The guys over at 1UP.com recently got their hands on a copy of the demo of Final Fantasy XII that's packaged with Dragon Quest VIII and have compiled a wealth of information; gameplay impressions, details about the demo, changes made to the series, new media, and more are inside.  Check out 1UP's FFXII blowout here.

[Source: 1UP.com] ...

Though the release date of November 29th, which was rumored to be when Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children would finally see its official release in North America, was never confirmed by Square Enix, it's finally been put to rest.  The company announced a new release date of January 10th, 2006, in order to make possible a limited theatrical release.  This doesn't neccessarily mean there will be a theatrical release, but it is, at the very least, a possibility.

[Source: Anime News Network] ...

On top of all the new stages already known to be included in Square Enix and Disney's collaborative effort Kingdom Hearts II, a new, and probably unexpected, realm is being added to the game.  Its name?  You guessed it--Tron!  Made famous in the classic 1980 sci-fi flick, Tron will fight side-by-side with Sora and co., who will have unique world-specific looks just as they did in the original game.  Will Sora get to race light cycles while in Tron's computer world?  Only time will tell.

Kingdom Hearts II is expected to go on sale in Japan on November 22nd, with a US release still slated for sometime in 2006.

[Souce: IGN] ...

Popular J-Pop star Gackt, who was previously the basis of a character in the videogame Bujingai, will be lending his talent and his persona to Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus.  The singer will perform the game's title track, Redemption, as well as another song entitled Longing.  Unlike the motion-capturing normally used with real stars and videogames, however, Gackt will actually be filmed; the footage will be encorporated into the traditional highly-detailed CG scenes Square Enix is known for.  Gackt's in-game costume was crafted by character designer Tetsuya Nomura; the singer will also be donning his costume for his concert tour  "Gackt Live Tour 2005 Diablos - Aien no Shi."

Square Enix's press conference, which included the information about Gackt, also touched on the idea behind the Compilation of FFVII: Polymorphic content.  The theory is to create the sequel/sequels fans want by bringing the series to multiple areas of entertainment--consoles, handhelds, cellphones, and films.

With Dirge of Cerberus, producer Yoshinori ...

Square Enix's port of Final Fantasy III to the Nintendo DS, one of the few entries in the series previously unreleased outside of Japan, will take advantage of the DS's unique abilities.  The game will be in what has come to be called "pseudo-3D;" the camera can't be rotated in battle or in the field, but it will be possible to zoom in and out.  Also, in buildings, the camera will be rotatable.

FFIII's characters will also receive more attention than in the original to make their personalities a more important part of the game.  The ever-popular job system will also be evenly balanced.

Hiromichi Tanaka, the game's executive producer, made it clear that it is his wish the make the game playable solely with the use of the DS's stylus.  The game will also take advantage of the DS's Wi-Fi capabilities, though only outside the main quest.  Wireless co-op, anyone?  We can only hope.

EoFF will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.

[Source: Joystiq] ...

Kingdom Hearts II is slated for a December 2005 release in Japan, but it won't be shipping just as a standalone game.  A "Kingdom Hearts Deluxe Limited Edition Package" will be released on December 22nd, 2005, and will contain the previous released Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories in addition to Kingdom Hearts II.  The special packaging will feature illustrations by creator and character designer Tetsuya Nomura.

The Deluxe Limited Edition Pack will sell for 16,180 yen, or about $140 US.  It is unknown at this time whether or not this package will see a release outside of Japan.
...

An all-new Final Fantasy concert will soon debut in Japan--Voices: Music from Final Fantasy.  As the name implies, Voices will feature songs with lyrics.  This means that singers including FFIX's Emiko Shiratori (Melodies of Life), FFX's RIKKI (Suteki Da Ne) and Izumi Masuda will be present at the event.

Like Dear Friends, Voices will be conducted by Arnie Roth.  The concert will be held in the Pacifico Yokohama on February 18th, 2006.  Ticket will go on sale November 25th for 6,000 yen, or about $50 US.  It is unknown at this time whether or not the concert will see a North American tour like Dear Friends. ...

