The immensely popular PLAY! A Video Game Symphony is making a stop in the Windy City next month and Square-Enix's very own Nobuo Uematsu will be on the bill.

Uematsu, for those keeping score at home, composed the fanfare that opens every PLAY! performance around the globe, but chances are that those who attend this Midwest showing will hear a few of their Final Fantasy favorites as well.  Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger fame will also be a part of the event at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois on May 27, as part of an ensemble featuring many of the most famous composers in the video game industry.  Both men will also be part of the VIP meet and greet as well.

If you don't want to pass up this opportunity to see some of the best in the business, you can still purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster or check out PLAY!'s official website for more details.  Other U.S. performances will take place in Detroit, Philadelphia and Virginia later this summer, and while Uematsu may not make appearances at those shows, we're not opposed to enjoying ...

Square-Enix has reached an agreement with Ubisoft to distribute Final Fantasy XI for the XBox 360 overseas in Europe and other PAL territories.

It will be the first FFXI experience for console owners in these areas since the game was never released for the PS2.  This particular release will include the upcoming Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion pack, as well as earlier expansions Chains of Promathia and Rise of the Zilart.  For PC owners, the Treasures of Aht Urhgan pack will also be distributed by Ubisoft.

Expect to see this FFXI hit your stores later this month.

[Sources - Yahoo!  Video Games]

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Despite many publications gushing over the Japanese release of the latest installation in the Final Fantasy series, there are a number of Japanese gamers who have been less than enamored by FFXII and have taken their complaints to various online forums.

For one man's defense of the game, check out an interesting Next Generation article which can be found here.  Final Fantasy XII, of course, is slated for a North American release around Thanksgiving.

[Sources - Joystiq]

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In the few weeks since its release in Japan on March 16th, Final Fantasy XII has managed to sell over two million copies.  The speediness of XII's success has surpassed the records of Final Fantasy X and X-2.  Square Enix's newest title was the only RPG that managed to occupy a slot on the Top 10 bestseller list in Japan last week.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

Kingdom Hearts II's director Tetsuya Nomura (who was also in charge of the CG movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children) recently discussed the North American version of the game.

Kingdom Hearts II, though very similar to its Japanese counterpart, has a few minor differences.  The guns in the Pirates of the Caribbean world were slightly modified to look less like weapons due to an ESRB issue.  The fact that there are almost no changes with the release of an English version means that Square Enix will not be releasing an International or Final-Mix Version of KHII in its home country.

Nomura also elaborated slightly on his ideas for future developments in the Kindgom Hearts series.  The director and character designer stated that fans shouldn't expect a brand new Kingdom Hearts III, or another offshoot title like Chain of Memories.  Nomura also dismissed the idea of an animated feature, and said that he wanted to move away from the timeline presented in the first three Kingdom hearts games.  At this time, only Nomura knows what's in store for the Disney/Square Enix hybrid.

Finally, Tetsuya Nomura promised some major ...

After a week on the market in Japan, Final Fantasy XII managed to sell an impressive 1,764,266 copies, taking the top-spot on the sales charts.  It sold more than double the second-place game, Nintendo's Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Final Fantasy XII's sales, though strong, weren't quite good enough to match the first-week numbers of the last regular entry into the series, Final Fantasy X.  The tenth entry into the long-running franchise sold 1.8 million copies in its first week on the market.

[Source: Gamespy] ...

Fans of Square-Enix's successful MMORPG might be exctied to catch a glimpse or twelve at what awaits them in Final Fantasy XI's expansion pack for the XBox 360.

If you want to check out more about Treasures of Aht Urhgan, take a look at the screenshots collected here.

Aht Urhgan will be released on the 360 on April 18.

[Sources - IGN]

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The official site for Final Fantasy XI has released a few more details concerning the upcoming Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion pack, including a new job and some familiar faces.

Along with the options of being a Corsair or a Blue Mage, it's been revealed you can be a Puppetmaster as well.  According the site, this job uses an "automaton" for entertaining the masses and confusing your enemies, as well as some hand-to-hand combat.

A few familiar foes from FF's past will also appear in the expansion, most notably Cerberus.  Trolls and Flans (now known as Black Puddings) also join the ranks for your fighting pleasure.

There's more where those details came from.  To see it all, check out the official site for Treasures of Aht Urhgan.

[Sources - PlayOnline]

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Nintendo has recently divulged that the improved version of Final Fantasy IV, released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan and America last year, will see a European release this summer. 

European fans of the game will get to experience the added dungeon, character portraits, and other graphical updates when the classic SNES-era RPG lands on their local store shelves on June 2nd.

[Source: Total Video Games] ...

Any Southern California folk that may be itching to see Square-Enix's upcoming film on the big screen are about to be rewarded.

A special screening of Advent Children is going to take place April 3rd, 7:00 PM, at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood.  It is open to the public, but seating is approximately 800 and anyone seeking guaranteed seating will need to be there by 12:00 PM to assure themselves a spot.  While there is no specific mentioning of names, members of the production and cast will be around after the screening as well.

For directions to the theatre, check out ArcLight Cinema's website.  It's at 6360 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.  Advent Children will be released on DVD and UMD April 25th.

[Source - Square-Enix]

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With the release of Final Fantasy XI on the Xbox 360 right around the corner, Square Enix has announced that the Beta service will end on April 2nd.

The official service for Final Fantasy XI on the 360 will begin a short time later on April 20th.  Gamers who participated in the Beta will be able to transfer their characters over to the finished version of the game, though Square Enix has not yet made it clear how this will be done.  An announcement from Square Enix sometime in the near future will explain how players can tranfer their Beta character to an existing Final Fantasy XI World.

[Source: Play Online] ...

The popularity of the music of the Final Fantasy series will surely continue with Final Fantasy XII, which was released yesterday in Japan to the expected strong sales.  The game's OST, or Original Soundtrack, is set to be released in Japan next month.

Final Fantasy XII's soundtrack will span four discs and include over one hundred tracks composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, including some that were not featured in the game itself.  The first print of the OST will be a limited edition and come packaged in a unique DVD case.  The limited print will also include a special 28-page booklet.

Final Fantasy XII's OST will be released on April 19th in Japan for 3800 yen, or $32.36 US.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

After Final Fantasy XII received perfect scores from Japan's premiere videogame magazine Famitsu and was released in developer Square Enix's home territory, fans around the globe are clamoring to get their hands on a localized  copy.

Final Fantasy XII's executive producer, Akitoshi Kawazu, stated that Square Enix is hard at work on a North American release, with a European version following sometime afterwards.  The North American version will reportedly be ready by Thanksgiving, placing it in the ever-popular holiday shopping season.

[Source: IGN] ...

FFXII is shaping up to be very much worth the wait, after receiving a perfect review score from Japan's top gaming magazine, Famitsu.

The game was given a score of 40, with scores being given out of ten by four seperate reviewers, meaning all four of them found the game to be of the highest standard. FFXII is one of only a few elite games to be given a perfect score by the magazine, which include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the original Soul Calibur, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and, most recently, Nintendogs.

FFXII is set for March 16th release in Japan, with no US release date confirmed as it stands, but as soon as it's announced we'll be right on it.

[Source: Yahoo! Games] ...