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Final Fantasy XIII and Halo 3 at E3 This Year?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the also-resident-evil-7-and-street-fighter-11 dept.

There are hints floating around already at some of the titles that will be unveiled during this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. 1up has a short piece saying that Final Fantasy XIII is almost done, and will get a powerful debut at the show in May. IGN, meanwhile, is rumourmongering that Halo 3 will also make an appearance. Not only that, they say, it's slated for a March 2007 release. From the article: "By theoretically shifting Halo to next spring, Microsoft thus allows third-party companies a better chance to shine independently of Bungie's uber shooter during the fall 2006 season. One must wonder, however, why the game wouldn't come out simultaneously with the movie, due in summer 2007. But if Halo 3's alleged March release date is officially confirmed, perhaps the game will leave questions for the movie to answer."

53 comments

  1. I'm done with sequels by Falconoffury · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Apparantly we are supposed to by "oohed" and "ahhhed" by the names of these games alone. I've had it. I'm boycotting sequels to games. Is the industry in such bad shape that no developer would risk an original title? Originality worked 10 years ago, and it should work just as well today.

    1. Re:I'm done with sequels by Guppy06 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Originality worked 10 years ago, and it should work just as well today."

      Ten years ago I was playing Final Fantasy VI and Seiken Densetsu 2.

      Twenty years ago I had Super Mario Bros, a Mario game that came out after Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Junior, Donkey Kong...

    2. Re:I'm done with sequels by MBCook · · Score: 1
      Halo 3 I can agree with. I'm hoping I like FF XIII (not really a sequel).

      Trivia: Why are the FF games called "Final"?

      I read today (in Game Pro) that the first FF game was called Final Fantasy because Square was going out of business and it was going to be the last game they would ever make.

      Then it saved them.

      But if you don't want to see more sequels, check out the Nintendo Revolution. Besides sequels (Super Smash Brothers Whatever!, which I can't wait for) they will be completely new games that no one has ever seen designed for it, which should be great.

      Don't want another sequel? How about a Bob Ross game that will come out for the Revolution and DS?

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    3. Re:I'm done with sequels by elmwood · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Halo was original as of four years ago. Its the third game in the series. Its relatively a very new franchise, and I really don't think the sequel, or third game in a series is a bad thing. Upwards of that, maybe you have an argument, but come on. Fans want the games. What do you say to the millions of halo fans looking for a new version of their favorite game? Sorry, we'd make it look better than ever, keep that solid core gameplay while adding a few little extra tweaks for ya, pimp out the multiplayer over the 360 version of live like none before... but we're too busy pretending to be artistically superior to you, we don't feel like making it. You have to play what we tell you to play. What about the fans? Can't they get what they want? Don't be an elitist snob and thank you're better than little billy who bought the last six years of madden games, even with (gasp) only sparse improvements because just maybe... he wanted to get them? Enjoyed them? If the developers have a story to tell, let them tell it without interrupting and asking when it's going to end?

    4. Re:I'm done with sequels by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      I'm planning to boycott sequels as well... until Neverwinter Nights 2 comes out. :P

    5. Re:I'm done with sequels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now you've done it. Now we're going to have to listen to the usual crowd of Sephiweenies explain why there are 12 Final Fantasies (not including spinoffs) and how it "saved Squaresoft" (it didn't, it was some guy's last project before retiring - it did, however, manage to kill Squaresoft, forcing them to sell to Enix).

      And we're also going to have to listen to people explaining that they're "not sequels", they're completely different and unique games, that just so happen to all contain airships, chocobos, Potions, Hi-Potions, Elixirs, 3 levels each of Fire/Ice/Lightning spells, 4 levels of healing magic called "Cure", summons, Bomb enemies, crystals, Esuna magic to remove status, Black Mages, White Mages,...

      But, oh no, we can't POSSIBLY confuse them with sequels. After all, the names of the characters and towns and giant floating angelic demon final boss are different each time.

    6. Re:I'm done with sequels by EmperorKagato · · Score: 3, Informative

      Final Fantasy X is the only game in the series that had a sequel.

      --
      ----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
    7. Re:I'm done with sequels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I read today (in Game Pro) that the first FF game was called Final Fantasy because Square was going out of business and it was going to be the last game they would ever make.

