Square Enix has announced a new game in the Final Fantasy XIII series at the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Event, bringing Lightnings story to an end.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is out! With it comes a final trailer which neatly compresses all the good bits of FFXIII-2 into one minute.
The long wait is over. We've finished our review copy and had a great time, so come read our impressions of Final Fantasy XIII-2.
Ever since Final Fantasy Type-0 was revealed (as Final Fantasy Agito XIII) a few years ago its potential localization has been in question. In its original form as a cell phone game its chances were nearly 0, which would be quite befitting now. But as it’s now only released for PSP the chances increased dramatically and we’ve all been waiting on baited breath to hear about it travelling to western shores.
It would seem that wait is over however, thanks to a brand new interview with producer Yoshinori Kitase coming out of Spanish gaming site Vandal.net.
Thanks to our very own forum member Lymle we have a proper translation of one very important question and answer:
What else can you tell us about the other Fabula Nova Crystallis games? We haven’t heard anything about Type-0 or Versus lately.
[Laughs] Type-0, as you probably know already, was released in Japan last month, so that one’s finished. We’re currently working on the North American and European versions which you will know of very soon. Versus hasn’t been released in Japan yet, but we released a trailer last January. We’re working really hard to finish it. We’ll reveal new stuff within the next few months.
And there you have it folks, if this interview is to be believed, we have official confirmation of Type-0′s western releases!
You can read the original article below
Source: Vandal.net
The latest issue of Jump comes to us with a nice little treat: the first render of Caius.
We’ll update this post as actual scans and not photos of the page come in, or just keep an eye on the forums. Thanks to member Yahtzee for finding this.
Last month, our own editor Ethan had the privilege and honor to attend a Final Fantasy XIII-2 press event in Los Angeles. Not only did he get to play the game firsthand, but he also gathered some additional information and impressions about the game (which you can read about here. He was also able to ask producer Yoshinori Kitase and art director Isamu Kamikokuryou some questions that some of our forum members wanted to know the answers to. Now, thanks to Jeels at finalfantasy.net, a full article with the answers to these questions and many more has surfaced. Check out the answers to the questions provided by our forum members below!
What challenges has developing the sequel presented that weren’t there for its predecessor? (Question provided by: FinalFantasy-XIII.net)
The biggest challenge is to provide, especially the returning player, a new and exciting experience visually and in the game play. Reading the initial scenario for XIII-2, I noticed it was more serious, so we wanted to incorporate a darker tone versus the light that was seen in Final Fantasy XIII, so I think you will notice overall this has a darker feel.
There are a lot of new features in Final Fantasy XIII-2 that were not present in the first game. Were these features originally considered for Final Fantasy XIII but for some reason did not make it into the final cut? (Question provided by: FinalFantasy-XIII.net)
As far as the game play or scenarios are concerned, because XIII-2 was green lit after XIII was already launched, this was a whole new mission. There really was not necessarily anything missed in XIII that was not included in XIII-2. As far as graphically, there were definitely monsters and environments that we could not make possible in XIII that we were actually able to incorporate into XIII-2 that we are happy to get into the sequel.
One of the biggest features we were able to incorporate this time was a lot of the weather elements. We have much more variation. It is done in a much more detailed manner than we were able to before. Especially with the concept of traveling through time and place, these were really vital in expressing the differences in the locations you are visiting. It is important progress that we have made in XIII-2.
Another thing that was added into the game was jumping. Now, jumping was incorporated into XIII until towards the very end of the development process. It was removed because it was deceiving; it looked like you could jump over or jump on things when you could not. That had some negative feedback and we decided to remove it. This time we bought it back, and we kept in consideration while developing the maps as well, so that it actually worked for the functionality.
Another element that was not in XIII is the mini game style game play, like the Chocobo races, slot machines, and also puzzle elements that appear throughout the game. That is another new element that we were unable to incorporate into XIII but we did this time.
Again, thanks to everyone at Square Enix for taking the time and effort to send Ethan out the event, and a very big thanks in particular to Mr. Kitase and Mr. Kamikokuryou for answering our questions and those of other sites, as well!
