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Prisoner Builds Swords. Final Fantasy Swords.
A prisoner serving a sentence in Monmouthshire, Wales has been found to be in possession of an extensive arsenal of bladed weapons. The thing is, they’re all fake. All made out of matchsticks. And some are based on the weapons of the Final Fantasy universe. The Governor of the prison, Steve Cross, told The Sun,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011 -
Final Fantasy Versus XIII Dude, You’ve Changed
Back in 2009, Square Enix showed a Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer. In it, FF Versus XIII hero Noctis Lucis Caelum sported a silly name and some magnificent hair. His name is still silly and his hair is still amazing, but dude’s changed. Over the weekend, screens from Final Fantasy Versus XIII appeared on Japanese…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 24, 2011 -
Does This Lady Love Final Fantasy XI More Than You?
Emiri Kato doesn’t just play Final Fantasy XI, she lives there. The voice actress has an impressive resume of anime and game titles she’s worked on, but that’s nothing compared to her FFXI playtime. As pointed out on website 4Gamer, Kato has played FFXI for 557 days and 18 hours. That’s 13,386 hours. Before you…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 20, 2011 -
Rap Music, Final Fantasy VII and Some Pretty Visuals
It’s a wonderful world we live in when rappers can release singles from albums devoted entirely to Final Fantasy VII Nerd rap superstar Mega Ran, who we’ve featured before, has with Jon Louden put together this video for the track Absolute, which can be found on his Black Materia album If you like what you…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 19, 2011 -
You Know What Video Games Need? More Wise, Witty, and Lecherous Old Men
Commenter Paradox Me believes there’s plenty of room in video games for more wise, experienced, and humorously nostalgic old men, leading the charge or just kicking back and telling us all about how Speak Up on Kotaku was better when they were kids. Video games need more old-timers, like the three gentlemen you see to…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2011 -
Is this Lady the Most Famous Final Fantasy Tester Ever?
Meet Yuko Oshima. She’s 23. She’s famous. And she’s testing Final Fantasy XIII-2 Make that “famous”, if you follow Japanese pop music. Oshima is a member of idol group AKB48. And “testing”, if you mean appearing in promotional clips. Testing video games is hard, gruelling and time-consuming work! Not that being an idol is a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 17, 2011 -
How Different Will Final Fantasy XIV Version 2.0 Be?
The original Final Fantasy XIV was a total bust. FFXIV Version 2.0 promises to be better. Much better. Version 2.0 will feature a complete redesign of the game’s current repetitive maps. “The current maps in Final Fantasy XIV are not only massive, but allow for seamless passage across wide expanses of the realm,” wrote the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2011 -
First Look at Final Fantasy XIV Version 2.0
Final Fantasy XIV Version 2.0 is Square Enix’s revamp of FFXIV. Today, the Tokyo-based game maker released images of what’s to come in Version 2.0 The concept screens and concept art show interface, world maps, characters, and weapons, among other things. Have a look and see how it stacks up to the current version of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2011 -
Beleaguered Final Fantasy XIV Reborn with Version 2.0
Online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV‘s launch was an enormous disappointment. Not only did Square Enix president Yoichi Wada apologize for the game and boot the original team from the project, he also said FFXIV had damaged the Final Fantasy brand. That may change, because today, Square Enix is relaunching the game as with a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2011 -
Spend Your Next Seven Minutes Watching This New Final Fantasy XIII-2 Trailer
Do you like Final Fantasy games? Do you like Square-Enix’s brand of role-playing game drama? Then spend seven minutes watching this new Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer. Over on YouTube, the commenters tried to derail things by demanding Kingdom Hearts 3. You wouldn’t do that here, would you? FFXIII-2 will be out in North America for…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 13, 2011 -
Let These Cosplayers Bring Your JRPG Fantasies to Life
Good cosplay isn’t only about good costumes. It’s about good backgrounds. Kansai-based cosplay collective Akasha-Chronik nails both. The group, lead by cosplayer Mao Inumoto, focuses largely on Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy as well as sporting picturesque backgrounds that look straight out of Square Enix’s art department. In the above gallery, Mao and Akasha-Chronik take…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 12, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIII-2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and More Coming to New York Comic-Con This Year
Comics aren’t the centerpiece of comic-cons anymore. For better or worse, the nerd gatherings that bear that nomenclature feature all sorts of pop culture, but I guess “culture-con” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite so appealingly. Anywho, New York City’s very own comic-con kicks off this week and among the many exhibitors on hand will…
By Evan Narcisse Published October 10, 2011 -
Grown Woman Threatened for…Being a Grown Woman
Aki Toyosaki is 24 years-old. A big Grand Theft Auto fan, she works as a voice actress, voicing Yui Hirasawa in K-On as well as Cinque in the upcoming Final Fantasy Type-0. She’s an adult, and she’d be free to live her life as an adult. That is, if she wasn’t a voice actress in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 10, 2011 -
Square Enix, Tear Down This Final Fantasy XIV and Give Us Final Fantasy XV
In today’s final and fantastic episode of Speak up on Kotaku, commenter Paradox Me has an absolutely brilliant idea for Square Enix: Trash the failed MMO and recycle its assets for a new single player Final Fantasy game. Why is Final Fantasy XIV so goddamn pretty and why can’t we get this style in a…
By Mike Fahey Published October 6, 2011 -
Which Retailer Has the Best Final Fantasy XIII-2 Preorder Incentive?
When Final Fantasy XIII-2 hits North American shores on January 31, GameStop, Best Buy, and Amazon customers that preordered the game will walk away with some pretty spiffy bonus items, but which is the most enticing? This time around it’s not GameStop. In the world of retailer-exclusive preorder bonuses, dedicated video game retailer GameStop normally…
By Mike Fahey Published October 3, 2011 -
Wait, Isn’t Final Fantasy Versus XIII a PS3 Exclusive?
A Final Fantasy Versus XIII job wanted ad lists PS3 package title experience as necessary, “or otherwise an Xbox 360 package title”. But Versus is a PS3 exclusive! Just like FFXIII was. Well, at one point. [Square Enix]
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 28, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIV “Damaged” Final Fantasy
For a game with grand ambitious, Final Fantasy XIV has been a grand disappointment. Today in Tokyo, Square Enix honcho Yoichi Wada once again addressed the game’s shortcomings. “The Final Fantasy brand was damaged,” Wada said, adding that the game was being “substantially reworked” so that the game can be revived as the FFXIV that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 27, 2011 -
I, For One, Welcome Our New Final Fantasy Rhythm Game for 3DS
While some of my colleagues may not be fans of the first Final Fantasy-based rhythm game for the Nintendo 3DS, I continue to hold out hope for Square Enix’s Theatrhythm Final Fantasy It’s not that I’m a Final Fantasy fan or obsessive about its music. It’s that I just love a good touchscreen-based rhythm game,…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 20, 2011 -
Square Enix’s Tokyo Game Show Booth Is…Look Out, Giant Chocobo!
As you’d expect, Square Enix’s booth at this year’s Tokyo Game Show is one of the biggest and most popular, even on this first day, which should be quiet. Which it wasn’t. At least at the place where you could play Final Fantasy games. Also on-hand were some Western games that Square Enix is helping…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 15, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Gets Its Own PlayStation 3 and A Release Date
Square Enix is releasing the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII in Japan this December. It’s called Final Fantasy XIII-2. To commemorate that release, Sony will release a sequel to the PlayStation 3 Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Edition. Releasing alongside Final Fantasy XIII-2 in Japan will be the PlayStation 3 Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning Edition Ver.2,…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 14, 2011