April of 2010. That's the date when FF fans can celebrate. The release of Final Fantasy 13. Finally, the fantasy we've been waiting for.

Arguable this is the first FF installment that boasts a female heroine (I seriously do not count FF X-2 as having a female lead character).

We have been teased and toyed with, and our emotions played on like a yo-yo, but we can breathe a sigh of relief now that we have a release date. Now what can we expect to encounter in this series? Plenty. For one the graphics are exceptional. Beautiful is an understatement as to what Square Enix has done with this game. As you all know there is still vague information on this title as Square Enix is diligently working towards surprising the fans.

There are numerous video clips and screens. There's also a Japanese version demo to be played. All in all, there have been releases of new characters added to the mix. The summonig spell Shiva is still there, but this time around she is 2. Two sisters who fight in place of the party when called. One has a white face (NIX) and the other has a black face (Styria).

In this installment, your 'summons' are still able to fight along side of you, but you also have the option to 'RIDE' them. The summon Shiva has the ability to combine together to form a sort of Ice Motorcycle that is to be ridden. This in turn changes the battle into a 'Driving' battle with it's own button sequence. Not much else is revealed about the riding of summoned characters.

We are still in the dark somewhat as to the totality of the game and the final make up of what's to come. You can guarantee though, that this will be the biggest FF game since FFVII.


Snow with Shiva Summoned