Following up on last weekend's announcement of Final Fantasy XI's Shantotto joining the Dissidia roster, we now get a scan from Shonen Jump showing her in full regalia for the upcoming PSP brawler. My, my, I see she's looking cute as ever - and all-powerful too. How's that for a 2-foot black mage with a laugh to be reckoned with? There's also a scan from Famitsu outlining Firion and Emperor's EX mode, plus the official box art for the game revealed.

Hard to believe that three years on, news and information about Final Fantasy XIII is still ridiculously hard to come by. Square Enix seems to be content with drip feeding its legions of fans, teasing and tantalising. It's all fun and games till someone gets hurt, right?

Fret not Fantasti-fans, Japanese gaming mag Famitsu's got some info for ya. Details on the highly anticipated FFXIII demo disc, as well as story and gameplay information lie just a click away. Go! Go! Bionic!

Square Enix's Dissidia: Final Fantasy is catching the attention of a lot of gamers. Being a tribute to 20 years of FF games, this cross-over title for the PSP looks like it's got a lot to offer. Join us as we delve deep into the confirmed (and not-so-confirmed) details of the game: story, characters, and whatnot. Heck, we might as well take a walk down the memory lane of yester-decade's Final Fantasy games while we're at it! Keep your eyes peeled, you just might find Valkyrie Profile's Lenneth doing a cameo!

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu's special 1001th issue not only dons a cover drawn by a game creator for the first time ever, but one who rolled up his sleeves to take the privilege also shared a few words regarding his latest project. Square Enix' Tetsuya Nomura, talked about Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning being masculine and some bits of FF Versus XIII's mysterious protagonist.

European gamers who've been eagerly awaiting the release of Square Enix's classic RPG remake on the PlayStation Portable should take the time to visit the official website of Final Fantasy I & II: 20th Anniversary Edition for the PAL region release of the game. The site features original artwork from the lead designer of the franchise, as well as all the nitty gritty details of what makes this remake a worthy title of the Final Fantasy name. Read more about it in the full article!

Developer Square Enix is sending out word to the gamers in Europe that they will be releasing Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II to the Sony PlayStation Portable by next year.

More than just a direct port of the original JRPG from 1987, Final Fantasy's PSP version will have players reliving the adventures of the game's four light warriors with enhanced visuals and sound. There will also be a new PSP-exclusive dungeon called the Labyrinth of Time.

Final Fantasy II will also follow suit with redone graphics and sounds as well as the introduction of two extra dungeons: Arcane Labyrinth and Arcane Sanctuary. Both Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II will also carry a new Art Gallery mode, where players can view the artwork of the Final Fantasy franchise's lead illustrator, Yoshitaka Amano.

Wired Life managed to snag a short interview with games producer Hironobu Sakaguchi during the Lost Odyssey E3 2007 presentation. The Final Fantasy creator talked about some particulars about his Mistwalker Studio's latest opus, Lost Odyssey, as well as the direction his well-renowned Final Fantasy series is taking in its quest to conquer next-gen consoles. Wired asked Sakaguchi about what made Lost Odyssey different from Blue Dragon, another one of his projects. He answered,

The world is different -- in Blue Dragon the characters are designed by [Akira] Toriyama, so the style is adjusted to his work. In this one, it's designed by [Takehiko] Inoue, so the taste is more realistic and the story itself is deeper and heavier. And the theme is more humanistic.

Sakaguchi also delves into the reason why he chose to adapt a turn-based game engine on a next-gen console game, where he can put to use the more spontaneous and modern real-time based battle system.

There are pros and cons for both sides, whether it's turn-based or action-oriented video games. For this theme and this design, turn-based is better than action-oriented, so I chose that. I'm trying to evolve turn-based games to the next generation.

Judging by the whole slew of trailers out for Lost Odyssey, Sakaguchi was right in making the action for Lost Odyssey turn-based. With its old school game system mixed with such deliciously rich HD graphics, Mistwalker's newest title is sure to draw a following from both veteran and newer players alike.

One of the more interesting highlights in the interview, however, is Sakaguchi's off-hand mention of the possibility that Yoshitaka Amano, the first Final Fantasy character designer (and still designing all Final Fantasy logos) will work alongside Sakaguchi and his game designing company, Mistwalker.

You may recall seeing a medieval-style art in the earlier Final Fantasy titles, such as Final Fantasy VI. Those are drawn by Yoshitaka Amano, who also created the ethereal Vampire Hunter D.

It will be quite interesting to see an FF installment featuring Amano's uniquely medieval designs in the future, and it's a good thing that it may become more than a possibility. Stay tuned here at QJ as we get more updates!

Read the full interview in the Read link!

Christian Lorenz Scheurer, the artist who designed the conceptual artwork for Lost Odyssey, draws characters like he was a mix of Yoshitaka Amano (early Final Fantasy games) and Peter Chung ("Aeon Flux"). The characters are beautiful, and you know which one is male, and which one is female, but you can't help but think, "What if...?"

Such questions aren't so important once you get into the world of Mistwalker's Lost Odyssey though. When you're cursed to live 1000 years without the ability to die, sex changes don't seem as impossible when you have the time.

Kaim and Seth are both cursed with the 1000-year life span, yet they each have different ways of viewing the world and their lives. Both have had to deal with the pain of living for so long, and the memories of horrible and tragic things, yet they are motivated to find meaning in life. While Kaim lives in the wars of the past, accepting his role as a warrior and the horrors that come with it, Seth wants to look for the meaning behind her immortality, and look ahead towards what can be done with that power.

You can't help but wonder when they'll meet in their lifetimes, or how often. I personally wonder if this is going to end up as a n epic love story set across the boundless seas of time. But then again, that's the romantic in me. Keep checking QJ for more on these two undying characters as they make their own way in the world, and on when we'll be able to live their lives with them.