Fabula Nova Crystallis- Final Fantasy XIII Updates

I apologize for keeping you waiting. So, here we go. Right now, I'll give some updates about the much hyped up FFXIII. Announced last E3 2006, the series will depict a futuristic world with a large myriad of characters, mythos and plotlines to enjoy.

For starters, this series will feature 3 games distant from each other, but connected in a sense that they exist within a same universe and that the stories as such will revolve within these characters' search for the crystals- hence the flagship title.

The current games in development for the series were the following:

-Final Fantasy XIII
The main game itself. The plot focuses on the fal'Cie, a race existing beyond humanity. The people marked by the fal'Cie for a greater purpose are named the l'Cie. Some thirteen centuries ago, a mythical Crystal told the fal'Cie to construct a paradise for humanity. The shell-like city of Cocoon was created to float high above the surface of the world now known as Pulse, and it was maintained by its own Crystal. Cocoon's Crystal created life forms and machines for its inhabitants to use, and humanity flourished. Over time, the people of Cocoon began to fear for the safety of their world, and were worried that it would be cast down from the sky. In present day, the wilderness of Pulse has strange effects on people, and the theocratic Holy Government of Cocoon quarantines and exiles anyone who has been influenced by Pulse from the city with the help of its mighty army, PSICOM. A former soldier of that army, a woman codenamed Lightning is chosen by the fal'Cie against her will to become a l'Cie, and with that to be an enemy of humanity and bring about the downfall of Cocoon. According to its creators, the trailer released last E3 2006 was just a prototype made to hype up the series. However, Square Enix released last TCG 2008 a definitive trailer of the game, showcasing the main characters themselves. It would be released for the PS3 console and is slated to be released this 2010.

-Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Announced before to be released in mobile phones, Square Enix decided to move the game to a much wider scope of format- the PSP, together with Kingdom Hearts Coded, in order to attract a much wider audience. It was said that this game will serve not as a side story to FFXIII, but rather a stand alone story which connects to the central plot of the series. The battle system will be similar to Crisis Core, but will allow control for a myriad of characters plus the ATB system. A compass was also revealed in early screenshots of the game, which will guide the player in various locations throughout a certain area. The game is set in a magic school named Akademeia, and will gradually expand to the larger world outside of the school. It is described as an online RPG, but not "massively multiplayer". It's been recently revealed that Orience is the name of the world, and the antagonizing military country is called Milites. A peace treaty is supposed to be in effect with the 4 countries, but Cid of Milites has sent his l'Cie soldier to war with the neighboring countries. Other areas have been revealed recently called Rubrum, Anaze, and Kogai. From the IGN Impressions of the trailer that was debuted at Square Enix's closed door party, DKΣ3713, we learned that there is a militaristic nation that, due to the machination and rallies of their leader, began conquering all of its neighboring nations. The nation went unimpeded until they came across a lone island kingdom isolated from the rest of the continent that was apparently being protected by a giant crystal and is also said to worship a god named Suzaku. However, for reasons unknown, the crystal shatters, seemingly leaving the nation vulnerable to be attacked. The kingdom's fear is realized when a cloaked woman, wielding a "whip sword" along with other blades, appears with a massive army in formation behind her. The trailer continues with random bits of fighting in CG along with gameplay, and ends with the cloaked woman sticking a flag in the ground, which is most likely that of the kingdom nation, rallying her allies. It is also confirmed that the nation's military has been destroyed, and 12 students training at a magical institute to become Agito take up arms to free their kingdom from the new menace. 12 characters have been revealed so far, with each of them possessing a unique weapon and ability. As of late, the release date is indefinite, but some sources tell that this will be released coinciding the main game itself.

-Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Unveiled at E3 2006, the game focuses on a mysterious protagonist who is the last heir of a dynasty ruling over the only remaining city to control crystals. Under unforeseen circumstances, he makes a stand against marauders seeking to take the crystal as their own. Final Fantasy Versus XIII is, according to its developers, a wholly independent story unfolding with different characters and a different visual design. Although it is set within the same Final Fantasy XIII universe, it is unrelated to any other entry within the compilation and is thus neither a sequel nor a prequel to any other entries in Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy XIII. Very little information regarding the plot of the game has been revealed since E³ 2006; however, Square Enix representatives have commented that Versus may be the darkest Final Fantasy game yet. Final Fantasy Versus XIII revolves Noctis Lucis Caelum, the last heir to an isolated nation, which holds the last Crystal protected by kings. Its isolation is due to the city's resistance to protect itself against invading heretics. The game has been said to initiate at the "clearing" of a long Cold War between warring nations that revolved around the crystals.

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Square Enix announced at its DKΣ3713 party in August 2008 that the demo of Final Fantasy XIII, as well as new trailers of Versus XIII and Agito XIII, would be released in the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete Blu-ray Disc. Square Enix announced the release date of the new Advent Children Blu-ray release to be some time during March 2009 (later changed to April 16) and asked fans to disregard previous release dates. Famitsu released a 50-minute DVD entitled "Re: Riplai" on December 13, 2008 including trailers from the Fabula Nova Crystallis series and other Square Enix titles.

Guess we'll have to wait for the release of these trailers in order to have a more definitive look upon the early stages of these games. Don't you worry though, I'll be updating you soon as I get my hands on some news with regards to this much anticipated series.

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Sources: wikipedia.org, ign.com