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.
The 2011 Tokyo Game Show is well underway in Japan and as such, news is pouring out from various sources.
First and foremost, the release date for Final Fantasy XIII-2 has been announced and not only for Japan. North America and Europe’s release dates have all been announced as well.
Japanese gamers will first get their hands on XIII-2 on December 15th while North American’s will get it a little more than a month later on January 31st. Europeans as usual will have to wait a little longer, but fear not, as it’s a measly 3 days, February 3rd.
Square has also gone ahead and announced a special hardware bundle featuring a Lightning adorned PS3.
Naturally they are calling this the “PlayStation 3 Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning Edition Ver.2.” given that a Lightning adorned PS3 was also released for the first game’s launch back in 2009. This bundle will retail for ¥37,960 and is a 320 GB unit.
Source: Andriasang
Take a good look at these girls because here are your Final Fantasy XIII-2 Theme Song Singers.
Mai Fukui (right) and Charice Pempengko (or known simply as just “Charice”) will each be singing a different theme song. Mai Fukui will be singing “Yakusoku no Basho” which roughly translates to “Promised Land” (The title in Japanese is 約束の場所). Charice however will be singing a song called “New World”.
This time around the theme songs will depend on location and platform. “Yakusoku no Basho” will apparently be featured on the Japanese PS3 version of the game (Japanese Xbox 360 get “New World”), along with select parts of Asia also on PS3. “New World” will be used as the theme song everywhere else both on PS3 and Xbox 360.
An interesting choice but Square Enix surely has its reasons for doing so.
The latest news coming out of Dengeki is that a downloadable version of Final Fantasy Type-0 will indeed be available, which was certainly in question for a number of fans. For those who don’t want to bother with the physical release or those that, say, only have a PSP Go and have no choice, here is your answer.
Even better is that this version will not only be cheaper, but it will be available on the same day as Type-0′s physical releases, October 27th
Again, no word yet on a release outside of Japan, but hopefully if and when it does, it will receive the same treatment.
Thanks to forum member Ffamran mied Bunansa for the heads up.
Source: Dengeki
Two months ago inside a Famitsu interview with Nomura, he confirmed that after 6 years, they were finally preparing to go into full production of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Yesterday it was confirmed that this has begun.
During yesterdays Final Fantasy XIII-2 Fan meeting, Kitase was questioned about the development of Type-0 and Versus. His answer, “for Type-0 and Versus XIII we are giving 100% to development”. With just over a month to go until Type-0 is out, that’s unsurprising but the fact that Versus is now in full production should give a lot of people hope. Just for reference, it was also confirmed that XIII-2 is 90% complete with a development period of 1 and a half years.
Source: Nova Crystallis
A fan event was recently held by Square Enix for a select group of people. For this event they were allowed to play the most updated demo for Final Fantasy XIII-2 as well as partake in a Q&A with two of the game’s main staff, Motomu Toriyama and Yoshinori Kitase. As such, a few new details not previously known has been revealed.
As far as story is concerned, they have confirmed that Snow, who has been absent thus far to which a handful of people seem grateful for, from what we have seen, will indeed make an appearance though apparently he has still yet to marry Serah.
Along with the Snow confirmation, they also stated that the upcoming Tokyo Game Show will host a slew of character reveals ranging from re-revealing older characters from the first game to new characters. For example, Hope, who was recently seen in the latest trailer will probably get a full reveal in the coming week. Also, it’s been a long time coming but it seems the the mysterious purple haired man from the very first trailer will also be finally, formally revealed.
They also hope to reveal the release date at TGS as well and they hinted at the possibility of a Limited Edition version which wouldn’t be too surprising. And naturally, as it was with the first game, the question of DLC came up to which they simply and again unsurprisingly said that they were looking into it. Also, don’t get rid of your Final Fantasy XIII save file because it may have some use when XIII-2 comes out.
You can read further about the gameplay in the updated demo, including new info on capturing monsters, party details and more here
Source: Nova Crystallis Blog
That’s right. Final Fantasy XIII got novellas, Final Fantasy Versus XIII got forgotten and now Final Fantasy Type-0 will be getting its very own manga adaptation. The comic will be run in Square Enix’s monthly Shonen Gangan magazine, starting November 11, and will be drawn by Takatoshi Shiozawa. You can check out the announcement illustration below.
Source: andriasang.com
Square Enix has now formally unveiled the finalized Final Fantasy Type-0′s collector’s edition which became available for pre-order through their Japanese e-store a few months ago.
As you can see, it all comes bundled together in a very nice, clear, red packaging. What is included is; the game’s soundtrack, a postcard book, and a bonus DVD, along with the actual game of course.
Naturally, along with this, the game’s cover has also been revealed, and, going along with Final Fantasy tradition, the cover consists of the original Yoshitaka Amano artwork along with the game’s logo on a plain white background. It may not be flashy or new, but it does make a nice statement.
The game itself retails for around 7,700 yen, while the collector’s edition will run you 12,760 yen.
Thanks to forum member Ffamran mied Bunansa for pointing this out.
Source: 4Gamer.net, Square Enix e-store
Square Enix Europe have been passive-aggressive and released the 30 screenshots from earlier today in English and at their native resolution. So now enjoy Noel, Serah, Lightning and friend, Historia Crux, Morality Bar Chocobo (because it’s blue and red, see) and Valhalla in a language you can understand.
