The graphically-enhanced version of Final Fantasy XI announced for the Xbox 360 at last year's Electronics Entertainment Expo has finally been given a solid release date.  Gamers will be able to snag this version of Final Fantasy XI on April 16th in the US and two days later in both Japan and Europe.  The disc will be crammed with all things Final Fantasy XI--that is, the 360 version will include the original game and all three expansions: Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, and the new Treasures of Aht Urhgan.

PC and PS2 gamers will be able to purchase the new expansion, Treasures of Aht Urghan, on April 18th, the same day that the Xbox 360 version will be available in the United States, Japan, and Europe.  The new expansion will not only offer new areas, monsters, and gameplay tweaks, but entirely new jobs, including the Blue Mage and Corsair.

No price has been announced for the Xbox 360 version of FFXI or the new expansion at this time, but with a not-too-distant release, they're likely to be divulged soon.

[Source: GameSpot] ...

According to new information released by Square Enix, neither the Judges nor the ruling house of the Solir will not be the most powerful, dangerous people in Ivalice.  That power will, apparently, belong to the Senate.  The Senate, comprised of elderly men, resides in the Imperial City of Archades and only speaks on top-secret state happenings.

Though they may not hold the power or influence of the Senate, the five Judge Masters of Ivalice are still a force to be reckoned with.  The Judge Masters--Zalgabas, the belligerent Belga, Dreys (the only female Judge Master), Gies, and Gabras, who has some sort of a tie with Basch--will lead an army of lesser Judges that will likely be an incredibly powerful force.

Final Fantasy XII will debut in Japan on March 16th for 8,990 yen, or about $78 US.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

After four months on the market, Square Enix announced that they have shipped one million copies of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on the combined fronts of DVD and UMD.  Though numbers for the two individual platforms have not been disclosed, Square Enix stated that sales of the UMD version were holding up well, which is interesting because PSP UMD movies have not been as popular in Japan as in America.

[Source: IGN] ...

Logicool (known as Logitech in the United States) has announced a special-edition Final Fantasy XII wireless controller for sale in Japan.

The wireless dualshock's official title is the "Cordless Compact Controller Final Fantasy XII Version," and will be a striking white, emblazoned with the Final Fantasy XII logo.  The package will also include an LCD cleaner, and will go on sale in Japan in conjunction with Final Fantasy XII on March 16th for a price of 4, 980 yen, or $43.50 US.  It is unknown at this time whether or not the controller will be released anywhere else.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

SCEA has just announced the "Final Fantasy XII Pack" for Japan; the pack will include Final Fantasy XII, a black Playstation 2 with a "Judgemaster's Dark Rune" illustration, a special-edition stand, and a unique cellphone strap.

The Final Fantasy XII Pack will go on sale on March 16th in Japan, the same day as the stand-alone title, with an open retail price.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

Although the trailer for Lost Odyssey that was shown at last week's Jump Festival didn't show off any of the title's gameplay, Mistwalker is confident that the game will be at least somewhat playable next year.  Despite the fact that Lost Odyssey is expected to be release after Blue Dragon, a demo for the former game has already been planned out and is expected to be realeased sometime between spring and summer next year.

According to Mistwalker's founder, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Lost Odyssey's demo will contain gameplay from near the title's beginning.  With a mid 2006 release in Japan planned, it's not too unlikely that Lost Odyssey just might show up in playable form at next year's E3.

[Source: IGN] ...

While we reported several days ago that the UK would be getting a free beta disc of Final Fantasy XI bundled with the next copy of Official Xbox Magazine, it turns out they're not the only ones.

The completely free Final Fantasy XI demo will be included with the next Official Xbox Magazine in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and the United States.

[Source: Team Xbox] ...

Square Enix has announced that its third annual Final Fantasy XI fan festival will be held from March 9th to 11th, 2006 at the Santa Monica Pier in California.  Players who register in advance will be charged $85, while those who pay at the door will have a $100 fee.  It should be noted that ticket availability is limited.

Those lucky enough to attend the festival will be able to play the newest Final Fantasy XI expansion, The Treasures of Aht Urghan, which features the Blue Mage job.  Members of the Japanese development team will also be present at the event.

