by Luke Kirby
With gamers being spoilt with information left, right and centre from the likes of Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Bethesda it was finally time for Square Enix to enter the fray and deliver. “Did they deliver?” I hear you cry, well. Let’s dive into what they had on offer at this year's E3.
With gamers being spoilt with information left, right and centre from the likes of Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Bethesda it was finally time for Square Enix to enter the fray and deliver. “Did they deliver?” I hear you cry, well. Let’s dive into what they had on offer at this year's E3.
Square Enix opened with an explosive trailer for Just Cause 3 with detonations on an absurd magnitude, together with sky diving, car chases and just about everything you would want to see from an action focused title.
This was then followed by Phil Rodgers the CEO of Square Enix Americas and Europe talking about the conference and games they have on offer.
A representative from Avalanche Studios came on to give some more information for the upcoming Just Cause 3. Protagonist, Rico Rodriguez returns to his homeland to liberate it from the oppressive leader, by bringing down military bases and outposts by any means necessary. New features have been added to the game, as well as polishing already existing ones such as the famed grapple hook, which can now be used to chain together several grapples at once for even more mayhem. The 400 square mile open world is filled with many collectibles and challenges which can unlock new mods for Rico’s arsenal of weapons. Just Cause 3 will be released for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on the 1st December.
This was then followed by Phil Rodgers the CEO of Square Enix Americas and Europe talking about the conference and games they have on offer.
A representative from Avalanche Studios came on to give some more information for the upcoming Just Cause 3. Protagonist, Rico Rodriguez returns to his homeland to liberate it from the oppressive leader, by bringing down military bases and outposts by any means necessary. New features have been added to the game, as well as polishing already existing ones such as the famed grapple hook, which can now be used to chain together several grapples at once for even more mayhem. The 400 square mile open world is filled with many collectibles and challenges which can unlock new mods for Rico’s arsenal of weapons. Just Cause 3 will be released for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on the 1st December.
We then had Yosuke Saito take to the stage, showing a new Nier game; mostly artwork and still screens as well as a short video clip. The title is being made for PS4 and developed by Platinum games. Also, game director Yoko Taro wore one of the creepiest masks I’ve ever seen.
Timed Xbox One exclusive, Rise of the Tomb Raider was again shown off, with Lara exploring various tombs and ruins in many different settings. What was shown showed gorgeous aesthetics, so you Xbox One owners are in for a treat. Behind the scenes footage showed the amount of detail that has gone into the making of Lara Croft, showing environmental effects on her, scars and battle wounds that Lara will carry as the game progresses, highlighting the amount of detail going into the production of this game. Rise of the Tomb Raider is set for release on 11th November 2015.
Timed Xbox One exclusive, Rise of the Tomb Raider was again shown off, with Lara exploring various tombs and ruins in many different settings. What was shown showed gorgeous aesthetics, so you Xbox One owners are in for a treat. Behind the scenes footage showed the amount of detail that has gone into the making of Lara Croft, showing environmental effects on her, scars and battle wounds that Lara will carry as the game progresses, highlighting the amount of detail going into the production of this game. Rise of the Tomb Raider is set for release on 11th November 2015.
While consoles are the key focus, Hitman GO and Hitman Sniper were also featured in the Square Enix conference for Android and iOS. A new announcement also came in the form of Lara Croft GO; a turn based game which seems to focus on solving puzzles, though not much other information was given. Another mobile game in the form of Kingdom Hearts Unchained Key will be coming to North America and EU too.
The series producer of Kingdom Hearts took to the stage, however translation was forgotten about and unfortunately my Japanese isn’t too good to understand what was being said, but the same trailer for Final Fantasy VII remake was shown again and information that the PC port will be delayed until winter for the PS4, it will also be coming to iOS.
The series producer of Kingdom Hearts took to the stage, however translation was forgotten about and unfortunately my Japanese isn’t too good to understand what was being said, but the same trailer for Final Fantasy VII remake was shown again and information that the PC port will be delayed until winter for the PS4, it will also be coming to iOS.
