Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII games were a massive PR disaster for the company, steadily declining in sales and critical acclaim with each subsequent release, and also eroding the massive amount of goodwill the Final Fantasy brand had built up over two decades. That said, the announcement that all three of these games will be making it over to the PC via Steam releases is making me unduly happy.

Why? Because, well, it’s more major AAA support for the PC by Japanese publishers, who, at this point, remain the only holdouts from the PC. I long for the day when I no longer have to buy a PlayStation just for Persona or Final Fantasy, and if this is the first step towards that, then I’m all for it.

Anyway, back to this- Square Enix have confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII will be releasing on Steam on October 9, for $16, with a further 10% discount if you pre-order. For context, this is actually cheaper than many of their mobile releases, so at least it appears that they know the value of this game. The other two games in the series are also due to release on the PC by Spring 2015. All three XIII games will support Steam enhancements such as achievements and trading cards.

Stay tuned to more coverage.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is a fitting end to the Lightning series. You can read our full review here. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII features a wide and open world, so make sure you are exploring each and every location.

Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

Money/Gils Farming:

You can earn a lot of money/gils using the two video guides below:

Killing Cactuars in a beach will give you 200,000 Gils in an hour. Check out the video guide below.

You will see dark clouds in Lost Highway in Yusnaan from 4am to 6am. From the clouds infinite monsters will spawn and each of them will give you 15,000 Gils.

Key Items List:

Luxerion

• Whither Faith’s Clue
• Green Carbuncle Doll
• Proof of Courage
• Thunderclap
• Rubber Ball
• Crystal Shard
• Quill Pen
• Proof of the Legendary Title
• Shaolong GUI Shell
• Mandragora Root

Yusnaan

• Desert Flame
• Jade Hair Comb
• Bronze Pocket Watch
• Chocobo Girl’s Phone Number
• Statue Fragment
• Middle of Oracle Square
• ID card
• Unfired Rocket Fireworks
• Power Boost

Wildlands

• Sun Reihana
• Tsukiyomi Genka
• Yeul Flower
• Aryes Apple
• Chocobodake
• Krim Mushroom
• Forest Fertilizer
• Shirukisu Vegetable
• Taboo of Etro
• Rock Mole
• Tantalum Vegetable
• Scripture

Dead Dunes

• Pilgrim’s Crux
• Lizard Tail
• Unappraised Item
• Pilgrim’s Crux
• Bhakti’s Oil
• Tablet
• Yellowed Skull
• Unappraised Item
• Loupe

Treasure List:

Luxerion

• Fighter’s Emblem
• Twist Headband
• Magician’s Token
• Silvered Medal
• Fanatic Notes
• Guard Level 2
• Violet Amulet
• Guard Glove
• Runic Ring
• Sparkstrike Level 2
• Thundara Level 2
• Stormbane Choker
• Thorn of Protection
• Battle-Axe of the Believer

Yusnaan

• Score Coder of Memories
• Promised Necklace
• Blitz Level 2
• Locket Pendant
• Wolf’s Emblem
• Flanitor Notes
• Giant’s Vambrace
• Dispel Level 2
• Sheet Music Intro of Memories
• Patron’s Personal Guard Notes
• Sheet Music Theme of Memories
• Mage’s Gloves
• Oath of the Merchant’s Guild
• Thorn of Aggression
• Gladiator Earrings
• Soldier Thailand
• Circlet of Third Eye
• Lapsi Lazuli
• Corundum Hairpin
• Thorns of Determination
• Thorns of Courage
• Flame Bow Level 2
• Heavy Guard Level 2
• Ice Collar
• Libra Item

Wildlands

• Diabolical Crest
• Bracelet of Fire Dragon
• Witch Rosary
• Bracelet of Thunder
• Souruobusamasa
• Moogle Dust
• Knowledge of Yakushi
• Thorns of the Timer
• Mage Thurban
• Aerora Level 2
• Rosary Alms
• Fuma Bracelet
• Old Photo Frame
• Blizzara Level 2
• Bracelet Water Fairy
• Soul of the First
• Ruinga Level 2
• Firage Level 2
• Blizzaga Level 2
• Libra Item
• Thundaga Level 2
• Tetra Coronet
• Aeroga Level 2

Dead Dunes

• Metal Armband
• Study of the Depths
• Debrave Level 2
• Defaith Level 2
• Galestrike Level 2
• Star Bracelet
• Cactair Notes
• Key to the Sand Gate
• Angel’s Headband
• Silver Barrette
• Pain Dampener
• Rainbow Gem
• Spiritual Veil
• Pretty Orb
• Serenity Sachet
• Earth Eater Notes
• Bandit’s Bloodseal
• Corsair Scarf
• Gurangatch Notes

Achievement and Trophy Guide:

Below you will find the complete guide for unlocking achievement and trophies in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The list also includes secret achievements and trophies.

