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33 CommentsLightning Returns: solving mysteries and changing outfits in the strangest Final Fantasy yet
By Philip Kollar on Jan 17, 2013 01.17.13
As he introduces Lighting Returns to North American press for the first time, producer Yoshinori Kitase throws around some numbers about the previous games. Final Fantasy 13 shipped 6.6 million copies across two platforms. 13 and 13-2 combined have sold a total of 9.7 million. Kitase doesn't mention what putting those two numbers together reveals: There was a drop-off of over 3 million players between Final Fantasy 13 and its sequel. Whether it was disappointment in the first game, lack of interest in the follow-up or something else entirely, nearly half of the people who bought Final Fantasy 13 didn't return. A new more direct naming scheme is just one of the ways that Square hopes to draw players back with Lightning Returns. "We wanted a new title because Lightning Returns is a...
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2 CommentsLightning Returns devs discuss story, battle systems, and Tetsuya Nomura's fashion sense
By Kevin Gifford on Dec 25, 2012 12.25.12
Over in Japan this week, Square Enix caused a minor furor when it revealed a new trailer and some design images from the upcoming Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XII. Among the shots: A render of Lightning herself wearing an outfit that, shall we say, sets a new standard in unlikely battle armor for female video-game characters. "Why am I able to see her panties here?" one poster to Japanese forum 2ch.net quipped. "They've turned her into the hero of the next Assassin's Creed game," added another. "Tetsuya Nomura's sense of fashion has been pretty much frozen in time for the past decade or so, so I guess there's no saving it." Indeed, the new outfit is the work of Nomura, main character designer of the FF series and a guy who loves nothing more than putting extra chrome and belt...
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11 CommentsLightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 lets players postpone the apocalypse by completing quests
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 03, 2012 12.03.12
Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy 13, the third and final title in the Final Fantasy 13 saga, uses a time management system in which players can extend the hours until the end of the world by completing missions, according to a recent interview with designer Motomu Toriyama on 4Gamer. According to Toriyama, developer Square Enix is still determining how long an in-game day will be, with the current popular choice being between one and two real-time hours. The game's story will take place over the world's last 13 days, and once that time is up the game will have a definitive end. In-game time can be extended by completing quests and defeating specific enemies. This allows for more unique, player-specific game experiences, and different choices will yield different cutscenes and alternate...
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7 CommentsLightning Returns, but she's not going to be in your typical Final Fantasy anymore
By Kevin Gifford on Sep 05, 2012 09.05.12
Say what you will about the assorted games in the Final Fantasy XIII series (and many have), but you can't deny that Square Enix has tried to tell a pretty massive story through them — one that's coming to a long-promised conclusion with the recently announced Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. "There's always been this effort to expand the world, starting with the novel and assorted DLC we began with from the start of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns is part of that effort," producer Yoshinori Kitase told Famitsu magazine in this week's issue. "The idea here is that this connects from FFXIII-2 to mark the conclusion of the overall Lightning saga. We wanted to make it clear to gamers that this offers a completely new gaming experience. It closes the Lightning saga, but...
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41 CommentsLightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 to conclude Lightning trilogy, due 2013
By Michael McWhertor on Aug 31, 2012 08.31.12
At a 25th anniversary celebration of the Final Fantasy franchise, Square Enix revealed the latest development in the ongoing saga of Final Fantasy XIII heroine Lighting, unveiling first details on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2 and an all-new entry coming to consoles next year. According to producer Yoshinori Kitase, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will feature "a new gameplay system." "The game system is much more active, and the world features much more interactive environments as before," Kitase said. "Players can control Lighting as they see fit." Players will be able to perform "exhaustive customization" of Lightning, the game's developers said in a pre-recorded presentation shown at...
