Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X was next to be shown and it looked great. There wasn't nearly as much footage shown from Final Fantasy X as was from Final Fantasy IX, but what was shown included some gameplay shots.

Like Final Fantasy IX, the characters in X have moved away from that 'cyber-look'. A caption on the video said, "The journey home begins." FFX will also be the first Final Fantasy to take advantage of Square's online service, although it will only use the strategy guide/hint feature - it won't be playable online.

Final Fantasy XI
Square didn't stop there, though. After showing Final Fantasy X, the company announced Final Fantasy XI and revealed that it was a "complete online game". Given the subtitle, "Online Another World," this game focuses on play online and uses its features to create an online Final Fantasy world. The game is said to be in the pre-production preparation stages and is due for release next summer, which is when the Final Fantasy movie is due out. There was no actual gameplay footage shown, but they did show off some conceptual art and character design sketches. It was mentioned that creating games online requires different production rules and methods of game development, and that it would initially take some time to work out.

With sales exceeding 25 million units worldwide, the Final Fantasy series is one of the most lucrative videogame licences on the planet. This means Square's revelation today will surely go down as one of the biggest videogame-related stories of 2000.

We'll have more information and real screenshots of these titles when they're made available.

Courtesy of IGN.com