Eternal Light

Collect all trophies to unlock this platinum trophy.

The Savior’s Descent

It will be one of the first trophies you will unlock in the game, right after the tutorial.

The Hope of a Promise

You need to complete Story Quest 1-5 in Luxerion by completing a boss battle with Noel Kreiss. You can defeat her by using Thunder.

Hope at the Edge of Despair

You need to complete Story Quest 2-3 in Yusnaan by completing a boss battle with Snow Villiers. His weakness as the name suggests is fire.

The Mystery of the Clavis

You need to complete Story Quest 4-5 in The Dead Dunes by completing a boss battle with Grendel/Parandeus. You can defeat it by using the wind power.

An Appetite for Chaos

You need to complete Story Quest 3-3 in The Wildlands by completing a boss battle with Caius Ballad.

A Legend from Times Past

You need to defeat Bhunivelze in the final dungeon of Day 13/14. The complete video guide to defeat him is below:

Beyond Thirteen

Refer the Monster Bane trophy/achievement to unlock this.

A Father, a Son, and a Chocobo

You can unlock this trophy/achievement by following the steps below:

• Step 1: First of all in quest 5-2, you need to follow chocobo and open the treasure chest [you can’t miss this]
• Step 2: In quest 5-3, after you reach the canvas you would need to speak to Chocolina and take up the quest for finding The Key to Chocolina’s Heart. For this purpose you would need to first find the Coin of Memories.
• Step 3: Coin of Memories is located in a treasure chest The Wildlands on Aries Hill. Go there and retrieve it.
• Step 4: In quest 5-4, you meet a magician in Luxerion. He will demand Mog Fragment & Soul Seed. Getting the soul seed is fairly easy but for the fragment need you would need to complete a quest titled For a Tiny Peace.
• Step 5: In quest 5-5, you would need to defeat Zaltis. You will find Zaltis in Yusnaan.
• Step 6: In quest 5-6, you would need to return to the Dead Dunes and stop a sand storm. Thereafter you will fight Afro Sabotender. You would need to defeat it.

Deliverer of Salvation

Proof of clearing 5 side quests. It is a fine beginning, but the journey is still long. This is self explanatory. The following are the number of side quests you will find in each of the areas:

• Luxerion has 20 side quests
• Wildlands has 22 side quests
• Dead Dunes has 8 quests
• Yusnaan has 16 quests

The Chocobo’s Savior

You will need to continuously feed the chocobo you found in quest 3-1. This will take place in quest 3-2. You need to keep feeding it until the trophy/achievement unlocks on its own. Some sources of food are sheep milk and choconamin.

Lizard Lariat

You can unlock this trophy or achievement by hunting down more than 30 lizards in the shifting sands of the Dead Dunes. You will find lizards in Dead Dunes and although they are not your enemy you can still hit them. Kill thirty of them to unlock this one. Check out the video below.

Crimson Rebirth

As you must be aware your sword is broken and needs to be repaired. This is what exactly you are going to do here. You need to complete four trials which will boost the sword’s attack power to 4000. However nothing will get carried over to NG+.

Queen of the Arena

You need to win the Battle arena 10 times! One of the most easiest trophies/achievements to unlock.

Seed Collector

The player needs to find 50 soul seeds in order to lock this trophy/achievement. In order to do so you need to find Chaos Zone, but before you fight the enemies here, the game will give you the opportunity to collect soul seeds. In short you need to find many more Chaos Zones. However there are better ways to farm soul seeds. First of all there is a bridge that inter connects all the four main regions in the game. If you manage to come here and the 9th and 13th day you will see a ton of Chaos Zones. But you need to complete the Globetrotter trophy for the chaos zones to appears. Another way is by completing a side quest titled Death Game. You will find this in Yusnaan. However in order to unlock this, you need to complete Gabble Suppression War in quest 2-2. The Death Game will put you under chaos zone, allowing you to collect souls seeds. The good thing is even if you complete the four hour limit and get thrown into the dungeon you wont’s lose the seeds you collected.

