Late Night Consoling

At a Microsoft analyst meeting, Bill Gates vaguely downplayed the differences in capability of the Xbox 360 and the PS3, saying "Our view is basically we've got a Ferrari, they've got a Ferrari. Our Ferrari is leaving the starting line substantially before their Ferrari is, and in most races that's a very nice thing." Nintendo president Satoru Iwata declined to reveal what kind of car Nintendo has, reportedly revealing that "[it] is a very special car, and we know gamers will be pleased when then see it," adding that "this car has a special surprise!"

Remember that video from Square at E3, the one that recreated the opening sequence from Final Fantasy VII? You know, one of the videos that was supposedly a "tech demo" but was really just pre-rendered footage. Well, at the time, Square Enix representatives said it was nothing more than a demo, and there were no plans to remake FF7 for PS3. Now, according to GameSpot, Square Enix is saying that they haven't finalized their plans for future FF7 content, and that they have noted the enormous fan response to the video. Though they haven't committed to anything, it's certainly suggestive.

Multiple reports over the past few days have indicated that later versions of the Xbox 360 (that is, not the ones ready for launch) will support the HD-DVD format, but in reality it looks like that's still just speculation based on a month-old quote. Even if the 360 does end up eventually supporting HD-DVD, it is unlikely that actual games would be released on the format. Microsoft is taking enough flak about their backwards compatibility issues without wanting to deal with it within one generation.

Despite reports a few weeks ago that Marlon Brando's voice work for the upcoming The Godfather game was unusable, it appears that at least some of the material recorded last February will make it into the game. Due to health problems, the acclaimed actor, who passed away five months after the recording session, had to deliver his lines while using breathing apparatus, which marred the recordings. Though EA confirmed that Brando's voice will be in the game, a representative also stated that some dialogue will be filled in by an impersonator.

360 is getting a remake of the first game in the big-in-Japan Tengai Makyo (Far East of Eden to us) RPG series, originally on PC Engine/TurboGrafx CD. The game retains the original's characters but adds an entirely new story element. Also, you know, new graphics and stuff.

The first Square Enix Party happened this weekend, and with it a whole bevy of Square Enix-related news items. Here are some highlights:

Due to health problems, Final Fantasy XII executive producer Yasumi Matsuno is relinquishing producer duty to Akitoshi Kawazu of the SaGa series. However, Matsuno is remaining on board in supervisor capacity.

Final Fantasy XII has been confirmed for a March 16 release date. Apparently the game is almost complete, including the localization, but Square Enix apparently wants to distance the game chronologically from Kingdom Hearts II, which also received a general release period of Winter 2005.

The first hands-on demo of Final Fantasy XI on Xbox 360 will be playable at Leipzig, Germany's Games Convention from August 17-21.

Many trailers were shown, beginning with the aforementioned Final Fantasy VII "tech demo". Videos were also shown from games such as the mobile-only Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, PS2's Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, PSP's Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. So yeah, Square still likes FF7. Trailers for Kingdom Hearts II, Final Fantasy XII and Front Mission 5 were also present.

GameSpot has an interesting write-up of the Fourth Annual Christian Game Developer's Conference, including news of an M-rated Christian FPS.

Game Informer has a chat with Koji Igarashi on his upcoming Castlevania games for DS and PS2.