The Sony press conference for E3 2009 is set to prepare gamers for the return of a juggernaut. Sony’s had a tough year for its PS3 console, but things are looking up. This is Sony’s year to make the most expensive console on the market profitable. With God of War III, Heavy Rain, Batman Arkham Asylum, Modern Warfare 2 and MAG on the horizon, this year’s E3 press conference promises to give gamers a reason to pick up a PS3. I’ll be blogging live as Sony wows gamers with 364 new PS3, PSP and PS2 titles. Check out the running commentary after the break.

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This is the first time in 4 years that I’ve not been scrambling and hurrying to get things ready for my trip to E3. I wish I could say I was disappointed because there is the faint chance that this year E3 might be something more akin to a sane version of my first visit to the LA convention center in 2006.

However I can’t help wondering why E3 excites anyone anymore.

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One of Square Enix’s current goals is to broaden its horizons and expand its international portfolio, with one specific mark being to generate 50% of its revenue from outside of Japan (up from the current 10-20%). Senior VP Michihiro Sasaki explained, “We need to seek cooperation with a US publisher — we need local content. Our strength is in role-playing games and fantasy titles, so it is a bit difficult to appeal to the US market.”

Just last week we learned about the bizarre partnership between Square Enix and Gas Powered Games which will have Square Enix publishing Supreme Commander 2 — a game that hardly fits inside the fantasy RPG genre you’d expect from the creator of Final Fantasy.

Today an announcement of another move was made, although this is a far bigger deal than a single publishing deal. Square Enix will be opening a new development studio in Los Angeles, California (El Segundo). The studio will be working on an original action game and is currently seeking to fill various positions, including software engineers with experience developing for the Xbox 360 and Wii.

One of the job postings (via Gamasutra) reads, “How often do you get a chance to make sure that a studio starts off in the right direction? How often do you get to be one of the starting members, but also have medical insurance? This is a rare opportunity to have the creative control of a start-up but the backing and funding of a major publisher.” Listings also mention that Square Enix is seeking “to lay the foundation for a solid development team.”

“We see great opportunities in North American and European markets, both of which are expected to be maintaining sustainable growth over these coming years,” said the company’s President, Yoichi Wada.

If the Supreme Commander 2 announcement didn’t have you convinced (and understandably so), this goes a long way in reaffirming that Square Enix is serious about becoming a more significant player outside of Japan. Anyone want to take a guess at what the game the new studio is developing might be like? My one hope is that it doesn’t star any teenage boys with spiky hair.

There have been many game demos before that people spent hours on (God only knows how many times I played that Metal Gear Solid 2 demo packaged with ZOE). But how many demos have taken that long for just one playthrough? Apparently, that’s exactly what Square-Enix has planned for the Final Fantasy XIII demo, which will take PS3-owners through an early portion of the game. According to an upcoming issue of Famitsu, the demo will come packaged with the Blu-Ray release of the feature-length film, Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete, which will feature new and deleted scenes for a much longer run-time than before. More impressive than that though is that the accompanying demo will apparently run even longer than the film; probably well over two hours.

That’s pretty gutsy of Square-Enix actually. I’ve encountered many demos that took less than five minutes for me to get tired of, so a two hour one would have to be pretty spectacular to hold peoples’ interest. You have to wonder if they’ll actually give you the option to save in the middle though, even if it is a demo. You also have to wonder what the cut-scene to gameplay ratio is for this portion of the game.

Via Playstation Universe

Here is the trailer that was shown at E3 yesterday when Square Enix announced that FFXIII was heading to the Xbox 360. To find out all about it, check out our previous posts here, and enjoy the trailer. It is as just as lovely as any Final Fantasy trailer released in the past - which is what we have all come to expect. Actually, it is drop-dead gorgeous.

Bloomberg is reporting that Square Enix’s shares have gained a 3.2% jump to 3190 JPY ($30.46) after yesterday’s announcement that FFXIII was headed to the Xbox 360.

The PS3 and 360 versions will have a simultaneous release in the US and Europe, so it looks like the decision to bring the title to the 360 was a smart move on their part financially. Now all they have to do is start working on the port, since the decision to include the 360 was just a recent decision.

“We had to adjust so many things, including the relationship with Microsoft, and the development tools - it wasn’t such a long time ago that we made the decision,” Hashimoto said.

