The excellent people at Mega64 have made their own version of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII North American release date announcement video. The original spot was hosted by a complete wanker and I’m glad somebody had the good sense to make a video that pokes fun at him. Check it out!
Category: Xbox 360
Xbox 360 Avatars Get Pets
Hot on the heels of the Xbox Live chocobo giveaway, Major Nelson has announced that all sorts of pets will be available for Xbox 360 dollies avatars, starting tomorrow. Captain Marketing said:
We’ve just announced that Pets are coming to the Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace. Tomorrow, the first shipment arrives and you’ll be able to choose from the following Pets at 240 points each:
Large Dog, Pug Dog, Dog in Bag, Cat, Siamese Cat, Long Haired Cat, Goldfish, Guinea Pig, Monkey, Bird, Snake and yes….a Pony.
This must be why Microsoft was reluctant to release Black Friday numbers. It didn’t want to steal thunder from its enormous dolly avatar pets announcement. *snicker*
I’m sure plenty of people will snap up these run-of-the-mill pets, but I’m not going to waste my money on one…until a moogle comes out. Are any of you going to buy one tomorrow?
Final Fantasy XIII North American Box Art
Square Enix has released the box art for the North American version of FFXIII. Here’s the PS3 box:
And here’s the Xbox 360 version:
Continue reading “Final Fantasy XIII North American Box Art”
Coffee Talk #37: Console Wars XXVIII — Black Friday
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Saints beating up on the Patriots, banning Canadian boxing judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel, or the Shakespeare play you want to see in videogame form, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As expected, it was a huge week for the “big three” console companies. All three did well during Black Friday weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the (American) results.
- Nintendo claimed that it sold more than 550,000 Wii systems. Adding in the DS and DSi, the company said that it sold more than 1.5-million pieces of hardware. To steal a line from Shelton Benjamin’s music, “Ain’t no stoppin’ me, now!!!”
- Sony claimed its best week ever (not EVAR!!!) for the PlayStation 3, selling more than 440,000 units. With a recent price cut and the introduction of the PS3 Slim, Sony has a huge opportunity to gain marketshare. It looks like the company is making the most of it.
- Microsoft hasn’t cited numbers yet, curiously. The company is putting on a positive front, claiming that it has its best week of 2009 and sold twice as many Xbox 360 systems during Thanksgiving week than it did the previous one.
Nintendo’s continued success isn’t surprising. Most people expected Sony to do well, but the company probably exceeded many expectations. Microsoft’s statements were the most curious. By not citing numbers and using the “we did better than last week” stance, the company looks lame. Maybe its number crunchers are behind and it will put out a strong press release later today, but for now MS looks like a chump.
What are your thoughts on the latest round of the console wars? Will Sony be able to continue its momentum this holiday season? I know you Wii haters out there are hoping for a sharp decline from Nintendo, but do you really think that’s going to happen? And what’s up with Microsoft’s weak-sauce statements?
Xbox 360 Controller Hacked to Work with a NES
In a brilliant use of technology, Francois Gervais hacked an Xbox 360 wireless controller to work with his NES. It’s great to see sharp minds tinkering with tech for (awesome) trivial pursuits.
Final Fantasy XIII Japanese TV Commercial
Here’s a recent Japanese television commercial for Final Fantasy XIII. I’m pretty sure the game will do well over there…but that’s just conjecture.
Today’s Poll: Are You Buying a New Console on Black Friday?
There are a lot of great gaming deals to be had this week and I was wondering if any of you are planning to bring home a new system on the busiest shopping day of the year. So….
[poll id=”12″]
Microsoft and Square Enix Reveal Chocobo Accessory for Xbox Live
Microsoft and Square Enix recently held a mystery Twitter promotion for Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360. Today it revealed the prize: a chocobo avatar item! While most of you are down on dolly avatar clothes for Xbox Live, I’m guessing that a lot of you would make an exception for a chocobo companion.
If you missed the initial promo, don’t worry. You can still register here to receive a chocobo in December. Now if only I could get a moogle to pal around with my Xbox Live avatar….
Rock Band Kiosks Invading Old Navy Starting November 26
In an interesting crossover, MTV Games is setting up Rock Band
Consumers will be treated to a rockin’ shopping experience when Old Navy unveils Rock Band game play kiosks in close to 700 stores in the United States and Canada. The kiosks will be featured throughout the holiday season, giving families a fun outlet during their busy holiday shopping trips.
In addition, six of the Old Navy flagship stores will install 10 x 10 fully equipped Rock Band entertainment stages providing consumers the chance to perform like rock stars. Families are invited to come down and play on Thanksgiving Thursday as part of the Gobblepalooza weekend. Customers will also get a chance to win a $200 shopping spree, Rock Band song tracks and other great prizes.
I absolutely dread holiday shopping and try to do most of it online to avoid the crowds. Somehow, I always manage to get roped into at least one shopping session, which almost always gives me a migraine. Being able to play Rock Band while my friends shop would be much better than Excedrin.
FFXIII Rips Off Mechagodzilla + More Gran Pulse Details
The fine people at Andriasang have translated Famitsu’s big Final Fantasy XIII
Pulse is full of giant beasts, some towering like mountains above the characters. The magazine has an interesting note about the Pulse creatures. They’re actually of the same origin as Cocoon’s creatures. The same type of monster looks different between the two worlds, as Cocoon’s monsters evolved differently due to their enclosed environment.
Of course, there’s more to Cocoon’s monsters than just natural evolution. The Cocoon government has been turning monsters into weapons by fusing them with mechanical parts. An example is the Behemoth III Reformed beast from the Advent Children demo. This creature was modified for army use, but it’s still a bit smaller than the King Behemoth monster you’ll encounter in Gran Pulse.
I’m fascinated by the concept of mechanized eidolons like Behemoth III. It’s a rip-off of Mechagodzilla, but in a totally cool way. At the very least, this concept is more interesting than the wacky gestalt mode and the tool hosting this otherwise enjoyable FFXIII video.
Anyone else down for Mechaleviathan and Mechaifrit?