FFXIII-2: Multiple endings confirmed, inspired by RDR, HD towns “too boring”

FFXIII-2: Multiple endings confirmed, inspired by RDR, HD towns “too boring”: "

Final Fantasy XIII-2 duo Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama have dropped a ton of new info on the game in a new interview, confirming that multiple endings will feature for the first time in the Final Fantasy series.

Specifics on how they would work weren’t given, but a lot more details will be announced at TGS in September.

“There isn’t an awful lot I can tell you on this subject, but we have changed that structure, because obviously people didn’t like it—there is a new one,” Toriyama told RPGSite when asked about using a chapter-based system for XIII-2. “For details on that, we’ll have to wait until TGS, but one thing I can tell you is that for the first time in the Final Fantasy series, XIII-2 will have multiple endings.”

Toriyama added that it had been inspired by Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption in making FFXIII-2, saying there would be side missions in the RPG, “a bit like in Red Dead Redemption.”

“Among the millions of games that came out last year, Red Dead Redemption was adored by a lot of Japanese developers, including ourselves,” he continued.

“Our game is not as open-field as that game, obviously. We did take some inspirations, however. For example, missions can happen anywhere rather than having to go to a certain shrine, or base or something, and that’s from them. In this game you see lots and lots of chocobos and you can ride them. The kind of feeling you get as you ride the chocobo, it’s a bit like the way you ride a horse.

“It’s a really refreshing feel good experience, and that’s one thing we learned from the game.”

Despite being lambasted for having a lack of traditional towns to explore in XIII – a previous interview mentioned development on them was “very hard” – Toriyama added that development on towns from PS1 era games, such as FFVII-IX, would be “quite boring.”

Final Fantasy XIII-2 launches early next year for PS3 and 360.

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PlayStation Vita is region free - Sony

PlayStation Vita is region free - Sony: "New handheld won't be locked down to territories.


The PlayStation Vita will be region free meaning any system will play games from any territory.



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Wii U Controllers Only Available With Console

Wii U Controllers Only Available With Console: "

Wait…….WHAT?

In a news that seems otherworldly coming from this company, but Nintendo have announced their super cool new controllers for their brand spanking new machine will only be available with the console. And you only get one.

“Both the controller and the console will be sold as one unit, you won’t be able to buy the controller alone”, a Nintendo spokesman told CVG. There is still no news regarding whether or not you can even sync more than one controller to the system, with other playing relegated to using traditional Wii Remotes.

Now this is a fairly bizarre decision. Clearly, Nintendo have a reason for all of this they are yet to disclose, and we must look at the fact there may be no reason to have more than one controller for each device, although it seems rather odd that the option to not even purchase a second controller is not even there.

What if it breaks? Buy a whole new console just to get another controller? Oh, Nintendo. I’m sure there is a good reason why this is happening but I can’t see it right now. Consider me slightly less interested now.

Is this a good idea? Are you surprised at this decision? Sound off.

Source [Next-Gen.biz]

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Hitman Absolution Screens Are Beautiful

Hitman Absolution Screens Are Beautiful: "

Here is a fresh batch of screenshots from the upcoming Hitman: Absolution.

IO Interactive have finally returned to the franchise that made them a household name (well in very geeky households i guess) Hitman Absolution has been officially been outed and here are five beautiful screen-shots which appear to be in-game graphics.

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First Halo 4 Images Are Here

First Halo 4 Images Are Here: "

After yesterday’s leak came yesterday’s reveal. Now we have full high quality images to show you.

Halo 4 had its big reveal yesterday with an epic and explosive trailer, now we can bring you some official high quality images for the game. Halo 4 is being developed by 343 Industries and will be exclusive to Xbox 360. Expect a release in holiday 2012.

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Batman Arkham City: 10% of game will be playable Catwoman

Batman Arkham City: 10% of game will be playable Catwoman: "Bats only taking up nine tenths of control time.


Warner Bros has told CVG that players will spend one tenth of Batman: Arkham City's campaign controlling Catwoman.



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Wii U Likely to Cost More Than Wii at Launch

Wii U Likely to Cost More Than Wii at Launch: "







With that expensive-looking tablet controller, Wii U seems like a lock to cost more than Wii did at launch. Nintendo didn't say anything of the sort during its E3 media briefing yesterday morning, and it actually glossed over the entire subject of pricing -- an understandable decision, as the system may not be out for another 17 months.

That doesn't mean that everyone at Nintendo has opted to ignore the subject. President Satoru Iwata said in an interview with Nikkei (as translated by Andriasang) that the company does not intend to sell Wii U for the same 20,000 yen ($250) price that Wii did at launch. He also believes Wii can continue to live on for a period of time following the release of U.


Without knowing the exact components that make up the new system and its controller, it's impossible to precisely say how much Nintendo will pay to produce each system. $300 seems like a low-end estimate for what consumers will be paying at this point; between the system, its controller, and Nintendo's insistence upon making a profit out of the gate, it probably won't end up costing any less than that.






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Japan Review Check: Ocarina of Time 3DS

Japan Review Check: Ocarina of Time 3DS: "






Not too many games coming out next week in Japan, but they're all worth your attention. Here's what's due to hit shelves, courtesy the review pages of Famitsu magazine:

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (9/9/9/10, 37 points): Nobody was expecting a bad review of this 3DS remake, definitely. 'The game's the same,' one writer said, 'but being able to play Ocarina on a portable is really amazing. The hard-but-not-too-hard play balance is still there, and the hints make it a stressless experience. The 3D backdrops also have to be seen to be believed.'


Most reviewers remarked on how kind the passage of time has been to Ocarina's core gameplay. 'It still doesn't feel old,' one said. 'The graphic improvements are well-made, and the controls are also enhanced.' This was echoed in another reviewer's text: 'It hardly feels like a 13-year-old game. From the UI to the game's gyroscope gimmicks and 3D graphics, the sense of adventure here is stratospheric.'
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