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Since Final Fantasy XIII was stunningly announced to be going multi-platform back at E3 2008, Sony fanboys still held onto one vestige for the game’s exclusivity – its home nation of Japan. While Europe and North America saw the game released on the Xbox 360 day and date with the PS3 back in March, Japan only got the game on Sony’s platform. However, this likely did not hurt game sales, given the 360’s irrelevance as a platform overseas.
However, it looks like that exclusivity has only lasted a year, as Japanese gaming mag Dengeki Online reports that the game will indeed be coming to the 360 as a special “International Version” released in December. Along with full English voices of the game, the title will include an easy mode and other added content, not to mention be budget priced at 4,980 yen, or about $30 USD.
And while Microsoft fanboys may consider this a major victory over Sony in their home turf, let’s be honest here – it really isn’t.
The fact is that, as said, the 360 is an irrelevant platform in Japan. At first, the console gained steam thanks to an early release and several popular RPGs getting their first licks on Microsoft’s platform, with Capcom and Namco Bandai, in particular, being two huge supporters. However, things change, and with the rise of Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3, not to mention the rise of handheld gaming, Microsoft quickly found themselves outmatched and all but gave up the ghost in Japan, the occasional From Software title notwithstanding.
The International Edition of Final Fantasy XIII will be demoed at next week’s Tokyo Game Show and is set for a December 16 release. Now, how’s about some Final Fantasy Versus XIII info too?
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