SQEX Members Europe has posted an interview with Final Fantasy XIII-2 director Motomu Toriyama. He talks about the role Historia Crux (the official English spelling). Get ready to treat time with as much respect as Doctor Who.
Could you give us an overview of what the Historia Crux is and how it works?
The Historia Crux is a new gameplay system that functions like a compass for time travel. As the portal which allows the player to select areas and time periods to go to, it functions a bit like a home menu and is at the heart of the story and gameplay progression of FINAL FANTASY XIII-2. The player can enjoy travelling through time by freely choosing between all the time-space locations where gates have been opened up. Although these locations proceed onwards into the future, you also have the option of rewinding time so it will be possible to experience many different historical possibilities.
What specific fan feedback are you trying to respond to with the Historia Crux?
The original game, FINAL FANTASY XIII, was primarily story driven and progressed in a very linear manner. For the sequel, FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, we are going for a much more player driven concept, so this time around the gameplay and story itself will alter to fit the player’s choices. You will be able to freely come and go between all the areas; the game will provide not just simple environmental exploration, but also a multi-layered exploration of history through the Historia Crux.
How does the Historia Crux affect the gameplay in FINAL FANTASY XIII-2?
The Historia Crux branches off into multiple different routes depending on the player’s choices. You will be able to take a detour into areas that have branched off of the route you have taken, perform side missions and turn back time in each of the areas to experiment with all possibilities. It is of course also possible to progress simply following the main story, like in the original FINAL FANTASY XIII. The flow of areas accessible via Historia Crux has been structured so that all of the player’s actions and decisions will influence the gameplay.Casual players will be able to use the Historia Crux in a similar manner to browsing a favourite website – picking and choosing between all the different links available. It also contains elements aimed at more dedicated gamers, allowing for more challenging play through encouraging exploration of all the different times and places; to find additional secrets including the multiple endings that are hidden in the different routes.
Many fans have been longing for an explorable World Map for a while. Do you feel that the Historia Crux is a good alternative?
The Historia Crux divides the world into multiple layers, overlapping with the different time periods that can be played with the feeling of jumping freely around several world maps. This is a completely new system and experience, so it cannot be unconditionally compared with other options; however, when considering the key concept of “player freedom”, I believe it to be an optimal system for combining the best parts of open-world style games with the story-driven aspects of FINAL FANTASY XIII. The player can adjust their play style to either delve deeply into everything available and be engrossed, or just make more straightforward choices while going along their adventure.
Is it possible to share more information on how the Historia Crux allows for sidequests and hidden objects to feature in the game?
In the original game, the sidequests were only unlocked in the second half of the story in Gran Pulse, but in the sequel we have put in many different sidequests right from the start. Due to the overwhelming demand from players of the original, we have also included many strong and colourful mini games, a tradition of the FINAL FANTASY series. You will be able to return to any of the times and places whenever you like from the Historia Crux, so it is completely up to the player in what way they choose to play these.
Is it possible to change events that happen in the future depending on your actions in the past?
Depending on the player’s actions, new turning points to new futures will appear in time, and these will certainly form the basis for the multiple endings.
This is the first time time travel has featured so prominently in a FINAL FANTASY game, is this something you’d like to explore more in future games?
For the FINAL FANTASY series, each game has its own new game system, so it is not as if we are intending on making time travel key to all future instalments. We want fans to look forward to each FINAL FANTASY having its own unique system. For FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, we are experimenting with carrying out repeated large scale user tests to reflect the opinions of users in the game itself. We really have received a lot of feedback about the game, but among the voices there are those who say it reminds them of the classic RPG, CHRONO TRIGGER. For FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, we are aiming to make time travel a major thematic direction, and be able to express this on high-end game machines.
Will we be meeting older/younger versions of FINAL FANTASY XIII characters as we travel through time?
The main characters from the original FINAL FANTASY XIII will show up in this journey through time, so we will see them in many different situations and guises. I am sure that the fans of the original will be looking forward to seeing them again and how they have changed over the years!
Is it possible to return to time periods you’ve already visited and replay them as if it’s your first time you have visited the area?
It will be possible to wind back time in each of the areas you visit and replay them. Character levels and equipment etc will be carried over so it will be possible to play the game as if doing a “New Game+” for each of the areas at different times. It will be possible to play through from the start using your levelled up characters, once you have completed the game. We have taken care to put a number of elements into the game system to make replays more exciting and user-friendly.
Source: SQEX Members Europe
Famitsu have posted the screenshots from their Final Fantasy XIII-2 feature that’s in this week’s Weekly Famitsu. While the information was more or less the same as Dengeki’s feature, there’s now 30 images for you to gawk at. You can start to get a feel of the game’s time-travelling Historiacross system and see the differences of a single location in different time periods. Another special part of the feature was a proper reveal on Lightning. There’s several screenshots of her fight with Chaos Bahamut and Valhalla. To top it all off, there’s some direct feed screenshots of Yoshinori Kanada’s sequence.
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
Noob at intro's... FFXIII - Promised Eternity - Piano Cover Final Fantasy XIII-2 Digital Contents Selection Attack on Titan Guy Humps Hornets' Nest, Dies Hope y'all like Android/iOS junk Time Gate: Minimum Game Cancel Stupid Things You Used to Believe Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn relaunches this summer on PC and PS3 Square Enix Origin Forum
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
