TOKYO (AFP) - The latest version of the legendary video game Final Fantasy was launched in Japan, with its creators comparing the intricate work to great architecture.

The mythological role-playing game -- which has spawned a computer graphics movie, mobile phone ring tones and soft drinks -- has been a flagship product for Sony's PlayStation and for gamemaker SquareEnix.

"The vast, game-world map was designed with extreme care to details. This monumental work was created as if it were grand architecture," Yoichi Wada, president of SquareEnix, told a launch in Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district.

The launch of Final Fantasy XII, played on PlayStation 2, comes four years after the 11th edition of the game.

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