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Bet you never could have predicted that, right? Square Enix’s latest blockbuster RPG,Final Fantasy XIII, hassold outin Japan after a massive launch day. Shifting over one million copies, the game is said to have been totally consumed almost instantaneously. This figure does not include the “Lightning Edition” PS3 bundle, meaning that the actual amount ofFF XIIIplayers in Japan is bigger than the figure provided by Square Enix. The basic story is this: Loads and loads and loads of Japanese folk are playingFinal Fantasy XIII....

Sony has become the latest publisher to voice its support for the “online pass” scheme, where used games will be locked out of online modes and the customer will be required to pay a charge in order to play.EA SportsandTHQhave already been doing it, withUbisoftset to follow. Now Sony is considering the option. “On the principle of making online portions of the game available or unlocked from the disc-based release for a fee, we’re broadly supportive of that,” says SCEE’s Andrew House....

It’s a new hack, folks. Kidding! Some PlayStation Plus members have reported issues when trying to access content in the past week or so. Beyond that, there are reports that some content isn’t showing up in the PlayStation Store for members. Are you one of these members? Are you pissed? Don’t worry. Sony is on the job. “We are working on this problem now as a matter of priority and expect customers to see this fixed over the next few days....

While most of the world seems to think that dedicated handhelds are on the way out as mobile gaming takes over, one company believes it has the goods needed to take down the cellphones — Sony and itsPlayStation Vita. “We firmly believe that PlayStation Vita will supersede the mobile market when launched, and have grand ambitions for a product that is really at the forefront of innovation,” said hardware marketing man John Koller....

With only a few days to go before E3 opens its doors at the Los Angeles Covention Center, the press releases are flying fast and furious. The latest comes from SouthPeak Games, announcing their full lineup of games showing at the upcoming media summit. The highlights includeX-Blades, Brave: A Warrior’s Tale, Brave: Shaman’s Challenge, Monster Madness, Big Bang Miniand more (see the full list after the jump), but as you may have guessed by the header, I’m most charged up aboutNinja Town, the highly adorable tower defense-style game based on the characters of Shawn Smith....

The latest installment in the reveredDungeon Siegeseries has been announced today for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, developed by Obsidian and published by, of all companies, Square Enix. This strange collaboration will mark the console debut of the RPG series, as well as the continuation of Obsidian’s “develop other people’s franchises” strategy. The game will be worked on with help from original studio Gas Powered Games and will allegedly keep “the best features” of previous installments, as well as add “intuitive action gameplay” in an “immersive world where every decision you make has a consequence....

I think I’m starting to privately hate the Enix half of Square-Enix. Although I can’t necessarily prove that they are the problem, I can say that before Square joined forces with them, I liked them a lot better. The more sequels and spin-offs they make ofFinal Fantasy, the more I have no idea who they are anymore. It really is rather love affair-esque, right down my inability to let them go....

StarCraft 2’s map editor looks to be pretty robust, and Blizzard was happy to show off some of the power under the hood at Blizzcon. Imagine maps in the style of action role-playing games, shoot-’em-ups, and even first-person shooters. Blizzard was able to crank out examples of each from the new editor. At a game play panel at Blizzcon, a third-person Action RPG and a Galaga-style shmup were shown off. AsVG247says, with this kind of map-making flexibility and power, it makes sense that new maps might cost money....

I love being able to download PS1 titles on PSN, and I wish that the list of available games was longer, but I’m certainly not complaining about what we’ve gotten so far. Some of my favorite titles are already available, includingCastlevania: Symphony of the NightandSilent Hill. In a recent exclusive onGamasutra, they asked Sony about the most popular downloadable PS1 titles and got the following list in return: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night MediEvil 10....

A study by Continental Tyres claims that regular gamers are crappy drivers when compared to those who don’t indulge in our favorite past-time. The poll quizzed 2,000 motorists between the ages of 17 and 39 to reach its conclusions. The study finds that gamers are twice as likely to take risks, speed, run red lights and make insurance claims following accidents. Gamers who play for more than eight hours a week allegedly get into three times as many accidents....

Many fans ofFinal Fantasywere pleased to hear that the fourth game in the series would recieve the “Final Fantasy III DStreatment”, and a 3D portable port was more than enough reason to be excited. Now that we’ve had a chance to get our hands on the remake at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, we can say thatFinal Fantasy IV DSis quite a bit more than just aFFIII DStreatment, and fans now have several more reasons to be excited....

This is basically aMetal Gear Solidfan’s wet dream. More so if you’re gettingMetal Gear Solid: HD Editionon the PlayStation 3. Both versions of the game will include the MSX2 versions ofMetal GearandMetal Gear 2: Solid Snake, plusMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty,Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterandMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker(more on this game in a later post.) The PS3 version is the only one that will also include a PlayStation Network voucher code that will get you the firstMetal Gear Solid....

The Chase: Felix Meets Felicityis one of those games for me where every time I watch the trailer, I find myself caught somewhere between thinking that it’s too casual/cutesy for my tastes and that it looks rather interesting. It’s hard to say just yet as I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet, but since the release is coming up in a week or so I’m thinking I’ll find out soon enough....