Square Enix's Tokyo Game Show booth features a lot of DS RPGs, but little in terms of next-generation RPG offerings. Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII for PlayStation 3 are shown in trailer form. While the Final Fantasy XIII trailer is mainly composed of footage originally shown during Square Enix's E3 press conference, the company has also added a few new scenes here and there. The same counts for the more action-oriented Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The two PlayStation 3 titles, as well as the cellphone-based Final Fantasy Agito XIII, have yet to receive official release dates.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the latest installment in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is also shown in trailer form only. One scene depicts the first meeting between the game's protagonist, Zack and his future fiancee, Final Fantasy VII heroine Aeris. Another scene shows Zack talking to Sephiroth. Afterwards, the duo engages in a fierce battle. As previously announced, Crisis Core is set to feature an action-oriented battle system. Nonetheless, the Tokyo Game Show trailer footage also included a good old Final Fantasy series tradition: giant beasts attacking enemies in battle. The two creatures shown in the trailer looked like Bahamut and Ifrit. Taking place seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, the game does focus on not only Zack and Sephiroth, but also other members of Soldier, Shinra's elite unit. Of particular interest is a scene showing Zack's fellow Soldier members spreading one white wing.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII will be available in Japan sometime in Spring 2007. The game's release date was previously listed as tba.

On the DS side of things, Square Enix has chosen to only show off a trailer of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. The game has yet to receive an official release date. The DS remake of Front Mission 1st, however is now listed for a Winter release in Japan.

Meanwhile, Subarashiki kono Sekai: It's a Wonderful World is already playable. To dispose of foes known only as Noise, the game employs so-called Slide Cross Battles. Players will control the protagonist on the touch-sensitive lower screen, while the upper screen will be the realm of the female lead Siki. Using the stylus, players can not only draw certain shapes to attack enemies with magic, but also slice up cars and send the various car parts flying towards their foes. The standard digital pad is reserved for controlling the action taking place on the upper screen. Moving the pad left or right will trigger an attack. After the attack, various commands are displayed. After inputting the command shown on the display correctly, players have to draw a set of cards. Drawing three identical cards then triggers a powerful chain deathblow on both screens.

Subarashiki kono Sekai: It's a Wonderful World will be available in Japan sometime next year.

Also on display is Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix + for PlayStation 2. This title actually consists of two games: First, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, which is a new version of Kingdom Hearts II based on the US release, and second, a PlayStation 2 version of the GameBoy Advance title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The final mix version of Kingdom Hearts II will feature new event scenes, battle and map gimmicks as well as the English version of the game's main theme, as performed by Utada Hikaru.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix + will be available in Japan in Spring 2007.

• GameWatch