Square Enix Message Board older than one year ago

Last night, GameTrailers released the first gameplay trailer for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the third and (supposedly) final game to bear the Final Fantasy XIII name. The release seems to have been early, as the trailer was quickly pulled - but not before popping up on a bunch of different YouTube channels.

We've embedded one such rip above for your viewing pleasure. Highlights include a glimpse at the combat system, big courtyards and ravishing, hugely impractical outfits.

#finalfantasy More »

#finalfantasy Famed Japanese game maker Square Enix recently launched a new establishment called Artnia. More »

#finalfantasy Yesterday, Kotaku showed off the special (and totally bonkers) Metal Gear bento Sony created to mark the series' anniversary. That wasn't the only special bento. There was a Final Fantasy bento, too. More »

#bravelydefault Dear Square Enix, More »

I got lost in a forest once. Admittedly, there weren’t any horrific plane wrecks or crazy gibberish-screaming cultists, but I learned a lot. For instance, never go anywhere that’s not your own bedroom without some form of map, and also poison ivy is the absolute worst. But presumably, I gained some kind of applicable skill from that experience. According to Tomb Raider, however, the reason I haven’t figured it out yet is that I need to go sit at a camp fire and absorb its wisdom-imparting fumes. That’s the base camp system in a nutshell, and – in addition to making perfect sense – it provides Lara with quite a nice range of options in her bid to make it off the island in one piece. Raid the tombs beneath the break – coated in cobwebs and haunted by the ghostly echoes of pun threads long since passed – to see a video of it in action.

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#finalfantasy Don't get too excited just yet! It's only one Versus character (Noctis). And it's only one drawing. What's more, it looks vaguely like character art we saw earlier this year. But, it is apparently new, and it does feature other FF characters. Keep the dream alive! More »

A video series focused on Tomb Raider will dive deeper into the mechanics and story of Crystal Dynamics' reboot. Guide to Survival's first episode focuses on Basecamps, which Lara uses to apply skill points to upgrade her skills and equipment. She also uses fire to survive because tank top.

#finalfantasy Happy birthday, Final Fantasy! You were first released in Japan on December 18, 1987. You're 25. Good times. Now listen. We need to talk. More »

#finalfantasy We may know nothing official about the next generation of consoles, but we do know what Final Fantasy overseers Square Enix hope their games will look like on them, courtesy of its 2012 debut of the Luminous engine. More »

There are many new mechanics at play in Tomb Raider. Get an overview here.

#finalfantasy Sneaking past me onto iTunes this morning, DeNA's Asian import Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is now available for free download. Just don't expect much in the ways of bells or whistles. In fact, there's no sound at all. More »

Rage and Sleeping Dogs are getting new DLC expansions on PSN via next week's North American store update. As revealed by this week's PlayStation Blogcast, December 18 sees Rage receive the long-rumored 'The Scorchers' content, while Sleeping Dogs receives its second gameplay-extending DLC with the 'Zodiac Tournament Pack.'

Rage publisher Bethesda and developer id haven't disclosed any details on The Scorchers, although uncovered trophies suggest it brings a new job path and 'Ultra Nightmare Difficulty' to the shooter. As for Zodiac Tournament Pack, publisher Square Enix revealed it introduces a new island area to Sleeping Dogs, along with two unlockable outfits and some extra fighting moves to unleash.

The podcast also revealed Karateka makes the jump to PSN on December 18, along with PS3 digital downloads of Lego Lord of the Rings and Batman: Arkham Asylum.

We've reached out to publishers Square Enix and Bethesda for more information on the Sleeping Dogs and Rage DLC packs respectively.

#dragonquest Yes, right here! Watch it! Originally released in 2000 on the PlayStation, Dragon Quest VII is headed to the 3DS in Japan next February. More »

#yearinreview Square Enix. It's a name that evokes some powerful memories: what gamer hasn't formed some sort of emotional connection with games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest over the years? If you play video games, you've probably played something developed or published by Square Enix. They've got tentacles everywhere. More »

Square Enix is hosting another sale on its online store, one that actually appears to discount Hitman: Absolution for real. Basically, almost everything in the store is 50% off, with free shipping to the contiguous US states.

