Square Reveals Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Collection

Final Fantasy’s 25th anniversary celebration is in full effect over in Japan, and a rather interesting tidbit was revealed leading up to the main event. Andriasang reports that Square Enix will be releasing something called the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box, which includes the 13 core Final Fantasy games in one handy compilation.

The games in the collection include the following:

• Final Fantasy (PSone)
• Final Fantasy II (PSone)
• Final Fantasy III (PSP)
• Final Fantasy IV (PSone)
• Final Fantasy V (PSone)
• Final Fantasy VI (PSone)
• Final Fantasy VII (PSone)
• Final Fantasy VIII (PSone)
• Final Fantasy IX (PSone)
• Final Fantasy X (PS2)
• Final Fantasy XI (PS2)
• Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
• Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

It was initially unclear if Square Enix would actually be releasing PSone discs (and PSP UMDs) along with PS2 and PS3 discs, but according to its listing on Square Enix’s website, it appears that is the case. All told, the collection will contain 21 discs (18 PSone, 3 PS2, 1 PS3) and a single UMD.

It will also include a “special anniversary video disc,” a soundtrack spanning two discs and more.

The collection reportedly costs ¥35,000, or $447. It comes out in Japan on September 30th. Whether or not it will be released anywhere else remains to be seen.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

New Professor Layton 3DS Adventure Will be his Last

The second Professor Layton for Nintendo 3DS will also be his last, according to a translation by Andriasang.

The news was announced by Level-5's CEO Akihiro Hino during today's Nintendo Direct livestream. Roughly translated from the Japanese, the new game will be titled Professor Layton & the Remains of an Advanced Civilisation.

Although this game might mark the end of Hershel Layton, the series will in all likelihood continue with other characters occupying the central role. Layton Brothers: Mystery Room, for instance, places Layton's son Alphendi centre stage.

The game is scheduled for a Japanese release sometime in 2013.

More details to come.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

New Final Fantasy XIII Game "Just Entered Production"

Work on the new title in the Final Fantasy XIII series that will be announced in September has apparently only recently started.

In this week's Famitsu (via Andriasang), producer Yoshinori Kitase said that the new project only recently entered production and that we'd find out the game's title on September 1.

While it's not much, the news that the game hasn't been worked on for long lends credence to the idea that we could be about to see Final Fantasy XIII-3. When it was first revealed that new series details were incoming, many fans were hoping they may in some way relate to the long-absent Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but unless you count 2006 as "recent", it appears we can now rule this out.

The Final Fantasy 25th anniversary event in Shibuya kicks off later this month, with the new game scheduled to be revealed at 11.30 on September 1 through the "Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Saga: New Developments Presentation".

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and would personally prefer Final Fantasy X-3. Let him know your thoughts and feelings on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Japanese Agency Investigating Severely Overheating PlayStation Vitas

It appears that some gamers are having overheating issues with their PlayStation Vita handhelds, and now an independent agency sanctioned by the Japanese government is looking into the matter. Andriasang reports that Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun has an article discussing the inquiry, which is being conducted by Japan’s National Institute of Technology and Evaluation.

The overheating problem, which has only been reported a total of 31 times to Sony, appears to happen when gamers recharge their Vitas. Twenty-three of the 31 reported issues occurred in Japan; the remaining instances happened in Sony’s other three major markets: Australia, North America and the UK.

Sony is fully cooperating with the National Insistute of Technology and Evaluation; Andriasang notes that “Sony sent a detailed listing of the various incidents” to them. “In all cases,” the article goes on, “the problem involved the connection slot between the charging unit and the Vita burning during charging. There have been no reports of injuries.”

Yomiuri Shimbun has spoken to Sony’s Japanese PR department and received word that there will be no recall of the PlayStation Vita , as apparently the handheld itself isn’t to blame. Rather, Sony “believes that the problem is with people having liquids or other objects inserted into the connection.”

We’ve reached out to Sony for further comment and clarification, and will update when we hear back.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Final Fantasy Versus XIII NOT Cancelled

Despite rumours to the contrary last week, Square Enix's CEO has revealed that Final Fantasy Versus XIII has not been cancelled.

According to Andriasang, Yoichi Wada confirmed via Twitter today that the game is alive and well.

“

Just a minute ago, the regular Versus meeting ended. If you saw the presentation of the city, it'd knock you off your feet.

"There's someone making a false rumour that Versus was cancelled," he said. "Haha... just a minute ago, the regular Versus meeting ended. If you saw the presentation of the city, it'd knock you off your feet - lol."

Many were convinced the game had been canned after a suspicious absence at E3 this year. When reports of the title's cancellation surfaced on Kotaku last week, Square Enix refused to comment on rumours or speculation, further fuelling our fears.

The fact that the game lives on, however, means the reported Final Fantasy XIII announcement expected in September could very well relate to it in some way. Considering the title has been in development since 2006, we're long overdue for some news.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII was originally announced in 2006 as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series of games. The other games two games in the series announced at the same time, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0 have both been released, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 has also been announced and launched since.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and is overjoyed upon hearing that he'll one day get his grubby mitts on Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Share in his glee on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com