Square Enix will begin charging for Final Fantasy XIV subscriptions in early 2012, says the company. After spending more than a year in a seemingly indefinite free-play period, accounts will cost $9.99 per month beginning January 6. This discounted rate will last until Square Enix deploys its version 2.0 update …

SFX talks to best-selling author Heather Killough-Walden about her new angel-centric, supernatural romance series The Lost Angels

Amidst a holiday onslaught of AAA blockbusters, a trio of unlikely suspects pulled our attention away from slick shooters and ambitious adventures. The Sifteo Cubes are to blame, and they’re quite unlike anything we’re touched before. These one-inch displays are encased in durable, kid-proof plastic, but this is one case …

A glut of Rocky-themed items have flooded the Xbox Live Marketplace, with workout gear, boxing gloves and championship accoutrements available for the discerning Avatar. The original movie was released in US theaters 35 years ago this week, so it makes good enough sense to outfit your Avatar with a “Pity …

In a piece of casting news likely to induce nerdgasms the world over, Variety reports that Robocop star Peter Weller has joined the cast of J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek sequel. Weller is the latest star to join the cast, following in the footsteps of Alice Eve, who was added …

Down on last week, but still impressive

If the last two Mass Effect games have proved anything, it’s that glowing scars are chick magnets, and Commander Shepard can almost always hold his own in a fight. For his next (and final?) adventure, the N7 soldier with a heart is getting even more moves, and you can get …

A full trailer has been released for Disney’s sci-fi extravaganza John Carter , and from the looks of the bone-crunching footage on show, Taylor Kitsch has become a fully paid-up action hero. Prowling around shirtless for the duration of the teaser, his John Carter spouts hard-bitten one-liners, fights with his …

Vincente Minnelli’s 1944 MGM musical delivered wartime uplift, but its sadness for time passing also helps nail its ‘Christmas classic’ status. Sepia scenesetting snapshots burst into Technicolor, setting a tone of romantic reflection for the 1903-04 tale of a family rocked by dad’s threat of an NYC move. A poignant …

A supposed synopsis of the Akira remake has arrived online, outlining what we might be able to expect from events in Neo-Manhattan. The synopsis was posted on the Acting Auditions site, alongside “confirmed” cast members Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe and Helena Bonham Carter. Now as far as we …