Kingdom Hearts II, released late last year in Japan, finally has a solid cast for the English release.  Haley Joel Osment,  Hayden Panettiere, and David Gallagher will reprise their roles as Sora, Kairi, and Rikku, respectively.

James Wood (Ghosts of Mississippi) will return to voice Hercules' fiery arch-nemesis Hades, and Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State) will fulfull his role as Chicken Little.  The rest of the cast inludes other well-known names, such as Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Rachel Leigh Cook, Christopher Lee (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones), and singer Jesse McCartney.

Utada Hikaru will once again sing the theme song.  This time around, the game's title tune is "Sanctuary," the English version of Hikaru's "Passion."

Kingdom Hearts II will go on sale in the US on March 28th for a suggested retail price of $49.99. 

[Source: GameSpot] ...

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] ...

No release date has yet to be announced for US and then European release.

[Source: Spong] ...

The Holiday Season is still fresh on everyone's mind, and so should Final Fantasy.  RPGamer has four new magazine scans concerning Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus.  There are a few interesting shots of a younger Vincent when he was a Turk as well as Lucrecia.  Check out the scans here. ...

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] ...

Following up on our own Kyono's recent article, Mistwalker officially named their fourth working title, and third XBox 360 title, Cry On at the AQ Interactive conference this past weekend.  The famous Hironobu Sakaguchi is going to be leading the project himself, and Nobuo Uematsu will be composing the music.  Kimihiko Fujisaka, the designer for Drakengard, will be the character artist for the game. 

Cry On is set in a world where giants and humans live unpeacefully together.  At the heart of this game lies the story which involves two characters: The main character, a young girl named Sally, and her giant friend Bogle.  This title is said to fit with Sakaguchi's vision of evoking emotion in his games.  A working release timeframe is under discussion, and the Eyes on FF News Crew will keep you up to date.

[Source: RPGamer ] ...

RPGamer has a new trailer from the 2005 Tokyo Game Show on Dirge of Cerberus, as well as a few magazine scans.  Check out the trailer here, and the scans here.  You just might see something interesting from Vincent's past.

[Source: RPGamer ] ...

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] ...

Two short adverts for Mistwalkers upcoming 360 title, Blue Dragon, have been released in Japan.

The adverts can be found here.

[Source: Joystiq] ...

Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker today revealed its third Xbox 360 title currently in development following hot on the heels of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

Although not officially confirmed an advertisement for the next issue of Famitsu Xbox 360 has revealed Kryon to feature spectacular action which combines awesome firepower and breathtaking magic.

Hopefully official confirmation and the first concrete details will be released soon, although given the veil of secrecy surrounding Mistwalker's previous two titles this is unlikely.

[Source: Total Video Games ] ...