If you want to read the full article, check it out here.
The opening cut for Final Fantasy XIII-2 has finally emerged. As expected, it looks awesome and.. well, just go and see it for yourself. Don’t forget to breathe.
Hello everyone! It’s, of course, your man, Ethan, here at FinalFantasy-XIII.net! Late last month I was privileged enough to attend a somewhat under wraps event being held by Square Enix, on behalf of FinalFantasy-XIII.net, in LA.
As most members of the forums have figured out, this event was of course in regards to the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2. Square Enix was kind enough to fly me and a few other staff members from some other Final Fantasy related sites out to LA and attend the event. What’s more is that not only did I get to play an almost complete version of Final Fantasy XIII-2 but I got to meet Producer Yoshinori Kitase and Art Director Isamu Kamikokuryo and have some of my questions regarding the game answered!
It was all a very cool experience and I’d like to take this time to give a shout out to Square Enix and their PR department for making it all possible.
Click through to read my impressions of the game!
The Japanese theme song of Final Fantasy XIII-2, Yakusoku no Basho (Promised Land), has been finally released today.
Watch the full music video of the song in the video below.
Pre-ordering from certain stores will get you a bonus weapon for Noel named as “Muramasa”. Described as a ” weapon of fey power, feared as the blade that will strike down time’s master.”, it will increase chain bonuses in battle as well. Muramasa can be seen below in its spear and sword modes.
Thanks to forum member Ramenzilla for the heads up!
Source: Square Enix Members Europe
On the 19th of November, the edited 2-and-a-half-so minute opening of Final Fantasy XIII-2 debuted in all appliance stores in Japan. If you don’t remember or wasn’t aware of it, Square Enix collaborated with Sony 2 years ago for the promotion of XIII. This time they will be doing it so with Toshiba, and will even launch a special site for the promotion of XIII-2. Here are some off-screen shots tweeted by someone in Japan; hopefully someone has also filmed a clip of the whole opening to satisfy our need of more FFXIII-2 goodness.
Source: Final Fantasy XIII-2 WordPress
Motomu Toriyama, the game’s director, announced the game’s completion in his interview with weekly Famitsu.
Here are some points of the details that he has also shared regarding the game’s features and content.
The main story can be completed in 30-40 hours and is divided into chapters, with each chapter taking about 2-3 hours. Replay value is determined by the time rewind system which resets an area to its starting point. Starting a save file after finishing the game will bring you to the Historia Crux just before the final battle. This serves as the game’s “New Game Plus” as you can go into different areas, resetting and playing through them again while retaining your characters’ current levels. This feature results to the availability of multiple “Paradox” endings.
Toriyama has again confirmed the bonus(es) for people who have XIII’s save file, not stating what it really is. Aside from this, a wallpaper will also be available for those who have XIII’s save file.
For a full overview of the interview, head over to andriasang.com.
True to Game Stop’s tendency to give Power Up Rewards members extra bonuses for pre-ordering specific games, the company and Square Enix announced today that Power Up Rewards members will receive an additional in-game weapon.
This weapon, called the Genji Bow, will allow for more frequent attacks and, like the rest of Serah’s weapons for the game, will include both a blade and bow form. However, Power Up Rewards members must pick up the game by February 2, 2011 in order to receive the extra weapon.
Check it out below, and tell us what you think in the forum thread!
Special thanks to Yahtzee for discovering the info!
Final Fantasy XIII Japanese Commercial 1 HD
Final Final Fantasy XIII Trailer (Translated)Final Final Fantasy XIII Japanese TrailerFinal Fantasy XIII Release Date Announcement Video
Japan: December 17th 2009
NA: March 9th 2010
Europe: March 9th 2010 Japan: December 15th 2011 NA: January 31st 2012 Europe: February 3rd 2012 Japan: TBA NA: TBA Europe: TBA Japan: October 13th 2011 NA: TBA Europe: TBA
