DLC likely coming in late March

[Jecht Shot]

A rumor originally reported by Kouli (a well-respected member of the Gamefaqs community; I know I know, lol @ Gamefaqs but Kouli is a good, reliable guy). This story was also picked up on in the Dutch Playstation magazine, as per finalfantasy-xiii.net. Two different sources, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say its probably true.

Supposedly the information will be officially released on the official site tomorrow (don't know if its the JP or NA site). The first update is believed to include:


- New Game Plus: Clear Data will let you keep Items, Gil, Abilities...etc and start at the beginning
- More missions: #65 to #87
- Weather System
- and two unknown things yet to be known

Since they had to leave some stuff out, I'm not at all surprised at this. I figured they'd find some way to release it, and DLC is the perfect avenue for that. Although I thought the weather system was already included in the game, since they hyped it up on the JP site close to release.

This may also mean that the DLC era will mark the end of the "international" versions as we know it (thankfully), at least for PS3 and 360.

Links below. Please be very, very careful when reading the Gamefaqs boards tho. That place is A. terrible to begin with and B. littered with major spoilers.

This Week's Ultimania Says DLC In Late March (Rumor) - Final Fantasy XIII Message Board for PlayStation 3 - GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=928790&topic=53223767)

Rumour: Final Fantasy XIII DLC Coming Soon? - Final Fantasy XIII: News, Trailers & Screens ~ Final Fantasy-XIII.net (http://finalfantasy-xiii.net/2010/01/27/rumour-final-fantasy-xiii-dlc-coming-soon.html)

[Rostum]

This may also mean that the DLC era will mark the end of the "international" versions as we know it (thankfully), at least for PS3 and 360.

This is what excites me the most about DLC when it comes to Square games.

I just hope they don't start charging for the content when it's so close to release and probably won't offer anything of real substance other than polish that probably should have been in there but perhaps didn't meet the time requirements of the project (which happens a lot).

[Rad Bromance]

If this is true, that's absolutely wonderful.

Also:


According to art director Isamu Kamikokuryou, many additional areas that were functioning in an unreleased build, from Team Nora's secret base, to Lightning's home and even a zoo, were cut from the game owing to concerns about the game's length and volume. Kamikokuryou additionally remarked that the volume of content cut was, in itself, enough to make another game.

This gives me hope for lots of DLC. :)

[Roogle]

A rumor originally reported by Kouli (a well-respected member of the Gamefaqs community; I know I know, lol @ Gamefaqs but Kouli is a good, reliable guy).

Kouli is a dependable source for this kind of news.


Since they had to leave some stuff out, I'm not at all surprised at this. I figured they'd find some way to release it, and DLC is the perfect avenue for that. Although I thought the weather system was already included in the game, since they hyped it up on the JP site close to release.

This may also mean that the DLC era will mark the end of the "international" versions as we know it (thankfully), at least for PS3 and 360.

I fully support downloadable content if it means the end of International versions of games. I really disliked having to wait six months for the release of Final Fantasy X-2 only to have the game pop up again months later as Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission. If I lived in Japan and could understand Japanese, I would probably wait months after the release of titles and pick up the final edition of games instead of playing them when they're released only to find that a new version was released.

[LunarWeaver]

If they add a New Game +, I hope they also add a harder difficulty like Blue Dragon did.

[nirojan]

Nice...definetly pick this up. And to reiterate what OP said BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS ON GAMEFAQ'S SITE! DONT RISK IT IF YOU WANT TO STAY UNSPOILED!!!

[Roogle]

Could someone who has played the game elaborate a little on what a Weather System for Final Fantasy XIII might entail? From what I hear, the game does not have a World Map for weather to play a large influence on.

[Jecht Shot]

The Fal'cie can control the weather. In conjunction with this, in certain areas, there are machines that control the weather as well. During certain weather, certain monsters will appear. So, as far as I know, controlling the weather will affect the appearance of certain monsters. This was explored a bit in the prequel novels.

This feature is in the game already, but its just in one area I think. So maybe they're spreading it to other areas as well.

Also, it indeed turns out that the DLC content rumor is true:

Dutch OPM Final Fantasy XIII Feature and Interview Scans - Final Fantasy XIII: News, Trailers & Screens ~ Final Fantasy-XIII.net (http://finalfantasy-xiii.net/2010/01/30/dutch-opm-final-fantasy-xiii-feature-and-interview-scans.html)

Also, for those complaining about the (superior) Leona Lewis song, they said they wanted to localize the original Japanese song, but the Japanese singer had difficulty pulling it off. So they're experimenting this around. I, for one, am glad they did.

[Super Christ]

In my opinion this could be either good news or bad news.

If they don't charge for it, it's great news.
If they do charge for it, it's bad news.

I'm betting they will charge. As a rule, I refuse to pay for DLC, since it's usually stuff that should have been in the game in the first place. Even though I alone won't make a difference in their market practices, I still hate to encourage the practice of charging for these so called extras.

