Appeal for help/ FF game resources and recent news, best sites?

[musicrocksgbv]

This isn't explanatory of all games or really ABOUT them much, it's just an appeal for resources. You see, I was recently volunteered and given the opportunity to direct a Final Fantasy fan panel at an anime convention(Anime Banzai) in just over a month. Now, I haven't stayed updated on my gaming lately, so I am appealing to my fellow fans for any sources you have. Heh. I see this as a very good opportunity for review and learning what I don't know about our favorite games here. Well, at least mine. So, this is basically what I want to help this research.

First, I can probably Google and find the websites where I can get the latest news and what-not, but I want to be confident enough to know at least an in-depth character analysis for the game favorites(FF 3, 7, 8, 10, X-2 I suppose, and 12, probably the most). If any of you have any online sources that I can download, read, memorize, etc., that would be AWESOME. Since this will be directed toward an audience where the average age will probably be around the age of 14, it doesn't have to be TOO much, but I thought some of my old friends here might have a few ideas. I don't know how much I will be directing the audience, how much I'll have to talk, or whether I'll just be overseeing a conversation and directing it back toward some main points. I just want to be ready, if you know what I mean. ^^; And I've only been to a few anime convention panels and now I'm directing one! Lol.

And I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place too, I thought that this might be the best place it would fit in.

[Wolf Kanno]

Running a panel isn't too difficult unless you're in a massive con like AX or A-Kon. So don't worry about needing to memorize everything. My suggestion would be to look for fan translations of the Ultimania guides for in depth knowledge about production and the characters. I also suggest looking around these threads themselves to find a bit of info as a lot of people have made some damn good noteworthy analysis of the games and its characters.

You should also look up the FF Perspective at Gametrailers Gametrailers.com - The Final Fantasy Retrospective: Reviews, Trailers, and Interviews (http://www.gametrailers.com/game/4831.html) as you get some pretty interesting info and fun facts. Beyond that, look through old magazine subscriptions and Google interviews with creators like Kitase, Sakeguchi, Nomura, Nojima, Itou (sp?), Uematsu, and Matsuno.

My other advice is to come up with a plan on what you want to discuss but make sure its open enough so that if the discussion gets derailed you don't freak out. :D

Hope this helped.