If you’ve been anticipating the release of Final Fantasy XIII since you’ve heard of its inception then you don’t have to wait long anymore. The release of the game is bound to be one of the hottest launches in the videogame industry especially now that it has been announced that it will be heralded by an event.

On March 8, an event called the Final Fantasy XIII Experience will be celebrated in San Francisco. If you’re a hardcore fan of the entire Final Fantasy franchise then this is one event that you don’t want to miss.

Guests will have the chance to be the first ones to play the game. Trailers and artwork will also be featured in the event. You will also have the chance to meet the designers, developers and other creative masterminds behind the game. A raffle will also be held where lucky winners will receive various Final Fantasy prices.

Square Enix announced that 200 of its members will have the special opportunity to attend this event. On top of that, members that already have Bronze Tier memberships will have a chance to enter a special sweepstakes. 50 winners from the sweepstakes will have the chance to attend the actual launch party of the game.

Once upon a time, card games were trendy and interesting. Poker Tournaments took prime-time spots on ESPN. Blackjack was considered sexy. A new version of Uno came out yearly. Dozens of new card games came out of Europe’s game makers, often to great reviews.
 
 That was then.
 
 Now, a few short years later, poker has been relegated to the late night slots on ESPN3, below eating contests and thumb wrestling. Blackjack is only interesting on GSN, and they had to dress it up with sexy girls and trivia. The American game makers returned to their old standbys, eliminating their alternate versions. The Europeans refuse to design card games, stating design flaws and playability issues.
 
 Are Card Games a Dying Breed? What happened to our culture that brought such a rapid response from the Gaming industry? Will card games ever be developed again?
 
 Card Games have one advantage going for them that other games just can’t match: They handle large groups really, really, well. Most card games can cover at least 8 people, and many can go much higher – 10, 12, even 20. A typical board game maxes out at 4 or 6. This is the lifeline of card games, the only thing keeping them around.
 
 Card Games are, as a rule, inherently imbalanced. The luck of the draw is terribly random, and it tends to benefit one or two players far more than the rest. Over the course of dozens of hands this will eventually even out, but it makes the game frustrating.
 
 Ultimately, will card games last? Yes. They are playable in ways that other games are not, and some will never disappear. However, it seems the market is currently fully saturated with dozens of available games. Just don’t expect to see new designs for a few years.