December 2009 News

Final Fantasy VIII Comes to PlayStation Store

Sat, Dec 19th, 2009, 3:35 pm (EST) by Kyle

With Final Fantasy VII sitting as one of the top downloads on the PlayStation Store month after month, Square Enix has decided to add Final Fantasy VIII to their PSN roster. The PSone Classic title can be played on both PSP and PS3, and is priced at $9.99 on the US PlayStation Store. John Yamamoto, President and CEO of Square Enix, Inc. spoke about the addition of the game to the store,

"We’re very excited to share the Final Fantasy VIII experience with not only a new generation of RPG gamers, but also all of our long-time Final Fantasy fans. Final Fantasy VII received an incredibly warm reception on the PlayStation Network, and we are thrilled to see what possibilities this latest release of Final Fantasy VIII will bring to the franchise."

Square Enix have also put together a minimalist website alongside the PS Store release of the game. For series fans that haven't played FFVIII, $10 is a pretty fair price to play arguably one of the best games in the series.

Tags: Final Fantasy VIII

Final Fantasy XIV Now Taking Beta Applications

Wed, Dec 16th, 2009, 9:36 pm (EST) by Shawn

Square Enix has just announced on the official website for Final Fantasy XIV that they are ready to take in applicants for the official beta.

Final Fantasy XIV was revealed during Sony's E3 2009 press conference for the PlayStation 3 and PC. The game has some similarities to Final Fantasy XI, sharing some of the same classes and races, but the game takes place in an entirely different world.

The current beta is only for the PC version, with details about a PlayStation 3 beta coming at "a later date". Applicants must be over 18 years old and have a Square Enix ID (if you don't have one, you can sign up for one). Multiple applications will not be accepted --- only one per person.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIV, Beta, Square Enix, PC

New Final Fantasy XIV Tracks From Distant Worlds Video

Sun, Dec 13th, 2009, 11:47 am (EST) by Shawn

As we reported on earlier this morning, two of the songs from Final Fantasy XIV were played for the first time at the Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy concert in Rosemont, Illinois.

The two songs, Twilight over Thanalan and Beneath Bloody Borders. During the concert, both songs were played back to back.

The video of the two songs can be found after the jump.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIV, Distant Worlds music from Final Fantasy, Square Enix, PlayStation 3, Sony, PC

Official Final Fantasy XIII Twitter and Facebook Pages Launched

Sun, Dec 13th, 2009, 9:53 am (EST) by Kyle

Square Enix has opened official Final Fantasy XIII Twitter and Facebook pages leading up to the March 9th North American and European release of the game. Square Enix's reasoning for jumping on both social networking sites is obviously to coincide with the games forthcoming marketing campaign, however, the hope to make both pages the "direct source for all things FINAL FANTASY XIII leading up to the game’s launch on March 9, 2010, the sites will provide insider updates on the much awaited game."

The two pages were announced in a press release from Square Enix Inc. in North America, and besides news, they will also release screenshots and videos through Twitter and Facebook. There however was no word on whether Square Enix will engage with fans on either service, but considering the platforms, there's a fairly good chance they will.

Check our full story for the Facebook and Twitter links.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Two Final Fantasy XIV Tracks Revealed

Sun, Dec 13th, 2009, 1:15 am (EST) by Shawn

As we reported last night, two of the songs from Square Enix's upcoming MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV, were revealed at the Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy concert in Rosemont, Illinois.

The names of the two songs are Twilight over Thanalan and Beneath Bloody Borders. Both songs were played back to back seamlessly, and were the first-ever performances of either song.

First revealed at this year's E3, Final Fantasy XIV is set to be released sometime in 2010 on the PlayStation 3 and PC. The game is the online successor to Final Fantasy XI, sharing many of the same classes and features.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIV, Distant Worlds music from Final Fantasy, Square Enix, PlayStation 3, Sony, PC

New Final Fantasy XIII Video Premieres At Distant Worlds

Fri, Dec 11th, 2009, 10:53 pm (EST) by Shawn

Those wanting to see more of Final Fantasy XIII and happen to be attending the Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy concert this Saturday are in luck, as a new video will be showcased at the event.

