After the disappointment of Final Fantasy XIII and XIV, fans of the series have a new reason to look forward to future installments of the series. GameMaster UK reported earlier this week that a source has given them new information about Final Fantasy XV. Although the magazine was wrong initially about Final Fantasy XV’s unveiling, they insist that this time their information is the real deal.

Most notably, the source claims that this installment has been in production for over four years, including the concept planning and pre-production stages, and that it entered full production in January 2010. This was a month after the Japanese release of Final Fantasy XIII. Since then, a team of two hundred people has been hard at work developing the game. The game’s director, Hiroyuki Ito, also directed Final Fantasy VI, IX, and XII, some of the most acclaimed titles in the series.

The title is slated to be released on all major current platforms, although it is unclear if this includes the Wii. Previous current generation Final Fantasy games, like XIII and XIV, have been only been released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

The game itself will be very different from XIII, moving away from familiar linear format and instead opting for an open world, reminiscent of the sprawling game environments in XII. The battle system will also be an evolution of XII’s. Now, though, players can target different body parts of the enemy, much like the Squaresoft classic Vagrant Story.

Fans of Western-style role playing games (WRPGs) will also enjoy it. Yoichi Wada, the president of Square Enix, has a vision of the game including more content than Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Those still not excited will be pleased to know he also thinks the game could be more a bigger critical and commercial success than Final Fantasy VII.

As for cities (for the most part absent in XIII), they made the cut, and purportedly rival Assassin Creed’s enormous cities. It is not clear, however, if they will be continuous, sprawling environments or like XII’s: lots of small, divided sections that together make huge game areas.

Overall, the rumored XV sounds a lot like XII, what with its massive areas, only less linear. There would also definitely be plenty of guilds providing side quests, much like Elder Scrolls Travels games.

Is this all just wishful thinking, or could the next Final Fantasy really turn out like this?

If this source has his or her information in order, this game could be just what Square Enix needs. Many complained of XIII’s linearity, and, including spin-offs and side games, Final Fantasy XIV is the lowest rated Final Fantasy game on the game review aggregate site Gamerankings. Final Fantasy XV could not only remedy this recent drop in quality, but also bring in new fans due to its open world.

On the other hand, it addresses so many issues that previous games in the series have been criticized for that it could just be a fan’s wishful thinking. If it does turn out to be a hoax, hopefully it will at least gain enough attention to make Square Enix make a few changes to its flagship series.

More information is available here at Gameranx.

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The music of Final Fantasy has become the life work of Japanese composer Uematsu Nobuo. Between Final Fantasy I – IX, Uematsu was the main creative force behind the music of the series, and he created benchmarks and broke ground that few other game series have lived up to musically. Here are the top ten most important musical moments in the Final Fantasy franchise.

10. Final Fantasy – Preludes and Victory Themes

Little connects the various worlds and stories of Final Fantasy games but one familiar recurrent element is the title screen music known as preludes, the battle music, and the victory fanfares. The preludes are always a form a light harp music of crystalline delicateness, winding up and down like the never-ending tale of the Final Fantasy worlds. The battle music is dark and exciting, reminding you of your struggle against whatever forces of evil are at work in that world.

The victory fanfare is, as one would expect, a cheerful horn-blast followed by a sort of marching melody. The value of these is that for a series with precious little to tie it together, these melodies provide the necessary familiarity for the player to stir up those feelings of anticipation and achievement from previous titles. Without them, it just wouldn’t be Final Fantasy.

9. Final Fantasy II – Overworld

An odd choice, perhaps, but the overworld theme for Final Fantasy II is where Uematsu began writing music based on elements of the story rather than simply the generic MIDI music of the original Final Fantasy. FFII is one of the first RPGs to have more than a perfunctory story, with dark undertones, twists, character deaths, and betrayal. It remains one of the few truly dark overworld themes within the series.

8. Final Fantasy V – Clash on the Big Bridge

A variation of this song (also known as Battle with Gilgamesh) also features in FFXII when fighting against Gilgamesh, the only truly recurring character in the Final Fantasy franchise. Gilgamesh travels through the Rift between Final Fantasy worlds, popping up in many of the games between V and XII.

As the only recurring character (“Cid” is a different person each time and chocobos aren’t really characters per se), he holds a special place in the heart of fans of the series. This music has become his theme, and is well suited to his somewhat goofy, bumbling personality.

7. Final Fantasy IV – Dreadful Fight

This song spans all the feelings you might have had while playing through the “dreadful fight” towards the end of FFIV–it’s energetic, intimidating, climactic, hopeful. Memorable music for a memorable battle, Uematsu’s work really speaks for itself here.

6. Final Fantasy VI – Dancing Mad

A piece fitting of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer (an influence, by Uematsu’s own admission), this sprawling, epic tune sets the mood for the final boss fight in Final Fantasy VI, one of the most highly regarded entries in the entire franchise. The opponent is Kefka, a psychotic jester-mage come god bent on destroying the world. One of the most familiar, memorable, and defining moments of the franchise, this music is a perfect fit for the four-part final battle against an unhinged god.

5. Final Fantasy VI – Aria di Mezzo Carattere

This song is part of a full, actual opera written for Final Fantasy VI by Uematsu. It has been performed live several times, with lyrics sung in Japanese, English, or Italian. This is one of the first songs written for a video game intended for live dramatic performance, and shows Uematsu’s seriousness about the music of Final Fantasy. The four-part opera scene in FFVI is one of the most iconic, memorable moments in Final Fantasy history, accompanied by some of Uematsu’s best work.

4. Final Fantasy VII – One Winged Angel

There’s a good chance this is the most epic final boss battle music there has ever been. Psychotic, megalomaniacal, and lumbering with power, this song plays all through the final boss fight of FFVII (in which, at one dramatic moment, a comet plows through each planet in the solar system and then lands on your team… wow). There are many reasons for the fervent group of Final Fantasy fans claiming FFVII is the best in the series; the epic final boss fight and its music is one of them.

3. Final Fantasy VIII – Liberi Fatali

This orchestrated opening cinematic was an awesome spectacle to those awaiting the sequel to FFVII. Square had clearly learned from their success with VII, and wanted to make the cinematic sequences look even better, and make the music even more powerful. While VII felt like an experiment into the third dimension, VIII and its music have a more self-certain air to them, which shows through in this composition.

2. Final Fantasy VII – Aerith’s Theme

A beautiful and tragic song for a beautiful and tragic character, this is one of the most memorable pieces of music from Final Fantasy VII. Aerith’s Theme is played at multiple points throughout the story, deepening the emotional connection between the player and the characters. This is a great example of Uematsu’s music truly enhancing the gaming experience in a way dialogue cannot.

1. Final Fantasy IV – Theme of Love

A wonderful piece of music to match the moving and layered story of Final Fantasy IV. One of the subplots of FFIV is the development of a love relationship between Rosa, the white mage, Cecil, the lead character (who undergoes a transformation from black knight to paladin), and his friend Cain, the dragoon.

Cain watches from a distance as the relationship between Rosa and Cecil develops, keeping his peace out of respect for his friend and shame for his actions during the game. Theme of Love serves as a leitmotif for this developing relationship throughout the game, and it is so well-loved that it is actually taught to children in Japanese elementary school music classes.

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