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Kitase: Square 'learnt a lesson' with FF XIII, franchise needs more frequent releases
Apart from numerous re-releases and spin-offs, the Final Fantasy series isn't exactly known for its frequency. The most recent title, Final Fantasy XIII, was released in Japan in 2009 – four years into the lifespan of the current generation of consoles. Speaking to GameReactor, Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase expressed his belief that Square-Enix needs to speed up development times to keep the series successful. Kitase pointed to annual western franchises like Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty and Battlefield, saying that the one to two year development cycle would be "the best way to keep [Final Fantasy] fans interested and attracted to the franchise." He elaborated that Square "learnt a lesson" from the long development of Final Fantasy XIII, and that subsequently, Final Fantasy XIII-2 has taken around one and a half years to complete. It's worth pointing out that XIII-2 reuses many of XIII's assets and, indeed, some of its characters, which probably helped speed things up considerably. Of course, there are other ways to shorten development time ... opening a new studio, perhaps?
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Collector's Edition includes IV-disc soundtrack
While we don't get the lovely Final Fantasy XIII-2 PlayStation 3 system in North America, we will get a different, but also lovely, box in which to store the game. The publisher unveiled the $79.99 Collector's Edition today, featuring exclusive cover art by longtime series artist Yoshitaka Amano. Within the box is the game on Xbox 360 or PS3, a four-disc soundtrack, and a book of exclusive concept art. It'll be available in "limited quantities" at GameStop, Best Buy, and Amazon on January 31.%Gallery-139051%
Get caught in FFXIII-2's dark embrace via NYCC trailer and screens
Final Fantasy XIII 2 may not arrive in the US until early next year, but that doesn't mean you can't immerse yourself in its timey-wimey mythos ahead of time. Debuted at the ongoing New York Comic Con, the above trailer and below screenshots offer a fairly in-depth, potentially spoilersy look at Square Enix's latest romp through Cocoon. We're not sure if something can still be considered a "trailer" when it lasts longer than most Adult Swim cartoons, but an extraordinarily long cinematic experience should feel like a warm, tender hug to anyone interested in a Final Fantasy sequel-sequel.%Gallery-136539%
Final Fantasy XIII-2 has a boss pre-order bonus
Well, only Amazon's is literally boss, but other retailers have stuff too. If you pre-order Final Fantasy XIII-2 from Amazon.com, you'll get the "Omega Boss Battle," an exclusive "coliseum battle" that adds Omega to your party after completion. Best Buy is bundling a hardcover book with pre-orders, containing "Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-," a novella connecting the stories of FFXIII and XIII-2. And GameStop offers ... a new costume for Serah! That last one is maybe a bit less impressive in comparison with the new playable content and the hardcover book. Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released in North America on January 31.
Final Fantasy XIII-2: Paradigm slightly shifted
Let's get something out of the way: I haven't played Final Fantasy XIII. Not one minute. That said, I'm fairly confident in saying that Final Fantasy XIII-2 doesn't dramatically alter the foundation laid down by XIII. I'm also very confident in saying that grasping the complexities of XIII-2's combat system during my brief play session at TGS was daunting, to say the least. Thankfully, there are only a few new wrinkles for XIII vets to absorb. Namely, there's more to explore, more ways to fight and more ... uh, time rifts to discover.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailers X 2
It's a scientific improbability, but these Final Fantasy XIII-2 clips feature more melodrama than should be containable in a piece of Square Enix media -- barring any Kingdom Hearts climax monologue, of course.
Square Enix announces Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC
DLC is the new black, you know? During the recently concluded Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase announced a fair amount of DLC for this winter's sequel to a sequel: Final Fantasy XIII-2. Now, DLC is par for the course for a lot of western RPGs, thanks in no small part to the Dragon Ages and Mass Effects of the world, but it's virgin territory for the everlasting, oxymoronic Final Fantasy series, spinoffs not withstanding. Nothing specific was revealed, but Kitase did mention weapons, monsters and costumes as being on tap. We hope Square Enix goes whole hog; we'd pay 1200 MS Points for a blinged out Historia Crux.
