"We've seen two Final Fantasy XIII summons: the Odin summons from heroine Lighting (pictured) and Shiva from bandana dude Snow. The lady motorcycle summons, aka Shiva, is all kinds of unique.

It goes so far over the cliff that it bounces right back into awesometown. Lighting's Odin summons? Less so. The Japanese internet has been critical of it — calling the summons beast things like "rat face".

Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama has issued a statement regarding the summons:
..."

"Some images have recently surfaced on the internet demonstrating the in-production action-figures currently in development for Final Fantasy XIII’s assorted cast of colourful characters. While Electronic Theatre has endeavoured to establish when and where these images where originally published, our labours have unfortunately thus far been fruitless. However, we have managed to obtain confirmation that these images are genuine, and that these action-figures are intended for international re..."

"Given the news that the Xbox 360 version is most certainly the underdog in development, today’s screenshots are reportedly taken from the Xbox 360 release, and though some have made their way into the public circuit previously, Electronic Theatre expects this to be a case of allowing for personal comparison. To which end, Electronic Theatre can see no great difference between the previously released PS3 images and those of the Xbox 360 version made available today."

"Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Kitase dispelled that myth. He said: “The team is targeting to create an equal experience on both the 360 and the PS3, so there are no limitations. For example, right now we’re working on the PS3 version first, and once we’ve completed that we’ll really know how much game there will be to fit onto the Xbox 360 discs.

“So we don’t know how many discs it’ll be housed on for 360, but there won’t be a chance that we’ll compromise anything because, ..."

"Though the title will arrive simultaneously on Xbox 360 and PS3 in the US and across Europe, it seems that the development of the Xbox 360 version didn’t actually begin until a short time before this year’s E3 (which took place in Los Angeles earlier this month)."

"Two games have recently been released that bear several striking similarities. Both of these games are open-world sandbox titles featuring superpowered antiheroes who begin to realize a host of awesome abilities with which to distribute justice and/or malice as they see fit. While they share a lot of features, the two games are certainly distinguishable, taking the superhero model in different directions.

However, that doesn't mean we're not going to compare and fight about them anyway, ju..."

"With that juicy new E3 trailer showing lots of new, mysterious bits on Final Fantasy XIII, we've been counting the days for the new issue of Famitsu so that we could finally make sense of it all. The big day is today, and Japan's biggest game magazine came through with a massive 17 page feature on the game, filled with new details.

Unfortunately, a good amount of the feature is merely speculation. But it's speculation from presumably Famitsu's FF pros, so we'll pass along what they say.
..."

""

""

"With all that’s been leaked this E3, Sony had one big secret carefully under wraps. During its conference, Sony CEO revealed that Final Fantasy XIV would be exclusive to PS3 and even showed off some footage. Check it out for yourself."

"The world was against us. With us dead, the world was sure things would go back to the way things were before..."

"At approximately 6:28pm GMT this evening, Microsoft kick-started this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with their invitation-only Press Conference, highlighting the forthcoming year of Xbox 360 events. Electronic Theatre now brings you the full rundown of the event, with an insightful analysis of how each revelation will affect you, and the way you play games."

""

At the Microsoft Press Conference, it was reaffirmed that Final Fantasy XIII will be releasing on the XBOX360 come Spring 2010 (most likely along side the PS3 version)... we finally have a steady date for the game.

"quare Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today a broad lineup of titles for the 2009 E3 Expo, taking place between June 2 – 4. Highlighting the steps it has taken to become a more global entertainment company, Square Enix will not only feature games developed in partnership with U.S. and European developers such as FRONT MISSION EVOLVED™, ORDER OF WAR™ and SUPREME COMMANDER® 2 at their booth; but continues to offer ..."

"First of all, Nomura is not involved much at all in production on Final Fantasy XIII, besides design, voice recording and marketing. This make sense since the game seems to be nearing completion, and more of his time can go into Versus XIII now. He actually says he's currently focusing on Versus XIII and Agito XIII.

The team working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII consists of more or less the same members of the Final Fantasy VII team and everyone is working like crazy on the game, ensuring t..."

"What is Square Enix expecting? Sales, lots and lots of sales. (That being said, these estimates on Square Enix's part do seem rather conservative for both titles being released — however, Yoichi Wada did state that these projections do include DQIX and FFXIII. Eidos also factors in as well, so these numbers are kinda low, no?)"

"Vanille, Snow, and Lightning from FINAL FANTASY XIII! Oh yes we did. A beauty, isn't it? We've been anxiously waiting for this day for months now, and to watch it finally materialize is a great feeling to say the least. These photos were taken a few days ago, but it is now completed. If you're in the area, we suggest you go to the corner of S. Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles, and look up. You really have to see it for yourself.

With E3 right around the corner,..."

"Electronic Theatre has today received confirmation of the finer details of the forthcoming European release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete. Arriving in stores on 27th July, 2009, European Final Fantasy fans will not be receiving the same generously packaged demo of the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy XIII."

"In a meeting with Japanese press to discuss their financial forecast, Square Enix Holdings were quizzed about both Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XIII. Both are obviously huge titles from an investors standpoint, and the answers given weren't exactly endearing.

When asked specifically about whether Final Fantasy XIII will be released within this fiscal year, the following reply was given:

"God knows. ... Is the truth (laughs). I'll try!"

So, although the Final Fantasy XIII demo is..."

"

quote Shoko Nakagawa

Those two surprised me!! ...They secretly got me a present... Waaahaaaaahaaahaaaaa It's so expensive, I shrieked!! ...Those two are really busy, but they were able to find time to decide to get me... a surprise present!!

"

""

"This week was a rather quiet week on all gaming fronts; however as E3 looms closer and closer rumours are starting to spread like wildfire. There wasn’t anything massively leaked or rumoured this week. The PSP Go! is the biggest Sony rumour at the moment, the rumoured “UMD-less” device, these rumours aren’t exactly this weeks news but they are really important to us gamers."

"Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase has said that he doesn't view his game as a J-RPG (Japanese RPG).

But Kitase has reasons for his view. "There's a trend these days to strictly categorize games as western RPGs or Japanese RPGs, but Final Fantasy is something that we don't try to categorize as either/or."
"For us, the game straddles genre," he added."

"Square Enix hopes to release the European version of Final Fantasy XIII “sooner than a year later than the Japanese release”, producer Yoshinori Kitase has said.

Given that Final Fantasy XIII looks like it will be released this Christmas in Japan, Europeans are faced with the prospect of having to wait till Christmas 2010 before getting their hands on the stunning-looking JRPG."

"Yoshinori Kitase, producer on the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII, has told VideoGamer.com that Square Enix has no plans to release a Blu-ray demo of the game outside of Japan.

“But we hear that the demo version normally means something that you can download in the West, so that is a possibility we would like to check.”"

"The wait is finally over (kind of) for some lucky and smart Australians who have managed to import the Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children Complete Blu Ray Edition, which came bundled with the sought after demo of Final Fantasy 13. I was lucky enough to borrow a copy off one of these people, and I got to sink my teeth into the first High Definition Final Fantasy.

The second the opening sequence began, I felt shocked and amazed at just how beautiful the CGI looks on a 1080p HD screen. Everyth..."

