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The official Japanese site for Final Fantasy XIII's soundtrack has gone live, offering the ability to listen to the first ten tracks from the four-disc mega-album. Andriasang reports that the site will be updated with all of the discs' contents over time, along with notes on the tracks by composer Masashi Hamauzu, who worked with Nobuo Uematsu on the score for Final Fantasy X. You can listen to the tracks by heading to the site and clicking on the "track list" tab at the bottom of the page. The album releases in Japan on January 27 in both standard and limited "first cut" editions. If Square announces a domestic release, it'll be music to our ears. [Via Nobuooo]

Long before Tetsuya Nomura drew the spiky haired silhouette of Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife, one man defined the artistic style of Square's esteemed RPG franchise: Yoshitaka Amano. While Amano is still actively involved in the franchise (by creating the backdrops for all the Final Fantasy logos, specifically), some hardcore fans miss seeing his unique sensibilities applied towards the series' character designs. The latest Famitsu (via Siliconera) shows Amano's interpretation of the cast of Final Fantasy XIII. While hardcore fans can argue over which character designer is superior, we wonder: would Amano's art look right when rendered in 3D?

Bayonetta better than FF13, confirmed.

When Square Enix unveiled the English-language release date of Final Fantasy XIII, Joystiq commenter Chedder dared to ask the one question on everyone's mind. "Is it me or has the host of this video been drenched by a douche nozzle before they turned the cameras on?" Mega64 has the answer: yes. Mega64's parody announcement one-ups Square Enix's hyperbolic infomercial trailer with hilarious real-world "interviews." Oh, and if you're like Anemos, you'll probably love the ending. Check it out after the break.

Lightning never looked any better than this.

The Final Fantasy series has been known to have some truly epic box art in the past, such as the man vs. machinery motif of the Final Fantasy VII cover, or the lovely, all-inclusive tableau featured on the front of the last entry in the core franchise. Imagine our surprise when we received the images above from Games Press -- it seems the cover for the UK version of Final Fantasy XIII will be considerably more simple than the box art of its predecessors. [Update: The US version of the box art will be identical to the UK version.] We've posted larger versions of the two boxes in the gallery below. Check them out, but don't let those eyes of yours wander. Yes, we know her skirt is hiked to a precarious degree. We also know that the baby Jesus is watching your every action.

The Final Fantasy series has been known to have some truly epic box art in the past, such as the man vs. machinery motif of the Final Fantasy VII cover, or the lovely, all-inclusive tableau featured on the front of the last entry in the core franchise. Imagine our surprise when we received the images above from Games Press -- it seems the cover for the UK version of Final Fantasy XIII will be considerably more simple than the box art of its predecessors. We've posted larger versions of the two boxes in the gallery below. Check them out, but don't let those eyes of yours wander. Yes, we know her skirt is hiked to a precarious degree. We also know that the baby Jesus is watching your every action.

And you thought Halo 3-themed Game Fuel was bad. A recent round of advertisements have taken Japan by storm, all of which either shill for Final Fantasy XIII, or some product based on the unflagging RPG franchise. Posted after the break are a series of videos, including a short TV spot for the game, two ads for the presumably refreshing Elixir beverage, and a commercial for a commercial (well, a behind-the-scenes documentary) which will be released shortly after the game is released in Japan. Also, they're making a perfume based off the game's main character. It's called Lightning eau de toilet. There's no video advertisement to accompany this news, but we'd have been remiss had we not mentioned it to you.

In a feat considerably easier than breeding a golden chocobo in Final Fantasy VII, fans of Square Enix's thirteenth Final outing have unlocked a special Xbox Live Avatar item through the power of word of mouth (via keyboard). After garnering enough specially tagged messages on Twitter (some speculate that this may have represent some sort of "marketing tactic"), the folks at Microsoft have seen fit to entrust an adorable virtual chocobo to your Avatar. If you're in North America, UK, France or Germany and registered on the site, you can expect a download code via email by mid-December. If not, we've placed something after the break to cheer you up. [Via @AceyBongos]

Emotional confrontations are crowned with glimpses of the wilds of Pulse!

Square Enix has released yet another Japanese language trailer for Final Fantasy XIII, likely the last one before it hits retail stores across the Pacific. This five minute video features a lot of recycled footage from earlier trailers, but attentive fans will notice the reveal of additional characters (villains, perhaps?).Perhaps the highlights of this lengthy preview are the franchise's trademark over-the-top summons -- made even more spectacular and grandiose for this generation's first numbered entry into the Final Fantasy series. Of course, Square Enix fans would have it no other way.[Thanks, Brandon S.!]

Square Enix begins countdown to the final trailer.

Coming sooner than you might have thought!

Final Fantasy XIII will launch in North America and Europe on March 9, 2010, just a few months after it debuts in Japan and nearly four years after it was originally announced. Since that time, Square Enix's flagship role-playing game has become a multiplatform project -- the English version will debut on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously -- as well as the first part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series. It's also no longer the highest-numbered Final Fantasy game."We know that our fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installation of the franchise -- FINAL FANTASY XIII will exceed all expectations," said John Yamamoto, president, chief executive officer and official title shouter of Square Enix, Inc. "Coming simultaneously to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the first time, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be available to all players who are looking for the most immersive gaming experience of 2010." And you'll have to look -- we hear Q1 2010 is already swamped with immersive gaming experiences. That's not a complaint!

