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Given that Square Enix recently vowed they’d be making an effort to release their games worldwide simultaneously, I think we should take a look at the games we hope we’ll be getting around the same time as Japan. Starting with Fabula nova crystallis.

Fabula nova crystallis (Tales of the new crystal) is what all 3 Final Fantasy XIII games collectively form. None of the games are set in the same world, but are unified by the theme of crystals. Two of these games will be releasing for the PS3, whilst one them (Final Fantasy Agito) will be releasing for mobile phones. But nobody cares about Agito. I know I don’t. If anything in that game was relevant Square would release it for a console, not a phone. So let’s look at the two heavy hitters: XIII and Versus XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII

A major theme of XIII is exile. The game is set in the world of Pulse - a natural environment (think the ‘Savage land’ from X-Men) where creatures and also monsters roam free. Above the world of Pulse is the floating futuristic city of Cocoon. The beings that live on Cocoon live for the will of the crystal and also in fear of Pulse. Anybody who defies the will of the crystal are banished to Pulse. Those who carry the will of the crystal are known as Lusi. The athletic gunblade wielding beauty  is known as Lightning is speculated to be a Lusi. Despite looking as though she’ll be rolling solo, she will fight within a party as has been the case with previous Final Fantasy’s. The red haired girl looking like a sexy J-idol and the scruffy blonde haired man who looks like an older Seifer from Final Fantasy VIII will be members of said party and are also rumoured to be Lusi.

None of the plot has been disclosed as of yet, but I have a feeling the power struggle will follow in a similar fashion to Final Fantasy X and XII: with an order being set and followers of that order coming to question it and then realizing everything isn’t what it seems, then becoming rebels. As the X party questioned the teachings of Yevon and the XII party questioned the intentions of the Judges and Arcadia, XIII will probably have Lightning and other Lusi questioning if the will of the crystal is the right way to live and if the segregation between Pulse and Cocoon is really ideal.

Final Fantasy XIII see’s the return of classic summons such as Ifrit, Carbunckle and Siren amongst others. Square Enix have kept tight lipped on what role the Summons will play and how the summoning system will work. What can be confirmed is that the two blue ladies shown in the extended trailer are the Shiva sisters and that they can transform into a motorcycle. (Do not ask! And no jokes about being able to ride her). According to developers of the game, the Summons will appear in ‘digital form’. No f**king idea what that means. A shot was published in a Japanese editorial showing a disc falling from the sky and Carbunckle appearing from it. Will summons be on Blu-ray discs instead of crystals or summoning stones? Will you be able to arrange them a licence board or sphere grid that looks like iTunes? No idea. But let’s just be glad the classic summons are back. The summons in Final Fantasy XII were crap, useless and not memorable.

Watch it: Final Fantasy XIII extended trailer

Final Fantasy versus XIII

Final Fantasy versus XIII centers around a young blue haired man who is the game’s main protagonist and ruler of the final remaining city controlling crystals. The purpose and the relevance of these crystals are unknown, but given Square Enix felt the need to make 3 games explaining the them and that the blue haired dude has his city attacked by a swarm of troops, I’m guessing the crystals are a big deal.

As with XIII, the blue haired hero will amass a party which consist of a bunch of good looking guys who collectively look like a J-Pop band on a photo shoot for their debut album. A young girl has also been shown, but her role is unknown. Despite her appearing to fight our young blue haired hero, I don’t think she’s a baddie. It’s more than likely she’ll co-operate with him and join the party after having her arse kicked, or that she’ll get kidnapped for knowing some important information regarding the crystals and need to be rescued.

Versus XIII will be a darker game than XIII and will be the more action based of the two: sharing alot in common with Kingdom Hearts due to Nomura heading development of the title and having the Kingdom Hearts team work on it too. Versus XIII is already bearing resemblances to Kingdom Hearts: the blue haired hero who looks like a member of Organization XIII, the city shrouded in darkness which looks like ‘The world that never was’ and the blonde haired boy who looks like an older Roxas. Tetsuya Nomura likes to spin shit off unnecessarily, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow managed to tie Versus XIII in with Kingdom Hearts. Any excuse for him and Square Enix to spin a game off and drag shit out. This game is SO gonna have an unlockable KH related trailer, I can feel it.

Watch it: Final Fantasy versus XII extended trailer