Wow! Talk about good Monday news!? Could the tide actually turn? IGN64 and Gamespot have the good words. Here's IGN64's take on it:

In a company conference held last weekend in Japan, renowned developer Squaresoft confirmed that it is currently evaluating Nintendo's next-generation console, codenamed Dolphin, and is very interested in creating software for other platforms besides Sony's PlayStation 2. While the developer's comments are in no way a concrete committal one way or the other, the words do come as the first sign that Square is exploring all of its options and hasn't solidified an exclusive deal as a developer for one particular console -- namely PlayStation 2.

The fact that Nintendo's next-generation console has thrown off the shackles of the cartridge format in favor of the FMV-friendly DVD platform, Square has absolutely no reason not to take its software to Dolphin waters. And you can bet Nintendo will do everything in its power to persuade the one-time weary game-maker back into its corner.

More from Gamespot...

Square held its annual general meeting of stockholders and IR (Investors Relations) conference this past weekend in Japan, during which some interesting information was revealed.

Square announced that it intends to release 12 games for the Sony PlayStation during this fiscal year. Taking into account the already-released Saga Frontier 2, Cyberorg, Chocobo Racing, Racing Lagoon, and Final Fantasy VI, as well as upcoming titles Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana, Dew Prism, Front Mission 3, Parasite Eve 2 and the yet-to-be-announced Final Fantasy IX, there are two games still left to be revealed. Ongoing rumors are that these soon-to-be-released titles are a Chrono Trigger sequel and an RPG by the name of Vagrant Story.

GameSpot News has learned that next month one of these new titles will be revealed by the company.

In the past fiscal year, Square released eleven games and managed to sell roughly 6.24 million software units in Japan. With its 12 games for this year, the company is planning to sell 6.7 million units. Final Fantasy VIII's Japanese release accounted for more than three million sales in Square's last fiscal year. For Square to achieve the 6.7 million figure for this fiscal year the company will require another Final Fantasy caliber title. It seems unlikely that any of the currently announced games for this fiscal year will achieve sales numbers in that league, so - as Square's Digicube stated earlier this month - Final Fantasy IX for the PlayStation will likely be released within this fiscal year.

At the conference, shareholders asked questions regarding Square's interest in Nintendo's future console, the Project Dolphin. Square officials commented that they are currently looking into the hardware and expressed interest in spreading their talents to other future next-generation consoles besides Sony's PlayStation 2. The Sega Dreamcast was not mentioned.