May 8^th, 2006 (4:33pm) - Square Enix just got through with their pre-E3 Press Conference. Some shocking things were definitely revealed among several details which were nailed down and will be sure to please fans.

The conference began with a video montage of many upcoming Square Enix games. Dawn of Mana, Final Fantasy V andFinal Fantasy VI for GBA, and Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime were shown in this montage. After this, Square Enix President Yoichi Wada took the stage and talked about the potential in the new consoles, and mentioned they’d be revealing some big secrets.

Square-Enix COO Daishiro Okada took the stage next to talk about the upcoming line-up. He mentioned that Final Fantasy XII would release in the US this October. He also mentioned they’d be doing some mobile games. Among the mentioned titles were Space Invaders, Elevator Action, and Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus – The Lost Episodes.

Next came a lengthy Final Fantasy XII video. The trailer showcased the appropriate and professional-sounding voice acting. This was followed by more trailers for games already announced, including Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, and the next FFXI expansion pack. Also a video was shown for the Dirge of Cerberus – The Lost Episodes, which is in full 3D.

Next up came a video for Final Fantasy III on the Nintendo DS; a game they’re billing as "the only Final Fantasy never to reach Western shores." Square Enix urged in the video for fans to "complete the fantasy." Next came trailers for Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI on the GBA.

After the Final Fantasy videos came videos from the Mana series. Children of Mana for the DS got the trailer treatment first, but it was followed by the PS2’s upcoming Dawn of Mana, which will be set ten years before Children. The video was mostly CG. After the Mana videos ended Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for the DS was shown.

Next, Shinji Hashimoto took the stage to talk about how successful the Final Fantasy VII spin-off’s have been, and said that Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus will be released in the US on August 22nd with new features. Next, some CG footage was shown for Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core on the PSP. The game stars Soldier member Zack and features tons of Sephiroth.

After this it was revealed that Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors will be coming to the Nintendo Wii as a launch title. Sadly, no footage was shown.

Also revealed were the next two games in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series, one for the DS, and one for the Wii. The DS version will be taglined Ring of Fates and carries a similar, yet more whimsical style than the Gamecube original. Wi-Fi multiplayer for four people was confirmed. The Wii version was showed, but it is unknown whether it was CG or real-time footage, and carries the subtitle The Crystal Bearers.

Final Fantasy XIII is coming to the PS3. The game is being directed by Motomu Toriyama. The game is set in a futuristic world, and the video showcased a sword and gun-toting female who resembled Yuna. A mobile Final Fantasy XIII is coming out, with the name Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

Next up to be revealed was the PS3’s action-based Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The game will be developed by the Kingdom Hearts team, features "extreme action elements," and has a main theme of "bonding."

The conference came to a close with another video showcasing all of the Final Fantasy XIII games, showing that Square Enix feels their strategy with Final Fantasy VII is paying off. After that, President Wada re-took the stage to reaffirm the companies commitment to the next generation.