Can active time battles, characters called “Lightning” and “Snow”, and a convoluted story set in the fantasy world of Pulse turn round Sony’s PlayStation 3?

With the launch of Final Fantasy 13 in Japan yesterday (from publisher Square Enix) Sony has entered a crucial period that will seal the PS3′s fate.

Final Fantasy is one of Japan’s most popular games and in the domestic market number 13 will only be available on PS3. Analysts think that 500,000 Japanese households may buy a Sony console just to play it. The PS3 has lagged well behind Nintendo’s Wii and Sony urgently needs to sell more consoles if it is to profit from subsequent software sales.

It now has a chance. Read more