Given how many Final Fantasy remakes and spin-offs there have been across a number of consoles in the past 5 or so years, one game every Final Fantasy fan has been begging Square-Enix to consider has to be Final Fantasy VII.  It seems the prayers of Final Fantasy fans might be answered sometime next year.

Tetsuya Nomura, who happens to be one of the chief officers on all things Final Fantasy, was interviewed by Japanese magazine ‘Gamega’.  He was asked what Square-Enix had planned for the coming year.  The question, “Will 2010 be the year for the announcement of the game of his dreams?” was asked.  Tetsuya-san replied with the following:

I can just say, that indeed, whereas I’m still working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Agito XIII and a little later on The 3rd Birthday (this year), we will announce other games this year and one is terribly awaited from everyone and often “REQUESTED” by fans and even by the press crew that I meet all over the world.

Given that quote, that’s far from actually admitting a Final Fantasy VII remake will be announced. On the other hand, I can’t think of any other Square-Enix game that has been requested by a huge percentage of their fan-base as much as Final Fantasy VII.

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[Update: Looks like this rumor might have been too good to be true.  According to a retraction post on RPGLand, it seems their tipster might have fabricated the portion of the interview saying the upcoming game was an often requested game by fans and media.]

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It looks like Nathan Hale didn’t end his run at the Resistance franchise just yet.  Forum poster “goldsoundz” over at NeoGAF took some snapshots of the unannounced, Resistance 3.  Looking at the billboard, you can clearly see the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building.  So will we see Nathan Hale and others in an all out war against the Chimera in NYC?

Some are saying this billboard will be featured in the 2011 Alien movie currently titled “Battle: Los Angeles”.  We’ll wait for some announcement from Insomniac Games.  So for now, thanks the poster of this thread, for providing a pretty good piece of evidence.  Or a DAMN good photoshop pic!

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Hardcore Zombie Killers will go gaga for Valve’s latest mode coming to Left 4 Dead 2.  It’s called “Realism”, and it’s for those who find the “expert” mode as pathetic as a singing chorus scene from Annie.  I think I remember killing Mrs. Hannigan as The Smoker w/ a 40ft tongue???

Left 4 Dead 2 is coming November 17th, so expect more details as we get closer. 1UP.com was able to gain some information for “Realism” and here’s what Doug Lombardi, VP of Marketing had to say: “Realism is designed for the Left 4 Dead 2 player more skilled, more masochistic than Valve’s own testers.”

This information was spotted at Valve’s event where Scavenger Mode was presented.  Last I looked, there aren’t any REAL Zombies so unless their referring to my next door neighbor before she gets made up, there reaching a bit with the name mode.

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For those wondering if rumors of the Nintendo Wii dropping it’s price tag were just that.. rumors.  No need to wonder.  Nintendo has revealed through Press Release that on Sunday September 27th, you’ll be able to pick up the fastest selling console over the past 3 years, the Nintendo Wii for $199!

Hot on the heels of both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 dropping their prices to $299 and $249 respectively comes the Nintendo Wii now at $199.  To be honest, who doesn’t have one?  Another question is, who still uses one?

Read the rest of the PR below:

Wii at $199.99 Beginning Sept. 27

World of Nintendo Events, Key Software Releases Further Demonstrate System’s Incomparable Value

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Beginning Sunday, Sept. 27, the world’s most popular home video game system gets even more appealing. On that day, Nintendo’s suggested retail price for its record-setting Wii™ drops by $50 to $199.99. The new $199.99 Wii price point delivers the full iconic Wii gaming experience, including the motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller and Wii Sports™ software, and furthers Nintendo’s mission to expand the gaming universe by making video games accessible to more and more consumers.

Wii ownership also opens an avenue for players to the industry’s most diverse and unique collection of home console games. Key upcoming releases include Wii Fit™ Plus, launching on Oct. 4, and the first truly multiplayer Mario™ title ever, New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii.

Both new and veteran players in America can jump into this new Mario action when it arrives on Nov. 15.

And beginning Oct. 2, consumers in select cities will have a new, convenient way to decide which Nintendo adventure to tackle next. On that day, a novel series of sampling events called “World of Nintendo” kicks off in Long Beach, Calif.

“Wii has reached more video game players than any game system before because it attracts everyone—both men and women, and people of all ages,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience.”

The inherent social nature of Wii is fully demonstrated in a groundbreaking way with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the first Mario game ever to allow four players to take part in the action at the same time. That same dynamic is propelling the enthusiastic response for Wii Sports Resort™, while the release of Wii Fit Plus includes everything you love about Wii Fit™, along with new multiplayer elements and the ability to customize workouts to fit individual needs.

