Final Fantasy XII Coming To North America On October 31

As war looms on the horizon, the mighty Archadian Empire begins a campaign to subjugate its neighbors. The small kingdom of Dalmasca shares their fate, and it is here that the Final Fantasy XII tale shall begin, at long last. When exactly? Well, according to Square's latest press release, 31 October 2006 is the day the North American continent will welcome the release of Final Fantasy XII - the latest iteration of the insanely popular RPG series.

The game was already released in Japan back in March, and since then it managed to sell over 2.4 million units. In North America, FF XII should be available at a retail price of $49.00 for the regular edition, and $59.99 for the Collector's Edition. However, die-hard fans of the series should keep in mind that the Final Fantasy XII Collector's Edition will be quite limited, and will only be available at GameStop and EB Games stores and e-commerce websites. Housed within special packaging, the bonus DVD offers Japanese and American promotional trailers, in-depth developer interviews, an art gallery and featurettes focusing on highlights of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Some of the game's main features include:

- Completely new voiced cut-scenes added for the North American release

- Gorgeous CG cinematics and cut-scenes in Dolby Pro Logic II combined with real-time graphics rivaling those of next-gen titles

- Shocking plot twists take players on an unforgettable journey

- Active Dimension Battle (ADB) system, enables players to move seamlessly between exploration and combat

- Highly customizable Gambit system allows complete control over character AI during battles

- License board gives the player the ability to customize each character's skills and abilities

You can find plenty of FF XII screenshots in our local gallery, and a couple of trailers (streaming) on the japanese FF XII website.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)