[Loony BoB]

I'm confident they'll charge for it. This is SE. They already do it for FFXI.

[Wolf Kanno]

According to art director Isamu Kamikokuryou, many additional areas that were functioning in an unreleased build, from Team Nora's secret base, to Lightning's home and even a zoo, were cut from the game owing to concerns about the game's length and volume. Kamikokuryou additionally remarked that the volume of content cut was, in itself, enough to make another game.This gives me hope for lots of DLC. :)

This... actually kinda pisses me off to hear about this. Not sure how I feel that XIII might correct my early issues with it by adding new areas and dungeons to explore that I feel should have been there to begin with. We'll wait and see cause the areas mentioned do sound like terribly minor editions... I don't know, I've got mixed feelings.



This may also mean that the DLC era will mark the end of the "international" versions as we know it (thankfully), at least for PS3 and 360.

Thank god...

[Dreddz]

Shouldnt New Game Plus be in the game to begin with?

[VeloZer0]

It's not like all games have to ship with a New Game+ feature. And in reality it is mainly people who really like the game enough to pay for extra add-on DLC who are the ones who would like to play the game through multiple times.

[Raistlin]

Yeah, but it'd still be bull:bou::bou::bou::bou: to make people pay for it.

[VeloZer0]

Yeah, but it'd still be bull:bou::bou::bou::bou: to make people pay for it.

If that was all you were getting, then yes.
Well, thinking about it, if you were interested in New Game+'s there is no reason not to pay a few bucks for it. But that goes back into the whole debate about DLC as a concept.

[Psychotic]

Perfect timing for it too. I hate it when games release DLC 6 months after you're done playing it so props to Square for this.

Also, I like the sound of a zoo!

[Levian]

New Game plus should've been in the game already, yeah. I generally don't buy DLC unless it's a really awesome game, which I suspect this will be. :D I'm so going to end up one of those suckers who buy every FF13 DLC squeenix releases.

[Madame Adequate]

I'm struggling to see a justification for paying for New Game+ (It strikes me a bit like paying for another difficulty), but if it's added as part of a larger DLC pack, I won't complain. Whether I want that DLC or not, though, is going to depend on how much I like the game.

It hadn't occurred to me that this could see the end to everyone getting different editions but that is definitely a huge plus. If that had been in X, Mrcns could have had fun when they innocently strolled back to Besaid long before they were ready to fight a Dark Aeon :)

[Jecht Shot]

As if its needed, the back of the box (up on Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/PopBackofbox.aspx?Product_ID=75085)) provides further proof that there will be DLC.

http://www.gamestop.com/common/images/bbox/200723_lback.jpg

I still wish that picture would've been the cover. :(

[Rad Bromance]

The FMVs are going to be encoded with BINK on the 360 version? Jesus Christ.

[nirojan]

HOLD ON GUYS!!!




Director Motomu Toriyama confirmed with me that there was no downloadable content currently planned for Final Fantasy XIII (because Square Enix wanted a 100-percent enjoyable experience right on the disc).

SOurce (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/106/1068556p1.html)

[Rad Bromance]

HOLD ON GUYS!!!




Director Motomu Toriyama confirmed with me that there was no downloadable content currently planned for Final Fantasy XIII (because Square Enix wanted a 100-percent enjoyable experience right on the disc).

SOurce (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/106/1068556p1.html)
"Not currently planned" doesn't mean "There's never going to be any".

Also, LOL using IGN as a source.

[Silvercry]

LOL at that screen shot. "Six must chose between saving mankind and saving themselves." No need to lie to us Square; we know perfectly well they'll be saving mankind regardless of the cost to themselves. There will be no choice involved; you are not Bioware. Your plots are linear and immutable, and I'm all for that. FF XIII=Day one purchase for me, but you might want to ease up on the hyperbole.

On topic: Hope this rumor proves true, I'll shell out for a New Game + mode. I still say it should be in every RPG, but were in the Age of DLC now. Deems the breaks.

[Baloki]

HOLD ON GUYS!!!




Director Motomu Toriyama confirmed with me that there was no downloadable content currently planned for Final Fantasy XIII (because Square Enix wanted a 100-percent enjoyable experience right on the disc).

SOurce (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/106/1068556p1.html)
"Not currently planned" doesn't mean "There's never going to be any".

Also, LOL using IGN as a source.

If I remember rightly in an eralier interview he said there was going to be DLC because the amount of stuff they had to rip out to save space meant they had enough extra game play to make an extra game or something.

[champagne supernova]

If there is DLC, then there will be an 'International Version' once they've all been released, even if its not actually called that. Like what they've done with Oblivion, Fallout, GTA - package the whole lot together.

If the DLC is worthwhile, then I don't mind paying for it. If it's rubbish or not worth the price, then I won't, simple as that. I mean, I didn't mind paying for the Fury DLC for WipeOut, because it was like buying an extra game for very little.