This week the Weekly Famitsu had an interview with Tetsuya Nomura, where Nomura-san told few new things about Versus.

According to Famitsu, Tetsuya has been checking new media for the press, and in comparison with old trailers, visuals has increased a bit. He also told that Final Fantasy Versus XIII will mix real time and pre-rendered cutscenes like  Final Fantasy XIII/-2 did.

CG Full Motion Video Screenshot

In versus the ration of gameplay and cutscenes is said to be 7:3 and full motion videos are created by Visual Works. The developer team has increased their skills to express realtime graphics, but in some cases there is scenes what has switched to be pre-rendered scenes.

Nomura announced that next time when we will see the game, it runs on PS3.

Now after a year of the creating Final Fantasy XIII-2 News we are happy to announce our newest site in our family, Final Fantasy Versus XIII News! This site will release and tell the newest, latest and most exciting news about Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Don’t worry, even if we start this new site we will be updating Final Fantasy XIII-2 News as actively as in the past.

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Now enjoy and watch our Final Fantasy Versus XIII News announcement trailer!

In the end we want to thank Square Enix (especially Europe HQ) for supporting us and Japan HQ for creating these amazing games. And of course our awesome readers – without you there weren’t Final Fantasy XIII-2 News!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released in Europe on 3rd February and in United States on 31st January. The downloadable demo is now available on PSN and Xbox Live.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 News Staff

Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first announced at E3 2006 alongside Final Fantasy XIII. It follows the story of a mysterious protagonist, Noctis, who the protector of the last remaining city in the world with control over crystals.

CHARACTERS

NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM

The game’s protagonist is Noctis Lucis Caelum. He is a member of the royal family in a kingdom that has protected its crystals for generations. While Noctis sports normal, modern day clothing and is chauffeured in a luxury car, he works to protect his kingdom’s crystals from invaders. Nomura has compared Noctis’s family to the modern-day Yakuza.

Noctis is able to wield any weapon type, including swords, spears, axes, lances and a variety of guns, all of which he can control telekinetically, using them for both attack and defense. He has also shown the ability to teleport at will with his hair flashing white before and after he does, and his eyes change color from blue to crimson during battle; according to Nomura, the color changes are both intentional and significant, but has not stated how or why.

Nomura has described Noctis as a shy and timid person, though he tries to compensate by “acting cool,” as seen in his conversation with Stella. Noctis tends to act more openly with his friends, although they can see right through his false “cool” demeanor.

STELLA NOX FLEURET

A young woman with golden-blonde hair named Stella Nox Fleuret was revealed to be one of the game’s antagonists. She is said to be the daughter of the Fleuret family of the country Tenebrae (Latin for “Darkness”). Fleuret is the French name of the fencing foil, a direct reference to Stella’s weapon of choice, a rapier.

Like Noctis, she is able to materialize weapons from thin air, as she is can summon her rapier from a rune similar to one used by Noctis to summon his sword, though Stella’s rune is golden while Noctis’s is blue. Although they have no desire to fight, she and Noctis are forced to by unknown circumstances. Magazine articles have drawn similarities between her situation and that of Final Fantasy VI’s Celes Chere, hinting that she may possibly become an ally during the story.

Nomura has referred to Stella as a very polite person .A scene from the game hints at the relationship between her and Noctis; she treats him respectfully, addressing him as Lord Noctis, yet acts somewhat flirty and outgoing. Throughout the conversation, the two talk about a strange power they both have: the ability to see the “light” of the dead. Nomura has stated that while Noctis tries to avoid the subject, Stella is straightforward about it and whatever else is on her mind.

PROMPTO, GLADIOLUS & IGNIS

Three young male characters who accompany Noctis have been revealed; their relationship seems to resemble that of the kyodai (brothers) and shatei (little brothers) in the Yakuza hierarchy.

The first, named Ignis, a man with light brown hair and glasses who wears a suit, is frequently seen at the wheel of Noctis’s car, and appears to be his driver.

The second, a friendly man with dark brown hair and a scar over his left eye named Gladiolus, seems to act as the group’s senior.

The third, Prompto, a blond-haired man, is said to be a fugitive, and carries a shotgun despite the ban on firearms within Noctis’s kingdom.

SOLDIERS & DRAGOON SOLDIER

Mysterious soldiers wearing medieval-style armor appear in the trailers as well, wielding assault rifles and rocket launchers that resemble modern military weapons. It appears they are attempting to invade Noctis’s castle, though their precise motivation and affiliation is unknown.

In a recent trailer, it was shown there was a female soldier dressed like a Dragoon. (Dragon Knight or Lancer, is a recurring job in the Final Fantasy series.) She brings out a huge lance-like weapon and jumps down before Noctis to challenge him.

MYSTERIOUS BLOND MAN

A man with shoulder-length blond hair, robed entirely in white, is seen in what appears to be Noctis’s throne room, casting a spell on the column in the center of the room. When Noctis enters, the man smiles and removes his hood before they both attack each other: the man surrounds Noctis in magical crests while Noctis’ assorted weapons manifest around the man. Though his goal remains unknown, he appears to be an antagonist. In a recent trailer, there was a similar, more elderly man standing off against King Caelum in a similar fashion as Noctis and the other robed man. It is currently unknown who the old man is or what his connections to King Caelum are.

KING CAELUM (NOCTIS’S FATHER)

King Caelum, Noctis’s father, was also seen in the trailer. In the original trailers, he appeared to be a chairman in a room full of men in suits. In the Press Conference trailer, he says he wants to be the last of the kings. To whom he is stating this is unknown, though it has been confirmed it is not Noctis.

MUSIC

The music of Final Fantasy Versus XIII will be composed by Yoko Shimomura, who was  also responsible for the soundtracks of the Kingdom Hearts series, Super Mario RPG, and the first Parasite Eve.

The game’s theme song, performed by Aundréa L. Hopkins,is titled “Somnus – Sleeping” (「somnus – 眠り -」), a reference to the Roman god of sleep. The god is often depicted as a young man sleeping, which seems to match the game’s logo art.

STAFF

• Producers: Shinji Hashimoto, Yoshinori Kitase
• Image Artwork: Yoshitaka Amano
• Mechanic Concept: Takayuki Takeya
• Clothes Design: Hiromu Takahara (Roen Creative Director)
• Scenario Writer: Kazushige Nojima
• Music: Yoko Shimomura
• Theme Song Performer: Aundréa L. Hopkins
• Main Programmers: Hiroshi Harata, Kentarou Yasui
• Planning Directors: Yuuichi Kanemori, Takayoshi Nakazato
• Planning Director (World): Takeshi Endou
• Planning Director (Event): Jun Akiyama
• Graphic Director (Character Model): Tomohiro Kayano
• Graphic Director (Animation): Tatsuya Kandou
• Graphic Director (Map Model): Masahide Tanaka
• Graphic Director (Visual Effects): Shuichi Sato
• Graphic Director (System Menu): Takeshi Arakawa
• Art Director (Character): Tomohiro Hasegawa
• Art Director (Map): Takayuki Ohtachi
• Movie Director: Takeshi Nozue
• Director, Concept Game Design, Character Design, Base Story: Tetsuya Nomura

Thanks for info FFwikia!