      Then it saved them. "

      There is a similar story like that about Dead Or Alive.

    8. Re:I'm done with sequels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You seem to be thinking of sequels in the Doom sense - more monsters and more maps. As much as Halo is a simple shooter on the top, there is a continuous story to it that makes it a sequel in more of the Lord of the Rings sense. There's even two novels that tell the story before Halo and between Halo and Halo 2.

      I'll be buying Halo 3 for the same reason I went to see/read "Return of the King" - the first parts were awesome, and I want to get the rest!

    9. Re:I'm done with sequels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course it is - as long as we ignore the nine Final Fantasy games that came before it. You know, the nine previous games that used the same combat system, the same transportation options, the same items...

      Yes, I know. They changed the character and place names. It's still a sequel.

    10. Re:I'm done with sequels by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      Unless you count FF7: Dirge of Cerberus.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
    11. Re:I'm done with sequels by EmperorKagato · · Score: 1

      Sequel: "A novel incorporating the same characters and often the same setting as a previous novel. Sometimes the events and situations involve a continuation of the previous novel and sometimes only the characters are the same and the events are entirely unrelated to the previous novel. When sequels result from the popularity of an original, they are often hastily written and not of the same quality as the original."

      "a part added to a book or play that continues and extends it "
      "Movie that presents the continuation of characters and/or events of a previously filmed movie."

      "A novel incorporating the same characters and often the same setting as a previous novel."

      The only character's name the occured very often was Cid.
      Cid is not the main character in most of the establishments within Final Fantasy.
      Bahumut is the most reoccuring Legendary Monster(FF1) until he becomes a summoned creature(FF6) or Aeon(FF10)
      All the settings are completely different.

      The theme in 1 and 4 are the soul crystals, The theme in 6 is the revival of Magic(Espers), the Theme in 7 is the prevention of the destruction of the planet, Final Fantasy 10 is to destroy Sin.

      Final Fantasy 1 (Wait combat system, preset combat order)
      Final Fantasy 4 (Wait combat system, change combat order)
      Final Fantasy 6 (Semi-Active combat system, speed based combat order)
      Final Fantasy 7 (Active Time Battle)
      Final Fantasy 10(Ordered Combat System based on speed)

      Not a sequel. It's more of a framework - an RPG template - for creating an RPG video game.

      --
      ----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
  2. umm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yes?

  3. Interest, but... by MBCook · · Score: 1
    That's interesting, but let's talk about what's really important. Check out what Iwata said to MTV:

    ""Our primary focus with the Nintendo Revolution has been to create a system that can do things that the other systems can't, that has functionality that the other systems don't have," he said through a translator. "And speaking to that, there are some other unique features of the Nintendo Revolution hardware that we haven't discussed yet that we will be announcing at E3."

    Not only that, we are supposed to see games, prices, and a release date. The Revolution is supposed to be playable at E3.

    Plus, I read that Twilight Princess will have an "enhanced mode" for the Rev, which I take to mean enhanced graphics as well. That comes from here. But on checking that link, THEY'RE GONE. ACCOUNT SUSPENDED? Who knows. That's odd. They got that tidbit from an interview with a Nintendo of Japan guy where they talked about all sorts of Zelda stuff including the timeline, and why Tingle RPG was canned (hint: Westerners didn't like Tingle).

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    1. Re:Interest, but... by Daetrin · · Score: 1
      Plus, I read that Twilight Princess will have an "enhanced mode" for the Rev, which I take to mean enhanced graphics as well.

      Yeah, i heard rumors about Twilight Princess being able to take advantage of the Revolution hardware as well, though i heard it from rather obscure site.

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      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    2. Re:Interest, but... by MBCook · · Score: 1

      Yes, but if you were to read what I read (I can't remember where I read it right not) they were talking about an enhanced mode IN ADDITION TO the controller thing. They talked about how the thought about just dropping GC support and making it Revolution only but they didn't. But as a side effect of that (or at least that's what it sounded like) there is an enhanced mode (which I assume means more polygons/better textures/more effects/etc).

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    3. Re:Interest, but... by SilentChris · · Score: 1

      What does the Revolution have to do with either Halo or Final Fantasy?

