FFXIV, BGM preview: Ul'dah and Thanalan

After Limsa Lominsa / La Noscea and Gridania / Black Shroud BGM previews, today's dev blog post lets us listen to tracks from Ul'dah and Thanalan! Here we go:

I'm already sooo in love with the one that starts @3:17, can't wait to hear it in full!

Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD trailer officially released + screenshots

The first trailer for Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD (PS3 and PS Vita) has been now released by Square Enix!

Click here to visit the official website, but at the moment you'll only find the trailer and the following screenshots:

The JP website also got two sets of comparison images, showing how the HD treatment is... an HD treatment:

Will you play FFX and X-2 again (or, maybe, for the first time)? I loved both games; I had much fun completing Final Fantasy X-2 100%, really liked the battle system too (despite being the "same old" ATB one, it felt more fast and dynamic than previous FF games).

Final Fantasy XIV (and XI) panel @ Pax East: video and artworks

Yesterday's stream of Pax East Square Enix panel is now available online. The quality is not that good, but it looks like a better version is coming soon, so stay tuned!

Here are higher quality images of the FFXIV Chocobo costume and the Warrior of Light helm (thanks to DoctorMog!):

"Song of the week" #14

"Song of the week" #13 was Somnus from Final Fantasy Versus XIII... so yes, of course today's entry is all about the main subject of this blog: Final Fantasy XIV!

"Answers" by Susan Calloway and Nobuo Uematsu
From the album "Final Fantasy Vocal Collection", 2013

Live performance (Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home):

Answers has been featured in-game and in various videos, including the beautiful End of an Era trailer.

FFXIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI to air April 4

UPDATE: Streaming URL, click

Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE #6 will air April 4 from 11 am (GMT) on YouTube. To submit one or more questions:

• Before the live stream, post in this Lodestone forum thread
• During the live stream, send tweets to @FF_XIV_EN, using the hashtag #XIVLive

Read all the details here. Did you miss the fifth live letter? Then check this post.

Square Enix announces Software Token app for Android and iOS

UPDATE: Software Token is now available for Android and iOS devices. Peruse all the details here (EN), here (DE), here (FR), here (NA) or here (JP).

f you don't have a Final Fantasy XI or XIV Security Token, but still want to add that extra security to your Square Enix account... good news! A new app for Android and iOS devices will be released in early April and will be able to generate one-time passwords, just like a physical token does. Stay tuned!

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII new screenshots and info

UPDATE: More new screenshots and artworks are now out:

Square Enix released new screenshots from Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. They show us an Ability Shop, an Item Shop and a region called the Dead Dunes. "As Lightning explores the terrain she'll find hidden ruins riddled with treasure to be discovered and important information to unearth that can aid her on her quest. But, stray too far from civilisation and the harsh wilderness is sure to prey on you". Learn more here, here, and here.

Also, you can find more new screenshots on these V-Jump scans; thanks to @Vash_PSX and Square Portal! UPDATE: Square Enix released even more screenshots, so now we also have all the ones that could be seen on the scans I previously posted (this and this):

Scans: Final Fantasy X & X-2 HD (PS3, PSV) and Final Fantasy V (Android, iOS)

Final Fantasy X and X-2 are getting HD treatment to land on PlayStation 3 (same disc) and PS Vita (as separated games). Also, Final Fantasy V, with all the bonus content found on the GBA version and enhanced 2D graphics, is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (from March 28, starting with Japan) and, this summer, to Android devices too. Here are two magazine scans, one for each title:

Thanks to @aibo_ac7 and @kazu4281!

Final Fantasy XIV, Letter from the Producer XLIV: Beta phase 2 and Guildhests

Letter from the Producer XLIV is now online: check it here! Yoshi-P lets us know that Beta phase 2 will start in early April (phase 1 will end this Monday), bringing controller support to A Realm Reborn. Also, here are some Guildhests screenshots:

Guildhests are based on Behests from FFXIV 1.0. "It's an easy way to party up with friends, and can be enjoyed before you tackle dungeons later on, so look forward to group play even in the early levels".

FFXIV: Magitek armor, new contest and more

Do you believe in magitek? Fernehalwes posted, on Final Fantasy XIV official Developers' blog, some in-game pictures of the magitek armor mount (work in progress: "Now, while the map and armor are obviously still just mockups, word has it that Yoshi-P has already given the final OK on the designs, so now comes the polish")!

We first saw one in FFXIV: A Realm Reborn CG trailer. Remember?

There's more: we get to know that we'll be able to include apostrophes in a character's name, a new version of the Exploration benchmark is now available (full screen support and bug fixes), "Chocobos Rule the World" contest winners have been announced and an Eorzean Egg Decoration Contest is now open: click here for EU (United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain only) or here for NA.

Final Fantasy XIV: new "Lore" forum section

Final Fantasy XIV official forums just got a new section called "Lore": check it here. Some secrets about the lore of Eorzea have been already unveiled in previous dev posts and, today, we get to know Roegadyn naming conventions and dictionary (grammar, spelling rules), Hyur naming conventions, Elezen naming conventions, Miqo'te naming conventions and Lalafell naming conventions.

FFXIV, BGM preview: Gridania and Black Shroud

New Developers' blog post, new BGM medley! This time, we get to listen to previews of some Gridania and Black Shroud tracks, most of which shouldn't be unknown to beta testers. Click here for the previously released Limsa Lominsa / Thanalan medley.

New Final Fantasy Versus XIII info and Final Fantasy XIV for PS4?

Rumors! According to GameFAQs users Aryllies ("who has previously given some credible info regarding BDFF localisation") and Psxphreak, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn might be available, at some points during 2014, for the new PlayStation 4 console: "Final Fantasy XIV is a Playstation 3 title, will have a redemption code for the PS4 downloadable version at no extra charge. There are no plans for a full retail release of XIV on PS4. The releases of Lightning Returns, FFXIV AND Versus will be no longer than 3-4 months apart from one another, starting with LR. The idea is to re-establish the FF brand on the current platforms to generate interest/hype for the Next-Gen title which is in its infancy right now."

Also, it looks like Versus XIII "is NO LONGER AN ACTION-RPG. Its more in-line with traditional Final Fantasy and has been described to me as a combination of FFXII and the Classic ATB". Hmmm, I find this hard to believe. Take these rumors with at least twenty pinches of salt; check them all on this NeoGAF thread.

FFXIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part V video and Q&A summary

As expected, the video of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part V has been published on YouTube and can now be watched at any time. Click here (EN), here (DE), here (FR) or here (JP) to check the full Q&A text summary.