"It wouldn’t take the most discerning journalist to decree that a large proportion of the sales of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete would be a direct result of the inclusion of a demo version of Final Fantasy XIII. Though the series’ often overwhelming fanbase would undoubtedly have made every effort to help Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete become a success, how many of those disheartened by the original motion-picture have been seduced into purchasing another copy fo..."

"Final Fantasy. Man, this franchise is so damn enormous, that even its demos manage to move dozens of thousands additional hardware units in a week. A demo! A few days ago, you may recall that we reported the PlayStation 3 sold about 16.5k systems in Japan for the week ending April 12th. That number was high enough to make the PS3 the best selling home console in Japan, beating out even the Nintendo Wii, which sold a paltry 13k systems."

"As promised, here's the second portion of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII demo playthrough to go along with our Lighting demo gameplay footage from before.. Again shout-out to GameFAQ maven, Absolute Steve, with his help on getting English subtitling into the piece."

"Show notes:

Official Controllers vs Third Party Controllers

WCG Ultimate Gamer recap

We are on Twitter - Mike Masashi Murakami III | James Walker | Allison Boyer | Intern Perry)

So are all these Publishers, Developers, and other writers (LOTS)

“The Anti-Fanboy Manifesto” (aka, Perry must be an Xbot)

NEWS:

Assassin’s Creed II slated for “Holiday, 2009″

Interplay may lose Fallout MMO rights

CONSPIRACY! Scratch DJ dev sues Activision

9-Year-Old Dies, Frien..."

"1UP's Live Stream: Final Fantasy 13 demo
Time: Friday, April 17, 2009, 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Watch the embedded video player here in this story.
Questions: Ask your question in the thread on the FF13 Board.

We received the Final Fantasy 13 demo in the office today, and we're streaming a session today at 3 p.m., PST. Jeremy, Garnett, and Justin will tackle the demo, and answer your questions from the boards.

What are your thoughts on the changes in Final Fantasy 13? Do you like Squar..."

""

"(Google Translation:)

FF7ACC capacity of 45.9GB, AACS MKB V12 did.

Main knitting file size is about 29.8GB, BDInfo average bitrate of the video about the analysis of 27.8Mbps, the average Japanese audio Dolby TrueHD5.1ch about 1.9Mbps, Dolby TrueHD5.1ch average of about 1.97Mbps and English ."

Whilst hundreds of gamers are playing the Demo of Final Fantasy XIII around the world, we have nothing more than screenshots and videos to help us bide the time till the game is finally released... in 2010...

Well if these screenshots have anything to say, it's that the game will be worth the wait...

"Lightning & Sazh

Opening Cutscene & Boss Battle:


Following Gameplay:


Ending Boss Battle:


Snow, Lebreau and Gadot

Ending Boss Battle & Demo Ending Cutscene:
"

It looks like some people have already gotten their hands on the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo.
justin.tv have uploaded their own demo footage, which shows how the battle system works, some of the plot, and some new non-playable characters.
Go to the source for the video.

Discuss in the FFXIII forum

"Over the weekend, Square Enix held private screenings of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete at the Ginza Sony Building in Tokyo.

A new Final Fantasy XIII trailer was shown as well — it's expected this will appear on the retail copy."

"EDGE MAGAZINE SCANS AFTER THE JUMP!"

Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete is now on the verge of releasing in Japan and the ads are up and advertising the new PS3 bundle to be shipped with it. Featuring a Cloud Black PS3, a copy of the Blu-ray movie and a FFXIII demo its certain to find a audience.

"I can't help feeling that the new battle system is a giant step backwards. Gone is the World Of Warcraft-style combat system seen in Final Fantasy XII. This saw your party encounter enemies and initiate skirmishes simply by getting within range of them. And while attacks were decided to some extent by the player, the system meant that you only interjected at certain points, lending the battles something of an automated air - they were also easily disengaged by turning tail and legging it! The..."

"The magazine revealed that developers have now completed the Story and Scenario, and Graphics are around 80% complete. Currently, the team is focused on refining and perfecting the game's battle system in time for release.

They also revealed that all the screenshots and videos released so far are from older builds of the game, and the game has moved forward quite a way from what has been shown so far.

Most importantly of all, the developers were asked about potential Downloadable Conten..."

With the demo rearing its head shortly, Famitsu have released a new batch of Final Fantasy XIII screenshots centering around Team Nora, consisting of Snow Villiers, Gadot, Marqui and Lebreau.

[ Discussion in the Final Fantasy XIII Forum ]

"Ikeda shared some background on Nora, explaining that it was formed by youths who do not like being controlled by the holy government. Their major activity involves fighting off monsters, but they consider their role of protecting the city as somewhat of an enjoyable sport. The residents of the city place great trust in them.

Monsters? Yes, Cocoon has monsters, and one of the holy government army's jobs is to deal with them. The "PSICOM" soldiers, mentioned in the last trailer, deal primar..."

"According to Japanese news site IT Media, Wada added, "There is a possibility that Dragon Quest IX delay could effect Final Fantasy XIII." Wada, however, did not explain how it could affect the-long-in-development and eagerly awaited FFXIII."

"

Master Chief and Arbiter aren't be too safe walking around that world map. See what happens when they come across a....random battle.

Just an FYI. Master Chief is Knight class, while the Arbiter is a Mage"

"February is Black History Month. As an African-American I want to take this opportunity to study some of the issue surrounding games and the portrayals of African characters or those with African heritage. I'd like to make comparisons between stereotypical, defective and one-dimensional characters like Barrett and Augustus Cole and more complex, but still problematic characters such as Carl 'CJ' Johnson. I'm also going to pick out some positive black characters in other entertainment media, a..."

"Few games of this entire console generation are has highly-anticipated as Final Fantasy XIII. As one of the biggest entries in the series and the first multi-platform one (not counting the online-only Final Fantasy XI), Final Fantasy XIII has an almost incalculable amount of hype to live up to. While the game still remains largely shrouded in mystery, Square-Enix has released some clear gameplay footage from the game which showcases the new battle system."

"Yusuke Naora, one of the developers who worked on the Japanese company's latest RPG, The Last Remnant, goes on to defend especially the teenage main characters...

“The format of the RPG lends itself well to having a teenage protagonist. Usually you’re playing for many hours, taking a character on a journey from a relatively weak state to one of power and maturity, a gameplay journey that mirrors that of a teenager moving into adulthood. That’s certainly one of the reasons it works well ..."

"In a recent blog update, Yaguchi writes that she discovered during the Famitsu interview that there have been comments that she totally looks like a character in Final Fantasy XIII.

And Yaguchan's reaction?

quote

Cu-cu-cu-cute...

Th-th-th-thin..

(-.-;)

Even during my heyday, I wasn't that slender...

But, if I looked like that, I'd be really happy...

Everyone, be sure you make your opinion known (^w^)

"

"Because of legal complications we’re not able to go into full details here, but you should know that Blend Games will no longer cover Square Enix game trailers. Not because we don’t want to, but because they won’t let us. All we can say is that our recent coverage of Final Fantasy XIII was not something that Square Enix wanted. It wasn’t anything we said, they simply didn’t want us showing you their trailer. At all."

