Xbox 360 getting USB storage support this year?

Screens sent to gaming blog Joystiq appear to indicate Microsoft will soon open up its console to nonproprietary memory devices; artificial size limit of 16GB planned.

Source: Gaming blog Joystiq.

What we heard: Last year ended with British company Datel suing Microsoft after an Xbox 360 firmware update locked out all third-party memory units. Now, it looks like the days of the console’s proprietary memory units and hard drives may be numbered.

According to screenshots and documentation obtained by Joystiq, Microsoft is planning to add USB memory device support to its console via a firmware update later this year. The blog selectively quoted a memo from a “senior software development engineer” that said “USB mass storage device support on Xbox 360″ is necessary due to “increased market penetration of high-capacity, high-throughput USB mass storage devices.” The update will reportedly allow gamer profiles, game saves, and entire titles ripped from a disc to be stored on said devices–although the latter requires a game disc to be in the console for verification.

Screenshots accompanying the memo show a software development kit formatting a 4-gigabyte memory unit for use with the Xbox 360. Most new models are larger than the biggest first-party memory unit’s 512MB capacity; Datel’s third-party memory units went up to 4GB. Microsoft’s spec for the functionality reportedly said USB devices must be at least 1GB in size but could not be anymore than 16GB, thereby artificially blocking the use of high-capacity external hard drives with the console.

The inability to hook up to large hard drives will anger many gamers who consider Xbox 360 hard drive pricing exorbitant. The $300 Elite model ships with a 120GB HDD as standard, although higher priced limited edition bundles come with a 250GB HDD. Sold separately, the 120GB HDD was $150, but the stand-alone product is no longer available at GameStop, Amazon, or Wal-Mart. The sudden disappearance has been coupled with premature retailer listings of a 250GB hard drive being released on March 23 for $130. Currently, the only Xbox 360 hard drive sold separately is the 60GB HDD that is part of the $100 Xbox Live starter pack.

The official story: “Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.” — Microsoft representative.

Gamers may not need to pick up a special bundle to get the 250GB drive after all.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus. With rumors of a slimline model gathering steam, Microsoft seems to be open to tinkering with the Xbox 360 form factor. And given the increasingly competitive battle with the PlayStation 3–which does support USB drives–the software giant may be amenable to expand its console’s functionality as well.

Rock Band Network live on Xbox 360, 105 songs available

PROPS TO JOYSTIQ!

The Rock Band Network has gone live on Xbox 360 with a catalog of 105 songs. With over 4,000 registered authors and peer reviewers participating in the program, we’re guessing a lot more tracks are in the pipe; and Harmonix and MTV Games have teased that tracks from from Flight of the Conchords, The Smashing Pumpkins, Twin Atlantic, All That Remains, Clutch, Prong, The Gaslight Anthem and hundreds of other artists are on the way. Song prices currently range from 80 to 160 ($1 and $2)*.

A nice new feature of the Rock Band Music Store offshoot is that players will be able to download RBN samples to demo tracks before they buy. Songs will debut exclusively on Xbox 360 for 30 days, after which “a selection of standout tracks” will become available on PS3 and Wii.

*Artists who submit songs receive a 30-percent royalty of the RBN retail price (excluding tax) for every track purchased.

Update: List of RBN launch tracks after the break.

