Why Japanese Developers Need New IPs Part 2

Last time we covered what exactly is wrong in the mainstream Japanese gaming industry. The oversaturation of RPGs, longstanding titles that change very little, and of course the terrible attempts at reaching Western consumers certainly don't help much. There's really no reason for these developers (or publishers) to be so afraid of moving their products overseas, in fact there are a lot of great reasons to do so. The market is not only ready for Japan to take the lead again, they're almost begging for it. How do I figure? Allow me to explain. More »

GamesCom: Yoshinori Kitase Interview

Yoshinori Kitase is one of Square Enix's most decorated employees. Having originally started work on their SNES Final Fantasy games, Kitase was one of the key figures on Final Fantasy VII.

Since then, he's seen his role shift to that of Producer, a role which he recently fulfilled on Final Fantasy XIII and is currently fulfilling on The 3rd Birthday. More »

Top Ten RPGs Of This Generation... So Far

This console generation has seen a remarkable shift in what it means to be a role-playing game. Elements that have traditionally been exclusive to RPGs - such as leveling/upgrading characters and equipment, branching, non-linear plots, and collectible items - have begun to be incorporated in numerous other genres, blurring the lines between them. However, the core RPG genre remains intact, featuring a wide variety of the best Western and Eastern game designers have to offer. This is Gaming Union's top ten RPGs of this console generation (roughly 2005 to present), in alphabetical order.

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Final Fantasy XIV TGS 2010 Trailer Released

The Tokyo Game Show is only a few weeks away and to help build anticipation, Square Enix have released their Final Fantasy XIV TGS 2010 trailer. More »

Final Fantasy XV Development Time 'Hopefully' Shorter

Final Fantasy XIII has been out for a few months now, and Final Fantasy XIV is out next month, so soon all attention will be turning towards the next iteration in the franchise, Final Fantasy XV.

We had a chance to speak to Yoshinori Kitase at GamesCom about how the development cycles are longer with Final Fantasy games than they used to be. More »

Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta Starts Early September

Square Enix seems to be pretty fond of the social networking tool Twitter as that's just what they used to confirm that Final Fantasy XIV will be entering its open beta phase starting early September. Phase 3 of the closed beta is about to come conclusion some time tomorrow.

"The FINAL FANTASY XIV Beta Test Phase 3 will end on August 25, then move to the Open Beta Test in early September. Get ready!"

The full game will retail on September 30. For those that preorder the collector's edition, they'll be able to access the game 8 days earlier on September 22. More »

Memory Issues Reason For Final Fantasy XIV PS3 Delay

The PlayStation 3 version of Square Enix's upcoming MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, was reportedly pushed back to March 2011 due to technical difficulties. Speaking with VG247, producer Hiromichi Tanaka explained that it mostly due to the lack of memory on Sony's platform.

"The main reason was memory," said Tanaka.

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Square Enix Coy On Final Fantasy XIII Japanese Xbox 360 Rumours

Unlike the rest of the world, Final Fantasy XIII was released exclusively on the PlayStation 3 in Japan. However, rumours have started to crop up that this is only a finite deal.

Last month, a Japanese site More »

Square Enix Gives Bonuses To Final Fantasy XI And XIV Subscribers

Three bonuses to be precise, all of which come with a load of prerequisites. Still, it's nice to see Square throwing a bone to those who happen to participate in both of their online games. Players who decide to link the accounts, get the following neat perks. More »

Square Enix Reveal GamesCom 2010 Line-Up

Square Enix have announced the games that they will be showing publically at this year's GamesCom, which takes place from the 18th of August to the 22nd. More »

Top Ten Anticipated Games of Fall 2010

2010 has already been a fantastic year for gamers, with an abundance of quality releases throughout the first half of this year. However, the fall holiday season is typically the time of year when the biggest franchises hit store shelves, and 2010 appears to be no different. With that in mind, Gaming Union has compiled a list of the top ten games scheduled for release this fall. It's important to note that we only included announced games on this list - rumored entrances such as Resistance 3 are off the table.

