Final Fantasy Union

PSM3 Reviews Final Fantasy XIII, Gives Very Average Score

Sun, Feb 7th, 2010, 10:07 pm (EST) by Ronin90

PSM3 Magazine, one of the main magazines in the United Kingdom, have managed to get their hands on Final Fantasy XIII for their March 2010 Edition. However, their review wasn't overly flattering.

They gave the game 70%, which by video game standards is as average is it comes - not exactly promising news. This is just one publication though, and they are generally quite harsh. Time will tell if other publications have a similar opinion, as other magazines also publish their scores ahead of the game's release in a month's time.

Either way, we've been waiting a hell of a long time for this game and even if it doesn't meet the high standards that Square Enix have set for the franchise, there will certainly be a lot of hours clocked on this bad boy.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis, PSM3 Magazine

Not The Best Review Ever

Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 Case Confirms DLC

Sun, Feb 7th, 2010, 1:01 pm (EST) by Omen

GameStop has posted the back of Final Fantasy XIII's box for the Xbox 360, and it reveals a few interesting details. On the back, it mentions various things, but the one that is most interesting is 'Game-content Downloads'.

Recently, in a Dutch Official Playstation Magazine issue there was an interview with game producer Yoshinori Kitase where DLC was mentioned. Kitase stated that due to plans of having a simultaneous release, both Western and Japanese versions of the game would be identical. However, with the Western version taking a little longer than expected, they have prepared "a DLC but it will arrive a little later."

The snapshot of the back of the box confirms what Kitase has stated in his interview, but with no image of the Playstation 3 box will this downloadable content be console exclusive like many other multi-platform games on the Xbox 360?

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Xbox 360

DLC

Rumour: Final Fantasy XIV Coming To Xbox 360

Wed, Feb 3rd, 2010, 6:15 am (EST) by Ronin90

It looks like someone has been doing some detective work, as a an online CV (Resume) has been found in which the individual represented, Yuuki Akama, claims to be working on Final Fantasy XIV for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. She's also apparently working on Final Fantasy Agito XIII and The Third Birthday, both of which will release on the PSP.

Final Fantasy XIV was initially unveiled during Sony's E3 press conference last year, but it was only announced for the PC and PS3. Since then, the director of the game, Hiromichi Tanaka, has stated that talks are ongoing with Microsoft, but that Xbox Live is seen as an issue - presumably they want charge people monthly, but don't want to charge them twice.

Whether it is actually being worked on remains to be seen, and whether the online profile is real also remains to be seen. Don't expect an official word from Square Enix any time soon though.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIV, Hiromichi Tanaka, Final Fantasy Agito XIII

Perhaps Sooner Rather Than Later

Final Fantasy XIII Music Appearing On Vinyl

Fri, Jan 29th, 2010, 6:39 pm (EST) by Ronin90

Square Enix have announced that a selected number of tracks will be released on a limited edition vinyl record, something that has apparently never been done before.

It's unclear why the move has been made, but the disc will become available in Japanese stores on the 26th of February. It will retail for 2,800 Yen and contain eight tracks from the Original Soundtrack which was released a few days ago in Japan.

The OST will become available in Europe on the 9th of March, the day which the game is also released on Western shores.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII OST

Let's Go Clubbing?

Game Over For Crystal Chronicles Franchise?

Sun, Jan 24th, 2010, 7:47 pm (EST) by Ronin90

When Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles first appeared on the Nintendo Gamecube back in 2004 it was very well received. It allowed four people to take part in the action, but they had to play using Game Boy Advances, instead of Gamecube controllers. Despite these heavy requirements, the game still ended up selling well over 1 million units and Square Enix naturally thought they were on to a winner.

This lead to Square Enix making the game into a franchise, which started with a prequel in the form of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. It appeared on the Nintendo DS, and like its predecessor, it allowed people to join together to play the game, this time using the Wi-Fi capabilities of the DS. However, its sales didn't manage to stack up to the original game, with it selling just over 600,000 units worldwide.

Continue reading the full article.

