Square Enix has released new information on its upcoming line-up of Final Fantasy games. First of all, development of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation Portable is currently 65% complete. The game will be available in Japan later this year. RPGFan will have an in-depth preview later this week.

The use of summons in Final Fantasy XIII will be a major departure from series tradition. While their job is still basically to assist the heroine, Lightning, in battle, they will also offer a completely different set of abilities. Shiva, for instance can transform into a motorcycle. Lightning can then ride this motorcycle while blasting her enemies in battle. The implementation of such new action-oriented features to the battle system is apparently resulting in a lot of hardship for the development team. As previously announced, Final Fantasy XIII will mark the return of the good old ATB (Active Time Battle) system. That being said, the waiting time until a command is selected will be almost non-existent.

In Final Fantasy XIII' s world, crystals apparently have the power to create large machines and creatures. Therefore, the crystal has brought prosperity to the game' s world. Said world is sealed inside a giant shell floating in space. This closed society is fittingly referred to as " Cocoon." Its residents have long feared creatures from the outside world: and for good reason. In Pulse, the netherworld beneath the Cocoon, formless creatures have awoken and begun to spread fear and hatred among men. The governmental body inside the Cocoon reacts to this threat with drastic emergency measures. As a result of those emergency measures, large numbers of suspicious citizens are arrested and forced to migrate to Pulse. In these dire times, the Crystal chooses the heroine to fight those who try to destroy the world. This, however, pits her against the Cocoon society' s government. Square Enix also revealed a second important character: A blonde-haired, motorcycle riding man. The towering man is described by character designer Tetsuya Nomura as " cowboy-like." While Nomura would not detail his relationship with the heroine, he said the two do not share a usual relationship.

Final Fantasy XIII has yet to receive a release date in Japan.

In regard to its action orientation, Final Fantasy Versus XIII will feature a battle system similiar to that of the Kingdom Hearts series. The silver-haired main character will apparently be able to instantly teleport to the location where he throws his weapon. However, there will be limits to the usage of this ability. Using the PlayStation 3' s high specs, the team wants to create very dynamic and wide field maps, some with extreme height differences like in a movie. Other party members will feature weapons different from the one the protagonist is wielding. Character designer and director Tetsuya Nomura wants to show a trailer of the game running on actual PlayStation 3 hardware later this year. Nomura also explained that Versus XIII will not be a classic tale of good versus evil. The game will take place in an isolated kingdom. While it is a modern place, its order of swords and magic is based on the crystal. The crystal is the last of its kind. The battle for this last crystal will also mark the beginning of new era.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII' s release date is still listed as TBA in Japan.

The cellphone-based Final Fantasy Agito XIII is being developed as a full 3D title. Its protagonists will be tasked with protecting the crystal. Just like the other two Final Fantasy XIII games, Agito XIII has yet to receive an official release date.

Nice! With it being a full blown action game and all, I' m particularly interested in how Final Fantasy versus XIII will turn out. If it' s anything like the fantastic Kingdom Hearts (and chances are it will be) the game will no doubt be fantastic fun.

Also, i believe Kingdom Hearts 2 is a serious button masher, but the light
show you receive from it is fantastic.

The sultry Shiva turns into a friggin' motorbike?????????? I am going to kill

ORIGINAL: Calintz

The sultry Shiva turns into a friggin' motorbike?????????? I am going to kill

Perhaps, still with breasts though

Wait a minute that' s so very freaky

Any word on a Kingdom Hearts 3?

The sultry Shiva turns into a friggin' motorbike?????????? I am going to kill...

so finally the FF series has reached the bottom