Advent Children update

Square-Enix has confirmed to Eurogamer that Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the feature film sequel to the hit 1997 game, is slated for a European release by the end of the year.

A Squenix representative told us that the movie will go on sale - both on DVD and UMD - "by the end of 2005". That's providing everything goes to plan, apparently, but the representative promised: "We're doing our best to get it out this year."

The news follows reports on US websites saying that the film will get a simultaneous DVD release in Japan and North America on September 14. There's still no word of an official UMD launch date, however.

Inside sources tell us that this is because Sony Pictures and Sony Computer Entertainment are still discussing how to handle release dates for the two formats. In fact, we hear they're squabbling over opting for simultaneous launches, versus giving one format priority over the other. Well now.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is set two years after the game ended, and sees our old friend Cloud with the weight of the world on his shoulders once again. A mysterious illness is spreading throughout the land, laying waste to the population and decimating stocks of Lemsip, and only he can defeat the evil force behind it all. With the help of a couple of mates, obviously.

You can see some stills from the movie - and very pretty they are too, in a sort of David Bowie in Labyrinth / L'oreal Studio Line way - here.