Tags: The Crystal Bearers, Echoes of Time, Ring of Fates, Crystal Chronicles, Weekly Musings

Where Now?

Nomura: No Plans For Final Fantasy VII Remake... Yet

Sat, Jan 23rd, 2010, 8:36 pm (EST) by Ronin90

Fans have long been craving a remake of Final Fantasy VII, but in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, Tetsuya Nomura, the man behind the iconic character designs in FFVII, has again dashed their hopes.

Speaking on the subject, he said that there are as yet no plans for a Final Fantasy VII remake, but he hopes that Cloud Strife, will be able to make more cameo appearances in other Square Enix properties. He most recently appeared in Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

This will come as a disappointment to some, as Tetsuya recently announced that he was working on a franchise that would "give fans what they want" - it doesn't really leave many other options for what that game can be. He's also working on completing Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which he stated should see a lot more information revealed at this year's E3.

Tags: Tetsuya Nomura, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy Versus XIII

Further Teasing

Final Fantasy VIII Coming Feb 4th To EU PlayStation Store

Thu, Jan 21st, 2010, 11:02 am (EST) by Ronin90

Many Europeans have been waiting for a quite a while to get their hands on Final Fantasy VIII via the PlayStation store, as it originally became available in Japan way back in September of 2009. North Americans were then able to enjoy it in December of 2009, but Europeans kept checking every Thursday to no avail.

Sony have now finally given a concrete release date for the title though, and they've set it as the 4th of February, 2010. Currently there's no price attached to the product, but expect it to be in a similar price range to Final Fantasy VII.

Next on the check list would be Final Fantasy IX, but that hasn't even been rumoured yet, so it might be a while before it's seen.

Tags: Final Fantasy VIII, PlayStation 3

Gamers rejoice!

Final Fantasy XIII Composer, Masashi Hamauzu, Leaves Square Enix

Wed, Jan 20th, 2010, 10:52 am (EST) by Ronin90

Masashi Hamauzu, the composer of Final Fantasy XIII's original soundtrack, has left Square Enix. This follows the departures of Kenichiro Fukui (The Black Mages) and Junya Nakano (Final Fantasy X).

Hamauzu was seen to be Square Enix's main composer following the departure of Nobuo Uematsu, which now leaves only four composers remaining at the company, including Kumi Tanioka and Naoshi Mizuta. During his time at the company, Hamauzu worked on games such as Unlimited SaGa, Dirge of Cerberus and Sigma Harmonics.

The Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack is due for release on the 27th of January. It's unclear where Hamauzu will go from here.

Tags: Masashi Hamauzu, Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix

Tech Demo Leaked of GRIN Developed Final Fantasy

Mon, Jan 18th, 2010, 1:06 pm (EST) by Kyle

A tech demo of the Final Fantasy game, coded named Fortress, previously in development by swedish studio, GRIN, has surfaced on Youtube. The game is no longer being developed by GRIN, but according GRIN the game is now being developed by someone else.

The tech demo consists of a player character traversing wooded, and desert areas, as well as interacting with a large enemy, and other soldier-like enemies. The character is seen riding a Chocobo at one pointed, as well as shooting arrows.

It has been reported that the unannounced game is part of the Ivalice Alliance of Final Fantasy games, those that take place in Final Fantasy XII's world and history. Concept art of Ashe and a Judge have appeared on the portfolio websites of former GRIN employees.

Check out the video in our full story.

Tags: Fortress, GRIN, Final Fantasy XII

Fortress

Final Fantasy Union: Episode 32

Mon, Jan 18th, 2010, 12:16 pm (EST) by Kyle

Kyle, Darryl and David are in to discuss post-Japanese/pre-North American Final Fantasy XIII release news, carefully! The crew tackle the English version of FFXIII being complete, FFXIII Play Arts (oh boy), Square Enix's random tour bus, and the latest International FFXIII trailer, as well as listen questions.

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Direct Link: Final Fantasy Union: Episode 32

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Tags: Final Fantasy Union, Final Fantasy XIII