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Toyota wishes the Prius was a 'Final Fantasy' chocobo
In Japan, Toyota has a history of tapping classic Japanese role-playing games to sell its latest vehicles. The company has previously used the music from Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter in its TV ads, and now it's leveraging Final Fantasy to promote the petite Aqua Urban-X (known as the Prius C in the US). As Kotaku reports, the unique commercial shows three yellow cars tearing around the countryside, while the Chocobo Theme plays jubilantly in the background. For fans of the franchise, it's a clever nod to the beloved flightless bird, which often feature in the games as mythical modes of transport. But how many Final Fantasy fans are in the market to buy a new car? Probably not many -- Toyota is presumably banking on the idea that such an iconic Japanese franchise will be recognisable to even the most casual of video game enthusiasts. It's certainly more effective than this terrifying Mercedes-Benz ad featuring Nintendo's popular plumber.
Final Fantasy XIV previews chocobo training
Your chocobo is your lifelong companion in Final Fantasy XIV, but is he really getting all he can out of life? Does he have the options necessary for a robust avian lifestyle? Is he stuck sitting outside in the cold while you go in and have a few drinks? Are you one of the relentless achievers who has reached max level with the bird and wants to advance past rank 10? Then patch 2.3's chocobo raising system is for you! Once your free company builds a chocobo stable on its housing plot, you can stable your bird there, allowing him to earn experience and train skills on an hourly basis. Training requires treats, with a special treat allowing your companion to exceed rank 10 (although you're still limited to rank 20 as a maximum). Players will not be able to summon their companion whilst he's stabled. Read the full preview for more details, and get ready to start intimately tending to the needs of your feathered friend.
Fat Chocobo dashing out of Weight Watchers and into Final Fantasy XIV
Face it: You have gone far too long without seeing a giant chicken's giant butt. Happily, Square Enix has your well-being in mind, for the studio has posted a preview of an upcoming Final Fantasy XIV mount that is brimming with chunky avian posterior visuals. A brief and bizarre post on the official site introduces "Fat Chocobo," a special mount that would rather not move unless it has food comically dangled in front of its beefy face. The chocobo mount is confirmed as a special goodie for those who order the PlayStation 4 collector's edition of FFXIV as well as those who have purchased one of the other CEs. No word as of yet what the studio will do to compensate players if said mount collapses after taking six rapid steps in succession.
Chocobo Racing 3D cancelled, creator says
An upgraded Nintendo 3DS version of Square Enix's PSOne-era mascot racer Chocobo Racing has ceased development, creator Takashi Tokita confirmed with Siliconera. "The original Chocobo Racing was made by me," Tokita told Siliconera. "But the one for the 3DS was a project being handled by someone else, and as far as I know, it has been closed. Now, if I had made it, I would have made sure that it came out. Unfortunately I was not!" Chocobo Racing 3D was one of the first games Square Enix announced for the Nintendo 3DS, though few details were revealed regarding the project beyond a handful of screenshots and a brief gameplay snippet. Rest in peace, little chocobo. May you roam forever free in the great choco-rodeo in the sky.
Final Fantasy brings version 1.0 characters into beta
Returning players who log into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn beta phase four will be given the option to import their version 1.0 characters for the first time since the game went offline in November 2012. The Lodestone reports that players will not only see their old characters once more, but also any items that they had on them at the time of the apocalypse. Players will have a one-time opportunity to alter that character's look, gender, race, and name, and these changes will carry over to live. Square-Enix is also handing out the legacy chocobo whistles with phase 4 for those that earned them through the legacy campaign. This will add a special mount to your character's stable. And if you've never played an MMO before and need a beginner's guide to partying up for dungeon runs, check out the following video (protip: Tell everyone you're a noob!).
Jukebox Heroes: Final Fantasy XI's soundtrack
Hey you! Want a good way to die a horrible, painful death? Enter into any geek domain and put down the music of the Final Fantasy series. Do it. I double-dog dare you. Even scrubs who couldn't identify a single other composer or notable video game soundtrack will leap to the defense of One-Winged Angel. While I generally do like the Final Fantasy tunes, especially the earlier 8-bit era stuff and Final Fantasy IX, I haven't seen it as an infallible series in regard to its music. I think along the way Nobuo Uematsu's become this person who can Do No Wrong in the gaming community, which has stifled an honest look at both the highs and lows of his soundtracks. I don't want to be all about hero worship or mindless bashing today; I want to examine a fairly good but not perfect soundtrack that represented Final Fantasy's first foray into MMOs. Along with Uematsu, Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka shared composing duties on this project. There's some terrific stuff here that you'll listen to after the jump, but there are a lot more completely forgettable (and sometimes annoying!) tracks that have been shoehorned into FFXI's expansive game. So let's come down to earth and see what Final Fantasy XI has in store for us.
