This morning Naoki Yoshida, producer of Final Fantasy XIV, issued an announcement regarding current ongoing changes and patch 1.22, which has a targeted release date of late April. He first discussed this month’s patch 1.21, saying how hard his team worked on developing the job quests, and that he had personally involved himself in writing some of the text. Two NPCs from the monk quests, Professor Erik and Widargelt, appear to have especially popular.

The bulk of the article is a list of changes that are ongoing or set for patch 1.22. This includes new quests, new enemies, and additions to the crafting systems. Also planned for patch 1.22 is the development of entirely new gameplay systems, such as the Hamlet defense, a cooperative system whereby players work to defend local areas. All in all, exciting changes are afoot.

In additional FFXIV news, the world merge is starting tomorrow, March 27. The link describes which worlds are merging and the new names. In some cases, two or more characters on the newly-minted ...

In the late 13^th century and early 14^th century there was a particular Japanese man who went by the name Masamune. He was particularly renowned as the best sword smith ever to live, and created many masterful pieces of work. Masamune’s skill was legendary – literally – and so it is no surprise that his name entered Japanese folklore. Being a series native to the land of the rising sun and so heavily based on mythos from around the world, it is little wonder that every Final Fantasy game to date references the legendary sword smith, attaching his name to the most powerful of swords.

There is one particular legend regarding Masamune and his student, Muramasa. Muramasa was a fine sword smith, and thought himself comparable to his master, so he challenged Masamune to see which of them could make the ultimate sword. They worked tirelessly and once they were complete, it was time to begin the test.

To test which sword was greater, the two men would suspend their blades with the sharp edge facing the current. Muramasa's sword, the Juuchi Yosamu, sliced everything that flowed towards it; fish, leaves floating down the river, the very air which blew on it. Masamune was impressed with his student’s ...

After seeing a lot of success in Japan, SquareEnix announced via Facebook yesterday that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy would be released in North America, Europe, and PAL territories this summer. A more specific release date has not been announced.


Theatrhythm is a rhythm game for 3DS featuring music and characters from all of the Final Fantasy games. It was the third highest selling game in Japan the week it was released, and has been praised by famous game composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Meanwhile, Japan just released its third set of DLC for the game. Here's the trailer:

...

Square Enix has put out a press release announcing the start of a Steam sale which will see 50% off all Square Enix games and DLC, and up to 75% off certain products. The promotion will run until the 25th of March, meaning you should stop reading and head over there right now!

In addition to the Final Fantasy series and other Square Enix published titles, you can also pick up a bundle pack with 15 games, including Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Tomb Raider: Legend, Just Cause 2, Thief: Deadly Shadows and Hitman: Blood Money for one low price. Time to take advantage of Square Enix's generosity and pick up all those titles you might have missed!

Keep an eye out for the daily 75% off deals during the next few days, and make sure you don't miss out on these great savings. Between this Steam sale and the PSN Spring Fever sale, there's no reason to pay full price for your favourite Square Enix games! ...

If you haven't already bought the classic Final Fantasy titles on PSN yet, now's your chance! Every year, PSN has special offers and discounts each week for three weeks that they call Spring Fever. This week they are offering the classic FFs with large discounts! It even has the PSP's Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection! Some people may have missed grabbing that one last year. If you don't have these already on your PS3 or PSP, now would be the perfect opportunity to pick them up! Check out the discounts! DISCOUNTS! Who doesn't love a good deal?


All deals are 30% off but for Playstation Plus members, you'll be able to get things 50% off!

Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Origins
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions

Purchase them at their discounted prices soon before the sales go poof! ...

With Heroes of Ruin, Square-Enix’s latest action-RPG for the 3DS, coming out late next week, the hype is building up. Last week saw the release of a new customization trailer, and just today the Heroes of Ruin website announced a giveaway for an Astro Gaming headset.




In case you missed it, you definitely need to check out the previous trailer. The story seems fairly simple: the game takes place in the world of Veil, where a Lord is stricken by a curse. You play one of four mercenaries, each with their own strengths and style of fighting, who undergo a quest to save the kingdom. In order to do so, you must explore a dynamic world full of magic, build your skills, and battle monsters. The trailers and screenshots show a number of diverse environments to traverse and creatures to fight.




The gameplay is a major draw, especially for multiplayer. Heroes of Ruin allows you drop in-and-out of others’ games over Wifi or online, with up to four players per game. Additionally, the developer has promised daily DLC in the form of new gameplay challenges and quests. How much the DLC will add to the game is still an open question, but really, what more could you ask for post-release? ...

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is about to get some Commander Shepard "all up" in their game. Siliconera was the first to report last month about a possible DLC containing outfits from the hit Mass Effect series for our heroes Noel and Serah.

The newest edition of Famitsu has hit stores in Japan. It has confirmed and given us a date for this Mass Effect DLC! According to Siliconera, the DLC will drop on March 27th. That's only a few days away. While Kotaku found the pictures in the magazine. If you are a fan of Bioware and Sqaure Enix this will be the DLC you'll want to pick up!

This isn't surprising seeing as they already have the Assassin's Creed Revelations Outfit DLC. It seems like Square-Enix is offering the olive branch to multiple different developers. Hopefully this will be productive in other areas in the future!



