And in March 2008, a judgment was passed, ruling in Square Enix's favor with a damage award of approximately US$244,000.

The defendants loaded an appeal, and that the Seoul High Court has reached its decision: Fantom and Hong Jeong-ho must pay approximately US$326,000 to Square Enix.

A statement from Square Enix's General Counsel Yasuhiko Hasegawa reads:

We have been consistent in our claims during this lawsuit regarding the value of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and our Final Fantasy series, as well as the damages the company has suffered as a result of the modification and adaptation made without obtaining permission. The initial amount awarded in this case, 300 Million Korean Won, was the largest the courts in South Korea have ever awarded in cases infringing one single work of art, and having this figure increased to 400 Million Korean Won following an appeal by the defendants is further affirmation of the severity of this copyright infringement as well as the recognition and value the Final Fantasy series has attained in South Korea. Square Enix will continue to take decisive action against any infringements upon our intellectual property, recognizing that this property is one of our most crucial resources.

One of the televisions was a US$200 model 14-inch Sony WEGA from the year 2000. It was connected to the PS3 with composite cables.

The other was a US$4,000 50-inch Pioneer plasma panel from 2006. It was connected to the PS3 with composite cables.

Wonder which one looks better...

Of course, the HD television! That's not the point, but rather, just how different the picture quality is.

Square Enix previously stated it was trying to make FFXIII playable on analog televisions. While the demo is not the final retail version, it's concerning how difficult it is to read text on an analog TV — that is, concerning to those who own these kind of televisions!

Another interesting comparison: Blu-ray Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on a 50-inch HD TV, Blu-ray FFVII: ACC on a 14-inch analog TV, and DVD Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on a 14-inch analog TV. There doesn't seem to be much difference between Blu-ray and DVD on analog televisions.

Think of this as a not so subtle way to encourage you to buy an HD TV if you haven't already. Come on! Take the plunge. It's only US$4,000, and what's four grand when the global economy is in the toilet? Lots.

FF13体験版&FF7ACCの映像をアナログTVとハイビジョンTVで比較してみた [Intermezzo]

It'll be out on June 7, and will, like the Japanese version, come with a ton of bonus features, including:

* "Legacy of FINAL FANTASY VII" Featurette
* "Reminiscence of FINAL FANTASY VII" Original Story Digest
* On the Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel Animated Film
* "Reminiscence of FINAL FANTASY VII Compilation" Story Digest
* Exclusive Sneak Peek at FINAL FANTASY XIII
* Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Trailers

Since the Japanese version will include a Final Fantasy XIII demo, wonder what the "exclusive sneak peek" in the US edition is? A trailer? A...demo, perhaps? June's only a few months away, guess we'll find out soon.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Announced for June [Blu-Ray, thanks Justin!]

But after that, you may be able to get your hands on it another way — cash!

Those who don't plan on befouling their Blu-ray library with the high-def cash-in of Advent Children may be able to buy the FFXIII demo as a standalone product, just like Sony has done with the Gran Turismo series.

That's according to a FFXIII.net report, citing a forum member's translation of a Dengeki interview with Squenix's Tetsuya Nomura. Of course, the whole thing could be lost in translation, but we wouldn't put it past the publisher.

It's not like they're setting a precedent here. I mean, I own a copy of Zone of the Enders for a reason and it's not because I really wanted to play Zone of the Enders. Clearly, many people don't have an issue paying for mini-portions of games still years away, or else Gran Turismo 4: Prologue would've been an one-off affair and we wouldn't be choking on penis monsters thanks to the Spore Creature Creator.

Still, if Square-Enix does plan to charge for the demo, we hope they'll at least be reasonable about the cost. No need to add insult (overpricing) to injury (the long wait).

Final Fantasy XIII Demo May be Sold Separately [Final-FantasyXIII.net]

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete will ship in Japan at some point in March 2009.

Advent Children Complete Gets FF XIII Trail [Famitsu]

Thanks, Tarthus!

I watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children shortly after it hit DVD and I have to say, while there were parts of it I enjoyed, overall I felt the experience was disjointed.

Apparently I'm in the minority, Square Enix just announced that the CG film was awarded Best Anime Feature during the American Anime awards held at the New York Comic Con last week.

"Thanks to the dedication of our loyal fans, FINAL FANTASY VII has come to enjoy 10 years of undying popularity," said Shinji Hashimoto, Producer, "FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN, a direct sequel in the COMPILATION of FINAL FANTASY VII series, brings the series into the next century with today's state-of-the-art CG, and we're sure fans enjoyed seeing old friends brought to new life on the screen. As creators, we are very proud of the finished product, and as developers, it is truly an honor to receive an award of this magnitude.

We hope for your continued support as the COMPILATION of FINAL FANTASY VII delves deeper into this exciting world. Thank you."

If you're a Final Fantasy fan (I'm not) who hasn't seen this yet you can pick it up for the PSP or on DVD from Sony Pictures. Brian Crecente

No, that's not a hair gel ad. Final Fantasy diehards will happy to know that main character Cloud Strife gets repainted. The figurine that was previously released wasn't exactly up to snuff. The character's motorcycle also is redone. That's nice of Square, considering that it's taken donkey's yonks for Advent Children to find its way Stateside.

More Images Here [Moe yo!]

Sony released the details on the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children animated movie.

The 100-minute film will be released on both the DVD and PSP on April 25. The Special Edition two-DVD set will sell for $26.96 and the UMD, it appears, will cost two dollars more. That doesn't seem to make sense, since there is no mention of whether the UMD will come on two discs or one. Why don't they sell a DVD/UMD pack?

Anyway, the DVD bonus features include a story digest, deleted scenes, a making of featurette, footage from the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children's Venice Film Festival showing and a sneak peek of the upcoming FFF VII games.

Sony Pictures will publish the English DVD and UMD version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in Europe on April 24, 2006, for 30 euros. No word on the not-in-yer-life American release. A cool, game-related finally hit Europe before the US? Square-Enix either hates Yanks or hell has officially frozen over.

HURRAH! Sez our Alice.

Blurb Here [The Magicbox] Thanks, Jennifer!

Mike Stradford, VP of DVD Programming and Content at Columbia Tri-Star, recently said that the company was working hard to get Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children out in the US by the end of the year. The reason for the hold-up? It's taking the director extra time to get all the supplemental elements finished. That better be some killer bonus material, because Advent Children has been out in Japan since last year.

Full Story Here [TheDigitalBits] Thanks, Jennifer!

The Final Fantasy VII superfans over at FF7:AC Movie are pretty stoked because a rip of the long-delayed, longer-awaited Final Fantasy: Advent Children flick leaked to the Internet a day and a half before its Sept. 12 Japanese release.

We're not about to link you a Torrent, but be resourceful, you'll find it. If you're a moralist or technologically challenged, you can check out the US version when it ships sometime in November.