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Anxious to get your hands on Final Fantasy XIV's new job system and level-less gameplay? Your best bet is to sign up for the beta -- oh, you've already done that? Well, there's nothing we can do to make your wait any easier, aside from assaulting your eye holes with a staggering amount of new screenshots.

Square Enix has unloaded the new media onto the game's official site, though in our usual style we've plucked out all of the good stuff and situated 'em into our gallery below. Consider it our gift to you this holiday season. Sharing is caring, y'know.

Final Fantasy XIII? Totally old hat, even though it's not out yet. Square Enix has just opened applications for a Final Fantasy XIV beta, for the Windows version only. "All individuals are invited to apply," the page reads, "regardless of their past MMORPG experience."

Slow down, chocobo! Before applying, you need to be 18 years old, have plenty of hard drive space and an internet connection (obviously), be fluent in Japanese, English, French or German for the purpose of bug reports, and have a Square Enix ID account.

Though the current round of applications is only for the PC version, Square Enix indicates that a PS3 beta may be on the way later. And if you don't get in this time, don't worry -- the company says there will be "several rounds of tester selection, with the total number of participants increasing each time." And if there's anything Final Fantasy fans are good at, it's waiting their turn.

Are you a fan of punching? How about stabbing? How about punching people while wearing sharp implements capable of simultaneously stabbing them? It sounds like the two most recent additions to Final Fantasy XIV's list of "Disciplines" (that's fancy talk for "Classes") are right up your alley: Everyone, meet the Gladiator and Pugilist. Gladiator and Pugilist, everyone.

The two classes are detailed on the game's North American site, and a few of their deadly-looking tools of the trade have also been revealed. If you're a melee enthusiast who's looking forward to the next Squeenix-branded MMO, we highly suggest checking it out. Personally, we're waiting to hear more about the Thaumaturge. (He's got a pointy Black Mage hat, but he's not a Black Mage! We're so confused.)

When Shonen Jump recently revealed Square Enix's intention to include a "campaign code" for something in Final Fantasy XIV with the first printing of Final Fantasy XIII, we weren't sure what to make of it. Thankfully, Famitsu's latest issue (translated by Andriasang) details the inter-franchise crossover content a bit more, calling it a "secret in-game item" and reporting it can be input before the upcoming MMO opens up to the public for a "limited edition item" of some type. It's unclear if the item will be available for use in the PC beta.

Apparently, Famitsu also notes that the item is exclusive to Japan and, though limited, will be included with all FFXIII PS3 bundles (also Japan-exclusive). Since we're certain that someone reading this is currently weighing the import costs of one of those bundles against the value of an exclusive virtual goody, we hope for you and your family's sake that a friend is by your side, calling in an intervention right now. It's really for the best.

In addition to some awesome shots of Hope's summon, Alexander, a Jump scan reveals that the first printing of Final Fantasy XIII will include a campaign code for Final Fantasy XIV. That's right, a game will include content for its own sequel as an early buyer bonus. That's the world Square Enix has constructed for itself.

Beyond the term "campaign code," we aren't actually sure what the content is. Is it a pre-release demo of the MMO? A beta? An exclusive quest to be downloaded in the final game? It isn't clear. But it's definitely some kind of Final Fantasy XIV content, and it's sure to entice those three guys in Japan who were going to buy XIV but not XIII.

[Via CVG]

Final Fantasy XIV has gotten a steady stream of information since its announcement at Sony's E3 press conference earlier this year. And now, the game's official website has loosed a flood of information on its classes, enemies, how the classes break down into "disciplines," and much more. Aside from all the new text, the site also got a handful of new screens (including the fancifully bearded, screaming face you see above).

Rather than waiting for us to poorly contextualize the nitty gritty details on a genre we don't always focus on, head over to our MMO-centric sister site Massively for more.

[Via Massively]

For those of you holding fast to the hope that you'll get your hands on Square Enix's next MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, before the game's eventual release, it appears as though you'll need to get your hands on a Windows PC first. In a recent interview with Game Watch, FFXIV director Hiromichi Tanaka said the game's beta release will be on PC only.

Starting with a closed population of 10,000 people and eventually opening up to the public, the beta could be running at full capacity by as early as Summer 2010, according to Tanaka. Hopefully, by that point we'll be playing Final Fantasy XIII -- in English -- and no longer cracking jokes about FFXIV releasing before XIII ... Hopefully.

[Via RPG Site]

Though we've gotten a few scant details about Final Fantasy XIV's fantasy-filled backdrop Eorzea, Square Enix hasn't done much to promote the area's tourist-friendly qualities. However, a new trailer from the Tokyo Game Show reveals the locales' enticing bits: It's jam-packed with riches, renown and swingin' meet-up spots where adventurers can relax with an ice cold Phoenix Down or partake in ... some form of trading card game. (Please, please, please be Tetra Master.)

