Famitsu have got their hands on some brand new screenshots showing us mainly the Active Time Battle system in Final Fantasy XIII. We get a first look at the ‘Battle Results‘ screen as well, which gives you your stats, TP bonus, and rank. The rank is out of five stars.

Right now, the battle system’s looking pretty great. As much as I’m looking forward to Final Fantasy XIII though, I can’t help but wanting to hear more about Versus XIII instead. It just seems so much more Final Fantasy VIIish. Hit the jump to see the screens. Read more…

Capcom executive Keiji Inafune has mentioned in the newest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu that “We’re finally putting out new Dead Rising and Lost Planet games! As a main principle we’re thinking about multi-platform, and expanding upon both slightly from the Xbox 360 version.” That’s a pretty strong hint towards both games being multi-platform; not to mention that most of Capcom’s games are multi-platform now.

Dead Rising is a game I’ve been wanting to play since it was released, so I’m certainly hoping for a PS3 version. I enjoyed the Lost Planet demo, too (although the full game is either nowhere to be found or way overpriced), so this is good news all round.

Some people love the Monster Hunter series, me being one of those people.  I am always looking for info on the new Wii title Monster Hunter Tri and luckily Capcom delivers. Read more…

The Last Remnant, a game previously doomed to the bargain bin before it was even released, has received a near perfect score from prestigious Japanese gaming mag Weekly Famitsu. The game got a 10/10/9/9 and a shiny Platinum Award. One review remarked:

Players might be confused at first because you’re unable to select specific commands in battle, but once you learn how to form a Union and play around with the options of Formations and their arrangements, the game gets really fun.

What the hell? Since when is this game supposed to be near perfect? I’ll admit to judging this game without even playing it – I mean, come on, it sounded kinda interesting but overall it never looked like you know, Platinum Award material. Even Amazon thought so – they were pricing the game at a $20 discount before it even came out. Now just today, it’s back to $56.99. Guess they read Famitsu too.

Source: NeoGAF

Several new FFXIII screens surfaced on Famitsu’s website today and I’ve got them, along with a Google translation of the copy from the page, included for you after the jump. Read more…

Just last week, we reported that the Japanese magazine, Shonen Jump, had uncovered the identity of that blonde haired boy from the Square Enix FFXIII trailer we’ve all seen about a million times now. His name — “Snow”.

Some of the older gamers out there may be thinking of this guy, and as shown in the image above, they aren’t the same — but they might as well be. Anyway, the latest Famitsu scans of the game, available after the jump, reveal Snow’s last name to be “Villiers”. Not sure how I feel about that just yet, but I guess it’s better than “Cone” or “Ball”. Hit the jump. Read more…

The same new issue of Famitsu that included footage of Bayonetta also contains another Mad World video. The MW offering doesn’t show much in the way of graphic content and was a tad bit disappointing considering there are a ton of videos floating around the web that better illustrate the games violent content.

If anything, this video is a watered down version of the game designed to be presentable to the masses. Have at it after the jump. Read more…

I was so excited after seeing Bayonetta at this years E3 that I did everything I could to share what I had seen with all of you — including sketching some key moments from the presentation. Well, thanks to the latest issue of Famitsu, you will all be able to see a short video clip released by Sega that highlights a small sampling of the games footage.

Unfortunately the clip doesn’t showcase any of the fighting mechanics we got to see at E3, but it does give you a glimpse into the style and overall art direction. Having seen the footage again myself, I stand behind my original statement comparing the games look to a mix between DMC and Final Fantasy.

The short video clip as well as three high res scans from the magazine are available after the jump. Read more…

Famitsu drops hints about how awesome Mega Man 9 will be, including plans for downloadable content (at least in Japan). Of course, they didn’t give us even a vague idea of what that content would entail. Other details were on hand, however, so check the jump! Read more…

The Dissidia: Final Fantasy site features some new info today, points out Famitsu. So far, a story section and a limited number of character introductions with cool portraits have gone up. Watch out for the really compelling loop of background music.

Famitsu also reports that anyone (who can navigate the Japanese website) can register to be a Square Enix Member free of charge and gain early access to a new trailer. Hit the jump for a rough story translation and the list of posted characters. Read more…

Announcing games extremely early has always seemed unnecessary and a bit torturous for fans. When multiple Final Fantasy XIII titles were announced at E3 2006 gamers were understandably excited, but two years later little more is known about the games.

A recent issue of Famitsu reports that the wait looks set to continue for quite awhile.

At E3 2006 Square Enix surprised fans and gamers by announcing Final Fantasy XIII hot on the heels of Final Fantasy XII’s release. What’s more, it wasn’t just Final Fantasy XIII that was on the way, but also Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

While various trailers have surfaced and Agito was revealed as a mobile title, we’ve heard little more about the projects. Now, Famitsu has revealed that the majority of the Final Fantasy Versus XIII team has been pulled off the title and reassigned to Final Fantasy XIII itself. Agito XIII is also said to still be in early production and story development. Read more…

This week’s Famitsu scans see another warrior sign up for fisticuffs – a Lucha Libre wrestler in a spandex mask. Read more…

Cave announced a new shoot-’em-up arcade title—DoDonPachi Dai Fukkatsu—at this year’s AOU show in Japan just a few weeks ago. At the time, the announcement rekindled my desire to see these great niche titles find new life and popularity on the current generation of consoles. News out of Japan seems to indicate that hope for such things may not be lost. Read more…

Famitsu has just unveiled yet another one of the new characters in the upcoming Street Fighter IV. His name — Abel. His game — amnesia? Read more…

Only six games had ever walked away from Famitsu with a perfect score and Super Smash Bros. Brawl just became the seventh. Read more…

“Heroes?! In MY Labyrinth?!”

Have you ever gotten lost in a dungeon? Frustrated, confused, swamped by enemies with not a single health potion left in your inventory? Well, have you ever wanted to be the jerkface that designs those soul-killing labyrinths you loathe so much? If so, then you clearly need to play “Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaiki da,” or “Brazen In Spite of Heroes.” Read more…