Square Enix Message Board older than one year ago

Impressive multiplayer World War II project Heroes & Generals has reached its “hey, everyone, let’s beta test” stage, and we’d suggest you take a look. Reto-Moto have been working like heroes (and generals) for years and months to get this game into the state it is now, which is pretty impressive. You’ll glimpse a bit of that by taking a look at the video below, or indeed grabbing a key from here and playing it for yourself.

And here’s some information about the latest build of the game.(more…)

#yoshitakaamano Yoshitaka Amano has an impressive resume that's a lot more than just Final Fantasy. Before joining Square Enix, he designed characters for a slew of classic anime, such as Gatchaman. And since stepping down as lead character creator after Final Fantasy VI, Amano has teamed up with a variety of folks, including Neil Gaiman. More »

These screens for Hitman HD Trilogy, Square Enix's hi-def collection that includes Hitman: Contracts, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Hitman: Blood Money, show off each game's improved look. The collection will launch January 29 in North America and February 1 in Europe on PS3 and Xbox 360 for $39.99.

#randomencounters Civilization creator Sid Meier once famously said that a game is "a series of interesting decisions." More »

Lightning is Final Fantasy's first female lead, at least according to Square Enix.

This may come as a surprise to fans of Final Fantasy VI, which ostensibly starred Terra, the amnesiac magic user who gradually discovers her roots as an esper. But Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII director and series veteran Motomu Toriyama (who came in on Final Fantasy VII, it should be mentioned) has an explanation.

"We feel that every person within the party [in Final Fantasy VI] is a main character, but we feel Lightning is very impactful as the main female protagonist in the Final Fantasy series." Toriyama says. "Not only is she the first female protagonist, she is very powerful, cool, calm, and collected. So we believe that is another attractive feature of hers."

Toriyama says the goal is to flesh Lightning out and make her more than a high-flying Cloud expy: "Upon considering the development of Lightning Returns, throughout this Lightning Saga she has been depicted as this cool and powerful woman, but by the same measure she's been so cool that she's also come off as aloof. We want to expand on her character some so we can have everyone fall in love with her even more."

"Love" might be a bit strong in this instance. She was certainly one of Final Fantasy XIII's more successful elements, but her overall lack of depth made it too difficult to really become attached to her as a character. Still, when Final Fantasy XIII-2 arrived last year, Toriyama says that Square Enix heard from fans who wondered when Lightning would be back in a starring role. Hence, Lightning Returns.

Crystal Dynamics is not planning to release a Tomb Raider demo before the game launches on March 5.

"For all those @tombraider fans asking. There are no plans to release a demo of the game pre-launch. We don't want to spoil the story," tweeted Global Brand Director Karl Stewart. "We've weaved such an personal story we don't believe spoiling it by having you wait a week or so to play on, delivers on our promise."

While pre-release demos are typical, it's not rare to see them pop up after the game arrives on retail shelves. Nonetheless, the news and the reasons given by Stewart are somewhat surprising given how much exposure the game's opening act has already received. A different part of the game may make for a better demo, but would lack the context Crystal Dynamics has crafted in this story-driven reboot.

#finalfantasy Every time someone puts on sunglasses and utters a pithy remark, a "Won't Get Fooled Again" scream gets its wings. More »

#finalfantasy Yesterday, I attended a press junket for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the latest in the megaseries and our first chance to see the game in action. The game, from what little we saw, could be cool. The press junket, on the other hand, wasn't great. We got very little new info that isn't already in the game's Final Fantasy Wiki entry. We spent a good chunk of time watching an extended cut of the trailer that we've already seen. There was a brief gameplay demo that raised more questions than it answered. More »

#playthis If you're looking for a mildly interactive trip through the history of the Final Fantasy franchise and don't mind shelling out a little more than $50 for the complete experience, Final Fantasy: All the Bravest might be a justifiable purchase. If you're just in it for the gameplay you can save a lot of time and money by pulling up this video and rubbing your monitor. More »

You can slide, jump, and cart your way through Temple Run 2 from today, as the game is now available on the App Store for free. As for Android, developer Imangi Studios told Polygon it's aiming to bring the sequel there sometime next week.

Unsurprisingly, Temple Run 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel that spun the original to over 170 million downloads. There is a noticeable bump in visual quality, minus the occasional pop-up which thankfully doesn't incur slowdown. In addition to expected increases in obstacles, power-ups, achievements and so on, there are also mine cart and zip line sequences to mix up all that endless running a smidge.

Also out today is Final Fantasy All The Bravest, Square Enix's frenzied iOS take on Active Time Battle. It's available on the App Store, priced at $3.99.