The soon-to-be-released version of FFIV for the Gameboy Advance, featuring enhanced graphics and extra content, will be for sale bundled with the new Gameboy Micro and as a standalone cartridge.  The Gameboy Micro bundle will come with the limited-edition custom faceplate designed by series veteran Yoshitaka Amano and will cost 4800 yen, or about $42 US.

FFIV Advance will be on sale in Japan on December 15th.  There is not yet any word on a release of this bundle outside of Japan, but such an announcement will likely be made in the next few weeks.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

That's right--Advent Children will finally be seeing the light of day in North America.  The film will be shown on Friday, October 21st and twice Saturday, October 22nd at the Festival Du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal, Canada.  Sadly, all three showing of the film are already completely sold out.

A North American DVD and UMD release of the popular film, which  has already sold over 700,000 units in Japan, has not yet to be announced, although a yet-to-be-confirmed date of November 29th, 2005 is floating around the internet.

[Source: RPGamer] ...

On the Xbox 360, that is.  When Microsoft's new console launches in Japan on December 10th, consumers who buy the Limited Edition of the console, which retails for approximately 40,000 yen, will receive a free Beta disc for Final Fantasy XI.  All they'll need are PlayOnline and Xbox Live Silver memberships, which, luckily, are both also free.  The offer will only last as long as supplies of the FFXI beta disk hold out, so those who arrive at stores first may be the only ones lucky enough to snag a chance to experience FFXI online on the Xbox before the general public.

[Source: IGN]

...

Though Square Enix announced several weeks ago that the American release date of FFIV for the GBA was December 12th, the Japanese release was given the less definite target of "December 2005."  The official day has been confirmed now, though--FFIV will once again be hitting store shelves in its enhanced, portable version on December 15th.  This is interesting to note because it's one of the few releases of a Japanese game to come later in Japan than in the United States.  There's no word yet as to whether or not this version of FFIV will see the light of day in other parts of the world.

[Source: IGN] ...

It was many moons ago that Square Enix announced Final Fanatasy III, previously unreleased outside of Japan, would get the DS treatment.  They never elaborated on what, exactly, the port would contain--until now.  It's going to be more like a full-blown remake, as FFIII is being re-created from the ground up in 3D exclusively for the Nintendo DS.  To keep the game true to its roots, Square Enix is bringing in some of the original creators of the title to help supervise the project.

Confirming industry suspicions that have been raised on account of the "Final Fantasy Port Project," Square Enix revealed that, following the release of FFIV for the GBA, installments V and VI would receive the same treatment.  Both games will feature added content like IV and will be available for the GBA sometime in the not-too-distant future.

[Source: IGN] ...

Square Enix has recently put up a snazzy new site for the Japanese version of Final Fantasy IV for the Gameboy Advance which can be accessed here.  As of now there's little more than a pretty "Coming Soon" page, but it's likely a full site will be up in the near future.

Also, those who've recently purchased the tiny new Game Boy Micro are in for a treat: Square Enix will be releasing a FFIV faceplate with original Amano Artwork, which can be seen here.

Final Fantasy IV for the Gameboy Advance will be available December 12th in North America.  Further release dates are yet to be determined.

[Sources: RPGamer and IGN] ...

Enix's Dragon Warrior series, a venerable giant in Japan, has never caught on with a large portion of gamers in the United States and the rest of the world.  But this time around, with Dragon Warrior: Journey of the Cursed King, Square Enix has an ace hidden up its sleeve; the game will be shipping with a playable demo of FFXII, the latest entry in the Final Fantany series, which, as most gamers know, is extremely popular in the United States.

The release date in the United States is set for November 22, the day Microsoft's Xbox 360 launches.  Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that Halo 3 would be launched on the day of the Playstation 3's release, and it looks like Sony is responding in kind.

On the much quieter GameBoy Advance front, Square Enix and Nintendo are collaborating to re-release Final Fantasy IV on the portable console.  The game will feature some improvements that are sure to please gamers, such as improved graphics and character portraits to accompany the dialogue.  Square Enix and Nintendo also hope to continue the "Final Fantasy Series Port Project," but only time will tell.  But ...