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Diablo III has been on many a gamer's horizon, a potentially quality sequel from a trusted and favourite developer. Today brings a twist in the story. Some fan reactions include 'I'm defecting to Guild Wars 2', 'I'll never trust Blizzard again', and 'boycott Diablo III!'. It might seem like someone at Blizzard personally ran over a family pet, but that's actually not what happened. So what's the news?

Three things have been revealed. The game cannot be played offline, there will be no modding available, and arguably most controversial of all it will be possible to buy and sell items for real money in the auction houses.

Blizzard seem to be modernising their game to fit into the current generation of piracy and cheating. No doubt for some RPG players it's a little galling to see another classic single-player series (although admittedly co-op as well) succumb to online exclusivity. Blizzard's reputation as a supporter of fan-made content in their other series, most recently in StarCraft II, makes the modding ban surprising. However it's the new auction features that have caused the biggest stir. Players will have kitty where they can buy and sell between themselves with real money. When players cash out at the end of a hard day's grinding and farming Blizzard will take a small cut. Click here for more information and screenshots. Blizzard emphasise that they intent to cover their costs, not make a profit from these microtransactions. Assuming that boycott doesn't get off the ground, and knowing Blizzard's track record of success, it might just well pay off. Due to the imbalances of a player-based auction house it might be worth tacking on another 6 months of playtesting to any estimated release date just to be safe.

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Various news surfaced last year of a new Final Fantasy, codenamed Final Fantasy Fortress. Speculation was in the air and I did my usual act of hoping it was a follow-up to Final Fantasy XII with absolutely no conviction. Well sirs and madames, it turns out that hoping for something with enough effort does indeed bear some reward. A tech demo of project Fortress, leaked on YouTube and now removed by Square Enix for breach of a 2009 copyright violation, reveals that the sequel was being created by Sweden's Grin development house and to be published on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 by Square Enix. See it here. The original source of the video maintains that this project has been moved to a different studio amid a concern for 'quality issues', which, supposed, in turn lead to Grin's demise. If true, here's hoping that it's in with Deus Ex 3 and Thief 4 at Eidos Montreal. Let's just spare a thought for old Grin. They worked six or so months on this and literally had the rug pulled from under their feet by Square Enix, who removed the project from their hands and subsequently forced them to close.

The video appears much more like a western RPG, with a main character who looks like he'd be more at home swinging a giant axe at Chris Redfield in Resident Evil 5. Many childhood fantasies of watching Barret race the chocobo at the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII are also realised when we see the man riding through a forest, reminding us that this is a Final Fantasy. We also see a large-scale battle still reminiscent of Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings, reminding us that this is a western fantasy game. There is no HUD of any sort, but it appears to show that his sword and bow attacks are at the press of a button rather than preset instructions. It's shaky, it's stubby, it's unfinished, it's nasty, it is a tech demo after all, but it's absolutely compelling. There are also some screenshots and concept art available here from different parts of the game if you're interested, mostly landscapes.

Source: Voodoo Extreme, Break, Kotaku (yay)

For a game that has barely surfaced, Final Fantasy XIV is generating quite a hype, and for good reason too. Similar to Final Fantasy X, the new game will feature its own religion. The depth of Yevon and its link to the central storyline is one of the more outstanding features of Final Fantasy X — perhaps we will see a similar degree of success in this next game. The style of the world will be a combination of medieval and sci-fi, so nothing special there then. Could it be the same battle between the old and the new, the church and progress? If the religion has no bearing on the plot then Square Enix may avoid igniting a potentially volatile topic.

Character growth will be linked to whichever weapon the character is wielding. There will be no experience and no levels; growth is apparently comparable to the job system of Final Fantasy V and, of course, Final Fantasy XI. Character customisation is always a plus, but not including character levels may be unwelcome to some in the die-hard RPG crowd.

The bad news for some of us is that our old adversary '30-day subscription' will be making a comeback. Against the growing trend of free-to-play, pay-to-upgrade multiplayer online games, Square Enix is stalwartly insisting on the same scheme as they used in Final Fantasy XI. A subscription system may not come as a surprise to many, but those of us who dislike this method may be somewhat put off.

