As we wait for the Spring 2010 release of Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360), Square Enix unveils a little something for the fans and collectors. Coming soon to select retailers will be collectible Final Fantasy XIII figures featuring the four characters that have already been revealed - Lightning, Snow, Sazh, and Vanilla.

Square Enix has had to reassure gamers time and time again that neither the PS3 nor the Xbox 360 version of the game will suffer due to limitations set by the other. One of the major contentions that keep coming up is storage space, and recently producer Yoshinori Kitase once again addressed this concern.

Remember that news bit about how the PS3 version of Final Fantasy XIII would have to sit it out and wait a bit longer for its launch because they're still waiting for the Xbox 360 version? Well brace yourselves cos this bit of news is sure to be flamebait. Apparently, the Xbox 360 version has been in full development for a whopping two months. As in, shortly before E3 only. This E3. Cue in paranoia on further delay.

You know that everyone's favorite Diamond-Duster is in Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360), and just when you thought that Square Enix will continue giving less and less clothing for the Ice Queen, she's gonna be a Summoner's version of a Harley when you ask her for help. As you've seen from the Ifrit and Shiva artwork, there are two Shivas - a darker one and a whiter one. Apparently, they have names, so move over Magus Sisters, this icy duo will take center stage today.

Here's another big one from E3 and Square Enix: it's a seven-minute video of Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360) - packed full of story elements and gameplay clips into one - complete with English subs. Although parts have already been seen from assets previously released, nothing beats a good video that has it all. I hope you're comfy in your chair 'cause this one's a real treat.

As they promised when they revealed their E3 2009 lineup, Square Enix did go for a broader variety of genres for this year's expo, although it was pretty much outshone by the publisher's Final Fantasy specialty, which still numbers more than the games from the other genres. More importantly, they've also provided us with a release margin for Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360), which is slightly better than the massive "Coming 2010" Snow ad in LA.

Apart from the Metal Gear feature I posted about earlier, Famitsu also scored an interview with Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura. The Final Fantasy Versus XIII director shared a few bits of info about the new Final Fantasy games currently in development.

What? Snow in LA? In May? Fortunately, we're not talking about cold flakes of ice. We're talking about three huge Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360) posters in downtown LA, one of which shows the face of Snow. One thing to note about his poster though, other than it might get gamers in car accidents down Olympic Boulevard, is that it reads the release margin for Final Fantasy XIII - coming 2010.

Uh-oh, this doesn't sound like good news at all. Square Enix was asked at a Japanese press meeting about the release of Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360)  (and Dragon Quest IX), specifically if it will be out within this fiscal year. The reply: "I'll try!"

Other than the figurines displayed at Jump Festa, we haven't really seen any other Final Fantasy XIII merchandise. And this time, they're accessories you can carry on your person and not something to be ogled at from the other side of a display case (unless you're that type of collector). No, they're not Vanille's pig-tails. And no, it's not Sazh's afro either. They're actually based off of Snow's tattooed symbol on his arm... which makes me think... why that of all things?