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PSP Final Fantasy I & II dated, while Fabula Nova Crystallis rumours persist

Square Enix's handheld flirtation blossoms into a full-blown affair

PSP Final Fantasy I & II dated, while Fabula Nova Crystallis rumours persist
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PSP
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What is the deal with the Final Fantasy series? Sure, all of the games are chock full of fantasy, but there doesn't appear to be any end in sight to the steady flow of sequels, spin-offs and remakes that Square release every year. In fact, the RPG giant's love for revisionism is starting to become a company signature, leaving the 'Final' part of the series namesake striking an ironical note.

Final Fantasies III, IV, V and VI have been converted and are being released for DS and GBA, and there are plenty of new games to come; in 2007, Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobos Tales and re-worked versions of Final Fantasy I & II will all appear on European shelves in portable form.

According to Game Radar, the latest from the Square camp is that the new PlayStation Portable versions of Final Fantasy I & II, complete with improved visuals, new camera angles and new dungeons, will be shipping in North America on June 26th and July 24th respectively. No European dates yet though.

The titles, despite being sold separately (unlike the GBA's Final Fantasy I & II Dawn of Souls bumper cart) will no doubt be a hit with Final Fantasy evangelicals. Whether or not the updated games, which are now 20 years old, will truly justify their hefty separate price tags is another matter.

But it is the brand new Final Fantasy titles that are really getting fans hot under the collar. If multiplatform re-released and re-worked versions of a series spanning 12 official games (not counting spin-off titles) is not enough to make you cross-eyed and dumbstruck, then wait till you hear what Square has planned for Final Fantasy XIII.

As reported recently by the good chaps over at DS Fanboy, Final Fantasy XIII looks set to be as complicated a retail experience as it does a gaming one.

The core title will be Final Fantasy XIII – a PlayStation 3 exclusive. However there are at least five related titles planned that are relevant to the FF XIII story arc, which together will form a collection entitled Fabula Nova Crystallis. Confused? You will be.

Fabula Nova CrystallisOnly two of the five spin-offs have been announced so far – Final Fantasy XIII Versus, also for the PS3, and Final Fantasy XIII Agito, which we already got wind of as a mobile Final Fantasy outing at last year's E3. The nature and platform of the remaining three titles in the collection is still unknown; there is a fighting chance that at least one of them will be a DS or PSP title.

The spreading of six titles specifically relevant to one another across such a range of platforms will be a test for even the most hardcore Final Fantasy fans, and seems an odd strategy to take. Who knows, if Square maintains its habit for revisiting past glories on new hardware then we might end up seeing the entire Fabula Nova Crystallis collection in one package by the time the next generation of handhelds comes around.

Click 'Track It!' to (try to!) keep up to date with this RPG saga as it unfolds.