Final Fantasy XII hitting Japan in March

CHIBA CITY, Japan--Gamers waiting for an import of Square Enix's most anticipated RPG game will have to wait a bit longer. The company announced today at its Square Enix Party that Final Fantasy XII will be hitting stores in Japan on March 16, 2006.

Square Enix also announced FFXII's official theme song at its event, which will be titled "Kiss Me Good-bye." The music will be sung by vocalist Angela Aki (visit her official Web site), an artist who's half Japanese and half Italian-American.

"We finished mixing the theme song about one or two weeks ago. It's one of my favorites so far. I've been playing it over and over while driving in my car," commented former Square Enix composer Nobuo Uematsu, who has returned once again to create FFXII's theme song.

"When I heard her voice, I knew she was the one," Uematsu added, who also noted that he was impressed by Aki's piano playing. Aki is currently an indies musician in Japan, but she will be making her major debut under Sony Music Entertainment with a single entitled "Home" on September 14.

The audiences at the show were treated to Aki's first public performance of FFXII's theme song, in which she played piano while singing the lyrics in English. While Aki can also speak fluent Japanese (as she demonstrated during the event), Uematsu commented that they decided to make the song in English because it matched the atmosphere of the game, and since it'll also be useful in releasing FFXII in the overseas market. The full version of the theme song that will be used in the game will feature more of an orchestra, said Uematsu. However, he declined to elaborate on when the music will be played during the game. Stay tuned to GameSpot for additional coverage of Final Fantasy XII and the Square Enix Party.