This is an image I would have sworn was fake prior to July of 2008, when Microsoft and Square Enix outed Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. It was one of the most exciting E3 announcements I've been present for, and I distinctly remember my fingers shaking as I typed up the news.

Now it's only four months away, and here we have a glimpse of what Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360 will look like, at least for Europe. It's still a bit unsettling, but exciting nonetheless.

For those of you who can't handle the strangeness, I've also included the PlayStation 3 packshot. Rest assured, one of these boxes will be much lighter than the other.

Sahz is an unusual design from FF artist Tetsuya Nomura, foregoing the normal pretty boy looks for a much more masculine looking black character, the first to appear as a playable character in the main series since Final Fantasy VII's Barret Wallace. According to the text, Sahz has a deep love for chocobos, likes the color green, and dual-wields pistols.

Hopefully Sazh won't end up being nearly the stereotype that Barret was, despite his 1970's throwback hairdo. As PSP Fanboy points out, that expression on his face certainly seems to point towards a guy who is a bit more lover and a bit less fighter. Check out the full scan below.

New playable FFXIII character revealed in latest V-Jump [PS3 Fanboy]

Final Fantasy XII is set to hit Europe on the 23rd of February, and Square-Enix wants fans in the United Kingdom to dress up as their favorite FFXII girls and not-quite-girls. The company today announces the Official Final Fantasy XII Cosplay competition. Contestants have until February 11th to create a costume based on a character from the upcoming game and email three photographs of themselves wearing their creation in for judging. I predict some extremely under-endowed Viera photos circulating the interwebs in a couple of weeks.

Winners of the contest will be flown to London for two nights to participate in the official launch event in costume, as well as a Final Fantasy goodie bag, presumably containing Final Fantasy goodies. The contest is only open to residents of the UK and costumes are limited to FFXII characters only. I know you really worked hard on those Sephiroth and Cloud costumes, but it's time to move on. Michael Fahey

Final Fantasy XII Costume Contest Form (PDF)

Final Fantasy XII Cosplay Contest

London (24th January 2007) - Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces an exclusive Cosplay competition to celebrate the launch of its forthcoming FINAL FANTASY XII.

If you think you have what it takes to be an official Square Enix Cosplayer, you are invited to enter the official FINAL FANTASY XII Cosplay competition. Three Grand Prize Winners will win a two night trip to London to showcase their FINAL FANTASY XII costumes on stage at the official launch event in central London, and will also receive a FINAL FANTASY goodie bag.

Be sure to start cutting and sewing immediately as entry to the competition closes on 11th February 2007, 11:59 p.m. If you think you have what it takes to be an official Square Enix Cosplayer, send an email with three photos of you in your FINAL FANTASY XII costume to the dedicated email address - found at www.square-enix.com/eu/en/whatsnew. Before entering please read the Official Contest Rules for entry details and eligibility requirements.

Any other Final Fantasy Cosplayers wanting to showcase their costumes from previous Final Fantasy adventures are welcome to join the celebrations at the launch event, but are not eligible to enter the above competition. A number of goodies and giveaways will be available at the launch - full event details will follow shortly.

FINAL FANTASY XII will be available from 23rd February 2007, exclusively on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd.

With headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Square Enix brings two of Japan's best-selling franchises - FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 70 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST which has sold over 41 million units worldwide - under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

About Square Enix Ltd.

Located in London, Square Enix Ltd. handles operations in Europe and other PAL territories including sales, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com

DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX, and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in United Kingdom and/or other countries.
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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If you can't get enough of Final Fantasy XII and Tactics' Ivalice setting, you're in luck. Jump Magazine scans reveal that the upcoming FFXII: Revenant Wings is just one of three games sharing the setting coming to handhelds. Dubbed the Ivalice Alliance, Revenant Wings will be joined by Final Fantasy Tactics - The Lion War on PSP, and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - The Sealed Grimoire.

The PSP title is apparently a port of the original Final Fantasy Tactics with new jobs, like the ever nummy Onion Knight, and brand new cut scenes to help the story along. They aren't saying much about A2 yet, though assuming A2 means Advance 2, it could very well be a GBA title? I can't read Japanese, and our resident squiggle translator isn't in at the moment.

Not sure how I feel about the redo of the original FFT. I would have preferred a whole new adventure on the PSP rather that new bells and whistles for a game I've played through 4 times already. Still, should be a great way for those who missed out the first time round.

Full scans after the jump!

Click the images for a larger version.

Michael Fahey

More portable Ivalice fun coming from Square Enix? [NeoGAF forums - Thanks Musoka!]

To celebrate the Halloween launch of FFXII in America, New York City (yes, New York fuckin' City) has declared October 11th as "Final Fantasy XII Gamer's Day." Playable English versions will be on display at New York's DigitalLife's Gaming Pavilion. Taking a page from the Japanese PR handbook, there will also be hosting a costume contest. Cosplaying at a FF event? Didn't see that one coming. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [College Gamer]

Have you seen this Final Fantasy XII Playstation 2 bundle. It comes with a copy of the game, a controller, a special stand and a cell phone strap. Most importantly, the pack comes with a charcoal black PS2 with a Judge Master symbol painted on the side.

Don't worry about buying this, it only hits Japan.

Playstation 2 FFXII Pack [Yamakio]