Hajime Tabata interview with 1up

With the release of Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core coming up, the guys at 1up decided to sit down and have a chat with Hajime Tabata, the director of Crisis Core to converse about the game.

1up Staff asked Hajime how he came to be selected to direct Crisis Core and if he was intimidated to work on this Prequel to FFVII, and he answered:

“From the beginning, the plan was to create a Final Fantasy game for the PSP. When I was chosen to be director, it was my job to decide, specifically, what the title would be. After consulting with Mr. Nomura and Mr. Kitase, I decided it would be a Compilation of Final Fantasy VII title. Handling such a popular series was indeed a source of pressure, but a good kind of pressure that motivated all of us to do a good job.”

It was also asked by 1up staff if Crisis Core would mark the end of the Final Fantasy VII compilation, and Hajime answered that No, it would not mark the end of the FFVII compilation and the finale would take a different form.

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FF Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Fans of the Final Fantasy Tactics series can rejoice as the release date for the newest incarnation has been announced for a June 24th launch in North America. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift continues with the story of Ivalice, which has previously been seen in FFXII and the other tactics titles. But that’s where the similarities end, as you’ll get to enjoy a brand new cast of characters, in depth story line, redesigned battle system, and plenty of other features sure to capture your attention for hours at a time.

Be sure to check back often as we keep up the coverage of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift and it’s North American launch on June 24th, only at SquareNexus.com

Valkyrie Profile

Diehard fans of the Valkyrie Profile series may find themselves purchasing a new system as the previous two games, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria and Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth where launched on the PS2 and PSP respectively, with the newest title set to appear on the Nintendo DS. While the game has yet to receive any confirmation for a U.S. release, Valkyrie Profile: Toga wo Seou Mono (The Accused) has been officially confirmed to appear in Japan.

Valkyrie Profile: Toga wo Seou Mono will be displayed in a 3/4ths viewed and will take advantage of the unique features that the Nintendo DS has to offer for the series. The question is, is the Valkyrie Profile series strong enough to persuade die hard Playstation fans to venture onto the Nintendo DS?

Last Remnant

A choice that can only bring about smiles and joy to the faces of gamers in the western side of the globe, Square Enix have stated how they plan to release their games simultaneously worldwide.

Blitzballer from Final Fantasy Republic reports that Yoichi Wada has said that Square Enix are aiming to make simultaneous releases a standard from Last Remnant and thereon.

The Last Remnant will be the first game to have a simultaneous worldwide release, pleasing gamers from all over the world, no doubt.

We can only hope that there are more releases like these from Square Enix.

Virtual World Comith

It looks like Square Enix will be opening something similar to their Japanese only Virtual World website as they open the doors on March 24th for registration to the Square Enix Members Official Website. If you’re an avid fan of Square Enix and it’s long history of games, you’ll be happy to know that you can start your pre-registration today!

Inside the Square Enix Members Official Website you’ll have access to exclusive interviews, blogs, and even giveaways. What’s not certain is if the site will even resemble the Virtual World we’ve seen on the Japanese site. Looks like we’ll find out in the next four days!