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In a leaked document discovered on French website Objectif-sega.com that PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility could be coming to the PSN.  In the past, we reported other reports of BC but this “leaked” document listing games is more evidence of it happening.  We already know God of War and God of War 2 will be bundled on thier own Blu-Ray disc instead of PSN.  But it seems like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and a Sonic Game will make it’s way to the PSN.

Below is the document leaked in question:

SCEA Meeting Aug 5th Notes
Aug 6 2009 – DRAFT FOR COMMENTS

Objectives of Meeting
Dyer agreed to regular quarterly meetings with SOA

Sony PS3
SCEA reiterated plans to sell 13 million PS3s this year
Big announcement back half of year they can’t talk about (potentially price cut of PS3 to reach hardware goals)
SCEA commented on indexing between PS3 and 360 SKUs, should be around 2:1 to garner most favorable treatment.

Motion Controller
Spring 2010 launch (March in JP)
No bundle/pricing details yet, should come Sept 1
Plan on selling 4-5MM units WW
SCEA agreed to provide a list of Sega IP that would work well with the motion controller, Virtua Tennis was an example
Motion Controller support allows easy way to differentiate PS3 SKU
Other differentiation opportunities include PSP/PS3 interoperability – think of features that would make users want to buy both PS3 and PSP SKUs.

Alpha Protocol
Michael Foster, product evaluator, said AP felt barely RPG. Initial level too challenging for players. “Mass Effect felt more RPG.”
Review notes sent to John Merlino a few weeks prior. After meeting Gerald mentioned AP is a high priority for his team.

Planet 51
Sell in of PS3 SKU – SCEA noted that other movie titles on PS3 had underperformed as well (inc. Transformers) this cycle.
Dyer suggests contacting Susan at Walmart and asking what she wants in the pack to sell this SKU (movie tix etc)
Other possibilities are Hybrid movie disc (BD 25 or 50 with Game and Movie on same disc).

Bayonetta
Collectors edition with Bayonetta Action Figure
Novo recommended launching PSN demo around Xmas based off a Jan 5th Ship date with 2-3 week run out to launch.
3-4 weeks is usually ideal demo timing with fresh content every week leading up to launch (trailers, insider video about PG heritage, video blogs).

Vancouver 2010
HOME, Olympic destination would garner a lot of positive attention from SCEA
Should be doing same with Bayonetta, Marvel etc. Easy to launch in all territories.
HOME merchandizing opportunities (clothes etc).

Sonic Racing
Open to DLC to differentiate PS3 SKU – not ratchet and clank but other characters
maybe characters from Rare or Fable universes

Yakuza
Could put Japanese games directly on PSN for download in a special Japanese Import section (pricing $9.99 to $39.99 for full game).
Might need to localize menus at least with subtitles.
SCEA interested in helping on MKTG side if they can have period of exclusivity.

AVP
Another great HOME candidate
AVP avatars
Hybrid BD disc with movie

Iron Man 2
Great candidate for HOME space – explore Tony Stark’s lab etc.
Should have one for Marvel in general.

PSU2
Could do bundle at GameStop with PSP 30-35K units on UMD, Go, or both.

Valkyria 1937
Could bundle with PSP as well.

Vanquish and Aliens: CM
Opportunity for PS3/PSP interoperability (see Eidos Batman, Army of Two, Assassin’s Creed for good examples).
If we offer that SCEA would be really interested in having us at their booth next E3.

Thor
SCEA would like a look at the code soon.

Sonic Anniversary
Could put out collectors edition with all old sonic games on one BD disc.
“Best of Sonic” for around $99.
SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania’s flip it over/backwards)

PS2 emulator for PS3 (confidential)
SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc)
For co Marketing money show PS3 controller on TV ads – similar to EA Madden Spots, NCAA, etc…

London Olympics
Perfect opportunity for Motion Controller integration.

DC Digital Titles
If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they’re interested in having exclusively.
If we give them a long period of exclusivity they’ll give us more marketing support.

PSP Titles
For SKU differentiation it’s best to offer features that are slightly different from PS3 version.
Titles that are coming up on PSP are Assassin’s Creed II, GTA China Wars, Resident Evil, Little Big Planet – all massive franchises.
SCEA has a specific PSP deck which they can send up with their hardware director for a chat.

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I’ve been covering the game industry for close to 5 years, and so far, this has to be the strangest source for a rumor to come from.  It seems a wedding announcement in The New York Times might have accidentally leaked Fable III is secretly in the works at Lionhead Studios.

Mr. (Joshua) Atkins, 34, is the lead game designer for Fable III, a video game series produced by Lionhead Studios in Guildford, England. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Kind of an odd location to reveal the next iteration in the Fable franchise.  As of this writing, neither Microsoft nor Lionhead Studios has confirmed Fable III, but given how successful Fable I & II have been, we know it’s only a matter of time until it’s announced.

