On the fourth and final day of the Tokyo Game Show, I made some more rounds at the Square Enix booth and took a bunch of pictures.  It is no secret that everything is a secret with Square Enix - you need an armband to identify yourself as press and photography of any screen was still strictly prohibited.  I think even catching just the Square Enix logo on their Open Mega Theater screen there is grounds for a paddling.  Still, I was able to take a little tour around the area and check out most of what was offered.  There were a lot of demos too, but on the public days, getting to play more than one or two seemed like an exercise in futility.  Square Enix was definitely hot to trot this year, with a massive setup that generated an immense amount of excitement.  The crowds in some areas would dwindle as the day pressed on, but this place was jumping from start to finish.  Let's take a look at some pictures.

Hey, everyone!  As you can see above, it's packed to the gills now that the doors are open to the public.  I'm actually editing this in now as 11:26am, almost an hour and a half after doors opened, and there is still a huge line of people waiting to enter.  I'm stopping in early to get up an article so I can spend the rest of the day cosplay hunting.  That seems to be the most requested thing about TGS, and now that the convention is open to the public, I should be able to get a bunch of interesting shots.  For now, let's take a look at some of the merchandise they have on sale!

Today I decided to get some videos captured and upload it while I still have access to the press lounge wi-fi.  As expected, there was nothing new to report for Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV.  If you have not seen it, you can check out the new FFXIV trailer on the official site.

As for FFXI, we know that Vana'diel Collection 2 is almost ready for release here in Japan.  It will contain all expansions and add-on scenarios up until A Shantotto Ascension.  Speaking of which, A Shantotto Ascension will be avaiable for purchase on November 12th, with pre-order taking place before hand.

It's about noontime here, so I have ducked into the Press Lounge to make an update of what has been going on so far before grabbing something to eat.

Volume 8 of the ヴァナ・ディール通信 (Vana'diel Tsuushin) came out today, and like most things once dedicated to Final Fantasy XI, it is being slowly assimilated by Square Enix's new MMO. The back of the magazine had a recap of information we have seen revealed over the past months organized into charts and pictures. In addition, a DVD was included with this volume, containing extended versions of A Pleasant Chat with Tanaka and the follow-up session with Komoto.

The original version of the interview with Tanaka, presented in Famitsu Wave, was around 12 minutes. The extended version clocks in at a full 26 minutes and contains some Final Fantasy XI information as well. Let's take a look at what was said.

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Final Fantasy XIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka and Director Nobuaki Komoto sit down for another interview with Dengeki magazine.  They reiterate what a busy time Gamescom was, and Tanaka attributes the presence of the well-received alpha demo to the hard work of Komoto and his team.

Now, it is time to go beyond the developer version shown and get some more details about how the game is shaping up.  There are some interesting new things to learn in this interview, so let's take a look.

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Sage Sundi spoke at the CESA Developer's Conference in Yokohama and had some harsh words for Real Money Traders (RMT).  He mainly focused his talk on experiences dealing with them in Final Fantasy XI, calling them "criminals" and saying there is "no way we can coexist."  Sundi also went over some of the history behind the game of cat and mouse the Special Task Force (STF) and RMT play with each other.

There was also some talk about Final Fantasy XIV and how the efforts of the STF will transfer to the new MMO.  Through years of experience, the STF has developed a solid profile on RMT, their location (centralized in China) and the tactics they employ.  The One-Time password and Security Token system are set to be used for Final Fantasy XIV and already 100,000 units have been sold and implemented since their inception in April 2009.  In addition, the STF will expand its roster to cover the game directly.  Sundi makes it clear that although RMT pay money for accounts they are not considered customers, but criminals that will be eliminated from the get-go with new techniques that directly target their methods.

In addition to the One-Time Password, Square Enix's recent introduction of 3D-Secure to the payment system is another way they intend to cut off RMT.  It turns out this was in response to the RMT's latest and most damaging tactic: the theft and illegal use of credit cards.  RMT would make illegal charges that had to be rectified once the victim discovered them.  This created a huge hassle and loss of money across the board.  The swift action of Square Enix to implement 3D-Secure to combat this has shown their dedication to protecting their customers, yet left many players frustrated and confused due to poor timing and lack of information.

There have been many concerns raised amongst denizens of Vana'diel regarding Final Fantasy XIV.  This year we were faced with some sudden, jarring changes in credit card policies and seemingly random bannings of legitimate players.  However, as Sundi shows us, it has all been part of never-ending efforts to keep players and their information safe.  Are you reassured by knowing Sundi and Special Task Force will be watching over Eorzea?  Do you feel they have effectively combated RMT activity in the past?

Tell us what you think on the ZAM forums.

*Sage Sundi's presentation can be viewed in its entirety on Game Watch

Japan brings us the latest Final Fantasy XIV information this week with another look into the alpha demonstration from Gamescom. Just when you thought it has been examined to death, the crew at Famitsu manage to bring to light a few more things fans may have overlooked.

At Gamescom, Final Fantasy XIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka gave a tour of Guildleve, wherein he had to defeat a number of Dodos and the Puks that appear afterwards. Guildleve will be a system of quests that make up the bulk of Final Fantasy XIV's game play. Now we get to take a closer look at how the Guildleve system works and how a typical quest progresses.

Japan brings us the latest Final Fantasy XIV information this week with another look into the alpha demonstration from Gamescom. Just when you thought it has been examined to death, the crew at Famitsu manage to bring to light a few more things fans may have overlooked.

At Gamescom, Final Fantasy XIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka gave a tour of Guildleve, wherein he had to defeat a number of Dodos and the Puks that appear afterwards. Guildleve will be a system of quests that make up the bulk of Final Fantasy XIV's game play. First, we will take a closer look at some of the foes you will face, and the classes available to players who wish to overcome them.

Discuss this article on the ZAM forums!

This month's Famitsu Wave DVD is out and about, and as promised, it featured a full 12-minute track dedicated to Final Fantasy XIV. While the interview pretty much covered the basics (What's an MMO? etc.) there were a couple very interesting things that Tanaka let slip. However, it took some eagle eyes and feline ears to catch it all.

For copyright reasons, we cannot rip the whole video and post it, so let's try something different. The video shows a one-on-one interview between Tanaka Hiromichi and Enterbrain CEO, Hamamura Hirokazu. More than delve into what gamers might want to know, they just sort of chill in front of a blank white wall and chat. Occasionally, key phrases from their conversation are plastered around the screen, which is a common practice of Japanese TV shows. In fact, this video is a play on a little program Enterbrain used to air where they would talk with people in the industry.

Anyway, I was discussing the video with Corinth, the feline half of JP Button and we had some fun pointing out all the hidden treasures it contained. I'm processing squiggly lines here at ZAM, while she does the same for the community at Eorzeapedia, but when something surprises you in a foreign language, we find it's good to have someone else who can confirm you are not crazy. After a long weekend of magazines and online articles, we thought in the spirit of the video itself, why not have some fun and let the fans in on the conversation, too?  We decided to put together an article that would mimic the style of the interview and allow us to explore further the things discussed within the video drawing on what we already know.

Read on to learn about all the things we found and discuss them on the ZAM forums!