Final Fantasy XIII Released to Much Fanfare; Some Problems Surface

Today Final Fantasy XIII was finally released for the PS3 and 360, and if my buying experience is any indication, a lot of people are excited about it. At midnight I was packed into a GameStop store with well over 100 other people who had pre-ordered the game; not bad for a midnight release.

In news of the unfortunate variety, some people are having issues with their Final Fantasy XIII game copies. There have been isolated reports of many gamers freezing up at certain points early on in the game for no apparent reason. From sifting through the various complaints, it appears that even people who have returned their copies and exchanged them for new ones are still having issues. There is no word yet on whether it is something to do with the actual PlayStation 3's or if it's just that certain areas got bad crops of game discs. More information on the problem will likely surface in the next couple of days. The problems have only been experienced on the PlayStation 3 so far.

Posted on 3.9.10

Square Enix Lifts Review Embargo on Final Fantasy XIII; Reviews Flood in

Square Enix had placed an embargo on reviews for the International version of Final Fantasy XIII, but as of today (March 5th) it has been lifted and the reviews are flooding in. Check out the Reviews section of the site to see what the critics are saying! Here are some of the scores:

GameSpot: 8.5/10
1up.com: A-
GameZone: 8.5/10
VideoGamer: 7/10
EuroGamer: 8.0/10
GamesRadar: 10/10

Posted on 3.5.10

Final Fantasy XIII Release One Week Away and Counting

It's been a long wait, but the release of Final Fantasy XIII is a mere one week away. Fans everywhere (myself included) are about to go crazy in anticipation. For those of you who haven't ordered the game yet, there's still time to preorder Final Fantasy XIII at Amazon and receive a $10.00 USD credit to a future video game purchase.

In case you were wondering, once Final Fantasy XIII actually comes out I will be marathoning through the game as quickly as possible so that I will be able to get the general guides (weapons, items, etc.) up on the site. These should be up very soon after the release of the game. The walkthrough, however, will be a grand undertaking, but I will get it up ASAP. Stay tuned for more information!

Posted on 3.2.10

Final Fantasy XIII team releases PSICOM files on Lightning and Snow

Square Enix has just released a couple of what appear to be PSICOM intel files on Lightning and Snow as promotional items for Final Fantasy XIII. The files list some basic information about the characters and also contain descriptions of their supposed "offenses". Nothing too groundbreaking, but a neat little piece of information.

Source: Kotaku

Posted on 2.18.10

Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 Bundle Confirmed

After a leaked image insinuated its existence yesterday, Microsoft officially confirmed that there will be a Final Fantasy XIII bundle for the Xbox 360 in the US. It will retail for $400 and includes a white 250GB Xbox 360 and Final Fantasy XIII. There are no custom graphics on the console itself, but Microsoft informed the media that Final Fantasy XIII faceplates designed by Tetsuya Nomura will be available separately. The package also boasts "exclusive downloadable avatar items".

Source: GameSpot

Posted on 2.11.10

Final Fantasy XIII Bundle Possibly Leaked for Xbox 360

Earlier today an image was leaked of what appears to be a Final Fantasy XIII bundle for the Xbox 360. The image boasts a $399.99 bundle that includes a 250 GB Xbox 360 along with Final Fantasy XIII. The image itself looks fairly legitimate, except for the fact that the picture shows a white Xbox 360 while the text says that it includes black controllers. This may seem like an indication of a fake, but Microsoft is being surprisingly tight-lipped, saying "We have nothing to announce at this time." Real or fake? You can decide for yourself, but don't be surprised if it's real.

The Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII will also be released on March 9th and will span 3 discs.

Source: GameSpot

Posted on 2.10.10

Final Fantasy XIII Early Development Pictures for PS2

Back in 2006 and earlier, Final Fantasy XIII was originally planned to be a PS2 game. As we all know, they moved on to the PlayStation 3 and never looked back, but some pictures recently released show Final Fantasy XIII's early development while it was still on the PS2. They sport an art style that could be considered cell-shaded, and perhaps the most interesting thing about the pictures is that they recycle character models from Final Fantasy X-2 in place of the Final Fantasy XIII characters. This would indicate that the development of the battle system came prior to the introduction of characters. It also provides a unique insight into how development of a game like Final Fantasy XIII might take place.

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Source: Final Fantasy XIII On... The PS2?

Posted on 1.30.10

Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition Announced for PAL Territories

Square Enix has announced that there will be a Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition in the PAL territories that will be available on March 9th, the same date that Final Fantasy XIII will be released. The package will include a Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack Selection which will include a selection of various tracks from the game composed by Masashi Hamauzu. It will also include an artwork book entitled The World of Final Fantasy XIII, which will include character art as well as pictures of various environments included in the game. The final item to be included is a Brand of l'Cie decal; an important symbol in the story of Final Fantasy XIII. It will be available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for an as of yet undetermined price. There is no word yet on what special edition of Final Fantasy XIII, if any, will be available in the United States.

Source: The Koalition

Posted on 1.24.10