Most fans would have already witnessed the brand new trailer Square has provided as with. However naturally the voice acting was in Japanese, which gives it a bit of a language barrier. Luckily the European version of the site has been kind enough to give the video English subtitles. Sit back and enjoy

"It's impressive stuff - as we've come to expect - and you can watch the movie in 640x360 or 1280x720 resolutions.

Amidst the impressive CGI is some still-impressive in-game footage."

The Official Japanese Final Fantasy XIII website was updated today featuring new HQ screenshots and artwork of Sazh Katzroy.

A countdown clock has also been added to the site, the time coinciding with both the North American and European websites under the title 'Trailer Open' confirming that we are in fact going to get a new trailer at the end of the countdown.

It should be noted that IF this is indeed a new trailer, previously shown in Square's Closed Mega Theatre, then it WILL inclu...

"The Countdown has begun. A new vision will soon be revealed to the world. Register now to ensure you're there for the unveiling."

"Still hate the wait though…

By now almost everyone has heard the terrible ‘news’ about the ‘delay’ of Final Fantasy XIII in North American and European regions. Of course the blame squarely lies with Microsoft, the tyrannical multinational corporation intent on destroying the entire gaming industry…yadda yadda…What utter fanboy rubbish.

The flamboyant theatrics of recent articles centred on the supposed FFXIII delay and Microsoft’s apparent role have rubbed off on me and frankly..."

Following up on Thursday's article, we have two more translated scans of the original article in V Jump's Special Game Investigation Report.

They go into detail on new character Sazh's battle mechanics, as well as Lightning and some other bits of info.

"The news emerged as Square Enix, the game's developers, reported their latest set of financial results and delivered projections for the coming year.

Square Enix President Yoichi Wada told Reuters that while the game was on track for a 2009 PS3-exclusive launch in Japan, with international launches for the Xbox 360 and PS3 coming "in the business year from April 2010 or later.""

Those who've been following Final Fantasy XIII like mad likely remember yesterday's story introducing new character Sazh Katzroy. Well, some new pictures have arrived on the scene as well as a translation of the original scan which reveal more about him, and the demo release in Japan. Check 'em out!

Big thanks to our forum members for uncovering this.

"So it’s 2009 and we are already getting excited and hyped over the many anticipated games of 2009 such as Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5, Halo Wars and more… but what about 2010 and 2011? What about the announcements that we are craving to satisfy our deepest desires and give us that ‘one game’ we really want?

At OXCGN we have listed our top 15 games that we hope are announced this year on all platforms.
15. Black 2

Criterion are renowned for their racing games, and when they stepped..."

"The latest issue of V-Jump has been released and with it comes a scan of a brand new Final Fantasy XIII character. In the scan we can see him fighting in a battle with Lightning which is the first time we've seen a battle with more than one character in the party. BlankChocobo has translated more details from the scan:

"His name is 'Sazh Katzroy', and he is a middle aged man. He dual wields pistols, has a baby chocobo, is a gentle hearted person easily moved to tears, possesses good judgme..."

"The New Year is here and with it comes a slew of new promising titles for each console. Here are some picks for games that are bound to rock your socks in the coming year."

With Final Fantasy XIII being released this year in Japan, Square seem to be stepping up their game, today releasing a fully interactive flash website for Final Fantasy XIII.

The site includes numerous new screenshots as well high resolution artwork of the 3 named characters: Lightning; Snow Villiers; Oerba Dia Vanille.

Also included on the site are 2 new pieces of music, one of which is supposedly the new battle theme, the song that can make or break a Final Fantasy title;

Piano Pie...

"Command Stock: Players select the “Action” (the five buttons near the bottom left of the screen) they would like to use, which is then moved to the Command Stock slots (three slots above the Action buttons) to be executed in turn. Some “Action” buttons seem to have several layers behind them, which means you’ll have more than five actions to choose from.

Command Cost: Each of the “Action” has a number attached to them, this is the “Cost” or the number of slots that particular “Ac..."

"How many times have you been playing a video game and thought, "Geez, that character looks like so-and-so..." Well if you're like me, that happens a lot. I thought it would be a fun diversion to create a blog that highlights some of my favorite video game characters and their real-life doppelgangers. Some are obscure...some not so much. feel free to add to the list in the comments if I didn't include a pair you know. One rule though: if a video game character was modeled after a real person (..."

"As for the new characters..

I would not call the big new male character's hairstyle an afro, but his hair does look like somebody put a tube over his head and then his scalp exploded, permanently frying his hair up in fine DBZ fashion. It's not long and ridiculously spiky, though. Just... exploded. His hair is VERY orange, and he either has it shaved into thin zig zag shave patterns on the sides of his head or he has a lot of tiny zig zagging braids there. He appears to be wearing a frayed..."

"Some updates on the development by Kitase of SE:

- FFXIII will be a complete game in one package, and there will be no DLC. If they were to create DLC, they'd rather make a completely new game.
- FFXIII is up to the point where the base of the game is done, and they are starting to see some completion.
- They are going to promote FF XIII so much that the whole world will know about it.

---

Information Acquired from the scans:

- Apparently the MP system is gone and is replaced with ..."

"Judging from the the large field image on the second scan enemies will show an exclamtion mark over their heads when they spot Lightning and the party."

"

1. Rinoa, Garnet, Yuna, & Ashe
2. Princess Alicia
3. Sialeeds and Queen Arshtat
4. Princess Anastasia
5. Manah
6. Mercedes
7. Chris Lightfellow
8. Rosalyn and Princess Marlene
9. Mizuti
10. Cissnei

"

"Apparently this trailer stars a new male character who has a "shota" like nature. We'll be expecting another feminine character as per usual.
There is supposed to have been new never seen before battle footage with Snow fighting. They're defending the Pigtails girl.
They summon Shiva during the battle shown. She freezes them using Ice magic and then runs them over in her motorcycle form."

The artbook Re:Final Fantasy XIII has now been scanned and uploaded for your viewing pleasure. Goodness knows what some of them show, but it sure looks pretty!

[ Discussion in the Final Fantasy XIII Forum ]

"The battle commands are as follows;

Fight
Launch (I guess this is something to do with going aerial with attacks)
Fire
Firaga
Cure

The guy with the mace says:
"Throw down your weapons! I'll treat you courteously.""

"Square Enix developer Hiroshi Takai has given a big endorsement to Microsoft's console, stating that it's "a lot easier" to work with than the PS3.

"It's been the team's first time working with Xbox 360 and the Unreal Engine," he said. "In both cases the experience has been a positive one. In fact, as we've only just finished work on Last Remnant I don't even know what my next project is going to be at Square Enix. However, I'm very much hoping it'll be for Xbox 360 as it's been a lot easi..."

"Final Fantasy XIII Trailer

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Trailer"

"

... And just to drill it into your heads;

"

"The CLOUD Message scans have already surfaced on the internet a day before the books official release. It contains nine Final Fantasy XIII Compilation scans including "Creators Messages" for all three of the games as well as what looks like a drawing board showing character artwork, environment designs and even a world map. So out of this what's new?"

"Square-Enix has announced their 2009 line-up of titles. Some of these have not been nailed down for a North American or European release as of yet, but given their track record it is only a matter of time.

