After much of the hubbub surrounding the initial release of Final Fantasy XIV, it seems Square Enix has been trying to restart the messy MMO. Now we’ve gotten a new trailer and several screenshots featuring the new title “A Realm Reborn.” Dropping the “2.0” moniker is a good idea, I’d bet. They had released some screenshots at E3, but now, here comes the hype trailer. Will this bring players back and improve the situation? Let’s hope so, as visually, the new cinematic looks great – it’s even tempting me. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 24, 2012 in Videogames
The other day Kotaku posted a rumor stating Final Fantasy Versus XIII had been cancelled. More and more sites reported on it, ourselves included, which eventually led Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada to refute the claim via Twitter. Not only did he deny the cancellation, Wada even mentioned having recently attended a presentation for the game, and being incredibly impressed by the quality of the cityscape. This is great news for diehard fans who had purchased a PS3 with the expectation of being able to purchase the exclusive title. Of course, whether or not it’ll remain a Playstation 3 exclusive remains to be seen.
Alright everyone, I’ve got some bad news: it seems that Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been cancelled. Wait, what’s that? You’re not surprised? That look of apathy and disinterest you’re giving me is surely the result of something else, right? After six years of waiting, I suppose people just gave up hope, especially with so little news on every front. While this is still a rumor, let’s just say it the most obvious and sensible rumor we’ve heard in a while. Read more…
Recently, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada caused a bit of controversy by openly admitting that the Final Fantasy franchise had failed to perform in recent years, having yet to top the seventh entry in the series — Final Fantasy VII. As Wada explained, it’s for this very reason that they’ve yet to remake it, despite countless requests from gamers. In truth, topping the game might be a bit much to ask. It came during a pivotal time in the industry. The game marked a change in physical mediums, and was the first Final Fantasy to feature 3D graphics. By virtue of those facts, the game will forever be credited as having broken new ground.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 11, 2012 in Videogames
In case it might still be alive, Square Enix has taken to beating the dead horse that is Final Fantasy III by porting it one more time. This time, the lucky platform happens to be Sony’s PlayStation Portable — not the Vita mind you, although I’m sure it’ll be compatible. While I’m sure nobody really needed another port of this game, the PSP edition will at least boast cleaner visuals than its Nintendo DS counterpart, and might even run smoother than the recent iOS ports for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Read more…
This week, Square Enix unveiled some screenshots from their upcoming 2.0 update for their would-be flagship MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV. After its launch in September 2010, Final Fantasy XIV was met with universally negative reviews, scrutinized for a lack of polish, terrible interface, incomplete quest-lines, and unbalanced gameplay. As a result of this, Square Enix made the decision to reshuffle the games development team with the aim of improving every aspect. With that task in mind, Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 is set for release early next year — a beta will become available this October. As you can see from the screenshots below, the visuals are quite stunning. Let’s just hope all the improvements they have planned will make it worth your time.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on May 15, 2012 in Videogames
Square Enix has released a preview trailer for their upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning Prologue DLC Requiem of the Goddess. If you’re on the fence about whether or not it’s worth your time, you’ll probably want to watch the clip and decide for yourself. On the other hand, it might be a bit spoileriffic for others — fortunately, the dialog you’ll hear during this trailer is in Japanese, without English subtitles. Other than that, the most it might spoil is an actual in-game battle sequence between Lightning and Caius, complete with cut-scenes. Personally, I think it looks pretty awesome. Let’s just hope the new chapter actually provide more answers than questions. At this point, I think fans deserve a proper ending. I’ve included some screens from the trailer after the break.
Square Enix’s latest set of downloadable content for Final Fantasy XIII-2 is set for release on May 15th. The long awaited Lightening chapter is said to be included, along with a 16 piece costume set for your moogle, Serah’s stylish White Mage outfit, as well as Noel’s matching Black Mage set. They’ll also be releasing the Snow & Valfodr arena battle on the same day. Like with the previous arena battles, gamers will have a chance to capture and use Snow or Valfodr as in place of their usual monster slot during battles. Although the news was leaked by Playstation Taiwan along with price points for each item, the North American prices will likely differ slightly, so I didn’t bother listing them for you. That said, I imagine the prices will be on par with the previous DLC sets that’ve been released thus far.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 27, 2012 in Videogames
By now, it’s no secret that Final Fantasy XIII-2 leaves us with a cliff-hanger. It was announced a few months back that the story would continue via downloadable content, and that there were no plans for a Final Fantasy XIII-3 at this time. The first significant piece of DLC to expand the story featured former cast member Sazh Katzroy, and while it added a few casino games, it was much more of a side-story, and didn’t actually progress the plot. I’m hoping the latest piece of DLC to be announced, the much anticipated Lightning chapter, will do just that. According the Japanese gaming mag Dengenki PlayStation, that particular chapter be made available this May. Read more…
It’s been nearly a week since Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s North American release, and gamers are just now finishing their first play-throughs. While some have labeled the game too short, many fail to realize the game actually has multiple endings since it isn’t explicitly stated during the gameplay. In addition, the message “too be continued,” appears during the final moments. This has led some to speculate that the title may be part of a proposed trilogy, but recent comments by director Motomu Toriyama offer a different explanation. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 30, 2012 in Videogames
