Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Xbox 360 Bundle includes 250GB hard drive, will cost $399

How exactly are they shooting themselves in the foot? Did you even think your trolling through or did I just stop myself mid-sentence and realize that trolls don't have the capacity for intelligent thought and that this comment is ultimately redundant.

Sarcasm phail

Honesty appreciated.

why does it bother you that more people get to play a game? do you somehow enjoy your copy of the game less?

Maybe he has stock in Sony and them doing better means more money in his pocket?

Just one of many possible reasons.

i'm with you Traceur. i bought a PS3 about 6 months after launch (the first price drop) with the assumption that it would get FF13 exclusively eventually (along with other titles). i mean i guess the exclusivity isn't a huge deal to me really since i have a 360 as well anyway but honestly, i do like to see the PS3 do well and get kinda upset every time MS buys an (assumed) exclusive away and adds extras.

i'll be interested to see how the sales pan out because it has all the familiar symptoms of being GTAIV all over again.

Curt, Sony has done the same thing for years with Nintendo exclusives. Nintendo gets an exclusive game, then Sony gets the game a year later with extras. Don't be so sad when Microsoft does the same thing to them. :-)

FFXIII isnt coming out on 360 in Japan.

This I know. That was a major part of my point...

Thank-you.

FFXIII isnt coming out on 360, not because MS doesnt want to, but because they legally cant. So heres how that would go:

*MS releases this bundle in Japan*
*Square sues MS's ass off*
*MS pays Square a shit ton of money and pulls all the bundles*
*Granger looks like a fool*

Care to explain the legality of it not being released on 360, because I feel all foolish nor, or at least confused about what you're going on about... ???

if FF13 is on lock to the PS3 in Japan how much sense would it make to release this over there? I mean its pretty much a Sqeenix decision not a MS one

Think logically Granger. Everytime a Square RPG for the 360 has come out in Japan, 360 sales in japan recieve an incrediable sales boost. FF is easily Squares most recognizable title, and of course is one of the biggest in Japan. IF MS could release it in Japan, dont you think they would?

Square owns full rights to FF, and as such they are allowed to determine where it is released and on what console it is allowed on. Square could only release the game in Peyton, CO if they really wanted (FYI thats a town of like 200 people). Square gave MS license to have FFXIII on their console in Europe and NA, but not in Japan, where it remains a console exclusive to the PS3. It is probably part of the terms when MS bought the rights to have FFXIII on their console, and it is probably like that because Square wanted an exorbent sum of money because they knew how much it would help Xbox in that region. However, MS accountants probably figured that it wouldnt be worth paying that much money for how much profit it would bring them overall, as in terms of gross sale numbers Xbox stuff generally does shitty there.

So MS pays Square enough to have it in Europe and NA, but not enough to have it in Japan.

Do I have a source for this? No. But apply some logic and basic business principles and this is the conclusion that you arrive at, and should I care to actually find a source (I dont, im a lazy bum dontcha know) then I am sure that is what we would find.

Of course, should I be wrong then I look the fool.

It could be that Sony had something to do with the game not releasing in Japan on the 360. That's what I've always assumed.

@Vid

Possible. Last I checked Sony did own some Square Enix stock, but its only like 9%. It would take a lot of power to cancel something like that, and given Sony's "we dont pay for exclusives attitude at the time" it was either really hush hush, or something else.

Logically I think mine makes more sense, but your theory is certainly possible.

Sony's "we don't pay for exclusives" thing is just semantics. They won't literally write a company a check for X dollars to have the game exclusive, but they will pay for a chunk of the game's marketing, distribution costs, etc etc.

I actually wouldn't mind disc swapping, you usually get a better box and it would be kind of nostalgic. As for the audio I never notice things with that small of a difference and I doubt you do either.

Was this really necessary?

"you usually get a better box and it would be kind of nostalgic."

Hah.. I don't know about the better box part. Virtually every multi-disc game/movie I've ever bought had one disc loose in the package before I opened it up.

I take it you also keep all your MP3s in 320bitrate? Or no, better yet, you keep them all as FLAC instead of MP3s!

Chances are very few people have the necessary setup to even be able to tell the difference in audio.

As for disc swapping all I gotta say is look at Metal Gear Solid. That is the perfect example of disc swapping done right.

White?

considering that nearly all ps3 bundles are simply vanilla standard consoles with the game packaged inside, the 360 bundles are actual special edition bundles with somethinig that makes them unique and no NOT just the "special edition cardboard box" which sony has been doing

I don't think MS would lie about that, that could end up in some kind of lawsuit or something.

No, because it may be true at the time of the statement that it really is the only console outside of Japan to be bundled with the game. I imagine that it is true, but it would be interesting to see if Sony has a comment on the subject, seeing how Sony has always been a good platform for JRPG's.

Quick chat with SCEA and SCEE confirms there will be no PS3 bundles outside of Japan.

lie about what? they always say things like "The 250GB HDD will ONLY be available with the MW2 bundle" or "Xbox 360 is the only console to support netflix instant streaming"(which was finally taken off the site shortly after Christmas)

Andrew - thanks call them up. I'm headed to Japan in March and I need a second PS3 so I was thinking about getting a FFXIII bundle if one wasn't coming out here.

Actually you can teleport to previous locations except Cocoon I think

Really? Cause I remember when the reviews started pouring in most of them said something like "only the first half was linear, then the rest was more open."

Hmm, This is what I was told from people playing the Japanese version.

Something like 30hrs in before you even get a side mission.

WHAT?

Someone lied to you on the internet???

DID YOU HAVE THE TRUTH FILTER ON???

@Wiizer

Damn those Japanese Reviewers, saying the game has a lack of story freedom, and a very straight story path until midpoint, damn them for playing the game and telling us what the game entails. What a bunch of liars.

And to top it off, reply fail.

:(
(I'm sad)

I like you enough to apologize for overreacting, if you'd like to snuggle call me up some time.

Let's be friends :)
(I'm happy that the internet can be a place of forgiveness. Let's watch a romantic movie and pop some popcorn together.)