Tag Archive

Square Enix Partners with Milestone; First Racing Game Coming in March

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Jason Nason

Square Enix announced today a publishing partnership with Milestone S.r.l, one of the world’s leading developers and publishers specializing in the racing genre, to bring titles to North America and Latin America.

The multi-title agreement with the Italian studio starts with the March 15th release of Milestone’s rally simulator Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO, a game that launches players into the life of Sébastien Loeb, one of the most iconic figures in the history of rally. Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC/Steam.

Milestone will manage game development, while Square Enix will oversee distribution and marketing in both territories.

Additional Milestone racing games are scheduled to release through Square Enix in 2016.

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Final Fantasy, Mario Kart see Virtual Console Release in Japan

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Jason Nason

Three notable games were released on the Virtual Console in Japan today, and all for the Wii U. Mario Kart 64 (N64), Super Mario 64 DS (NDS), and Final Fantasy I · II Advance (GBA) were all released.

In North America Mario Kart 64 is available for the Wii Virtual Console for 1000 Wii points and Super Mario 64 (N64) was released for the Wii U Virtual Console, but this will be the first digital release for Final Fantasy I · II Advance, which was originally released Game Boy Advance in 2004.

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Rise of the Tomb Raider Minimum PC Specs Announced By Square Enix

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Square Enix’s sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot, Rise of the Tomb Raider will be making its way to Windows PC on January 28th 2016 the publisher announced alongside the game’s minimum specs.

The minimum specs for Rise don’t seem so bad – the game only requires 25GB of install space, which is similar to the PS4 / Xbox One console versions. In terms of required graphics hardware you’ll need to be running an NVIDIA Geforce 650  or an AMD HD 7770 or better with at least 2GB of video ram. In realistic terms this means as long as you are running mid-tier hardware from 2012 Rise of the Tomb Raider will run albeit with some features disabled.

In terms of exclusive Windows PC features Rise of the Tomb Raider will feature support for 4K resolution, if your rig is up to snuff. It will also be one of the first games to use NVIDIA’s VXAO technology – which provides a voxel based performance boost for lower end GPUs and the game will be fully integrated into the Windows 10 Xbox game software.

Multiple editions of Rise of the Tomb Raider are available for Windows PC. The standard edition will set you back approximately $59.99 USD, the Digital Deluxe Edition will cost aprox $89.99 USD and it includes the Season’s Pass along with all existing DLC. If you are feeling like spending the big bucks there is a physical collector’s edition that includes all of the above, a free copy of 2013’s Tomb Raider, a replica necklace and journal from the game and a 12 inch Lara Croft statue.

If you are feeling adventurous you can pre-order Rise of the Tomb Raider here.

Tomb Raider Minimum Specs

Minimum OS: Windows 7 64bit
Processor:  Intel Core i3-2100 or AMD equivalent
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 650 2GB or AMD HD7770 2GB
RAM: 6GB
HD Space: 25GB
DirectX: DirectX 11

Rise of the Tomb Raider CE

Here is everything included with the physical collector’s edition for Rise of the Tomb Raider.

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New Images and Trailer for Final Fantasy Explorers

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Jason Nason

Square Enix has released a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS action role-playing adventure Final Fantasy Explorers. The action-packed video showcases different ways players can experience Final Fantasy Explorers, whether they go solo, or in a party as four friends in multiplayer mode, to battle the realm’s most powerful monsters.

Not only that but there are a ton of new assets, screens, character models and artwork to take in. Plus a handy infographic detailing all of the classic Final Fantasy jobs contained within.

In Final Fantasy Explorers, players will have access to 21 different job classes. Each class has its own unique abilities and skill sets provide tactical advantages over enemies, fulfilling different roles in a party, such as tank, healer, attacker or buffer. Choosing the right role is especially significant in multiplayer mode, as players battle in union utilizing a variety of abilities to bring down the realm’s most dangerous enemies.

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Final Fantasy XV PS4 Version Slated For June Release By Amazon Japan

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Final Fantasy XV

Amazon Japan has created an entry for Final Fantasy XV that may reveal that the game is scheduled for a June 2016 in that country.

We already know that Square Enix is planning to announce the release date of XV sometime this coming March so perhaps a early summer release in Japan and a Fall 2016 release in North America and Europe isn’t too shocking.