Perfect Passenger

Proof of riding upon all of the great monorail lines that cross this shrinking world. Simple and self explanatory.

Globetrotter

On day 9, you would be given three requests. Great Road 1, Great Road 2 and Great Road 3. Simply collect the two key items located in each location.

Novice Swordsmith

Improve your first weapon.

Novice Shieldsmith

Improve your first shield.

Novice Synthesist

Synthesize your first ability.

Novice Craftsman

Upgrade your first accessory.

Novice Stylist

You need to equip a garb, shield, sword and abilities hence forming a schema. You need to do this many times before you unlock this trophy/achievement.

Novice Artist

Change the color of the garb.

Expert Swordsmith

You need to modify a weapon or separate weapons 30 times.

Expert Shieldsmith

You need to modify a shield or separate shields 30 times.

Expert Synthesist

Speak to an ability vendor and it’s simple from here, perform 30 simple syntheses.

Expert Craftsman/ Head Accessories Locations

You need to find 30 accessories during the your first playthrough and then start the game again using New Game Plus and find those accessories again. Below are the locations for Head Accessories:

Luxerion

• Fighter Sign
• Magician Symbol
• Zirconia Brooch
• Wind-Resistant Collar
• Samurai Comb
• Soldier’s Feather Pin

Yusnaan

• Wolf’s Emblem
• Promise Choker
• Rocket Pendant (You will need 6 GP to open this)
• Corundum Hairpin
• Demon’s Earring
• Gladiator’s Earring (You will need 2 GP to open this)
• Soldier Tie
• Mind’s Eye Circlet
• Ice-Resistant Collar

The Wildlands

• Devilish Crest
• Witch’s Rosario
• Thunder-Resistant Collar
• Soul of Samasa (You will need 6 GP to open this)
• Mage Turban
• Fire-Resistant Collar
• Tetra Coronet

The Dead Dunes

• Corsair Bandana
• Silk Scarf (You will need 6 GP to open this)
• Fairy’s Veil
• Silver Barrette
• Guard’s Clavier
• Satin Scrunchie
• Cursed Choker
• Swallow Comb
• Gale Hair Ornament

From Bosses

• Falcon Charm – Aeronite
• Ghost Hood – Story Quest 2-3 Boss
• Ghoul Hood – Story Quest 4-5 Boss
• Early-Blooming Corsage – Gorgonopsid Omega
• Fighter’s Hachikane – Sabotender Omega
• Wilderness Crest – Goblin Omega
• Devilish Crest – Gremlin Omega
• Grand Dragon Scale – Gabble Omega
• Phantom Dragon Scale – Megabble Omega
• Fire Death Magatama – Zaltis Omega
• Ice Death Magatama – Puchinero Omega
• Thunder Death Magatama – Masurao Omega
• Wind Death Magatama – Zomok Omega
• Skeleton Earring – Rafflesia Omega
• Warrior’s Hunting Mask – Triffid Omega
• Demon’s Hunting Mask – Schledinger Omega
• Grudge Mashada – Desert Sahagin Omega
• Warm Shawl – Grangatch Omega

Expert Stylist

You need to obtain 30 garbs. There are 82 different garbs in the game which you will come across during your playthrough in the game.

Unearthly Apothecary

Obtain an elixir. You can buy this from Magic vendors by giving 100 soul seeds.

Garb of Destruction

Obtain the ultimate garb which filled with destructive magic. Refer Monster Bane below to know how you can unlock this trophy/achievement.

Monster Bane
Check out the video guide below to know how you can unlock this trophy/achievement.

Desert Dragonslayer

You need to defeat dragon Aeronite who roams in the Dead Dunes. Check out the video below to know how you can defeat this boss.

Hero of Might

Defeat 100 enemies in battle.

Hero of Glory

Defeat 300 enemies in battle.

Hero of Legend

Defeat 500 enemies in battle.

Fatal Impact

Do damage with 100,000 hits. You will unlock this naturally.

Seeing Stars

Stagger enemies 50 times with fearsome attacks. Self explanatory.

Miracle of Light

This trophy/achievement will unlock automatically once you have used a total of 50 EP.

Perfect Timing

You need to successful guard against an enemy’s attack with perfect timing.

Harbinger of Death

Proof of defeating your first Last One, the final specimen of a species on the verge of extinction. Check out the video guide below:

Note: This guide will updated once we have more information about the game.

