Exclusively for Japan, a beautiful limited-edition "Final Fantasy III Crystal Edition" DS Lite is being released alongside the game on August 24th in Japan.  To see an image of the new Final Fantasy-themed DS Lite, click here.

The game and its special DS Lite will be bundled together for 22,780 Yen, or about two hundred dollars in US currency.

The design features four characters from the classic game, created by artist Akihiko Yoshida, and the familiar Final Fantasy logo.  Under the logo is a serial number, and while it is unknown how many of these units will be produced, it likely won't be a large number.  American gamers looking to grab one of these precious units should be quick to import one before it's too late!

[Source: Cubed3] ...

According to Square Enix's site PlayOnline, the gameplay of the unexpectedly popular "Besieged" mode will be significantly altered to create a more strategic gameplay experience.

While it was originally quite simple for a large number of players to band together and win a battle with little effort, new additions to Besieged will change things up a bit.  Square Enix is implementing "Notorious Monsters," more powerful enemies that won't be easily defeated by simply being part of a large force.  Invading the bases of the Beastmen, the creatures that attack the city of Al Zahbi in Besieged, will play a much larger role in the Besieged experience, as the weakening of the Beastmen forces will become a vital part of Al Zahbi's defense.

Square Enix will also continue to update and refine Besieged to provide the best possible experience.  To read the full article, click here.

[Source: PlayOnline] ...

The previously unreleased Final Fantasy III is quickly becoming one of the year's most highly anticipated games, and now that Square-Enix has revealed the boxart... well, that will do nothing to stem those high hopes.

It looks exciting, to say the least, and certainly provides a greater window into the game than, say, Final Fantasy IV Advance may have.  To take a look at it for yourself, click here.  The game will be released in Japan on August 24, while those of us Stateside will have to wait until September 12.

Also, thanks to Kawaii Ryûkishi for noting that it's brand new artwork from famous Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano.

[Sources - Cubed3, IGN] ...

After months and months of anticipation after the Japanese release of Final Fantasy XII, American gamers finally have a final, solid date to look forward to--October 31st, 2006.

In addition to the regular version of the game, Square Enix plans to release a Collector's Edition.  This edition will come with special packaging, interviews with the game's creators, promotional trailers, an art gallery, and a special featurette on the entire Final Fantasy series.  The Collector's Edition will be available exclusively in GameStop and Electronic's Boutique stores.

[Source: IGN] ...

Square-Enix have confirmed that the upcoming remake of Finaly Fantasy III, for the Nintendo DS, will support the consoles Wi-Fi connectivity feature in some form. The company hasn't said anymore than that, though, so we don't know what sort of things it will do.

The game is currently scheduled for an Autumn release, and we'll continue to bring you any updates we can up until then.

[Source: Nintendojo] ...

Those people who thought they could prosper through Real Money Trading (RMT) in Square-Enix's Final Fantasy XI got a rude awakening the other day, as 250 accounts found to be involved in producing gil for the purpose of selling it in the real world were terminated.

All in all, about 250 Billion Gil was removed from the game.  The headline states that "acts of RMT will not be tolerated in Final Fantasy XI, and any violations of the user agreement will be dealt with severely."  Anyone who wants to take that risk will be slapped with a permanent suspension of their account.

[Sources - PlayOnline] ...

While the anticipated DS title is still quite far from being released in North America, Square-Enix has propped up the official Japanese site.  For now, it isn't very expansive, but you can check out character profiles as well as a couple of screenshots from the game.  Links indicate that videos and other goodies will also be available sooner or later.

To check it out for yourself, click here.

[Sources - Square-Enix] ...

On June 21st, The Voices: Music from Final Fantasy Premium Orchestra Concert DVD will be released in Japan.  This DVD is a recording of the special concert performed in Yokohama on February 18th of this year.

The normal version of this concert DVD will cost 3,800 yen (about $29 USD), while a 2-disc limited edition first print will be available for 4,800 yen (about $34 USD).

[Source: RPGFan] ...

