Square Enix offered some new tidbits about Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII in this week's issue of Weekly Famitsuu. The male character seen in the various trailers of Final Fantasy XIII is called Snow Villiers. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura commented that the development is going to improve the visual quality of the game even further.

Final Fantasy XIII will be available on PlayStation 3 in Japan sometime next year. A multiplatform release will follow in the US and Europe thereafter.

As reported two months ago, Final Fantasy Agito XIII will feature directly controllable summons. When they are called upon, Ifrit and Co. will replace the character who has summoned them as a party member. Speaking of parties, Agito XIII will support up to three active members. While Square Enix wasn't sure whether the planned infrastructure mode would make it into the final product in August, this week's update suggests that this will indeed be the case.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII for PlayStation Portable will be available in Japan sometime next year.

• Geemu Jouhou! Geemu no Hanashi