And yet, despite all of these differences, the series has become something of a measuring stick for the medium, and fans and critics have spent years analyzing each individual title, trying to determine what each release means for the future of the series, the company that makes it, and the Japanese game industry itself. After each game, we think we finally have it figured out. We think we know where the developers plan to take the series and what each individual game means for the franchise and even Square itself.

History has shown us that we couldn’t be more wrong.

"Few would have predicted that Square would have followed VII and VIII’s gritty, steam punk style with a more traditional fantasy game like Final Fantasy IX, especially given the incredible popularity of the former titles."

Few would have predicted that Square would have followed VII and VIII’s gritty, steam punk style with a more traditional fantasy game like Final Fantasy IX, especially given the incredible popularity of the former titles. Fewer still could have predicted that Square would turn the series into an MMO and produce a direct sequel following the massive success of Final Fantasy X. And no one predicted that Final Fantasy XII, the most open single-player game in the series at the time of its release, would be followed by an incredibly beautiful hallway simulator that would go on to receive two sequels despite its divisive reception.

Yes, there’s no denying that Final Fantasy XIII was a controversial game. It was a beautiful title, no doubt, but that beauty came at the cost of series staples such as towns, side quests, and exploration. Part of this could be chalked up to the title’s protracted development and the technology behind it – Crystal Tools was clearly not created with large environments in mind – but the result is still the same. Playing previous games in the series made you feel as if you had been transported to another world.  Playing Final Fantasy XIII felt as though you were being led by the hand down a hallway as you watched a beautiful, elaborate play. You could look, but you couldn’t touch.

Lightning Returns, however, is the polar opposite. The story is fairly simple: the world is dying. The Chaos, first unleashed five hundred years ago at the end of Final Fantasy XIII-2, has consumed nearly the entire world. Monsters are everywhere. No one ages, and no one is born.  Humanity is trapped in a few small areas, waiting for the end. Lightning is selected as the Savior – a powerful figure, tasked with freeing mankind’s burdened souls so that they may be reborn in the new world.

"The world of Lightning Returns is enormous, and what a world it is. The attention to detail is often stunning. Everything in Lightning Returns operates in real time: shops open and close, characters move about the city, and collectibles and monsters change locations."

As you might imagine, you’ll spend most of your time traveling the world and helping people solve their problems. You’ll slay monsters, collect lost items, reunite old friends, ride Chocobos, explore ancient ruins and even solve a murder mystery or two before it’s all said and done, and the wide variety of quests helps keep things interesting, as does the ever-shrinking time limit that the game expects you to operate within. You’ll only have seven days to work with at the outset, but you can expand that number to thirteen by completing side quests and story missions. It’s a good thing, too, because you’ll need all the time you can get, especially if you want to see everything the world has to offer.

The world of Lightning Returns is enormous, and what a world it is. The attention to detail is often stunning.  Everything in Lightning Returns operates in real time: shops open and close, characters move about the city, and collectibles and monsters change locations. Wait too long in one place and you might not be able to interact with something until the next day. On the other hand however, certain characters, quests, and areas only open late at night. It’s a fine balancing act, and the game pulls it off almost effortlessly. More importantly, however, the world itself really feels alive.

Characters will stop and eat at restaurants, gather around street performances, go on dates, stop to take in local tourist attractions, and even run from monsters. Of course, the world isn’t perfect, and you’ll occasionally have your suspension of disbelief stolen away when you pass a girl who complains that her date is late at four o’clock in the morning. These events are rare, however, and you’ll quickly forget about them as you watch a pair of tourists argue about the play they’re going to go see, or watch as a pair of Chocobo riders move across a plain to engage a monster that’s chasing a merchant.

"Staggering makes its return here, and the same rules apply: dealing enough damage to an enemy within a certain time period will leave it weakened and often defenseless, giving you an opportunity to go in for the kill."

Of course, Lightning can engage monsters, too, and like the world itself, combat is one of Lightning Returns’ strong points, though the system in place here bears little resemblance to the ones in Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2. Those games took a hands-off approach to combat that saw you issuing general commands to your entire party, while Lightning Returns is almost an action RPG with Lightning mostly fighting solo against groups of enemies in real-time. Still, Lightning Returns does retain a few mechanics from previous games in the franchise, and things come together far better than they have any right to.

