Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII is the fasting selling title in the entire franchise's history. With sales of the game reaching one million in the first five days in North America alone, combined with the huge amount sold in Europe, Final Fantasy XIII has "recorded the largest first-week sales in franchise history".

Of course, this is the first Final Fantasy title released on two platforms simultaneously, as well as the first on this generation of consoles, which has definitely contributed to the amount of copies sold. However, there is still a mountain to climb for Final Fantasy XIII to overtake Final Fantasy VII's 10 million sold, as the best selling in franchise history.

Sell-in shipments of the hugely popular Final Fantasy XIII have now exceeded the 5 million unit milestone. Final Fantasy XIII was released on March 9, 2010 in North American, European and other PAL markets where it’s available for both the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

With shipments of Final Fantasy XIII in North America and PAL territories surpassing 3 million units as well as strong sales since launch on December 17, 2009 in Japan, cumulative shipments of the Final Fantasy series have now reached 96 million units.

Official Sites: North American, Europe/PAL, Japan

Square Enix recently announced that the Playstation Portable (PSP) spin-off Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep will be available in North America and Europe by this Summer.

"Long before Sora was chosen by his Keyblade, the worlds' safety lay in the hands of others known as the Keyblade Masters. It is under one of these, Master Eraqus, that three young people have been training long and hard to prove that they, too, exhibit the Mark of Mastery: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.

The three of them will soon find themselves in the middle of a crisis affecting worlds far beyond their own—just as another Keyblade Master, Xehanort, goes mysteriously missing.

Three friends, three purposes; one horrible fate toward which they must unknowingly march…"

The game was released in Japan on 9 January and sold 740,000 copies till now.

Source: HHN

Xenoblade was actually revealed last year under it’s English name Monado: Beginning of the World. It's coming out this spring in Japan for the Nintendo Wii and is on Nintendo's North America schedule with a "TBA" release date.

If you visit the official site there's a grand score in the background, but it's only in a teaser state, with no actual links or information, but text at the bottom confirms this to be a Monolith Software (the team behind Xenosaga) game.

Nintendo confirmed during an investors meeting that Xenoblade is indeed the final name for the game that was unveiled at E3 2009 under the tentative title of Monado. This is the latest game from Xenosaga's Tetsuya Takahashi.

Official Site: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/sx4j/index.html

Hey, I've recently discovered that Square Enix recently asked fans about their opinion for a remake of Final Fantasy 7 on their official Square Enix Members Twitter account. It was immediately flooded with positive replies, so many in fact, that the author asked everyone to stop replying.

This is pretty much the first time Square Enix themselves asked people about a remake. Two days later, they even asked about fans' opinions for a remake of Final Fantasy 8.

Here are the links to the respective twitter entries:
http://twitter.com/SQEX_MEMBERS_JP/status/9915740773
http://twitter.com/SQEX_MEMBERS_JP/status/10021366399

Does this mean Square Enix is definitely considering remakes for Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII? You'll have to wait and see like the rest of us. But it sure has gotten fans talking.

Source: Japanese S-E Members Twitter, Cetraconnection.de

Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama unveiled that they're planning to work on a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII if the game proves to be successful in Western countries.

"In the past three years we worked both on the world and on the various systems. Creating these systems isn't very glamorous and can frankly be a bit boring. If we could do a XIII-2, we could direct all our attention to the story and refine what we have already built."

They also said that Final Fantasy XIII's success will also determine whether there will be a Final Fantasy XV.

"We do not know if there will be a Final Fantasy XV. This depends a lot on the success of XIII. Also, it is difficult to pinpoint elements that are typical Final Fantasy. They are mostly invisible: part of the DNA of the game, that everyone recognizes as typical Final Fantasy. But if there is a Final Fantasy XV, I hope the way we wrote our characters carries over. We strived to create believable people of flesh and blood. They are not robots. And they are not super heroes. I hope this humanity is something we will see again."

