New details revealed on Square Enix's DS titles through official websites

RPG giant Square Enix has unveiled the Japanese websites for its two DS exclusives, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings and It's a Wonderful World.

Currently the Wonderful World site is nothing more than a teaser, whilst FFXII:RW has a little more info although it's naturally in Japanese... still you can check out some artwork of the two main characters Vaan and Penelo and download at wallpaper.

Most interesting is that the TGS trailer of the DS FFXII will go online within the next few days, so keep checking back to get your first look at the game in action. ...

Although Sony has yet to reveal full details of the launch titles for the PlayStation 3, six games have been confirmed for the Japanese launch on November 11th.

Insomniac's shooter Resistance: Fall of Man will be joined by Ridge Racer 7, Genji: Days of the Blade, Sega Golf Club, Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight and Mah-Jong Fight Club Online.

F1 Championship is due in December, as is Gran Turismo HD and MotorStorm from Evolution Studios.

Titles pencilled in for a 'winter' release include Enchant Arm, Railfan, Fatal Inertia, Sonic the Hedgehog and Need for Speed Carbon.

Games due in spring of 2007 include the Eye of Judgement, Heavenly Sword, Lair, Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms, Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3 and Wangan Midnight.

The list grows for a 'summer' release and the rest of 2007, with Everybody's Golf 5, Warhawk, Afrika, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Coded Arms: Assault all scheduled to appear.

Devil May Cry 4, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War, fl0w, Shirokishi, Final Fantasy XIII and Rainbow Six Vegas have all been listed as 'TBD'.

The titles and dates have been revealed at the Tokyo Game Show, which continues until September 24th.

Software for the US launch in the November, and the European launch in March 2007, have not yet been announced. ...

Expert points to possible further price cut

Sony's decision to reduce the price of the PlayStation 3 in Japan before the console has even launched has been branded "ridiculous" by a Japanese financial expert.

The outburst comes following Sony's announcement at the Tokyo Game Show that it is due to cut the Japanese price of the 20GB version of the console from 62,790 yen (421 euro) to 49,980 yen (335 euro).

"It's ridiculous to decide to cut the price before they start selling the PlayStation 3," said Yoku Ihara, head of equity research at Retela Crea Securities, speaking to Bloomberg.

"They may cut the price again if sales don‘t go well," he added.

Sony will take a bigger hit on a launch it is already losing money on, as highlighted by Naoki Fujiwara of Shinkin Asset Management, who stated the price reduction, "is negative in the short term because the company may not be able to sell enough consoles to cover an instant loss caused by the price cut." ...

EA and DTI to supply content to airlines worldwide

Electronic Arts has signed a deal to provide gaming content for in-flight entertainment systems to DTI Software's airline partners.

The Sims will lead the charge, along with a range of titles from Pogo.com including Poppit!, Word Whomp, Phlinx, Tri-Peaks Solitaire and Harvest Mania.

"We are delighted to partner with DTI Software and bring some of our most popular games to in-flight entertainment," said Jon Niermann, president of EA Asia.

"Now, travellers can enjoy the world of EA when they are in their living room or above the clouds," he added.

"The Sims and Pogo.com are two of the most recognised brands in the games world," said Louis Bélanger-Martin, DTI Software executive VP.

"We are very enthusiastic about bringing the EA brand to in-flight passengers."

DTI Software provides in-flight entertainment systems for 62 airline partners, supplying the user interface software, games and infotainment applications.

It currently has a portfolio of around 90 titles under licence from companies such as Buena Vista Games and Celador. ...

Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi bucked expectation on the opening day of the Tokyo Game Show by delivering a keynote address almost devoid of major game announcements - but he did reveal that the Japanese 20GB version of the console had been repriced.

During his address, Sony's "Father of PlayStation" focused on the technology that underwrites the PlayStation 3 offering, explaining that advances in computer hardware and Internet technology would enable a range of previously inconceivable services over the course of the next decade.

In a Q&A session at the close, Kutaragi also apologised to software creators for delays in PlayStation 3's over-ambitious production schedule, but said the company is now focused on ensuring no further delays occur.

But the response that won applause from the largely Japanese crowd concerned the inclusion of an HDMI port on the 20GB version of the console, and a repricing for Japan. The 20GB version will cost 49,980 yen (EUR 335 / GBP 225), down from 62,790 yen (EUR 421 / GBP 283), Kutaragi said.

