Xbox Japan, for Xbox Japan, is on a bit of a roll of late. The console was either the top selling or number two selling home console in the weekly sales depending on which sales data you go buy. Microsoft has secured a slew of RPGs like Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery and Star Ocean 4 — joining Xbox 360 RPG titles like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. As Xbox Japan honcho Takashi Sensui explains:

Sales have been in an upward trend in Japan recently and we intend to work hard to push this momentum forward moving into the holiday sales season... As an initial milestone, we would like to hit the one million mark as soon as possible, and are continuing to work hard to get to this milestone and go beyond... The recent launch of Infinite Undiscovery on September 11 saw sales of over 90,000 units in the week of September 8-14 according to data from Media Create, placing it the third-highest selling game in Japan in that period... We have similar high hopes for the upcoming launch of other RPGs such as The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope and Fable II. However, we have no plans to launch Final Fantasy XIII in Japan.

Wait, wait, wait. "We" have no plans to launch Final Fantasy XIII in Japan? Don't you mean Square Enix has no plans to launch FFXIII in Japan? Ah, yes, hello semantics, how have you been?

Xbox in Japan: A New Dawn? [EDGE]

We thought this had been cleared up, but it appears Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase may still be getting some heat over the decision to bring the big-budget RPG to the Xbox 360. Kitase told GameSpot early last month that the 360 version wouldn't go into full production until the PS3 one was complete and burned to Blu-ray. He also wanted to calm fears that the already long wait for FFXIII will be even longer, now that it's coming to Microsoft's console.

Furthermore, Kitase wants to set aside any fears that the PS3 version will suffer in an attempt to fit onto an Xbox 360 DVD.

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Square Enix has announced its Tokyo Game Show plans. The company will be showing lots of its big titles — like Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Dragon Quest IX. But what will simply be in trailer form and what will be playable on the show floor?

That, after the jump as well as the slated release info for Square Enix's big announced titles.

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Square Enix announced it would be bringing Final Fantasy XIII Agito to the PSP in August, sparing fans of the series much mobile platform kvetching. And while Square Enix character designer Tetsuya Nomura says that the title is currently running on PSP hardware and spitting out new screen shots, don't expect it any time soon.

He tells Dengeki, by way of Final Fantasy-XIII.net, that Agito won't see the light of a UMD drive until after both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII publish. Yes, that's from the same source as the Squenix might charge for the standalone FFXIII demo business, so have some Mrs. Dash on hand to stave off hypertension.

Suppose it all makes sense, from a publishing standpoint, but that doesn't make epic wait feel any less daunting. At least we'll all have jet packs and snazzy silver jump suits by then...

Square Enix execs may be considering going the Prologue route with the PlayStation 3 release of Final Fantasy XIII. The Japanese demo for the title, planned to ship bundled with the Blu-ray release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and said to clock in at two hours, is supposed to hit in March of next year.

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An issue of Dengeki PlayStation that goes on sale August 29th in Japan, Final Fantasy XIII director and writer Motomu Toriyama and FFXIII Versus director Tetsuya Nomura talk about the possibility of Japan getting a Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 version. Nomura says that he himself was "surprised" at the FFXIII Xbox 360 Asia version news, saying that Microsoft's comment ("It would be nice if the game came out") was taken to mean that it was actually confirmed for Asia. More interesting than that clusterfuck is Toriyama's comment about whether or not Final Fantasy XIII will be released in Japan on the Xbox 360 platform:

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Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe honcho David Reeves is not an easy man to impress. So even when Microsoft lands Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360, Reeves just turns up his nose, flashes a "W" and goes "whatevers". Just listen to the man talk FFXIII:

I think that just as we got a massive blip up [in hardware sales] with GTA IV — which was not exclusive — we'll get exactly the same blip up with Final Fantasy... I know it [FFXIII] will look great on PS3 and — it's up to Microsoft to clarify this — it's still exclusive in Japan.

Never mind that Reeves works in Europe, it's what's happening in Japan that counts. That's the stronghold! David Reeves is here to defend it, dammit.
Reeves shrugs off FFXIII on 360 saying, "It's still exclusive in Japan" [VG247]

Yes, yes, we know. Square Enix has confirmed Final Fantasy XIII on the PS3 for Japan only. While it's multi-platform in North America and Europe, there's been no official announcement of the Xbox 360 getting that title there. That doesn't stop this Japanese retailer from teasing the possibility of an Xbox 360 version of the game being released. A prophecy of things to come or merely wishful thinking? YOU DECIDE.

No, wait. SQUARE ENIX DECIDES. Hit the jump for a close-up of the store made box art.

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Yesterday we posted scans from Famitsu PS3 of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The quality on some of them was not very good! (Though, some of them were high quality scans.) Today we bring you high quality scans — with some new stuff peppered in. Like the armpit of FFXIII heroine Lightning. Just check that out and the gallery below. High quality, baby!

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The most recent issue of Japanese game magazine Famitsu PS3 has loads of details about upcoming Square Enix titles Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. As we previously posted, the FFXIII demo will be longer than Advent Children and will be on a regular Blu-ray disc. FFXIII will have a party battle system, and the story is being written so that each character apparently seems like the protagonist (instead of simply a supporting character). The magazine features around 20 new screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII, apparently real time, too. There are real-time screens of Versus XIII. It seems that the clothing and the cars in Versus XIII have been tweaked and look different. AT TGS, we can supposedly look forward to the name of the prince and the heroine being announced. Click through the gallery below — there are some high quality Final Fantasy Versus XIII scans. (The FFXIII aren't so high quality.)

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