UPDATE: Confirmed with picture from next week's Jump: FFXIV Campaign Code

A rumor has made its way through the tubes that early copies of Final Fantasy XIII, which goes on sale December 17th, may contain "Campaign Codes" related to Final Fantasy XIV. Unfortunately, there are no details as to what the codes may activate. Early speculation leans towards either a slot in the beta, one of the promised "focus groups" or perhaps just some special item.  However, any high hopes should be kept in check until more details emerge.

Still, while the purpose is unclear, there is some precedent for such an offer. Along with the recently released 4 Warriors of Light Final Fantasy Gaiden, Square Enix is running a campaign for early buyers.  If one purchases a copy and enters a special code on the Square Enix Members site before November 8th, they are eligible to receive a special Dragon Standee, pictured left.

Being a fan of anything from Square Enix with two or more F's in the title, I picked up this DS cart on release day and entered my code online.  There are a few things I noticed along the way that speak well for this rumor.  First, is the item is used as a display in stores and cannot be obtained in any other way.  We know Square Enix is willing to provide unqiue items beyond what are offered by trading points in their Members Store.  Second, the process entailed filling out a survey in which it was indicated there would be future "early purchase" bonuses. 

We'll have to wait and see if they do in fact adopt the early purchase campaign to Final Fantasy XIII and what prizes they have in store.  Maybe I shouldn't have checked "did not affect my purchasing decision" on that survey...

Tip o' the Taj to FF14-FAN for the info.

As part of the 2009 Allakhazam Pumpkin Carving Contest, we have had some special guests getting in on the fun. Now that the contest is open to players worldwide, there has been an especially large outpouring of support from the Japanese community. First, the developer blog Creator's Voice Z put together a wonderful tutorial to get things started. Various blogs and fansites have submitted entries as well, and today, we are thrilled to present a very special contribution from Dengeki PlayStation magazine!

This week, Dengeki PlayStation put together a page on the Pumpkin Contest in their 旅団パラダイス (ryo-dan pa-ra-da-i-su) section.  Within the article, they detail the process of gutting a pumpkin, planning out the picture and carving the design.  Here's a sneak peek!

Read on for a closer look at Dengeki PlayStation, and an introduction to the players behind the magic -- the Dengeki Brigade!

Discuss this in the ZAM forums.

The Tokyo Game Show this year was packed with flashy booths and exciting games.  There was much more than could be taken in within just two days, especially with the over 180,000 people in attendance.  The drawing on the left (reads 832 min. wait) is an exaggeration of some of the horrendous wait times.  At times, the line for Dragon Quest VI actually took over 6 hours!

To gauge what fans found the most popular, this week Famitsu has printed the results of a survey they ran at Tokyo Game Show 2009.  Around 1,500 people responded, indicating their favorites from this year's exhibition.  Despite the small showing, would you believe that Final Fantasy XIV got into a couple Top 10s?  Square Enix overall did pretty well for itself too, (with one exception later on) with Final Fantasy XIII helping it to rake in a number of accolades.  Read on to find out what convention-goers enjoyed the most!

Discuss this in the ZAM forums.

A new Famitsu came out with a nice spread on Final Fantasy XIV.  While working on it, Square Enix posted all the new info on their official FFXIV site.  Check it out for new information on some classes and monsters as well as a look into the life of a crafter in Eorzea.  What I'm going to do now, is pick out information from some of the Q&A sessions sprinkled throughout the article, which didn't make the cut.

Discuss this in the ZAM forums.

I'm going to go linksies on this one because it is a fairly extensive interview that already received a thorough writeup.

GAME Watch Interviews Tanaka and Komoto

Some new and interesting points:

• People beginning in Limsa Lominsa will start by arriving by sea as depicted in the trailer.  This is only one example of how players can enter Eorzea depending on their starting area.
• Pre-rendered scenes and real-time footage were mixed in the trailer.  Real-time footage was shown in the longest stretches, but overall, there was more pre-rendered material if you add up all the separate clips of it.
• Skillchains will be in FFXIV, both chains performed with other people and possibly ones you can do solo.
• Parties will be less restrictive and not penalize players for having too many or too few members.
• Excpect some familiar abilities to make a comeback; Komoto specifically references Flee, but says it might not necessarily be linked to Thief.
• Developers plan to have FFXIV support Windows 7, 64-bit systems, multicore processors and are trying to plan for how technology will have evolved by the game's release in 2010.
• Beta testing will begin for Windows PCs only.  They will be conducted as focus groups that last around 3-4 hours at a time.  This will be to iron out every little detail of the game utilizing player feedback.  The next stage will be weekly tests that last a full 24 hours.  After this, they will begin to stress test the servers by adding people in increments - they will start at 10,000 and double the amount for each subsequent test.  Finally, after expanding the pool of testers to their liking, a full open beta will be initiated.

