That is not all for Square-Enix’s E3 news in regards to Final Fantasy. The company also announced two new FF Chronicles titles for both the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS. FF Chronicles: Ring of Fates is the title for the DS game. No word yet on the official name for the Nintendo Wii title. Ring of Fates is set to feature 4-player gameplay along with single-player features as well. On the DS, the game is going to have full 3D visuals. The art style and graphics are similar to Chronicles on the GameCube. Once again, no concrete release date is set for either title.
 

Also at E3, Square-Enix announced plans for Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI on the Game Boy Advance. Like FF IV Advance, both FF V/VI Advance will feature all-new dungeons as well as new job classes along with a few other extras and surprises. Both titles will also feature improved visuals on the GBA in comparison with their SNES entries. FF V and FF VI Advance is set to release sometime during 2006.

 

Much like what was rumored for quite some time now, FF XIII did make an appearance at this year’s E3. In a surprise announcement, Square-Enix also has two other games that share the FF XIII namesake, though they are reportedly not direct prequels/sequels to each other. The entire FF XIII project is called: “Fabula Nova Crystallis”. The other titles are known as: FF Versus XIII, which happens to be an action game and FF Agito XIII which will be featured on the mobile platform. Square-Enix showed off a brief trailer of FF XIII at E3 and showcased the PS3’s visuals. However, it is to note that the trailer video seems to lean towards the more action-oriented side of RPGs. There is very little known about the game at this time but there seems to be a main female protagonist in this one. The team who is developing FF XIII is largely similar to the staff behind FF X minus a few newcomers and so forth. Kitase and Nomura are back at the helm for this highly anticipated title. We’ll keep you posted in regards to any new developments behind FF XIII. For those are are curious, FF XIII will be on the PS3 platform.

FF XIII (images from: Gamespot)

FF Versus XIII


FF Agito XIII

 

Square-Enix has recently opened a new official website for its upcoming DS remake of FFIII. The game will feature 3D graphics and a wireless online mode. No confirmed release date has been announced for Japan but it is slated to release in Japan later this year.

(in Japanese) http://www.square-enix.co.jp/ff3/
 

FFXII has reportedly sold over 1.8 million copies in the first week of release. That figure is comparable to FFX, which sold slightly more during its initial first week in Japan. If you want a rough estimate, it appears likely that FFXII will sell at least 2.5 million copies in Japan alone. As usual, we will keep you updated in all of the latest FFXII news and information.
 

The OST for FFXII will be released in Japan next month. The OST consists of four discs total and include over 100 tracks composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. There are a few tracks that didn’t make the game which will be included in the actual OST. The limited edition of the soundtrack has some other interesting extras to consider. It will feature a cool DVD packaged case and the limited edition also contains a nice booklet. The OST is currently set for a release on April 19th, in Japan. It retails for 3800 Yen, or about $32 US dollars.
 

The much anticipated Square-Enix blockbuster, Final Fantasy XII has finally launched in Japan on March 16th. The official launch event was held in Tokyo’s Shibuya district where some lucky fans were able to meet the creators of the game. The company estimates that the initial shipment of FFXII will exceed 2 million units. Now the countdown officially begins for the North American release. Square-Enix is aiming for the game to be released before Thanksgiving in the US. Of course, FF Odyssey is excited over the prospect of FFXII and will continue to bring you the latest news in regards to the game.



[Images from: Famitsu]
 

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has given rave reviews over Square-Enix’s long awaited FFXII. The game is one of the very few to have ever received a perfect rating from the magazine. It joins elite company such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Vagrant Story. The magazine boldly proclaims that FFXII is absolutely perfect and the reviewers were very impressed by what the game had to offer. While it is true that Famitsu isn’t always the most respected and credible in terms of game reviews, the 40/40 score is nothing to sneeze at. This only adds to the hype and excitement of FFXII.
 

It appears that FFVII: AC has sold over 1 million copies in Japan. The movie on both the DVD and UMD format only took three weeks to sell well over half a million copies alone. According to Oricon, Advent Children was one of the top DVD sellers of the year, with a ranking of 12th. Square is optimistic that these strong sales will be a catalyst for solid interest when the movie releases in North America later on.
 

Along with a recently updated trailer, the website reveals two new characters to the game. Vayne is the son of Gramis and heir to the throne of Arcadia. Larsa is the 12-year old son to Gramis and is Vayne’s younger brother. He is the second in line to succeed Gramis to the throne. The game is still scheduled to release in Japan on March 16th, 2006.

In addition to the March 16th release date, Square-Enix is teaming up with the Japanese drink-maker Suntory. The company will sell a special beverage called “the potion” in correspondence to the Final Fantasy series. Suntory plans to sell a premium box with some other FFXII goodies. The drink is set to be available for sale in March.

Recently, Square-Enix has revealed the use of clans within FFXII. Once players have joined such organizations, they can volunteer to participate in various sidequests and even buy stuff in stores which are only used by those members. No other information has been revealed about this topic yet but it should prove to be quite interesting.