He also said that there would be 200 playable consoles available on the show floor during the three days of the Tokyo Game Show.

Kutaragi showed trailers for previously announced titles including Ridge Racer 7, and announced plans to allow users to play emulated PSone and PlayStation 2 games directly over the Internet - initially offering games that place a relatively small burden on the network, but expanding the offering as technology progresses.

The console's online service will also offer Mega Drive and PC Engine titles, he said - a line-up for which will be decided in conjunction with the specific games' respective publishers.

Users will also be able to exchange data and videos, and Kutaragi revealed that PlayStation 3 will offer something called the Global Mapping System (GMS), which will allow users to upload photographs and data about their surroundings, creating a detailed view of the world around them.

It's Kutaragi's hope that through this system, and direct interaction with developers, consumers will be able to play an active role in future game development - although he offered no hints as to when the high-concept service would come to fruition.

Kutaragi's Tokyo Game Show keynote had been considered by many to be Sony's last chance to make a big impression on an international audience prior to the November US and Japanese launches of its next-generation games console.

But while Ridge Racer 7 was confirmed as a launch title and shown running in high-definition, and there were also spots for Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, Virtua Fighter 5, Final Fantasy XIII and Afrika, the company's decision to offer a focused technological discussion rather than specifying new products and features is likely to come under intense scrutiny. ...

Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show demonstration of Forza Motorsport 2 has quietly confirmed speculation that the game won't be out until the first quarter of 2007.

Producers in Japan are reportedly saying the code's about 60 percent finished.

That's a bit of a shame then, and probably won't do sales of the Wireless Racing Wheel, due out this Christmas, any favours.

Then again the first Forza, on Xbox 1, was a bit special, despite people predicting its catastrophic failure pre-release, so it's fair to say that the chaps at Turn 10 deserve the benefit of the doubt. ...

SEGA of America has announced plans to bring Shining Force EXA to our PlayStation 2-owning friends across the pond.

Although ostensibly an action RPG, EXA's US release will see the introduction of new elements to give the game a more strategic slant.

You'll still control warrior Toma, destined to unite a divided world, and sorceress Cyrille, destined to have a silly name, but you'll also need to keep an eye on something called the Geo Fortress.

This Fortress will be of your own design, and will need to be left protected whenever you set off to take in some missions. Rather than just a burden, though, it'll grow to match your style and tactics, like a sort of basalt daemon, possibly.

No word on when EXA's due out, but we'll let you know if we hear. ...

Sony Computer Entertainment America has reportedly clarified that the Japanese PlayStation 3 price drop announced overnight will not affect US pricing.

At the end of his keynote address on the opening morning of the Tokyo Game Show, SCE president Ken Kutaragi said that the console would retail for 49,980 yen (EUR 335 / GBP 225).

That's a drop of EUR 85 / GBP 57 since E3, and apparently came in reaction to a poor response from consumers and retail.

However, it sounds like we've not been shouting enough, because SCEA has told 1UP that the US$ 499 and US$ 599 pricing for the respective 20GB and 60GB versions of the consoles will remain in place.

There's no word yet on whether pricing in Europe will see a reduction ahead of the launch here - currently set for March 2007.

There is some good news though - as well as a Japanese price drop, Kutaragi also revealed that both versions of the console would incorporate an HDMI slot, and the company has confirmed that this will also apply across the globe. ...

Final Fantasy XII will be released in Europe in early 2007.

The PlayStation 2-exclusive latest game in the epic RPG series has been out in Japan since mid-March, and will be released in the US on 31st October.

Square Enix Europe president and CEO John Yamamoto said the game "looks set to become one of the crowning glories of PlayStation 2".

Set in the world of Ivalice, FFXII follows princess Ashe and Vaan - a young resistance fighter and a young adventurer respectively - who are brought together by the invasion of their home, Dalmasca, by Arcadia.

Unlike the first ten games in the FF series, XII's battles take place in real-time on the exploration screen, and introduce "active dimension battle" (ADB), which involves using a Command Window to specify attacks and then waiting for a Wait Time Gauge to fill up before the action is performed.

Mind you, that simplistic description probably doesn't do it justice. For more on that game, which has proven controversial due to the nature of its battle system, see our review of the Japanese version. ...