      There are articles about Revolution all over Slashdot. Lots and lots of articles. And there is going to be lots of news at E3 about lots of different companies. Don't let Nintendo fanboyism creep where it doesn't belong. Keep posts about Revolution to the proper articles.

  4. Confirmed? by hunterx11 · · Score: 1
    But if Halo 3's alleged March release date is officially confirmed, perhaps the game will leave questions for the movie to answer.

    Considering that Bungie only recently announced that they were working on Halo 3 at all, I doubt they'll announce a release date so soon. Besides, they gave themselves more time to finish Halo 2, and even that was terribly rushed.

    --
    English is easier said than done.
    1. Re:Confirmed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "announced they're working on Halo 3"

      FFS, it's Bungie, what else would they be doing? I'd be utterly astonished if they didn't have people working on Halo 3 halfway into making Halo 2, and you can bet your ass that their main team started on Halo 3 as soon as they dust around shipping Halo 2 settled. Besides the fact that Halo is what they do, MS badly needs Halo 3 for the 360.

    2. Re:Confirmed? by FinchWorld · · Score: 1
      No you fool, don't you see Halo 3 isn't being made, its not like Halo 1 and 2 sold alot, I mean, its not even like M$ could have some say in this after previous Halos pretty much made the xbox. I mean, is not like the big wigs at bungie are interested in the revenue it would make.

      Don't you see the logic?

      Oh wait...

      --
      "I may be full of crap about this game, and I may be wrong, and that's fine." -Jack Thompson
    3. Re:Confirmed? by hunterx11 · · Score: 1
      I'd be utterly astonished if they didn't have people working on Halo 3 halfway into making Halo 2

      Considering that Halo 2 was about 10% done halfway into its making, I highly doubt this.

      --
      English is easier said than done.
    4. Re:Confirmed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering that Bungie only recently announced that they were working on Halo 3 at all...

      Where on God's green earth did you hear either MS or Bungie mention that they were working on Halo 3. Because if neither of the two mentioned that's what they were working on, they you're full of shit!

      And even IF they're working on Halo 3, and you have PROOF, then please share it with the rest of us! Provide a link, show some pics, a quote, something!!!

      Oh and by the way, this is a little off topic, but President Bush has confessed to 9/11 being an inside job and he knew about it all along!

      See what I mean? Show us proof, not your what you think they're doing.

    5. Re:Confirmed? by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      The fact that they're CURRENTLY planning a March 2007 release doesn't mean squat. No source, inside or otherwise, can predict how many times the designers will have to scrap their designs, head back to the drawing board, and delay the release.

      Halo 2 was ORIGINALLY supposed to be out over a year before it actually arrived. The entire design had to be completely scrapped at one point in its development.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    6. Re:Confirmed? by hunterx11 · · Score: 1

      Bungie announced a release date for Halo 2, and they released it on that date. What other people say was irrelevant then, and is now.

      --
      English is easier said than done.
    7. Re:Confirmed? by hunterx11 · · Score: 1
      You're right--it actually turns out that I was mistaken, and Bungie hasn't announced that they are working on Halo 3 yet, though it's pretty inconceivable that they aren't.

      Also, you really don't have to troll.

      --
      English is easier said than done.
  5. FFXIII? by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

    Online or offline?

    1. Re:FFXIII? by Tachikoma · · Score: 1

      lets hope offline
      i don't fantasize well with others
      unless it's my girlfriend
      but even then when our two fantasies don't meet in the middle it gets really, really akward.
      just the other day we wer. . . wait what were we talking about?

      --
      i don't care
    2. Re:FFXIII? by hal2814 · · Score: 1

      "but even then when our two fantasies don't meet in the middle it gets really, really akward."

      Yeah when she's wearing a Princess Leia outfit and accusing you of being a Mexican apple thief, it can get pretty weird.

  6. Jumping the gun? by kyouteki · · Score: 1

    How about waiting for customer reaction to Final Fantasy XII first? I played the demo, and I despised the dungeon crawling. I know that I'm probably the only person in the world that doesn't like MMORPGs and doesn't mind random battles, but one should probably see how a product fares before releasing a successor.

