Earlier this May at E3, Square Enix announced that a mobile prequel to its legendary RPG Final Fantasy VII was in development. The title of this prequel has been announced as Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII. The game is set in Midgar 6 years before the events of FFVII and players will be in control of a member of the Turks.

The game is slated for a September 2004 release in Japan, and it will be available on NTT DoCoMo 900i-series or higher phones. A North American release date for the prequel has not yet been announced, and it is likely that the FFVII:BC will not be a downloadble option for US Gamers in the future given the disparity between Japanese and North American handset technology.

Also, according to the FFVII:AC official site, the release date in the Info section has been modified from Summer 2004 to a vague 2004 timeframe. It seems that fans will probably have to wait a little longer to for this anticipated movie release.

Sources: GameSpot, Advent Children

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Square Enix has recently announced some of their expectations and plans for the future. The company plans to sell 8 million units this coming fiscal year, opposed to the 4.9 million units sold in the past year. The problem with this is that the company's big upcoming titles like Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, and Dragon Quest VIII are on track to be finished around the same time. Releasing these titles too closely together could cause problems for Square Enix to meet its expectations.

In a recent interview with Square Enix's president, Yoichi Wada, he revealed that the company definitely has interest in developing for Sony's PSP and Nintendo's Dual Screen. Square Enix also wants to continue to develop more online titles. One of the biggest topics in this interview was whether Square Enix would support Microsoft's XBox Live. Wada clearly stated he has no reason to allocate to the XBox as long as they have PS2. Wada also stated that he did not like the idea of a closed network in a closed enviroment for online gaming. As for the next generation Xbox console, Wada stated that they would definitely take into consideration developing for it. Click here ...

Those of you eagerly awaiting the sequel to Final Fantasy VII have a little something more to sneak a peek at, as the official site for Advent Children has a new trailer.

Aside from an interesting clip of a fight scene or two, you can also catch a glimpse of what appears to be a leather-clad Tifa kicking some butt. You heard right: Leather-clad Tifa.

You can find the new trailer at the official site under "Trailers", marked "Trailer 002". There are three different versions suited for various internet connections, so there's no excuse for anyone not to check it out.

Special thanks to our forum user skaught for the lead.

[Sources - FFVII: Advent Children] ...

Roogle and myself have decided to once again accept applications for the job of an EoFF News Reporter. To enter an application, ensure that you have registered an account at EoFF's forums, and send a private message to myself.

The PM should include an example of something you would put up on the frontsite of EoFF, followed by a link to the page where you found the information in the news entry. Should you be accepted, you will find yourself working alongside the other news reporters - Cid, Strider and Kalinda - as well as the rest of the EoFF Site Staff team.

Applications will be judged on the information included in the news entry, spelling and grammar and their ability to manipulate me with money and sexual advances. Only one position is currently available.

Looking forward to hearing from you all! ...

IGN had a chance to sit down with Final Fantasy XII director Yasumi Matsuno during E3 and uncovered a few details about the latest Final Fantasy in the works. Details uncovered include more information on characters, story, and the battle system. Check back with us in a few days as I'm significantly adding to our Final Fantasy XII section. Full Story > ...

The Advent Children section has been added including screens and movies. Check back as we will be updating this section frequently as more information is released. ...

The Final Fantasy 12 section has been added featuring the trailer uploaded a few days ago and nearly 50 screen shots of the upcoming game.

Take a Look > ...

I just uploaded this very awesome Final Fantasy XII trailer (originally from IGN.com). The trailer contains video sequences, real-time cut-scenes, character navigation, and battle scenes. For those who watch, do you feel the same Star Wars influence I'm feeling?

Download the Final Fantasy 12 Trailer > (73MB)
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In the Japanese magazine The Playstation, it was announced that Square-Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XI will get a second expansion pack, titled The Chains of Promathia.

The expansion will feature over 40 new areas, including Goblin city Moblupolis and Tabnesia Archipelago, ancient ruins spread across a cloister of islands. There will also be new items and some will aid players in traveling to new locations.

Not long after this announcement Square also stated that the expansion would recieve a North American release. It's due to come out in Japan and North America simultaneously this fall.

RPGFan has also posted three nice screenshots and a logo for The Chains of Promathia, you can check them out here.

[Source: RPGFan] ...

Final Fantasy fans, meet Pannelo.

In its latest issue, Japanese gaming magazine Jump has introduced the gaming public to Final Fantasy XII's newest playable character, a 16-year-old Hume girl that's a bundle of energy and loves to sing and dance. It's also been revealed that Pannelo is the signficant other of FFXII's hero, Vaan.

Pannelo brings the total of known playable characters up to five. The others are Vaan, the male lead; Ashe, the female lead; gunslinger Balflear and his Viera partner Fran. A good snapshot taken from the magazine can be found here.

Final Fantasy XII will be released in Japan this summer. No official North American or European release date has been determined yet.

[Sources - RPGFan, Square Insider, SquareNet] ...

Gamers in the United Kingdom won't have to wait long for Square-Enix's immensely popular MMORPG, as the company announced that Final Fantasy XI will be distributed throughout the UK sometime later in 2004.

The game will be released for both Playstation 2 and PCs, but it's still unknown whether Final Fantasy XI will be released elsewhere in Europe following the UK.

[Sources - RPGFan, Square Insider, GameOnline Japan] ...

The European division of Square-Enix announced on Wednesday plans to extend their own marketing, sales and distribution plan into the European market.

During the next year, the Square-Enix subsidary in London will grow from 20 employees to 50. Former Atlus executive Jun Yamamoto has come aboard as CEO and president of the new operation to help S-E Europe grow from a localization studio into what the company hopes will be a powerhouse publisher of its own.

[Sources - RPGFan] ...

The end of the fiscal year on March 31st has brought new projections in sales from Square-Enix, with the company forecasting a jump of over 12 percent.

A previous estimate of 56 billion yen ($516.89 million US) has been boosted to 63 billion yen ($581.5 million US) due in part to strong sales of packaged and online software and to continued success in their publishing division. Their new estimate for net profit has also jumped accordingly, from 8.1 billion yen ($74.77 million US) to 8.7 billion ($80.3 million US).

[Source - RPGFan] ...

Square-Enix has thrown the doors open on the official website for their upcoming compilation release, "Final Fantasy I and II Advance".

Most of the details of the game are still relatively vague. However, the introduction of the MP system into FFI, players can now save their games anywhere. Both games will also feature a new quest in each, with FFI's "Soul of Chaos" (where you can discover powerful weapons and fight memorable bosses throughout Final Fantasy) and FFII's "Soul of Rebirth" (where you can play as four NPCs that lost their lives in the main story). The site itself still appears to be under construction, but should be complete in due time.

Final Fantasy I and II Advance is expected to be released in late July throughout Japan, at the cost of 6,090 yen (US$57). No American release date has been determined yet.

[Sources - GameSpot, RPGFan] ...