mode
• English and European subtitles

It'll be released on December 16th in Japan for 4890 yen.

A Little 3rd Birthday Update

The 3rd Birthday is a sequel to Parasite Eve 2. It's being released on the PSP supposedly this year or next. The protagonist Aya Brea returns but what is she doing with Lightning's (Final Fantasy XIII) outfit on? Maybe it's a pre-order bonus or unlockable.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy Sequel Announced!

It's titled Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy. So far Kain (FFIV) and Lightning (FFXIII) are the newcomers. I know I won't get Barret or Sazh to represent chocolate people so give me my best friend Sora. Please Square-Enix. Please Tetsuya Nomura. Hide him. So we can unlock him. Do something! Other than that, I could see maybe Zack or Vincent since they had stand-alone titles. Balthier? Or Kadaj? His sword is awesome. I'm also getting a little bit out of line naming these unhopefuls. Hopefully more characters will be revealed at the Tokyo Game Show this month since it'll be playable there. Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy is expected next year.

Kingdom Hearts Re: coded Japanese Box Art

This is good box art. I swear, if this game comes out here in the U.S., it better have the same cover or better (which usually never happens).

Re: Coded Japanese Cover Looks Swell! [Kingdom Hearts Insider]

Final Fantasy XIV Beta Receives a Phoenix Down

Yesterday, the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIV beta was supposed to go live but was then delayed due to last minute bugs that caught Square's attention. The beta will now began today for US players and tomorrow for Europe and Japan. Here's a statement from the official site:

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Will Start on Sep. 1!

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which was announced to be postponed on Aug. 31, 2010.

Along with the completion on investigation and correction of the critical issue, we have decided to begin FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test on Sep. 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT).

Starting on Sep. 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT), acquisition of registration code required for FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test will be available.

Get it together Square. Get it together.

Utada Goes on Hiatus

On August 9, Utada announced on her blog that she was going on a 2-5 year hiatus. Reasons for the hiatus included that fact that she's been singing since she was 15 and also that she wanted to rest, study and learn new things. Here's the translation of her blog:

I can't believe how quickly time goes - it's already been 12 years since my debut with "Automatic," which was called "that sensational video of dancing in a low ceiling room."(lol) I was 15 at that time.

Lately when I first meet someone they say, "Oh so you're still 27~! I thought you would be around 30, since I have this image that you have a very long career~. And you looked quite grown-up when you debuted."

27 years old, it's young in a sense . . . but not that young in another sense.

When I think back I find I've always worked on music ever since I was 15. Spent my life overprotected by people around, so that "Utada Hikaru" can stick to music. People say I have plenty of life experience for my age, but as a matter of fact what I've experienced is quite lopsided.

I have had chances to do something uncommon thanks to this job. I thank you all my fans, all my staff from the bottom of my heart.

That said, there is this part of me which has stunted since around 15, when I started living my life focused on artist activities. That is the part, important as a human being.

Over the past 12 years I've challenged various things as an artist, and I think I've grown up a bit through those experiences. And I need to grow up as a person, aside from music, to evolve further.

Based on those thoughts I have made a big decision!

I am going to stop flashy "artist activities" for a while and focus on "human activities, " starting from next year.

This is not a "retirement announcement"! Nor is this "rest" or "recreation."

This period is going to be the period form me to face the real me as a person, by studying something new eagerly and humbly, seeing and learning things in this while world I don't know yet. I think that's something that should be called "human activities," different from "artist activities."

And that should lead to my growth as an artist too, as a result.

Of course I may be making music or singing as I like, during that time.

When the time comes that I realize I have grown up a little as a person, and I feel the need to let you all hear my music, that is about time I should do so.


I didn't like it just to hide without showing up in front of my fans, and to jump into "human activities" with no regrets, I'm gonna go on full-throttle to do music activities till the end of this year!

First of all, I'm gonna release Single Collection vol 2 in upcoming autumn. I've made a lot of singles after the relase of vol 1.

This time I'll put some new songs in it!

Maybe 4 songs or so, 5 hopefully . . . ! I'm right in the middle of recording, trying to make them something that can tell you my recent feelings, change of my heart. Pleae wait for a while, I'll let you know as soon as the release date is fixed.

Other than that there are more things already fixed and I'll tell you about them soon! Like, a CM I appear in and such . . . expect a lot!

I thank all the staff of EMI being receptive to my offer to take off from artist activities from next year.

I've always made them nervous or worried, still they've always believed in me, supported me. Thank you very much.

I can focus on "human activities" with an easy mind thinking they will wait for my return, believing me.

I guess each one of you has a different impression on my decision, but please believe me and wait for my return. I have no idea how long it gonna be - 2 years or 5 years, but I shall return, more matured. Give me some time.

Well before that I'm gonna release new songs in autumn, then winter and there should be some opportunities to show you recent me, as well as interact each other. So that's all for today. (Also I'm thinking of starting twitter for a limited time! That way I can reply to you directly)

Last of all, thank you for reading this long message. I hope this can help to tell you my current feeling, as much as possible.

August 9th 2010



Utada Hikaru

at 8:00 PM


Yep. No Utada for awhile. Utada is well-known for contribution to videogames  such as "Simple and Clean" in Kingdom Hearts and "Passion" and "Sanctuary" in Kingdom Hearts II. Even though she's going on hiatus she does plan to release a second singles compilation album this coming fall. It will include 4 or 5 new tracks.