Final Fantasy XIV developer blog reveals chocobo-barding-in-progress
Today's Final Fantasy XIV developer blog is a bit on the light side, but it does provide us with a sneak-peek at the in-game model for some chocobo barding that producer Naoki Yoshida had teased in a previous Producer's Letter Live. The concept art was revealed in a batch of screenshots and artwork back in October, but now, thanks to the wily Fernehalwes, we have a shot of the barding model in progress (see above). Fernehalwes notes that the armor "appears to be lacking textures" while pointing out that "those horns have an uncanny resemblance to the ones found on a certain legendary beast... in a recent Final Fantasy XIV trailer." Gee, whom could he possibly be talking about?
Chocobos, airships, and materia somehow weren't in Final Fantasy 14 yet
A series staple is being added to Final Fantasy XIV: Chocobos. A year after release, players can now purchase and rent the birds for the purpose of traveling across Eorzea. Three Chocobo stables have opened up in-world, in which you can get your very own Chocobo whistle. If that's not efficient enough, or Final Fantasy-y enough, you can also now take an airship ride between any of three ports. "Departure and arrival cutscenes will accompany each flight," Square Enix said. "The voyage itself, however, will be over in a matter of seconds." Now that's Final Fantasy. A later update will allow players to roam the decks and view the scenery. Even materia is returning to the series in the latest update, as a resource crafted from old, well-used equipment. It's as if Square is desperately trading on nostalgia to attract FF7 players to its MMO.
Final Fantasy XIV shows off upcoming transportation innovations
In any installment of the Final Fantasy franchise, mounting your noble steed means getting on a trusty yellow bird. Final Fantasy XIV has been distinctly lacking in chocobos for some time now, but with patch 1.19, all of that is being fixed. And better yet, the official site has just put together a preview of how the systems behind these mounts and the new airships will work... not to mention a preview video featuring the tune players are eagerly awaiting. Players who have fully enlisted with a Grand Company will be able to purchase a personal chocobo for 3000 company seals, which will allow unrestricted access to your personal bird. Players without that option can still rent a bird for 800 gil as long as they've achieved level 10. Last but not least, airships will allow players rapid transit between the city states. But if you're the sort who won't believe it until you see it, jump past the break for all the bird-riding action you can imagine.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is 90 percent complete, more pre-TGS details
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is 90 percent complete and we can expect a solid release date at Tokyo Game Show 2011, which runs September 15-18, Andriasang reports. XIII-2 director Motomu Toriyama answered questions at a fan event in Tokyo and revealed some juicy, pre-TGS details -- XIII saves will receive some bonuses, XIII-2 will have more than 150 monsters to raise, Chocobos will be rideable anywhere in the game and it includes a series-unique red Chocobo. XIII-2 will be just a tad shorter than XIII, but with time travel, that truly is a relative feature.
Newest producer's letter looks forward to player-owned chocobos in Final Fantasy XIV
In most games, when you think of a noble steed, you think of a horse. But Final Fantasy XIV players have been looking forward to the large yellow birds that have always defined the series' transportation, and they're not that far off. Naoki Yoshida's latest producer's letter is all about patch 1.19, and that includes the system he promises to dub "My Little Chocobo." Okay, he's actually fairly certain that the name won't make it into the game. But the patch does have a very long list of changes, including rentable chocobos and fully purchasable birds via the Grand Company system. And that's hardly the extent of the changes -- the upcoming patch will also feature further overhauls to the combat system, the abolition of physical level, and of course new leves and quests including Grand Company leves. FFXIV fans don't have a precise date to expect the patch just yet, but they'll probably be more than happy with the promise of a yellow steed of their own.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions hits iPhone this Thursday
While it may have missed the "July...twen..blah..blah.." release window that was promised before, Square Enix will finally bring menus and moogles to mobiles this Thursday. That's when the strategic wizards-on-a-grid simulator, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, lands on Apple's iPhone. It's important to note that the game will only be compatible with iPhone 4s and 3GSeses, and that iPad players will need to wait for the iPad-specific version, which should be launching around a month from Thursday. Historically, though, it's never been a good idea to count your chocobos before they've hatched.
This Chocobo shirt is something we would like to own
Look, everyone should own a piece of apparel with a Chocobo on it, alright? That's just a scientific fact. We can't imagine doing better than this entry on democratic T-shirt retailer RIPT: Titled "Hold Your Chocobos," the shirt features the graphic above and, for today only, will cost you just $10.
Final Fantasy XI starts its eight-year art contest
On May 16th, 2002, Final Fantasy XI was released in Japan, meaning that the game has marked a full eight years of service in its country of origin. (It didn't come stateside for another year and a half, so we're a bit behind.) The team at Square-Enix is understandably excited about how far the game has come since that day, and what better way to show it than letting the players strut their stuff? That means it's time for the Eighth Anniversary Art Contest, complete with requisite fabulous prizes -- which include the coveted Chocobo Beret. Running until June 16th, the contest calls for players with an active Final Fantasy XI account to submit a picture of their finished artwork. As one might assume given the timing, the art is expected to have an anniversary theme, although how one wishes to tackle the subject is entirely up to the player. Only one submission is allowed per person, with all the winners receiving the Nomad Moogle Rod, and the two top winners also receiving the aforementioned Beret. Take a look at the official rules for all the details, and get ready to see what the game's worldwide community can come up with.