Sony outs trio of limited edition PlayStation 3 consoles, keeps it fresh with a few paint jobs
How do you keep selling a five-year old system? You slap a new coat of paint on it and call it a "limited edition," that's how. Which is precisely what Sony's gotten up to with three newly colored versions of its PlayStation 3. Hitting the electronics giant's homeland this November 17th are a duo of 320GB consoles, offered up in either Splash Blue or Scarlet Red, that come paired with a similarly hued DualShock controller and ¥29980 ($390) asking price. The prettiest of the bunch, however, won't be released until December 15th in Japan, and that's the Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning Edition Ver.2. Timed to coincide with the retail debut of the Square Enix-made sequel, that console (pictured above) also boasts a 320GB HDD, bundled copy of the game and a plain old black controller -- all for ¥37960 ($494). If you need to add a little spice back into your gaming life, it might be time to get your import on.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 dated worldwide, bundled with limited edition system in Japan
Final Fantasy XIII-2 will arrive in America on January 31, Square Enix announced today at Tokyo Game Show. Europe's version will follow on February 2. Japan's release is set for December 15, with an extra option (above). The first Final Fantasy XIII was accompanied in Japan by the lovely white and pink Lightning Edition PS3. With another Final Fantasy XIII game comes another limited edition, Japan-exclusive system -- this time in "pearl black." There's still a lot of pink. The Lightning Edition Ver. 2 PS3 will include a 320GB hard drive, the game and a controller when it ships in Japan, at a price of ¥37,960 ($495).%Gallery-133857%
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.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 has time travel, we have new screenshots
Listen up, Cher: With Final Fantasy XIII-2's time travel/plot device the "Historia Crux," you can turn back time, and maybe even find a way, provided you find the right stuff. By locating hidden "Artefacts," Cher can unlock new locations and times for Noel and Serah to visit via the Historia Crux, which serves as the sequel's main vehicle for story progression and world navigation. As any seasoned time traveller will tell you, changing stuff in the past changes stuff in the future, and because of that XIII-2's overall experience is said to be much less linear and direct than its predecessor. According to director Motomu Toriyama, Square Enix is aiming for a "much more player driven concept," with the "gameplay and story itself" changing around the player's actions. You can also expect to encounter younger (and potentially older) versions of characters from Final Fantasy XIII proper along the way. This may be Final Fantasy's first and last hoorah in the realm of time travel, however. Toriyama says that each entry in the series receives its own unique gameplay system, and that have no intentions of making time travel key in future installments. Additionally, player-testing has already revealed strong comparisons to Chrono Trigger, and while Toriyama doesn't categorize that information as being especially negative, we doubt Square Enix wants to seem iterative or uninspired.%Gallery-132981%
Final Fantasy XIII-3 gets a head start on domain-name registration
This is it -- the moment Final Fantasy XIII fans have been waiting for. The announcement of a potential announcement for the third series installment, Final Fantasy XIII-3, in the form of a domain-name registration months before XIII-2 is even released. Please, contain your excitement. Corporation Service Company registered finalfantasyxiii-3.com on September 7; Square Enix has previously used CSC to register its domains and this fits Square's modus operandi. XIII-3 hasn't yet been officially announced, but XIII-2 is expected to drop in January 2012.
New Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer has everything you'd expect
Final Fantasy games are universally known for certain things, and even with a brand-spankin'-new trailer like this one, it's easy to guess what you're getting into. Moogles? Got 'em. Gorgeous pre-rendered cutscenes? Yup, got those too. Metal horse? You'd better believe it.
Square Enix launches official digital magazine
Square Enix has launched an official, free, online magazine full of info and interviews on all of its upcoming games, aptly titled "Square Enix Magazine." The first issue, available right here, features stories on Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Final Fantasy XIII-2. Finally, Square Enix has given us a place online to get information about video games. Whew.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 coming to North America in January, playable at Comic-Con
After first announcing the sequel earlier this year, Square-Enix has finally revealed when North Americans will be able to get their hands on Final Fantasy XIII-2. The word comes from a Square-Enix Twitter account, which announced the game will arrive in North America this coming January. Along with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dead Island and Wakfu, XIII-2 will also be playable at the San Diego Comic-Con later this week.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 vs. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy in Behemoth battle
Thanks to the release of some new Final Fantasy XIII-2 screens, we can directly compare the approach of Square Enix's hi-def sequel to another recently announced game, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy. Above is Final Fantasy XIII-2's interpretation of a "Feral Behemoth," next to the "Behemoth" seen in the 3DS rhythm game. They're both kind of purply, but it's tough to see the family resemblance beyond that. Looking through the gallery, we can also see FFXIII-2's version of Lightning -- which, like the Behemoth, is so much less cute than Theatrhythm. That's probably just because it's built on the FFXIII assets. We're sure Square totally would have gone in and made her chibi otherwise.%Gallery-128122%
Final Fantasy XIII-2 screenshots say hello
While flipping through today's gallery of new Final Fantasy XIII-2 screenshots, we couldn't help but be reminded of one of our all-time favorite YouTube clips, perfectly applicable to the above image. As it turns out, replacing dinosaurs with a mechanical ... demon ... thing is just as hilarious!
Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer wants a future ... where everyone lives
This impenetrable E3 trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2 introduces Noel Kreiss, a chivalrous fellow who's likely to test your tolerance for idealistic, teenage drivel. Nice swords, though!
Final Fantasy XIII-2 preview: Paradigm shift
So let's be honest here: Even if you liked Final Fantasy XIII (and I did), odds are that you still thought the game had some issues. The battle system, while nice and complex, did take a while to really get rolling, and put a few levels of control between you and your characters. The world was very linear, making for a long chain of fights rather than any real exploration. And dead mother or not, (again, we're being brutally honest here) Hope was a whiner of the highest order. The last time we had a sequel to a numbered Final Fantasy game, Square was coming off of Final Fantasy X, and they took the opportunity, with X-2, to go a little goofy with fan service ("Dresspheres"? Really?). There will be some of that in XIII-2, but the stakes are higher this time. The game represents two opportunities: the chance to re-introduce players to what XIII did right, and to smooth out some of the problems players had. According to a little hands-on time we had with the game last week, Square Enix is taking full advantage of that first opportunity, and only grudgingly stepping up on the second one. %Gallery-125695%
Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer, now in English
The Square Enix giveth, and the Square Enix taketh away. The Japanese Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer from the 1st Production Dept. Premiere Event has been removed from YouTube, but now it's been posted officially (making it less likely to be pulled) and in English. The comprehensible dialogue only intensifies the severity of our spoiler warning, however. If you don't want to see content from the ending of Final Fantasy XIII, don't watch the trailer. Consider the sneak peek at FFXIII-2 a reward for completing that adventure -- or a reward for not really caring about spoilers.