Square Enix dished out their latest trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2 this weekend, hoping to hype the title a little more before it hits North American stores this week. The demo has been available to download for several weeks now, and so far has met with mixed reviews. While some have praised the game for its fast-paced action, and improved mechanics, others feel that the introduction of quick-time events, or QTE, has ruined it. As far as the story is concerned, the addition of time travel seems interesting enough, but like Final Fantasy XIII, this sequel is littered with similar sounding pronouns like fal’Cie and l’Cie that are sure to confuse anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention. Still, as far as fans of the series are concerned, this may be the entry you’ve been waiting for. If you’re expecting Final Fantasy Versus XIII instead, keep waiting — Square Enix only really started working on it back in September. Read more…
I’ve always had a fascination with music boxes. They may have gone the way of vinyl and become a novelty for collectors, but there’s always a certain level of care and craftsmanship involved in creating one. That’s something I can respect, not only as a musician but as an artist. That’s why I freaked out the moment I saw this — a limited edition 50 note music box featuring Aerith’s theme from Final Fantasy VII. Supposedly, only a thousand of these boxes were ever produced, and they’re highly sought after. Finding one for sale is next to impossible, but anyone willing to part with it can usually ask for over a thousand dollars to start. To see it in action, click here.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 30, 2011 in Videogames
At last week’s Penny Arcade Expo, Square Enix debuted the latest trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2 in English. Shortly afterwards, they uploaded the same trailer to YouTube with the original Japanese voice acting. Naturally, this has led to a small debate amongst fans as to which version’s superior with the majority — not-so-surprisingly mind you — siding with Japanese. To be perfectly honest, I don’t really have a preference either way, so long as I don’t have to listen to Vanille or Hope make irritating noises throughout each battle. If you haven’t had a chance to see either trailer yet, I’ve posted them both for your viewing pleasure. Again, the visuals are pretty fantastic, just don’t expect to be blown away by the script. If you’re hoping to get your hands on a copy of the game that comes with both Japanese voice acting and English subtitles, you may want to save up for a Chinese copy, as that was the only version of Final Fantasy XIII that had both. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with one or the other, and unless you speak and read Japanese, you might be forced to deal with the English.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 23, 2011 in Videogames
Once again, Square Enix has given us some lovely eye-candy with these latest screenshots for their upcoming sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2. If you’re feeling like you’ve just experienced déjà vu, I can’t blame you. This isn’t the first time the company has decided to market a direct sequel to one of their Final Fantasy titles by tacking on a hyphen and number. It also helps that they’re using the same exact graphics engine as last time, giving us those jaw-dropping visuals that we’ve come to associate with it. Unfortunately for many of us, we’ll probably experience yet another bout of déjà vu after picking a controller as it looks as though the gameplay — if we can call it that, the game practically played itself — will be similar as well. I wasn’t very fond of the script or plot last time around, but maybe they’ll get it right. The game is currently set for release stateside next January.
Square-Enix has finally announced the release date for the iOS port of their SRPG cult-classic, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Based on the 2007 re-release, the port will contain animated cut-scenes and enhanced gameplay. The English release will also include voice acting, however Japanese gamers will not be so lucky. In addition, the game will make use of the retina display and will feature high resolution visuals than its PSP predecessor. There’s a catch, though — the game will lack the online Multiplayer modes available on PSP, and may not include the sound effects for spells. On the other hand, the slow-down experienced when casting spells has been greatly reduced. If I recall, that was the one major gripe everyone had with it. Set to release this Thursday, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions will retail for $15.99, making it one of the most expensive games on the app story to date. I’d complain but it’s probably worth the price they’re asking. Unfortunately, it won’t be a universal app either. Apple’s iPad users will have to wait an additional month for their exclusive version.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 29, 2011 in Videogames
For those of you who’ve been waiting, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy III hitthe app store last week. The game appears to be a port of the 2006 Nintendo DS remake with upgraded visuals and obvious tweaks to the gameplay, accounting for the touch-based interface. Both this, and the 2006 remake feature a number of enhancements over the original Famicom title, including a revamped story, developed characters, added scenes, an overhauled job system, and much more. While all of this sounds pretty awesome, I should note the app is fairly expensive at $15.99. That said, if you’re a fan of Japanese RPGs, it’s probably worth the price.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 15, 2011 in Videogames
This probably isn’t welcome news to any of you who play Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV, but Square-Enix has decided to suspended their online services for the next week. The decision was made as an effort to conserve energy following the recent earthquakes. I’m actually not surprised that they’d be willing to shut down operations. Many Japanese publishers have also been making sacrafices by delaying their releases — one even going as far as to cancel a disaster-themed game. Others have been donating their proceeds to relief efforts. It should be noted that Square-Enix will be allowing Final Fantasy XI users free play for the month of April in appreciation for their understanding. Read more…
I think Star wars jumped the shark the minute Lucas came up with the Ewoks concept, and I guess it’s to the credit of Final Fantasy that it took them all that time to introduce the ever so cute Tarutaru race. Shown above and below are the Final Fantasy XI Taru Taru Trading Arts Figures which feature Ajido-Marujido, Star Sibyl, Robel-Akbel and Shantotto who “looks to the heavens when she laughs”: Read more…
