New York Final Fantasy fans readying that Tifa Lockhart cosplay outfit for Halloween may want to stitch a bit faster. Though the anticipated role-playing game Final Fantasy XII is set for release on October 31 in North America, Square Enix is giving fans a peek at the game a few weeks early.

The PlayStation 2 game will be playable at DigitalLife, a consumer electronics show that takes place in New York City between October 12 and October 15. Unlike the build available at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, the version of Final Fantasy XII appearing at DigitalLife will be the final, retail version.

To celebrate the launch of the game, which received a perfect score from Famitsu when it was released in Japan, New York City has declared October 11 Final Fantasy XII Day and will hold a special commemoration in Times Square. Part of the festivities will include a Final Fantasy costume contest, with winners joining Square Enix in New York on FFXII Day. Square Enix promises more information on the contest on its Web site.

Final Fantasy XII is rated T for Teen and will retail for $49.99. ...

In a presentation at the Merril Lynch Media and Entertainment Conference this morning, Electronic Arts chief financial officer Warren Jenson talked to investors about the changing face of the game industry and how EA intends to position itself to succeed in the future.

Jenson laid out five changes in the industry that EA is looking to adapt to: increased online connectivity, more mobile gaming (including cell-phone gaming, handhelds, and now iPods), growth in user-generated content, the increasingly global development marketplace, and the transition to next-gen consoles.

In a postpresentation Q&A session, Jenson was asked to give an update on how the publisher's PlayStation 3 launch titles were shaping up relative to its Xbox 360 launch efforts from last year.

"We feel real good about where we are," Jenson said. "Relative to where we were with the Xbox [360], we're further along, but we're developing for a more complicated machine." Jenson's comments were likely in reference to the PlayStation 3's powerful central Cell processor, codeveloped by IBM and Toshiba, and its RSX graphics chip, designed by Nvidia.

Jenson isn't the only one feeling good about where EA is in regards to the PS3 launch. In a report on the industry's holiday outlook today, UBS Investments Research analyst Michael Wallace said the publisher was better suited to take advantage of the PS3 launch than its competitors.

"Of all the third parties, EA will have the most exposure to the PS3 launch in terms of its number of titles available," Wallace said, "but we feel it would be hurt less from a PS3 shortfall than other companies (i.e., Activision) would be, given that EA will have a more balanced lineup targeting both current-generation and next-generation platforms over the next two quarters." ...

Via Joystiq, an article on Gaming Horizon defending the PS3 from its detractors. The article looks at a number of the biggest concerns about the system (price, HD, rumble, blu-ray), and attempts to explain why most of these problems are nothing to worry about. From the article:
"As Sony is a company that manufactures HD-TVs, it's in their interest to add that compatibility to give consumers another reason to upgrade. There's various numbers about how long it'll take for HD to 'replace' standard-feed televisions (just as broadband has all but eliminated dial-up), but it's conceivable that HD televisions will become affordable during the PS3's lifecycle, and for those of us that have been blessed by the high-def gods, it's another reason to take advantage of the highest-quality visual equipment available." ...

Gamasutra reports that the first 360 to hit a million copies sold is, unsurprisingly, Call of Duty 2. From the article:
"The World War II themed first person shoot 'em-up was already the best selling title available at launch in the U.S. and is now officially the best selling title of all time on the format, as well as being the most popular Xbox 360 game on Xbox Live. Although console launches have traditionally been dominated by first party releases this convention has proven less true in recent years with LucasArts' Star Wars: Rogue Leader - Rogue Squadron II (also published by Activision in Europe) proving to be the best selling title at the launch of the GameCube. Sony meanwhile, has rarely relied heavily on first party titles for any of its console launches." ...

Vivendi Games has announced the acquisition of mobile games developer Centerscore in a deal which covers the studio's back catalogue as well as titles currently in development.

Centerscore, whose previous titles include Spin Blocks 360, Alone: The Horror Begins and Amy's Hangman, will continue to be based in San Mateo, California. CEO Oliver Miao will remain in his role, reporting to Vivendi Games Mobile president Paul Maglione.

Vivendi Games' chief strategy and marketing officer, Cindy Cook, described the acquisition as "another step in our plan to be among the top mobile publishers in the industry".

Maglione added: "Centerscore's imaginative games have consistently been top sellers, and the diverse lineup of titles, particularly their excellent range of casual games, is a welcome addition to our existing portfolio."

"What we found most exceptional about Centerscore is the company's ability to successfully build a team of designers, artists, developers and testers from the ground up, and to execute the creation and distribution of great games from under one roof."

