All Entries Tagged With: "Final Fantasy XIII"

Microsoft Says Who-Ray? No New Storage Methods

Microsoft has told CVG recently that digital distribution will be the future of home entertainment. They remain vigilant in their position, even after developers like Lost Planet 2 producer Jun Takeuchi have made the point that storage space is becoming more and more of an issue for the Xbox 360. Portions of many popular games are being removed, then there’s the whole graphics compression debacle going on with blockbusters like Final Fantasy XIII and the upcoming RAGE. So with all this going on, what’s Microsoft’s thoughts as to what the future will be like for Xbox 360 storage?

New Release Rundown – Week of 3/7

Hello folks! I get to take over Evan’s job for a week since he’s attending all sorts of game-related events out on the West coast. He even got to go to the Final Fantasy XIII launch party in San Fransisco last night. Aren’t you all jealous? Speaking of Final Fantasy XIII, it most definitely heads up our list of new releases this week, making its way to the PS3 and, for the first time in franchise history, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, as well. In fact, I’m taking a break from delving into the worlds of Cocoon and Pulse to write this up for you all.

Other notable releases are Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition for both major consoles, Yakuza 3 and Mega Man 10 for the PS3, as well as Assassin’s Creed II for the PC (if Ubisoft can manage to keep the abomination is calls its DRM servers online for more than a few hours at a time). Some nice DLC for Bioshock 2 also makes its way to all three versions of the game this week for those of you who can’t pull yourself away from Rapture. Check out the full after the break. What are you looking to pick up this week?

Purchasing FFXIII tomorrow? You Shall Be Rewarded!

No special, collectors or limited editions of FFXIII in North American makes me a sad panda. You know what partially makes up for it? This little tidbit of info from the FFXIV beta site: There is apparently a FFXIV beta invite code in retail copies of FFXIII. Howe Squeenix kept this quiet until the day before release is anyone’s guess, but hey, more power to them.  Hit the jump for the new details from the beta site, which also includes hints about the upcoming PS3 beta of the new MMO.

FFXIII On the PS3 Is the Way to Go

This debate has been going on probably since we heard that Square-Enix’s flagship franchise was going cross-platform this generation.  Will it look better on the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360?  It seems that debate has been answered as of late.  In all honesty, this is actually one of the seemingly few games that have been developed with Sony’s system in mind.  This is because the game is not cross-platform in Japan, only in Western regions.  Naturally it had to be developed with the PS3 being its lead platform.  Let’s compare some facts about both versions.

Modern Warfare 2 Worth $40 Trade-In @ GameStop

Hey everybody. I know a lot of you are thinking, why would I trade in my beloved Modern Warfare 2? I also know a lot of you are thinking, I can still get $40 back for this piece of trash? The answer is maybe you do, maybe you do not, but yes you can still get a whopping $40 back for Modern Warfare 2!  Read more for the full scoop.

GameStop to Host FFXIII Midnight Launch; Moogles Rejoice

Time to get out your decade old Tidus cosplay costume and inflatable Yuna doll and head down to your local pimp Gamestop with a comfy chair in hand and park your rear in front of the store. It was announced late yesterday that there will in fact be a midnight launch on Monday, March 8th for what is probably the most anticipated RPG of this current generation. Hit the jump for more details!

FFXIII Will Eat Up Your Xbox 360 Hard Drive

If you have a smaller hard drive, like to install your games and are planning on picking up the 3-disc Final Fantasy XIII on March 9, you might want to forgo it this time around.  The installation, I mean.  That baby is going to take a nice, big bite of out of your free space and you might as well forget about installing it at all if you have the baby 20GB hard drive.  But, hey, it might be a small price to pay for the upcoming Final Fantasy goodness to load a few seconds faster, eh?  Perhaps maybe save some wear and tear on your 360?  Hit the jump to get the breakdown of exactly how much space each disc will consume.

Square Enix to Host FINAL FANTASY XIII Launch Party

Square Enix is hosting two special events on March 8, 2010 in San Francisco to mark the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIII and the celebration will be a star studded event. Leona Lewis, the British singer responsible for the music of Final Fantasy XIII will be on hand to enjoy all the gaming goodness. The first event to take place will be the FINAL FANTASY XIII EXPERIENCE, where gamers get a chance to get their hands on the most anticipated release of the year. The daytime event will take place across two gaming sessions each of which will be 2 hours long. Gamers will enjoy the game first hand, browse a gallery of stunning artwork, view trailers and meet the development staff. Some lucky fans will also win fantastic raffle prizes at the event.

Latest X10 News

Here is the latest news for X10 guys! Xbox 360 owners are in for a great year. The invite only event gives fans the inside look at great things to come for the upcoming year. If your a 360 fan then this is the news you have been waiting for. Look below for the latest on the Halo: Reach Beta, Alan Wake, Dead Rising 2, and a special announcement for all you Final Fantasy Fans. Check it out. Stay tuned to DualShockers for the latest X10 news.