The Line-Up:
Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito (DS)
Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road II (Arcade)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP)
Kingdom Hearts Coded (Mobile)
Kingdom Hearts Mobile (Mobie)
Lost Winds (Wii)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle..."

"Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete
Kingdom Hearts 358 / 2 Days
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Kingdom Hearts Coded
The 3rd Birthday (The Third Birthday)
DKS3713 Event Report"

Snow may not be that interesting, but in this case it's certainly interesting, since these are pictures of the blonde (male) character from Final Fantasy XIII named Snow. Previously known to many as Mr 33mm take a look at the breathtaking screenshots of Snow courtesy of Famitsu Magazine.

[ Discussion in the Final Fantasy XIII Forum ]

""

"The well respected Japanese developer and publisher, Square Enix, has issued a notice on their careers page calling for various positions to be filled in a new development studio based in Los Angeles.

Square Enix currently has two American based offices, one already in Los Angeles and the other in Seattle, both of which currently handle marketing, localisation and publishing for North America.

The new development studio seems to focus on producing more Western orientated titles, with th..."

"Enterbrain in Japan have announced a few little details about the November edition of Famitsu magazine and they've claimed that there will be a heavy focus on Final Fantasy XIII this issue."

If your an RPG gamer then you most certainly know who Bahamut is, and if you don't... where have you been living? One of the popular Summons from the Final Fantasy Series, it seems that he may very well be getting a game of his own. With "Blood of Bahamut" a trademarked name by Square-Enix a website for the game has gone live, and we have to wait 5 days to uncover the truth as to what the game will be about, and most importantly what platforms:- Consoles or Handheld.

"We've been seeing a lot of remakes lately, and they're actually quite welcome. For publishers, it's a gold mine - they're low risk, but have high returns. For veteran gamers, playing a classic in souped up engines is a great experience. For new gamers, they get to appreciate the old games in their remade glory.

With the current situation of the gaming industry - lay-offs and realignments here and there - Square Enix president Yoichi Wada explains how there came to be a remake boom. "The pr..."

"This weeks Gemaga has an interview with Nomura, he mentions that before the end of the year we'll see the battle scene in FF13"

Famitsu has available new screenshots from Square Enix's upcoming RPG, Final Fantasy XIII that were first available in this week's issue of Weekly Famitsu. Not much is depicted other than the currently introduced characters.

The official site for FFXIII can be found here.

"The scans contain a lot of new images such as Sera from Final Fantasy XIII being attacked by a flying monster, Final Fantasy Agito XIII screenshots showing the battle system very clearly and some extra shots of the Party Scene from Versus. You really do need to see these."

"The holiday season is fast approaching, and we all know what that means You’ll be playing the end-of-the-year blockbuster games up until your thumbs turn red. Afterward it will be time to look for a new addition to your ever growing collection of games, and we already have you covered for some titles you will most likely want to play when the new year rolls around."

"

Above:
Snow Villiers faces off against the brand new Final Fantasy XIII enemies."

"

Above:
This image shows the new long blonde haired, glasses wearing, female from Final Fantasy XIII.

More images after the jump !"

"



More scans after the jump !"

Neoseeker's own Shuyin's Girl has translated the latest edition of Weekly Shonen Jump, which reveals the official name of Final Fantasy XIII's blonde character who the fans have dubbed "Mr 33cm" (due to the size of his feet).

You would never have guessed his real name, not in a million years.
His official name is ... Snow!

Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum

"According to ff13.xrea.jp, the Live Premiere Final Fantasy XIII event that was taking place today only lasted 20 minutes and included the trailers without voices. The event lasted 25 minutes less than it was supposed to and included no new announcements from Square-Enix. They did preview two new tracks including the main theme though. Sadly, that was the main point of the show...it was a live music event. We'll update you as we get more info."

"16:00～16:45 (+9GMT)
PLAYSTATION®3×SQUARE ENIX
FINALFANTASY XIII　Premiere Live"

"

quote FFXIII Impressions - New Bits

And then another image, this time a familiar one: Bahamut, or a creature very similar, rising in his fiery glory, and possibly the most dramatic presentation yet for the mythical dragon. Again, we cut to another scene, this time featuring an enormous blue machine made of crystal. This tells us we're in the Cocoon, the city at the heart of Final Fantasy XIII, and the crystal being is the sentient entity that protects the city from harm. In the trailer, the cr...

"

Nomura promised names and he has delivered. Finally fans can stop using nicknames to describe the character's of Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII

Versus Protagonist ( Nacht/Storm ) = Noctis; Latin for Night.
Versus Female Protagonist = Stella

XIII Red-haired Female ( Nomchan ) = Sarah/Senon


Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum

""If I think about hardware the news is already out so looking at software, on the Square Enix booth I'm interested in seeing how much of Final Fantasy XIII is finished and presented," he said. The level to which the game is presented will give a clue as to when it might be ready and that will have a direct impact on sales of the PlayStation 3 console.

"I'll also be looking to see if Dragon Quest IX is playable," said Hamamura. The latest installment in the long-running and hugely popular D..."

"Image too large to upload;

"

"The second rumor that I received is that Microsoft is paying for a full Japanese port of the game to be launched in Japan with the Playstation 3 version."

"Yoichi Wada appeared on TV Tokyo today for an interview about what's currently going on at Square-Enix. He mentions the Tecmo take-over bid Square-Enix made as well as showing off some development screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII to show us that they are actually doing something. Thankfully, someone took some screencaps of the program.

The first two screenshots show the Pigtails Girl's model inside Crystal Tools. The video is supposed to be showing how changes in lighting direction appear..."

Throughout the development of Final Fantasy XIII fans have had to salvage what little information they can for Japanese translations and media events and so it's always nice to when an English interview is carried out.

Credit goes to Shuyins Girl for the scans !

[Discussion in the Final Fantasy XIII Forum

Square Enix has created their website for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and has uploaded their show lineup:

[NDS] Snoopy DS: Let's Go Meet Snoopy and His Friends [Playable, Video]
[NDS] Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyuu DS+ [Playable, Video]
[NDS] Valkyrie Profile: Toga wo Seou Mono [Playable, Video]
[NDS] Pingu's WakuWaku Carnival [Playable, Video]
[360] The Last Remnant
[NDS] Chrono Trigger [Video]
[PSP] Dissidia Final Fantasy [Playable, Video]
[NDS] Cho...

"Considering Versus is due out after FFXIII, which is scheduled for a 2009 release, it’s fairly reasonable to deduct - even though we hate to say it - that Agito might not be seen on shelves until 2010 at the earliest. Insert sad emotion here."

"Nomura has told Dengeki though that the Final Fantasy XIII demo may be sold separately some time after Advent Children: Complete's release. Square-Enix know they can make a huge amount of revenue by including the Final Fantasy XIII demo with AC:C but is selling the demo separately possibly taking it too far? The demo is supposed to be 90 minutes long, so the file size could make it unfeasible to host on the Playstation Network but if they sell it for an extortionate price, would people still ..."

Last week some leaked Famitsu scans emerged, showing the newest Final Fantasy XIII screenshots that were revealed at the recent Square Enix Party.

