Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter 2 composer Yoko Shimomura will receive a Lifetime Achievement trophy during the D.I.C.E Awards this year. It w??ill? occur on February 15 at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

"I myself am very surprised," said Shimomura on Twitter (through a tr??anslation provided by the platform). "I'm very honored." She also mentioned this is "possibl?e thanks to [our] support."

Who is Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura?

Yoko Shimomura is a game composer known for her decades of work in the industry. She's behind the scores of Street Fighter 2, the Kingdom Hearts series, Super Mario RPG (with a re-orchestrated soundtrack for the remake), Final Fantasy XV, and the Parasite Eve franchise. Her vivid ?and illustrious musi??c has now been recognized by her peers in the industry.

"Dearly Beloved," the main menu theme from Kingdom Hearts, is arguably her most notable song. What impresses many is that each game has its own take on the original piano-led track. For example, there's a swing version of the track in the rhythm game Melody of Memory.

“I was playing the beginning of the game, set in the Destiny Islands, and I was struck by a lot of imagery about the sea," said Yoko Shimomura to Square Enix. "Dearly Beloved just came to my mind one day, while I was thinking about that - picturing the sea and the waves.�/p>

Streamed through IGN, the D.I.C.E. Awards will be hosted by Kinda Funny's Greg Miller and IGN's Stella Chung. The finalists for Game of the Year include Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Cocoon, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

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The power of music

Square Enix's premier RPG series is known for its grand story, epic battles, and outstanding graphics, but it is also known for its Final Fantasy battle themes. Across its 36-year span, the Final Fantasy series has enlisted many talented musicians, including Nobuo Uematsu, Yoko Shimomura, and M??asa?shi Hamauzu.

From Final Fantasy XIII's "Blinded by Light" to the original battle theme from the first FF, here are the best Final Fantasy battle themes, rank?ed. Let us know your favo?rites in the comments below.

10. Final Fantasy VI - "Decisive Battle"

//youtu.be/WmBPTpvYyIY

This upbeat Final Fantasy batt??le theme ups the stakes with its frenetic tune and intense drumline that keeps your heart racing. A great battle theme keeps you en??ergized and "Decisive Battle" certainly does that. Something about the nostalgic 16-bit tone also adds so much that's lost within modern remakes of this track.

9. Final Fantasy XIV - "Torn from the Heavens"

//youtube.com/watch?v=lWtVj3OnCPc&si=EnSI??????????????????????????kaIECMiOmarE

Final Fantasy XIV is known for its epic themes whenever a big battle occurs, and "Torn from the Heavens" is certainly one of those. The callback to the main theme of the series alongside its gorgeous percussion and choir makes this an unforgettable track. The stakes are raised whenever "Torn from the Heavens" is played in this grand MMORPG.

8. Final Fantasy I - "Battle Theme"

//youtu.be/uddFta0D7FY

All great series have their beginnings, and Final Fantasy I made an impression from the very start. The melody is as intense as it can get on an 8-bit system, and the flow of the piece is sublime. You'll hear how great this composition is if you check out World of Final Fantasy's interpretation of the track. It truly gives the original piece justice with a rocky interpretation and a ??lovely strings th?roughline.

7. Final Fantasy X - "Battle Theme"

//youtu.be/aZzQLHdMkQc

With a game that's as long as Final Fantasy X, you'll want to make sure the standard battle theme is a banger. Thankfully, it is. Tidus' jour??ney is complemented by a track with a tasty bassline, an exciting clash of drums, and a riveting melody that will keep you focused on the fight. What also helps with a battle theme such as this is the unpredictable nature of the track. It keeps surprising us with alterations to the song, and for the first ten times of listening to it, you'll notice a new twist on the main melody.

6. Final Fantasy V - "Clash on the Big Bridge"

//youtu.be/1a8OirsKVbc

"Clash on the Big Bridge" used the SNES sound font to the absolute max. This battle theme has an impressive melody, a wonderful drumline, and will catch you off-guard with how fast it is. It's a blast to play on Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The otherworldly playing of th??e introduction is also striking and catches your attention.

5. Final Fantasy XV - "Stand Your Ground"

//youtu.be/GqDeit4elR8

Yoko Shimomura is known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter series but she brought her A-game to Final Fantasy XV.  The battle theme "Stand Your Ground" starts the track with an epic sweep of the strings section and doesn't let you go until the very end. It then gets followed by a glorious reference to the main Final Fantasy theme, just like "Torn from the Heavens." After that, the action gets elevated by a rambunctious array of the orchestra with the blissful woodwind matched wit??h the th?underous percussion.

4. Final Fantasy VII - "J-E-N-O-V-A."

//youtu.be/G8eCJCcBelo

Whenever you hear that high-pitched synthesized intro ??from "J-E-N-O-V-A," you know you're in for a good time. The melody is pleasing, the drum beat e??levates the action, and the bassline is a grand accompaniment to the whole piece. It's a track that sounds mysterious as Cloud and his friends are unsure of what lies ahead of them. Music should help set the scene, and "J-E-N-O-V-A." does that perfectly.

3. Final Fantasy XIII - "Blinded by Light"

//youtu.be/WyTRg-DJ99M

Final Fantasy XIII is arguably the most controversial game in the series, but you can't deny how awesome the soundtrack is. "Blinded by Light" is one of the best Final Fantasy battle themes because it consistently engages the player with its striking melody and ability to let every instrument in the piece shine. The gui??tar in the background gives it a hard edge, and the heavy use of the emotive strings section makes this theme song epic, but beautiful at the same time.