Confirmed: Final Fantasy XIII Will Ship on 3 Discs

Fanboys get out the pitchforks. Square Enix was able to officially confirm that Final Fantasy XIII will in fact ship on 3 discs on the Xbox 360. So what’s the big deal?  Well, it wouldn’t seem as bad if it wasn’t shipping on only one Blu-Ray disc for the PS3. Microsoft is under constant fire for not even considering the larger capacity media of Blu-Ray and has instead insisted that digital is the way to go. It could be worse I guess. Just think about how many discs certain RPG’s on the PS2 used to have, 3 isn’t so bad when you think about it. Although, what I am going to say is that if we’re truly on the cusp of digital only games, then the next machine from Microsoft better come with a 1 terabyte drive. At least.

Spend $100 At the Square-Enix Store, Get a Clock

For the next month, Square-Enix is giving you something free in return for spending your cash at their online store.  You’ll be presented with a Square-Enix Products digital clock when you spend $100US or more at their store.  This offer is good from today, January 19, through February 19.  Let me tell you, it’s way too easy to spend more than $100 at that store, too.

In preparation for the Final Fantasy XIII launch in less than two months, let’s take a look at some pretty nifty items.  One thing that always impresses me is the quality of their character jewelry.  That would be replicas of the jewelry the characters wear in the games.  This one is no different.  Here’s Serah and Snow’s pendants from FFXIII.  As Squeenix puts it, “just in time for Valentine’s Day.”  So, if you and your significant other are over-the-top into FFXIII (like I am, but my wife would kill me if I bought her this instead of real bling), you might want to check it out.  How much will they set you back?  Do you really want to know?  Let’s just say, if you buy only one, you will definitely be getting a clock.  (The Snow pendant is $229.99 and the Serah pendant is $249.99.)

Okay, how about something with less sticker shock.  Here’s a FFXIII Lightning key chain.  This comes in at $19.99, and is a cool addition to the more thrifty Final Fantasy fan’s collection.  But, unfortunately, your support of Squeenix’s plan for world domination by purchasing this key chain won’t net you the nifty clock above.  Still…it’s something, right?

The Square-Enix store has some really cool product replicas and such, especially the jewelry, as I mentioned.  The only problem – it’s excellent quality and thus is rather pricey.  But, if you’re in the market for a new digital clock and are buying some Final Fantasy swag anyway, might as well check it out!

Xbox 360 FFXIII “Runs As Smooth” As PS3 Version

We all remember – during E3 2008 – when it was announced that Final Fantasy XIII was making its way to the Xbox 360, right? Of course we do. To Sony fans, this was like getting kicked in the nuts by Bahamut himself – and we all know how big that son of a bitch is.

For those of you who have been napping under a rock for the past two years, Final Fantasy XIII – which was just released solely on the PS3 on December in Japan – is making its way to both Xbox 360 and the PS3 over here on the West this March. We’re all familiar with how multi-platform games work. 99.9% of the time, the developer will choose between a specific console (usually the 360 or PS3) and use it as the “lead” platform to work off of during the development of a game.

Throughout this generation’s course of multi-platform titles, the 360 has been on as lead platform for the majority of the games. However, this time around, Square Enix went on to choose the PS3 as the lead platform for Final Fantasy XIII; simply because the game itself originated, and was designed, on Sony’s behemoth console.

While many Sony fanboys believe that because of the PS3’s “superior hardware,” the game will indeed run superiorly in contrast to the 360 version, this is definitely not the case. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, kiddies. But it seems that, according to 1Up,com who got first dibs on the 360 demo of Final Fantasy XIII, the game “runs just as smoothly on the 360 as it does on the PS3.”

It was…a pleasant surprise when I discovered FFXIII runs just as smoothly on 360 as it does on PS3. It’s a brisk, action-packed RPG with tons happening on the screen at any given time (and the series’ requisite flashy visuals cranked up to full throttle), yet I didn’t see a hint of slowdown or choppiness or screen tearing or any of the other visual hiccups that serve as hallmarks of a sloppy port. Admittedly, I didn’t see the two versions running side-by-side — the bus set them apart with a looping trailer dividing the kiosks — but I honestly saw no tangible difference from my time with the PS3 version.

While the games weren’t running side-by-side for a thorough analysis, it seems that, as per 1Up.com, the games have no noticeable difference when played apart, which is an important observation. No screen tearing, choppiness, nothing that usually plagues the secondary development platform.

I’m pretty sure there will be some noticeable discrepancies between both games once they’re release, or at least fanboys will argue that there is. But it’s pretty awesome on Square Enix’s part to make sure that there isn’t any noticeable differences to the naked eye. Either way, the game looks amazing. Whether it’s on the Xbox 360 or the PS3, the game is going to truly be a great experience, as per reviews. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t turn out to a “it looks better on my console” war, which has been going on forever this generation.

[1Up]