    --
    A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    1. Re:Jumping the gun? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Umm... when the successor is numbered XIII (that's 13 for all you non-Romans out there) I don't think you need much more market research. If you make it that far, you'll be able to sell just about anything with the name. And Squeenix is taking full advantage of that.

    2. Re:Jumping the gun? by evangellydonut · · Score: 1

      MMORPG is a complete waste of money and time, but it does create a whole new market for oursourcing, e-commerce, among other things.

      random battles, i can do without... i remember one of the ffs i played had such a high encounter rate it was painful to do side-quests and make mistakes...

    3. Re:Jumping the gun? by kyouteki · · Score: 1

      The only problem is that there hasn't been this much divergence in gameplay since FFIV introduced ATB. In fact, I'd say it's more drastic a change. But when you make this drastic a change, don't you think it would be a good idea to see if the market accepts it?

      --
      A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
  7. What the.... by Aagfed · · Score: 0

    FFXII isn't even out in the states yet & FFXIII is almost finished? How did in the name of God did THAT happen? It's taken them forever to finish XII. And whatever happened to "FFXII is going to be the last Final Fantasy game?" Are they going to sequel us all to death?

    --
    GodDAMN Voltron is looking tough as hell standing here in my office! I wish my manager would walk by and see this shit!
    1. Re:What the.... by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      Who said that they're finished? I remember there was one trade show a few years back where they had a trailer demoing FFX, another trailer demoing bits of FFXI, and another trailer doing a high level teaser for what they were thinking about for FFXII containing nothing but pre-rendered FMV footage. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the FFXIII preview was similar -- all flash and no real gameplay or story hints.

      Incidentally, you shouldn't be surprised at all that Square would have work started on the next game. After all, Pixar is often doing animation work on their next movie and storyboarding for the movie after that just as they're preparing to release their current movie. Different departments are needed at different stages of the development pipeline at both companies, and each department moves on to the next project after they hand the current one off.

      And whatever happened to "FFXII is going to be the last Final Fantasy game?" Are they going to sequel us all to death?

      A) Who ever said that FFXII would be the last?
      B) Final Fantasy is a franchise. You should be far more welcoming of an FFXIII than an FFX-2 or their recent milking of the FF7 cash cow.

      Also, Square-Enix churns out a lot of non FF & DQ games. They generally aren't as good as the more famous product lines, though there are a few shining exceptions like Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 and Chrono Trigger.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  8. Difference by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 1

    "Apparantly we are supposed to by "oohed" and "ahhhed" by the names of these games alone"

    Some "sequals" are truely that, and some are just expansions.

    I will buy pretty much every game with the name "Splinter Cell" or "Legend of Zelda" on it. These are games that are built from the ground up each time while just reusing the game world. These can be as innovative and great as any other non-sequal game.

    The widely accepted best game ever itself is a sequal (Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time).

    1. Re:Difference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're right. The widely accepted best game ever IS a sequel.

      It's called Civilization II.

    2. Re:Difference by rizawbone · · Score: 1
      The widely accepted best game ever itself is a sequal (Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time).

      Widely accepted? According to what?

  9. NEXT year.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Umm, I thought the Halo3 rumor was that it would be released NEXT year, in 2007. (yes, the most recent rumor). That's what the whole "By theoretically shifting Halo to next spring, Microsoft thus allows third-party companies a better chance to shine independently of Bungie's uber shooter during the fall 2006 season." part was about.. See? It says "Next" spring right there.

  10. what effects will the revolution have on this? by Frag-A-Muffin · · Score: 1


    IGN, meanwhile, is rumourmongering that Halo 3 will also make an appearance. Not only that, they say, it's slated for a March 2007 release.


    Hmmm .. it'll be released well after the revolution (at best). I wonder what will happen if the revolution indeed does revolutionize fps games on the console?

    --

    AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
    1. Re:what effects will the revolution have on this? by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 1

      Nintendo's thing isn't first person shooters. Those kind of games appeal to crowds to demand cutting edge graphics, which Nintendo isn't aiming for.

      Revolution will not have any impact on Halo3's success.

