In addition to the grand opening of Oceania data centers, today's update to Final Fantasy XIV rolls out the buffs for several jobs primarily in the form of potency increases. Some of the most significant ones come to Paladin, Dragoon, Samurai and Dancer, while healers remain untouched. With the exception of Dragoon, action mechanics have not been adjusted, and are typically addressed in larger updates (with Patch 6.1 likely out in late Spring). In both PvE and PvP content, Dragon Sight will no longer generate a visible tether when used on another party member, and the damage buff it bestows can be granted from further away. By and large, these adjustments have the greatest affect on those challenging the most difficult version of the game's raids, which, at present, is Pandaemonium Asphodelos (Savage). Outside that, their impact is lessened, as understanding an encounter's mechanics is more often the biggest contributing factor to victory -- though it can readily be argued this rings true for more difficult content as well. After all, you can't DPS if you're dead! The next round of adjustments will likely be slated for Patch 6.1, details on which are expected in March when the first of two broadcasts will

Today, publisher Square Enix and developer Deck Nine Games revealed five minutes of footage from the upcoming Life is Strange Remastered Collection which includes the first game in the franchise and it's DLC Before the Storm. Additionally, a comparison video shows off the lighting and animation work that's been done. The game now runs at a native 4K in Unreal Engine 4, and features rebuilt lighting, models, and physics. Animations have been updated with more details, and the developer cites that the core cast's expressions have improved and including new lip-sync. Key props have also had their textures updated have more reflective attributes. In the trailer below, Max Caulfield witnesses a murder in the bathroom at school and uses a supernatural power to rewind time to prevent it from happening. The ensuing events rekindle her relationship with with a childhood friend as more mysterious events encircle them and the otherwise quiet town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon. In the comparison video, Max is hanging out in Chloe's room, where a choice can be made to intervene on behalf of her friend. Life is Strange Remastered Collection is set to release on February 1st for PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S,

Today marks the launch of the long-awaited Oceania data center for Final Fantasy XIV. Available alongside today's patch 6.08, the Oceania data center is accessible for new character creation, with Home World Transfers starting from January 26. Five worlds will be available, with all of them labeled as "New Worlds". Those who transfer to or create new characters on said worlds will receive the following bonuses: Free Home World Transfer for players transferring from another WorldDouble EXP for both newly created and transferred characters (up to Level 80)Gold and Silver Chocobo Feathers exchangeable for special in-game rewardsAnd more To celebrate the launch, the team has created a map of Australia and New Zealand done up in the FFXIV style. Can you recognize some of the in-game creatures circling the land masses? The Oceania data center marks the first part of a plan to expand the game's server capacity to ease congestion as player count continues to rise. To that end, digital sales of the Starter Edition and Complete Edition have resumed as of today. However, new registrations for the Free Trial will remain suspended until a later date depending on continued monitoring of congestion issues.

Following up on yesterday's news spread, Square Enix has shared another video showcasing more of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin. Titled "Basics of the Battle", the video covers protagonist Jack Garland, his abilities, job classes, skill progression and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ2BqHptBvM The new video comes hot on the heels of the game's final trailer, which shows off the game's job systems, enemies and various locations that Jack and the Warriors of Light will discover throughout the story. Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin launches March 18, 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC via Epic Games Store.

Alongside a final trailer, Square Enix sent out some new points of interest for Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin featuring a look at new enemies, locations, equipment upgrades and advanced jobs. Characters Kraken The Fiend of Water who performs rush attacks with long tentacles. Kraken can steal buffs and use water element attacks that take advantage of the surrounding environment. Lich The Fiend of Earth who is adept at slinging spells that give status ailments. A tricky opponent that can cast Curse, which saps the upper limit of the Break Gauge or summons skeletons. Event Scenes Wherever Jack and his allies go, they encounter the black mist. The dark crystals absorb the black mist when raised aloft. It seems the dark crystals protect the party from the black mist. Upgrading Equipment Equipment is obtained through defeating enemies or opening treasure chests along the way. Similar pieces of equipment can have different job affinities or special effects. It might be worth your time to scour the same mission multiple times to seek our rare items. At the smithy, materials can be used to upgrade your equipment's special effects or even add them. You can obtain materials by going out on missions. Equipment can also be dismantled to

