About Erren Van Duine

As a self-professed Final Fantasy fan, Erren created Nova Crystallis in 2009 as a place to collect the latest information on her favorite series. As owner and Editor-in-Chief, she also spends her time writing for RPG Site as Senior US Editor.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn teased for E3 2013

XIV E3

If it wasn’t obvious already, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will be heading to E3 this year.

As quite possibly the star of Square Enix’s booth space, the company is teasing quite a few reveals for its revamped MMO over on the Lodestone forums. As preparation is in full swing alongside the imminent launch of Beta Phase 3, the team is planning for several surprises – including some “exciting battle content” that attendees will be able to sample at the show.

Although E3 itself isn’t open to the public, Square Enix plans on releasing a wealth of new videos, live stream entertainment, and of course some exciting announcements. The show will run from June 11-13 – that’s less than a month away – so stay tuned!

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX European community video

KH Video

Square Enix has posted a bit of a “first impressions” video with several highlights from guests who took part in their Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX event a few weeks back.

Square Enix Europe hosted the event in London where fans were able to see the English version of the game, having seen its Japanese release a month earlier. The video they’ve uploaded today is more of a promotional trailer – complete with thoughts from those who attended. Check it out below.

Uncover new Final Fantasy XIV artwork in this Internet Explorer 10 promotion

XIV Artwork

Square Enix has partnered with Microsoft Japan to promote Final Fantasy XIV as well as Internet Explorer 10.

The pair of collaborators have constructed an interactive website where fans can voice their thoughts on all things FFXIV and Final Fantasy in general. As a reward, your messages will materialize in the form of “text art” that resembles designs by Akihiko Yoshida.

Since its inception, several artworks and wallpapers have been unlocked – the likes of which we have gathered here for you below. Be sure to click on each image for their full size.

Final Fantasy VIII PC re-release confirmed for Japan

VIII PC

Final Fantasy VIII’s PC port is making a come back, according to this week’s Famitsu. The magazine has the latest details on the game – originally ported to the PC back in 1999 – after months of Steam achievement leaks and other registry hints. Similar to last year’s Final Fantasy VII PC “revamp,” – which is finally being released in Japan on May 16th – FFVIII will include the same sort of game booster. That is, effectively allowing you to cheat by upping your HP, MP, and Gil levels to maximum. Presumably achievements and cloud saving support will also be included as well.

No release date or release outside of Japan was mentioned, but it wouldn’t exactly be shocking now would it? What with Square Enix’s love of ports and re-releases, we fully expect some sort of announcement to be made this week.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Digital Contents Selection and Ultimate Hits versions announced

XIII-2 UH

Square Enix has announced today that Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be joining its Ultimate Hits budget line of products.

Additionally, a Digital Contents Selection will also be available with a wealth of downloadable content that was released for the game early last year.

FF13-2_degicon_box_N

Priced at ¥2940 and ¥5040 respectively, the Ultimate Hits and Digital Contents Selection will go on sale in Japan on July 18th. The Digital Contents Selection is said to contain nearly every DLC item and scenario save for the Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect, and AKB48 designed outfit for Serah.

The Ultimate Hits version will also be made available as a digital download two days prior to its retail release, on July 16th, for ¥2,940 on PlayStation Network and 2,000 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live. The Additional Content Selection – which requires a copy of Final Fantasy XIII-2 – will be made available on the same day for ¥2,100 on PSN and 1,360MSP on XBL.

As of this writing, a similar package has not been announced for western territories.

Included DLC

Coliseum Battles

Enemy “Omega”
Enemy “Lightning and Lieutenant Amodar”
Enemy “Jihl Nabaat”
Enemy “Ultros and Typhon”
Enemy “Gilgamesh”
Enemy “PuPu”

Outfits

Serah’s “Summoner’s Garb”
Serah’s “Beachwear”
Serah’s “White Mage”
Noel’s “Battle Attire”
Noel’s “Spacetime Guardian”
Noel’s “Black Mage”
Moogle outfit set

Weapons

Serah’s “Genji Bow”
Noel’s “Calamity Blade”
Noel’s “Muramasa”

Scenarios

Sazh “Heads or Tails”
Lightning “Requiem of the Goddess
Snow “Perpetual Battlefield”

Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster PS2 vs. PS3 comparison

X-2 Comparison

Square Enix has updated their Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster portal with the first official look at the revamped FFX-2.

As with FFX, they’ve taken the time to put together a short comparison detailing the main differences between the original PS2 version and the updated PS3 version. In addition to updated models, the HD version will sport redrawn textures and updated FMV sequences.

PlayStation 2

graphic_03_ps2

PlayStation 3

graphic_03_hd

Final Fantasy X-2 will be available on disc as part of a two title bundle for PS3. PS Vita versions will be sold separately, with both versions set to include previously Japan-only International content. In the case of X-2, the inclusion of Last Mission has yet to be decided.