Final Fantasy XIII due March 9

Japanese gamers have known since early September that they'd be able to wade into Square Enix's highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII on December 17. However, Square Enix has continued to string along North American and European gamers, saying only that the game would debut on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the West, hopefully, within three months of the game's Japanese debut, sometime in spring 2010.

Today, Square Enix ended the mystery, announcing that Final Fantasy XIII will be available in North America and Europe on March 9. The publisher also said today that "My Hands" from Leona Lewis' upcoming album Echo has been chosen as the game's theme song.

Final Fantasy XIII was announced for the PlayStation 3 alone alongside Final Fantasy Versus XIII as part of the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, Square Enix caused a stir at E3 2008 when it announced during Microsoft's press conference that the Japanese role-playing game would arrive in tandem on the Xbox 360. All said, Square Enix expects Final Fantasy XIII to shift some 6 million units worldwide across the two platforms.

Set in the futuristic city of Cocoon, Final Fantasy XIII follows the plight of female protagonist Lightning, as well as myriad supporting characters. Though Square Enix has released limited information about the game's plot, it will apparently see Lightning and her cohorts fighting against their "destiny" to destroy a separate locale known as "Pulse," and the denizens of that place.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Final Fantasy XIII, as well as the brand-new trailer, below.