Square Enix's E3 line-up

Square Enix has announced most of its E3 line-up ahead of the show - along with its own preview event, which is taking place on Monday May 8th. Expect some new game announcements then.

From what's been announced so far, it's actually handheld fans who have the most to smile about. Children of Mana, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime and Final Fantasy III will all give DS fans something to think about - but everybody with a GBA slot about them is going to take interest in Final Fantasy V Advance and Final Fantasy VI Advance. Two of the best 16-bit RPGs Square ever made, and on their way to GBA soon.

Elsewhere, the PS2 showing ought to be strong - with Dawn of Mana ("the first true Mana sequel in a decade", planning to reveal the origins of the Mana Tree and Sword of Mana legends, in full 3D), Dirge of Cerberus (giving us another look at Vincent Valentine's energetic FFVII spin-off after its Tokyo Game Show outing), Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria and of course Final Fantasy XII (which we thought was smashing in Japanese).

Meanwhile, Square Enix is also showing off Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth on PSP, Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan (PC, Xbox 360 - already released, though), and mobile titles Before Crisis (another Final Fantasy VII spin-off) and Final Fantasy I.