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Character Spotlight: Lightning

PS3X360 Sat, Jan 28th, 2012, 12:55am EST by Colin

The final character spotlight of the week is here, and it's on one of the most important characters of Final Fantasy XIII-2: Lightning.

Character Spotlight: Caius Ballad & Paddra Nsu-Yeul

PS3X360 Tue, Jan 24th, 2012, 2:55pm EST by Colin

We're back with another character spotlight, now featuring Final Fantasy XIII-2's ominous antagonist Caius Ballad and his travelling companion, a mysterious young girl that bears a familiar name, Paddra Nsu-Yeul.

Character Spotlight: Meet Serah Farron, Noel Kreiss & Mog

PS3X360 Mon, Jan 23rd, 2012, 1:27pm EST by Colin

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is just over the horizon and so it's time to meet your heroes and villains. Starting today and leading up to the game's release, we'll be presenting a brief synopsis of key characters and their roles in FFXIII-2.

First up are Serah Farron, Noel Kreiss and their furry little companion Mog. Don't worry, there are no spoilers here. Make the jump to read more about the trio.

Burning Question: Is Releasing Final Fantasy XIII-2 In January A Good Idea?

PS3X360 Sun, Aug 14th, 2011, 1:27pm EDT by Darryl

Howdy folks! It's time for this week's Burning Question and we've got a bit of a corker for all of you - especially after the last Burning Question, which was quite lethargic.

This week we're asking the following question: Is Releasing Final Fantasy XIII-2 In January A Good Idea?

Originally a Winter 2011 release was touted and that's when the game will now be releasing in Japan, whereas Final Fantasy XIII released in March of 2009.

Don't forget, you may just get your answers read out on the next episode of Final Fantasy Union.

Square Enix & Microsoft: The Honeymoon Period Is Over

FFXIVMusingsPS3X360 Thu, Jul 15th, 2010, 8:27pm EDT by Colin

Square Enix and Microsoft have a rather strange relationship quite akin to that of a roller coaster. Early on in the current generation's life, Square Enix was happy to offer their games on Microsoft's system, distributing exclusive titles like The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope - now also on the PlayStation 3 - and just recently Final Fantasy XIII was released on both major consoles. Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada explained it as a way of expanding their audience. So then why isn't Final Fantasy XIV heading down the same route as well?

Originally codenamed Rapture, it was a brand new MMO being developed by Hiromichi Tanaka and the team behind FFXI. It was announced way back in August 2005. Since then, statements about what platform it would be on went back and forth with Tanaka first stating it was being made for the PlayStation 3 and PC in 2006. However, it was later said that Rapture was being made for the Xbox 360 and PC, with the possibility of a PS3 version being brought out at a later stage. Square Enix then reaffirmed that the game would be for all consoles at GDC 2008.

Fast forward to June of last year, E3 2009, Sony's Press Conference where Square Enix unveiled the debut trailer of Final Fantasy XIV - only for the PlayStation 3 and PC.

Just what the hell is going on here?

Square Enix Have Destroyed Final Fantasy Tradition

FFXIIIMusingsPS3X360 Fri, Nov 13th, 2009, 12:00am EST by Darryl

Today is a day of mixed emotions. Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII would be seeing its Western release on the 9th of March, 2010 (good news), but they also announced that pop sensation Leona Lewis would be lending her song 'My Hands' to the Western version as its theme song (bad news).

Why is this bad news? Well, not only is Final Fantasy XIII the first game that Western gamers won't be able to hear any music composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, but it's also the first time that Square Enix have featured licensed music from an artist in a main Final Fantasy game. Uematsu was originally hired to compose the theme tune for Final Fantasy XIII, but decided to hand off the responsibility to Masashi Hamauzu, who composed the rest of the soundtrack. The result was Kimi Ga Iru Kara, which is unlikely to be present in the Western version.

Continue reading the article to find out more.

Signs Point To Final Fantasy XIII Simultaneous Release

FFXIIIMusingsPS3X360 Wed, Jul 8th, 2009, 12:00am EDT by Darryl

Towards the tail end of last week, Square Enix announced that Dissidia: Final Fantasy would be released in Europe on the 4th of September, 2009. While this doesn't sound overly significant in itself, the date is only a week after the North American release.

For those who have been following Final Fantasy for some time, especially those in Europe, delays between regions are usually quite substantial. It's not uncommon for there to be a 4-5 month delay between the North American and European versions, and it's something that's always been very disappointing to European gamers.

However, the announcement that Dissidia: Final Fantasy will be coming so soon after is huge. Square Enix have gone on record numerous times about how much more detailed Dissidia's dialogue is than Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII's and if they can get the localisation done so efficiently on a game like Dissidia, it definitely looks positive for Final Fantasy XIII. There is of course The Last Remnant too, which was released worldwide on the same day and while Square Enix have claimed it's something they're striving to do, up until now it hasn't been overly evident.

Square Enix @ E3: The Aftermath

MusingsFFXIVFFXIIIPS3X360 Wed, Jun 10th, 2009, 12:00am EDT by Darryl

People probably expected a few surprises, but it'd be difficult to find anyone who accurately predicted what actually happened with regards to Square Enix at this year's E3.

There were rumblings about Codename Rapture being shown for the first time prior to the event, but nobody expected Square Enix (or Sony in this case) to officially unveil it as Final Fantasy XIV. Furthermore, it was even more surprising that it will be released as soon as next year, the first time in the franchise's history that two numerical Final Fantasy titles will be released in the same calendar year.

Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV, while not the direct sequel to Final Fantasy XI is effectively its spiritual successor. It will feature the same races (although Taru have not be confirmed yet), allowing players to feel relatively at home with their new surroundings. Square Enix have also stated that they will continue to support Final Fantasy XI with new content for at least another year, so this is definitely good news for those still playing the game.

Read more in the full story.