Gallery: Rock Band Network

Songs Now Available in the Rock Band Network Music Store

• 3 Inches of Blood – Battles and Brotherhood
• Alias Unknown – Top Back
• Amberian Dawn – He Sleeps in a Grove
• Amberian Dawn – River of Tuoni
• Andrew Buch – Trippolette
• Audio Fiction – Race The Hourglass
• Bif Naked – Sick
• Blackmarket – Tongue Twister Typo
• Bojibian – Still There
• C&O – We Are the Best
• Chaunce DeLeon and The Fountain of Choof – Tadpole Search and Rescue
• Children of Nova – The Complexity of Light
• Color Theory – If Not Now When
• Dear and the Headlights – Talk About
• Despised Icon – Day of Mourning
• DnA’s Evolution – The Heist
• Error 404 feat. CJ Watson – If Trucks Drank Beer
• Fake Shark-Real Zombie! – Angel Lust
• Fake Shark-Real Zombie! – Horses in Heaven
• Fake Shark-Real Zombie! – Running for the Razors
• Fake Shark-Real Zombie! – Sestri Levante
• Five Finger Death Punch – Burn it Down
• Flogging Molly – Drunken Lullabies (Live)
• Flogging Molly – Requiem for a Dying Song
• Foreword – Watch It All Go Down
• Free Spirit – Far Away from Heaven
• Full-Source – End Quote
• Full-Source – It’s Not You, It’s Everyone
• Full-Source – Red Sky At Morn
• Furly – Icarus’ Song
• Gandhi – Arigato
• Giant Target – In Memories
• Giant Target – Signs
• Glass Hammer – Hyperbole
• Glass Hammer – Sleep On
• Heaven Ablaze – Parhelia
• In This Moment – Mechanical Love
• James William Roy – Paper Valentines
• Jonathan Coulton – Creepy Doll
• Jonathan Coulton – Ikea
• Jonathan Coulton – The Future Soon
• KMFDM – A Drug Against War
• KMFDM – Juke Joint Jezebel
• Kristin Hersh – Fortune
• Kristin Hersh – Mississippi Kite
• Lacuna Coil – Survive
• Lead the Dead – Rip’er
• Longwave – No Direction
• Marillion – Whatever Is Wrong With You
• Matter in the Medium – Persistence of Vision
• MC Frontalot – Goth Girls
• Nick Gallant – Inside Out
• Nick Gallant – Turn Yourself Around
• Of Last Resort – Fade Away
• of Montreal – Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
• Pink Flag – Nancy Drew
• Ron Wasserman – Fight Back
• Rose of Jericho – Buried Cold
• Scratching The Itch – Lemon Juice
• Scratching The Itch – The Buddy Disease
• Scratching The Itch – You’re My Everything
• Senses Fail – Lady in a Blue Dress
• Skeletonwitch – Crushed Beyond Dust
• Skindred – Stand for Something
• Speck – Grumpytown
• Speck – VP of Booty Reports
• Stars of Boulevard – Limousine
• Stephanie Hatfield and Hot Mess – Can I Stay
• Steve and Lindley Band – Backyard Buildyard
• Steve Vai – For the Love of God (Live)
• Steve Vai – Get the Hell Out of Here
• Steve Vai – The Attitude Song
• Stroke 9 – Kick Some Ass ’09
• Stroke 9 – Little Black Backpack ’09
• Suicide Silence – Disengage
• Surprise Me Mr. Davis – Sissyfuss
• The Cold Goodnight – Give
• The Dirty Love Band – Moonboy
• The Everybody – You Got That
• The Fisticuffs – Liverpool Judies
• The Hold Steady – Sequestered in Memphis
• The Humans – It’s Good
• The Kimberly Trip – California
• The Main Drag – Cease and Desist
• The Main Drag – Don’t Let Me Down (Slowly)
• The Main Drag – Dove Nets
• The Main Drag – Homosuperior
• The Main Drag – How We’d Look On Paper
• The Main Drag – Love During Wartime
• The Main Drag – Megatron
• The Main Drag – Talk Them Down
• The Main Drag – Teeth, Face, Outerspace
• The Main Drag – Tricky Girl
• The Main Drag – What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur?
• The Shins – Australia
• The Slip – Children of December
• The Slip – Even Rats
• Ultra Saturday – Not My Fault
• Ultra Saturday – Superhero!
• WaveGroup Feat. Becca Neun – Liquid Smog (StompBox Remix)
• Wounded Soul – Rx
• You Shriek – Lilith in Libra
• You Shriek – No Heroes
• Zack Wilson – Another California Song
• Zack Wilson – Ox

Spotlight:Final Fantasy 13 (PS3 & XBOX 360)

Final Fantasy XIII (ファイナルファンタジーXIII, Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn^?) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. It was released for the PlayStation 3 entertainment system in Japan on December 17, 2009 and is due for release in North America and PAL regions on March 9, 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. First appearing at E3 2006, the game features both futuristic and natural elements; it is set between a land of wilderness and the high-tech world above it. Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection of Final Fantasy games.

