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Resolve to game in 2007: Top News of '06 and the RPG scene the next year

Galbadia X rings in the new year with a look at what's to come

January 1, 2007

As we say farewell to 2006 and ring in the new year, we have a lot to be excited about in 2007. To kick it all off, let's take a look at the top stories from last year, and the list of what we can expect in the next twelve months.

2006 in Review

  • January: Square Enix gives release date for Final Fantasy XI on the Xbox 360, and the company reveals the real-life potions that would help market FF12 in Japan.

  • February: Final Fantasy XI finally gets its first breath of fresh air when over 700 FF11 accounts are terminated in the first of several RMT clean ups that would continue throughout the year. Meanwhile, Japanese mag Famitsu gives FF12 a rare 'perfect' 40/40 score.

  • March: Bethesda releases The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to the PC and Xbox 360, giving gamers a huge open-ended world to play in. Final Fantasy XII is released in Japan.

  • April: The third FF11 expansion, Treasures of Aht Urhgan is released, along with the Xbox 360 version of the MMORPG. Square Enix announces some financial woes, but also builds hype for its E3 lineup. Square Enix also announces a Crystal Chronicles game for the Nintendo Wii.

  • May: Oblivion is re-rated due to the suprising capacity for evil and gore, making it a Mature-rated game. Meanwhile, with the E3 season in our midst, Square Enix announces 3 Final Fantasy XIII games, including two for the PS3. Meanwhile, E3 goes into retirement, making 2006 the final year for the industry show.

  • June: Final Fantasy XII gets a release date for North America, while Advent Children sales reach nearly 2.5 million.

  • July: Square Enix finally adds Xbox 360 achievements to Final Fantasy XI, and a flurry of rumors about the online RPG appear, including false news about a sequel.

  • August: World of Warcraft tops 7 million players, making it the world's leading MMORPG. Final Fantasy XI's numbers fall below 300,000.

  • September: Final Fantasy XIII gets more coverage at the Tokyo Game Show, while FF12 is reported to appear in Europe in 2007.

  • October: A pirated copy of FF12 appears on torrent sites before the game is finally released on Halloween. Phantasy Star Online is also released on a variety of platforms.

  • November: The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) and the Nintendo Wii are both released. The Wii launches alongside Zelda: Twilight Princess with nearly every Wii owner hoping to pick up the title. On Sony's end, however, Oblivion is delayed to 2007, missing the PS3 launch.

  • December: Final Fantasy XI is updated with new Aht Urhgan endgame content. Meanwhile, it is announced that Square Enix will release the next Dragon Quest game (DQ IX) on the Nintendo DS, moving the series' main line to a handheld console for the first time. An updated port of the original Final Fantasy Tactics is also announced for the PSP. Seiken Densetsu 4 (Dawn of Mana) is also released in Japan.

What's to come in 2007

2006 was certainly a busy year in RPG gaming, as well as the video game industry as a whole. Major releases in the Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls and Zelda series' along with the introduction of two new consoles make it a tough year to top. Here's a look at what's to come this year:

  • January–March: Bioware, makers of the Knights of the Old Republic series of Star Wars licensed games, will release a new sci-fi RPG to the Xbox 360: Mass Effect. In February, Final Fantasy XII will finally be released in Europe. Seiken Densetsu 4 (Dawn of Mana) is also expected to appear in North America.

  • April–June: New details on Final Fantasy XIII are expected to show up by the halfway point in 2007. FF7: Crisis Core is expected to be released in Japan for the Sony PSP.

  • July–September: Dragon Quest XI is expected to make its Japan debut on the Nintendo DS, although this is unconfirmed.

  • October–December: FF12: Revenant Wings may be released, although now date has been confirmed.

These are just a handful of the major releases planned for 2007, with more sure to be announced. If we could predict the news, we would. With E3 out of the picture, it's harder to say when we can expect the bombshell announcements to surface.

The winners of the new console wars will also start to emerge in 2007. As the hype from launch time and the holiday season dies down, the games will start to appear to validate, or invalidate, the systems themselves. The Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 will finally be on the same playing field giving us better insight into which console(s) will perform in the long run.

There's lots to be excited for in 2007, and even more exciting is all the information we don't know yet. Happy New Year!