According to the latest update to the concert's Facebook page, the video will be shown in the main lobby at 7PM. The update doesn't mention that it will be a trailer, instead using the term "video preview", so it could be some in-game footage instead of the long trailers that have been released in the past.

This is the second concert performance for the Distant Worlds concert in Chicago. It will be showcasing some never-before-heard music from Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy XIV, in addition to other Final Fantasy music.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Videos, Distant Worlds music from Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy, Square Enix, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Sony, Microsoft

Square Enix Launch Official Final Fantasy XIII OST Site

Fri, Dec 11th, 2009, 4:31 pm (EST) by Ronin90

With the game only a short time away from its official launch, Square Enix have decided to launch the official website to accompany the Final Fantasy XIII OST, which has been composed by Masashi Hamauzu.

It offers samples of 10 tracks at the moment, but more should be added as time goes by. There are also plans to include a short commentary from Masashi Hamauzu himself.

Along with previews of some of the songs, there is also a look at the two different version of the soundtrack that wil be sold - standard and first cut limited edition. The standard version will retail for 3,990 Yen and the limited edition will retail for 5,250 Yen. They're both scheduled to be released on the 27th of January, 2010

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII OST

Galenth Dysley, Rygdea Named For Final Fantasy XIII

Fri, Dec 11th, 2009, 9:38 am (EST) by Kyle

The names of two previous know characters have been revealed in Famitsu. The first is the man that looks like a priest or King with a veil is named "Galenth Dysley". Galenth hasn't been seen with other characters in screen shots (that we're aware of), however he is said to relate to Cid Raines somehow.

The second character is the long-haired man that has been seen alongside Cid Raines in a few screen shots. The man's name is "Rygdea", and he is a part of the same military group that Cid Raines is a Brigadier in.

Famitsu lists the name of their military group as "Cavalry", however it's unclear if they're simply calling the group a cavalry, or if that is indeed their name. To see the Famitsu scan of the newly named character, check out our full story.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis

New Screens Feature Tense Final Fantasy XIII Cast

Thu, Dec 10th, 2009, 12:28 pm (EST) by Kyle

Continuing the marketing push surrounding Final Fantasy XIII's Japanese release, which is only 1 week away, Square Enix has released another batch of screens. The half dozen screens feature the main cast of Lightning, Snow, Hope, Oerba Dia Vanille, Oerba Yun Fang, and Sahz, in a number of different scenes. There's lots of tension in this bunch, check out the screens below.

Check out the rest of the screens in our full story.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis

PS3/Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIII Differences Confirmed

Wed, Dec 9th, 2009, 11:41 am (EST) by Ronin90

A few weeks ago, we posted a rumour which talked about potential differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XIII. Well, they've now been confirmed as true in the latest edition of Famitsu Magazine in Japan.

As disclosed before, Final Fantasy XIII on the PlayStation 3 will featured lossless audio, and 1080p cutscenes, something which won't be present in the Xbox 360 version of the game. Famitsu didn't release the amount of compression that will be found in the Xbox 360 version, but they confirmed that it will indeed be compressed - even though it will be coming on multiple DVDs, it simply couldn't fit. The PlayStation 3 version is going to take advantage of a single dual-layered Blu-Ray disc, meaning it's easily possible.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis, Famitsu

Final Fantasy XIII Famitsu Score Leaked

Tue, Dec 8th, 2009, 8:59 pm (EST) by Shawn

While Final Fantasy XIII isn't set to be released until next week in Japan, the official Famitsu review for the game has been leaked early in Hong Kong.

The game's score was just one point short of a perfect score, getting 39/40, with only one reviewer giving the game a 9/10. According to translations of the leaked scan, the reviewer found faults in the the screen being too cluttered at times but noted that the enjoyment the game provides outweighs the issues.

Final Fantasy XIII is set to be released in Japan on December 17th, 2009 exclusively on the PlayStation3. The game will be available in North American and Europe on March 9th, 2009 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Famitsu, Reviews, Square Enix, PlayStation 3, Sony

Final Fantasy Union: Episode 30

Mon, Dec 7th, 2009, 10:02 am (EST) by Kyle

With the show newly renamed to "Final Fantasy Union" (formerly The FXN Final Fantasy Podcast) Kyle, David and Darryl ring in the last episode before Final Fantasy XIII's Japanese release. The crew cover news of FFXIII's box art, Cid Raines, game mechanics, game length, and much more.