'Chocobo Panic' hits European trademark office
Square Enix has filed for another Chocobo-branded trademark in Europe. Adding to the still mysterious "Chocobo's Crystal Tower" trademark application, the Final Fantasy publisher recently filed to secure "Chocobo Panic." In addition, Siliconera notes that the "chocobopanic.com" domain is registered to none other than Square Enix president Yoichi Wada. Chocobo Panic sounds like a name for a downloadable puzzle game, but until we know for sure, it's more fun to imagine a game in which Final Fantasy characters become terrified to ride the giant birds after a series of Chocobo attacks. Players would choose either a Chocobo-scarred hero, who must figure out how to reach accord with the birds while also saving the world from an ancient evil (or something); or the brave leader of the Chocobo faction, who, in an RTS-like scenario, mobilizes his flightless charges while keeping morale up with yummy Gysahl Greens. [Via Siliconera]
'Chocobo's Crystal Tower' trademarked in Europe
Square Enix has filed a European trademark for something called "Chocobo's Crystal Tower." While we don't know what kind of game it will be, or for which platforms, there is one fact we know for certain that has us eagerly awaiting whatever this is: the Chocobos from recent spin-off games are super adorable. If Chocobo's Crystal Tower stars the bird from games like Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, then we look forward to sighing at some new cute screenshots. There's a Crystal Tower in Final Fantasy III. This is just speculation, but perhaps that venue could form the basis for another Chocobo's Dungeon game.
FFXIV gameplay footage explores cities, chocobos and emotes
A lot of news has been coming out for Final Fantasy XIV lately, and we're quite happy to see it. Today we've got what appears to be (the first episode of what's sure to be recurring) in-game footage of players exploring one of Eorzea's cities on the game's official Japanese YouTube channel. There's a moment in the clip where the Japanese players speaking throughout are amazed to find a Chocobo and well, it's pretty entertaining to watch -- especially when the video gets to the part where it reveals that old Tarutaru emotes are fully intact. Panic! We're also getting another tiny peek at the user interface for Final Fantasy XIV in the video. From what we can see here, Square Enix is keeping the memorable "Send/Receive" graphic, which blinks with a strange hypnotic rhythm. The mini-map and health/mana bars both look quite useful yet unobtrusive, too. Overall, everything about this game screams, "Final Fantasy XI, but newer and hopefully improved." We hope that proves to be wholly true in the coming months.
More on Final Fantasy XI's VanaFest prize and March update
Although VanaFest 2010 is moving into the memories (fond or otherwise) of Final Fantasy XI fans everywhere, there are still bits and pieces that remained unanswered questions. For instance, what exactly are the prized Chocobo Berets going to do when players get their hands on them? Thanks to Corinth on the popular fan translation site JP Button, we finally have our answer: they turn players into chocobos. Using the hat turns everyone in the party into an egg which, when hatched (by removing the buff), will temporarily turn a player into an adolescent chocobo that improves their movement speed somewhat. High time to start making friends with attendees or trivia contest winners for that. The translated information also points to the hats being available with the March version update, which looks to be going live on March 23rd. The VanaFest site has a full breakdown of what's due with the update, but in short it's set to include the penultimate parts of the Wings of the Goddess storyline, job adjustments, and the long-awaited Odin and Alexander summon spells. It's also introducing the new "Trial of the Magians" quests. so the end of the month promises to be very busy for Final Fantasy XI -- even if you're not waiting to hatch from a hat-induced egg.
Final Fantasy XIII sales plunge in Japan
According to unofficial sales numbers from Japan, Final Fantasy XIII has fallen down to number four on the sales list over there, after a very big million-plus release day and a record-breaking first week. But otaku take heart: even though sales of the game dropped over a million units in the second week, this wasn't unexpected. Final Fantasy games always tend to take a dip after the "day one purchase" audience gets their copies. The last iteration of the series took a 1.5 million unit hit in week two. But even with the lower sales, about 200,000 copies were traded for the appropriate cost in yen, which indicates Square Enix is likely still on track to meet or exceed its six million target worldwide. That's a lot of chocobos. %Gallery-41346%[Via Kotaku]
Your chocobo Avatar pet is in the mail
Last month -- utilizing the spamming power of Twitter -- Microsoft and Square Enix partnered to offer Xbox Live users a free baby chocobo pet for their Avatars if they registered their Gamertags during the social media promotion. After weeks of waiting for the marketing plan to run its course, codes for the tiny companion have been sent to participating users via email. Sadly -- as Major Nelson points out -- those who did not participate in the promotion cannot get the pet, but we anticipate the baby chocobo will find its way onto the Avatar Marketplace at some point. Reminiscent of the baby chocobo that nests within Final Fantasy XIII hero Sazh Katzroy's gorgeous afro, our baby chocobo only seems to flutter around, refusing to nest within our own Avatar hairdos. We presume that feature will be some kind of pre-order bonus for Final Fantasy XIII when it launches on March 9, 2010.
