To check out the brand-spanking new official site for Revenant Wings, click here.  It may be in Japanese, but it's still worth a visit--the site contains a few high-res images of the characters, a desktop wallpaper, the Tokyo Game Show Trailer, and more! ...

Thought you'd seen every bit of action in  Square Enix's full-length CG film Advent Children?  Think again.  At this year's Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix has just announced a "Director's Cut" version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children for Sony's Blu-Ray DVD.

The Complete version of Advent Children will sport a much higher resolution than the normal DVD, and contains altered scenes and a few new ones to boot.  According to IGN, one of the scenes featured in a new trailer included Sephiroth impaling Cloud and lifting him above his head (think original FF7). 
We'll have new information or media as soon as it becomes available.

[Source: IGN] ...

It's not really a big surprise, but it probably is a disappointment for international gamers to hear that the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XII will not be released across Europe and PAL territories until after the Christmas season.

Fear not, friends across the puddle and down under, for the newest rendition of the Square-Enix flagship series will be released sometime in early 2007.  Instead of getting the game itself for the holidays, just ask for a gift certificate!  FFXII, for North America, will be released on October 31.

[Sources - Pro-G] ...

IGN has posted some new information garnered from the latest issue of Famitsu.  A scan of the latest issue's page featuring Revenant Wings can be seen below, and apparently the magazine had more details on Revenant Wings than we'd first believed.

Vaan is confirmed to be 18 years old in Revenant Wings--a year older than he is in Final Fantasy XII.  Penelo (now 17) acts as his navigator.  Revenant Wings is being helmed by Motome Torishima, who previously worked as an event planner on Final Fantasy VII and an event director on Final Fantasy X.  This is the third full directoral position for Torishima; he previously directed Final Fantasy X-2, and is in charge of the upcoming FFXIII.

Torishima explained that the reason Revenant Wings is being developed for the DS is the widespread popularity of the system in Japan.  The idea is for the title to be approaced as "My First Final Fantasy," aimed to draw in people who don't normally play games.  Torishima stated that the battle system has been simplified, and, with the use of the touch screen and stylus, battles can be won without using the typical variety of controls.

While Revenant Wings apparently ...

The newest issue of Japan's Famistu magazine contains a few snippets of information on the DS Final Fantasy XII project Revenant Wings.  As we've already revealed, the game features main characters Vaan and Penelo in the roles of sky pirates, scouring the skies of Ivalice on new adventures. 

Apparently Revenant Wings will take a closer look at the relationship between the two young adventurers; it's still not completely clear if Revenant Wings is a prequel or a sequel to Final Fantasy XII.

Of course, as the main characters are filling the roles of sky pirates, they'll need ships to fly on. Famitsu noted that the many airships present in Final Fantsasy XII will also appear in the DS title.  Also, like Square's upcoming Final Fantasy III for the DS, the touch screen will be used considerably in the game, and will be an integral part of the battle system.

Update:  Here's a new magazine scan for Revenant Wings.

[Sources: DS Advanced, GAF] ...

German site G Wie Gorilla recently had the chance to meet Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu in Leipzig, Germany and interview him about his illustrious career.  Uematsu discusses various topics, including his relatively new company, "Smile Please," his fans, and the inspiration for the music he composes.

To read the entire interview, click here.

Thanks to Thomas Nickel from G Wie Gorilla for the heads-up. ...

As if declaring October 11th Final Fantasy XII Day wasn't enough for gamers in New York, you should be excited to learn that you'll be able to get your hands on the highly anticipated game and play it if you attend DigitalLife.

Touting itself as "the ultimate consumer technology, gaming and entertainment event of the year," DigitalLife will take place in New York City at the Javits Center from October 12th through the 15th.  Attendees will be among the first Americans to take the journey through Ivalice, a full two weeks before the game's official release on October 31st!

If you want more information on DigitalLife, you can check out the official site here.

[Sources - Square-Enix] ...

If you like to dress up as your favorite effeminate, emo, eccentric (or fuzzy-eared) Final Fantasy XII hero or villain, check out Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII Cosplay Contest!

