M U L T I

- Famitsu revealed the review score for Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII for PS3, the game received 10, 9, 10, 10 - (39/40). Here are some rough translation of the reviewers comments: (Source: Neogaf)

• Reviewer #1 - 10
  Although the game is linear until the midway point, the story is substantial, like no FF before it, with its own distinctive appeal. The battles based around changing characters' roles are fresh and highly strategic. The tempo is speedy and you get very excited when fighting strong enemies. Being able to restart battles is a user-friendly feature I'm happy about.
• Reviewer #2 - 9
  Unquestionably the highest echelon of event and movie scenes. Moreover, changing Optimas on a dime, the varied abilities and being able to use multiple magics at once bring real exhilaration to the battles. That high quality is unfortunately offset by a story that stays linear until the midway point. The lack of gimmicks during the middle of the game also worried me.
• Reviewer #3 - 10
  The overwhelming graphics expressing every nook and cranny of this unique world, along with the praiseworthy direction, moved me!! The battle system is applicable both to beginners and micro-managers. The fights progress quickly, and have ratings, so you never grow tired and can always battle with a feeling of urgency. The melancholic story is also so dramatic, you can't tear your eyes away from it.
• Reviewer #4 - 10
  I doff my hat to the overwhelming graphics and story. Since the game's various systems become denser as the story progresses, you find yourself pulled ever deeper into the experience. The summon battles take careful planning and strategy, so I was frustrated a few times, but the feeling of achievement when you win is something special. You'll be sorry if you don't play this!

- This week's Famitsu also posted a comment from the voice actress Aya Hirono, who said that she is working on a new Monster Hunter project.

- Sega's producer Shuntaro Tanaka mentioned that the reason Valkyria Chronicles 2 comes to PSP was because it would take 3 years to make another PS3 game, and putting the game on PSP was a much faster solution, since Sega already has assets that can be used in the game and know how to improve the game. Tanaka hopes to see the franchise continue to expand on PSP and PS3.

- Square Enix announced they will be holding a Final Fantasy XIII launch event at Shibuya on December 17 early morning. The first 100 people who arrive and purchase a copy of FFXIII at Tsutaya will be joining the countdown festival with Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada and FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase. The first 300 customers will also receive free Final Fantasy Elixir beverages.

N I N T E N D O   D S

- Atlus announced Sekaiji no Meikyu III [Etrian Odyssey III] for NDS, the game will be released in Japan on March 4, 2010, for 6279 yen.

P S P

- Namco Bandai will release the PSP fighting game Magical Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces in Japan on January 21, 2010, for 5229 yen. The game is based on the anime series which features grade school students with magical power.

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P L A Y S T A T I O N   3

- Sega announced Ryuga Gotoku 4 [Yakuza 4] for PS3 will be released in Japan on March 18, 2010, for 7980 yen.

- Sega announced Yakuza 3 [Ryuga Gotoku 3] will be coming to North America and Europe in March 2010, the game will have original Japanese voice cast and English subtitles.

- Sony announced that PSP Minis will be playable on PS3 via a Minis emulator, user must upgrade to system software 3.15 to access this feature. Users who bought the PSP Minis on PSP can download the titles again for free. The firmware update also adds data transfer between two PS3 using LAN cable.

X B O X   3 6 0

- SNK Playmore announced four new titles will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade in spring to summer 2010:

• NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
• KOF: Sky Stage
• Metal Slug XX
• The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match

- Microsoft has released Taito's Qix++ on XBLA, the game is 800 Microsoft Points.