Video Thirst: Final Fantasy XIII - Vanille and Hope Joy Ride Cut-Scene (Spoilers)

Video Games | Final Fantasy XIII | Japanese Vanille and Hope Joy Ride Cut-Scene

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Here is another cutscene straight from the finished Japanese product for your eyes to feast upon.

As I don't like looking at anything before I play the game myself, I don't know what it contains but if you want to be surprised when you click that play button go for it Final Fantasy fans!

12/20/09 Colton West

Video Thirst: Final Fantasy XIII - Sarah Crystalized Cutscene (Spoilers)

Video Games | Final Fantasy XIII | Japanese Serah Crystalized Cut-Scene

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

With the highly successful launch of Final Fantasy XIII in Japan, cutscenes have obviously surfaced onto the net and here is one of them.

What is it about? I have no idea to be honest but that is because I don't want to ruin the game for myself but if you are interested in seeing a cutscene from the finished product, here you go.

12/20/09 Colton West

Q1 2010 Is Way Too Crowded, Some Games Will Suffer

Look at the list below and you'll notice seven of the biggest games in 2010 are hitting store shelves one-after-the-other. If you only own one console, (PS3 or Xbox 360) then your problem won't be as serious. But if by chance you have the Xbox 360 and PS3, your problem is daunting, the only way you won't miss some of these titles is if you're millionaire, and I suspect most of us aren't. Do publishers coordinate the release of their games at all?

Because if they do, I'd fire the department responsible for strategizing and if they don't have a devision that solely handles when games should be released, one is desperately needed ASAP.

- FFXIII - March 9th, 2010

- GoW III - March 10th, 2010

- Bioshock 2 - Feb. 9th, 2010

- Heavy Rain - Feb. 16th, 2010

- Splinter Cell: Conviction - Feb. 26th, 2010

- Mass Effect 2 - Jan. 26th, 2010

- MAG - January 29th, 2010

All the aforementioned titles are heavy hitters and it's guaranteed that all the IPs that are already established will sell really well. But new entries into the market like Sony's new shooter, which holds a lot of promise will no doubt suffer. MAG as it is called will need massive hype and some extra offerings to pull me away from purchasing Mass Effect 2 for my Xbox 360. There's nothing Qunatic Dream can say that would draw me away from Splinter Cell: Conviction. Bioshock 2 will be out of Feb. 9th, which brings the amount of big titles released in said month to three, a dilemma which has serious implications, at least for the developers and publishers of said titles.

Even the established franchises are hindering the success of other. Take for example God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII, I recently wrote an article asking Santa Monica to please push back the release date of the highly anticipated, and what will be a highly successful game, and it seems as if they've taken notice, apparently the GoW III will be released on a later day in March than what they'd previously settled on. Which is good logic because I don't care what explanation one comes up with, releasing these games just two days apart is marketing and financial suicide.

Now, this article is NOT meant to start some fanboy rant, it's a simple observation that needs to be addressed. And just like Sony and Santa Monica took notice and pushed back the release date of God of War III (albeit by a few weeks), the publishers of the other titles need to consider the same. You see it's not only Modern Warfare 2 that needs to be feared, I'd say Bioshock 2 is a darn serious threat Heavy Rain...

But I'm sure Quantic Dream will make a wise decision, after all there's still time to adjust...

12/19/09 Ernice Gilbert

In Japan, Final Fantasy XIII Sold 1 Million Copies On Day One

And the first day sales numbers are in, results? Final Fantasy XIII destroyed the charts in Japan moving just over one million copies. Although this was expected, it's great to see the long running series still has a strong fanbase.

It's also the first time that a game has sold 1 million copies on the first day it was made available on the PS3 in Japan. Yoichi Wada and the gang must be smiling all the way to the bank now.

The game comes to the west on March 9th, 2010. I personally can't wait.

12/18/09 Ernice Gilbert

1.8 Million Final Fantasy Units Shipped In Japan

The hype has been building for years, and now the game is finally here. Square-Enix isn't taking any chances either, so in an effort to prevent shortages, the company has made available 1.8 million copies of the game for PS3 in Japan.

