Recent reports online have indicated that Square Enix may have set a final release date for Final Fantasy VI Advance.  According to various sources, the North American version of FFVI Advance will be released on February 5th, 2007.  The set Japanese date for the title was November 30th; it should be available in stores now (or for import, for that matter).

While it is impossible to know that February 5th is indeed the final release date for FFVIA without official confirmation, the date seems to fit with the trend of Square Enix's recent portable titles seeing NA releases shortly before or after their Japanese counterparts. ...

Up until now, very little was known about Square-Enix forthcoming PSP title 'Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core' other than it would focus upon former SOLDIER Zack. Today, however, SE released the TGS 2006 trailer to the Japanese market, which sheds a bit of light onto the game. The video can be found here.

It showcases the games sumptuous graphics, and a few of the characters you can expect to see playing a part in the main story. Not only this, there is also a glimpse at the battle system, which looks to be a turn based/action fusion, similar to that found in the 'Tales' series.

First update in months and not a hint of ring-rust. Oh yeah, baby. Some of us have just got 'it'.

[Source: Kotaku] ...

Square Enix Japan recently realeased a list of what titles they plan to show off at this year's JUMP Festa on December 16th and 17th.  In the following list, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles are bolded and italicized for emphasis.

• Seiken Densetsu 4, PlayStation 2, December 21st, playable
• Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, PlayStation 2, spring 2007, playable
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, PlayStation Portable, 2007, playable
• Final Fantasy XIII, PlayStation 3, tba, trailer-only
• Final Fantasy Versus XIII, PlayStation 3, tba, trailer-only
• Dragon Quest Swords, Wii, spring 2007, playable
• Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon, DS, December 14th, playable
• Dragon Quest Monsters Joker, DS, December 28th, playable
• Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, DS, tba, trailer-only
• Front Mission 1st, DS, winter 2006, playable
• Subarashiki no Sekai, DS, 2007, playable
• Seiken Densetsu Heroes of Mana, DS, tba, playable
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, Blu-ray, 2007, trailer
• Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII, cellphone, tba, playable
• Dragon Quest Monsters Mobile, cellphone, available, playable
• Dragon Quest Fushigi no Dungeon Mobile, cellphone, available, playable
• Final Fantasy Agito XIII, cellphone, ...

For the first time ever, Final Fantasy III is now available outside of Japan.  Legally, and in English, that is.  The 3D DS remake of Final Fantasy III should be available at retailers across the United States.

Reviews have been mostly positive, but those who expect an easy romp through a fantasy world best look elsewhere--Final Fantasy III brings with it the difficulty to be expected of a dated RPG.  But with the gorgeous 3D graphics that really push the DS to its limits, let's face it--this is not an adventure that any self-respecting Final Fantasy fan would miss. ...

The publication Dengeki PS3 recently had a chance to interview Square Enix's Motomu Toriyama and Tetsuya Nomura, both of whom are hard at work on the next installment in the Final Fantasy series.

As many of you may know, FFXIII originally began being developed as a Playstation 2 title.  The project was abandoned in May 2005 and moved to the PS3.  As it turns out, very little of the work put into the game was kept: the characters, mythology, and Fabula Nova Cyrstalis world were retained, but everything else that had been created--the graphical elements, the battle and gameplay systems--were all scrapped.

The Final Fantasy XIII staff has grown since the PS2 days, and is now working under the game's producer, Yoshinori Kitase.  However, they are not yet fully focused on developing XIII.  The staff is, instead, still working on perfecting the White Engine, Square Enix's multipurpose engine that will be utilized in many upcoming PS3 titles, and not just FFXIII, as Nomura explained: "It's sort of like FFXIII is there as a target. FF Versus XIII will also use the White Engine, and it will be ...

Square-Enix dished out a whole lot of treats on Halloween here in North America, as Final Fantasy XII set a record for the most shipped units on a release date for any of its titles.

The figure includes the regular and the Gamestop-exclusive Collector's Edition, and adds up to a whopping 1.5 million units.  That total represents approximately 60% of what's already been sold in Japan since its initial release back in March.  If you haven't bought FFXII yet, there's plenty of copies out there and you have no excuse, so get to it!

[Source - RPGFan] ...

Final Fantasy XII has been a long time coming, and it shows. Thankfully, all the time in development hasn't dampened the quality of the game's presentation, and in spite of however many hundreds of people must have worked on this game for all these years, the end result is a more cohesive game than its predecessors from the series' 3D-graphics era.
Score: 9.0 / 10
Read the Full Review at Gamespot >>

How often can one say, "The wait was worth it" and truly mean it? When is it okay to claim that, "This is one of the best examples of [insert genre here] ever" and not just say it for cliché's sake? But most importantly, when does a game with momentous hype and anticipation actually live up to media, consumer, and competitor expectations? The answer to all three of those questions is a simple one, "When you're playing Final Fantasy XII." 
Score: 9.5 / 10
Read the Full Review at IGN >>

Final Fantasy XII is hard to knock. The game looks great, sounds great, has great writing, offers a lengthy and satisfying journey, has a great technical element and engaging sword-swinging and spell-slinging. It would be difficult to find a game ...