I also noticed while viewing this page that price is listed as 18,000 Yen or $149.99 USD – could this signal a possible collector’s edition? There’s no further information on the page and in all likelihood all of this information could purely be placeholder data.Read More

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Just Cause 3 | Review

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Chelsea Richards

Just Cause 3

Version Reviewed: PlayStation 4

Planning on blowing up DRM? You’ll need a Demolitions Permit, or a Just Cause.

The premise: The franchise’s protagonist, Rico Rodriguez, returns to his home, the fictional nation of Medici, which is now ruled by an oppressive militaristic regime under Generalissimo Sebastiano Di Ravello.

The results: Gloriously cheesy one-liners from a sexy man, and more explosions than the Fourth of July. What, that’s what “liberty” and “freedom” are all about, dontcha know?Read More

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Rise of The Tomb Raider Demo Now Available On Xbox One

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Microsoft and Creative Dynamics have released a demo version of Rise of the Tomb Raider for Xbox One. Spotted by an eagle-eyed Neogaf user this demo version of the appeared on the Xbox Live web-store this evening.

It’s unknown as of press time what the demo contains in terms of content or how large the download is. As I do not have an Xbox One I’m unable to try it out at this time. The full version of Rise of the Tomb Raider clocks in at 20.86GB.

You can add the Rise of the Tomb Raider demo to your download queue by following this link.

The Xbox.com store offers this brief synopsis of the game:

“Featuring epic, high-octane action moments set in the most beautifully hostile environments on earth, Rise of the Tomb Raider delivers a cinematic survival action adventure where you will join Lara Croft on her first tomb raiding expedition. “

[Source]

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Life is Strange | Full Season Review

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Kenny Keelan

life is strange title

I can’t even start this Life is Strange review without worrying about how it’ll sound. That’s how this game has me: in a fluster of emotion, insecurity, and anger. This game perfectly embodies the high school experience – perhaps a little too well. While I am on in my years I remember my years in high school with a kind of clarity that set me on the path I took for college and, by proxy, the rest of my life. I don’t look back on those years fondly. When I purchased the game via the PlayStation Store I thought I was going to get a kind of Lean on Me experience that told a story that happened to kids that were in school and not highlight the school part of their lives so vividly; not only was I wrong but it felt as if part of the purpose of this game was to expose the player to a side of high school social life that the developers felt wasn’t talked about enough. However, this isn’t said to say that Life is Strange isn’t a good game or a good story: no, it’s just the opposite. What I’ll be talking about here is how you can use a good game as a vehicle to tell a compelling story that purposely goes out of its way to rub you the wrong way.

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Extended FF7 Remake Trailer Shows Game’s Revamped Combat System

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

At the opening press conference from the PlayStation Experience Square Enix gave fans another taste of the still undated Final Fantasy 7 remake for the PlayStation 4.

In this brand new gameplay trailer we get a brief look at the game’s combat system, which from the small glimpse we’ve been given looks to borrow a lot from Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts. Gone is the overhead “world map” and transition screens that launch players into battle. In their place is a more streamlined action-RPG approach with real-time combat, abilities mapped to single buttons on the controller, and enemies appearing within the world.

Considering both of the above mentioned games are currently in development it wouldn’t be much of stretch to assume that the different development teams at Square Enix are sharing technologies to expedite progress.

Some fans have expected that Square Enix may release the Final Fantasy 7 remake sometime in 2017 to line-up with the original PlayStation game’s 20th anniversary.

What do you think of the trailer? Check it out below.

[youtube id=”QLYyWAqTTAo”]

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Broken Cast Episode #7 Just Cause 3 Dev Interview

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

On this brand new episode of the Broken Cast about the upcoming Just Cause 3, EIC Rae Michelle Richards and Managing Editor Fionna Fox sit down with Josephine Doggett one of the two visual effects Artists who is currently working on Square Enix’s upcoming open world action game Just Cause 3.

Over the course of the hour long discussion we talk about Josephine’s long career in videogame art – stretching all the way back to the 1990s with Ion Storm! We talk about the cancelled Kingdoms of Amalour MMORPG and what it’s like working on a project that will never see the light of day. Josie discusses how working in such  a volitile industy has effected her personal life, and about how AAA studious handle diversity in the work place.  In the Second half of the podcast we discuss Just Cause 3 specifically. Rae asks several technical questions about the 8th generation console transition. Then Josie talks about what makes Just Cause 3 unique in a world full of open world games. Finally Josie talks a bit about her favorite part of Just Cause 3, the movment and some of the parts that belong her (EXPLOSIONS).