Now, Forever Fantasy have got their hands on some higher quality versions of those scans. The detail in the character models and locations is amazing. Click on the thumbnails to check it out!

And yes, these are all in-game screenshots.


Click here for more screens

"According to the upcoming DKS3713 issue of Famitsu magazine, the PlayStation 3 exclusive Final Fantasy XIII demo will clock in at a longer running time than the CGI film, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete.

Currently the original Advent Children film clocks in at a runtime of 101mins; however, the Blu-ray version of the movie will feature scenes that were either cut completely or not finished in time for the initial release, resulting in a significantly longer runtime.

Final Fa..."

During the Square Enix Party new trailers for both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII were shown, both with in-game footage. Today scans of the latest Famitsu PS3 were leaked and translations, as well as impressions from the event, have revealed that all the images are in fact real-time !

[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII Forum]

Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the Final Fantasy XIII compilation, Weekly Shonen Jump have JUST published scans that appear to show gameplay footage of all 3 games !

Square Enix have released a truck-load of screenshots from all their newest games: Final Fantasy XIII. Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Parasite Eve 3: The 3rd Birthday, Final Fantasy: Dissidia, Final Fantasy XIII: Dissidia, the various new Kingdom Hearts games, and so on.

Most of them have already been seen in low-quality magazine scans, but some (namely the wedding shots from Parasite Eve) are 100% brand spankin' new.
It sure is strange seeing tomboy Aya in a wedding dress!


(go to the s...

"It’s being reported that Square-Enix have not yet begun developing Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360, mainly because their 360 development kits haven’t arrived yet.

Motomo Toriyama, the game’s director, said “We’re making the PS3 version first, and then porting to the 360 later. I’m telling [the development team] to not think about the Xbox 360 right now. We can think about it after the development kits arrive. Right now, we’re fully concentrating on the PS3 version”.

Final Fa..."

"During E3, Microsoft announced that Final Fantasy XIII was coming to the Xbox 360 — but only for North America and Europe. However, the Xbox 360 was not announced for Japan. Add another country to the list!

At a recent Microsoft game exhibition in Taipei, Microsoft Taiwan's Entertainment and Devices Division head Grace Chou announced that Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360 would go on sale in Taiwan, but haven't yet decided which localized version will be launched for the Asian territories."

Where these screenshots come from... well I have no idea, however it could very well be from the recent event that took place in Japan. One thing is certain, and that is that we have four new images which can be found attached below.


Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum

"In fact, the next sequence was a round table style discussion with Motomu Toriyama, Hajime Tabata and others, where they discussed elements of Final Fantasy XIII. The inclusion of Versus XIII was specifically done to highlight that the development on the game was real, as the team had read numerous rumors online that stated that the game didn't exist. The developers also wanted to make a specific point about how Final Fantasy XIII is still being developed on the PS3 first, even with the recen..."

What better place for Square Enix to show off Final Fantasy XIII, then at their own party? Along with a new trailer, guests were treated with a glimpse at the concept art for Final Fantasy XIII, including sketches of various landscapes as well as the character models of the summons Shiva, Ifrit and Carbuncle.

[Discussion in the forums]

"Reportedly Square Enix is teaming up with clothing designers "ROEN" for some garments to be seen in Final Fantasy XIII. Characters (main or side characters, we don't know) will be seen wearing ROEN clothing in the game, which apparently ROEN will be producing for sale, in real clothing stores."

Gemaga has been liveblogging Square Enix's DKΣ3713 Private Party that is currently underway right now, with a bunch of megatons and other news to report (via GAF and other blogs):

• Parasite Eve The 3rd Birthday to be on PSP, 2009, Nomura's team working on it
• Dissidia: Final Fantasy PSP Bundle confirmed, December 2008
• Final Fantasy Agito XIII to be on PSP
• Final Fantasy Versus XIII to be worldwide PS3 exclusive
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete PS3 bundle confirmed, March 2009
• FF7A...

"Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has told GamesIndustry.biz that the RPG specialist is neutral when it comes to dealing with publishing and platform partners.

"We always consider the territory and hardware for titles, and I just want to make sure that we're neutral about dealing with companies," said Wada speaking in an exclusive interview published today.

"In Japan we know that the Xbox 360 isn't really that strong yet, but for me I feel very calm about dealing with any company, and w..."

"EA's Dynamic DNA is set to mimic the real-life action of both players and teams by updating the stats for players and teams daily. This wont be seen until the next lot of games though so dont expect to see it in this years FIFA.

EA have started work on a new mixed martail arts sports franchise.

Guitar Hero: Beatles could be on the horizon.

Left 4 Dead is rumoured to be coming to the PS3.

Sims 3 is rumoured to be coming PS3.

Infinty Ward are said to be working on a new futuristi..."

"Despite a slew of reports “confirming” Final Fantasy XIII for Windows in the past 24 hours, Square Enix has told VG247 this morning that nothing of the sort is planned.

“We have no current plans to release Final Fantasy XIII for PCs,” said a company rep."

"Everybody thought that Square Enix emptied their surprise pack for the year when they announced Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 consoles during the E3 media
summit. Apparently, the company still had other surprises, but wanted to wait a bit more to reveal them. The time has come: Final Fantasy XIII has been officially announced for PC systems. Yes, we're talking about the same game that was, until last week, a PlayStation 3 exclusive!

An even more interesting thing is the fact that, unlik..."

"Yesterday our own PS3 expert released a little story that some of you may have read. A story of intrigue,but today is a new day. Today you will hear the other side of this story. You will hear about What Final Fantasy 13 Will and Wont do for the Xbox 360. So sit back Grab a beer or your respective drink, and get ready to read Minimum Wage Gamers (MWGAMER.com) What Final Fantasy 13 Will and Wont do for the Xbox 360."

"Final Fantasy 13 was the biggest moment of what turned out to be a damn squib of an E3, but even this could turn out to be over-shadowed by events Square can’t control, Minimum Wage Gamer has tasked their best investigator to find out 5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer."

"The member "pie185" was soo affected by Square-Enix's choice that he posted a suicide note on the GameFAQs forum in which he told everyone what an affect the Final Fantasy series has had on his life. According to the rumor, the member has killed himself and hasn't logged in since. I haven't been able to find the post myself but our forum member Moklin, has a screenshot of it from YTMND."

"This week saw the release of Coffeetime Crosswords, which had been announced last week and managed to generate less interest than a new Peter Andre album."

"SCEA president Jack Tretton has aired his feelings on Square Enix's decision to nix PS3 exclusivity for Final Fantasy XIII. During a roundtable chat this morning, Tretton said that he was disappointed by the decision, but not exactly caught off guard.

"Am I disappointed by it? Yes," Tretton told us, adding: "Am I surprised by it? No." He was quick to stress that the game remains a PS3 exclusive in Japan, but that "seeing as there isn't that big of a [PS3] installed base in [there], I don'..."

"So, Final Fantasy XIII is multiformat... A bombshell no doubt, but one that's surely good for the gaming community at large. More release platforms means more players means more happy people, right? Well no. We have a lot of unhappy people at the moment.

Sony fanboys are suicidal/homicidal, Xbox fanboys are gloating with not a second's care for dignity or grace, and BLOCK CAPTIALS and bad grammars iz breaking out all over the place. We trawled PS3Forums and Xbox.com and dredged up some of ..."

