s part of our Japan Extravaganza V 1.0, we talked to Hiroichi Tanaka, senior vice president of software development at Square Enix, about Final Fantasy XI for the Xbox 360. Find out why we should buy the game all over again, what’s new with the Xbox 360 version, and how FFXI is going to accomplish something that’s never been done before in the history of video games.

Game Informer: How’s everything working with adapting FFXI Gil to the Xbox 360? Has it been a tricky process?

Hiroichi Tanaka: It’s quite easy because the Xbox 360 uses Direct X, so it really wasn’t that difficult to do because we have the Windows versions.

GI: So is it basically a standard PC port then?

Tanaka: It uses most of the latest functions on the Xbox 360, not just the PC capabilities. But we wanted to expand the platform of Final Fantasy XI.

GI: So will all the platforms be able to play together?

Tanaka: Yes.

GI: Sony’s going to love that. That’s a first isn’t it then – two different competing platforms playing together.

Tanaka: Final Fantasy XI’s the first cross platform massively multiplayer game.

GI: Right. But now this is cross console?

Tanaka: Yes, it is.

GI: So with the Xbox 360 version you can use the headset?

Tanaka: You’ll be able to use the headset, and it’ll be possible to use the voice chat with other Xbox users.

GI: So Xbox 360 players will be able to communicate with each other with the headset, but there will be no voice chat with PS2 or PC?

Tanaka: Yes.

GI: Are you going to try to add that for PS2 and PC so everybody can talk together?

Tanaka: No. We’d rather have people use text as a means of communication so we can keep track of harassment and such.

GI: Well then how are you going to keep track of that with the Xbox 360?

Tanaka: That’s not actually a part of FFXI. Using the voice chat with Xbox 360 is a separate function of the 360.

GI: Say if I am playing on a PS2 and everyone else in my party is playing on a 360 and chatting on the headset. Will I be able to at least hear what they are saying to know what’s going on?

Tanaka: There’s no voice chat at all in the game for PS2 players and Xbox 360 players. The 360 users would have to find the people through Xbox Live. To answer your question, PS2 players can’t hear the voice chat. Well a lot of players in Japan don’t want to talk with voice chat. There are a lot of people playing female characters that don’t want people in the game to know that they are actually males.