Since its release on DVD, fans of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children have been treated to fast-paced, dazzling, and highly entertaining battle sequences that made it easy to ignore the film's other downfalls.  Just about any fan of Final Fantasy--or even videogames in general--likely envisioned a next-gen title that played just as well as Advent Children looked.

For their part, Square Enix is trying to turn this dream into a reality.  In a recent interview with Dengeki Online, Final Fantasy XIII director Motumo Toriyama revealed that "FFXIII attempts to see how far it's possible to make FFVII Advent Children's battles into a game. FFVII Advent Children is a video production, and it showed us battles that have not been achievable in FF so far. With FFXIII, we're focusing on how far we can realize the video."

Toriyama also stated that his team was working hard on a playable version of FFXIII in time for next year's E3, which means that it's unlikely, though not impossible, that the game won't appear in any form other than videos until that ...

Final Fantasy III, originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (or Famicon in Japan) is the only main entry in the beloved series that has never seen US shores.  Square Enix has ported the title to Nintendo's new DS and given it a 3D facelift, adding in new content in preparation for an impressive re-release of one of the more popular entries in the franchise.

While the game is still not scheduled to reach the United States, American gamers are one step closer to getting their hands on the title--Square Enix announced today that Final Fantasy III DS will be released on August 24th in Japan for a suggested price of 5,980 yen, or about $53 US.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

Square Enix's latest entry into the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode Final Fantasy VII, was detailed several weeks ago as a second mobile entry into the series with both single-player and multiplayer functionality.

On June 1st, however, Square Enix announced that Lost Episode will be available exclusively on Amp'd Mobile handsets Summer 2006.  The game will use Amp'd Mobile's network for wireless multiplayer competition, and will be available for download at the Amp'd website.

[Source: Square Enix] ...

Mere weeks after May's E3 Expo, two of the biggest gaming magazines in Japan, Hyper PlayStation and Gaimaga, have published a considerable amount of new information regarding Square Enix's series of Final Fantasy XIII titles.

The director of Final Fantasy XIII, Motomu Toriyama, revealed in an interview with Gaimaga that the scenario work for his project was 80% complete and the visual engine, also nearing completion, was running on real PS3 hardware.  Toriyama stated that "Now is the time for the true start of FFXIII."

While director and character designer Testuya Nomura has had the plot of Final Fantasy Versus XIII developed for some time, real work on the game's scenario has not yet begun in earnest.

The leaders of the Final Fantasy XIII project, which was moved from the Playstation 2 hardware to that of the PS3, are striving to reach a level of visual expression they did not believe was possible with the capacity of one DVD.  The project began 2-3 years ago, but once the team decided to move to the Playstation 3, all their original work was scrapped; in other words, the "White Engine" the new Final Fantasy titles utilize was built completely from scratch.

When asked about the reasoning behind making Versus a part of Fabula Nova Crystallis, Nomura stated that the game would not fit as a normal, standalone member of the series.  Series producer Yoshinori Kitase said that "with Versus, we are trying out a type of adventure that we couldn't do in the numbered series," but assured ...

Translated, Square-Enix has revealed today that it is planning to finally give in to the fans demands and incorporate a Chocobo breeding system into it's ever expanding and popular online game, Final Fantasy XI. Breeding is an arduous process, taking upto two to three months to breed a single Chocobo, with some care and attention needed every single day. Each Chocobo will possess a Unique set of DNA, and depending on the rearing method, you will  see huge levels of variation throughout the game world in each Chocobo's personal characteristics, and players will then be able to breed their Chocobo's with other players for even more varied results. Players will have to work with stable employees to help nurture their chocobo's, and they'll require feeding and attention.

The Square-Enix representitive offered this message to players:

"The Chocobo raising feature is finally taking shape! I can see a Chocobo on my screen right now, growing rapidly from day to day. It seems we can finally fulfill the promises we made to everyone about this ...

While this PSP game hasn't been given an official release date for either Japan or the U.S. yet, that doesn't mean you can't ogle it a little bit.  If you want to check out a few pictures of this part of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation, look here.  As a handheld game, it looks very promising.

[Source - AllRPG] ...