Yojimbo is taken out swiftly and easily this time around! But that's not where this episode ends! Well, the excitement takes a bit of a hit, but what can you do - after last episode's stress we need a bit of a break!

We hit up the beaches of Besaid for a bit, and then head to the quiet temple in Bevelle. The Gullwings totally don't get lost in either of these places, and we see some insight into the past of our most mysterious member. ...

*Game spoilers if you haven't played*

On January 15th 1800, Garnet celebrates her 16th birthday. That's not the only thing worth celebrating though! January 15th also marks the beginning of Final Fantasy IX and most likely the end as well, as we see Garnet celebrating her 17th birthday. ...

You heard that right! Some of the developers for Final Fantasy XV took time to answer a few questions on the official Final Fantasy XV forums via the Community Manager Dan Seto. They answered some questions about the battle system, the city of Altissia, and how the warp system works! Check them out! ...

On Sunday, January 10th, the world suffered a terrible loss. Choosing the words to describe how powerful David Bowie’s presence was in the artistic world, is difficult. At least to me. Which is why I’ll use these paintings to illustrate what I’m talking about. Because Bowie influenced more than music, and these pictures are one of the things that connect Bowie to Final Fantasy.


Yoshitaka Amano needs no introduction. A world-renowned artist with a distinct style, he is famous for combining elements of art nouveau and traditional Japanese woodblock prints. In our circle, he is known as the Final Fantasy artist. He has served as the lead character designer for Final Fantasies I through VI. Of note is the design of the Emperor from Final Fantasy II, who is explicitly modeled after Bowie’s portrayal of Gareth the Goblin King.

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Final Fantasy Tactics is an undisputed classic, if a bit obscure. Still, those who have played it are sure to remember Ramza Beoulve, the game’s protagonist, who has become the template for all Matsuno protagonists – strong, yet kind, and always trying to do what’s right, even if he has to suffer for it. While Ramza’s name and birthday can be changed at the start of the game, his default birthday is, apparently, January 12th! And that’s today!

So happy birthday, Ramza! Here’s a couple pieces of trivia to commemorate this occasion.

• Though Ramza’s appearance does not change base on class, it does change over the course of the story twice. This is the most out of any Final Fantasy, excluding other titles with job systems.
  
• Despite him sporting three outfits, the added FMV cutscenes in The Wart of the Lions in chapter 4, where he should be wearing his final outfit, still present him as wearing the black armor

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This week on Lets Play Final Fantasy X-2 we do some sidequests. You know, just for funsies.

Then head to help people in distress at the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, because The Gullwings help all people! Little did we know, a Zanmato or 6 was in store for us when we got there. ...

Back in 2003, Square Enix rereleased the first entry in the Mana series. Originally released in 1991 as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, as it made its way to the West, it was published as Final Fantasy Adventure to boost sales. The 2003 remake, called Sword of Mana, made many alterations to the original. Not only was the art style completely revamped to look more similar to Legend of Mana, but the battle system was also very different, and many characters were given vastly different personalities and roles in the story. The biggest addition was probably the option to play as a female character, whose story was completely different than that of the male hero's. While not a bad game at all, the changes made did not sit well with a lot of fans, who were hoping for a more faithful remake of their beloved Gameboy game.

Their prayers were heard when Square Enix recently announced that the game will be ...

Final Fantasy IX is making it's way to Steam in the west, hopefully in early 2016! The game also includes several new features, such as achievements, and game boosters such as a no encounters mode and high speed. The Steam page is already up if you'd like to check it out! ...

On this day six years ago, magic happened – Japan saw the release of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep on the PSP, and it has remained a much beloved entry into the franchise since. It's rare that an entry in a series delivers on all the hype, and yet it happened here. Ever since that harrowing secret ending oh Kingdom Hearts II, fans have been speculating and counting the days until this prequel to the saga revealed all. Here's six awesome things about Kingdom Hearts BbS that made fans scream with glee once they finally got to play it.

#6 Dearly Beloved

Starting with something simple yet iconic for the series as a whole, the Birth by Sleep rendition of Dearly Beloved is not only the longest and most complex one yet, it is also considered by many to be the version that expresses the tone of the series the best. Speaking of music...

#5. This boss theme

Yoko Shimomura once again proves she's the queen of blending classical music with electronica. The upbeat techno backgroud may seem a bit strange ...

Actress Sian Blake, 43, known for her roles on the TV show EastEnders and her voiceover work as Yugiri in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward was found dead, along with her two young sons on January 6th by London police. Ms. Blake and her 8- and 4-year old sons have been missing since December 13th. Three days later, a missing persons report was filed by her family. Foresnsic scientists went to search the family home on January 4th, and two days later found the bodies while excavating the garden.

Ms. Blake died from what police said were "head and neck injuries". Her partner, and the boys' father, Arthur Simpson-Kent, is currently being sought by police. It's rumored he left the UK for Ghana. Ms. Blake's sister stated that the actress had wanted to end her relationship with Simpson-Kent.

Sources: BBC, Kotaku ...

You know what I like? Outfits. You know what I like slightly less but still enjoy? Bravely Default. So today I am going to walk you through the job classes and judge their style in the meantime. I'll also do it in the form of a countdown, with my least overall favourite job appearing at the bottom, building up to my overall favourite. So join me on this quest to judge the fashionable ninjas and male Valkyries! ...

In this week's issue of Famitsu, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase gave an update on the progress for the development of Final Fantasy VII Remake. ...

Lara Croft returns in Rise of the Tomb Raider! With more structures that fall apart as soon as she arrives, more gruesome deaths, more gunshot wounds, more pissed off animals who want to tear her apart, and hand grenade after hand grenade. Made complete with a story so predictable even those of us who led most of our lives in bomb shelters can guess what's going to happen next! ...

The tenth anniversary of Final Fantasy XV's announcement is approaching and, appropriately enough, it looks like this is the year the game will FINALLY see a release!

According to director Hajime Tabata as he told Famitsu, the game is entering the debug phase, and the "real FFXV" will be showcased in March during the release date announcement event. Tabata is confident that "this is the year [they'll] release Final Fantasy XV."

Are you excited to see FFXV finally come out this year? What month do you think the game will be released? Let us know in the comments! ...