Several launch events were held at different locations around the land of the rising sun with hundreds of people in line. There are reports that the crowds for Final Fantasy XIII were seemingly larger than those of Dragon Quest IX earlier this year. Official sales numbers haven't been released but as soon as they're in, GamesThirst will make them available to you.

The game is out in the west on March 9th, 2010.

12/18/09 Ernice Gilbert

Final Fantasy XIII Fever Hits Japan Hard

It's typical that when a new Final Fantasy game is released in Japan, Square Enix naturally gets the hype train rolling.

With the December 17th release date for the Japanese edition of FFXIII just around the corner, fans and stores alike are preparing for What will arguably be the biggest launch Japan has ever seen for a videogame. Unlike North American retailers, Japan advertises the heck out of their big titles with such things as every drinks, full on building advertisements, magazine covers (almost all magazine labels it would seem) and even pop stars.

If you would like to see the full gallery of everything that Square-Enix has plastered across Japan to celebrate the new Final Fantasy, follow this link.

12/16/09 Colton West

Famitsu Final Fantasy Review Score Leaked

Famitsu review scores don't intrigue us that much here at GamesThirst, but when you're talking Final Fantasy then our interests peak.

The review score for Final Fantasy XIII from renowned Japanese publication Famitsu, has been leaked according to this source which includes scans of the magazine. In it, Final Final garnered a near perfect score of 39/40 which was expected, however it's important to remember that the same mag gave Bayonetta a 40/40.

The reviewer that deducted 1 point from the RPG's score complained of a "cluttered screen" which makes it difficult to see how much damage is being dealt. Other than that, all else is super.

"Beautiful graphics and superb story. These aspects can be enjoyed without feeling as though they're being forced upon you," Reviewer 1 said. "Combined with this, the extreme sense of satisfaction from the gameplay, is a direct result of a system that's evolved and reach perfection. With no vice to really speak of, at this time, this game stands at the RPG forefront of a superb combination of story and gameplay who's value can undoubtedly be experienced by all."

The third reviewer praised the game as being "extravagant and dense" and spoke highly of the sheer amount of content available in the game.

It's out on December 17th, 2009 in Japan and March 7th in the west. And it's looking darn good.

12/09/09 Ernice Gilbert

Final Fantasy 13 will be longer than usual

Now, if you’re a hardcore RPG person, and you’ve played Final Fantasy before, you know it’s never a short experience. Most are 40-50 hours of continuous game play until you’re ready to take on the last bugger. This is including secret areas, chocobo minigames, and weapon/armor perfection.

"For XIII, the size of the entire game is considerable," game director Motomu Toriyama said, as reported by Kotaku.

"Just running through the main story takes experienced players over 50 hours. For the first time, I think it's possible to play through in full about 60 hours or so."

Excuse me for a minute; I need to make sure I have the week that this beauty comes out off-work.

12/02/09 Allen Stewart

North American & European Final Fantasy XIII box art revealed

Well we knew they'd arrive eventually and now you have to wait no longer to see what the North American and European box art for Final Fantasy XIII looks like.

Images after. The game will be available early March 2010 for PS3 and Xbox 360 and according to Square-Enix will give gamers a new futuristic experience with beautiful worlds and great story.

It's arguably the biggest RPG of this generation and definitely the most anticipated; a must buy for everybody.

See the North American art here, and Europe over here.

12/02/09 Ernice Gilbert

New Final Fantasy XIII screens look darn sweet

As if we weren't thirsty enough for this game, Square-Enix has made it even worst with these new screens.

15 of them to be exact. Taken from last week's issue of the Japanese mag, and as we said, they are just beautiful.

The game's out on December 17th, 2009, that's just a few short weeks away. Get the full vibe through the link.

11/30/09 Ernice Gilbert

Final Fantasy XIII perfume coming soon. What?!