Square Enix has revealed the final trailer for Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin ahead of its March 18 launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X and PC via Epic Games Store. In the trailer below, we see more of the game’s story and battle scenes as well as characters that will join Jack on his quest to kill Chaos and discover their true purpose. “We're Strangers. That means two things: One, we're strangers to this world. And two, we're strangers to ourselves.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqLa5qOVsQg

Those who play Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier can now participate in a time-limited event known as the "President's Cup." From now through January 31 at 11:59am PT a new skin from Special Shinra Packs will change a candidate’s appearance into a statue of President Shinra, and limited-time login bonuses and challenges offering free items will be available. The event will test your skills either solo or in a team. Players who rank in the top 100 will be eligible to receive a special reward. Further details include: How to Participate All players who play at least one ranked match to the end during the event period will be automatically entered into the rankings. Four Categories Kill Rankings: Solo, TeamQuickest Win Rankings: Solo, Team *Players who participate in multiple teams will be ranked based on the team they performed best with. Exclusive Rewards Players who rank in the top 100 in any category will receive a banner, and the few who reach the top 3 will be granted a special title. Prizes include the President Shinra statue character skin, the president's pistol gun skin, the Take a Call emote and a Shinra Middle Manager character skin. President’s Challenges Complete special challenges

Life is Strange Remastered Collection is scheduled to release on February 1st, 2022 for Google Stadia, PlayStation, Xbox and PC, but the Switch version has been delayed to late this year in an announcement shared on the game's official twitter today. Developer Deck Nine Games shares that they will need a bit more time until they are ready to release on the Switch, but will be sharing an extended look at the game on Tuesday, January 25th. The Remastered Collection includes both the original Life is Strange and its follow up DLC Before the Storm and updates them with upgrades to character and environment visuals, a new engine and lighting upgrades, and new fully motion-captured facial animation. Life is Strange follows Max Caulfield as she attends school in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. When her childhood friend Chloe Price is attacked, the incident awakens supernatural powers within Max, allowing her to manipulate time to prevent it from happening. The decisions that Max makes over the course of five chapters affect how the story unfolds. Before the Storm is a prequel that centers around Chloe and her relationship with her friend Rachel Amber. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI3AMPKEPmQ

Kicking off series 20th anniversary celebrations, Square Enix has revealed the release date for its upcoming cloud launch of Kingdom Hearts titles for Nintendo Switch. Available from February 10, the cloud version comes in the flavors of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC) and the all-in-one Kingdom Hearts series collection for Cloud. Those who purchase Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind standalone or through the all-in-one collection will snag the Advent Red Keyblade to use in the game as a bonus. Additionally, playable demos are now available - allowing players to test their connections before purchasing the game. Square Enix has provided a trailer announcing the release date. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0CQp7npkeQ Further 20th anniversary events are planned for April 10th in Tokyo and include a mini concert, a chat and Q&A with the development team, and exhibition and much more. A video of the event will be released online at a later date.

Today, Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida provided an update on the state of the game's suspension of sales following the massive congestion that led to long queue times around the Endwalker expansion's release last month. Starting January 25th, Square Enix will resume digital sales to new players, but they will monitor the situation to determine whether another suspension is necessary to prevent further congestion. Monitoring that includes the resumption of registration for the free trial version. Yoshida also laid out plans for the expansion of the game's operations, which includes opening a new Oceania data center, expanding existing data centers in Japan, North America, and Europe, resuming the Home World Transfer Service, and implementing a Data Center travel system. The same day digital sales will resume is when the team plans to open the Oceania Data Center. The original plan was to include three Worlds on this data center, but this has been increased to five Worlds with the hopes that there is room for everyone who desires to transfer to "Materia" data center. Square Enix will also waive the transfer fee to do so. The following day, on January 26th, Square Enix will resume the Home World Transfer Service,