The news follows the publication of Vivendi Games' latest financial report, which revealed a profit increase of more than 12 per cent during the second quarter of 2006. Financial terms of the deal will not disclosed. ...

Via GiBiz

Capcom's bloody adventure title Dead Rising has bludgeoned its way to the top of the Chart Track all-formats charts this week, becoming the fastest-selling Xbox 360 title to date.

Sales of THQ's gangster shooter Saints Row have dropped by 43 per cent, although the game sits in the number two position ahead of two other new entries - TT Games' Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy at number three and Atari's 360 exclusive Test Drive Unlimited, debuting at number four.

THQ's Cars is still continuing to perform well at number five, while the rest of the top ten has been bumped down due to new releases. The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff sits at six, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories represents for Rockstar at number seven and New Super Mario Bros. for the DS is at number eight.

The Sims 2 and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training both slip three places to the number nine and ten positions respectively.

The week's highest climber is Sony's PSP Getaway spin-off Gangs of London, up from number 23 to number 11, while the only other new entry in the top 40 is Ubisoft's Xbox 360 title Enchanted Arms.

Releases due this Friday include Sega's brawler Yakuza and a range of PC titles including shooter Joint Task Force from Vivendi, race sim GTR 2 from Atari and THQ's adventure Broken Sword: The Angel of Death ...

EA, PopCap, Namco to provide content

Apple has finally announced a range of games for its iPod media player.

Downloadable directly through the iTunes store, titles will cost US$ 4.99 (4 euros) and be playable on fifth generation iPods.

The full list of titles includes familiar names, with Pac-Man, Tetris, Mahjong, Bejeweled, Zuma, Cubis 2, Texas Hold 'em, Mini Golf and Vortex all now available.

With Namco, Electronic Arts, PopCap, FreshGames and Apple itself supplying content, the move has been instantly seen as a confident stride into the casual games market, a view fuelled by the fact that iPod is already ubiquitous with mobile entertainment.

Although some third-party coders have ported popular games in the past, the move from Apple confirms a commitment to the games market, as rumoured back in May of this year. ...

News from Lik Sang

Who would have suspected of all places, Square Enix would produce a Mario Basketball game this year. Originally developed without the midis touch of being a Mario title, they decided the style would be perfectly suited for it, and Nintendo agreed. The first of its kind on the DS, you've never played Basketball like this before. Almost all controls use the touch screen, for example you tap the stylus to move your character while he dribbles, then swipe a line in various directions when you want to pass or shoot. When you're without the ball jumping and stealing is pulled off using the touch screen, and pressing L lets you switch between your three team members. From both Mario and Final Fantasy universes there's 21 characters such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Black Mage, Moogle, Cactura, Birdo, Fly Guy and so many more, each with crazy slam dunks and special moves. The 9 courts also range from Mario’s Arena to Wario's Factory, Bowser's Castle, Luigi's Mansion and others, not to forget the Final Fantasy Field.

Items like Red Shells, Bob-ombs, well placed Banana Peels and more can turn the tide as you shoot and chase down coins. Coins affect the score, so grabbing them on your way to the hoop is an important step to winning. In addition to the Tournament and Exhibition matches, you can play Challenge Games to help you practice, perform special shots, or take part in a dribble race time attack. Two player local wireless games are also supported, and if you two only have one copy of the game you can still play Dibble Race and Coin Hunter by wirelessly sending the other console those mini games. The US edition landed this week in addition to the Japanese release, and since there's no region locking on the DS, either will run no matter where you bought your handheld from. ...

News from Lik Sang

Nearly two years ago Ridge Racers was there on the starting line of the PSP launch, and sales shot off like a Rally X car on nitros! This week the sequel slides onto the scene, and under the bonnet it's packing more tracks than any Ridge Racer game ever before on any console. 18 of the 42 courses are taken from the past, ranging from the very first title 13 years ago to Ridge Racer Type 4. None of these were in the original PSP release either. There's also six classes of cars again, plus secret vehicles such as the Pac-Man car and the Digdug Hijack from Ridge Racer 6 on the Xbox 360, plus two special classes to race towards.

Past Single Race, World Tours, Time Attack and intense 8 player wireless battles, here there's now Arcade, Duel and Survival modes, the latter dropping last place off as you go around the track, and Duel being a one on one race where it's either first place or nothing. In true classic Namco fashion you could enjoy Rally X while the original was loading, or later unlock the sequel New Rally X, but now the follow-up is there from the get go. A sure fire hit and a nitro boost for your adrenaline, Ridge Racers 2 arrives this week, and with the region free capabilities of the PSP, there's no reason why you can't hop in right now and take your new wheels for a spin. ...