Finally, something that got the crowd going was a world premiere trailer for Kingdom Hearts III, also including some gameplay footage. From what was shown, movement across what seems to be a huge open world is fluid, including the real time combat sequences showing special attacks. The environments are colourful and lush, so it seems like KH III is shaping up to be amazing.
World of Final Fantasy trailer was shown off again (same one from Sony) with the explanation that the game is aiming to attract new people from various demographics to the Final Fantasy franchise, which will be released first on PS4 and PS Vita in 2016.
World of Final Fantasy trailer was shown off again (same one from Sony) with the explanation that the game is aiming to attract new people from various demographics to the Final Fantasy franchise, which will be released first on PS4 and PS Vita in 2016.
More information for Hitman was given in regards to how the game can be played and the amount of freedom offered in game. Complete freedom is given when taking out the assigned target; you can go for brute force or go the route of a master assassin. As you progress there are unlocks for new weapons and equipment for the contracts which take place in many locations. There is of course extra detail added to the game thanks to the new generation as well as higher density populations. Most interestingly though was the concept they brought forward for online which was to say that for forty-eight hours everyone has the same target to kill and once they are killed or escape that’s it. It would be interesting to see many Agent 47s working together to take down a single target. Hitman is scheduled for digital release on 8th December.
Star Ocean – Integrity and Faithlessness was announced for North American and European release for the first time; scheduled for 2016. Some gameplay was shown and the game has a cel shaded art style with various types of environment to explore. Real time combat looks fluid with both melee and magic based attacks.
Star Ocean – Integrity and Faithlessness was announced for North American and European release for the first time; scheduled for 2016. Some gameplay was shown and the game has a cel shaded art style with various types of environment to explore. Real time combat looks fluid with both melee and magic based attacks.
Definitely one of the bigger titles on the roster was the highly anticipated Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. The game takes place in 2029; two years after the events of Human Revolution. Augmented people are now considered to be outcasts and even hated for their enhancements, forcing them to live in a mechanical apartheid. In this iteration of the franchise, Jensen will have access to new weapons and augmentations to get the job done. How he goes about that is completely down to the player, with their choices changing the story as it unfolds and ultimately the ending too. The trailer for Mankind Divided provided some backdrop for the story as well as what appears to be gameplay, it looks incredibly detailed and slick. Mankind Divided will be coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One early 2016.
Yet more Final Fantasy related announcements came next, but this time in the vein of the Final Fantasy Portal App which will have any and all information about Final Fantasy.
Yet more Final Fantasy related announcements came next, but this time in the vein of the Final Fantasy Portal App which will have any and all information about Final Fantasy.
Finally, a new JRPG project, named Project Setsuna, being developed by a newly established studio, Tokyo RPG factory. Artwork of a snowy forest environment and mountainous regions were show off and the game is already under development with a planned global release in 2016.
That’s it! Yes I know what you’re thinking: no Final Fantasy XV. Even I was surprised. I was expecting a bit more, especially about Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV but there was still some tasty bits of information to digest. I will say though that the conference was a bit dull. There seemed to be next to no energy from the speakers and just felt a bit a stiff. It was no Bethesda and let’s be honest they set the bar pretty damn high.
That’s it! Yes I know what you’re thinking: no Final Fantasy XV. Even I was surprised. I was expecting a bit more, especially about Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV but there was still some tasty bits of information to digest. I will say though that the conference was a bit dull. There seemed to be next to no energy from the speakers and just felt a bit a stiff. It was no Bethesda and let’s be honest they set the bar pretty damn high.
Plenty of variety.
It may have lacked a certain something, but it's safe to say Square Enix's conference at least had some variety to it. We certainly cannot wait for some of these titles.
Did anything catch your fancy at the conference? Let us know in the comments below!
Did anything catch your fancy at the conference? Let us know in the comments below!
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