Let's say you want to drum up some interest for the Xbox version of a beloved RPG series that has traditionally appeared on the Playstation. What would you do? Why, use Twitter, of course! The Xbox.com Final Fantasy XIII page is holding a social media event of sorts, offering Xbox Live members the chance to win "a secret Xbox Live prize." The gist of it is pretty simple, register at the Xbox.com Final Fantasy XIII page (US or UK), then post a tweet that contains the #FFXIIIXBOX hash tag and the URL of said Xbox.com page. Once a certain number of tweets has been reached, the prize will be unlocked. There is no indication of what the prize may be, but we're hoping for some outlandish spiky hair for our Avatar. Barring that, we'd settle for a giant sword or some bizarrely effeminate accessories.

Spring 2010 gets even more crowded.

Multi-platinum singer songwriter Leona Lewis offers brand new song "My Hands" as game's theme song.

Meet the masterminds behind Final Fantasy XIII.

Pulling back the curtain on the U.S. release date at last!

"A Henchmen Inventor Tent Unto." Before reading on, why not try to solve that puzzle for yourself? It's an anagram, which means you can mess the letters about to spell a secret message. Here's a hint: It was posted by Square Enix as a tease for Final Fantasy XIII, meaning it probably has something to do with that game. What's that? "A Chevron Non-nineteenth Mutt?" We suppose that's a pretty good guess, but unfortunately, it's the wrongest thing ever. A Final Fan-site recently had better luck uncovering the message's true meaning: "Announcement Nov Thirteenth." The nature of this "announcement" is still up in the air, though our money's on an official North American release date for the super-anticipated RPG. Though, considering the speed at which the series is growing now, we wouldn't be surprised if Squeenix went ahead and dropped the Final Fantasy XV bomb on us.

When Shonen Jump recently revealed Square Enix's intention to include a "campaign code" for something in Final Fantasy XIV with the first printing of Final Fantasy XIII, we weren't sure what to make of it. Thankfully, Famitsu's latest issue (translated by Andriasang) details the inter-franchise crossover content a bit more, calling it a "secret in-game item" and reporting it can be input before the upcoming MMO opens up to the public for a "limited edition item" of some type. It's unclear if the item will be available for use in the PC beta.Apparently, Famitsu also notes that the item is exclusive to Japan and, though limited, will be included with all FFXIII PS3 bundles (also Japan-exclusive). Since we're certain that someone reading this is currently weighing the import costs of one of those bundles against the value of an exclusive virtual goody, we hope for you and your family's sake that a friend is by your side, calling in an intervention right now. It's really for the best.

And Alexander, and a growth system. The latest on Square Enix's RPG epic.

In addition to some awesome shots of Hope's summon, Alexander, a Jump scan reveals that the first printing of Final Fantasy XIII will include a campaign code for Final Fantasy XIV. That's right, a game will include content for its own sequel as an early buyer bonus. That's the world Square Enix has constructed for itself. Beyond the term "campaign code," we aren't actually sure what the content is. Is it a pre-release demo of the MMO? A beta? An exclusive quest to be downloaded in the final game? It isn't clear. But it's definitely some kind of Final Fantasy XIV content, and it's sure to entice those three guys in Japan who were going to buy XIV but not XIII. [Via CVG]

Square Enix stages holds tie-up campaign for the next two numbered FF games.

The next FF epic before April? Square Enix CEO says it's possible.

Click to summon bigger pictures. We're still dumbfounded by the fact that -- after years of endless CG teases and countdowns -- Final Fantasy XIII is actually coming out. While still pegged with a vague "Spring 2010" release, Square Enix has made good on its promise of a hastened localization. Already, the HUD sports English text, and the characters have been dubbed in English.The latest batch of screenshots released by Square Enix focus on Oerba Yun Fang, a character introduced at Tokyo Game Show as a traitor working for the government. She may start out as a villain, but it seems one way or another, she's bound to join your party: these screens show her (and her summon) in actual gameplay screens, proving there will be some interactivity between the hours of cutscenes FF13 is bound to have.

If you were planning on making yourself a nice sandwich for your first session of Final Fantasy XIII, it looks like you'll have to make it before you pop the disc in your PS3. According to IGN, director Motomu Toriyama told Famitsu that FFXIII will not require an install on PS3. Furthermore, other than the transition between town and field segments, the game won't feature any loading screens at all. Toriyama stated that loading time was one of the biggest concerns from the beginning of development. We're sure there were at least a few folks out there looking forward to watching a Chocobo take a smoke break. Alas, it just wasn't meant to be.

Plus, the latest on Versus, Agito, and The 3rd Birthday.

Plus, what's the summon that turns into Sazh's hotrod?

Wow