Big news on FFXII coming from Square Enix

TOKYO--Gamers may have to pay admission to get into Square Enix's summer gaming event, but they'll be get more than just previews of upcoming games from the publisher. Square Enix announced today that it will be holding five special stage presentations at its upcoming Square Enix Party 2005, which will take place on July 30 and 31 at the Nippon Convention Center (Makuhari Messe) in Chiba, Japan.

As expected, the most anticipated stage presentations at the event will be the two planned for Square Enix’s upcoming role-playing game, Final Fantasy XII. On day one, series' music composer Nobuo Uematsu will discuss the game while showing off some new footage. The company will also be making a major announcement about FFXII. Square Enix hasn't dropped any hints about the nature of the news, leaving many to speculate that the game's release date may finally be revealed. On day two, FFXII's music supervisor, Hitoshi Sakimoto, will be appearing onstage with even more new information on the game. In addition, FFXII's main voice actors will be appearing as special guests onstage.

Other events slated on day one include a live music performance by Square Enix's sound development team and a stage presentation for Grandia III, featuring "special guests" that were involved in the game's production. Square Enix hints that some kind of gift will be given out to the audience during the Grandia III event. On day two, the company will show the latest trailers for Code Age Commanders and Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o Tsugu Shoujo. The Fullmetal Alchemist presentation will feature voice actors from the series onstage, as well as a trailer of the upcoming game-based, animated motion picture.

The entrance fee to the Square Enix Party 2005 will cost 1,000 yen ($9.18). Tickets for the event will be available through Ticket Pia, which is the Japanese equivalent of Ticketmaster.