Square Enix has announced that its upcoming follow-up to the PSP fighter Dissidia Final Fantasy is coming to the North American and PAL markets. Set for a Spring 2011 release in Japan, Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy will be out later in 2011 in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.

The game takes place in something called the 12th Battle between Chaos and Cosmos, hence the title Dissidia 012, which is read using the Latin number duodecim, meaning 12.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy will feature all of the original characters and arenas from the first Dissidia title, with the addition of several new characters, locations and battle elements. Among the new characters are Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, Tifa from Final Fantasy VIII and Kain from Final Fantasy IV.

Watch for Dissidia 012 [duodecim] next year.

Final Fantasy XIV has been given a release date, at least for its PC version. The Square Enix MMORPG will be out worldwide on September 22, 2010 for the Windows PC platform.

Meanwhile, the PS3 version needs more work, and Square Enix has delayed its release until March 2011.

Final Fantasy XIV will have a monthly fee of $12.99 U.S., with additional fees for adding extra characters.

Final Fantasy XIV is now available for pre-order from Amazon at, offering a standard edition for $50 U.S. and a collector’s edition for $75. Amazon.ca also has the same offerings at the same prices in Canadian dollars.

A few new details about the PS3-exclusive Final Fantasy Versus XIII have emerged.

Perhaps most interesting is that Final Fantasy Versus XIII will have an open-world environment. After the linear gameplay of Final Fantasy XIII, this is very welcome. Players will be able to go anywhere in the game’s world, except for certain mountain areas which are reserved for later.

One of the cities in Versus XIII is modelled after the real-life Shinjuku, a dense commercial ward in Tokyo.

The game will feature objects found in the field that are subject to your destructive forces. Final Fantasy Versus XIII also put attention into modelling the sky. A physics engine is being applied to the clouds in order to render a realistic skyscape.

The game promises seamless battles. Certain large areas will require some loading, but for the most part the game aims to be seamless in all transitions. The game’s designers also claim that these will be the highest-quality battle scenes yet.

A few screenshots have been scanned in as well. These are all captured in real-time from the PS3 console, not pre-rendered.

As a bonus, we’ve also learned that in the PSP title Final Fantasy Agito XIII, chocobos and airships will appear offering travel around a world map in the way we’re used to with Final Fantasy games.

Final Fantasy XIV, the next MMO from Square Enix, has a new trailer video. A number of recognizable elements appear in this video, including some new versions of previous mobs we saw in Final Fantasy XI, including Gobbues and Treants.

Final Fantasy XIV is due later this year for PS3 and Windows PC platforms. A beta for the game will also go live shortly.

A new video of Final Fantasy XIV released by Square Enix, staged as a top-secret break-in to get a look at the FF14 Beta. The video shows off the character creation process, and the wider range of customizations available to players. Have a look:

Final Fantasy XIV Online is due to hit the MMO scene on the PS3 and Windows platforms later this year.

Final Fantasy IX (FF9) is coming to the Sony PlayStation Network in North America. The game will be up on June 15 — that’s next Tuesday.

Final Fantasy IX was originally released in 2000 for the original Sony PlayStation. With the PlayStation Network, the game will now be playable on the PS3 and PSP systems.