Looks like a lot of people are becoming more and more interested in Wii Fit and its introduction of the Wii Balance Board to the gaming industry. Two of which are none other than Motomu Toriyama and Eisuke Yokoyama of Final Fantasy fame.

As pointed out by Ishaan in a recent blog post, an IGN-conducted E3 interview with the Square Enix big wigs revealed some interesting plans for future games. While the most part of the sit down focused on their upcoming Ivalice Alliance installment, Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings, they touched on certain E3-related developments.

In response to a question on incorporating the DS's Wi-Fi and microphone features to future titles, Toriyama also expressed interest in the whole concept of Wii Fit. Here's what happened immediately afterward:

Is there going to be a Final Fantasy-themed fitness game?
Toriyama: There are no actual plans to take Final Fantasy into the fitness genre, but that whole system and mechanism of using your weight and balance to control games is something we're interested in incorporating into future RPG titles.

What are your new projects now that Revenant Wings is about to launch?
Yokoyama: We're considering a sequel for Revenant Wings, and of course Toriyama-san is working on Final Fantasy XIII. And perhaps we'll start working on Final Fantasy Fitness.

This might actually be interesting. An RPG - a Square Enix RPG, at that - using the Wii Balance Board? Although how using your weight and balance to scroll through menus and submenus in a Final Fantasy game totally baffles us, maybe a more loose definition of RPG could be used here. The same kind of sense that Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales was an "RPG."

Maybe they're planning a spin-off title that's part-RPG part-minigames, complete with snowboarding (FFVII, anyone?) and Chocobo Racing thrown into the mix? What's your take on it though? If I'd hazard a guess (or maybe I'm just wishful thinking here!), it's a Final Fantasy: Blitzball Wii using a Wiimote+Nunchuk+BalanceBoard combo framework!

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, yet another title from the Ivalice Alliance that proves Square Enix can make high-quality RTS games, is still a few sleeps away from its winter release. That's more than enough time to hype you up, so here's director Motomu Toriyama talking about the mini-sized DS adventure that every FF fan is waiting for.

The concept of Revenant Wings goes a way back when Squeenix wanted a game that would reach people from all walks of life. Unlike other complicated strategy games, this FFXII sequel offers intuitive controls, thanks to the Stylus. Don't take it lightly though - the amount of customization here is enough to make any hardcore fan drool.

As we previously know, the game will be made more difficult to cater to the more RTS-experienced western audience. However, the title aims to extend the Final Fantasy brand to beginners and casual gamers alike. For more, check out the video below.

 

Motomu Toriyama, writer and director of FFXII: Revenant Wings, and Eisuke Yokoyama, producer of the said game, spoke to 1UP and mentioned several tidbits on why there is a delay when it comes to releasing Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings to North America.

Aside from the obvious localization, Motomu Toriyama noted that they still have to tweak the interface a bit, and make the game slightly more complex. Toriyama reasons that since the Japanese market isn't too familiar with RTS styled games, FFXII: Revenant Wings was designed more for beginners. They'll change that for the US version.

And no, Revenant Wings does not use the same engine as Heroes of Mana for the DS. Eisuke Yokoyama says: "It's not at all related."

As for the story of Revenant Wings, Toriyama notes that since it's set after the events in FFXII, it'll deal more with showing how things came about in that particular version of Ivalice. Hopefully, it'll give us a better idea where all of the Occuria - Esper - Magicite plot-bunnies in XII came from.

In related news, regarding another game set in "Ivalice", Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Director Yuicihi Murasawa and Ivalice Alliance Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu talked about how their sequel to the GBA title is shaping up.

When it comes to gameplay, Murasawa says that while they kept the Law Card system, they changed the features of it a bit just to be fresh. Also while it follows the same basic system of FF Tactics Advance for the GBA, they added in a lot of new details like mini-games and missions.

Other noted gameplay additions include the removal of "bones" (dead characters) that litter the battle field, the ability to revive KO'd characters anywhere in the stage, and a more balanced character progression - every single clan member gets experience points after a party clears a battle.

Murasawa also noted that now that they've got two screens, managing your characters, and doing all the usual upkeep things like checking skill progression and equipment should be a lot easier.

For the complete interviews, feel free to head to the 1UP report via our Read link below.

The Jeux-France screens (or scans?) from Famitsu are only half the story. The print Famitsu had a Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings feature, complete with Japanese text needing some translation. This is where Destructoid reader WestCabaretDrive comes in, who provided that site a translation of the first page of the Famitsu feature.

Page one contains stuff on the game, including features on using the touch-screen (looks like the RTS observation made by a commenter in the Famitsu screens article holds true for now), and the new location Vaan and Penelo are set to explore, the Eagle Clan-inhabited floating island "Remureisu". You know English localization will morph that name. Here's to hoping localization at Square-Enix proceeds quick. It was agony waiting for the original FFXII to migrate to the US.

Oh, and page two contains an interview with Motomu Toriyama. Translation still being worked on.

The full translation at the full article!

Japanese magazine Dengeki DS Style lets us in on new details for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings on the DS. The guys at Square Enix reveal that much of what Revenant Wings storyline will follow the original Final Fantasy XII game. In fact, if you've played the RPG version on the PS2, you'll pretty much have a temporal perspective on the lives of the characters who survived from the original game to the Revenant Wings. That's just one.

The interview with Motomu Toriyama and Eisuke Yokoyama (co-producer) tells us that Revenant Wings will have more summon beasts compared to all other Final Fantasy titles. If you're new to the game, you might get a little confused with the new battle system, notably the Gambit. But Square Enix sticks to the basics and lets the players take full advantage of stylus and the dual screen to recreate the Final Fantasy drama in the DS.

In the game, a pirate named Vaan finds his way in Puruvama, a floating continent. Square Enix hasn't yet announced a release date from the Dengeki interview, but it won't be long before we hear of news. Keep reading!

Information dry spells usually occur prior to a big event. It seems like everyone's watching, waiting for that next big move. On the eve of Tokyo Game Show, video games Square Enix is the first one to draw blood.

Final Fantasy is making waves yet again. Just recently, we reported on the FF XII DS title currently in the works with no other information. This week, FF comes out anew with a barrage of details. First, the working subtitle Wings Ghost was changed to Revenant Wings. The new subtitle is looking impressive already but we're just getting started.

Accordingly, Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings is about the adventures of 18-year old Vaan and 17-year old Penelo. Both of them wants to become sky pirates. The story then goes deeper as it explores the relationship between the two heroes. Direction will be handled by Motomu Toriyama (Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XIII) and Ryuma Itou (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance) takes care of character design.

All airships from FF XII will see action in Revenant Wings including new ones as well. Also, there are talks regarding plans to utilize NDS' touch screen functions. Date of release and other pertinent details are currently unavailable.