In a recent interview, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase, talks on some of the specifics for the command systems of the three games that comprise Final Fantasy XIII. Now if you've been following news on the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, then most of what Kitase says will already be familiar to you, but let this serve as a refresher course. Fabula Nova Crystallis 101.

If the screenshots we just posted for Final Fantasy Agito XIII wasn't enough for you, here are several more for the console titles from the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII. No Odin here though. Screens after the link.

Well, it's confirmed. If any of you guys have a convenient ticket going to Japan, now would be a good time to book it so you can catch the Jump Festa 2008 event. That's where Square Enix will be previewing the closed door trailer of its upcoming Final Fantasy Fabula Nova Crystallis games, as well as its other highly anticipated titles for next year.

For more information, read more it in the full article!

If you're curious about the mysterious Tokyo Game Show trailers for Square Enix's Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy Versus 13  for the PS3, and Final Fantasy Agito 13 for the mobile platform, then there's still hope of you being able to view those secret trailers - if we're correct in deciphering the official Square Enix Jump Festa 2008 site. Check out the full article to find out how.

You have to hand it to Square Enix when it comes to pushing any console to its absolute limit. Taking a look at some of the new screenshots from two of the games in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, there's no doubt that we have another masterpiece installment in the long running Final Fantasy franchise.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3) and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Mobile) are two games which coincide with the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII video game on the PS3. Both games will feature new content for the series, but will still be related to one another.

Check out the new screenshots we have from the two games right after the jump!

Can't wait for the next premiere role-playing game from Square Enix? That's right, we're talking about Sony PlayStation 3 exclusive Final Fantasy XIII among others in the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII package. If you're really itching to get your hands on the game, well, you're out of luck. The good news is Amazon's taking pre-orders for FFXIII. The bad? It won't ship 'til November 30, 2008.

If the giant online retailer got the date right, we're looking at a 13 months wait here. Last time we heard of how far the Fabula Nova Crystallis project was into development, Squeenix said Final Fantasy XIII was 13% finished, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII was at 1.3%. Weird how the release date nailed the 30th instead of the 13th, we say.

  

TGS is right around the corner, and it's no surprise that the big boys of the videogame industry are packing their biggest guns for the event. Such is the case with Square Enix, having recently announced that it will be showing new, exclusive trailers of its highly-anticipated titles in two separate Mega Theaters at TGS. Talk about jumping into the fray armed!

So what titles are going to get the special trailer treatment from Squeenix? In no particular order, they're Dragon Quest IX (DS), The Last Remnant (Xbox 360), Final Fantasy XI (Xbox 360, PC), Final Fantasy Dissidia (PSP) and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII (PS3). That's five titles we haven't been hearing much of lately, with emphasis on the highly-anticipated sequel to one of the greatest RPG series ever made.

There's a catch, though. Final Fantasy Dissidia and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII will have their trailers shown in Squeenix's Closed Mega Theater, while the others will be airing at the Open Mega Theater. So it's going to be pretty tough for anyone who'd want to watch what's the latest with the Final Fantasy character-packed fighting game for the PSP, as well as the first ever main female lead of a Final Fantasy game (second if you count Yuna).

 

Tetsuya Nomura recently sat down in an interview to talk about the darker, grittier counterpart of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Versus, as well as the changes the recent titles of the franchise have been going through. We get you the skinny on the latest brain-picking session with one of the minds behind the well-loved RPG series.

First off, Tetsuya Nomura clarified just what the "Versus" in Final Fantasy XIII Versus means. He says that the word signifies the title concentrating more on the "human side of the characters, their way of thinking and why they behave like they do." Thus, the game will have a significantly darker tone and level in the FF series - after all, Cloud never contemplated on just how many Shinra soldiers he killed, or how many cute Chocobos you had to hunt down to get a Gold one, didn't he? Joking aside, Tetsuya affirms that while the game itself will be more realistic, it's not the antithesis of Final Fantasy XIII.

He also elaborates on the difference between the two titles - namely, while RPGs like Final Fantasy XIII addresses human emotion and psychologies in a broad sense, Versus XIII will delve into those subjects more deeply and sharply, to the point that it offers "a crude reality in terms of human emotion or human behavior." He explains further:

The goal, when a player holds a controller and plays an RPG, is to make them believe in another world – to experience a dream in a fictional world. It will be different in Versus XIII because of the intrusion of the real world, and things that are really happening. There will be less fiction and more reality.

When asked if his previous statement means the involvement of real-world events, Tetsuya Nomura confirmed it, while also maintaining that it will still have connections to the other titles in Fabula Nova Crystallis. He also commented that the darker world of Versus XIII is something more to his taste, citing his experience with Kingdom Hearts.

But as for the differences between KH and FF, KH is a lighter world of magic, fantasy, and people doing good things. I’ve been in that world for a very long time – perhaps too long.

Certainly good news that the minds behind Final Fantasy - Tetsuya Nomura, at least - is planning to take the beloved franchise into a new direction. Whether this darker, grittier tone works for the series or not, only time will tell. Updates as we get them, and you can check out the full interview in the read link below.

An individual who goes by the handle "Ceb" posted several supposed interview excerpts from the latest issue of LEVEL magazine on NeoGAF. Most of the series of quotes were about Square-Enix's plans for their upcoming Final Fantasy titles (Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and FFVII: Crisis Core). Below are several of the more interesting details.

When asked to clarify about Versus XIII's similarity to Fabula Nova Crystallis, Nomura said that "The only similarity between the games that you can find is in the vague crystal theme." Motomu Toriyama adds that each game is evolving in their own direction and each "take place in separate worlds with their own main characters."

Toriyama even says that there isn't any cooperation or communication (to some extent) between the development teams of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

As for Nomura's previous mention that Versus XIII is his attempt at making the darkest FF ever, Tetsuya Nomura noted that when he was producing Kingdom Hearts he was "in a world so bright" that he "almost got blinded." He notes that Versus XIII will contain "less fantasy than usual' and will focus more on humanity and more believable experiences.

As for cameos of known characters in the PlayStation Portable title, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Game Director, Hajime Tabata had this to say:

All I can say is that you encounter characters from the original game in Crisis Core. But you have to have in mind that this is a game about Zack and the Soldier organization. So even if the fans' opinions are important, I won't risk to destroy the central theme by throwing in loved characters who would disrupt the balance in the game.

For all the excerpts feel free to head to Ceb's original post using our "read' link below.

Game and character designer Tetsuya Nomura recently had a talk with Japanese video game magazine Dengeki PlayStation and discussed what's keeping him from creating Final Fantasy Versus XIII. There have been rumors going around that Versus is going to be Nomura's last FF title.

Nomura said that he is currently working on a mobile game called Monotone and he prefers to focus on one project at a time. He even added that while Monotone isn't as big as the Final Fantasy series, every project deserves the same amount of work and dedication.

When it comes to Versus XIII, Nomura shared that it's not just about finding time. He assured fans that he isn't forgetting about the title and another reason he's not so keen to work on the game yet is because of the PlayStation 3's rather high specifications.

What he wants first is "to utilize all the technology the PS3 contains and produce the game that he envisioned." Final Fantasy Versus XIII is one-third of the Fabula Nova Crystallis FF XIII compilation from Square Enix.