Visiting the headquarters of Square Enix was a dream come true. Of all the video games I have played, I have devoted the most time by far to titles in the Final Fantasy series, and both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X are among my top ten favorite games.
I still can’t believe I was actually here
Games created by Square Enix set the standard of what excellent video games should be. They have stories that are more in-depth than any movie or television series. Their characters are genuine, emotional, and memorable. And most importantly, Square Enix pushes the envelope of what games can be both technologically and in terms of making video games a viable medium for ideas.
Game-related memorabilia in the lobby
Although the actual presentation by Square Enix staff was a bit lackluste (my expectations were probably way too high), I did have the opportunity to ask a couple questions about upcoming games in the Final Fantasy series.
My first question was why Square Enix was planning a three-game release for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII titles. As you may know, these entries in the series are all part of one overarching story. Two of the titles will be released for consoles (probably PS3) and one will be available on mobile phones. The answer to my question was basically that there are so many different components of the story that they are best covered by three entries, similar to the post-releases of Final Fantasy VII (such as Advent Children and Crisis Core). Of course, they would not specify a release date for any new titles.
A gameplay image from the unreleased FFXIII
I also asked why Square Enix is holding back from releasing a remake of Final Fantasy VII on PS3. Before the system was even released, they had made a “tech demo” to show off the system’s graphical capabilities. The result was a huge buzz across the Internets about a possible re-release of FFVII.
Tech demo? Yeah, right…
I got a very carefully worded answer that essentially said that their main focus right now is Final Fantasy XIII, but the remake of FFVII will possibly come out after that. Again, they could not give any specifics, but basically it is defiantly in the works.
We were then invited to tour the Research & Development Lab. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take pictures (of course). It was interesting to talk to the developers but the best part was seeing a cutscene-in-the-making from Final Fantasy XIII.
The cutscene features a vast prehistoric landscape dotted with clusters of trees and small lakes. The camera follows a large bird as it drops down through the sky and swoops between plateaus and ridges. A herd of larger animals caravans through a valley below as the camera swings up and away from the bird and zooms in on a female character, presumably Lightning, studying the vast landscape from atop a cliff.
After the game is released, I know I will see this cutscene while playing and remember how it looked during production. I can hardly wait!
