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The 'Final Fantasy XV' soundtrack was a decade in the making
What were you doing 10 years ago? Try to think back. Maybe you had a different job or lived in another apartment. I was still a college student, waiting tables at a pub in my spare time. It feels like a lifetime ago. Now, consider this: Back then, Japanese composer Yoko Shimomura had just been asked to work on Final Fantasy XV. She wrote the first track in 2006, while it was still called Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Ever since, she's been waiting. Waiting and working through 10 years of tumultuous development, for the moment that fans could hear her work as it was intended -- as part of the full game.
Surely I just played my final 'Final Fantasy XV' demo
While Final Fantasy XV's decade-long development doesn't beat Duke Nukem's excessive run, it's still a hell of a long time for another part of one of gaming's biggest, longest-running franchises. And it's still not here. However, at the Tokyo Game Show, I got what is possibly the last taster before the main course: a lengthy 30-minute play-through that, barring some brutal initial loading times, felt like a finished game.
'Final Fantasy XV' slim PS4 bundle hits the US on November 29th
Did you look on wistfully as Sony Japan unveiled a special edition slim PS4 to mark the launch of Final Fantasy XV? You don't have to anymore. Sony has confirmed that the console will reach GameStop stores in North America on November 29th for $449 US, or $549 Canadian. In the UK, it'll launch on the same day at GAME for £330. Besides the conspicuous moon decal on the system, you're getting a 1TB hard drive, a branded DualShock 4 controller, Square Enix's role-playing game (plus downloadable extras) and the Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV movie on Blu-ray. It's a tempting deal if you can't get enough Final Fantasy into your life, although we have to ask: do you get this, or would it be wiser to spring for the more powerful PS4 Pro plus a separate copy of the game?
'Final Fantasy XV' delayed to November 29th
Noctis and friends have put their bromance-filled road trip on hold. Square Enix has confirmed today that Final Fantasy XV, the long-awaited JRPG once known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, will now launch on November 29th, rather than September 30th. The two-month delay will make room for an update that was going to be offered as a "day-one patch." Director Hajime Tabata believes the downloadable would have been unfair to players with poor internet access, which is why he's decided to wait and include it with the main disc. The extra time, Square Enix promises, will also be used to "conduct quality testing" and add "further polish."
'Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV' gets its first English trailer
A new theatrical trailer is out for Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the film companion to the upcoming video game. This is the first time audiences can hear the CG movie's star-studded English-language voice talent.
'Final Fantasy VII' comes to Android
Final Fantasy VII, the classic role-playing game that brought 3D graphics to the series, has finally been released for Android devices. It's now on just about every major platform, as it arrived on Steam in 2013, hit iOS last August, and has been available on the PS4 since December, 2015. While originally intended for the Nintendo 64 console, it was first launched on Sony's PlayStation in 1997 and helped popularize the console.
Recommended Reading: How the 'Final Fantasy' film helped Hollywood
The 'Final Fantasy' film bombed, but its motion capture revolutionized Hollywood Jordan Zakarin, Inverse The animated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within film may not have been a success in terms of earnings, but the movie did provide some useful insight for motion capture. Inverse takes a look at the film's influence on filmmakers and realistic computer-generated characters despite its less than stellar reputation.
'World of Final Fantasy' coming to PS4 and Vita this October
World of Final Fantasy, the upcoming RPG from Square Enix, is coming to PlayStation 4 and Vita this October. The worldwide releases are almost simultaneous: October 25th in North America, October 27th in Japan and October 28th in Europe. If you're unaware of what World of Final Fantasy is, or why Cloud Strife looks so damn cute in the image above, it's essentially a chibi-fied take on the Final Fantasy games. It's being pitched at both long-term fans of the series and youngsters, blending kid-friendly visuals and storytelling with classic Final Fantasy combat.
'Final Fantasy X' re-released again, this time on Steam
Final Fantasy XV finally launches this September, but publisher Square Enix wants you to take a look back in the vaults ahead of that. Final Fantasy X and its direct sequel X-2 got the HD remaster treatment on PlayStation 4 last year and now the double pack is headed to PCs by way of Steam. That means a remastered soundtrack, better-looking graphics and a few bits and bobs from the International Editions like a special boss fight mode for the first. No word on improved voice acting, though. However, there's a quasi-Pokémon feature that allows for capturing and training enemy monsters to use as their own during battles -- something first seen in the second launch of FFX-2 in Japan. It's confusing, okay?
Everything hinges on 'Final Fantasy XV'
Final Fantasy XV has to be perfect. After a decade of development hell, a name change from Versus XIII to XV, a complete mechanical overhaul and a director swap, die-hard series fans aren't just hungry for the game; they're reeling. Many players who were excited about Final Fantasy Versus XIII as teenagers remain interested in Final Fantasy XV as adults. After all, the Final Fantasy series debuted in 1987 and played a pivotal role in plenty of fans' young lives. But as the years have dragged on, a ripple of discontent has nudged against this fierce loyalty. In the decade of delays, some longtime players have simply declared the franchise dead.
