Final Fantasy XII lands at retail

Anticipation for the launch of Square Enix's PlayStation 2 role-playing game Final Fantasy XII has been building all year, from the announcement of an energy drink spin-off in January to a rare perfect review score from Japanese magazine Famitsu in March. The game sold more than 1.7 million copies in Japan in its first four days of release, and its appeal is in no way limited to the island nation. Earlier this month, New York City declared October 11 to be Final Fantasy XII Day, and held a special commemoration for the game in Times Square.

All that hype comes to a head today, as Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XII is now available in North American stores. The domestic edition of the game includes some extras that were left out of the Japanese version, including 16x9 widescreen support and extra voiced CG cutscenes.

Final Fantasy XII is available in both a standard package ($49.99) and a Collector's Edition ($59.99), the latter of which is available exclusively through GameStop and EB Games. For the extra $10, customers receive a bonus DVD with developer interviews, promotional trailers, an art gallery, and more. The game is rated T for Teen. For more information, check out GameSpot's full review.