Staggering makes its return here, and the same rules apply: dealing enough damage to an enemy within a certain time period will leave it weakened and often defenseless, giving you an opportunity to go in for the kill. Now, however, you’ll have to defend yourself as well as attack. Crucially, defensive abilities draw from the same action bar as your offensive ones, meaning you’ll have to find a balance if you hope to stay alive. In addition, you’re limited to twelve abilities at a time, four for each of the three fully customizable Schemata you can switch between on the fly.

Even basic abilities like guarding and attacking take up a slot, so you’ll have to customize your Schemata to match the needs of the various situations you’ll find yourself in. Some enemies can be staggered with magic attacks and melee hits, while others are only vulnerable in certain areas, after certain attacks, or by perfectly timing a block. Positioning is key, as is knowledge of the enemy and your own abilities, and there’s a lot of strategy involved here. It’s easy to time casting a spell that causes Lightning to leap out of danger, for example, but it’s just as easy to mess up a perfect block and watch half of your health melt away, too.

"The Crystal Tools engine was not designed to support large environments, and it shows. While the key characters look as good as they ever have, many of the NPCs look like they were constructed out of stock models and their costumes are often assembled out of the vanity items you can add to Lightning’s Schemata."

Lightning only has access to one healing ability, which draws on EP, a resource that allows you to stop time, teleport, resurrect yourself, and more, and can only carry a few healing items at a time. If you die and cannot resurrect yourself, you can still continue playing, but at the cost of an hour of in-game time. As you can imagine, this penalty adds up quickly, and imbues a sense of urgency and importance into every battle. It’s rare for an RPG to put so much effort into making every decision matter, but Lightning Returns does it as a matter of course, and the game never feels unfair even at its most challenging.

Still, the game has flaws. The Crystal Tools engine was not designed to support large environments, and it shows. While the key characters look as good as they ever have, many of the NPCs look like they were constructed out of stock models and their costumes are often assembled out of the vanity items you can add to Lightning’s Schemata. Most of the environments, textures and animations look equally dated. All of this is mitigated by the sheer size and scope of the game world and by the fact that the battles themselves look fantastic, and while the game never looks too bad, it never looks too great, either.

The game’s story is equally hit and misses. While the side quests are interesting and generally well-realized, the story take itself a little too seriously for its own good, especially in a game in which you can dress your protagonist up as a cat, and much of the plot seems to be constructed by an obsessive need to bring back as many of the characters from previous games as possible. Sometimes, the reappearances make sense.

"It’s not perfect; no game ever is. But it’s unique. In many ways, it’s brilliant. In many others, it’s heavily flawed. But it still feels like Final Fantasy. It’s still special. And in this case, that’s enough."

For instance, it’s not surprising that Snow and Noel reappear, given that the former is the world’s last l’Cie and has played a major role in the previous two games, and that the latter is largely responsible for the shape that the world is in. Still, it is rather surprising that the fate of the world just so happens to depend on the fate of the major characters from the previous releases, even if they have little to no impact on the game’s overall plot.

So what, then, is the significance of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII? What does it say about the future of the Final Fantasy series? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess. It’s unlikely that the circumstances that led to its creation will ever occur again, and that leaves its impact on the series in doubt. Whatever it is, you certainly can’t accuse Square of resting on its laurels. It will, like its predecessors, be a divisive game. Some will be unable to forgive its presentation issues and plot failings, and the ending will no doubt irritate as many fans as it pleases.

And yet, the game stays true to itself and its predecessors. Final Fantasy XIII was always about ordinary people fighting to change their destiny, and Lightning Returns continues that trend. It is both a return and a swan song, not just for Lightning and her peers as they fight fate for the final time, but for Square the Final Fantasy XIII series, as it fights against its mistakes, fan backlash, and divisive reputation. It’s not perfect; no game ever is. But it’s unique. In many ways, it’s brilliant. In many others, it’s heavily flawed. But it still feels like Final Fantasy. It’s still special. And in this case, that’s enough.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 3.

Final Fantasy XIII was a divisive game, but history would probably have not judged it any worse than previous oddball Final Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy II (the NES release, not the SNES game Final Fantasy IV that was released in the west as Final Fantasy II) or Final Fantasy VIII.

The issue was, Square couldn’t let it go. They just had to have the last word. Thus, they made a needless sequel (that, in spite of a nonsensical story, admittedly did improve on the original a fair bit); but now, here’s a third one. Square Enix just effectively spent an entire generation milking a brand and a universe that few people cared for.