2. Final Fantasy VII - "One-Winged Angel"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNms5rOaGlk

When "One-Winged Angel" plays, fear strikes the heart of every Final Fantasy VII fan. The dread-filled drums, the terrifying cluster of brass, and bewildered strings section all set the scene for the evil Sephiroth. Then there's a badass guitar throughline and the deep choir that adds to the drama of the piece. Each fight with Sephiroth is meaningful, and "One-Winged Angel" makes it next level. While the Advent Children version isn't technically from a game, it is the best version; it's in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The PS1 and Remake editions of the track also deser??ve ?praise, however.

1. Final Fantasy VII Remake - "Let the Battles Begin!"

//youtu.be/zRHiTjce9s0

A great Final Fantasy battle theme is able to establish the danger present for your characters and motivate the player to carry on forward with the fight at hand. "Let the Battles Begin!" from Final Fantasy VII Remake successfully establishes that. The mixture of the powerful brass, thunderous drums, and emotive strings all make for a piece that truly stands out in the Final Fantasy series. Listen to it and you'll get hyped for anything: a run, pumping weights, or going to your dreaded dental appointment. "Let the Battles Begin" is a perfect battle theme, through and through, and Final Fantasy VII Remake just takes it one step further.

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Some of them are actually good!

Video game movies have been the subject of plenty of ridicule over the last handful of decades. Wounded fans have long complained that out-of-touch Hollywood bigwigs just don't get the things they'?re adapting, and conventional wisdom has always held that video game movies are simply bad.

Fortunately for me, conventional wisdom is wrong. Yes,?? there are a lot of awful video game mo??vies made by lazy filmmakers trying to cash in on a brand name. But there are also a lot of really excellent films based on video games - particularly in recent years. Video game movies show no sign of slowing down, so I'd like to go through ten of the finest examples ever made.

10. Uncharted (2022)

Uncharted, the 2022 adaptation of Naughty Dog's beloved action game series, does not reinvent any wheels. It is a competent-enough pastiche of better adventure movies and not much else. In that way, it's kind of a perfect Uncharted movie.

The original Uncharted was a fairly unassuming riff on adventure films like Indiana Jones and The Mummy. The Uncharted movie simply moves that formula back into the medium of film. Like the games, the movie Uncharted is buoyed by a charming cast of well-realized characters. Tom Holland may not quite resemble the Nathan Drake we know and love, but he's still a fantastic screen presence. Even Mark Wahlberg, who's spent the last several years sleepwalking through Transformers movies and faith-based films, is actually delivering a pretty solid performance. It's nothing new, and there are certainly better adventure films, but Uncharted is a damn good time.

9. Tomb Raider (2018)

Remember all that stuff I said about Uncharted? That's all entirely true of 2018's Tomb Raider, too. It's another solid (but not particularly groundbreaki??ng) riff on adventure movies of o??ld, held aloft by some very choice performances.

The performances here are a bit better than they are in Uncharted -- we've got Walton Goggins in a very Walton Goggins-ish villain role, Daniel Wu playing the obligatory gruff alcoholic sailor, and even Nick Frost, whose appear??ance is brief but delightful. The star of the show, though, is Alicia Vikander, who brings a renewed sense of playfulness and humanity to the role of Lara Croft. It's the rare adaptation that offers new depth to a character rather than making them more shallow.

8. Super Mario Bros. (1993)

In the early 90s, directing duo Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel were on track to become beloved figures in the world of cult cinema. Their 1988 remake of classic noir film D.O.A. was relatively well received, and their off-kilter cyberpunk TV series The Max Headroom Show had just wrapped up its final season. Where ?would this duo, best known for their grimy cynical bent, land ??next? The Mushroom Kingdom, apparently.

Super Mario Bros., the 1993 film loosely adapted from the original NES game, is a mess... but it's also really fun and interesting. It's a bizarre crustpunk dystopian take on the story of Mario an??d Luigi, set in a dinosaur-infested alternate universe. It's entirely odd, but it's a truly fascinating watch. It's the kind of movie that simply couldn't be made today (as evidenced by the much more conventional children's movie coming out of Illumination next year), and it should be celebrated for that, if nothing else.

7. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Both Sonic the Hedgehog movies probably belong on this list. They're both really endearing family films that do a good job of adapting the Sonic the Hedgehog iconography without totally alienating their target audience (children). They're also both examples of a studio finding space to build a truly charming franchise on the foundations of a bad idea, and they should both be applauded for that. But I don't like to go the easy route, so I'm only allowing one Sonic film on my list.

And Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has a scene where Sonic does a da??n?ce battle set to the song "Uptown Funk."

So, uh, Sonic 1 gets the slot.

6. Detective Pikachu (2019)

It's hard to understand why, exactly, The Pokémon Company chose Detective Pikachu for its jump to live-action cinema. An adaptation of one of the mainline Pokémon games probably would have done better at the box office, and an adaptation of the anime probably would have been an unstoppable juggernaut. ?Instead, they ??chose to adapt the 3DS adventure game where Pikachu is a detective.

And boy am I glad they did. Detective Pikachu is a delight.?? It's a noir-ish mystery centered around a young wannabe Pokémon trainer and his dear friend, a talking Pikachu in an adorable little hat. It's strange but incredibly fun, serving as both a solid mystery film in its ow?n right and an impressive showcase for what Pokémon would look like in the real world.

5. Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV (2016)

Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV was a tragic casualty in the explosive mess that was Final Fantasy XV's release. This cinematic prequel was burdened with being both the first exposure many fans would have to the world of FFXV and a necessary addendum to that game's story?. It couldn't really stand up to all that scrutiny.

Divorced from the context of its release, though, Kingsglaive is actually an excellent animated fantasy film. Director Takeshi Nozue (known for various cinematics across different Square Enix games) does a wonderful job of balancing action, emotion, and intelligent worldbuilding in a way that's both pleasant to watch and sincerely thoughtful. Kingsglaive's all-star Hollywood voice cast brings a frankly unnecessary amount of talent to the table that makes the whole thing feel very prestigious, too. It's a wonderful film, and a very welcome title after the first two Final Fantasy movies (the less said about those, the better).

4. Resident Evil (2002)

Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil series is understandably a bit divisive. The films borrow very little from the games in the way of actual plot and characters, and they are forever doomed to be compared to the canceled George A. Romero Resident Evil adaptation. It's tough for any??????????????????????????one to live up to?? Romero, but Anderson actually does a fairly good job here.

Like I said, Resident Evil doesn't borrow a whole ton from the original games. Jill Valentine and co. are nowhere to be seen here. Still, Resident Evil expertly captures the tone of those PlayStation titles and delivers a taut, mean little zombie infestation story. If Welcome to Raccoon City taught us anything, it's that all the recognizable names in the world can't save a movie that doesn't feel like Resident Evil. Thankfully, this one is Resident Evil through and through.

3. Werewolves Within (2021)

You probably didn't play Werewolves Within, Ubisoft's 2016 VR social deduction game. You should still watch Werewolves Within, Josh Ruben's 2021 adaptation of said game, be??cause it is very good. This charming horror-comedy centers on a cabin full of mistrusting small-town Americans whose anxieties are compounded by the discovery that one of them may be a werewolf??.

Werewolves Within is funny, scary, and biting. It also features Sam Richardson in his second best role ever (right after the Baby of the Year guy from I Think You Should Leave).

2. Indie Game: The Movie (2012)

Indie Game: The Movie is the only documentary on this list, chronicling the journeys of three independent video games as they inch ever closer to release. It offers both compelling insight into the development of three beloved indies (Super Meat Boy, Fez, and Braid) and a careful image of an industry teetering on the precipice ?of legitimacy.

Indie Game: The Movie is a truly compelling piece of documentary filmmaking, and one of the few works that actually treats video game developers as artists. It's thoughtful and interesting for just about anyone with a passing interest in indie games - whether you ??love or hate Jonathan Blow, you can't deny that the guy thinks hard about video games, and listeni?ng to him speak is genuinely fascinating.

1. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

I had a little bit of an internal crisis when considering whether or not Wreck-It Ralph belonged on this list. It is a video game movie, but it's about a video game that doesn't exist. If I'm allowed to put those on the list, then how could I exclude something like Cronenberg's eXistenZ? How could I leave last year's criminally underrated The Matrix Resurrections off the list? Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that Wreck-It Ralph counts, not only because a promotional Fix-It Felix arcade cabinet used to be playable at Disney's now-defunct indoor amusement park DisneyQuest, but because it just feels like a true video game movie.

John C. Reilly's eponymous video game bad-guy-trying-to-be-good expertly embodies the cuddly faux-villainy of video game antagonists of a certain era. He's Bowser, or Dr. Eggman, or any other bad guy who just doesn't seem all that bad. Reilly's central performance is key to Wreck-It Ralph, and he's the reason the movie still makes me cry as a grown-ass adult??.

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A former art director for the studio said their version was "really, really cool"

Seems like in another timeline, we could've seen a fairly different take on Final Fantasy XV looked like. In a new interview, a former Eidos Montreal developer says the studio worked on a version of Final Fantasy XV, before Square Enix canceled it.

In an interview with TrueAchievements??, former Eidos Montreal?? art director Jonathan Jacque-Belletête said the studio once worked on a version of the game.

"[Eidos-Montreal] brought back Deus Ex," he said. "I was the art director on that�em>Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Then [I was] the executive art director on Mankind Divided. Then we tried to do Final Fantasy XV. Then they decided to bring it back to Japan—which I think w??as a ??big mistake, but it's still the truth. Ours was really, really cool."

Jacque-Belletête didn't expand furthe??r on what exactly this meant. We don't have any specifics on how far along the game was, or what stage it reached internally before it was cut off.

It does partially reinforce a 2018 report from YouTuber SuperBunnyhop, though. The report there was that their version of the next Final Fantasy was a "space opera" RPG.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl6mG3U4vaY

New horizons

With the gap between Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016), it certainly seems plausible. Final Fantasy XV did go through a pretty tumultuous production timeline. Whatever there was of Eidos Montreal's Final Fantasy is lost to time now, though.

Square Enix recently parted ways with Eidos Montreal and several other of its western studios. The publisher sold Eidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamic??s, and Square Enix Montreal t??o Embracer Group for $300 million. Included in the deal were several big-name properties, including Deus Ex, as well as Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain.

Now, Eidos and Final Fantasy won't get their chance, it seems. Given their surprising success with last year's Guardians of the Galaxy, I'd still like to see what kind of sp??ace opera RPG that crew could put together.

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That's a lot of road trip money

It's hard to believe that Final Fantasy XV is in the rear-view mirror of the Regalia. This is a game where I once had to create a giant checklist to keep track of all of the demos, cross-media projects, DLC, and crossovers. Well, as of this week Square Enix reports that Final Fantasy XV sales have hit a new milestone of 10 million units worldwide.

Square Enix "thanks fans for their continued support" for the game. And continued support it has gotten, from a certain point of view! Even as recently as the past few years, there's been crossovers with other games, including a recurring Final Fantasy XIV event. In a sense, this game refused to die, and earned that 10 million through sheer force of will. I'm not just talking about the cross-media projects either. Two years after launch it came to PC, where it was met with a flourishi??ng modding community. Then it arrived on Stadia a year later.

Final Fantasy XV is polarizing still, I get it. It has what I can only describe as "Final Fantasy VIII energy," which was also polarizing at the time, and a mixed legacy that endures to this day. Playing through it in a bubble before all the controversy, DLC, and post-launch content delays, I found it to be exceedingly relaxing, among other things. In the eternal "Final Fantasy rankings" debate that's been going on since I can remember (Final Fantasy VI kind of sealed that top spot at release though, and for some, even still): it'll ????probably end up somewhere in the middle.

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Was the Luminous Engine worth it to you?

Final Fantasy XV came out four years ago almost to the day (November 29, 2016). I repeat: Final Fantasy XV came out four years ago.

And in the time you've pondered what that means to you,?? Square Enix just greenlit another spinoff.

It's kind of insane just how many cottage industries Final Fantasy XV created.

I'm talking anime episodes and DLC for each individual party member. A pre-release demo that granted you a bonus summon. Tons of crossover outfits, including...Assassin's Creed for some reason. A pinball spinoff that was removed from the marketplace in 2017. A beat 'em up game. An enhanced edition. A canceled VR title. An eventual PC port. Noctis crossovers in Dissidia and Tekken 7. It even had Sims crossover content. Final Fantasy XV is an empire.

A forced empire in part, no doubt, in part. Square Enix wanted to recoup the cost of the pricey Luminous Engine, as well as the development costs of many years of reworks. Breaking this down, it took four years (taking US release dates into account) for the Final Fantasy XIII saga to conclude with Lightning Returns. Revisiting past Final Fantasy mai??n entries is not a new thing for th?e publisher.

Even still, XV seemed to earn less ire than XIII, as a standalone entry. Something I've noticed over the years; the level of granular dissecting seems to rise for each mainline game. I mean you could say the same about nearly every AAA title as time goes on, but there's a blazing-hot spotlight under every title. To that end, XV was fighting a losing battle for some people. XVI will no doubt be held under the sa??me level of scrut??iny.

For me, Final Fantasy XV fulfilled its purpose as a road tripping, focused Final Fantasy. I think as time goes on it'll be cast in a more favorable light. For now, I'm sure you'??ll let me have it!

Final Fantasy [Twitter]

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Sisters and bros

Road trips and family bonding. Those are the themes for?? the newest ??additions to Xbox Game Pass. Also, monster slaying and Nazi slaughtering. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention all the death.

Tomorrow, Xbox Game Pass gets two big games in two big franchises. Both Final Fantasy XV and Wolfenstein: Youngblood are coming to Xbox Game Pass on both Xbox One and PC. Final Fantasy XV is somehow already approaching its fourth anniversary later this year; Youngblood&nbs?p;is younger blood, as it just released last? summer.

The road forks between platforms when it comes to the third game. Consoles get co-op puzzler Death Squared on February 13. PC gets Death's Gambit, which can probably be most succinctly summed up as a "Castlevania Souls-like."

Of course, there isn't addition without subtraction. Xbox Game Pass is losing Disney Epic Mickey 2, Jackbox Party Pack 2, Pumped BMX Pro, Rage, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider soon.

Co??ming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for Console: Final Fantasy XV, Wolfenstein: Youngbl??ood, and Death Squared [Xbox Wire]

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Once a healer now a damage-dealer, in more ways than one

Final Fantasy XV's long string of updates and add-ons ha??ve come to a?? close.

Now without any further ado (we've had enough of that already from Square Enix!) it's time to dig into Episode Ardyn.

This tale, the very last DLC for Final Fantasy XV (cue Boston's "It's Been Such a Long Time"), deals with the duality of baddie Ardyn, who was once a peaceful healer that attempted to bear the cross of being a savior all on his own. By absorbing the countryside's darkness into himself he ended up wielding a power too dangerous to control, and I think you see where this is going. Following a familial betrayal he attempts to reconcile his newfound dark power and actually..fails to triumph over (the then) evil. Hundreds of years later he's the very demonic force he sought to stop: cue Episode Ardyn.

While it's hard to sympathize with an antagonist who throws the world into eternal darkness (the events of XV), his backstory is clearly a driving force that makes him an interesting lead in sympathy's stead. It's why I can look at this fantasy image of everyone from the cast getting along and feel some emotional connection. Alongside of the prequel anime shorts for all of the main cast members, this and the Ardyn prologue serve as a proper backstory for XV. During the events of the main? campaign Ardyn was mysterious (overly so) and now tha??t veil has been lifted.

We get a good look at his far-flung past humanity through flashbacks and get to partake in the thrill of his revenge first-hand. Without giving away too much, we see how Ardyn managed to overthrow the kingdom of Insomnia and the poetic way in which he did it: a crux that serves as the majority of the DLC. Pretty much every aspect of his life is chronicled here, a rather uncharacteristic aspect of the Final Fantasy series as a whole that leaves much to mystery, especially when it? comes to its final foes.

Square Enix nails the fantasy of playing as what is essentially a final boss, allowing a degree of soul-sucking and shadow dashing magic (complete with its own skill tree), plus an undying mechanic that allows Ardyn to continue fighting after death (at the cost of his maximum health). It's thematic and fun to use even if it doesn't elevate the fundamental fighting system of XV.

It's all tragically short though, as Episode Ardyn will only take you a few hours to clear out. There's a small hub to explore that culminates in a satisfying confrontation, several cutscenes to witness, and an extra boss battle mode that lets you fight Noctis from the perspective of our DLC anti-hero. The hub is technically big but doesn't feel that way given the homogenization of that particular part of Insomnia, which is probably the weakest part of the episode. Whether it's worth 10 bucks depends on how much time you've sunk into XV already, but it'll make a he??ll of an ??"actual GOTY edition" pack-in whenever the second one rolls around.

For the most part, so long as you're willing to delve into various cross-media bits and pieces, Final Fantasy XV's story feels whole. That might sound like a horrid turnoff but I'm into the story that Tabata and his team have woven regardless of the unconventional method in which it was told. XV will likely go down as one of the most divisive games in the series, and ?not in a "it was more liked over time" sort of ??way. I'm fine with that.

_{[This assessment is ba??sed on a retail build of t??he game provided by the publisher.]}

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Goodnight, sweet prince (I've used this joke before but Noctis is a prince, get it)

After a lengthy nearly three year run (!) Final Fantasy XV's content is coming to a close.

It was hard to keep track of everything, from the pre-release demo with exclusive content, to the three gaiden add-ons to the "Royal" edition and even a multiplayer component, but with today's drop of Episode Ardyn it's all done. Forme?r ?director Hajime Tabata has moved on to his own studio and the dream is over.

Although it has a decidedly mixed reception this far removed from launch, Final Fantasy XV was a hell of a ride for me. I was initially taken aback by t??he sheer outpouring of XV and Noctis related crossovers but eventually was swept up in the flood. Noct?is is here to stay and that's fine with me.

You can get a quick rundown of Episode Ardyn in the trailer below.

If?? you haven't seen it yet, you can wat??ch the anime prologue for free.

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RIP?

Final Fantasy XV was known as the game that would never die: until?? it did.

Following the shocking news late last year that the heart and soul of the project director Hajima Tabata was exiting Square Enix, the whole idea of extended DLC for XV just stopped. We probably would have gotten DLC through 2020 if Tabata and Square Enix had their way, but with the boss man gone they basically shut off all the ??lights outside of the upcoming "Episode Ardyn" DLC, which was seemingly mostly finished and even had an anime prologue.

Episode Ardyn is coming on March 26 and will signal the end of XV's development as a whole. To celebrate Square Enix is holding a special Active Time Report: a series they've been running for many years now, to close it al?l out and thank fans. You can watch it below on March 26 at 7AM ET. Goodnight, sweet (Noctis) prince.

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Spoilers, ho!

Final Fantasy XV's final DLC pack, Episode Ardyn, will be releasing on March 26, 2019, for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Acting as a prologue to the main game, it will see players control Ardyn in an era before Noctis was even a gleam in his father's eyes. Similar to the previous trailer, this one has some spoilers for the plot of XV. It's also an obscene 15 minutes long, leading me to believe it is the? actual intro from the upda??te.

If you just want to see some gameplay, you can jump to the 13:34 mark in the video below. It does still include spoilers, but you can safely mute the audio and be fine. I kind of dig what I'm seeing since it looks to incorporate ideas of all of the previous DLC packs into one massive whole. It should be a great send-off to Square Enix's experiment with XV.

Final Fantasy 15: Episode Ardyn gets a release date, prologue trailer [VG 24/7]

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The truth behind the villain

Square Enix has uploaded a teaser trailer for Final Fantasy XV's final piece of DLC, Episode Ardyn, and it could be considered quite the spoiler. If you haven't finished Final Fantasy XV, I'd advise not even watching this. The very first words will reveal a pretty big twist that so??me might not see coming.

If you have finished the game, though, then this trailer promises to bring the closure that fans have desperately been asking for. While I don't see Ardyn in the same league as villains like Kefka or Sephiroth, he was a pretty intriguing part of XV's story. I typically don't like extra media over explaining things, but learning about Ardyn's past is something I could see enhancing his role in the main game. At the very least, Ardyn should have a differen??t enough playstyle to feel like something unique.

Episode Ardyn is coming to Final Fantasy XV this March. ??It will be available for PS4, Xb?ox One, and PC.

FINAL FANTASY XV EPISODE ARDYN PROLOGUE - Story Teaser Trailer [YouTube]

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Man what an ad campaign

After all is said and done, I think Square Enix is going to see Final Fantasy XV as a net positive. Sure its development history was a mess and there are way too many side projects to even follow,?? but it sold a ton and history won't even remember some of the more misguided gaidens.

Square Enix is looking for the entry to go out with a bang too, as the last confirmed DLC (after the director left and the bosses canceled the rest of the planned add-on suite), Episode Ardyn, is getting its own anime project. You can check out the teaser below that starts with a scr?oll-like animation effect before eventually unveiling the real style near the end.

This is some real Level-5 stuff with this massive cross-media project that is Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix has noted interest in doing more anime in the future to help further Noctis and the crew's tale, so this could be the first of many. As for the actual game, it's done come March 2019 when Episode Ardyn hits.

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Episode Ardyn

Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn has been confirmed as the last major DLC for the game following the departure of director and lifeblood of the game Hajime Tabata: who went on to form his own studio a short while later??. It's currently due in March 2019, which will close the book on the game after a two year and four month run of updated content.

To promote it Square Enix is going over-the-top once again, providing an anime prologue short that helps set up the villain and explain his motivations, which are presumably also going to be touched on in the DLC. Square Enix stated in a tweet that ??the trailer will be released tomorrow at 21:00 JST (7:00 AM ET), so you have something to look forward to waking up to.

Having enjoyed ??the Ignis DLC and the alternate timeline concepts it presented, I'm really keen to see what Square Enix has planned for Ardyn.

Final Fantasy XV [Twitter]

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Comrades unite!

True to its word, Square Enix has released a standalone version of Final Fantasy XV's multiplayer component, Comrades. You'll be able to find this on PSN and Xbox Live for $9.99 and it comes complete with 10 new bosses for players to battle with. If you already have Comrades through the season pass for XV, you won't need to rebuy it as you'll be given free access to this new version. PC players won't have a separate version as it came bundled with XV at launch.

It's sad what happened with XV, but at least one portion of its ambitious post-launch plan gets to live on. This could also be a cheap way to test if you like the main game before buying.

FINAL FANTASY XV MULTIPLAYER: COMRADES – Launch Trailer [Final Fantasy XV via YouTube]

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NOCTO!

Square Enix has announced that 75% of Final Fantasy XV's planned DLC for 2019 has been canceled. Fans were given the news during a special announcement stream for the game, which will be celebrating its second birthday at the end of the month. Along with the DLC getting canned, XV's director Hajime Tabata has departed both?? Square Enix and Luminous Productions.

Tabata issued a message to fans that read:

Hello, this is Tabata.

It’s almost going to be two whole years since the release of Final Fantasy XV. I ho?nestl??y believe the reason we were able to get this far is because of all you loyal fans. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Today, I have a personal announcement to make? to? all of you. I, Hajime Tabata, will be resigning from Luminous Productions and the Square Enix Group as of October 31, 2018.

I was able to gain so much experience with my time at Square Enix. Every title I was able to be a part of means a lot to me. However, Final Fantasy XV stood out from that group as it was a special project fo??r me which I w??ent all-in on.

Therefore, I decided to take this opportunity to officially announce my departure from Final Fantasy XV to all the fans who have su?pported?? the title across the globe.

In regards to my next endeavors and near future, I have a project that I truly wish to solidify as my next challenge after Final Fantasy XV. For that re??ason, I have decided to leave my current position and start my own business in order to ??achieve my goal.

As production of "Episode Ardyn" continues and Luminous Productions works on new projects, I felt that it was time for me to hand over the torch to the next generation group of talented and ??trustworthy colleagues and believe that they will create something amazing.

From this day on, I will cheer on and support Square Enix and Luminous Productions to?gether with all of you fans.

I would like to thank everyone who continue to support Final Fantasy XV and those who have ?also supported myself personall??y.

—Hajime Tabata

As for what is left, Episode Ardyn will still be arriving next March for everyone. The multiplayer add-on, Comrades, will be getting a standalone release on PS4 and Xbox One on December 12 (PC will skip it as it was included with the Windows version). The expansion version of Comrades will cease operation, though owners of it will be given the standalone version for free. The PC version of XV has now ended production? and? no further updates will be coming.

Luminous Productions will still be working on whatever title it was currently planning, despite Square Enix posting reports of the company suffering "an extraordinary loss." That loss is likely related to Tabata exiting the company and Square Enix deciding to cease further work on Final Fantasy XV.

Final Fantasy XV Director Resigns, Most DLC Cancelled [Game Informer]

Hajime Tabata departs Square Enix?? and Luminous P?roductions [Gematsu]

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At 8PM PT

I made a running list of what Final Fantasy XV spinoffs and projects were out in the wild, and had no idea that it would be so much work. Over the past few years Square Enix went crazy, injecting Noctis and his crew into unlikely games like Tekken 7 -- the crew even got a VR fishing spinoff. Nothing is off l??imits.

There might be more on the way too, as Square Enix has just announced a second anniversary stream titled the "Special Program Broadcast," that kicks off on November 7 at 8PM?? PT. It's a Direct-style recording with subtitles, so things will probably go smoother than most roundtable ad-libbed streams.

Bookmark this page to watch it below or just keep an eye out on November 7. As a reminder XV already has more DLC on the way. It will truly never die: Square Enix could keep creating micro-DLC adventures to remind people that XV exists and nab a few more sales here and there. It's ?like a subscription-less ?MMO model.

Our posterity will tell tales of the legend of Square Enix and Final Fantasy XV.

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Mercury warnings be damned

You have to appreciate life's simple pleasures. Sometimes, modder??s create complete overhauls with their own original characters and stories. Other times, they s?wap models around to hilarious effect.

I can't stop laughing at this Final Fantasy XV mod?? that replaces chocobo mounts with a big ol' tun?a.

FF15 초코보 MOD pic.twitter.com/fmPao62BBp

— IN (@17toma__) September 15, 2018

It's the hop. It's gotta be the hop.

What makes this mod even better is that it's not alone. Creator yusya1204 has been busy whipping up all manner of fish-related mods for Final Fantasy XV. There's also a stuffed tuna and phantom salmon.

Tuna (Chocobo) [Steam Workshop via @17toma__]

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I guess the investment in pinball, fishing, fighting cameos, and everything else paid off

Almost a year after Final Fantasy XV arrived on shelves, I spent several hours tracking down and cataloging all of its spinoffs and DLC. It was a pretty insane endeavor -- I mean, we're still not even close to done with its story DLC yet and I'm not done constantly adding to this list. Square Enix really wanted XV to do well, and with 7.7 m?illion sales to date, it seems l??????????????????????????ike it has.

We already knew that the publisher and its director Hajima Tabata were happy with its five million launch copies sold, and just six months ago were updated that it had pushed seven million, but it seems like the PC edition squeaked by 700,000 more units. Just this week they updated the official product page with the news, noting the new milestone. The company claims that it's the fastest Final Fantasy in history to reach this milestone aft??er 20 mon??ths.

Despite being "happy" with seven million earlier this year and the fact that XV is already profitable, their target still seems to be 10 million units. Just this year the company was "hopeful" tha??t the PC edition could push them to that goal.

Final Fantasy XV [Square Enix]

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Lots of characters, weapons, and costumes incoming

Final Fantasy XV is the kinda game I want to see modders run wild in. Square Enix pledged official mod support for the PC version right after the port was announced, and now it's ?making good on its word.

If you're anything like me and you just want to see some silly mods, take it away on the Steam Workshop. If you're a creator or a tinkerer, Square Enix has extensive documentation right over here.

There's a mod that lets you trade out Ignis for Thomas the Tank Engine (the old chap is modder royalty, after all!), one that lets you erase Noctis and instead play as "a floating invisible camera," and an assortment of mods that incorporate weapons from Kingdom Hearts and past Final Fantasy games.

Baby steps. Things are going to get real weird real fast with these tools. You can find the Mod Organizer on Steam (under Tools) or download it here if you happen to own FFXV via Origin or the Microsoft Store.

Final Fantasy ?XV Pat??ch 1.24 and the Final Fantasy XV Mod Organizer [Steam]

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We sort of knew they were coming

Man! Final Fantasy XV.

For months I've talked about how this single game has become a series with more man hours put into it than entire indie studios in their lifetime. At first i??t was silly, but now it's a force to be reckoned with. If you thought th?e initial salvo of DLC episodes was it (just three, one for each of Noctis' friends/party members) -- you were sorely mistaken.

Announced at PAX East, Square Enix is getting ready to dump four more episodes on us later this year (Ardyn, Aranea, Lunafreya, Noctis, in order). We knew about Ardyn for sure and basically knew a few others would be getting side stories, but now it's entirely confirmed and on a special calendar. These episodes are said to come rapid-fire in January 2019, at a rate of one per month. Episode Noctis eh? I thought that was called "Final Fantasy XV."

Oh, and this summer, Comrades, the multiplayer thing you may or may not have played (or even heard of) is becoming a standalone release, and will be updated throughout 2019. Strap yourselves in folks -- that "Royal Edition" is far ??from complete.

Final Fantasy XV Future DLC: Episodes Ardyn, Aranea?, Luna & Noctis confirmed [ResetEra]

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Likely for future DLC

Hajime Tabata has worked on some pretty big name games, but none are as big as Final Fantasy XV.

While it did begin life as something else entirely, XV has blossomed into not only a mainline entry, but a complete universe in and of itself, producing countless spinoffs, DLC episodes, ports, and crossovers. If this keeps up, XV might be Tabata's own inescapable creation, similar to how Kojima was entwined with Metal Gear for decades.

For now though, Tabata seems to be enjoying himself, as he recently announced that even more DLC is on the way for XV. He also recently asked fans by way of a greeting event whether or not they want to see a "happy" or "super bad" ending. Allegedly Tabata took their opinions into consideration, even if the "ending" situation seems to be vaguely referring to future DLC -- an approach he already took in a "what if" scenario in Episode Ignis. It's entirely?? possible he was just teasing and we'll get both in future episodes (Ardyn's DLC will probably be the "super bad" one).

Whatever happens one thing is for sure; Final Fantasy XV is going to be a thing for a long while. I'm sure a lot of you are still waiting for that "Ultimate True Edition" that actually has all of the DLC down the road that the Royal Edition isn't including.

Yukkii_3025 [Twitter via ResetEra]

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SOON SOON!

Not content to simply port Final Fantasy XV to PC, Square Enix has announced that yet another wacky crossover is coming to the belated port when it releases next month. Users who buy the game from EA's Origin service before May 1 will be given a Sims 4 costume pack that features a Llama suit and ?Pumbob outfit. I hav??e no idea what those are, but I really can't get over the floating crystal. This is just too good.

These costumes will be available in the multiplayer component as well as an option for Noctis in single-player. If you happen to own The Sims 4, you'll also r??eceive a special crown prince outfit for Noctis to celebrate the launch of the game. That isn't all, though, as a Regalia decal pack will also be available for grabs.

Here is a qui??ck trailer showing of??f some of the new digs.

While nothing is going to top the Half-Life crossover, this Sims 4 pack is pretty awesome. I love that Square Enix is going all in to make this version of Final Fantasy XV the definitive port, especially for someone like me that skipped out on buyi??ng the console release.

Now if only these ?pre-?order bonuses weren't digital retailer exclusive...

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition Origin purchases include The Sims 4 costumes [Gematsu]

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They still want to reach 10 million total

We all know the story when it comes to Square Enix and their sales demands. While many studios would be happy with a modest level of sales the Japanese-based company often demands absurd numbers -- like their target of Final Fantasy XV's 10 million units.

They're partially there. As confirmed to 4Gamer, XV's director Hajime Tabata explains that the game has now sold seven million copies to date. But that's just not enough for Square Enix, and they're hoping that with the upcoming PC edition (which just got a Half-Life crossover for one final sales push) they'll be able to peddle two million more copies and potentially inch closer to that 10 million mark. Tabata specifically stated that they have no such goals in mind for the Pocket Edition.

Given that the "Royal Edition" isn't actually definitive, and that more DLC is on the way, I wonder how many people will bite. XV is a fantastic game as it is, but in this era of "GOTY" and "Complete" versions a decent chunk of their userbase might be sitting thi??s one out until th??e next package arrives.

Final Fantasy XV [4Gamer.net via Siliconera]

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Four add-ons are in the pipeline

At this rate, I'm starting to feel like Final Fantasy XV will outlive us all.

The post-release episodes centered on Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis were really just the beginning for 2016's ever-expanding RPG adventure. Square Enix has already committed to three more DLC releases, the first of which will focus on the main-story adversary Ardy?n. They'll release throughout the year.

In an interview with Dengeki, FFXV director Hajime Tabata gave a status update on the DLC schedule. He says the development team intends to do one more piece of DLC than previously discussed -- so now there's four left to go, not three -- and this ??newly-confirmed final add-o?n is aiming for 2019.

If any notable characters don't get their own ?episode, it's going to feel like such a snub.

[Via RedMakuzawa]

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Half-Life 3 confirmed?

Fans looking forward to the PC port of Final Fantasy XV have just been given an extra bit of incentive to grab it early. All purchases made before May 1 will include a Half-Life skin pack that will let you dress up as Gordon Freeman. You'll even have access to his crowbar as a weap?on and will be able to have Noctis don the HEV suit in single-player.

I'm mostly shocked that Half-Life is being added to such a decidedly Japanese game, but seeing Gordon Freeman in any capacity gives me hope that Valve hasn't forgotten about its groundbreaking franchise. I doubt we'll see any confirmations of Half-Life 3, but maybe the real 3 was Final Fantasy XV all along...

As well as that awesome little crossover, a demo version of the game will be hitting Steam next week on February 26. Since the PC benchmark tool had some iffy performance problems, hopefully this new demo is more representative?? of the final product.

Final Fantasy XV [Twitter]

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Aranea strikes back

The latest patch for Square Enix's massive Final Fantasy XV is available and the bigges??t feature it adds is having Aranea as a training partner at camp. For those unfamiliar, she joins the party in chapter seven while Gladiolus is gone and can randomly appear after to help fight daemons. Her role is kind of neat, reversing the standard trope of a villain being simply sinister with no other character traits.

The new patch also includes the ability to jump straight to day or night at a campsite and some new tutorials you can practice. Ignis' costume from his specific DLC has also been fixed so that his hair isn't screwed up. That Assassin's Creed crossover will also be removed ??with this patch. You can read the full patch notes below.

For people without the console versions and eagerly looking forward to the Windows Edition, Square Enix has released a benchmark tool that will let you know if your PC is up to snuff. There is a specific one for different regions, so you'll need to grab the corresponding one for your language of choice. Considering the recommended processor for 1080p/60 FPS is my five yea??r old Core i7 3770K, I'm pretty sure most p??eople will be able to play this game without an issue.

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Poof

Final Fantasy XV is full of surprises, and one of those was easily the out of nowhere Assassin's Creed event. While Creed is no stranger to crossing over into other Japanese franchises (even if it's for a little gag), ?this time it was a full-on festival, with loot, quests, and a town remodel??.

Sadly, Square Enix has confirmed that the festival is ending on January 31, so if you want to get in on the action, you should boot up your game soo?n-ish. The timing is a little unfortun??ate as the PC version is set to release in just a month, possibly without this fun event.

While a lot of fa?ns are writing into Square Enix noting that they assumed the DLC was going to be perpetually available, I kind of assumed that due to rights issues, it was always a limited time thing. It could, however, return at some point.

Final Fantasy XV [Twitter]

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The complete FF XV journey

Are you a wait-n-see gamer, the type of person who doesn't buy the first version of a game and instead waits until they see that inevitable Game of the Year/Complete/Deluxe/Gold edition? Sure, it means you may not experience the hottest games in the year they are released, but hey, you save some money and get everything in a single package at often a price cheaper than its initial retail price. I've become more of a wait-n-seer in the past few years and held off buying games like Resident Evil VII and Final Fantasy XV. The wait for RE VII ends this week when I pick up the Gold Edition and in March, I'll finally get my hands on Noctis and company when Square Enix launches Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition.

Launching worldwide March 6, 2018, FFXV: Royal Edition will include the?? base game and everything listed here:

• ??An all-new dungeon - Insomnia City Ruins: Expanded Map 
• New features such as first-person mode, new gear, and new bosses.&?nbs??p;
• Armiger Unlea?shed – after you collect all 13 royal arms, a more action-oriented mode of the Armiger is unlocked? 
• Royal Vessel – the boat from FFXV is now a cont?rollable vehicle. The same body of water (between Cape Caem and Altissia) can now be freely explored. 
• All season pass content – Episode Gladiolus, Episode Prompto, Multiplayer Expansion: Comrades, and Episode Ignis. 
• Over a dozen pieces of DLC, including weapons, ?Regalia car skins, and item sets??.

Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition will retail for $49.99 on Play??S??tation 4 and Xbox One.

Now, if you were waiting for the game to hit PC, your wait will also end on March 6 when Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition launches.

FEXV: Windows Edition will include everything found in the Royal Edition with a few enhancements, including:

• Supports native 4K (maximum 8K) resolution and HDR?10 
• Mod support 
• First Person mode
• High-??resolution compatible display required for 4K??/8K 
• Windows 10 Creators Update compatible display?? required for HDR10

Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition will be available for pre-order starting February 1 on Origin, Steam and the Windows Store, each with their own exclusiv??e pre-order bonus. Square Enix has listed the minimum specs requir??ed to run the game:

• OS: Windows 7 SP1/ Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i5-2500 (3.3GHz or higher) or AMD FX-6100 (3.3GHz or higher)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760/NVIDIA Ge?Force GTX 1050/AMD Radeon R9 280
• Memory: 8GB
• Hard Disc Free Space on SSD: 100GB or higher
• Sound Card: DirectSound compat????ible sound card, Windows Sonic and Dolby Atmos support
• DirectX: DirectX 11

Final Fantasy XV [FinalFantasyXV.com]

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18GB on Xbox One

Square Enix vowed to give us a character swap feature for months in Final Fantasy XV, and now it's here. With a patch that ??includes ??several bug fixes, more music, and daily timed quest, comes the ability to swap between party members. Now, you can change characters in battle, so long as you're willing to download the 14GB patch on PS4 (18GB on Xbox One).

The last major planned season pass content drop, Episode Ignis, is out tomorrow, but it's not the end of Final Fantasy XV. Going into 2018 the team will be working on more additions to?? the game, as we??ll as PC and mobile ports, and they're testing out a potential Switch version as we speak.

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