Check out the full version, then tell us what you think on the ZAM forums!

The Tokyo Game Show has come and gone and many Final Fantasy XIV fans are disappointed by the lack of information. We knew from the start that Final Fantasy XIII was going to be the big focus, but browsing the forums reveals a lot of hopeful players that left wanting more. We did receive a few things, however, that may hide more information than it appears at first glance.

Reports indicate that FFXIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka crept, ninja-like, through Makuhari Messe on the first public day of the show. He was caught by a Japanese fansite and confirmed that the upcoming MMO will support Windows 7, as well as 64-bit Windows systems. It does not appear there were any official interviews conducted with any staff from FFXI or FFXIV.

There is also a new Japanese magazine on the shelves - Dengeki Games. In their premier issue, they ran a feature on FFXIV news thus far, reviewing everything we know up to this point. Dengeki Playstation has always dedicated space to FFXI, and have had their fair share of exclusive interviews. I will be sure to keep an eye on them as we progress towards a beta.

I spent the better half of last week covering the show, and I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures and videos that were uploaded. In a way, though, ZAM readers were let down because there just was not any FFXIV news to report. Well, it's time to fix that. For this week, I locked myself in the Orastery to take a hard look at the new and old, mix in my own take on things, and see if we cannot get a better grasp of what lies in store for us within the wondrous land of Eorzea.

First up, the brand new Tokyo Game Show trailer! I downloaded the HD version from the PSN store and threw it up on a 42" LCD. Let's see what secrets it might hold before I burn out my retinae staring at it.  Why did they bother to put together an entirely new trailer?  Tanaka once said the E3 trailer contained some hidden message, so let's take him at his word and really examine this new one.  It seems to be a confirmation of some game aspects they have described in the past, as well as a few hints at some new ones.  I'm just going to throw out any little thing that catches my eye and let you guys speculate your hearts out.

Speaking of which, click here to discuss this in the ZAM forums.

On the fourth and final day of the Tokyo Game Show, I made some more rounds at the Square Enix booth and took a bunch of pictures.  It is no secret that everything is a secret with Square Enix - you need an armband to identify yourself as press and photography of any screen was still strictly prohibited.  I think even catching just the Square Enix logo on their Open Mega Theater screen there is grounds for a paddling.  Still, I was able to take a little tour around the area and check out most of what was offered.  There were a lot of demos too, but on the public days, getting to play more than one or two seemed like an exercise in futility.  Square Enix was definitely hot to trot this year, with a massive setup that generated an immense amount of excitement.  The crowds in some areas would dwindle as the day pressed on, but this place was jumping from start to finish.  Let's take a look at some pictures.

Hey, everyone!  As you can see above, it's packed to the gills now that the doors are open to the public.  I'm actually editing this in now as 11:26am, almost an hour and a half after doors opened, and there is still a huge line of people waiting to enter.  I'm stopping in early to get up an article so I can spend the rest of the day cosplay hunting.  That seems to be the most requested thing about TGS, and now that the convention is open to the public, I should be able to get a bunch of interesting shots.  For now, let's take a look at some of the merchandise they have on sale!

Today I decided to get some videos captured and upload it while I still have access to the press lounge wi-fi.  As expected, there was nothing new to report for Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV.  If you have not seen it, you can check out the new FFXIV trailer on the official site.

As for FFXI, we know that Vana'diel Collection 2 is almost ready for release here in Japan.  It will contain all expansions and add-on scenarios up until A Shantotto Ascension.  Speaking of which, A Shantotto Ascension will be avaiable for purchase on November 12th, with pre-order taking place before hand.

It's about noontime here, so I have ducked into the Press Lounge to make an update of what has been going on so far before grabbing something to eat.