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New playable FFXIII character revealed in latest V-Jump
This is a bit of a shocker, and at the same time all kinds of awesome. For one, Tetsuya Nomura breaks out of his comfort zone and makes a pretty cool non-androgynous, non-spiky-haired character for us to look at. Second, this new character has been given a name ... and not just a silly code name; a real FF name. You may call the new playable cast member Sazh Kalzroy.So far, we know a few things about Sazh. He likes the color green, wields two pistol-like weapons and has a soft spot for Chocobos. Something tells us by that smarmy look on his face that this gent is a ladies man a la Balthier (FFXII). He's a very interesting character indeed; see more of him in the full V-Jump scan here.[Thanks Copland!]
FFXIII scans: in-game battles, reveals first character name
Square Enix loves to dish out new, albeit tiny, info at the end of the year for its biggest titles like Final Fantasy XIII. It's sort of a playful tease reminding you that there's still something coming for the year ahead ... or several. In the latest scans from Japanese magazine V-Jump, there are some delicious new screen pics of FFXIII's in-game battles and its female protagonist looking contemplative and sultry.Most of the information in the mag scans regarding the battle system is already well-known, such as no random encounters. The only truly new information is -- after two and a half years -- we're finally going to know one character's real name. While "Lightning" and "Snow" are code names for the main female lead and the blond dude with a bandana, "Oerba Dia Vanille" is the first actual name to be revealed, and it belongs to the spunky red-haired girl. Other than this info, there's not much else to talk about. There is, however, some nice pictures to look at, so now would be a good time to head on over to VideogamerX and view all the scans.
New FFXIII & Versus XIII images from Cloud, including gameplay pics
The Cloud Message mag isn't even out on Japanese store shelves yet, and the internet is already blazing with sneaking peeks on the Fabula Nova Crystallis coverage within its pages. All three announced titles in the series: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (PSP) are all featured in the mag and there's juicy new info on each one.For the two PS3 games, the new reveal on Versus XIII is a pretty big one. It's the first time anyone has seen gameplay images of the game. The images themselves are tiny (pictured above), but it is clearly seen (in the larger version) that numerous pictures show off in-game scenes as hinted by the visible HUD and map. As for the Main FFXIII title, the images don't reveal as much. It's interesting to note that a character design from the title's drawing board has been semi-blurred. It is possible that this design may be a new playable character, though that is not certain. If any of this has you interested, check out the larger sized images here and see the fine details.[Via Final Fantasy-XIII.net]
No FFXIII until after March 2008, says Yoichi Wada
With so many games coming out later on this year (ostensibly), a lot of PS3 fans have almost forgotten about the two biggest titles in the wings: Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII. Their exclusivity used to be put in question almost daily, continually put down, then revived as a rumor again for no apparent reason. Ever since a ton of hard-hitting titles started appearing, those rumors have died down because it seems the PS3 has more going for it than these two games and everyone is starting to realize that. So, what's up with those two titles, anyway?It appears that neither are going to release before the end of this fiscal year (March 31, 2008). GameStop's website recently moved MGS4 from a 2007 release to a March 2008 release, but chances are it'll come out in April or May. Just because ... it'd be a good start to the next fiscal year, you know? FFXIII hasn't been moved on their site, but Square Enix president Yoichi Wada made a statement regarding the game at a financial briefing in Tokyo: "It will still take a bit more time. At the very least, [a release] this fiscal year is definitely out of the question." IGN claims a May 2008 release at the earliest. We second that. When do you guys expect the game to get the ol' release?
3 Final Fantasy XIII games; 2 just for PS3
Final Fantasy XII won't be out for the PS2 in the States until October, but we now have a glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII thanks to Square Enix's pre-E3 press event -- and this installment in the series won't be coming alone.Like the different titles in the Compilation of FFVII collection of games and movies, the initially announced installments in the FFXIII universe will span multiple platforms which, in this case, include both the PS3 and sufficiently advanced mobile handsets. Not much is known about the mobile-bound Final Fantasy Agito XIII, but the subtitle-less version of FFXIII will concern a gun-and-sword-toting heroine in a futuristic world, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII will focus on "a spiky-haired character," "extreme action elements," and a primary theme of "bonding" (whatever that means). Anybody ready to "resist the world"?The multiple titles might explain the earlier rumor reported in March that FFXIII was "practically close to being finished" (maybe only one of these games was nearing completion). Whatever the case may be, we're just happy that more than one not-so-Final-Fantasy will be hitting the next PlayStation in relatively rapid succession. RPG feasting: on the way.[Via Joystiq]
