Entertainment Electronics Blog

Final Fantasy XIII has been a long time coming, and no doubt part of that is because it’s the first big PlayStation 3 game for Square Enix. But as it turns out, there’s another reason for the long wait: It started its development life on the PlayStation 2.

“Final Fantasy XIII was originally meant to be a PS2 title, but we had to switch systems due to the arrival of the PS3,” said producer Yoshinori Kitase to the Dutch version of Official PlayStation Magazine (as translated by FinalFantasy-XIII.net, via VG247). “That cost us about one and a half years and was constantly a case of trial and error.”

So what did this ill-fated PS2 version of Final Fantasy XIII look like? Thanks to a book covering all things FFXIII recently released in Japan called “Scenario and Battle Ultimania,” we can see for ourselves — it provided screenshots from what were apparently two different builds with wildly different graphical styles, and FinalFantasy-XIII.net again comes through with a few (very blurry) scans. Check out two shots below of the versions of FFXIII that were not to be.

In Japan this week, Namco Bandai Games released the first details for Ar tonelico III, the latest in the RPG series that’s been released faithfully by NIS America over in the States. The new title, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, is set to go on sale January 28 over there for 7329 yen.
The first new game in the Ar series for about two years, Ar tonelico III is once again built around the concept of Song Magic, sung in a unique language known as Hymnos. This magic is the key to both the story and the battle scenes; it can also only be wielded by Reyvateils, who just happen to be really cute anime girls. Aoto, the hero, jouneys with two of these Reyvateils, Saki and Finel, in his journey.

As in previous games, you have the ability to “dive” into the minds of these Reyvateils, helping them unleash their full set of magic. Unlike previous games, though, the heroines have multiple personalities they can switch between, which can alter what abilities they have during battle. In addition, you can pick up parts of songs while diving into the girls’ minds, which you can then put together to form your own magic in the midst of battle.

More information on Ar tonelico III will be unveiled at the Akihabara Entertainment Festival 2009, set to take place this Sunday in Tokyo.

Electronic Arts Inc. has unveiled the UK cover athletes for EA SPORTS’ FIFA 10. Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard and Arsenal’s rising star, Theo Walcott, join Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney as the faces of FIFA 10 in the UK.

“FIFA is definitely the best football game on the market, and I am delighted to be featured on the cover again,” said Manchester United and England striker, Wayne Rooney. “I play the game regularly online and against a lot of the lads at the club and I’m looking forward to the 360 degree control as it will make FIFA even more realistic than any other football game out there. “

“I’m really pleased to be part of the EA Sports FIFA franchise. Being on the cover of this great football video game with such a long history is really special for me, “said Lampard.

“To join the likes of Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard on the cover of FIFA is a huge honour for me,” said Theo Walcott. “FIFA is the game of choice in the Arsenal dressing room so I’ll have to keep on top of my game to make sure I’m the best FIFA 10 player at the club.”

FIFA 10 will be the first-ever football game to exhibit ‘true’ 360-degree dribbling action. 70% of total development time was apparently devoted to refining and improving the series’ gameplay. The rest 30% was spend on innovating and adding brand-new features to the game. Therefore, players certainly have a good reason to expect its coming. And FIFA 10 will be available in stores worldwide from October 2 on PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, PC platform and NDS. For Nintendo DS owners, R4 DS cards no doubt are perfect preparation for this upcoming exciting game!

R4 DS Revolution Card

Taylor Swift will soon be playing in a living room near you. Swift will be making her video game debut this November in “Band Hero.” Due for release in November from Activision for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS Lite, “Band Hero” is being developed by NeverSoft, makers of the latest “Guitar Hero” games.

Her songs “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” from her double-platinum album Fearless will be in the game, along with “Picture to Burn” from her self-titled debut record, which has gone quadruple-platinum.

“Anything that encourages people to pick up an instrument and play, I’m fully behind,” she said in a statement. “And I’m really excited about ‘Band Hero,’ because not only are fans getting to play my songs, but I’m actually in the game.”

“There are so many awesome things that go into being in ‘Band Hero,’ like getting to customize my band to look like my touring band, and it’s so cool for people to feel like they are experiencing one of my concerts,” Swift said. “This is one of the closest things out there to going to see me perform!”

Band Hero will use guitar and drum controllers as the Guitar Hero games do. Among the other music acts already announced to be in the game: the Jackson 5, No Doubt, Lily Allen and The All-American Rejects.