In any case, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII launches today for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. You can check out the launch trailer above. And stay tuned to GamingBolt, because our review for the game will be up shortly.

Square Enix will be releasing the final chapter of the FFXIII trilogy with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII on February 14th in Europe. However, if you head to select GAME retail stores on February 13th, you’ll have a special hour in which you can purchase the game early.

And yes, that special hour begins at 13:00 PM (1:00 PM).

GAME director Charlotte Knight stated that, “We’re thrilled to be part of such a unique event. We pride ourselves on bringing the best opportunities to our community throughout the UK – with the chance to get the game at this exclusive one off event, as well as the many prizes on offer, this is not one to be missed.”

Taking place across 13 GAME stores, the main event will be held at GAME in Hamleys of Regent Street, where producer Yoshinori Kitatse and game design director Yuji Abe will be around to sign copies as long as limited stocks last. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII releases on February 11th in North America for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Square Enix has announced that a Tomb Raider costume content set will be available for download in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII on launch itself.

The costume set will not only include the outfit of Lara Croft as she was shown in the 2013 reboot of the series- that is, her vest, shorts and boots- but will also include her axe and riot shield which the players will be able to use during battles. Square Enix has also released a video that shows what Lightning will look like when she dons the famous outfit and how the players will be able to use it. Have a look above.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII launches next week on February 11th for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Stay tuned for more updates.

For more on the game check out the game’s hub page here.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the final, concluding chapter in the (much longer running than it should have) (and tortured) Final Fantasy XIII saga, will be releasing soon; and while this game certainly looks interesting in its take on the franchise, it does need all the help it can get to generate hype after the tarnishing of the brand that occurred in the wake of Final Fantasy XIII, and, to a lesser extent, Final Fantasy XIII-2.

To that end, Square gives us developer diaries for the game. The newest one gives us an in depth overview of the upcoming title (it’s thirty minutes long!), but it also shows us the developers talking about the franchise’s 25 years of history, as well as discussing where it might be headed into the future.

As fans, we can only hope that the franchise’s future is more like its past than its present. And that Lightning Returns can be, at the very least, a graceful exit for an installment of the franchise that outstayed its welcome a little too much.

The demo for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 is finally available on Xbox Live, and requires 1.14 GB of installation space. This will give players a chance to experience the battle system and test out of the social networking functionality. In fact, the demo encourages players to post their battle scores to either Twitter or Facebook, for which you will receive a Siegfried costume for free.

PSN users on the PS3 will receive the demo later today in North America, though European users will have to wait till tomorrow. For those who post their scores from the PS3 demo, you’ll receive the Utsusemi Samurai costume.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 marks the end of the trilogy that has arguably been the most controversial in the history of the series. It will release for Xbox 360 and PS3 on February 11th in North America and February 14th in Europe. Will you be picking it up? Let us know below.

The official demo for the third installment in the Final Fantasy XIII universe series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, has just debuted for the Xbox 360 version of the game. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, as the name would suggest, once again features sub-series protagonist Lightning, who is back and more badass than ever, and with a new wardrobe to boot.

That’s right; one of the main elements of the newest installment in the series will be the ability to customize the outfits of your leading lady, Lightning. Fear not though, Final Fantasy fans, for it’s not as lame as it sounds. With each “outfit” that Lightning dons, her abilities, strengths and weaknesses will be affected, making for a uniquely customizable Final Fantasy experience.

The Final Fantasy XIII series has caught a lot of flack since its release, with complaints ranging from the games focus on graphics and game play rather than story, and the arguably bland cast of characters. Square Enix has made a noted effort to address these complaints and up the user experience for all in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Let’s hope they did the job right.

Along with a new Japanese trailer that featured the return of Final Fantasy XIII-2 antagonist Caius Ballad, Square Enix has released a batch of new screenshots for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Check them out below.

The screenshots showcase a number of aspects, including the Dress menus. Each Dress within the game allows Lightning to take on new abilities and attacks, with literally dozens of accessories, items and colours to choose from. We also get a few more looks at other returning characters such as Sazh and Vanille. More battle screenshots are also showcased though unless the game really overwhelms us with some impressive mechanics, we’ll remain skeptical.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII releases on February 11th in North America and February 14th in March for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It will mark the end of the Lightning saga (hopefully for good). Will you be picking up the game when it releases? Let us know in the comments below.