The Final Fantasy 13 Wait is Over: Japan’s Release Date Announced

With the Tokyo Game Show rapidly approaching, the more and more news keeps coming from the major Eastern developers. First Capcom unveiled Okamiden for the DS and now, after years of development and speculation (as well as a leaked banner ad), Square-Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIII, the next installment of the mega-RPG franchise, will be launching on December 17th 2009 in Japan.

The first numbered game since Final Fantasy XII back in 2006, Final Fantasy XIII follows a new female protagonist, Lightning, as she and some ragtag rebels undergo a Final Fantasy VII style quest to overthrow a tyrannical and futuristic government. Final Fantasy XIII is notable not just because it is the first next-generation version of the series but also it is the first numbered entry to be released on a non-Sony console simultaneously in any region since Final Fantasy VI back on the Super Nintendo in 1994. While the Japanese version will remain a PlayStation 3 exclusive when it launches in Japan this winter, the international versions that are presumably hitting next spring will also be available for the Xbox 360.

While there hasn’t been any new information on the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII spin-offs, Vs. XIII and Agito XIII, Square-Enix has shown off an early playable version of, believe it or not, Final Fantasy XIV which is also scheduled to hit PlayStation 3 and possibly PC next year. Although that does seem like a quick turnaround, keep in mind that Final Fantasy XIV is Square-Enix’s latest attempt at an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), the first being Final Fantasy XI, and has been in development under a different name for several years.

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Finally, Square-Enix’s has also given release dates for the upcoming Wii-exclusive RPG epic, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Crystal Bearers is slated for release in Japan on November 12th 2009 and in America on December 26th 2009, the day after Christmas oddly enough. I guess they’re hoping for some good gift-money induced shopping sprees. The Crystal Chronicles series has always been Nintendo exclusive but Crystal Bearers is the first to use a more traditional single-player format than its strategic WiiWare spin-offs and multiplayer-friendly predecessors on the DS and Gamecube (which was a leading game in the GBA-GCN connectivity fiasco). Add in its real-time battle system, something Final Fantasy XIII lacks, and the game starts to seem like more of an action-RPG approaching the style of something like Zelda.

Expect more Square-Enix and Final Fantasy related news at this year’s Tokyo Game Show at the end of the month.

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 09/21 at 12:31 PM
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