The day has finally come: Today, Final Fantasy XIII launches around the world on PS3 and Xbox 360, into the clamouring, sweaty palms of series fans everywhere.

Square Enix is keen to remind us that Final Fantasy XIII “marks the dawning of a new era” for the Final Fantasy series, and has been created by seasoned veterans of the franchise with the likes of producer Yoshinori Kitase, director Motomu Toriyama, character designer Tetsuya Nomura, art director Isamu Kamikokuryo, musician Masashi Hamauzu and movie director Takeshi Nozue all serving to build on the “rich tradition of the series.”

“Introducing new worlds, memorable characters and extraordinary stories with each new instalment, the Final Fantasy series has continued to reinvent itself over the last two decades and has shipped over 92 million copies worldwide.

“The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every instalment, and Final Fantasy XIII will be no exception to its legacy.”

If you’re still unsure about whether or not you’re willing to dip into this whole ‘Final Fantasy’ thing, you can have a look through El33tonline’s extensive previous coverage of Final Fantasy XIII for an enormous amount of screenshots, in-game videos and trailers, and tons of information.