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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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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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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It's certainly not the Highwind, but Square-Enix has recently released the first artwork for the airship to be featured in the higly anticipated release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Aptly named the Sierra, it was seen briefly in the E3 trailer for the film, but you can find a couple pages worth of design here.

And for good measure, the page also reveals collectible action figures based on the character's from the movie. Yes, even you can do crazy acrobatics with Tifa now.

[Sources - GAF] ...

Square-Enix has released word that the highly-anticipated Advent Children DVD will be available to any and all Europeans "by the end of 2005". The UMD format, however, is still up in the air as Sony officials are still trying to determine whether to give one format precedence over the other.

[Sources - Advent Children] ...

Importing Final Fantasy might be a thing of the past now that Nobuo Uematsu's works will become a part of the iTunes Music Store, thanks to an agreement between Square-Enix and Apple.

Sixteen soundtracks will be available in all, which includes the music from every Final Fantasy, I through XI, plus two Black Mages albums and music from the Dear Friends concert series.

[Source - RPGamer] ...

The official site for Square-Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy XII has uploaded some new artwork and information concerning a few different races that will be featured in this world of Ivalice.

For starters, the site now details the differences between the numerous races of Bangaa. There are four in all, including the Faas ("soldier" in the Bangaa language), the Ruga (a seemingly peaceful type), and the Bista and Sanga (those inbetween). Just don't call them "Lizardmen", as it's considered an offensive remark.

The site also gives an up-close look at the newest version of the Moogle. The site's profile of Moogles mentions that most of them are adept engineers in Ivalice, also referred to as Etoria.

If that's not enough, there's also a few details about the Seeq.

To see it all for yourself, visit Square-Enix's official site for Final Fantasy XII. To check out all the info on the races, click here.

[Sources - SquareNet]
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Electronics powerhouse Panasonic and the upcoming Square movie will be promoting one another soon, as the company's official website will soon feature a section with information and goodies from the highly anticipated sequel to Final Fantasy VII.

Beginning on September 16, Panasonic.jp will feature sections containing news updates, interviews with those involved in the movie's production, and plenty of downloadable material.

You can also jump here for a small advertisement that features Cloud Strife holding Panasonic's P900iv model cellular phone. There has been no official word on Advent Children's release date, although it's currently slated for release in Japan later this year.

[Sources - Advent Children, SquareNet] ...

Those eagerly anticipating the sequel to the smash Disney-immersed RPG will be happy to learn of new developments out of Tokyo for Kingdom Hearts II.

The camera system, considered by most a liability in the first game, can be controlled in KH2 by the right analog button. It still has a few kinks that have to be worked out, but it can be considered an important improvement.

During gameplay, the hero Sora can take advantage of a new feature referred to as the "Transformation Drive". You simply collect orbs from battles and activate them to combine your power with another character, allowing for an entirely new array of abilities and attacks.

The combo system has also been taken to a new level, as they should be easier to perfect. There are new combinations that are specific to your weaponry, most of which will involve arms from the original Kingdom Hearts.

Although there is no set release date for Kingdom Hearts II, it is expected to arrive in stores in Japan and North America sometime in 2005. There is no word concerning release in ...

Those of you eagerly awaiting the sequel to Final Fantasy VII have a little something more to sneak a peek at, as the official site for Advent Children has a new trailer.

Aside from an interesting clip of a fight scene or two, you can also catch a glimpse of what appears to be a leather-clad Tifa kicking some butt. You heard right: Leather-clad Tifa.

You can find the new trailer at the official site under "Trailers", marked "Trailer 002". There are three different versions suited for various internet connections, so there's no excuse for anyone not to check it out.

Special thanks to our forum user skaught for the lead.

[Sources - FFVII: Advent Children] ...

Final Fantasy fans, meet Pannelo.

In its latest issue, Japanese gaming magazine Jump has introduced the gaming public to Final Fantasy XII's newest playable character, a 16-year-old Hume girl that's a bundle of energy and loves to sing and dance. It's also been revealed that Pannelo is the signficant other of FFXII's hero, Vaan.

Pannelo brings the total of known playable characters up to five. The others are Vaan, the male lead; Ashe, the female lead; gunslinger Balflear and his Viera partner Fran. A good snapshot taken from the magazine can be found here.

Final Fantasy XII will be released in Japan this summer. No official North American or European release date has been determined yet.

[Sources - RPGFan, Square Insider, SquareNet] ...

Gamers in the United Kingdom won't have to wait long for Square-Enix's immensely popular MMORPG, as the company announced that Final Fantasy XI will be distributed throughout the UK sometime later in 2004.

The game will be released for both Playstation 2 and PCs, but it's still unknown whether Final Fantasy XI will be released elsewhere in Europe following the UK.

[Sources - RPGFan, Square Insider, GameOnline Japan] ...