Final Fantasy skips Xbox 360

Summary:
Square Enix has admitted that the Microsoft will have to sit out for the remainder of this round of Final Fantasy, as the company currently has no plans to release any versions of the epic RPG for the Xbox 360.

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By Eugene Huang

Owners of Xbox 360s may be disappointed to hear that, despite various rumors to the contrary, developer/publisher Square Enix currently has no plans to release a Final Fantasy game for Microsoft's next-gen console beyond the port of Final Fantasy XI.

According to a report from IGN, Final Fantasy producer Shinji Hashimoto revealed that, at this point in time, any attempt to bring an FF game to the 360 would require them to start completely from scratch.

"For the Wii, we have Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles in production. As for Final Fantasy on the Xbox 360, it's currently a completely blank page," Hashimoto recently told Japan's Nikkei BP.

Itagaki: Ninja Gaiden Sigma still PS3 exclusive
Jun 5, 2007 @ 7:27am

Summary:
Sorry, 360 owners: it looks like Ninja Gaiden Sigma will only be released on PlayStation 3, but Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki still promises the creation of new titles on new systems in the foreseeable future.

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By Brian Sullivan


Sigma releases next month, but only on PS3

In an interview on Japanese magazine Famitsu Xbox 360 (translated by IGN), Team Ninja leader and Ninja Gaiden mastermind Tomonobu Itagaki flatly denied the possibility of an Xbox 360 version of the PS3's upcoming title Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

"We're getting requests to port Sigma to the Xbox 360, but we currently have no such plans," claims Itagaki.

Itagaki adds that the revamped Sigma was created specifically for those gamers who've only owned Sony's consoles and have not been able to play Ninja Gaiden titles, which, for the past console generation, have been exclusive to the Xbox platform.

360 owners will have to resort to playing Ninja Gaiden Black on their systems for a while, but all hope is not lost:

"We're taking new challenges on the Nintendo DS, and the same is true for the Xbox 360. In order to respond to our fans' expectations, we're always making sequels and new games."

Ninja Gaiden Sigma hits PS3 exclusively this July. In the meantime, a demo is currently available for download on the PlayStation Store.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary signs up for Xbox 360?
Jun 6, 2007 @ 2:30pm

Summary:
The most recent addition to the ESRB's website is a T for Teen rating for Tomb Raider: Anniversary. However, it's interesting to note that the game has been divided into five different parts... for the Xbox 360.



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By Eugene Huang

Recently, bloggers and game journalists have developed a tendency to check the Entertainment Software Rating Board web site for news, since it often contains listings for future games that have yet to be formally announced. The games that pop up on the ESRB page before any place else usually turn out to be of a downloadable nature -- something that can be developed and distributed quicker than most blockbuster retail games. Although the site doesn't give out release dates, games that have been discovered in this fashion more often than not turn out to appear available for sale sooner or later.

That being said, a discovery today on the ESRB website indicates that Tomb Raider: Anniversary just might be making its way to the Xbox 360. According to this listing, Eidos' 10 year anniversary celebration of the Tomb Raider series will be divided into five parts: one dedicated to Peru, the Lost City, Greece, Egypt, and Croft Manor.

GameDaily Biz reports that a spokesperson for Eidos in the U.S. has neither confirmed nor denied the listing on the ESRB, but is checking back with their parent company in the U.K. Other gaming sites have so far speculated that Anniversary may be made available to Xbox 360 owners in five separate downloadable pieces, but we'll wait for a formal announcement from Eidos before we conjecture any further.

Halo 3 puts the pressure on GTA IV
Jun 4, 2007 @ 8:18am

Summary:
There may be enough room for only one blockbuster title this fall, leading some analysts to speculate a delay for the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, which has been so far scheduled to go on sale starting this October.

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By Brent Kampe


Microsoft and Take Two bring out the big guns this fall

It's no small secret to time-strained gamers that the usual summer release drought is followed by a hectic deluge of some of the year's biggest games meant to take advantage of the holiday sales rush. According to reports by Gamedaily Biz, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter speculates that the intense holiday competition from Bungie's Halo 3 may force a delay for Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV, highlighting the rising contention for attention of arguably the two most anticipated titles this fall.

