Square Enix's announcement that Final Fantasy XIV would be a new MMO game shocked attendees back in June 2009 at E3. Today the publisher announced that the PC version of the game now has a release date of September 30 (a PS3 version has also been announced but it's not due out until March 2011. Ahead of the official launch comes word that the beta testing for the game will begin sometime in early July. Monthly pricing will be $12.99 a month with 30 days of free gameplay out of the box.

But that's not all. Square Enix has also announced a Collector's Edition for Final Fantasy XIV ([pictured above) that will be released for the price of $74.99. People who order the collector's edition will be able to sign onto the servers eight days before folks who get the standard $49.99 edition. Extras include an exclusive in game item called the Onion Helm which "accelerates character recovery after falling in battle." It will also come with a concept art book, a behind-the-scenes DVD and more. The standard edition also comes with its own in-game exclusive pre-order item, the Garlond Goggles, "which increases the speed of skill progression."

[Via email press release]