And the part with the President of SE talking in English was amusing as well. You can see him reading off a teleprompter. I wonder if he can even speak English or if it's “Conversation School syndrome” (the phenomena in Japan where people who can't speak English go to a conversation “school” for a few weeks to help them “prepare” for a speech in a foreign language.)

Square Enix is taking itself WAY too seriously. Where was all the game footage? There is a playable DEMO in Japan, you would think foreign gamers would get to see a bit more.

“Getting promoted in a Japanese company isn't about good performance and skills so much as it is doing what you are told and staying with the company.”

And indeed he is correct; it is quite rare for executive-level staff to be hired from outside the company (hence Sir Howard Stringer was a double-blow for Sony Japan: a foreigner AND outside of Sony Japan) or for many top ranking officials to be actually qualified from a western standpoint. I've been in situations where I think I'm talking to the boss and yet it's the OTHER person that is the boss, yet said boss has no qualities or skills that would even make you think they are capable of working at their company.

Now I'm not saying Square is like this necessarily (though I could go off on that given I also know people who work or have worked there) but the point is kind of that Japanese companies really don't understand what needs to be done in terms of change, and Square in particular isn't all too interested in taking advice from foreigners (or so claim some of its foreign staff).

BUT yes, to look at the bright side that is a VERY short span of time which, as I said before, is quite impressive considering how things use to be. Heck I remember waiting some 10 months for Final Fantasy VII, and don't even get me started on 8/16-Bit games.

Usually people who comment here respect each other's opinions and have intelligent discussions though.. but this looks more like gametailers' board now filled w/ teenagers putting others down by calling people names… I do understand where the other poster is coming from, but we can all disagree w/o being nasty. Not everybody thinks the same, simple as that.

Yeah, March is much sooner than expected, unless the date is in the British format read as September 3rd haha.

Nah, still glad to have made the pre-order and 12/17 just can't come sooner. But I also pre-ordered the US version on Amazon now.. though I really don't like the idea of playing the same game twice back to back, like MGS4.