The official Final Fantasy XIV website has been updated with additional information and media. The Intro section gives a brief description of the game, with some pictures of the landscapes underneath. The World section contains information about the story, towns, races and monsters. The gameplay section explains the different types of jobs as well as the weapons each one can equip. There is also some information on the Guildleve system and on transportation using crystals. The Media section has plenty of screenshots, and also two trailers: one from the Tokyo Game Show and another one from the E3.

The Story
Several tribes from across Hydaelyn settle in Eorzea. The deities of Eorzea, known as the Twelve, are impressed by these primitive people and so they decide to ensure their welfare. 15 years pass, and an army from the east, known as the Garlean Empire, attacks Eorzea. The strongest city, Ala Mhigo, falls in battle and loses to the Garlean Empire. The army leaves and the other nations start to prepare themselves for the next invasion.

Official FFXIV Website: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/
FFXIV Beta Test Site: https://dev-na.ffxiv.com/

FF-Reunion has put up the details of another Tetsuya Nomura interview which includes details about changes being made for the western release and also the future installments for the series!

– We’re anxious when it comes to the next title in the series.

Nomura: To start with, there is the overseas version of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. The general specifications for it have been settled. We intended to put in a “Critical Mode” in the battle system. The bosses we felt were a little weak have become stronger. We also thought that the attack “Mega Flare” was too strong so there are plans to regulate it as well. The various circumstances of the cutscenes will change too,they will return more to the original plan. They will be adjusted so that way the story is easier to understand and supplementary parts will be added.

– It seems like there are various changes being made. May we be expecting a Final Mix version?

Nomura: As for that, it depends on how much the domestic version changes. However, since we basically want to produce one title a year for the Kingdom Hearts series, I don’t plan on going several years without releasing news.

– In another 2 years it’ll be the 10th anniversary of the series. How about Kingdom Hearts 3?

Nomura: Haha I can’t talk about that, it’s a secret! As I’ve said before, the next release relates to the mystery of the series.

– Do you see the complete series concluding in KH3?

Nomura: Kingdom Hearts has been Sora’s story, but the series is currently expanding, it’s also the story of another person. Right now, you could say “that person is the center of the series”.

– The series is currently expanding!?

Nomura: I can’t say anymore than that. (Laughs)

– Are there any other titles in the works?

Nomura: With everything going on, I can say there is one title being prepared for public announcement; the advertisement department is already discussing it with me. Please look forward to more about it.


Source: KH2.co.uk

In celebration of the release of FINAL FANTASY XIII, Square Enix is hosting two special events on March 8, 2010 in San Francisco.

During the day, the FINAL FANTASY XIII EXPERIENCE will allow attendees to enjoy the game a day early, browse a stunning artwork gallery, meet the development staff and more. In the evening, industry luminaries will take the stage alongside the FINAL FANTASY XIII development staff to celebrate this milestone in video game history, in the FINAL FANTASY XIII LAUNCH PARTY.

Watch the special invitation message from Leona Lewis, whose song "My Hands" from the album Echo is featured in FINAL FANTASY XIII. Then head over to SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS for a chance to win invitations to these special events! The Invitations to FINAL FANTASY XIII Launch Event Sweepstakes ends February 23, 2010.

With the United States release less than a month away I give you the Final Fantasy XIII - International Trailer, featuring the English voice cast, the English theme song, and what not. So whet your appetites and download the trailer and take a look. It's pretty awesome if I do say so myself, and we have it in 720p.

To download the trailer...right click link and select "save as".

Final Fantasy XIII - International Trailer [Download 720p HD]

Okay so it's been a bit since I posted an early draft of a new layout. I've slowly been working on it whenever I get new idea's or inspiration and have the time to do so. I've uploaded 6 screenshots showing you pretty much the entire design as it stands at the moment. Now this design isn't finished and I still plan to add some stuff to it and continue to make it look even better so please leave a comment letting me know what you think, and what you want to see happen with version 9.


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