"Square Enix Co., creator of the ``Final Fantasy'' series of role-playing games, rose the most in more than a month after Microsoft Corp. said the developer will offer a new installment of the video game that's compatible with the Xbox 360 console.

Square Enix gained 5.2 percent to close at 3,250 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the biggest advance since May 22. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 2 percent."

It was a big shock today when Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII will be on both PS3 and 360. But if any Sony fans were annoyed at one of the PS3's biggest exclusives going multiplat, don't fret! Let the Final Fantasy XIII trailer calm you down with it's utter gorgeousness ...



Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum

"So, yeah! Final Fantasy XIII is coming to the Xbox 360. And now Square Enix is having a press conference, probably to explain how that went down. FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase is expected to be on hand as is Square Enix exec Shinji Hashimoto. Hit the jump for the liveblog."

To close out Microsoft's E3 conference, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada came out again, interrupting Don Mattrick, after giving his presentation on Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean 4 and Last Remnant. What did he come out for?

Final Fantasy XIII will be released on the Xbox 360. Accompanied with a trailer.

No release date was given.

"In an interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation, Tetsuya Nomura offers some interesting details about Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete, Blu-ray version of the film out there is already a certain time. Nous pensions jusqu'à présent que seuls quelques bouts de séquences avaient été ajoutés, mais le peu d'informations et l'absence totale de date de sortie se révélaient assez étranges. We thought so far only a few bits of footage had been added, but little informatio..."

If you haven't been keeping up with the Final Fantasy XIII news or would like a recap on things you may have forgotten, finalfantasyxiii.net have released a podcast that explores what we know about FFXIIII, including story, characters, summons and gameplay ...




discuss in the FFXIII forum

"Melodrama evokes a universe where a cosmic struggle between good and evil is being waged, a struggle that nevertheless remains hidden behind everyday appearances. Only at moments of heightened emotional intensity does evidence of this other world break through into our own. Melodrama tries to make this otherworldly struggle that structures our own existence visible through elaborate staging effects, a heightened delivery, and a reliance on gestural as opposed to verbal language.

That sound..."

"Square Enix has rubbished suggestions that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is on hold.

"Reports that development for Final Fantasy Versus XIII is on hold are false," the publisher said in a statement passed on to Eurogamer.

"The truth of the situation is that when free, some staff from the Versus team have been helping with the XIII team on development of Final Fantasy XIII. Development for both titles is continuing as originally scheduled.""

"- DKΣ3713 is a private show so for the general public that wants to see and play the games, TGS in October will feature more new information.

- The event will be at the same format as previous S-E events, with closed theatre as well as playable booths outside.

- Birth by Sleep will be playable for the first time at the event.

- Despite the news that Square Enix was going to scale back from Mobile development, it appears that Kingdom Hearts: Coded, 3rd Birthday and Agito XIII will ..."

"「FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS FINAL FANTASY」シリーズ

・FINAL FANTASY XIII (PLAYSTATION® 3)
・FINAL FANTASY Agito XIII (Mobile)
・FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII (PLAYSTATION® 3)

「KINGDOM HEARTS」シリーズ

・KINGDOM HEARTS Coded (Mobile)
・KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (ニンテンドー DS®)
・KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep (PSP®)

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY (PSP®)
The 3rd Birthday (Mobile)
シグマ ハーモニクス (ニンテンドー DS®)
FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN COMPLETE (Blu-ray)..."

"This was sort of expected, however just for confirmation, Square Enix North America's PR Department debunked the on going rumour that we would be seeing a demo at this year's E3.

"We have no plans whatsoever to intro a playable demo or any demo at E3 on the FFXIII project.""

It's already been rumoured that FFXIII: Agito has been cancelled, and with FFXIII.net finally up, they've started their monthly pod casts.

All Final Fantasy fan's should know that FFXIII.net and it's sister sites usually manage to collate the information regarding FF very quickly, and is a reliable source. Listen to the first podcast in the series today.

"The allure just isn't there anymore for the Final Fantasy titles and we have to ask why. Loyal fans try to create hype, but the games are just not combining new and old expectations. Maybe it's because every game, we have to warm up to new characters and worlds. Square sets itself up for hit and miss titles with no character regularity. The only motif running through the series I can identify is a blond guy and clueless protagonists. Most of the recent Final Fantasy games (dare I say Square ..."

"According to a reliable source at SCEJ, Square-Enix has something big planned for The Last Remnant's release. Or rather, they have two "something bigs" planned. First up: they will be including a 22-minute playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII with the PS3 version of The Last Remnant. This demo lets us play through a section of FFXIII that doesn't occur until a good 20 hours into the game, which leads us to believe the developers are progressing nicely. Heck, they might even be ahead of schedul..."

"GamePro readers have spoken: the most eagerly anticipated PS3 title this year is none other than Metal Gear Solid 4.

The news might be unsurprising to some, given the amount of hype and anticipation surrounding this upcoming system seller, but what is slightly surprising is just how much of a win MSG4 achieved over other highly anticipated PS3 IP in GamePro's most recent readership poll.

The Hideo Kojima title pulled in 57.7% of the vote, a full 46.4% higher than second place finisher (..."

"To take this argument through to its natural conclusion: if Square Enix is the messiah of RPGs and they’re betting on PS3, then Sony’s machine should ultimately be considered the console of choice for the genre’s fans.

Now there is only one thing left to do: see Final Fantasy XIII in action."

The game was announced during the final E3 2006, and is one of the Playstation 3's biggest third party exlusive titles. Still with an unknown release date (speculated to be 2009), Final Fantasy XIII is certainly looking better and better with every new piece of information, and fortunately, we've just been given two more scans.
Here are just some of the points made in the article:

• Alot of the old FF teams staffs are returning to this project, including those that worked on VII, X and XII...

"This month's edition of Official Playstation Magazine has a small follow-up to the interview they had last issue with the director of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core; Hajime Tabata. Quite a lot of the questions actually revolved around the Final Fantasy VII franchise though, rather than Crisis Core itself.

It is worth noting that when asked again about the possibility of a Final Fantasy VII remake, he said:

"The possiblity for a remake may become greater if, for instance, the schedules o..."

"BlankChocobo has scanned in her copy of Famitsu PS3 which contains 27 pages on Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. In case you're confused, the previous Famitsu scans were from Famitsu Weekly and these ones are from Famitsu's Playstation 3 specific magazine. There aren't any new images but many are displayed without text over the top of them."

"What games will be at GDC 2008? The infamous Surfer Girl says three of the above titles will be there, along with four more “definites”. We can confirm seven others.

In a response to a poster who asks what games will be at GDC this year, Surfer Girl says “YES” to seven games. These games are MotorStorm 2, Alan Wake, Too Human, InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2.

There are three other games that might possibly make it to the event: SOCOM PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4,..."

"Joystiq go on to say that Nomura has also promised a demo for the Playstation Network "a while before the games release", which is also false. Again, Nomura isn't even mentioned in the article and the Playstation Network isn't mentioned once. There might well be a demo on the Playstation Network at some point, but this article certainly does not confirm it for this year."