The video also features an appearance by a Marlboro, a fleet of killer jellyfish and a cadre of impossible airships. Seriously, we're usually not ones to raise a stink, but Wilbur and Orville must be spinning in their graves right now.

When it was announced at E3, Square Enix mentioned the development team was looking for a way to allow players to bring their existing Final Fantasy XI character names into Final Fantasy XIV. At the recent GamesCom event in Cologne, Final Fantasy XIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka wouldn't confirm the feature would be included, but noted Square Enix would like to give incentives for players of its first MMO outing.

Tanaka notes the process of allowing names to carry over into a new Final Fantasy MMO could cause conflicts, but proposes one solution that could work: Force people to add a surname. "Players can keep their main name, but they can add something else to their surname -- that way players with overlapping names can keep their names from FFXI, but they can add something on to it to make it unique," Tanaka told the PlayStation Blog.

Tanaka also discussed Final Fantasy XIV's combat system, which -- as already revealed -- will not be based on a job system. FFXIV's armory system will allow players to switch weapons and abilities within the game, to best suit players who prefer to go solo or as part of a team. As players use weapons and equipment more frequently, the statistics of those items grow, building a stronger class of character without grinding for experience points.

While Tanaka was asked to name his biggest MMO-based inspiration, he quietly brushed the question aside, noting the community was his biggest influence. But clearly Tanaka's biggest MMO influence is Final Fantasy XI ... what else is out there?

If you're feeling ye olde fashioned and footage of Final Fantasy XIV in action is just too newfangled for you, don't fret. Square-Enix has released a fresh batch of perfectly still images from the game during GamesCom -- and they're very, very ... green. Hey, at least they're more exciting than the previously released scenery shots. These are full of the good stuff: menus, characters and -- most of all -- action. Well, as much action as there can be in a static picture.

In an interview with VG247 during GamesCom, Square Enix producer Hiromichi Tanaka said that discussions with Microsoft surrounding its Xbox Live policy are one of the reasons Final Fantasy XIV has yet to be announced for the console. "Because 360 has its own policy with Xbox Live that is different from [the] internet, that's something we're in discussions with Microsoft [about], to come to an agreement," Tanaka said.

Tanaka also revealed that the phrase "launch timing" was cut out of SCEA CEO Jack Trenton's "Final Fantasy XIV exclusivity" announcement at E3, but it does not mean that the MMO won't see life on the Xbox 360 in the future. Final Fantasy XIV is set for a 2010 release on the PS3 and Windows-based PCs, and is sure to include the cutest Chocobos you've ever seen in high-definition.

If you, like us, have been curious about the differences between Square's first MMO, Final Fantasy XI, and Square's upcoming MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, then a gameplay demonstration from GamesCom 2009 will likely provide an answer: One of the games has a "V" on the end of its title, while the other doesn't.

Okay, okay, there's a bit more to it than that. In the gameplay demo -- which was captured by GameVideos and posted after the jump -- we can see the biggest difference right away: The game's combat system has seen a major overhaul. Gone is the weird drop-down menu system, which looks to have been replaced by a much more streamlined hotbar, as seen in the whack-the-obese-chicken footage. Also, FFXIV looks absolutely stunning. That's not much a shocker, though, considering Squeenix's pedigree -- a history that includes beautiful-looking games and an inability to count sequentially.

[Via Massively]

Square Enix recently summoned 33 new pieces of artwork for its upcoming current-gen MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, which we've conveniently placed in the gallery below. They look just as gorgeous as you'd expect -- if not a tad familiar. All the character races from FFXI are presented in beautiful detail, but it doesn't look like any new species have joined the title's lineup just yet. That's a shame -- we were hoping we'd be able to roll man-monkeys this time around.

The latest edition of Famitsu Wave recently hit newsstands in Japan, bringing with it a DVD which contains an 8-minute exposé on Square Enix's second stab at the MMO genre, Final Fantasy XIV. The whole video is posted after the break. Fret not -- it sports convenient English subtitles.

Here's some of the more titillating excerpts: The game features a reinvented character progression system which does not include experience points or leveling up. The job system from XI will make an appearance, but in a heavily altered form -- an interview with the game's director, Nobuaki Komoto, revealed that the game will place a focus on the weapons players use, explaining that your armaments will determine "the way you play" and "the way you grow." Sounds reminiscent of Final Fantasy IX. (That's a very good thing.)

In addition, FFXIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka explained that the game takes place in a new region with a more "modern" feel to it -- the mysterious Eorzea which was mentioned in the trailer. The new world features familiar races (albeit with new names), and plays host to a "deep story," which is told through cut-scenes and quests. For more FFXIV info than you can possibly handle, check the video after the jump.

[Via Eurogamer]