This morning a report came out via Kotaku that explains Square’s goals for Final Fantasy 13. They are expecting to sell 5 million copies of the game world wide. Whether or not they hit this target is a matter of time but it is nice to see them aiming high. The first sales numbers will come out when the game launches in December in Japan!
Not content to rest until each and every adventurer in Vana'diel is sending a steady stream of gil into their already ample coffers, Goldagrik and his lovable band of Maze Mongers are cooking up some deviously delightful new diversions for you in the upcoming version update.
The new trailer from Final Fantasy 14 has emerged from TGS. This stylish trailer tells a bit of a mini story about the adventurers who come to explore the new land. The trailer is a mix of in game action and CGI cutscenes. You might even catch a few epic fights thrown in there. Check it out below:
The third micro expansion to Final Fantasy XI has been announced with a brand new trailer. Check out the official details below for "A Shantotto Ascension"
We are proud to announce that the official trailer for the third add-on scenario, "A Shantotto Ascension—The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born," is now available for your viewing pleasure!
Head on over to the official site for a preview of the adventure that awaits!
The big boss at Famitsu believes that Final Fantasy 13 could help boost the PS3 install base by a whopping 500,000 units when the game releases this December in Japan. This extravagant number doesn’t seem so farfetched when you look at how well the recent price drop has done – selling 150,000 units in just one week.
Will FF13 be the sales monster that Square and Sony are expecting? Only time will tell but they are preparing a bundle for non-PS3 owners that includes a PS3 slim and the game.
It's time once more for that most breathtaking and bewildering of Vana'diel's annual observances—the Buffalo Blitz! Why do otherwise sensible individuals risk life and limb by intentionally incurring the ire of these belligerent bovine beasts? The answer might not be what you expect...
For the full story—and details on how to hurl yourself heroically into the fray—just read on!
Here is a notice from Square about RMT and suspicious advertisements:
We have confirmed that RMT and suspicious site advertisements are being sent in large quantities as tells in game.
Regarding these issues, we ask that when you place a GM call to report them, that you please include the name of the character that sent you the tell in the call summary. Additionally, while we are investigating all calls that come in, we estimate that the number of calls will continue to increase by a considerable amount, so we ask for your understanding if a GM is unable to personally respond to these issues specifically.
To counter the increase of these issues, we are planning to introduce a filter to block suspicious tells along with the next version update. We ask for your patience and understanding in this matter.
At their premiere party Square Enix showed off the much anticipated Final Fantasy XIII trailer. While the trailer has not been released to the public some snippets from it have been through Japanese morning television. Check out some scenes below:
Final Fantasy 13 isn’t out in Japan for a few months but we’ve already got clips for some of the Music. Kotaku posted this video from the Square Enix Premiere Party from earlier this week. Listen to it below while you get ready for the next generation of Final Fantasy.
The PlayOnline website has announced a new commemorative Final Fantasy XI dog tags. There is one for each of the starting cities. Retailing for $106 the set can be a little expensive but a great way to show your FFXI pride!
It is with pleasure that we announce the "Silver Dog Tag"—the second product in the Final Fantasy XI Players' Collection line of premium accessories. Scheduled to go on sale later this month, this smart little number will allow players to always keep Vana'diel close to heart no matter where they go.
Kotaku posted a breakdown of the controls for the Final Fantasy demo that was premiered at the “Premiere Party” we covered previously. The controls are the same as the bundled demo that came out in Japan last March. If you’d like to know how it plays look below.
• Directional Pad
Field: Not used
Battle: Toggle through targets, commands
• Left Stick
Field: Move character
Battle: Not used
• L1 Button
Field: Field items
Battle: Paradigm Shift ("Optima Change")
• Select Button
Field: Navigational Map
Battle: Not used
• Start Button
Field: Pause Menu
Battle: Pause
• Circle Button
Field: To select things, make decisions, etc (The equivalent of the "X" button)
Battle: Input commands, select targets
• Square Button
Field: Open Area Map
Battle: Driving Mode (Type of attack used when Summons are in Gestalt Mode)
The news about Final Fantasy XIII continues to roll right in. Multiple outlets were invited to the “Premiere Party” for FFXIII. G4TV did a great job summarizing the big announcement. We’ve caught wind of a new commemorative drink, Japanese release date and more.
* The game will be released in Japan on December 17, 2009
* There will be a special PlayStation 3 bundle (more details will be revealed later, but I'd be shocked if a special PS3 wasn't made for this game)
* Suntory will help promote the game with a limited edition drink called Final Fantasy XIII Elixir
* The drinks will come in a collector's edition box and only 30,000 will be available
* The game's title song is called "Kimiga Irukara" and has been recorded by Sayuri Sugawara
Has the release date for Final Fantasy XIII been revealed? According to Kotaku a supposed date has been found hidden in a flash file. The unconfirmed date for Japan is December 17th 2009. Hopefully Square Enix reveals the official release date very soon.
