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A Tour of Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s World
Love it or hate it, Final Fantasy deals in big, stylized worlds. In this “environmental trailer”, Final Fantasy XIII-2, the sequel to FFXIII, shows it is no exception. Kotaku already posted the Final Fantasy XIII-2 battle trailer. You can watch it here Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released Jan. 31, 2012. Environmental Trailer [YouTube]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIV‘s Subscription Period Gets a Start Date, Cheaper Rates
Beleaguered Final Fantasy XIV is being reborn as Final Fantasy XIV: Version 2.0. Part of that rebirth means that the PC game’s free-to-play period is coming to a close. The billing period commences next month. Staring Jan. 6, Final Fantasy XIV‘s subscription will begin. According to Square Enix, those who have not selected a subscription…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 6, 2011 -
Fans Shift Final Fantasy VII to Unreal Engine, Go First-Person
A team of budding game designers have grabbed a copy of the Unreal Engine and decided, as a learning experience, to recreate the opening section of Final Fantasy VII with HD graphics. It’s also in a first-person perspective. Just in case you thought a remake of a game from the 1990s would actually retain its…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 5, 2011 -
From Amazing Outfits to Naked Man Butt: Cosplay on Stage
This Sunday saw a whole host of cosplayers take the stage at club Nicofarre in Tokyo’s Roppongi. There were dudes with big swords and one dude in a dangerous bikini. Yes, there are NSFW images in this post. Hosted by Nico Nico Douga, the Tokyo Nico Nico Cospllection showcased cosplayers in Nicofarre’s 360-degrees LED screens,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 5, 2011 -
First Image of Brand New Square Enix RPG. Do You Give a Hoot?
Square Enix is working on a brand new role-playing game that isn’t Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. Pointing that out makes it sure seem like Square Enix only makes FF and DQ. It doesn’t. The new role-playing game is an action RPG and is apparently aimed at Westerners. If you are a Westerner, well, what…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 2, 2011 -
Pink Chocobos and the Phoenix Down Woman of My Dreams in the Latest Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screens
Oh Chocolina, with your modest demeanor and your adorable Phoenix Down outfit; who cares what the other 27 new screenshots have on them, as long as you’re here with me. I don’t know wehy Square Enix decided that a Vegas showgirl was the appropriate choice for a shopkeeper in Final Fantasy XIII-2; I’ve stopped asking…
By Mike Fahey Published December 1, 2011 -
Check Out Final Fantasy XIII-2’s Tweaked Battle System in This New Trailer
Paradigm Shifts? Cinematic Action? Sounds pretty but what does it all look like? You’ll get to see some of the features that I discussed in my hands-on preview of Final Fantasy XIII-2 in the new teaser released today by Square Enix. Will these features change the way you approach the game when it hits in…
By Evan Narcisse Published December 1, 2011 -
Legendary Final Fantasy Translator Brings You Math Girls
If you’ve played Final Fantasy in English, you know translator Alexander Smith‘s work. His latest? Smith started a digital book publisher, Bento Books, which is releasing its first title: Math Girls, the English translation of Japan’s popular best-seller. [Bento Books]
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Square Enix Working on New RPG. It’s Not Final Fantasy
Nor is it Dragon Quest. As mentioned in an upcoming issue of Famitsu, the Tokyo-based game company is working on a new action role-playing game. The game currently does not have a title. While info has leaked from Famitsu, the full article has yet to hit newsstands. Helming the game will be Ryutaro Ichimura, who…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2011 -
The Most Disgusting Thing Square Enix Has Ever Done
Square Enix, the studio behind role-playing games Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, is allowing one of its most iconic characters, a Dragon Quest Slime, to be sold as a meat bun. The results are horrific and disgusting. Back in September, Japanese television clued me into the fact that, no, I do not want to put…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2011 -
Gaze Into the Mystery of These New Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screens… Hey, A Chicken Lady!
In my hands-on preview, I talked about how Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s trying to shake things up a bit. You’ll find some new things in these screens, including a bizarre new character who’ll be popping up throughout the game. The woman in the feathered suit is Chocolina, a flamboyant chicken woman who’s a traveling merchant in…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 28, 2011 -
The Thing About American Accents In Video Games
American accents are everywhere in video games. Even when something is developed in Canada, or Britain, or Japan, the principal characters usually speak with one kind of American accent or another. Ever wonder what the significance of that is? As in, why they’re often used when they’re used, and in what context? You probably haven’t,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 24, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Might Remind You of Mass Effect, Pokemon
There was a collective sigh from the JRPG faithful when Square Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII-2 earlier this year. Some wanted more FFVII or more Kingdom Hearts. Instead, a return to Gran Pulse was in the offing. But, based on my recent hands-on with FFXIII-2, the sequel holds some intriguing changes to the formula set…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 23, 2011 -
The New Final Fantasy XIII-2 Trailer Proves Square Enix Still Knows How to Make a Scene
While the Final Fantasy name may have lost a bit of its drool-inducing powers over the past two entries in the series, the Final Fantasy XIII-2 cinematic team keep the excitement alive in this latest trailer, “Battle of Valhalla”. If the team behind the sequel to one of the most polarizing entries in the series…
By Mike Fahey Published November 23, 2011 -
Walk Softly. Carry a Big Sword. Look Badass
You are looking at a cosplay that was 8 months in the making. Eight months that were totally worth it. You are looking at cosplayer NealBomBad’s Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV. You are looking at greatness. NealBomBad created Cecil Harvey’s Dark Knight version using 3D modeling software and then printed the armor on his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
The Next Final Fantasy Might Not Be the Same Old RPG
No, according to Final Fantasy XIII-2 producer Yoshinori Kitase, it could be an action-RPG Calling a surge in the popularity of action-RPGs “a trend…you ignore at your peril”, Kitase told Edge, “I think the nature of the franchise is to present something new each time. In the global market we see many players moving away…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 16, 2011 -
Amazing Drawings Aren’t Needed To Design Final Fantasy Costumes
You just need to be famous. Really famous. Like this lady, Yuko Oshima. Not only is pop idol Yuko Oshima testing Final Fantasy XIII-2, she’s also designing costumes. One of these outfits will be selected by fans as DLC for the game. One of them looks like Little Red Riding Hood. The other does not.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 11, 2011 -
Here’s What Eighty Dollars Gets You in The Final Fantasy XIII-2 Collectors Edition
We’re still a few months away from the release of the Moogle-riffic sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, but that ain’t stopping Square Enix from tantalizing fans with a beefy Collectors Edition. Plunking down the extra $20 dollars gets you a fancy sleeve illustrated by the legendary Yoshitaka Amano, along with a high-end concept art book…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 10, 2011 -
Final Fantasy Type-0 is Obsessed With Underpants
Honestly, I’m not quite sure if this is the first g-string in the series or not. Final Fantasy XII‘s Fran gets dangerously close, but that’s ultimately outerwear. This, unfortunately, is underwear. Other than it being fan service, I’ve never quite understood why upskirts are added—heck, even Nintendo does this kind of thing. I’ve always thought…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 8, 2011 -
Watch This Lady Transform Final Fantasy VIII‘s Rinoa Before Your Eyes
Internet person Michelle Phan is a make-up wizard—a magician! In this video, she shows the power of make-up as she gives a walkthrough on how to transform yourself into FFVIII‘s Riona Heartilly Besides make-up, Phan completes the look with contacts and a Riona costume, proving that there’s more to cosplay than costumes. If you are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 7, 2011