Some of the noteworthy offers, just from a quick overview, include $14 Dead Island ($10 on PC); $10 each for a bunch of standout DS games like Chrono Trigger DS, Exit, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, and both Space Invaders Extremes; Nier for $10; and more. Even DLC is on sale. Basically, if it's from Square Enix and from this generation, it's on sale.

Even iOS release Demons' Score is discounted, in its own offer. Through January 31, it's just 99 cents (down from $7), and the many, many in-app purchases are all cheaper.

Hitman: HD Trilogy is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 29, 2013 in North America, while Europeans and those in other PAL territories welcome it on February 1, publisher Square Enix confirmed this morning. The official announcement comes hot on the heels of a leak of the compilation's Amazon listing and achievements.

The collection includes high-def versions of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix states the contracted cost of the compilation is $39.99. Amazon, meanwhile, also suggests the availability of a Premium Edition, which according to the listing is at the same price. It includes an exclusive art book with 22 previously unseen depictions of memorable moments from the three games.

#culturesmash Sponsors make television possible. And in Japan, those sponsors dominate the commercial breaks. During each show, they even get one shout out right before a commercial break, with an announcer saying that the program is brought to you by whatever. Normal enough, right? The ensuing meme is anything but. More »

Achievements and Amazon.com listings appeared for Hitman Trilogy HD this week, the US retailer detailing release dates of January 29, 2013 for both Xbox 360 and PS3. Amazon also lists a price of $39.99, along with some snazzy box art, although publisher Square Enix has yet to officially announce the collection.

According to the listing, Trilogy HD includes high-def versions of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. The compilation first popped up in the summer, when it was listed by European retailers as a PS3 game called Hitman HD Collection. The achievements list courtesy of Xbox360Achievements, along with the trophy list uncovered by Exophase back in October, suggest that for whatever reason HD Collection may be the compilation's European name.

When approached, a Square Enix representative said the company cannot comment on rumor or speculation.

Survival can take on many shapes and forms. Thus far, for instance, Tomb Raider‘s demonstrated it through climbing, hunting, resting, and fleeing from deranged cultists – so, you know, the usual stuff. But this is an ultra-budget prequel to a series that once featured DINO-BATTLES. In other words, it’s not a slow-paced sink-or-swim sim. Lara has to acquire skills and character traits that will eventually allow her to – again, let me emphasize this – bring down a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Those abilities, it turns out, aren’t often found in the realm of possibility. So then, here’s Lara running, gunning, hacking, slashing, and just generally trying to cope with a world in which the walls, ground, and most aircraft are made entirely of light-breeze-sensitive explosives.

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In the latest Tomb Raider trailer, Lara Croft kills two men with a bow and arrows, after which she strangles a third. With the bow. Other things happen too, but ... damn.

Halo 4 is on sale for $39.99 on Amazon today, and comes with $10 in Amazon Instant Video credit. What was that you said? You have more money to spend? Well you're in luck, because a PC download of Hitman: Absolution is on sale for $29.99 on Amazon as well, with Xbox 360 and PS3 versions at $39.99.

Halo 4's Crimson Map Pack arrives December 10. For those without a calendar, that's tomorrow, which makes today's sale rather convenient.

#finalfantasy In celebration of the holidays and the impending release of the 3D Nintendo DS Final Fantasy IV remake on iOS. Square Enix has lined up a slew of iOS game sales, starting with slashed prices on those excellent-but-pricey mobile FF games. More »

Final Fantasy XIV caught me right at the tail end of my MMO junkie phase. I’d put a fairly significant amount of time into Final Fantasy XI before it, so I figured why not? And honestly, I have to give Final Fantasy XIV some credit: it replied to that question very, very quickly. It was as though Square had developed the thing inside a bubble. Reinforced by steel plate. On the surface of the moon. The number of incredibly bizarre, even-more-incredibly unintuitive design decisions was absolutely baffling. A brilliantly flexible class system gelled up its giant anime hair, picked up a slightly smaller blade, and attempted to save the day, but its quest was disastrously unsuccessful. Fortunately, Square decided to scrap the whole thing and start over from scratch. But what’ll the realm look like once it’s finally been reborn? Well, pretty familiar, if a new trailer’s anything to go on. But maybe not for the reason you think.