Gameplay

The concept for Final Fantasy XIII‘s battle system is to maintain the strategic nature of command-based battles. The system stemmed from a desire to create battles similar to those found in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Like those in Final Fantasy XII, enemies are integrated into the world environment. However, unlike Final Fantasy XII, battles do not take place in the same “dimension”, instead there is a short transition and players are transported to a new battle screen, separate from the main playing world. The Active Time Battle (ATB) system will return, but it will work differently from its predecessors. Users will be able to chain large numbers of commands together in order to achieve attack bonuses.

The Final Fantasy XIII battle system, with the option to use “Paradigm Shift”

The first battle system was shown during the E3 2006, but it was only a prototype. A new interface was shown in September 2009 by Square Enix in various Japanese magazines and trailers (depicted in the image adjacent). In battle, the player can only control one character at a time out of a party of up to three.

Multiple commands can be stacked into slots per turn and released at the same time to form a combo. The number of command slots increases as the characters grow in strength. These commands include series staples such as Attack, Fire, Blizzard and Cure, as well as new ones such as Ruin, Ruinaga, and Radial Strike. The difference between XIII’s battle system and the ATB gauge is that these commands can still be placed in the slots even though the bar has run out, and the actions will be executed once the required slots are filled up. The game does not make use of MP but introduces “cost points” for each command, which determine how many times the commands can be used per turn. Because magic cannot be used outside of battle, the Hit Point (HP) of the party is completely restored after each battle.

When engaging an enemy, the camera moves to another position and the battle menu appears, making the battle transitions nearly seamless. The after-battle victory screen in XIII holds information such as the time it took to finish the battle, the highest number of combos executed, the number of break attacks and the quality of battle which is determined by a ranking of one to five stars.

A “Break State” is one of the new features of the Final Fantasy XIII battle system. The breaks refer to the times an enemy enters a state of reduced retaliation. This occurs when a chain combo has been maintained for a certain period of time on an enemy, filling a bar to maximum. When a high level combo has been achieved, the enemy will glow red and enter this state, during which the player will be able to inflict high amounts of damage and knock some enemies high into the air. The chain bar will gradually deplete during this period; when it becomes empty, the break state ends.

The party will be able to purchase new weapons in the game and actually see them in battle.

Roles and Paradigms

The “Role” system exists in order to control what abilities are available to characters in battle. Rather than having all abilities available to characters as they are learned, abilities are restricted to certain Roles, similar to the Job system of previous installments. The Japanese version’s Roles are Attacker, Blaster, Defender, Enhancer, Jammer, and Healer, while the English localization calls them Commando, Ravager, Sentinel, Synergist, Saboteur and Medic, respectively. Commandos strike with physical, non-elemental attacks; Ravagers use elemental abilities like Frost Blow and Thundaga; Sentinels provoke and absorb enemy attacks, and dish out counterattacks; Synergists use buffs like Shell and Brave, while Saboteurs use debuffs like DeShell and Bio; and Medics exclusively heal, using abilities like Cura, Raise, and Esuna. Roles, with a specific purpose in mind for each, are the only means by which to direct ally AI.

Each character may only take on one role at a time, and each combination of three Roles for a given party is called a “Paradigm” (“Optima” in Japan). Up to six Paradigm combinations may be stored at any one time. During battle, players may switch between them on-the-fly, called a “Paradigm Shift” (“Optima Change” in Japan). Timing Paradigm Shifts correctly can fill the ATB gauges, making switching frequently in battle an advantage.

The Crystarium

The leveling system for the game is called the Crystarium System which resembles the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X. Instead of gaining experience points after winning a battle, characters gain CP (Crystal Points) which can then be spent in order to unlock abilities and increase attributes such as maximum HP. Every character has a Crystarium, and within it, different sections corresponding to each Role the character has available.

