X10: Microsoft Announces Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 Bundle

UPDATE: According to Gamekyo, Europe will actually be getting two 360 bundles. In addition to the previously announced black Elite bundle, European gamers will also be given a white 'Super Elite' bundle that will come with the Special Edition of the game instead of the standard edition.

So, uh, still no Special Edition for NA, then? :(

Rumored earlier this week, Microsoft has taken a moment at their currently in-session press conference, X10, to announce a Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle.

For North America, the bundle will include a white 'Super Elite' 360 console (250GB HDD), 2 wireless controllers, all the usual wires and accessories, a 'standard' copy of FFXIII, and exclusive FFXIII-themed Avatar items.

Seeing as no 'special' or 'limited' edition has been announced for North America yet, it seems strange for Microsoft to specify that a 'standard' version of the game will be included. Hmmm...

Europe will also be getting a FFXIII 360 bundle, but it will be a black Elite (120GB HDD) with the same contents.

In addition, there will be several limited FFXIII white faceplates distributed across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Finally, Microsoft has announced that Xbox 360 is the only console that will receive a Final Fantasy XIII bundle outside of Japan, which is a pretty big deal considering its current 'exclusive to PS3' status in Japan.



The bundle will launch at the same time as the game on March 9, 2010, and will retail for $399. If I didn't have a 360 already, that would actually be a pretty sweet deal.

[Kotaku]

"Really Naughty Limited Edition" Planned for Record of Agarest War

So, I don't remember if I've truly covered Aksys' decision to bring Compile Heart's 'Soul Breed' SRPG, Agarest Senki to North America.

For those who don't remember this slightly obscure title, the game is basically a classic Japanese SRPG, complete with gridded fields, turn-based strategizing, and anime-style still art taking the place of cutscenes. Really, nothing specular there. Where the game sets itself apart is in the 'Soul Breed' system, which allows the player to choose a wife to bear his posterity for several generations. Which girl the player chooses to (ahem) procreate with will determine certain traits of his successor.

Along with this admittedly 'mature' subject matter comes the obvious fanservice - arguably the game's true selling point.

The original title was released in Japan in 2007 on PlayStation 3, then ported to the Xbox 360 in 2008 as Agarest Senki: Reappearance, and contained different and bonus content.

Aksys games has been known for some time now as the North American publisher for the title, but it was pushed back several times to allow for the 360 version to launch simultaneously here. With that, Aksys has claimed that the PS3 and 360 versions are now identical for the NA release, though it is still unclear whether that means the extra content was added to the PS3 version, or stripped out of the 360 version.

Though Aksys claims that this prevents rampant fanboyism over the title, they have chosen to release the PS3 version exclusively through PSN, while the 360 version will receive a classic hard copy, destroying any fanboy peace they may have been striving for.

To further the gap, Aksys has recently revealed a limited print edition (yes, only for the 360 version) that will include a soundtrack disc, a mousepad with boobs wrist rest, and a saucy pillowcase (pillow not included) for, er, more private encounters (I guess?), all wrapped up in a fancy collector's art box.

If you have the choice, I would imagine most gamers will prefer the hard copy, but maybe that's just me. I admit that the special edition sounds like the best deal (and a lot of swag) for $59.99, but I would never get it past my wife. Regular box edition will have to do for me. :P

Record of Agarest War will be available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (via PSN) on April 27, 2010. It is already available in Japan.

[Kotaku]

Kingdom Hearts DSi Pack for Your HARDCORE GAMING

As you all know, the premier gritty, hardcore RPG series Kingdom Hearts is making its way to the epitome of high-technology gaming, the Nintendo DS next February in Japan. What you may not know is that, in order to remind you that your current DS is now out of date, and the MUCH MUCH better Nintendo DSi is, in fact, way better, Nintendo and Square Enix have teamed up to bring you a Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Nintendo DSi bundle.

This limited and ultra super awesome package will include the game in question plus a Kindom Hearts edition original DSi with an original design, rumored to rival such works as the Colosseum and Michelangelo's David in terms of sheer artistic brilliance.

The bundle will be available in Japan at the same time as the game's release next February. You might want to think about pre-ordering now, just because greatness like this only comes around once in a while.

Here is the announcement via Famitsu.

Fable II Special Edition Gets Price Drop, Stuff Drop

Alright, everyone who has pre-ordered or was planning on buying the Fable II Special Edition later this month, I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that the edition in question will run you $10 less than you were expecting. Instead of retailing for a hefty $79.99, it will run for a slightly-less-hefty $69.99.

The bad news is that you won't be getting about half the stuff in the box that was originally promised. The collector's edition will be losing the premium box, the five printed fate cards, and the Hobbe figure.

The collector's edition will still come bundled with the Making-of DVD, the bonus Spartan armour and energy sword for your in-game character, "The Wrecker" Legendary Cutlass Weapon (assumedly another in-game item), and a bonus dungeon called "The Hall of the Dead" (though these bonuses will require connectivity to Xbox Live).

You can check out Microsoft's official press release about it here.

I'm not sure what to say here. I was initially turned off of the special edition due to its price, so the price cut is nice. However, I'm sure this will be a big disappointment to a lot of fans.

What do you think? Is the collector's edition worth its price, or are you canceling your pre-order?

Fable II is Special, has Pub Games

In epically old news, Microsoft and Lionhead's Xbox 360 RPG, Fable II has received its own special edition for release in North America and Europe this October.

The special edition will feature a special box set that will include a Hobbe figure, limited edition trading cards, a trial Xbox Live Membership, and a set of Master Cheif-flavored armor (from the Halo series for those who shut themselves off from everything non-RPG).

The limited edition will ship at the same time as the regular edition, and will run you about $20 extra.

Fable II will ship on October 21, 2008 in North America, and on October 24, 2008 in Europe. There is currently no word on when the Japanese version will ship, other than "2008".

For those who can't wait until October, a mini-game feature that will reportedly carry over into the full experience, Fable II Pub Games, is currently available on Xbox Live Arcade, and will run you the standard 800 points. Those who pre-order the game, however, will receive a voucher to download the title for free. Free is always nice.

I suppose for those who really jived on the first one, the extra $20 for all of the above-mentioned goodies is probably a no-brainer. For the ever Western-RPG-wary me, however, that seems like a little much. Standard edition for me, please.

What about you?

Tales of Vesperia gets Special Treatment

Tales of Vesperia gets released in 2 days in Japan, along with its very own premium pack (which, by the way, is 100% completely sold out everywhere except YesAsia - because they are charging like $800 or something crazy like that - and is apparently causing Xbox 360 shortages in Japan).

But what about North America? We like Tales of too, y'know! Sure, we get different boxart, but where is our special edition?

Well fear not, Talesophiles, Namco Bandai has heard your cries and announced (via their developer blog on IGN) a Special Edition for North America. Supposedly seeing a very limited printing (and this is one of the few Special Editions I believe will be limited), the special version will ship in a pretty "SteelBook" case, feature a modified version of the Japanese cover art by character designer Kousuke Fujishima, and bundle in a limited soundtrack compilation with tracks from Tales of Phantasia, Tales of Destiny, Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, and (of course) Tales of Vesperia.

The Special Edition will ship at the same time as the normal version, and run you about $10 extra.

To quote myself when I saw this last night, "This is hotter than porn!"