Famitsu also revealed DLC packs for Final Fantasy VI villains Ultros and Typhon! They will be coliseum type fights and once you defeat them, you can use the monster system to make them ...

Since Square-Enix acquired Eidos a couple of years ago, it has developed reboots to several old titles that were widely popular a decade ago, from Deus Ex to the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot. Now, there’s a rumor going around that the next major reboot will be Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, an action-adventure series that started in the mid-90s on the Playstation.

The Legacy of Kain series was most known for its dark atmosphere and story-telling, highlighted by its anti-hero protagonists. It was widely regarded as a successful and enjoyable series, so a reboot would not be terribly shocking. Look for further information to come out later this year (possibly at E3), and – for fans of the series – keep your fingers crossed.

Additionally, some of the original series has been rereleased on the PSN, so those who have never played the games before should definitely try them out! ...

Tetsuya Nomura, director of the Square Enix-Disney collaboration that is the Kingdom Hearts series announced that the upcoming instalment Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] will reveal many truths about the series.

Nomura teased fans in his interview with Famitsu magazine, discussing key characters and alluding to events that wrap up the plotline of this story arc. Additionally, Nomura mentioned that KH3D will have the longest cutscene of the series.

“If I had to say who the key persons were, I’d say they are the silver haired boy and Axel,” Nomura said. “This time at the end of the story, there will be the longest cutscene of the whole series where the true form of Ansem and Xemnas, as well as their goals and many other truths will be revealed all at once.”

With the Xehanort Cycle completed, Square Enix will perhaps finally get around to Kingdom Hearts 3. KH3D is shaping up to be an impressive instalment, with the introduction of two new features: Ability Link and Dream Eater.

Nomura ...

Final Fantasy: The Novel? People have always said that the Final Fantasy games were like playable novels but this time Square-Enix is making that statement true!

Final Fantasy Type-0 is getting a novelization at the end of April. This lovely book will be titled Final Fantasy Type-0: Change the World -The Answer-. It will clock in at 274 pages. Not much is yet known about it but it is listed on Square-Enix's website already with a summary of:



Look for it at the end of April in Japan! ...

This is all about Grandma Potpourri!

Many of you may not even know about Grandma Potpourri but I assure you, she is THE most important character to ever grace the screen of a Final Fantasy game.

Why? You may ask. It’s a valid question. A stupid question but a valid one nonetheless. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you just don’t know about her. First off, let's analyze where she comes from and what she looks like to understand her as as a character.

[img]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx68/Prettyypenguin/FF%20IX/potpourriart.png[/img]

Grandma Potpourri is in Lindblum before things go wickty wack there. She sells pots outside the Weapon and Armor shop. It’s a respectable business, people need some place to store their stuff and that’s where she comes in. She even keeps her pots there when they have the Festival of the Hunt! You’d think she’d put them inside at least, but no. No she lets them sit there. That’s how high of quality her pots are that she offers! She doesn’t make much of a living off of them but she has a good time selling them.

[IMG]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx68/Prettyypenguin/FF%20IX/potpourri1.png ...

MMORPG.com recently interviewed Naoki Yoshida, one of the leading producers on the Final Fantasy XIV team, regarding the game’s future. This interview mainly regarding patch 1.21 (released earlier this month) and the upcoming re-launch, aka patch 2.0. The interview also covered upcoming developments in housing and Hamlet Defense, a planned feature involving cooperative strategy.

According to Yoshida, patch 1.21 is the final main step in the game’s development before the big relaunch, and that he is proud of the current developments. He claimed that players would have been much more satisfied had the game been in its current form on original release, though he admits that there is much more to do (mentioning a guild system).

While the player satisfaction issue may be true, it says a lot that it took over a year to get to that point. Still, it looks like there are a lot of major developments going on and that the re-launch will involve a much different and more polished game than ...

Look at that cute face! How can you not squee about that? 3D Sora! COME ON! It's to be released in only 11 days in Japan and we haven't been squeeing! I am ashamed!



Famitsu just released a bunch of screens and info about Kingdom Hearts: [Dream Drop Distance]. Even loved to mention a new mini game in it. It seems reminiscent of CoM, in my opinion. It's called Flick Rush! You pick three Dream Eaters and then go head to head with your opponent over a local wireless connection. You then use cards to make your moves. It makes an arena type battle by the looks of it. When you win, you get medals which will allow you to get recipes and new commands.




There's soooo much info!

• There will be about 50 dream eaters you can "catch" to work with you. That's not including the bosses. Dream eaters of course, are the new enemy.They are either Spirits or Nightmares.
• Treat your Dream Eaters right and they will grow, treat them badly and they well... wont.
• Your fighting style changes based on what Dream Eaters you use.
• You can name them! (Sqaure enix is just filling my fangirl need to customize cute things.

...

On the Amazon Deals page, I stumbled across this deal where you can buy FFXIII-2 for the PS3 or 360 and get a copy of XIII for free. The offer expires on March 31, so I figured it warranted a post.

For you lazy people who haven't played XIII yet, it's a pretty good deal. ...