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It looks like the Xbox 360 isn’t the only console in town that can completely reinvent their system via a system update.  VG247 is reporting that they might have learned of the upcoming 3.0 firmware for the Playstation 3.  Here’s a rundown of some of the things we could expect from the 3.0 update:

• Reputation System — Players will be able to give each other reputation based on how they perform in games
• Grief Reporting System — Do you not enjoy being told that your mom is a dirty whore? Tired of hearing kids screaming into the microphone for attention?  Well, soon you can report those griefers to Sony and they’ll make sure they get a talking to.
• Background Patch Download — This should have been a no-brainer a long time ago, but it seems like Sony might finally allow us to download those pesky patches in the background.
• HDMI & Digital Optical Audio Out Together! — If you know what that means, then you were definitely looking forward to that update.

All in all, it looks like a solid beginning to the 3.0 update, but if it’s being touted as significant as the Xbox 360’s NXE, then there’s gotta be some other ground-breaking updates to come to the 3.0 firmware.

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So it’s been a while since E3 and what have we found buried in between our couches?  Receipt for Crystal Pepsi Six Pack, a left pinky toenail and a little rumor that has your favorite 1982 classic title, Choplifter, making it’s way back onto the gaming scene.  For those too young to remember, Choplifter was a game that featured..you guessed it… a chopper lifting poor civilians from the ground and transporting them to a safe zone marked with an “H” symbol and a building with an American flag.

Fun Factor for Choplifter… Were you saving these people from the Cold War?  Could it be the Korean Conflict?  No, it had to be from the poor graphics that made people scream “Wow” from the Commodore 64.  This title could very well hit the PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare or even the iPhone.  So as long as it’s a rumor, let the comments fly.

Developer InXile Entertainment filed a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the title “Choplifter.” The filing locked down use of the title for “downloadable electronic games via the Internet and wireless devices,” raising the possibility of a digitally distributed version of the game for consoles, handhelds, or possibly the iPhone.

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[UPDATE] – In a twitter message from GameTrailer’s Geoff Keighley, “Spoke to Tretton – he confirmed Metal Gear Rising is absolutely coming to PS3 alongside Xbox 360.”

At today’s Microsoft E3 Press Conference, Hideo Kojima stepped on stage saying that now the Metal Gear Series will be heading to the XBox 360 console.  What he did not mention, and everyone listened thought, was that it was NOT an exclusive for the XBox 360.  Which leads us to think, and some proof that Metal Gear Solid Rising may be heading to the PlayStation 3 and PC as well.

Thanks to a listing on the Games press site, mentioned was the title “Metal Gear Solid: Rising” listed under PC, PS3 and XBox 360 but with a release date of TBA.

So maybe the PS3 Fanboys will have to call “Check” in this game of Chess.  Tomorrow will tell us more, When PS3 presents their press conference.

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[UPDATE] – With Video from Core from the PlayStation store.

Pre-E3 news breaks out over the weekend and with it news about the NEW PSP emerge.  It’s called the PSP Go and it looks amazing. We have some details of what the latest device from Sony will offer including 16GB of Flash Storage with Bluetooth and it’ll be smaller than the current version of the PSP.  And it’s a slider screen too!

The PSP Go will be available this Fall 2009 with no mention of price, yet.  While the PSP 3000 is the hardware you can pick up now on shelves, you’ll still be able to buy it after the release of the PSP Go .  Consider the PSP Go the stripped down version of PSP’s (or MORE on the go).

Screen: The PSP Go will offer a 3.8 inch screen as opposed to the 4.3 inch current PSP have today.  Comparison above.  No mention of touch-screen.

Controls: With the modification of a slider screen, the PSP Go’s controls will be below the screen compared to the left and right of the PSP-3000.  It will feature a d-pad on the left with only one analog control stick.  How will this fair with current PSP owners.

Storage: 16GB of Flash Storage makes this device 43% lighter.  You’ll be able to download digital copies of PSP games through the PlayStation store.  One huge flaw though, no UMD drive.  Which means, you won’t be able to play those discs on this new PSP unless Sony comes up with a way to do so.

Connectivity: Wi-fi will be the connection type of choice and it’s available on the PSP Go.  Along with Bluetooth.  Sony will allow user’s to connect Bluetooth devices to the PSP Go setting up possible ideas that can make tethering to a Bluetooth enabled device when wi-fi isn’t available.  Benefit would be to play online using your cellphone.  Cool!

Our View: The PSP Go will be the new kid on the block.  Yes, he may get attention due to his new look or upgraded features but lacking backwards playability will hurt the devices future from current PSP owners looking to upgrade.  Pics alone are not enough to judge the feel and look of the PSP Go and that is the reason we can only provide an overview.  For those interested, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feeds and sign up for our email newsletters.  More news when we get it.

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