Though GTA IV has been set for an October 16th, 2007 release, Pachter commented that Take-Two may choose to push its expected blockbuster's release beyond its current financial year, which ends on October 31st, 2007. The reason for this is due to Bungie's recent announcement that Master Chief would be coming to the Xbox 360 on September 25th, -- sooner than most gamers expected.

"We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to 'throw in the towel' on [Take-Two's 2007 financial year] by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company's prospects for [the next financial year]," Pachter said.

Pachter added that such a delay may not be motivated solely by financial calendaring, but that extra space in the release gap could also could serve to give gamers a bit more time to refill their coffers after the Halo 3 release, which features two pricier limited editions. Given that GTA IV has its own $89.99 Collector's Edition, consumers on a budget may be forced to choose between these two high profile games this fall.

dont think few exclusive title will help ps3 much , ps3 losing too much ..xbox 360 still rock , see the selling unit 

doesnt even matter
u like ps3..u can live with it
no need to down 360 owner
it was ur money anyway
sooner or later i will bought ps3 also

Mgsrulz, bring more news so we can discuss la

Square Enix "clears up" its FF for 360 stance
Jun 8, 2007 @ 10:21am

Summary:
One Square Enix rep believes that the future still may hold possibilities for Final Fantasy to appear on Xbox 360, but Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter isn't nearly as optimistic.

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By Eugene Huang

Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto kicked up a lot of dust earlier this week after making certain statements regarding his company's plans of producing Final Fantasy-branded titles on the Xbox 360. As GamePro had reported on Wednesday, the producer was quoted as saying "As for Final Fantasy on the Xbox 360, it's currently a completely blank page," leading some observers to speculate that the company has no future plans to produce FF titles for Microsoft's next-gen console.

Representatives from Square Enix were quick to clarify those statements, however, as a piece today from GamesIndustry.biz reported one Squeenix spokesperson as saying, "Hashimoto-san was talking about the current situation." Although no further elaboration was made, the spokesperson's comments do not rule out the possibility of a future deal being made.

However, noted analyst Michael Pachter from Wedbush Morgan Securities was also quick to give his take on the situation, stating that Square Enix has a difficult decision to make in choosing between worldwide success and appeasing their home country.

"Square Enix faces a dilemma," Pachter writes. "Put the next game on the 360 only and alienate Japanese fans, depart with tradition and make it multi-platform, or go with PS3 as an exclusive and deal with the backlash from the west."

Ultimately, Pachter believes that the company will stay close to its roots.

"I view Square Enix as a tradition-bound company, and expect the last alternative to be chosen," the analyst concluded.

Microsoft: no price drop on the way for 360
Jun 8, 2007 @ 5:00pm

Summary:
In response to the vibrant buzz caused by rumors claiming that Microsoft intends to make the Xbox 360 competitive by cutting its price, the company has clarified its position by stating that it has no immediate plans to do so.

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By Eugene Huang

Although most rumors these days center on the price of the PS3, the gaming press was all abuzz about price cuts for the Xbox 360 for a change, due to a report today from Bloomberg. Utilizing the opinions of analysts and the quotes of certain Microsoft execs, the article reached the conclusion that the next-gen console may undergo a price cut in order to compete with the more popular Nintendo Wii.


Hufford: doesn't look 12 in this picture

"We are well aware that the sweet spot of the market is really 199 bucks,'' said Xbox product management director David Hufford, who was quoted in the article.

However, despite heightened enthusiasm shown by much of the press and gamers across the internet, Microsoft later explained today in their official Gamerscore Blog that the original Bloomberg piece used his quotes somewhat out of context.

"Some are getting really spun up about the Bloomberg story and inaccurately reading tea leaves that don't exist," Hufford later explained. "I spoke to Bloomberg nearly two months ago and we were talking about NPD data that had just been released, and chatting generally about price points of consoles in the market. The comment, which is accurately reported, unfortunately has now been taken way out of context and being reported as if I am signaling a price drop. I was not, I am not."

"With Xbox 360s selling well at their current price point, Elites selling out at $479, and an insanely great portfolio of games in the market, there's no reason to announce any kind of price drop anytime soon," Hufford concluded.

Assassin's Creed dated, slated for November
Jun 8, 2007 @ 9:44am

Summary:
Ubisoft announces the release date of its highly-acclaimed title Assassin's Creed, which will be released for three different platforms in both ordinary packaging and a limited edition box set.