Thanks: GI.biz

Immediately after the Microsoft event, Square Enix decided it was a good time to directly address the press about the big Final Fantasy XIII news. Along with press from around the world I pressed into a small conference room to listen as Final Fantasy Producer Yohinori Kitase and Square Enix VP Shinji Hashimoto as they addressed questions about the highly anticipated game.

Right out the gate the question of why Square Enix changed its stance on Final Fantasy being a Sony exclusive game was posed. The gentlemen diplomatically fielded the question and the root of the answer was basically that Square has come to recognize the impact of the 360 in America versus the PS3 and they want Final Fantasy XIII to reach the widest audience possible. The two versions will be developed by Square Japan but only the US and possibly Europe will get the 360 version.

While this might not seem strange one of the more shocking admissions during the conference was that the development cycle of the game would proceed normally for Japan but the US release would be tied to the development of the 360 game and the localization concerns. The 360 development, according to Hashimoto would not even begin until after the PS3 version was complete. This effectively means that Japan will get FF XIII a good while before the US and Europe because the 360 version will take time to integrate and develop.

There was a lot of discussion in the panel about the motion control, downloadable content and other advantages that could be leveraged for the various platforms but Kitase reiterated a number of times that the two versions would be identical. They were not sure how they would ship the game on the smaller storage size of DVD or even how many DVDs it might require because the game is not yet complete and they aren;t sure how much of the PS3 Blu-Ray it’ll take up.

There was a little talk about the differences between the previous games and FF XIII and it basically came down to a flashy, fast frenetic game that is being built off the ATB ( Active Time Battle) system and would not be real-time as some have feared.

With a strong boot to the opening, Microsoft kicked off E3 with the first press conference out of the gate. There was a lot of speculation before the show.. Microsoft would announce a price cut, a motion controller, avatars, the cure for cancer.. the list goes on. While we didn’t get the cure for cancer or a motion controller it definitely felt like Microsoft was aiming at a pretty wide audience with some of its announced new titles and a number of not-quite innovations aimed at broadening the reach of the console in the media and casual markets.

The focus of the entire conference this year seemed to be on the multi-player experience. Not the static gamer matches, but co-operative experiences, media and experience sharing. Many of the titles shown reflect this philosophy and Microsoft’s internal announcements definitely reflect it.

So lets get the hysterics out of the way… Gears of War 2 does LOOK good. Fallout 3 does have VATS. Resident Evil 5 has co-op online play. There.. now to my impressions of the event, for another take, be sure to check out Johnathan’s impressions of exactly the same event, now with less sarcasm…
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Microsoft kicked off E3 with a press conference not unlike a firecracker that has been dipped in water: it starts off exciting, but then the fuse runs out and all you get a a little “pop” if you’re lucky. Similarly, they brought out the big guns for an opener, leaving everything but the last few minutes pretty unsurprising. Read on for a play-by-play of Microsoft’s big E3 announcements. Read the full article

Some new screens have surfaced for the new WiiWare title from Square Enix.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as King takes up where the original Crystal Chronicles on GameCube left off, gamers will play Leo the Little King, a member of the Clavat-race with special powers called “The Architect”. This special power comes from the crystals and you will use them to build a new country in the barren lands. To use “The Architect” special powers, you must acquire skills found in dungeons and instead of exploring them yourself - you send mages and warriors to do the dirty work for you.

Storyline:

According to legend, a deserted town now serves as the lifeless reminder of a once powerful kingdom. The young son of an exiled king reaches this land after a long journey, finding only an abandoned castle – and a magic crystal. Though tarnished by years of neglect, the crystal has maintained its luminous glow and bestows upon the boy the power of architek, the ability to manifest memories into reality. With the help of loyal servants and audacious adventurers, the new king dutifully prepares to rebuild his people’s homeland in this new realm.

Features:

• Scenario created by Motomu Toriyama, the acclaimed director of the upcoming FINAL FANTASY XIII.
• Groundbreaking graphics optimized for the Wii enable players to journey through a world filled with memorable characters and architectural splendor.
• Rebuild a nation by building houses and shops, carefully considering the best interests of the citizens. If the player’s nation regains its former glory, the secrets of the land may be revealed.
• Enlist adventurers with varying levels, jobs and profiles to carry out dangerous missions in return for rewards.
• Be mindful of the passage of time, and plan each day accordingly in order to efficiently carry out construction efforts.

For more screens, click here.