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The Westernization Of Final Fantasy?

Published: November 22, 2011 by Cheat Code Central Staff | Leave a comment

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Now that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is open to DLC and other downloadable updates, the door has been opened for special in-game pre-order bonuses as well. Originally, a new costume for Serah was announced as a reward for pre-ordering the game, which was pretty cool, but a new bonus will actually give you power inside the game.

The bonus is the Genji Bow, an item that can transform from a bow to a sword and back again. The Genji Bow increases your attack rate and is equally as effective at short or long range. Unfortunately, this bonus is only available to people who are enrolled in the GameStop PowerUp Rewards Program, but it’s supposedly pretty powerful.

Giving away in-game power as a pre-order bonus is just one of many business decisions by Square which will make the Final Fantasy franchise fall in line with other big-budget Western titles. Speaking to GameReactor, Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase said, “When you think of Western AAA titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Assassin’s Creed, they seem to work with a lot shorter turnaround—they make a new game in one to two years. That is something we need to follow up, because that seems to be the best way to keep our fans interested and attracted to the franchise.”

Will Final Fantasy become a yearly series? Do you think Square can pull this off without sacrificing quality?

By Angelo M. D’Argenio