Can lively time fights, characters called "Lightning" and "Snow" and a complicated story set in the fantasy globe of Pulse twirl Sony's PlayStation 3?

With the release of Final Fantasy 13 in Japan yesterday (from publisher Square Enix) Sony has came into a crucial period that will close the PS3's fate.

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