#finalfantasy As mentioned earlier, Final Fantasy All The Bravest is strictly combat. Square Enix just released this launch trailer for the iOS game showing how insane that can get in parties this size. The trailer also gives you a look at how the old-school jobs, sprites and music are integrated into the game. More »

#finalfantasy The new Final Fantasy game is indeed Final Fantasy All the Bravest, for iOS devices, a spinoff combat-only title. It hit the New Zealand iTunes store a couple hours ago. Square Enix had said to expect an announcement on this tomorrow. Well, it's already tomorrow in New Zealand. More »

#finalfantasy So Square Enix has a new teaser up for a game that they'll announce on Thursday. The most plausible theory: it's a totally new, original iOS game called Final Fantasy: All The Bravest. More »

You know how they make those designer jeans that look like you've owned 'em for 30 years, despite being brand new and insanely expensive? Well, this is like that, but for an Xbox 360.

Launching in March, the official Tomb Raider Limited Edition Wireless Controller will cost $60 and come bundled with a code for exclusive character DLC; a hooded, goggled archer that can be seen in the video above. The controller itself features multiple layers of paint and laser etching, so not only does it look beat to hell but it'll feel that way too.

As per usual with special edition Xbox 360 pads, it's also equipped with one of those nifty transforming D-pads, though whether the D-pad has been artificially aged like a too-expensive guitar replica is unknown.

#2013 And so this is 2013, and what have we done? Another year over, and a new one's just begun… Holiday songs aside, 2013 is upon us, and that means reflecting on the past year and looking forward to things to come. This week, Weekly Famitsu asked several Japanese game developers about their plans for 2013. Each company answered with a keyword or phrase and a brief overview of their plans for the upcoming year. Here's what some of them had to say. More »

#finalfantasy Earlier this week, I talked to some game developers about why they love Final Fantasy Tactics. But beloved or not, man, does this game have a steep learning curve. More »

Creative director Noah Hughes chats with us as we play Tomb Raider's Private Rescue mode.

Creative director Noah Hughes chats with us as we play Tomb Raider's Team Deathmatch mode.

#finalfantasy Boy, do people love Final Fantasy Tactics. They love it so much they'd marry it, if human-video-game marriage were legal. It's a desert-island game for approximately 70% of the video gaming population; it's been replayed more often than The White Album. More »

#finalfantasy Gotta give Final Fantasy studio Square Enix this: man, they can sure make dazzling cutscenes. Here is the new prologue for the revamped Final Fantasy XIV. More »

Bigger, better, and more for Final Fantasy XI.

#tombraider A recent retail listing in the UK indicated that Tomb Raider's 2013 reboot will have a multiplayer mode, with playable characters including "Lara's Shipmates or Yamatai's Scavengers." In a Tweet today, an executive for Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics confirmed that the game would have multiplayer, and that details are forthcoming in the next Official Xbox Magazine. More »

Lara Croft's upcoming adventure may have a multiplayer component, reports All Games Beta. A product listing on the UK retailer GAME listed multiplayer as a key feature in the new Tomb Raider, specifically stating that players will be able to "play a variety of multiplayer modes as Lara's Shipmates or Yamatai's Scavengers." The description has since been removed from the product page.

Square Enix recently teased a "special secret announcement" in a video released earlier this year, promising that it would "change the way you play Tomb Raider forever." Assuming GAME's info was accurate, a multiplayer mode would certainly be new territory for the Tomb Raider series. We just hope there isn't a "Lara vs. Exotic Animals" mode. The animals wouldn't stand a chance.

#finalfantasy This one is called the Tam-Tara Deepcroft, an instanced dungeon from Final Fantasy XIV. The above video footage shows what this dungeon will look like in version 2.0 of the game, A Realm Reborn, which will launch next year for PC and PS3. Cool music. Reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics. More »

#finalfantasy By now, most fans have seen the trailer for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and are at least partly aware of the new game system that will involve a limited time of 13 days in which Lightning must save the world. More »

#playthis While not the best Final Fantasy game of all-time (in my reality that's IX), Final Fantasy IV was one of the first role-playing games to feature a deep, character-driven plot and introduced the world to the Active Time Battle system, adding an element of urgency to pressing one button over and over again. That's at least $16 worth of value right there. More »

Remember that trailer for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII that leaked out a few days ago? Forget that happened, since Square Enix slightly altered and re-launched it. Disregard all the parts of it that are identical, or all the footage that you swear you've seen before.

One of the only differences that stands out in the remixed trailer is the music, really. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is heading to Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013.

#dragonquest Square Enix was at Jump Festa 2013 this year (as is obvious from the demo for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX that was on display. Another remake on display was Dragon Quest 7. More »

#finalfantasy More »

Square Enix launched Final Fantasy IV today for iOS at a premium price, but if you're looking for other classic Square Enix RPGs for less, the company is having a mega sale on most of its iOS titles.

Classic RPG highlights include Chrono Trigger for $7 ($2 off), Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions ($8 and $9 on iPhone and iPad, respectively, normally $16 and $18) and The World Ends With You: Solo Remix for $13 on iPhone and $14 on iPad. There's many more titles on discount, check them all out on Square Enix's site.