Listen to the podcast In the player below or download it from Itunes:

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Is Square Enix’s Marketing Department Just Trolling Us With Kingdom Hearts III At This Point?

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

This afternoon as I sat down at my desk to write up some news I was elated to find that one of the gaming PR wires that aggregates new press releases and media featured brand new media for Kingdom Hearts III. Considering the anemic level of marketing the game has received surely Square Enix knew that releasing event a single screenshot would create immense amounts of coverage except a single Kingdom Hearts III screenshot wasn’t what I found when I loaded their press site.Read More

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Square Enix Game Sale at GOG This Weekend

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Jason Nason

Square Enix

Square Enix is putting the PC editions of a lot of their older games on sale this weekend. The sale is about 75% off the regular price on the PC gaming site, with games selling for $1.99 to $2.49. All of the games are at least ten years old with the newest games on here Thief™ 3: Deadly Shadows and Hitman 3: Contracts from 2004.

See anything you’ll pick up? I have a personal soft spot for Omikron: The Nomad Soul, which I played a lot on the SEGA Dreamcast way back in the day.

Click here for the sale, which runs until Monday afternoon at 5:00pm ET. Take a look at the full list of games below:

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Deus Ex: Manking Divided will not have multiple choice endings

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Fionna Schweit

The last Deus Ex was praised for its ending content being a plethora of choices. You decision on that final level literally effected humanity as awhole. Its hard to top that kind of choice and it seems the next Deus Ex wont even try.  The report comes from an interview with Mary DeMarle, the executive narrative director on Mankind Divided and lead writer on Human Revolution, that she gave to GamesRadar.

“On Human Revolution, we were having it all come down to that moment where there’s a button press at the end of the game, and it triggers one of the different endings. But on [Mankind Divided], we actually are looking at, ‘Okay, we’re going to give you different actions and different choices, and you go different paths, and how does that go?”

she went on to say “So when you’re embracing all those multifaceted, branching choices, et cetera, it gets hard enough. And then to pull in that fulfillment of what the character wants, it does get very challenging,” she said. “And I can’t really give you a formula for doing it, it all comes down to constant iteration, constant play, and constant feel for the character and the player experience.”

She went on to assure the audience that this didnt mean the you will “straitjacketed” by choices in the early game, and assure audiences that the final misson will still influence the ending of the game.

 

 

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Final Fantasy XV TGS Trailer Showcases Chocobos

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

During their Final Fantasy XV reveal for this year’s Tokyo Games Show Square Enix has released a brand new 5 minute game-play segment for their upcoming RPG. This latest slice of game-play showcases Noctus and crew stepping out of their car to spend some time with everyone’s favorite yellow birds, the chocobos.  Near the end of the trailer a brand new fishing minigame is also showcased.

Square Enix’s official Youtube channel offers this description of the trailer:

In gameplay footage revealed at TGS 2015, Noctis and his crew explore a new area on the backs of chocobos, showing off some of the ways the classic series mount can move in FINAL FANTASY XV. The party then dismounts and heads to a pier for some fishing, a new mini-game players can explore. The fish you can catch can even be taken back to camp and cooked!

[youtube id=”4zqxNNkSPa0″]

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Final Fantasy XII HD Unexpectedly Teased

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

This past Saturday during the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concert Final Fantasy concert composer Arnie Roth let word slip that an HD remaster of Final Fantasy XII will be out “soon”.

As avid Square fans might know this is not one of the many Final Fantasy titles expected for release in the coming years which include: World of Final Fantasy and the Final Fantasy VII Remake both of which were announced at this year’s E3. Nor is it the upcoming Final Fantasy XV which finally had a playable demo released this past March.

During the development of last year’s Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster long time series producer Yoshinori Kitase mentioned in an interview that if that package was successful Square would look into producing other HD remasters including FFXII.

You can watch a short video clip of Arnie Roth talking about the HD version of Final Fantasy XII, which he calls a “remake”. We’ll have more on this story if it develops any further.

[youtube id=”IMGTCxb6rAc”]

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