The Crystarium is not initially available within the game, and only becomes available through story sequences. After that point, levels in the Crystarium become unlocked as the story progresses, essentially capping the amount of growth that can be achieved in the middle of the game. Every character initially specializes in up to three Roles, and the other Roles are not even available in their Crystariums until much later in the game.

Summons

The classic summoned creatures called Eidolons (as they were in Final Fantasy IV DS and Final Fantasy IX) return in Final Fantasy XIII. Each character possesses only one Eidolon that is summoned from a crystal that sprouts from the character’s mark of l’Cie. The Eidolons include series staples Odin, Shiva, Alexander, and Bahamut, and newcomers Hecatoncheir and Brynhildr. When summoned, the Eidolon stay in battle while the characters accompanying the summoner leaves the party. There is also a new feature called “Gestalt Mode” (known as “Driving Mode” in Japan), which when activated joins the summoned and its summoner; Snow can ride and steer the combined Shiva Sisters which is a motorcycle, Vanille’s Hecatoncheir can transform into a bipedal mech with machine gun turrets in which she can control, and Sazh can ride and steer Brynhildr as a race car. This changes the pace of the combat significantly. But not all summons turn into mechanical vehicles; Odin’s Gestalt Mode changes him into a horse for Lightning to ride on, Bahamut’s Gestalt Mode is a flight mode for Fang to ride on, while Alexander’s Gestalt Mode changes him into a large castle which surrounds the enemy and fires lasers at them from all sides. The summons play a major role in the game’s storyline as well, much like Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy X. Synopsis

Plot

The plot of Final Fantasy XIII takes place in a world known as Pulse and revolves around the story of the fal’Cie (ファルシ, farushi^?) (pronounced /ˈfælsiː “fal see”/), mechanical beings with godlike power created from crystals residing inside them. People who are marked by the fal’Cie for greater purposes are called l’Cie (ルシ, rushi^?). Each l’Cie has a Focus, a goal the fal’Cie wants him or her to fulfill within a certain amount of time; however, the fal’Cie do not explicitly say what the goal is: l’Cie learn what their Focus is by interpreting visions that are given to them. L’Cie gain the ability to summon Eidolons (monsters who fight with the l’Cie), but this ability comes with a price: if a l’Cie dies before completing his or her Focus, fails to tame his or her Eidolon, or fails to complete his or her Focus within a set period of time, he or she becomes a monster known as a Cie’th (シ骸, shigai^?, Cie Corpse in the japanese version). If a l’Cie does complete his or her Focus, the reward is not much better: permanent transformation into a crystal. For this reason, being chosen as a l’Cie is seen as a curse.

Some 1,300 years ago, a fal’Cie named Orphan constructed a paradise for humanity: the shell-like city of Cocoon, which floats high above the surface of Pulse. Then Orphan created life forms and machines for Cocoon’s inhabitants to use, and humanity flourished. A war was fought between the Pulse and Cocoon, and Cocoon prevailed. However, fear lingered in the hearts of the people of Cocoon, for the day another invasion might come from the world beneath again.

Although most Cocoon citizens have never seen Pulse with their own eyes, they have been told that it is a dangerous place that has strange effects on those who venture down to its surface. Consequently, anyone who is discovered to have visited Pulse is immediately subjected to quarantine and exile by the theocratic government of Cocoon, known as the Sanctum. The Sanctum enforces this policy with its strongest military branch, PSICOM.

As Snow leads the resistance group, Team Nora, in an attempt to stop the purging of civilians, the mysterious Lightning fights her way past PSICOM soldiers with the aid of Sazh to find a Pulse fal’Cie, Anima, who turned her sister, Serah (who is also Snow’s fiancée), into a l’Cie. Through a chain of events, these three, along with two exiles, Vanille and Hope, are forced by the fal’Cie of Pulse to become l’Cie, and with that became enemies of humanity with the Focus of bringing about the downfall of Orphan and Cocoon. By the end of the game Vanile and Fang both decide to sacrifice them self in hope to stop the main antagonists explosion after being defeated.