If they reveal anything about the North American release date we’ll make sure to post it here!
Square has posted a notice on the official PlayOnline website for Final Fantasy XI. The Norh American GM Petition service will see some downtime tomorrow, the 8th.
At the following time, the North American GM petition service for both the PlayOnline Viewer and FINAL FANTASY XI will be unavailable due to network maintenance.
We thank you for your patience.
[Date & Time]
Sep. 8, 2009 from 20:00 to 21:30 (PDT)
* Maintenance completion time may be subject to change.
* Maintenance was initially scheduled for 19:00 to 20:00 (PDT), but this time has changed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
[Details]
North American GM petition service for the PlayOnline Viewer and FINAL FANTASY XI will be unavailable.
[Cause]
Network maintenance
[Affected Services]
- PlayOnline
- FINAL FANTASY XI
A bulletin went up this morning about account security. Even if you don’t believe your account is compromised it has some handy tips. Everyone should refresh themselves on account security once and a while. Full release below:
We have received reports regarding the unauthorized access of player accounts.
If you experience one of the following situations, please contact the Information Center as soon as possible.
- You receive the message "The account has been logged into from another terminal" and you are unable log back into the account.
- A character linked to the PlayOnline ID is logged in when you have not accessed the account.
In addition, if you have experienced any of the following, please change your PlayOnline password after performing a virus check to make sure you have not downloaded any malicious programs. If you have a Square Enix Account, be sure to change your Square Enix password through the Square Enix Management System located on the top right of the FINAL FANTASY XI official website.
- PlayOnline/FINAL FANTASY XI client forcibly shuts down often.
- PC applications or the peformance of the PC is unstable and has trouble turning on or shutting down.
- Anti-virus software detects a malicious program.
The use of the Square Enix Security Token is often very effective in preventing unauthorized access to game data. If you are using the Windows version
of the PlayOnline Viewer, we highly recommended using the Square Enix Security Token.
We ask that you continue to monitor and update the security of your system and Internet connection to prevent any harm caused by malicious programs.
PlayOnline Information Center
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time
https://secure.playonline.com/supportus/index.html
A poster over at the IGN boards posted a transcript of an interview with FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase. It appears that the size of the Xbox 360’s DVD has caused Final Fantasy XIII to be compressed. The reason given for this decision is that so that Square is “fair to all platforms”.
Could the DVD size limitation affect the development of Final Fantasy 14 if ported to the Xbox? Right now FF14 is a PC/Ps3 exclusive so that seems to rule out downgraded graphics/audio for now. We’ll bring you more if it develops.
When Final Fantasy moved to PlayStation 2, it only ever appeared on 1 DVD. This meant that unlike previous iterations on the original PlayStation, every area within the game could technically be open at any time. In previous games, some areas appeared on some discs, and were closed off in others. The same can even be said for games such as Lost Odyssey on the Xbox 360, due to the space constraints of the DVD, the majority of side-quests appeared on the final disc. Final Fantasy XIII will be affected in the same way.
Now that there is information on each city state over at the official website – which one will you choose. Let us know in our latest poll. We’ll post a brand new poll in a week’s time.
Previous Poll Results
Question:
E3 2009 Sony Showed Square- Enix's New Final Fantasy XIV Online Trailer, would purchase it for PS3 and PC in the future?
Choices:
Option 01: Yes, I'll buy it for both and or either. [61 votes]
Option 02: No, Not Interested. [6 votes]
Option 03: Wait and I see what's it about. [23 votes]
Option 04: I'm to busy into Final Fantasy XI to care. [11 votes]
Square Enix posted a new notice on the PlayOnline section of the FFXI Website. It seems that the character registration service will be down for various times of the course of the next few days. Here is a copy of the official post:
The Character Reactivation Service will be unavailable due to registration server maintenance at the times shown below. Please note that we will be unable to accept applications for this service during these periods.
Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.
[Date & Time]
From Aug. 31, 2009 7:50 to 13:00 (PDT)
From Aug. 31, 2009 16:50 to 19:00 (PDT)
From Aug. 31, 2009 23:50 to Sep. 1, 2009 5:00 (PDT)
From Sep. 1, 2009 17:00 to 19:00 (PDT)
From Sep. 2, 2009 0:00 to 6:00 (PDT)
* Maintenance completion time may be subject to change.
If you’ve been following the FF related news recently you’d know that Final Fantasy 14 made its public debut in Germany. Some further details about the possible porting of character names from Final Fantasy XI to 14. While the feature has not yet been confirmed some solutions were offered.
Producer Hiromichi Tanaka was on hand to take some questions. While he didn’t confirm the existence of the feature he did suggest that maybe players can move their name over by adding a surname. This would help avoid conflicts as new players may pick names that already exist in Squares previous MMO.
Slowly details are coming out about 14. Look for more information as more as it is available.