Everything we learned at the 'Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV' event
We have a release date , this is not a drill. Square Enix put on an entire soiree last night to preview the heck out of what we'll be getting come September 30th. It wasn't enough to merely say when it's launching, but also reveal a companion anime, full-length movie and two limited edition versions of the game. There's also a new platinum demo, available now. But before you play that, here's all the important bits, if you just had to sleep.
'Final Fantasy XV' is getting a movie and an anime series
You like Final Fantasy, right? Well get ready for a surfeit of entertainment options as Square Enix is serving up not only an anime series, but also a movie alongside the almost decade-old (still not here!) Final Fantasy XV. While the movie will be released digitally later this year, the anime will start streaming today, tonight, on YouTube -- and it's entirely free.
Watch the live 'Final Fantasy XV' event right here
Square Enix is calling today's big event in Los Angeles Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV, so prepare for some serious revelations. The game has been in development for a decade, and it hasn't been a particularly smooth ride. It was originally called Final Fantasy Versus XIII and it was under the direction of longtime Final Fantasy contributor Tetsuya Nomura, but more than half-way through development it changed names and directors. Final Fantasy XV as we know it is directed by Hajime Tabata, the director of Final Fantasy Type-0, Agito and Type-0 HD. Final Fantasy XV has been a long time coming and today we might figure out exactly (and officially) when, how and why it will finally arrive. Watch the Uncovered event live with us, right here at 7PM PT (10PM ET).
'Final Fantasy IX' is now on iOS and Android
You could argue that Final Fantasy IX is the long-running series' high point. It's certainly the highest-rated Final Fantasy game on Metacritic, even if its sales and nostalgic value pale in comparison to Final Fantasy VII. Putting that argument aside for a moment, it's easy to say that it's definitely a game worth playing if you like JRPGs. And now -- less than two months after it was announced -- it's available on iOS and Android. The bar for entry has never been lower.
'Final Fantasy XV' hits the road in 2016
Final Fantasy XV has been in development for what seems like an eternity. But being New Year's Eve (or Day, depending on where you live), changes are afoot: Final Fantasy XV and its all-dude bro'd-trip will release in 2016. The news comes by way of a Square Enix blog post written by none other than the game's director, Hajime Tabata. "In development, previous phases required wisdom and strength," he writes. "However, moving toward the final phase will focus on effort and willpower." Sure!
'Final Fantasy IX' is headed to PCs and phones next year
The last Playstation 1-era Final Fantasy is finally getting remastered. Square Enix announced this morning that Final Fantasy IX will make its way to PCs and phones next year, Kotaku reports. There's no release date or Western launch confirmed yet, but the latter is likely since Square has brought over its other remastered Final Fantasy titles. The launch trailer shows off slightly better-looking characters, and it lists a few new features, including auto-save, achievements and a high-speed mode. While it never quite received the fanfare of Square's other PS1 Final Fantasy games, this remaster might be a chance for FF IX to find the audience it deserves.
Watch two minutes of remastered 'Final Fantasy VII' on PS4
Square Enix teased a remastered, PlayStation 4 version of Final Fantasy VII back at E3 2015 -- and today we get a better look at what that remake means. Final Fantasy VII kicked off the PlayStation Experience keynote this morning, with a two-minute trailer for the remaster (embedded below) and news that the original game is available on PS4 today. There's no word on a launch window for Final Fantasy VII on PS4 just yet. Update: That said, a press release issued just after the trailer suggests that the remake could arrive in episodic chunks, in what it's calling a "multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience." Hrmmm.
'Final Fantasy VII' is out today on PlayStation 4
The original Final Fantasy VII is available today on PlayStation 4, Sony announced during its PlayStation Experience keynote. This isn't the remake that Sony teased at E3 earlier this year, but it should tide fans over until that massive project launches.
Um, Cloud from 'Final Fantasy VII' is heading to Smash Bros.
You haven't accidentally stumbled into an alternate reality where Final Fantasy VII was developed by Nintendo. But, the following is still true: Cloud from Final Fantasy VII will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. This is what we get for living in a world where the Nintendo PlayStation actually exists. Nintendo dropped the announcement right at the end of its Nintendo Direct livestream today.
'Final Fantasy VII' lands on iOS with built-in cheat codes
If you can't find your old PSOne discs, don't want the PC version and don't have a PS4, there's now one more way to play Final Fantasy VII: on your iPhone. Today Square Enix launched the classic jRPG for devices running iOS 8.0 and up. At its core, this release is a simple port of the PC version of the game, but developers have made a few minor tweaks to the title palatable on the small screen.