On a much more positive note, Nobuo Uematsu will be composing the entire score for the first time since Final Fantasy IX. Rather than shoehorning his aging great pieces into the new games, he will now be composing a host of new tracks, many of the them likely to become favourites.

Final Fantasy XIV is due for a simultaneous global release in 2010 on PC and PS3, with an Xbox 360 release still pending.

Source: The Escapist (Experience), The Escapist (Subscription), Destructoid

At the San Diego Comic-Con, a model of a large horse was unveiled by Square Enix as Sleipner: Odin's armour-clad, red-eyed mount. Odin himself will be in Final Fantasy XIII, but not atop his trusty steed of old. Rather, he will transform into it for Lightening et al to ride, much like Shiva changing into a motorbike.

According to certain sources, familiar summons Ifrit, Carbuncle and Siren have been revealed in non-public trailers of Final Fantasy XIII. What could they possibly transform into? Siren the dolphin? Ifrit the bull? I, personally, would be thrilled to see Carbuncle the helicopter.

Aside from this, there have been more screenshots made available for our collective criticism to feed on. Most notably, we see Hope's dual boomerangs and Vanille's fishing hooks in action. The battles do indeed seem very similar to those of Final Fantasy X-2, with individual positions changing and a more fluid succession of actions than the typical Active Time Battle. Interestingly, we can also see what looks like Bravery and Faith from Final Fantasy XII returning on the character's status in the battle alongside old favourites such as Protect. Overall it still looks like The Bouncer, but with more to do in battle.

Final Fantasy XIII is currently due for a Japanese release in the fourth quarter of 2009, and the second quarter of 2010 for all other regions.

Source: FF-XIII.net, Destructoid (screenshots), Destructoid (Odin)

Well strike me down, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord will be released in Europe this Friday, with a North American release still pending. This latest Wii Ware instalment of the elusive Final Fantasy brand will be available for 1000 Wii Points, equal to £7 or $10. Further downloadable content is also on the horizon. Japanese players already have access to a selection of spells and stage packs available from 100 to 500 points. Despite the lack of a North American release date, it's likely to be soon.

My Life as a Darklord follows closely with the Final Fantasy formula of having very little to do with its predecessor of the same name. If you were hoping for a game similar to My Life as a King you may be sorely disappointed, and a bit silly. The gameplay focuses on castle defence: as the daughter of a Darklord, and arguably the sister of Zorn and Thorn, it is your job to use your evil minions and traps to keep the forces of good from reaching the top of the tower and destroying your crystal. It might be worth mentioning that you have a Tonberry lieutenant with a pink ribbon on its head to help you.

It remains to be seen whether this will be a hit or not. Castle defence is certainly a fine concept; it will never get old as long as real-time strategy is an existing genre. What will make or break the gameplay is balancing, something that castle defence modders slave over and Square Enix failed to achieve in My Life as a King. To its credit, the character and monster detail has a certain charm that hasn't been seen since Final Fantasy IX. Regardless of how successful this becomes, it's great to see Square Enix trying their luck with another genre. Maybe My Life as a... is to be a series of experimentation.

Source: Siliconera, Square Enix

From July 16th this year, PSP owners in the U.S. will have access to another old classic in the form of Cyan Worlds' Myst. The Playstation Network will add this to the likes of Bionic Commando and Final Fantasy VII in their catalogue of games. No word as yet about a European release, but that doesn't exactly come as a surprise.

Initially released in 1993, Myst took the PC gaming crowd by storm with its complex puzzles and labyrinthine plotline. Old boy and newbie alike will be able to enjoy this extravaganza of storytelling with improved visuals to make the most of the PSP's hardware. Needless to say, it looks beautiful. In addition, this release will include the New Rime Age which was withheld from the 1993 release. Aside from these changes, the PSP Myst will be unaltered from the much-loved original.

Source: Gamers Daily News