One winner will receive a free trip to New York to celebrate "Final Fantasy XII Day."  The contest ends on September 29th, so get cracking!  For more details on the contest, including how to send in photos of yourself decked out in air pirate attire, check out Square Enix's website here.

[Source: Square Enix] ...

Following hot on the heels of our recent report about the rumors indicating the possible existence of a Final Fantasy XII spinoff for the DS and a Final Mix version of Kingdom Hearts II, Japan's Jump magazine has confirmed the existence of both titles.

Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings for the Nintendo DS follows lead character Vaan through an adventure involving air pirates; in addition, he must protect Penelo, who is also an important character in FFXII.  According to IGN, both characters look younger than they appear in the PS2 original, leading us to believe that the game will be a prequel.

Though the existence of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix is not as exciting or shocking as Revenant Wings, the additions to the game might come as a surprise to some.  The director's cut version of the game (that will likely only be released in Japan) seems to feature the English vocal track, as well as a new 3D card battle game somewhat similar to the one featured in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

We'll report new information on each game as soon as it breaks.

UPDATE:
Here's a magazine scan for Revenant Wings.  While other sites have been reporting that the ...

A recent post on the Japanese "FF7 Blog" has hinted at a Final Fantasy XII side story making an appearance on the Nintendo DS.  Don't get your hopes up yet, though--there's no credible information backing this up, and it should be considered nothing more than a rumor at this point.  However, the same site commented early on about the existence of Chocobo & the Magic Picturebook and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, lending at least a slight bit of credence to the post.

The same news post also mentions Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, which is, more than likely, a Japanese-exclusive update to the original game with various extras and enhancements, much like the first Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix.

Remember to take this info with a grain of salt, as it could be little more than speculation right now.  More to come as it breaks.

[Sources: C³ News, TVG] ...

In an amazing twist of coincidence, someone actually did some work around here. Apart from the news reporters that is, busy buggers that they are. What did we do? We finally made the Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance section live! Though no one's actually worked on it since January. Really, it could have gone up any time between then and now. It's not my fault that I... wait... nope, definitely is my fault. Certainly not the fault of any of the following people!

• Story - eternalshiva
• Characters - TurkSlayer
• Mugshots - cl_out
  
• Job Classes
  • Abilities - MoonZapdos
  • Progression - Heath & eternalshiva
  • Species - MoonZapdos
• Items - Monster_Hunt
• Equipment
• Weapons - Skyblade
• Armour/Headgear - Skyblade
• Armour/Suits - Skyblade
• Armour/Shields - Skyblade
• Accessories - Skyblade

Yeah, so I'm the bone idle one, that's right. Blame me for everything, why don't you? It was me who made that stain on the carpet, it was me that broke the lightbulb, it was me that stuck the bubblegum ...

1UP.com has released an interview with legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano (obviously) titled "A Day in the Life of Yoshitaka Amano."  This is a rare glimpse into the world of one of the biggest influences upon the Final Fantasy series, and features a brief history of Amano's career, a lenghty interview, and videos and images of the artist at work and in the studio.

To check out 1UP's wonderful feature, click here.

[Source: 1UP] ...

The limited-run PLAY!  A Video Game Symphony has been, by all accounts, a very big success worldwide, and there is one last show where Nobuo Uematsu himself will be making an appearance.

Toronto area fans are in for a treat if they want to get tickets to the final performance at the Hummingbird Centre on September 30.  It doesn't look like Uematsu will be conducting any pieces as he has in other locales, but shouldn't seeing the man in the flesh be enough?  If you enjoy Final Fantasy music, you may as well go!

More info can be found at the Hummingbird Centre website, as well as a link to purchase the tickets online. 

[Sources - PLAY!] ...

For those of you who want to know exactly what Final Fantasy XII will look like on the shelf of your local game store, we've gotten ahold of two high-res images of both the normal edition and Collector's Edition of FFXII.  Enjoy.

Regular edition case
Collector's Edition case

Final Fantasy XII will be released in the US on October 31st.

[Source: RPGFan] ...