In Japanese, the word for magazine is 雑誌 "zasshi."  Literally translated, it means "miscellaneous(雑) documents(誌)," and sometimes that is all we end up with.  This week did not bring any coveted Final Fantasy XIV info, and in fact, the game fell off of the Most Anticipated list in Famitsu.  There is still a lot of activity from Square Enix though, especially the immense success of Dragon Quest IX. 

Something that is interesting to note is that the two Final Fantasy-related titles coming out this year appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.  We have the wildly hyped Final Fantasy XIII, which is the first numbered entry on the Playstation 3.  It is undoubtedly going to push the series (and the hardware) to new technological heights.  On the other hand, The 4 Light Warriors: Final Fantasy Gaiden for the Nintendo DS seems to be a complete leap back into the past.

At E3, developers for Final Fantasy XIV stated that more than creating a bigger and better MMO, they wished to create a bigger and better "Final Fantasy."  They said this new generation of technology will give them the opportunity to represent the Final Fantasy series more accurately than ever before.  What does that mean though?

Well, in the spirit of miscellany, let us take a look at what Square Enix is currently willing to allow us to drool over in anticipation and see if we cannot form an idea of what Final Fantasy XIV might become.

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Like tadpoles from the sky, the newest issue of Famitsu dropped across Japan today.  Despite the lack of Final Fantasy XIV news, there was something that caught my eye:  Final Fantasy XIV made its debut on the Top 30 Most Anticipated New Titles list!

Weighing in at a mighty rank of 28 out of 30 with 347 stalwart lil' voters behind it, Final Fantasy XIV burst onto the scene after quietly biding its time for a little over a month.  It will be interesting to see where Square Enix's newest MMO will go from here, but even more interesting to get some new tidbits on the title itself.

However, Square Enix also has several other entries on the charts of which to boast.  It's twin RPG franchises, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are certainly making their mark on the gaming industry this year.  The data that follows was collected via survey of Famitsu readers between July 3rd and July 9th and presented in Famitsu's July 31st issue.

Read on to see what title made it and discuss this in the ZAM forums!

The current gaming environment has certainly set a high bar for Final Fantasy XIV to surmount.  The world is facing a crippling recession, online games are being targeted in the media for their addictive nature, and companies continue to advance and evolve online gaming with new titles that entice players with the promise of new adventure.

This week, Famitsu had an interesting article on what it takes to make a good game.  Specifically, they polled a number of game developers and asked them what elements are necessary in the development process to produce a real quality product.  We know who is working on Final Fantasy XIV, and we know a lot about how they operate from the seven years Final Fantasy XI has been occupying our free time.

Do you think Final Fantasy XIV will have the "right stuff" to succeed?

Today saw the release of the August edition of Famitsu PSP+PS3.  As the name would indicate, this magazine covers games on the Playstation Portable device and the Playstation 3, but also contains Playstation 2 news as well.

In this month's issue, there was a small section on Final Fantasy XIV, which I will go over briefly.  However, if you are expecting anything new, let me just disavow you of that notion right now.  That's right, brush that twinkle of hope out of your eye and move on.

The main course for Final Fantasy fans is an interview with Final Fantasy XI developers Mizuki Ito and Daisuke Sase.  They are the pair behind the Zeni Notorious Monster system in Treasures of Aht Urghan, and were kind enough to sit down with Famitsu staff and talk about their greatest creation: Pandemonium Warden.

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The magazines just keeping rolling on in recently!  Today we have a special collection of information from Connect!On that features questions answered by Final Fantasy XIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka and Director Nobuaki Koumoto along with some new comments and analysis.  Connect!On is a monthly magazine dedicated to online gaming in Japan.  Now that Final Fantasy XIV made its grand debut at E3, Final Fantasy XI had to scootch over a bit this month and lend some of its pages to promote the new MMO.

Basically, what we have here is a collection of what Connect!On editors felt were the most important facts from interviews and articles from E3 until now. There are also a few original tidbits thrown in there, so if you need a refresher, read on and check it out.

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The July 10th issue of Dengeki Playstation magazine has hit the shelves, and it contains a brand new interview with Hiromichi Tanaka and Kouichi Ogawa of the Final Fantasy XI development team.

Hiromichi Tanaka is the producer of Final Fantasy XI, which was the first MMO for the Final Fantasy series.  He will continue his work at Square Enix as producer for the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIV.

Kouichi Ogawa worked on the Treasures of Aht Urghan and Wings of the Goddess expansions for Final Fantasy XI.  He also contributed to A Crystalline Prophecy, and will continue to develop the next two add-on scenarios: A Moogle Kupo d'Etat and A Shantotto Ascension.

The Dengeki Team was excited to get face-to-face time with these two who "hold the future of FFXI in their hands," and we are excited to bring you the juicy details!

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In this week's issue, Famitsu has printed the reactions to the announcement of Final Fantasy XIV at E3.  The feature is called ゲームユーザーの意見箱 (Gamer Opinion Box), and this week it contains submissions about some of the exciting presentations we saw this year.  Out of their Top 5 news items, Final Fantasy XIV actually ranked #1!  Maybe this will encourage Famitsu to give the poor game a little more attention in the upcoming months.

For those interested, the most talked about news items among fans (other than FFXIV) were the new PSP go, Xbox 360's Project Natal, a new multi-platform Metal Gear Solid entry, and the promise of another Legend of Zelda for the Wii.

All the comments were submitted anonymously, but are listed with the gamer's age and occupation.  One's personal privacy is very important in Japan, so this is a common format for giving one's opinion or recommendation.  You usually will not see signed submissions, and if they are, they are often times signed with pen names or labeled anonymous.

Read on for what these gamers had to say, and click here to discuss this article in the ZAM forums!

Friday's here, and like a flash of lighting, Dengeki magazine brings us an interview with Tanaka and Komoto, the dynamic duo behind Final Fantasy XIV!  This interview was printed in the Final Fantasy XI section of the magazine by the Dengeki Lightning Brigade, a team of Final Fantasy XI players.  From the looks of the interview, the Team shared the same time with the other Japanese media sites at E3, but being loyal fans of Final Fantasy XI, the Dengeki Team also made sure to sneak in some questions on how the new MMO will relate to and affect our beloved Vana'diel.  A good read for any Final Fantasy XI fan.

After the Q&A, the Dengeki Team also takes a look at the beautiful concept illustration that I am sure is gracing many-a-desktop recently.  Do their speculations match up with any of yours?

Discuss this in the ZAM FFXIV Forums!

The floodgates have opened. With Tuesday's unveiling of Square Enix's new title, previously known only as Project Rapture, everyone is now scrambling for Final Fantasy XIV information.  All eyes and ears were on Hiromichi Tanaka and company as they answered a few questions at the private Square Enix press conference at E3 on Wednesday.

Afterwards, they went behind closed doors and thought, "Hey, answering 10 questions was kind of fun, why not answer 20-30 more?"

Read on to see what they had to say and discuss this on the ZAM forums!

Sources: GameWatch , 4Gamer , Famitsu