But at least it's a faster 'last' than in previous instances.
People in Europe wanted to know when they could expect to get their hands on Final Fantasy XIII. They should have known going in that it wasn't going to be a great answer. I mean, this is Square Enix we're talking about here. That being said, it's a better bad answer than it was with other Final Fantasy games.
Producer Yoshinori Kitase tries to sound positive for a release that is "sooner than a year later than the Japanese release,” but his following statements to VideoGamer don't make Europe sound like a priority. The good news is that some localization tasks are happening simultaneously for US and EU versions, cutting down on some of that time that European gamers have to wait. Kitase said that he "would like to make the gap as short as possible.”
...we have already started recording English voices, and also the text localization has been in progress, too. Normally we complete the Japanese version first, then move on to the US and EU versions, but this time there are some tasks that are happening simultaneously. So this time we're hoping to release sooner than a year later than the Japanese release.”
So, while they're putting a hurry on it, it's probably still going to be at least late 2010 before European gamers get their hands on it. There's still importing, at least.
[Via Kotaku]
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site
Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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Contest:
10:20 AM on 05.05.2009
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It's still bollocks that Metal Gear Solid 4 can be released worldwide on the same date and we'll still have to wait at least 6 months for FF-13
I know a good enough import site that should get to me close to the US release date so I'm safe. Not so lucky for some other people.
At least for the rest of Europe you can sit safe in the knowledge that even were you to by the game it wouldn't be in your primary language and that the delay is because they're working on that.
@ Chronic Logic
I understand what you're saying and agree in actual fact but either way it still sucks all round, especially considering that MGS4 managed a simultaneous release. I find it hard to believe that S-E doesn't have the resources to facilitate such a release.
For me FF:XIII has now dropped from an essential purchase to a bargain bin buy entirely because of this, since I'm now bound to run into a spoiler somewhere along the line between US and EU release.
If you have a PS3 you could just import the US version when it comes out since games are region free and everything.
This still sucks, I don't buy products online ever really but I'll probably end up resorting to getting a friend to buy it from America.
You are of course correct, I could import it for play on my PS3 but just I'm not willing to pay a premium on top of the RRP for the game (especially since half the time importing to the UK you get shafted). While I want the game it's just not worth the hassle to me, and I know I'm not alone with this feeling.
Square-Enix doesn't do my language, and excluding FFX, not even the instructions booklet.
With the exception of the UK and Germany all other countries use PEGI has a rating.
With the added bonus of having all of our games squashed.... all of them.
Sony Europe will also shut-down any site that sells Playstation games from any other region.
Fucking sick of France, Germany and Swaheli slowing down mah games.
Also, Where the fuck is RE: Chain of Memories?
@LsTr_Of_SmG
It hurts even more than that to live in a country that doesn't get translations, where most people understand English perfectly, AND doesn't suffer from plain retarded censorship laws. Britain is also a major culprit in causing these delays.
@Chronic Logic
Excluding English, there's there's usually 4 languages that has translations in the PAL versions of games. Of course, in JRPG's, it would be impossible to fit all 5 languages on one disc, so they would have to release the translated versions seperately in each country. Wich mean that they might as well have released the English version in countries that understand the language simultaneously with the US.
There's only two countries in Europe known to practice censorship, and that's Germany and the UK. And the rest of Europe never get those censored versions anyway, yet we still have to wait. Besides, I don't exactly think that the Final Fantasy series are the kind of games that would require censorship, no?
I was expecting this but that doesn't make It any better...
I was being ironic, as difficult as that is to tell in pure text form. The only purely serious point in my initial post was in response to Chronic Logic. Although I'm not sure what you're referring to in regards to censorship in Britain. Despite the greatly publicised example of Manhunt 2 we don't get censored particularly badly, though the BBFC is completely ill equipped in terms of both manpower and understanding of the medium to properly judge. In fact only two games, that I know of, have been banned in the UK - and both of those bans were overturned. (The bans in question being those of Carmageddon and Manhunt 2). Perhaps I am misinterpreting you, as you did I but I hardly see Britain being 'a major culprit in causing delays', the fact that the Manhunt 2 ban in the UK caused no delay for its release in the rest of Europe speaks volumes for this (in fact many people imported the game from Europe before its UK release).
I agree with your suggestion on releasing each language version separately to a point at least, though this raises additional complications namely in terms of batch demand etcetera. A 'catch-all' language version is, in terms of saleability, much easier to sell and shift around.
Tales of vesperia is coming out a whole year after it came out in america (by play.com's reckoning) and I refuse to buy it before it hits the £10 mark, or I'll pirate the shit out of it. Final fantasy 13 is now on that list too. I'll be fucked if I'm supporting a company that treats my business like it's nothing at all.
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