"Here comes Square-Enix announcing a 2008 release date for FF13. No date, just the year, which is plenty enough for us eager FF fans. But how much truth is really behind this, because I don't want to have my heart broken or tears run down my face. According to Joystiq Mr. Testuya Nomura, character designer for FFXIII says that "the long wait for the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection will be over soon enough. Not only does he swear by the game's 2008 release date, he teases at a playable demo f..."

"This week's Shonen Jump Magazine features some rather exciting images. These images show off several of the new characters in Final Fantasy Versus XIII, as well as the new summons in Final Fantasy XIII such as Carbuncle and Ifrit."

"Wired's annual Vaporware Awards went up yesterday, and because this is the Internet quite a few of the slots went to videogames. But we're not nearly done yet.

We have some slightly different rules for this list. The game in question didn't have to ever have an official 2007 release date attached to it, just as long as the hype coming from the publisher vastly outweighed the substance."

"Final Fantasy XIII



Final Fantasy Versus XIII

"

To mark the release of the Cloud Art-book in Japan, Dengeki Online have released a new website, which contains not just some extracts of the magazine itself, but also confirms the existence of the long awaited trailers from TGS that have been shown behind closed doors (note that none of the trailers show any of the new characters, they are simply the uncut version of previous trailers).

"Those who make it to the Square Enix booth, usually the largest booth amongst game publishers, can look forward to the following:

Dragon Quest Monsters Battle Road (arcade): Game will be playable at 100 yen per play. No limited edition cards are planned. A tournament will be held for elementary school kids on the 22nd and kid/parent pairs on the 23rd.

Dragon Quest IV (NDS): Special data to be distributed to those with DS systems and a copy of the game. Make sure you've advanced to the 5..."

"Square-Enix's Jump Festa 2008 site has now officially been launched. The official site detailing what will be attending Jump Festa will open on December 3rd.

Jump Festa runs for 3 days, but free admission to the event starts on 22nd December and ends on 23rd November. Rumor also has it that the trailers of Fabula Nova Crystallis (Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII) which were shown at the Tokyo Game Show in September will be revealed to the public a..."

"Dengeki has interviewed Tetsuya Nomura on the future of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XIII and he's revealed some more information on the development of the games.

Nomura says that with the help of the disc space on Blu-Ray and the Hard drive in each PS3, The evolution of Final Fantasy XII to XIII will be as big as the evolution of Final Fantasy VI to VII. He also says that Final Fantasy XIII will probably be the first game to use the full specifications of the Playstation 3. Another..."

"We now have the EGM Scans from this months issue. There isn't much new but a short summary of each TGS trailer which we've read before.


Pieces from the scan:

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core: This long-awaited PSP prequel might actually redeem the hitherto underwhelming "Compilation of FFVII".

Final Fantasy XIII: We spied a third potential party member - a scantily clad brunette with pigtails.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Here, the vibe isn't sci-fi/fantasy, but rather a slick mashup ...

"

"1. (1 / 1) Dragon Quest IX NDS Square Enix
2. (2 / 2) Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Square Enix
3. (3 / 3) Biohazard 5 PS3 Capcom
4. (4 / 4) Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Konami
5. (6 / 6) Monster Hunter 3 Wii Capcom
6. (5 / 5) Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii Nintendo
7. (7 / 7) Dragon Quest VI NDS Square Enix
8. (8 /10) Dragon Quest IV NDS Square Enix
9. (12/ 9) Lost Odyssey Xbox 360 Microsoft
10. (11/14) Final Fantasy IV NDS Square Enix
11. (9 / 8) Shin Sangoku Musou 5 PS3 Koei
12. (14/20) Dragon..."

"Final Fantasy XIII
Other products by Square Enix
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 | ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Price: $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details



Pre-Order Price Guarantee! Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and release date, you'll receive the lowest price. See Details

Availability: This item will be released on November 30, 2008. Pre-order now! See details. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-..."

"During my foray to the Square Enix Closed Mega Theater presentation, I saw the Final Fantasy XIII trailer and at the end the words "For PS3 Only" flashed on to the screen. At first I thought maybe the wording was due to translation but it also seemed like it could have been a definitive. PS3 ONLY! The same phrase was also present at the end of the Final Fantasy XIII Versus trailer. So there you are, according to the trailers Final Fantasy XIII is a confirmed PS3 ONLY title."

Here's 5 seconds of the new Final Fantasy XIII trailer. Hopefully we wont have to wait too long for the full version.

Three Screenshots have managed to find their way out of the Tokyo Game Show 2007, and the three screenshots are for one of the most awaited games for the PS3: Final Fantasy XIII. Take a look at them below.

You must be thinking... "What does the title mean". Well that's pretty simple, what I mean to say is, will Final Fantasy XIII be the game that rejuvinates the RPG genre and hits it big for the PS3 platform? Final Fantasy VII was the first game on the original Playstation platform, and it (very quickly) became one of the fastest (and most) selling titles on the Playstation's.

Can Square-Enix recreate that with Final Fantasy XIII? With such improved visuals, more disc space for the SE to use...

Albeit, in Japanese, the official site for Square-Enix's Tokyo Game Show has gone live today, and although there isn't much information present on the site, you can be certain that information relating to the Fabula Nova Crystallis (FFXIII) will be added to the site very soon.

"According to the company’s press materials, the former currently sits at just 13% completion, a far lower percentage than expected considering the title has been displayed multiple times in video form. The development of Versus, currently at 1.5%, is lagging behind so badly that we question just how much work has actually been completed on the project.

There have been numerous rumors suggesting that Square Enix is planning on displaying a brand new trailer of either (or each) of the proje..."

"Not really news as such ... more of pondering and speculation. But those always make for interesting posts, don't they? IGN hit up Motomu Toriyama, the man behind Final Fantasy X-2 for a rather interesting interview concerning the localized version of Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings for the DS.

Most of the interview is just what you'd expect. Increased difficulty, extra content blah blah ... if you're interested, you can read the full interview at the link above. Me? I'm more interested i..."

"In two separate chats I asked Jeff Bell, Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing, and Peter Moore the head of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment division if they could have one third party Japanese franchise on the Xbox 360 which would they pick. Mr. Bell immediately responded with Final Fantasy. Mr. Moore let out an optimistic roar for Mario and I mentioned that since it’s Nintendo's that is probably not going to happen. After Mario, Mr. Moore picked Final Fantasy. Mr. Moore said h..."

"The latest edition of Game Informer magazine finally hit the stands. It contains quiet a lot of juicy new information. They have an exclusive first look at an upcoming game called "Prototype" which is due out on the PS3/360 next year. Details will be published soon.

According Game Informer magazine, a $399 40gig PS3 system is on the way, but it will have no backwards compatibility. They actually expected to hear the announcement at E3 on it. So they may have just heard different rumblings ..."

"E3 was smaller and somewhat less important this year. That's not to say publishers didn't come out in spades to show their latest lineups of games. There were a few distinct absentees, all big games that we would have loved to see. Some are obvious and some are speculation, but having these games shown this week would have made our trip down to Santa Monica a little more meaningful."

