News

Final Fantasy VII International was released on the Japanese Playstation Network Store yesterday as downloadable content for PS3 and PSP devices. The asking price is 1500 yen, or about $15.

A lot of people having been talking about whether this one would actually happen or not. I'm surprised to see it did, and would now expect a US store release will follow suit in upcoming months.

Source: Japan Playstation Store

Square Enix has added a bit more functionality to their official Final Fantasy IV DS website.

Along with a new movie debuted at the Tokyo Game Show in late September, the site also notes an official release date set at December 20 in Japan, and a starting price of 5,695 yen (about $50). A robust (and growing!) character bio section is available on the site, too, including in-game models for each of the characters.

Furthermore, underneath the "Spec" section of the flash site, Square Enix notes a full cast list for all the main characters of the game, leading to speculation that the upcoming DS remake of FFIV will include voice acting.

In the latest tidbit regarding Final Fantasy IV DS, Square Enix has opened auditions to find a vocalist for the game's title song, Theme of Love.

Auditions are open to anyone 18 and older, regardless of gender and experience. Applicants are required to send in a basic profile, self introduction, photo, and demo tape. And, in the spirit of the auditions, Theme of Love composer Nobuo Uematsu as well as Final Fantasy IV Director Takashi Tokita have recorded their thoughts and discussions regarding the topic of love. Radio streams of this discussion are available on Square Enix's website.


Sources:
GA Graphic
Dengeki Online

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I'm tempted to record a demo tape and send it in. Too bad (or, good thing) I'm very aware of how awful my singing voice is. :P

Nonetheless, this seems a magnanimous choice for Square Enix to make. I'd imagine any FFIV fan, diehard or not, would be thrilled to have their own voice gracing the title sequence of the game. And therefore Square is sure to amass quite a few entires to work through after their July 31 deadline.

On another note, and as a followup to one of our previous FFIV DS newsposts, a few more Shonen Jump scans of the FFIV DS teaser pages are available at French gaming site JeuxFrance.

Advent Children has been given an official Japanese release date of September 14, 2005. Tetsuya Nomura, director of the Final Fantasy VII digitally animated movie sequel, announced the date and promised that the movie will experience no further delays. US release is expected to closely follow that of Japan.

According to previous announcements from Sony Computer Entertainment, Advent Children will be available in DVD and the Sony-PSP-friendly "UMD" formats. It will carry a price tag of 4,800 yen ($44-$48) in Japan. No word has yet been given on a US price tag.

This will be Tetsuya Nomura's first feature-length film, though he has long been affiliated with Square Enix and the Final Fantasy series. Nomura has worked on character design and graphics for such games as Final Fantasy X and Chrono Trigger, as well as the original Final Fantasy VII.

Further information may be found at Square Enix's Official Advent Children Site and the unofficial AdventChildren.net.

Square Enix announced Saturday that it would be offering original Final Fantasy soundtracks for download via iTunes.

Soundtracks for all eleven numbered Final Fantasy games, from I to XI, are represented, as well as a few other series-related albums, such as a live recording of the 2002 FF-themed concert put on by the Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. This marks the first time any of these albums have been available in the United States.

A complete listing of Final Fantasy soundtracks now available on iTunes can be found at Square Enix's Official Website.

Square Enix released a new design for its company website at www.square-enix.com on Friday, April 15.

The new site combines all of Square Enix's previous sites (for North America, Europe, and Japan) into a single domain name, and incorporates a sleek new flash design to improve continuity among each language's section of the site.