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By Eugene Huang



"Wait -- what just happened?"

Ubisoft has finally dropped the release date on one of its most heavily-awaited titles without the name "Tom Clancy" centered squarely on the cover. According to a recent press release, the company has confirmed that Assassin's Creed will debut worldwide on November 2007 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

The game will be set in the year 1191 AD, when Europe and the Middle East were ravaged by the conflict of the Third Crusade. You will play the part of the master assassin Altair, who must put an end to the war by dulling the strength of both sides. To accomplish this, Altair must eliminate key political and military figures by using all of the techniques he has amassed during his training under the Assassins sect.

"Assassin's Creed is going to be a huge launch for Ubisoft this year along with the added prestige of being the start of this exciting new franchise that is bringing something completely new to the market," said Tony Key, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft. "We're confident that Assassin's Creed will exceed expectations as a 'must-have' title this holiday season and will achieve both critical and commercial success."

Assassin's Creed will be selling in the North American market for the MSRP of $59.99. Ubisoft has also announced a limited edition box set for the game, which will be priced at $69.99. The company has not yet publicly announced the contents of the LE box, but retailers have already made claims that it will contain a 12-inch figure of Altair.

GamePro Weekly News Rundown: 6/4 to 6/8
Jun 8, 2007 @ 6:36pm

Summary:
GamePro summarizes the top stories of the week, including platform-exclusive debates, Japanese sales charts, and inter-company staring competitions.

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By Eugene Huang

I suppose some of you have been wondering why the amount of news has dipped somewhat in the past week or so. Well, the reason mostly has to do with the fact that there just hasn't been all that much lately in terms of good or exciting news, but a more specific reason is the fact that I'm getting married at the end of the month. Of course, anybody who's ever been married before knows that a lot of the tiny little details, like flowers, rings, pre-marital counseling, catering, limos, and tuxedo rentals, all need to be taken care of in the early/late afternoon, which happens to be the time of day in which I do most of my work. In any case, the wedding will take place on the 30th, so there might be some "light days" until then, although I do promise to write as many stories as I possibly can during that time, as well as rely more heavily on some of the new talent the GamePro news team has hired within the past few weeks.

Anyway, let's talk this week's news. As I said before, it's been a pretty slow couple of weeks, but thankfully, there have been a few major stories that have gotten a lot of you talking.

First, let's talk Japanese console sales figures. According to our report early in the week, the Nintendo Wii outsold the PS3 at a rate of 5-to-1 in Japan throughout the month of May. However, as some of our readers were quick to point out, the sales numbers also indicate that the Wii managed to outsell the Xbox 360 at a rate of nearly 23-to-1.

Next up: exclusivity. This week, questions from the press forced representatives of two games in particular to reaffirm their stance as PS3-exclusive titles. First, Team Ninja developer Tomonobu Itagaki confirmed that his studio has no plans of porting Ninja Gaiden Sigma to the Xbox 360. Next, Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto stated that his company has no immediate plans to port any Final Fantasy title over to Xbox 360 after the console's release of Final Fantasy XI.

Sony also turned heads by announcing that their newest model of standalone Blu-ray player, the BDP-S300, would be released at a price $100 less than previously announced. The news led many analysts to speculate that a PS3 price drop could be next, although Sony has maintained its hardline stance that such a price cut will not happen. Yet.

Of course, the news wasn't all good for Sony, as the company's American branch, SCEA, confirmed reports of significant employee restructuring that had occurred earlier in the week. Although the company refused to offer exact statistics, sources close to the situation provided a ballpark figure of approximately 80 to 100 employees affected.

Let's round out the week with some Microsoft news. Earlier, Microsoft announced some new videos heading to Xbox Live Marketplace in the month of June, including a bevy of new TV shows, anime, movies, and other assorted content. Elsewhere, the company also announced the start of a new program called "Ignition", which will present Microsoft customers with free music content from a different up-and-coming band each month.

And lastly, GamePro reported early in the week on the analysis of Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter, who predicted a possible schedule change for the release of Grand Theft Auto IV in order to avoid a confrontation with the highly publicized release of Halo 3. Take Two, however, later responded to the comments, stating that the October release date is still in effect for later this year.

And that will be all from me today. Wish me luck -- I'm going shopping for more formal wear tomorrow.