News: Final Fantasy XIII gaming update

Been playing the game everyday after work, found out that the battle system is actually very complicated, each character has several roles and each role has special abilities, then you create paradigms which are combination line up of characters with different roles, and you switch on the fly during battle.

I am still in the early part of the game where I don't have full control of part members, so each time a new party is formed, I have to try and memorize which paradigm is what...it's kind of hectic and kind of fun when you fiddle through the menu and try to beat the crap out of your enemies as fast as possible...

The game so far is quite linear, we shall see...

Also, I love the opening theme and will probably be buying the CD from eBay...

News: Final Fantasy XIII

I just started playing the game today, what a thing of beauty. The battle system is so easy to learn, yet, I love the fact that my efficiency in battle is graded, not sure if it means more treasure or what not, but getting 5 stars sure is satisfying.

According to Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII had shipped over 5 million copies world wide by March 10, and more importantly on a personal level, it was the first game in a long time that I paid full price for and bought in its debut week.

Get your wallpaper at the games' official website: www.finalfantasyxiii.com

Final Fantasy XIV

Looks like Final Fantasy XIV will be released in 2010 on PS3 and Windows, and it's going to be a MMORPG.

Review: Square Enix Play Arts - Squall Leonhart

The main antagonist from the video game Final Fantasy VIII was reincarnated by Kotobukiya in 2006 in the play arts format for 3800 yen. To be honest, I was both excited and annoyed when this was announced. Annoyed because just prior to the announcement, I shelled out twice as such for a fixed pose statue of the same character, but excited because all signs point to the new series of play arts (new at the time...) by Kotobukiya as a success.

The sculpting is superb, you can see that every detail is recreated down to the chain around his neck and the chain on his gunsword. The head, belt and jacket are made of a softer plastic or vinyl allowing it to "give" a little bit, while the rest of the figure is pretty much made of high grade sturdy plastic.

Several pairs of spare hands and a figure stand is included to provide stability, although the figure do stand on its own. There are multiple points of articulation (neck, shoulders, elbows, wrist, waist, hips, knees, ankles) and can do some dramatic poses, but kneeling down seems to be out of the question.

The quality of production and attention to details should be commended, I give this 8/10.

More reviews from the play arts series are on the way!