The Final Fantasy Union podcast is now part of the Final Fantasy & Kingdom Hearts Union podcast series. Full details are covered in this week's episode.

Subscribe to Final Fantasy Union on iTunes

Direct Link: Final Fantasy Union: Episode 30

Visit the Final Fantasy & Kingdom Hearts Union iTunes Page

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Podcast music "Behind Enemy Lines" is by Nutritious from the OverClocked ReMix.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis, FXN Final Fantasy Podcast, Podcast, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts Union, Final Fantasy Union

Square Enix's 15 Second Final Fantasy XIII TV Spot

Sun, Dec 6th, 2009, 2:42 pm (EST) by Kyle

With Final Fantasy XIII eleven days away from release in Japan, Square Enix is going all out with promotions, sort of. Square Enix has just released a new Japanese commercial for the game, but it's a merely 15 seconds of battle footage very quickly cut together.

Nevertheless it's helps showcase the pace of battle in Final Fantasy XIII, and with Final Fantasy XII being one of the lowest selling Final Fantasy's in the series' history, Square Enix certainly doesn't want to miss out on proving to gamers that Final Fantasy XIII is worth the price tag.

Check out the flashy commercial in our full story.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystal

Cid and Vanille Featured in Latest Final Fantasy XIII Screens

Sat, Dec 5th, 2009, 2:54 pm (EST) by Kyle

Final Fantasy XIII's Cid and Oerba Dia Vanille are featured in Square Enix's latest onslaught of screens. All the shots are of in-game graphics, with Cid in a few shots with Lightning, Snow, and Oerba Yun Fang.

Vanille pairs up with her summon as well, Hecatoncheir, in a number of battle shots. She even pulls out finger guns like Liquid Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid 4, nice. Check out the screens below, with the complete batch of 16 in our full story.

For all the screen shots, jump to the full story.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis

New Crystal Bearers Trailer Highlights Combat

Fri, Dec 4th, 2009, 7:47 pm (EST) by Kyle

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, over three years in the making, is almost upon us. Due out on the Nintendo Wii on December 26th, Square Enix has less than a month left to pump up anticipation for the game, and as part of that they have today released a new combat-focused trailer.

The trailer starts of with an assortment of doom-and-gloom cutscenes, complete with movie-trailer voice over saying things like, "Harness the power of the Crystal Bearers, uncover a captivating new work, and experience Final Fantasy like never before." Feast your eyes on the trailer below.



Tags: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers, Nintendo Wii

Toriyama: Final Fantasy XIII's Story 50-60 Hours Long

Wed, Dec 2nd, 2009, 10:30 am (EST) by Ronin90

According to Motomu Toriyama, the director of Final Fantasy XIII, the main story for Final Fantasy XIII will be around 50 hours long. He also believes that it could go up to 60 hours for players who are new to the franchise.

The quote appeared in a Japanese magazine, and it's definitely promising news. With side-quests included, it sounds like there will be quite a lot of length, but then this is common practice with Final Fantasy games. However, usually when directors make these claims, they are grossly over-exaggerated, so it'll be interesting to see how accurate it is.

Except even more little tid-bits to be released in the lead-up to the game, which is released in Japan in just a couple of weeks.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Motomu Toriyama, Fabula Nova Crystallis

Final Fantasy XIII North American Box Art Revealed

Tue, Dec 1st, 2009, 6:08 pm (EST) by Kyle

Square Enix earlier released Final Fantasy XIII's European box art, and they have followed this up with North America's FFXIII PS3 and Xbox 360 box art.

The box art simply features Lightning and the Final Fantasy XIII logo. The image of Lighting is has been seen frequently in Final Fantasy XIII promotions before, include a desktop wallpaper on the official website for the game.

Box art for Final Fantasy titles in North America usually feature representations of characters, or a single character, so FFXIII has indeed followed suit in this case. However, the same box art will be used in Europe, where Final Fantasy games typically feature just the game's logo.

Check out the box art in our full story.

Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis