This demo looks to have been created from scratch though, using the Unreal Engine 3 – and it looks pretty good as well for a fan project. Just like Square’s tech demo released at E3 2005, this version also shows the opening sequence of the game when Cloud gets off the train at the Mako reactor, only this time it is playable, as reported from VG247.

Just how long this playable demo will be up for download remains to be seen though, as Square-Enix may decide that they do not like the copyrighted material in the game and as a result may decide to pull the plug. Seeing the enormous length that the developer has gone to though, hopefully common sense will prevail and Square-Enix will allow fans to get a taste of this as it really deserves at least a try out.

Who knows, the very existance of this new playable Final Fantasy VII remake may put even further pressure on Square-Enix to officially remake the game since it remains one of the most requested items in the legacy of Final Fantasy, especially after some below-par game releases such as Final Fantasy XIII.

If you’re interested in giving this a go, you can download the demo from the official website here. There’s also some preview screenshots and a section showing how the demo was created from scratch – pretty impressive again considering the guy has done this just for the fans. If you don’t intend to play it, you can just watch the video below so you get an idea of the quality of the remake.

For those of you that have played the 1997 original, how does this playable build make you feel? Does it do justice to the original or not?

The game from Square Enix is expected to launch for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 in December in Japan, in January for those in the U.S and in February for everyone else. We recently brought you news regarding the availability of the collector’s edition of the game which will include a 20 page artbook, the 4 disc original soundtrack and premium packaging as well as the game itself accompanied with a manual. It can be purchased from GameStop, Best buy and Amazon with each store offering varying bonus content with every pre-order.

The video clip below which publicizes the TV special is not really enough to satisfy Final Fantasy fans completely but gives us enough to quell their anticipation and appetite for the time being. What it does give viewers is a quick glimpse of Sazh as well as the voice actor who plays the character, Masashi Ebara who will also be hosting the Japanese show. The show is also expected to be teasing the game to viewers with behind the scenes footage a day before its release in Japan.

According to Siliconera, the director of Final Fantasy XIII-2, Motomu Toriyama is claiming that nearly all the main characters from its prequel will be making an appearance in the game at some point. Apparently Sazh tries to rebuild Gran Pulse, Hope is at the academy and Lightning is trapped in Valhalla. We have also brought you the first details of the game’s DLC which will be made available post release in an article by Alan Ng, head on over to it now to check it out.

Are you looking forward to the release of Final Fantasy XIII-2? What do you think of the game so far?

As reported from VG247, director for the game Motomu Toriyama has spoken in a recent interview with Japanese mag Famitsu, confirming the news, but didn’t give a solid reason why they decided to scrap the idea.

Here is what he had to say via 1up: ”We were planning to make some DLC, but that plan wound up not happening.” However he did state that players should ”hold on to their game saves” – whatever that means.

Final Fantasy XIII DLC was previously rumored to be in existence, but now Square-Enix has well and truly killed off any hope of the game getting any kind of new content. I guess it’s time to look forward to Final Fantasy Versus XIII then – in another 5 years probably!

Let us know your thoughts on this bombshell.

This difference in quality has landed Square Enix in a little bit of bother, apparently the advert they released suggested that the Xbox 360 visuals were the same as the PS3′s, however following a viewer complaint and an investigation it was determined that the Xbox 360 advert features PS3 visuals.

The advert has now been blocked, here is what the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) had to say on the matter “We considered that, because the ad promoted the game on the XBOX 360 platform, it should have featured footage derived from that console. Because it did not, and because we considered that the use of PS3 footage in the ad exaggerated the quality of the footage available on the XBOX 360, albeit marginally, we concluded the ad was misleading.”

Square Enix believe that the difference is not noticeable by the average games, however it seems as if they were wrong as this is all the result of a complaint from an average gamer.

Source: SixthAxis

As reported from VG247, that means that the game will no longer be a PS3-exclusive in Japan as first thought. Apparently, some achievements page for the Xbox 360 version of FFXIII have turned up on the Japanese Xbox 360 site, and have yet to be taken down by either Square or MS.

If the news is true, then it is obviously great news for 360 owners over in Japan. It does make you wonder though, if Square-Enix are willing to change their mind about this, then they could probably do the same with Final Fantasy XIV appearing on the Xbox 360 too.

Let us know your thoughts on this. Are you surprised or not?

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The original report that comes from IGN says that a lawsuit was filed on June 2, 2010 by Daniel Wolf who comes from San Diego, Calif, and says that the game has caused “PS3 consoles to freeze and become totally and permanently inoperable.”

Wolf says that after he purchased the game on release day, his PS3 became unresponsive and refused to play any media after an attempt to save his game failed.

The suit also mentions that Sony and Square Enix have been blaming each other for the issues in the game, but neither are willing to cover the cost of the repair bills, nor are they willing to comment on the situation.

Has FFXIII caused you any such problems?

Source: VG247 via IGN

As reported from VG247, Erickson was speaking in a recent interview with Strategy Informer, talking about what actually constitutes the ‘RPG’, using Square Enix’ recent release as a prime example.

Part of his interview reads: ”You can put a ‘J’ in front of it, but it’s not an RPG. You don’t make any choices, you don’t create a character, you don’t live your character… I don’t know what those are – adventure games maybe? But they’re not RPG’s.”

Some interesting points there don’t you agree? Final Fantasy came under a fair amount of criticism for moving away from the traditional ‘open world’ approach, in favor of introducing a more linear storyline. However, reviews were still pretty good, even though they might of upset a few purists.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree that Final Fantasy is more an an adventure game than an RPG, or has Mr Erickson got it wrong?

Despite a lot of you thinking otherwise, the PS3 seemed to be the better choice to pick up out of the two, with these recent sales figure reflecting this.

In March, Sony managed to notch up 828,200 sales of Final Fantasy XIII on the PS3, while the Xbox 360 could only manage 493,900 – a difference of 67%.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you surprised by such a huge margin, or did you expect the PS3 to come out on top by a considerable difference?

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As most of you will be aware, reviews for the game were fairly good, although there were some exceptions – notably EDGE’s 5/10. The game is a 60 hour+ affair, with the general consensus being that most critics completed their reviews without actually finishing the game.

Over at PSXExtreme, they make the claim that the game changes significantly for the better, past the 20-25 hour mark, when the game reaches the ‘Gran Pulse’ stage.

Have you reached this stage in the game yet? If so, did your overall impressions of the game change after reaching this stage?

This is quite interesting – we’d love to hear your response on this. Should the game be re-reviewed after actually completing the game?

As reported from Eurogamer, God Of War III has now overtaken the RPG to take the top spot in the UK All-format charts for this week.

Along with sales of the game, Final Fantasy XIII now drops to 3rd position in the charts, behind EA’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in second.

We previously asked you if you were bored of the game already – but judging by the sales outcome, it looks like a lot of you are going to give it a miss.

There is always Final Fantasy XIV remember. Let us know your thoughts on this.