Characters

Playable characters

• Lightning (スノウ・ヴィリアース, Raitoningu^?)

Former sergeant of the Cocoon military, Lightning sought the fal’Cie of Pulse in order to ask it to save her sister Serah, whom the fal’Cie had turned into a l’Cie. However, much to her dismay, Lightning was turned into a l’Cie herself. Her l’Cie mark is in the center of her chest. Lightning has long pink hair and is 177 cm tall (5’9″). Originally named Éclair Farron (エクレール・ファロン, Ekurēru Faron^?),she discarded her birth name after her parents died in an attempt to emotionally reinforce herself so she could protect Serah, though this only caused tensions to rise between them. For her design, character designer Tetsuya Nomura was asked to create a “female version of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII“. During development, he described her as “not very feminine”.Lightning wields a weapon called a Blaze Edge that is a combination of a gun and a sword (one collapsing into the other). and she can also manipulate gravity with a device on her thumb (though due to Sazh’s interference, this device becomes damaged). In battle, she is agile and uses acrobatic moves. As a l’Cie, she can summon the Eidolon Odin to fight by her side in battle, who can assume a horse-like form that she can ride on. While riding, Lightning dual wields Odin’s detachable sword. Her strongest unique special attack is called Scene Drive in the Japanese version  and Army of One in the North American version.

• Snow Villiers (スノウ・ヴィリアース, Sunō Viriāsu^?)

Prior to becoming a l’Cie, Snow is the head of Team Nora, a resistance group against Cocoon. He is a big character and is capable of running while carrying two people.He has light blonde hair. He was nicknamed “Mr. 33 cm” by the staff of Final Fantasy XIII as a nod to his shoe size. He uses his fists to take down opponents, focusing on brute force compared to the fast and agile Lightning. After becoming a l’Cie, Snow gains the power to summon the Shiva Sister (シバシスター, Shiba Sisutā^?) Eidolons, Nix (二クス, Nikusu^?) and Stiria (スティリア, Sutiria^?), who can combine into a motorcycle form for Snow to ride while toting a large gun. Unlike most grapplers, Snow changes his runes on his coat rather than buying new gloves.

• Oerba Dia Vanille (ヲルバ＝ダイア・ヴァニラ, Oruba-Daia Vanira^?)

Vanille is a mysterious but upbeat young girl with red-brown hair worn in pigtails. Originally residing from Oerba Village located within Gran Pulse, Vanille is among those being exiled at the start of the game. She also serves as the game’s narrator. Her weapon is a form of foldable fishing rod with multiple lines that can be reeled. She seems to have more of a romantic relationship with the raven haired character fang and eventually becomes crystalized with her by the end of the game. She has been a l’Cie for a long time, one of two l’Cie given the Focus to summon the Eidolon Ragnarok, and her l’Cie mark is located on her upper left thigh. In battle, Vanille excels at using magic based attacks from a distance. Her Eidolon is Hecatoncheir, a multiple-limbed, earth-elemental summon who can transform into a bipedal mech armed with machine guns that she can pilot.

• Sazh Katzroy (ヲルバ＝ダイア・ヴァニラ, Sazzu Kattsuroi^?)

A former airship pilot of the Military, Sazh wields dual pistols (which can be combined to form a collapsible rifle), and his strong point is striking enemies from a distance. His l’Cie mark is at the base of his neck. He has a six-year-old son named Dajh with whom he is very close. When Dajh inadvertently became a l’Cie and was taken by Sanctum, saving him became Sazh’s main motivation. Sazh has a pet baby chocobo that lives inside his afro. Sazh is described as having good judgment and moral discernment. He has a gentle personality and is easily moved to tears, and joins the party early in the game. His Eidolon is Brynhildr, a female fire-elemental knight who can transform into a race car. Tetsuya Nomura based Sazh’s appearance on Lionel Richie.

• Hope Estheim (ホープ・エストハイム, Hōpu Esutohaimu^?)

