Square Enix Conference: FF13-2 Announced, Agito named & Dated, Versus Shown

After touching on their handheld games, Square moved on to the meat of the conference; the moment fans have been waiting for: Fabula Nova Crystallis. Interestingly, the FABULA logo has removed all traces of 'XIII' from its design, meaning it is now Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy rather than Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy XIII.

After recent leaks and speculation, Square-Enix has revealed yet another title under the Fabula Nova Crystallis umbrella. As expected, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is real, and is slated to release, at least in Japan, in 2011 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Not many details were shared, but the logo was revealed, along with a trailer, which will go live in HD online on January 20th. It should be noted that Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama will be returning to the helm, likely with other key staff. Toriyama claims that fans have asked for a sequel and the development staff wanted to feature Lightning in a dramatic story as well. The trailer features Lightning wearing new armor fighting against a new character.

Following the only new title reveal in the show, Final Fantasy Agito XIII made its appearance - revealing that it's no longer called Final Fantasy Agito XIII. We now know what prior trademarks for Final Fantasy Type-0 mean - Final Fantasy Agito XIII has been officially renamed to Final Fantasy Type-0. The name may have changed, but the original Amano logo remains, with some slight edits.

A new trailer was sampled, telling of a war-torn world of crystals. Battles seem to be heavily action oriented. Director Hajime Tabata took the stage, explaining that the reason for the name change was that it didn't really feel like a Final Fantasy XIII title, and so the development team wanted to show that the game was a brand new FF. Eventually, they plan to develop this new Type brand into a series of its own, which might explain why trademarks were also registered for Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3.

Final Fantasy Type-0 will release this summer in Japan for PlayStation Portable, complete on two UMD discs. The game will feature over 30 recorded voices as recording is proceeding smoothly. We've had it indicated to us by sources close to Square Enix that a Western release in 2011 is likely.

Ending the event was arguably the most anticipated game of the show - Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
The trailer begins with the usual opening for Versus trailers, text reading 'This is a fantasy based on reality.' As the trailer progresses, Noctis is heard having a conversation and his Japanese voice is revealed for the first time!

Unfortunately, only part of the trailer is voiced. It seems voice recording is still early, and perhaps not all the characters have been voice cast as of yet. A lot of gameplay was also shown, featuring battle scenes with swords, guns, tank control, bipedal mechs, along with footage of Noctis fighting a group of enemy soldiers.

The trailer ends with "for PlayStation 3," reaffirming Nomura's promise that the game would stay platform exclusive. That said, the text "for Playstation 3" is a significant and notable change from previous trailers, which ended with "for Playstation 3 only Worldwide". Is something big and green on the horizon for Versus? We'll see at E3.

It should be noted that all trailers from the event will be online in high-definition beginning on January 27th. Additionally, the Fabula Nova Crystallis portal has seen a refresh including updates for Type-0, a teaser page for Final Fantasy XIII-2, and a small logo and social network update for the Final Fantasy Versus XIII page. Presumably, each site will be updated with their respective trailer when the time comes. Check out the site through this link.