Below is our top ten anticipated games of fall 2010, in alphabetical order. More »

Namco Bandai Announces 3 New Tales Games

After revealing that more information about the next chapter in the long-running Tales series would be coming later this Summer and recently dashing hopes of a July announcement, many were expecting news wouldn't come out until TGS 2010. However, the company pulled a surprise announcement today in Japan, revealing three new games in the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. More »

Top Five Most Intense Moments of 2010... So Far

2010 has been a fantastic year for gamers. It's not often we are able to compile a solid list of 'Game of the Year' contenders only half way through the calender year. Mass Effect 2, Heavy Rain, God of War III, Final Fantasy XIII, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, and more are all high quality experiences that would normally be reserved for the holiday season.

With that in mind, we decided to examine some of the most intense moments so far this year. Intense could be anything from terrifying to awe inspiring, anything that really got our blood pumping. It should go without saying that if you haven't played these games yet and want to avoid spoilers, stop reading after each headline. The following is the top five most intense moments of 2010... so far. More »

Square Enix Announces Tactics Ogre Remake

Earlier in July Square Enix registered a slew of new trademarks for the long-running Ogre Battle series. Thanks to the latest issue of Famitsu, we now know what part of those trademarks are being used for, as the company has announced a PSP remake of Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together in Japan, entitled Tactics Ogre: Wheel of Fate. More »

Female Gamers: Do Looks Matter?

Doubting the popularity of games like Samurai Warriors is a little silly. There's just something about taking on an entire army of faceless enemies that everyone can identify with. In a recent interview with Samurai Heroes producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, he explained some of the reasons for their series' large success, and about halfway through there was a statement that made me shake my head. In short, it was the proclamation that the reason his game was so popular amongst women was because of the character design, and choice to minimize the violence. That most women are also turned off from big, burly hulk-type characters. It seems like a very typical Japanese statement, a broad sweeping generalization that must only apply to a foreign culture. Or perhaps he's just wrong in general.

How to capture the female gamer is something that gaming communities love to discuss and many girl gamers are quick to agree that preconceived notions of female interests are wrong. It’s the same as making the assumption that boys should play with trucks and girls with horses. Why anyone enjoys playing any game is really dependant on more factors than 'the main character is blue', or simply just the art design. In fact, there are plenty of games I've loved whose art has driven me absolutely batty. Windwaker is a fantastic example of a game that didn't move me visually, but gameplay wise was an absolute blast. How many games have attempted to push graphics first and foremost, and fallen flat on their face? More »

Square Enix Still Unsatisfied With Current Japanese Gaming Model

Ever aware of the changes to the gaming industry, SquareEnix president Yoichi Wada has recently sat down with Gamasutra to explain a little more about Square's current position in the world. Highlighting both his perspectives of the Japanese and Western market Wada does a pretty great job in detailing what he feels is going wrong. More »

Why Microsoft Are Losing The Exclusives Battle

At E3 2008, Square Enix’s Yoichi Wada shocked the gaming world. Taking to the stage at Microsoft's press conference, he announced that the latest in a series long associated with PlayStation would no longer be exclusive to Sony. Final Fantasy XIII was hitting Xbox 360.

It was a huge surprise, perhaps E3 2008's only true megaton, an increasingly rare phenomena for an event beset by pre-show leaks. Comments threads and forums around the world exploded with rage. More »

The Best Games Of 2010... So Far

I'll cut straight to the chase on this one, 2010 has had some phenomenal games. Most years start out a little slow and then wind up into a big bang, but honestly it's hard to imagine anything better around the corner aside from a few releases here or there.

So before we get all wrapped up in Halo: Reach, or severely addicted to the latest MMO, let's take this time to reflect upon the phenomenal games that the first half of 2010 have brought to us. More »

Final Fantasy XIV PC Beta Starts Tomorrow

Square Enix have announced via Twitter, that Final Fantasy XIV will enter its closed beta phase tomorrow for PC users. They have also confirmed that there are currently no plans for an open beta. More »

E3 2010: Final Fantasy XIV Interview

Final Fantasy XIV is one of Square Enix's hottest properties coming out this year and naturally, there are a lot of questions that arise from a game of this nature, especially since it succeeds Final Fantasy XI.

We sat down with Hiromichi Tanaka, the game's director and Yasu Kurosawa, the game's community manager, at E3 2010 to ask them some questions about their upcoming project. More »