If those two items aren't enough to draw fans, the contests surely will be.  Attendees can participate in the Ballista Royale Finals, the Fan Movie Contest, and the Costume Contest.  A raffle will also be held, with the prizes including a Chains of Promathia PC.

Those interested can find the Final Fantasy XI Fan festival site, which offers more information on the event, here.  Don't forget to buy your tickets!

[Source: RPGFan]

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It was already known that Square's upcoming shooter, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, would show what happens to the game's protagonist, Vincent Valentine, after the events of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children.  However, Square has recently stated that the game will also unravel the mysteries of Vincent's past.  Dirge of Cerberus's tutorial mode, in fact, will allow players to control a young Vincent, still a member of the Turks.

Also, Square revealed that some of Vincent's enemies in the Deepground Soldier ranks will be quite a handful, boasting bazookas, machine guns, swords, and more.  And, of course, the'yre all protected by heavy body armor.

Lastly, a new character has been unveiled; Nero, a mysterious Deepground soldier with a bandaged face, radiates a dark aura.  His role in Dirge of Cerberus is still largely unknown.

Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus will hit the Japanese market on January 26th, 2006.

[Source: RPGFan]

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Eyes on Final Fantasy is pleased to announce that we're going to begin covering Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's new game company, Mistwalker, and their upcoming RPG projects.

Mistwalker is developing two titles exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox 360.  One is Blue Dragon, which will likely be the first game released by the studio.  It features character designs by famed Artist Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, and more), and already impressive graphical effects such as shadow mapping and motion blurs.  The game stars a young boy named Shu and his "shadow," a Blue Dragon; a young woman named Zora is the second of an expected five playable characters.  Blue Dragon is shaping up to be a next-gen take on the classic Japanese RPG formula; with dragons, airships, and a unique, cartoony cast of characters and monsters, the game looks extremely promising.

The second title Mistwalker is creating for the Xbox 360 is the far more mature looking Lost Odyssey.  While Blue Dragon's graphics ...

While Kingdom Hearts II has promised a lot in the way of Final Fantasy cameos, all of the characters pleasing fanboys everywhere had at least one thing in common; they were all from the more recent entries in the series.  But now that's all changed.  Out of all the colorful characters to come to life in 2D in the previous generation of the Final Fantasy saga, one has been revealed to make a guest appearance in Kingdom Hearts II; the gambling, charming, airship pilot Setzer from Final Fantasy VI's all-star cast.  Are more pre-FFVII characters in Kingdom Hearts II, or does Setzer claim that distinctive honor for himself?  Only time will tell.

[Source: GamesAreFun] ...

With the impending release of the enhanced Final Fantasy IV for the Gameboy Advance, Square has updated the Japanese FFIV site with a pair of commercials and two new wallpapers.  The English site is not up at this time, but should be open in the near future.

Official Final Fantasy IV Advance sites: Japanese | English

Final Fantasy IV Advance will be released in the United States on December 12th, 2005.  Its Japanese release will come three days later on December 15th.

[Source: RPGamer] ...

European gamers are in for an unexpected treat in the early days of 2006, thanks to Square Enix.  The company's popular MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI, will soon be coming to Microsoft's Xbox 360.  The UK's Official Xbox Magazine will feature a beta disc of FFXI in January, allowing British citizens to get a crack at XI on the 360 before their American cousins do.

[Source: Joystiq] ...

Continuing their trend of spouting out loads of details about  their upcoming titles, Square Enix has released two new pieces of information concerning Final Fantasy XII.  The first is a bit unusual; in a joint effort between Square Enix and  the Japanese brewery Suntory, an herb-flavored drink named after the Final Fantasy series' "Potion" will go on sale in March 2006 to coincide with XII's release.  In addition to the regular Potion, a Premium Box set will also go on sale, including a premium bottle and a Final Fantasy XII Art Musem trading card.

The second piece of information was featured on Final Fantasy XII's new official website.  Two new characters have been introduced.  The first is Vayne Carudas Solidor, the twenty-seven year old son of Gramis (the 11th emperor of Arcadia) and heir to the throne.  The second is Larsa, Vayne's twelve year old younger brother, who strives to gain respect from his father and surviving brother.  The two are the youngest of Gramis' four sons; however, the eldest sons died in battle, supposedly in the cover-up ...