"Who's ready to form an angry mob? Today, Square-Enix America released their E3 2007 line up including many of their leading titles. However Final Fantasy XIII, Versus or any other mention of the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation are left out. Hopes of a new FFXIII trailer seem to be out the window.

This news was brought up a few days ago by a 1up.com podcast but without, what looked like any proof. It seems they were right. However, Final Fantasy XIII was never listed on their lineup befo..."

"A video game & anime pianist, going by the stage name "Piano Squall," has recently released his debut album. It's entitled "GAME" (Game & Anime Music Emotions) and it features music from various Final Fantasy games, Chrono Chross, Chrono Trigger, InuYasha, Cowboy Bebop, Super Mario World, Evangelion, Naruto, Tetris, Fullmetal Alchemist.



Since 2003, he has given concerts in sixteen different states to benefit organizations such as The National ..."

"When talking about the upcoming E3 2007 on the very popular 1UP Yours Podcast, Editor Garnett Lee and EGM Previews Editor Bryan Intihar said the unfortunate following at 1:35:25 (June 29th Podcast).

"Disappointment's always a big question, what do you think's going to be disappointing us Bryan? I mean come on, I know you have all kinds of stuff on that." -Garnett

"Well the obviously big disappointment is that, there will be no Final Fantasy XIII what so ever." -Bryan

"Right." -Garnet..."

"On the heels of news that the PS3 won’t see a Square-Enix release until 2008, Tetsuya Nomura, game and character designer who played a large role on games such as the Kingdom Hearts series as well as a number of other successful Square-Enix titles and now working on the Final Fantasy XIII line, has expressed his fondness of the PS3’s capabilities. In a recent interview with Dengeki Playstation Magazine, Nomura stated (as translated by qj.net) “It's not just about how pretty the graphics ar..."

"Widely popular video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly takes one step back and gives readers the big picture of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII so far in their August issue. No new information and it's unclear where their quotes are from, but nonetheless EGM does some speculating of it's own in these new scans featuring all 3 Fabula Nova Crystallis titles."

"Square Enix have come out and made a statement on Final Fantasy XIII. Shinji Hashimoto spoke to Japanese gaming magazine Nikkei BP and said that they were developing FF Crystal Chronicles for the Wii, but “as for FF on the Xbox 360, it’s currently a completely blank page.”

Given the console situation in Square Enix’s main market of Japan, this wasn’t totally unexpected, but it should put a stop to the usual rumour-mongering. It’s worth noting that he didn’t totally rule it out for s..."

"The latest issue of EGM has a section on the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation celebrating Final Fantasy's 20th Anniversary. They have sections for both FFXIII and Versus and a summary of what we know so far. Although nothing new is included in the scans, it's a good read for someone who hasn't been following the compilation so far.

There hasn't been any release dates announced but EGM's predictions are a Summer 2008 release for FFXIII in Japan and a 2009 release for Versus. Thanks to Kyl..."

"-- How is the development of Versus XIII going?
Nomura: Everyone is very excited over this so I think we can make something good out of this. Part of our team has been together since the FF7 days but since we've spent such a long time working on KH, a lot of spirit is going into the development of a long-awaited FF for us.

-- What kind of FF will it turn out to be like?
Nomura: The action elements will be high in the game but instead of defeating the enemies from an audience's view, I wa..."

"A hint for an April 2008 launch? Or simply some other crazy assumptions?"

"In EDGE's Final Fantasy special this month, they have interviewed Tetsuya Nomura. It looks alot like the interview with him that we posted earlier, but at least this time we can understand it! He pretty much covers the same points, and pretty much secures the much discussed Playstation 3 exclusivity of Final Fantasy XIII, or thats how I read it anyway. He speaks a lot about how they're doing so many things they haven't be able to do before thanks to the Playstation 3, and the fact that it was..."

"The world of Final Fantasy XIII is based in a government-controlled floating fortress called 'Cocoon', which is defended by advanced technology and 'The Crystals'.
Those cast out of Cocoon are placed into the world below, called Pulse. The citizens of Pulse rebelled against this unfair treatment, and threaten to attack the government itself, which has caused much fear within Cocoon.

- - -


Cocoon: Many people have mistaken this to be an image of Cocoon.
This image is actually a imag..."

"Firstly, I found this new scan that is to be rather large, though blurry. It shows Lightning using magic to make things fly. Is this the "Gravity Bomb" magic that Square Enix have been talking about?

I also promised that I would translate some of the Agito scans. So here they are!

- Lant"

"Looking for more Final Fantasy following the Xbox 360 port of Final Fantasy XI? Then you're going to have to look to a different next generation system. A Square Enix executive has disclosed to Japan's Nikkei BP that the company currently has no plans for Final Fantasy games on the 360.

Noting that the PS3 is getting Final Fantasy XIII, the website asked Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto if the Wii or Xbox 360 will also be getting games in the series. "For the Wii, we have FF Crystal Chronicl..."

"FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS:

Toriyama:"The development of the three games was started at the same time and we gathered to try and find a common platform to stand on and try to build from. But since then, we've been working completely independently of each other. Each game is evolving in its own direction and take place in separate worlds with their own main characters. There exists basically no cooperation between the different teams. I wouldn't even want to claim that we communicate with each ..."

I'm sure you all expected superb graphics and performance from this game. Well, it seems like we won't be disappointed. Take a look at some developmental video material, showcasing the level of detail of this game. It will only get better from here on.

"In an interview with the Australian Official PlayStation Magazine, game director Motomu Toriyama gave some pretty interesting details about Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII games. Lightning has been confirmed as the main character in FFXIII, but not much was given about her past or her personality. Toriyama was as hush-hush about Lighting as Lightning is about herself in the game. He also mentioned that they will be deliberately introducing the rest of the characters in a certain order.

Th..."

""In fact, the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII project isn't just limited to three titles - there are many different aspects. In terms of the formats we're reaching, as well, it's not simply exclusive to the PS3 and mobile phones.""

"Gamefront.de has posted the latest Famitsu's Most Wanted charts for the dates between the 23rd to 29th of March. The list is dominated by Square Enix with Final Fantasy XIII as the most wanted title, and five other to-be-released titles chosen by Famitsu's readers.

Other Square-Enix titles that were picked by the readers are Dragon Quest IX at number 2, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors at number 10, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings at number 16, Final Fantas..."

"Hirokazu Hamamura, The president of Enterbrain, which is the publisher of popular Japanese magazine Famitsu, gave a lecture about the current status of the console market.
He stated that unlike the Wii, the PlayStation 3 has many exclusive games that belong to famous franchises, all previously released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. The bad thing is that most of these games don't even have a release date and that raises doubts among the fans. Once they are released, however, Hirokazu..."

"IM not a fan of FF, but thats pretty cool."

"In the story an exile from the floating kingdom of Cocoon, who has been banished to the lower world, finds herself caught up in a plot to take the sky domain down."

"It's getting late and you don't want to read, I understand. I'll shut up, just check out the high resolution pictures for yourself - there's plenty of new pictures to make it worth your while. The full one page EGM article is in the gallery below, plus write ups from two other magazines' May issues. Don't expect many FFXIII details though, most of it is just glorifying the console with technical possibilities we're all already aware of, but Shiva sure does make a good spokeswoman for the Play..."