    2. Re:what effects will the revolution have on this? by masterzora · · Score: 1
      Correction... Nintendo's thing isn't entirely FPS. Their top selling games span pretty much every genre I can think of, including FPS (Metroid Prime, anyone?).

      That said, Revolution will not have any impact on Halo 3's success.

      --
      Remember, open source is free as in speech, not free as in bear.
    3. Re:what effects will the revolution have on this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was hoping it would, but the lack of high-def means it'll be a second-class FPS system at best, not to mention utterly useless for split screen. It didn't have to push huge polygon numbers or do fancy shaders, just output basic graphics at a resolution that enables you to see stuff that's far away. I'm sad about that.

      Still, I'll always have my PC. And hopefully Logitech etc. will sell revolution-style controllers for the PC if it turns out that they are as good as people expect.

      I'll still buy a rev anyway, Wario Ware Revolution, Mario 128 and a selection of SNES/N64 classics are too tempting to miss out on.

    4. Re:what effects will the revolution have on this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's bullshit, plenty of FPSes have been far from cutting edge graphically and done well. Halo is the prime example of this!

      You might be a poly whore and FPS fan, but I like FPSes and am excited by finally getting to playing Metroid Prime Hunters, which has graphics like a low-resolution version of UT '99.

      p.s. Oh yeah, I recognise your name, you're that Microsoft shill... LOLZ@U frm me in .jp! Maybe I'll buy a 360 while I'm here on holiday and increase MSes sales figures by 1% for this whole country :) KthnxBYeee :)

  11. Date of the Year by kai.chan · · Score: 1

    This news would be great if the date is not so close to April 1st.

    1. Re:Date of the Year by Daetrin · · Score: 1
      This news would be great if the date is not so close to April 1st.

      I agree, why would Squenix be anxious to finish FF13 so soon after releasing FF12? _Especially_ given that the next generation of consoles are right around the corner. Oh wait, XBox 360 is out already (i just forget about it for a second =) but i'd be _really_ surprised if they were going to release FF13 for the XBox 360.

      It would be kind of sad if they broke the tradition too, three FFs for the NES, three for the SNES, three for the PSX, and so far three that we know of for the PS2. (Though in my own very biased opinion FF11 didn't deserve a number)

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  12. Yeah man you're a regular Rosa Parks with your by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    boycott.

  13. In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Halo 3 is missing the holiday season and coming out just as the PS3 and Revolution will hit the zenith of their hype-- and this is somehow a good thing!"

  14. Loaded text? by Ars-Gonzo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I love the loaded editorial here from Zonk. "1up has a short piece saying..." vs. "IGN, meanwhile, is rumourmongering that...". The 1up story cites a sister publication (EGM) but no sources at either SquareEnix or Sony. The IGN article cites two sources, although they're both anonymous. One is from MS, while the other is the dreaded "source close to the company".

    I don't generally agree with the editorial content of either site, but I also don't think it's appropriate to give a negative connotation to one site over the other, when both stories are essentially unsubstantiated rumormongering.

  15. Why is anyone suprised... by illeism · · Score: 1

    ...about a FF coming out for the PS3. Square-enix has had it's hands on the dev kit for some time (FF7 tech demo) and it's not suprising that they've been working. With this in mind, it makes sense for Sony to drag their feet a little. They are going to need an incredible set of launch titles to pull us consumers to pay for thier console. If you look at the Xbox 360 launch, they had 8 or so barely passable games. There really was no point to get the Xbox 360 except for the status it supposedly gave. Sony, taking it's time, giving developers time to make good games, will have 8 or so great games and a pile of other games that range from ima-pull-my-hair-out-this-is-so-bad to i-like-my-nitch games. Also, there are people, including myself, that are waiting to see where the FF series heads before buying the next gen. With this announcment and the E3 right around the corner, I'll be waiting for the PS3.

    --
    Help test the /. effect at my min
  16. When is the... by master_p · · Score: 0

    ...final Final Fantasy coming out???

  17. Halo 3 and PS3 by Tauklon · · Score: 1

    Didn't Bill Gates say last fall that Halo 3 would come out the same day as the PS3? That's when both dates were for this spring. I can see the PS3 sliding that long but Halo 3?

  18. It is a sequel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's called Super Mario Brothers 3