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#rant This is an intervention. While most of the gaming world has thankfully moved on from stupid countdown clocks designed to drum up silly publicity for forgettable games, Square Enix still clings to them. It's time for Square Enix to stop. Enough! More »

Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter (Arcade) – Stage, Demo, Video
Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter: Wings of Albaros (3DS) – Video
Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online (Wii, Wii U) – Stage, Video
Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden (3DS) – Demo, Video Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix (PS3) – Demo, Video
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, 360) – Video

If you logged online early enough today, you could have sent death threats to your friends on Facebook, courtesy of Square Enix and Agent 47 with the "Hire Hitman" app. Not only were these death threats, but they were full-on hits, with the targeted Facebook friend going through a process that flashed pictures from their profiles in front of their eyes before they were killed. To top it off, the hits were for awkwardly specific reasons such as "her ginger hair, her muffin top, her hairy legs," or "her small tits."

Yes, this was a real thing you could do this morning. Square Enix since removed the app, not long after launching it. We can't imagine why, though Square sent over a statement that cleared it up nicely:

"Earlier today we launched an app based around Hitman: Absolution that allowed you to place virtual hits on your Facebook friends. Those hits would only be viewable by the recipient and could only be sent to people who were confirmed friends. We were wide of the mark with the app and following feedback from the community we decided the best thing to do was remove it completely and quickly. This we've now done. We're sorry for any offence caused by this."

This attempt at crude viral marketing is reminiscent of other hackneyed ads, such as Resident Evil 6's human butcher, Resident Evil 5's real-world severed-limb hunt, the brass knuckles EA sent us and quickly requested back for Godfather 2, or The Walking Dead FPS' necklace of human ears. Rockstar similarly caved under pressure with Bully in the UK, changing the name to Canis Canem Edit after a maelstrom of hyperbolic public attention labeled the game a "Columbine simulator."

If you want to experience the Hire Hitman app - too bad, because it's gone. Take This Lollipop, however, is still live on Facebook and uses the same premise, though it doesn't allow users to engage in name-calling, bigotry, death threats or misogyny.

A lot can happen in the span of two hours. In Tomb Raider, I witnessed a young Lara Croft change from unsure archaeologist assistant to a survivor, willing to do whatever it takes to save her friends and protect herself.

Tomb Raider is a reboot of the iconic series and heroine therein, and the story of a world-class explorer coming into her own. After being stranded on an island seemingly lost to the world since World War II, the naive youngster grows into the confident and strong Lara Croft we've known all along.

Square Enix aims to patch Hitman: Absolution on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sometime next week. The update is intended to fix crashing issues with the console versions, reported in notable numbers on official forums. They arose soon after the game's November 20 release, but a fix hasn't yet been provided. If the crash occurs while the game's autosaving, save files can become corrupted and result in hours of lost progress.

Square Enix community and social media head Phil Elliott apologized for the ongoing issue on the game's official forums, noting "the lack of information [made available] is less than optimal." Elliott said the patch has to be internally tested before being approved by Microsoft and Sony, and as such Square Enix can't confirm an exact release date.

Meanwhile, PC players can sneak, dress up, and mulch in the knowledge that their version received its first patch last week. Among other fixes, the patch addresses problems with transferring unlocks over from Hitman: Sniper Challenge.

Hitman: Absolution's Deus Ex: Human Revolution DLC garb, which launched a couple weeks back with the game, has a newly released trailer featuring the futuristic fashion Agent 47 can wear on his latest contract.