Hope is a fourteen-year-old boy with silvery-blonde hair and orange, yellow, and green clothing. He uses collapsible boomerangs in battle. During the Purge, his mother offers to help Snow and Team Nora fight off PSICOM. She dies during the battle, and though Snow honors her final request to protect her son, Hope nonetheless hates Snow in a grief-induced rage for his connection to his mother’s death. His Eidolon is the holy-elemental summon Alexander, which transforms into a fortress in Gestalt Mode, and is able to blast enemies from afar with multiple cannons.

• Oerba Yun Fang (ヲルバ＝ユン・ファング, Oruba-Yun Fangu)

A raven-haired woman who comes from Oerba Village, donning clothing resembling the traditional Indian Sari adorned with tribal accessories, and bearing the mark of a l’Cie on her right shoulder. Though she is a l’Cie from Pulse, she originally works for the Cocoon Sanctum under Cid. It later turns out she is one of the two l’Cie given the focus to summon Ragnarok. She wields a spear that can transform into a sansetsukon in battle, and her Eidolon is Bahamut, who can take flight in his Gestalt-mode. As revealed by Tetsuya Nomura in an interview, during the early stages of development she was originally scripted to be a male character. She appears to have a romantic relationship with the character vanile and by the end becomes crystalized with her in hopes to save there friends.

Villains

• Jihl Nabaat (ジル・ナバート, Jiru Nabāto^?): An intelligent but cruel Lietenant Colonel of PSICOM with knee-length blonde hair and glasses. Nabaat is first seen in the trailers interrogating the captive Vanille and Sazh. She sees the l’Cie as subhuman and is bent on exterminating them. As the henchwoman of Galenth Dysley, Nabaat is the final obstacle between the main party and Galenth; however, she is killed by Galenth when he decides she has outlived her usefulness.

• Yaag Rosch (ヤーグ・ロッシュ, Yāgu Rosshu^?): An intimidating-looking man with a scar on his forehead and silver hair that is tied back in a ponytail. Rosch is Nabaat’s right-hand man in PSICOM and Lightning’s former superior. Unlike Nabaat, Rosch has begun to question his orders from the Holy Government, though he feels he must follow his orders for the sake of the people of Cocoon. He is mortally wounded after fighting the main party in Proud Clad; after begging them to save Cocoon, Rosch sacrifices himself to ensure the main party is not pursued.

• Cid Raines (シド・レインズ, Shido Reinzu): An Air Force Brigadier from Sanctum who commands the warship Lindblum and uses a Blaze Edge. Like Rosch, Cid doubts the government in its current state and believes that Cocoon should be run by its people instead of the fal’Cie. However, he himself had been turned into a l’Cie with the Focus of helping Lightning’s group to overcome various trials. As he wanted to save Cocoon from destruction (which is the Focus of Lightning’s group), he decided to abandon his Focus and join Lightning’s group, becoming a Cie’th in the process. Upon his defeat, he became a trial that Lightning’s group overcame, thus fulfilling his Focus and became crystallized. However, Cid is revived by Galenth to create chaos in Eden.. Untill he realizes he is just a tool/slave of the fal’Cie and Rygdea fulfills his wish and puts him out of his misery. This is the second time in the series that the recurring character Cid is portrayed as an antagonist, the first being in Final Fantasy XII.

• Galenth Dysley (ガレンス・ダイスリー, Garensu Daisurī^?): The main antagonist of the game and the leading figure of the Sanctum of Cocoon. In reality, he is actually the fal’Cie Baldanders (バルトアンデルス, Barutoanderusu^?), intending to use Ragnarok in order to destroy Orphan and Cocoon so the gods would return to this world. He ends up being defeated by Lightning’s group and was assimilated into Orphan.

• Orphan (オーファン, Ōfan^?): A wheel-like, sun-elemental fal’Cie who is the power source of Cocoon. Orphan’s defeat is the Focus of Lightning’s group. Orphan wanted Fang to transform into Ragnarok, so that at the destruction of himself and Cocoon, the gods would return to this world.