With only about a month to go, Activision has revealed the complete 85-song setlist appearing in their upcoming music game Guitar Hero 5, scheduled for release on September 1. Here’s the tracklist:

3 Doors Down – “Kryptonite”
A Perfect Circle – “Judith”
AFI – “Medicate”
Arctic Monkeys – “Brianstorm”
Attack! Attack! UK – “You And Me”
Band Of Horses – “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands”
Beastie Boys – “Gratitude”
Beck – “Gamma Ray”
Billy Idol – “Dancing With Myself”
Billy Squier – “Lonely Is The Night”
Blink-182 – “The Rock Show”
Blur – “Song 2″
Bob Dylan – “All Along The Watchtower”
Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name”
Brand New – “Sowing Season (Yeah)”
The Bronx – “Six Days A Week”
Bush – “Comedown”
Children Of Bodom – “Done With Everything, Die For Nothing”
Coldplay – “In My Place”
Darker My Love – “Blue Day”
Darkest Hour – “Demon(s)”
David Bowie – “Fame”
Deep Purple – “Woman From Tokyo (’99 Remix)”
The Derek Trucks Band – “Younk Funk”
Dire Straits – “Sultans Of Swing”
The Duke Spirit – “Send A Little Love Token”
Duran Duran – “Hungry Like The Wolf”
Eagles Of Death Metal – “Wannabe In L.A.”
Elliott Smith – “L.A.”
Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)”
Face To Face – “Disconnected”
Garbage – “Only Happy When It Rains”
Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
Gov’t Mule – “Streamline Woman”
Grand Funk Railroad – “We’re An American Band”
Iggy Pop – “Lust For Life (Live)”
Iron Maiden – “2 Minutes To Midnight”
Jeff Beck – “Scatterbrain (Live)”
Jimmy Eat World – “Bleed American”
John Mellencamp – “Hurts So Good”
Johnny Cash – “Ring Of Fire”
Kaiser Chiefs – “Never Miss A Beat”
The Killers – “All The Pretty Faces”
King Crimson – “21st Century Schizoid Man”
Kings Of Leon – “Sex On Fire”
Kiss – “Shout It Out Loud”
Love and Rockets – “Mirror People”
Megadeth – “Sweating Bullets”
Motley Crue – “Looks That Kill”
Muse – “Plug In Baby”
My Morning Jacket – “One Big Holiday”
Nirvana – “Lithium (Live)”
Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
No Doubt – “Ex-Girlfriend”
Peter Frampton – “Do You Feel Like We Do? (Live)”
The Police – “So Lonely”
Public Enemy Featuring Zakk Wylde – “Bring the Noise 20XX”
Queen & David Bowie – “Under Pressure”
Queens Of The Stone Age – “Make It Wit Chu”
The Raconteurs – “Steady As She Goes”
Rammstein – “Du Hast”
The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil”
Rose Hill Drive – “Sneak Out”
Rush – “The Spirit Of Radio (Live)”
Santana – “No One To Depend On (Live)”
Scars On Broadway – “They Say”
Screaming Trees – “Nearly Lost You”
Smashing Pumpkins – “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
Sonic Youth – “Incinerate”
Spacehog – “In The Meantime”
Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
Sublime – “What I Got”
Sunny Day Real Estate – “Seven”
T. Rex – “20th Century Boy”
The Sword – “Maiden, Mother & Crone”
Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”
Thrice – “Deadbolt”
Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down A Dream”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “American Girl”
TV On The Radio – “Wolf Like Me”
Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk”
Weezer – “Why Bother?”
The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid”
Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music”
Wolfmother – “Back Round”

So glad it’s over, and this upcoming game launchs on PS3, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360.

The two hip-hop stars Jay-Z and Eminem are collaborating once again, not for a new album, but for a new rhythm game releasing this fall, the Renegade Edition of DJ Hero.

Named after the Jay-Z and Eminem song of the same title, DJ Hero Renegade Edition will include an exclusive CD two-pack with unreleased tracks from both artists, as well as a premium turntable controller with a convertible stand.

Several mash-ups have already been revealed for the final game:

 ”Feel Good Inc.” by the Gorillaz vs. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye
 ”Jayou” by Jurassic 5 vs. “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock
 ”Shout” by Tears for Fears vs. “Pjanoo” by Eric Prydz
 ”Bustin Loose” by Chuck Brown vs. “Time of the Season” by the Zombies (DJ Shadow Mix)
 ”All Apologies” by Nirvana vs. “Give It to Me Baby” by Rick James (DJ Shadow Mix)
 ”Let’s Dance” by David Bowie vs. “Jack of Spades” by KRS One (DJ Shadow Mix)

No word yet on how much will this special edition cost. But it won’t be low-priced with the standard version already priced at an arguably steep $119.99.

Shirley Manson, actress and lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage, will appear as a playable character in the upcoming Guitar Hero 5. As fans of the band may have guessed, Garbage’s contribution track to Guitar Hero 5 will be their breakthrough single “Only Happy When It Rains”, originally featured in their self-titled Grammy award-winning debut album released back in 1995. In the behind the scenes video below, Shirley said: “I really love Guitar Hero. I’m thrilled to be one of two girls in it. They did a scan of my face then I had to put on this weird suit, it was super-freaky.” Here’s some screenshots.

Launching this September, Guitar Hero 5’s entire set list is available from the start, featuring hits from more than 80 artists and bands, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend, plus more than 25 artists from a variety of music genres that will be making their music video game debuts. Guitar Hero 5 will be released for the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

For those who haven’t picked up a Guitar Hero game in some time, I believe that this will significantly added to your interest in Guitar Hero 5.

Guitar Hero controller