We all know that the Japanese have a tendency to always make tie-in products for their larger projects no matter how obscure. Video games are definitely no exception and it would now appear that you will be able to put 'Lightning' all over your skin and trust me, it is not in the way most of you are thinking right now.

A new tie-in perfume has been announced and will be called 'Lightning', naturally inspired by Final Fantasy XIII's leading protagonist. The 50ml bottle will set you back 7,140 yen or around $83 dollars on our side of the sea.

The perfume is described as having "yellow peach," citrus, and "lily of the valley," among other things and will be available in April of next year.

11/28/09 Colton West

Get a free Final Fantasy XIII avatar item on the Xbox 360!

Remember how Microsoft and Square-Enix were holding a Twitter promo for the Xbox 360 release of Final Fantasy XIII? Well, fans of the series banded together and unlocked the prize which just happens to be a special avatar item.

What item is this you're asking? Well let's just say its 'Warking' awesome! That was a terrible pun, but regardless, go to the link provided and sign up for a free avatar Chocobo! All you need is an Xbox Live account!

Sadly, it is only available in the US region so Canadians (like myself) are out of lucky.

11/26/09 Colton West

Video Thirst: Brand spanking new Final Fantasy XIII trailer

The biggest RPG of this generation will be on store shelves in Japan on Dec. 17th, and Early March in the U.S. and Europe.

Quench your thirst!

FFXIII multiplatform status causing a stir on GamesThirst, 360 owners say it'll look better on their box

There's a war going on in the comments section of this thread. A big argument about which console does FFXIII render better graphics on. It's a lot of noise so click on the link to join the conversation, or start one here for yourself.

It all began when we searched the web and found that most gamers who own the Xbox 360 and PS3 had made up their minds on which console to get the game. What we did not realize is the sheer amount of Xbox 360 fans who are claiming that the game will run better on their console because most games usually do, that's according to them.

This story is fascinating to say the least. Will Final Fantasy XIII sell well on the Xbox 360? Was it a good investment to pay big money just so this long time PlayStation exclusive franchise could come to the 360? If we're to go by the people who purchase the games, and who'll run out to the stores and pre-order online before it even drops, the answer is an overwhelming no.

The Final Fantasy franchise it seems was made for the PS3, and according to some, they'd feel like a dirty cheater to play this title on Microsoft's console. It's interesting news. But it's a topic that summons major discussion.

Once again, we ask you to share your thoughts, on this one here, or the other.

11/24/09 Ernice Gilbert

Western version of Final Fantasy XIII reaching it's final stage of production

Gamers over in Japan will be getting their hands on the newest Final Fantasy entry very soon, but folks over here on the west side have to wait until sometime in 2010. Fear not fellow RPG fans, as Square-Enix global president Yoichi Wada has recently revealed that the North American and European versions of the game are entering the final stages of production.

Does this mean that we may be getting our hands on it sooner than we think? Remember to check back on Friday for the secret announcement Square will be revealing regarding the North American and European versions, which will no doubt be their release dates.

11/11/09 Colton West

A look at the Chocobo in Final Fantasy XIII

In every single Final Fantasy game to date, there has been the Chocobo. The Chocobo is a giant bird that became our friends throughout the journey. Our heroes ride them into victory or even call upon them to aid them in battle, but things might be changing.

A scan taken from a new issue of 'Shonen Jump' reveals that Chocobos will be in Final Fantasy XIII as we expected, but have been given a makeover.

Hit the link for more.

Final Fantasy XIII drops leveling and experience system

According to Japanese magazine Shounen Jump, Final Fantasy XIII will not have a leveling system and no experience points. Rather than the normal trademark EXP, players will earn Crystal Points which can be used to upgrade each fighter's individual skills. Apparently, all of the traditional Final Fantasy skills such as HP and what not will need to be upgraded using these points. The only exception being MP, which is completely absent from this entry in the series.

The skill board that the CP is used on (similar to Final Fantasy XII's license board) is created in such a way that you are encouraged to upgrade each character into a specific role such as White Mage and Warrior - or something similar.