Final Fantasy XII is OUT!  Most of you probably know that by now, and aren't taking the time to read ol' Eyes on; after all, you have the first major Final Fantasy release in years waiting for you.  But if you've somehow been oblivious to the hype, get yourself down to your local game store and pick up your copy of Final Fantasy XII.

Try not to spend your entire Halloween playing Final Fantasy XII, and make sure to keep your European friends in your thoughts--they won't be getting their hands on it for another few months. ...

In the latest issue of Japan's Dengeki Playstation, Square Enix's resident renaissance man Tetsuya Nomura commented on the question fans around the world have been eagerly asking since days after Kingdom Hearts II was released--when are we getting Kingdom Hearts III?

According to Nomura, Disney has already approaced Square Enix about another Kingdom Hearts title.  However, the Kingdom Hearts II team is finishing up work on Final Mix+, the enhanced version of Kingdom Hearts II; after completing their current project, the Kingdom Hearts team is going straight to work on Final Fantasy Versus XIII.  Nomura stated that he felt it was "not the right time to talk about the future of Kingdom Hearts."

With Nomura focused on a wide variety of projects--including the remix of Kingdom Hearts II, the Blu-ray edition of Advent Children, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII--it doesn't look like work on another Kingdom Hearts title will begin any time soon.  But with Square Enix releasing so many other products in the coming months, perhaps keeping Kingdom Hearts ...

Good news for gamers looking for a deal this Tuesday:

Circuit City is selling Final Fantasy XII for $37.99 USD starting this Tuesday, a full $12 less than any of the major U.S. electronic retail stores. Yeah, we're surprised by it as well. Not only does today's Circuit City flyer in your local newspaper have the price listed at $37.99, but the online price is listed as $37.99.

Source: Joystiq ...

As Final Fantasy XII's domestic release draws ever closer, Square Enix has begun to reveal more about the game's soundtrack.  Published by Tofu records, XII's soundtrack will be a bit different than many of the ones we've seen in the past.  Rather than being an all-encompassing collection of every piece of music in the game, the Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack will feature 31 selected tracks from the game.

Thirty of the songs on the OST are composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, while the last is Final Fantasy XII's theme song, "Kiss Me Goodbye," composed by Nobuo Uematsu and sung by Angela Aki.  Below are images of the sountrack: the first is what the front cover looks like folded out, while the rest are the inside artwork.

Front cover
Inside art 1
Inside art 2
Inside art 3

The Final Fantasy XII OST--and the game itself--will be released on October 31st in the US.

[Source: IGN] ...

Due to a lack of support from the people at everyone.net, email @eyesonff.com will be coming to an end on October 20, 2006.  I apologize for the inconvenience.  I believe you will still be able to access your old emails the same way that you always have, but new emails will cease on October 20, 2006 and your @eyesonff.com email address will be invalidated.  In other words, you will still be able to log in, but you will be unable to receive any new emails at that address.

...

Square Enix has announced that the box set of their successful MMORPG Final Fantasy XI will be updated in the near future.  The updated Vana'diel Collection, shipping out to retailers on November 7th, will contain Final Fantasy XI, as well as its three expansions: Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, and Treasures of Aht Urhgan.  The collection will also feature a starter's guide and world map.

For those of you who have been waiting for an all-encompasing Final Fantasy XI bundle, look out for The Vana'diel Collection on November 7th for $29.99.

[Source: IGN] ...

Okay, so it hasn't happened quite yet.  However, those of you who've been waiting and waiting for Kingdom Hearts II's PAL release only have one more day to bide your time.  That's right: Kingdom Hearts II arrives in Europe tomorrow, September 29th!

According to the Square Enix Fanzone, a special event will be held at the HMV main stage tomorrow from noon to 2 pm.  The address information is: HMV, 150 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1DJ.

Attendees will be the first people in the UK to play the game, and will have a chance to win a special poster of Kingdom Hearts II, signed by creator and director Tetsuya Nomura!  To be in the running for the poster, all that's required is participation in the "Name the Characters" contest on the main stage.  Those who purchase the game at the event will also become "Kingdom Hearts II ambassador[s] by receiving an exclusive hand painted Kingdom Hearts II henna tattoo."

[Source: Square Enix Fanzone] ...