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 »

New SaGa Game Is Another Remake

Late last week Square Enix put up a teaser website for a new SaGa game on the Japanese branch of their website. The lack of any hints made many wonder if the game would be a another remake similar to SaGa 2 or a brand-new game in the series. Thanks to a leak of the latest issue of Famitsu, we now know what the game is. 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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Square Enix Teasing New SaGa Game

After releasing the Nintendo DS remake of SaGa 2 in Japan, also known as Final Fantasy Legend 2 in the West, many were left wondering if Square Enix was bringing back the series, which lately has essentially faded away. According to a new teaser website, it looks like the company has more games in store. More »

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 »

Square Enix: We'd Love To Keep Producing Games For PSP

Square Enix haven't had much luck on the PSP with regards to piracy, but they've still been one of the platform's biggest supporters. In Japan, aside from Monster Hunter, Square Enix titles adorn the top of the sales charts and it looks like this is a trend they want to continue.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is around the corner and they also have The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy Agito XIII planned for the system. 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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Expecting Versus XIII In 2011? Don't Count On It

Ever since Final Fantasy Versus XIII was teased way back at E3 2006, gamers have been tentatively hoping for a) more information about the game and b) some inkling as to when it might actually get released. Well, they might get the first part at some point this year, but the second part really doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon.

We had a chance to sit down with Yoshinori Kitase at GamesCom and he's one of the producers on the game. We asked if we could hope to see Final Fantasy Versus XIII during 2011 and he replied with the following. More »

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 »

Why Japanese Developers Need New IP's (Part One)

Many Japanese developers are struggling to keep up with the big numbers drawn in by western games. This isn't as much speculation, as it is fact. Outside of Nintendo, Square Enix, and Platinum Games (and a few select others), it's difficult to really pin down a developer that's been a hit overseas which Japan can directly claim. But the reasons behind these failures are not hard to identify. In fact, it can all be summed up in one pretty simple question: Where are the new IP's? More »

BioShock: Infinite Bodes Well For The Future Of The Series

After a long period of silence following their last project, Irrational Games, the team behind BioShock, have finally let the world know what they've been working on - a continuation of their critically acclaimed franchise, BioShock: Infinite.

This news comes after years of rampant debate as to the identity of Irrational's next game. Everything from a new X-COM, System Shock, Thief, SWAT and Freedom Force title was considered - a new BioShock was the last thing most people were expecting. Why? Because BioShock 2 was developed by another studio, without input from Irrational's creative director, Ken Levine. Meanwhile, Levine was seemingly 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 »

The World Ends With You Sequel Quite Likely

Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura has revealed that if time allowed it, he would love to do a sequel to DS hit The World Ends With You.

Tetsuya Nomura was the character designer for the 2008 action RPG and admits that a sequel would be a wonderful thing to do; however, he is also currently working on several other projects including Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII, The 3rd Birthday, the Kingdom Hearts franchise as well as other unannounced games. More »

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Way Down The Pecking Order

Tetsuya Nomura, one of the biggest creative minds at Square Enix, has revealed that both Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII are still quite far from being released.

He revealed on Twitter that "There are a number of unannounced titles. These will come before Agito and Versus. Some have finished voice recording. Announcements will take place in Japan." More »

Square Enix Announces Chocobo Mystery Dungeon For PSN

Looks like Square Enix will be bringing hit classic Chocobo Mystery Dungeon to the PlayStation Store, according to a Tweet from producer Shinji Hashimoto. The game is set to be the next in line of PlayStation Classics releases on PSN. 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 »