Via Dutch site DS-Gamer comes word that Final Fantasy III for Nintendo DS has secured 400,000 to 450,000 orders from Japanese retailers.

The title is a 3-D remake of the 1990 Famicom release of the same name, and is the only entry in the Final Fantasy series that has not eventually made it outside Japan in some form. Square-Enix currently intends to publish the game in America before 2006 wraps up.

When the game does release on August 24, Japanese gamers will have the option of picking it up with a special edition DS Lite emblazoned with characters from the game.