If you’ve always wanted to a visual tour of what awaits you in Square Enix’s upcoming open-world title, then this Sleeping Dogs 101 trailer is for you.

The video features actual in-game footage, so not only does it provide you with a guide of all the game’s features and story, but it also teases all the fun you will have once the game launches August 14. Our preview with the game’s producer highlights many of the game’s features showcased in the trailer, so if you want to know how the game feels, give a read.

For a more visual treat, check some new screenshots of the game below.

While anyone can pre-order Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] and get a few AR cards, serious Kingdom Hearts aficionados will want to feast their eyes on the game’s Mark of Mastery box set.

Commemorating the franchise’s 10th anniversary, the special edition of the game will come in a snazzy magnetic box and will include a branded clear hard case skin cover and 12 art cards. The game will also come with five AR cards that will unlock creature companions known as Dream Eaters in the game.

The Mark of the Mastery box set is priced at $54.99

Heroes of Ruin impressed us with its mission-based gameplay at PAX East last month, but the game is also coming with some features that are not too common on the 3DS including voice chat and a fluid drop-in-drop-out campaign mode.

This bustling RPG encourages players to play it with others and will come with daily Spot Pass challenges, Street Pass item trading, and other features that will make you reconsider playing it solo. Check out our preview to learn more about the game and watch the trailer below to see some of these multiplayer features in action.

Crystal Dynamics is pushing back the release date of its upcoming Tomb Raider reboot to ensure your next adventure with Lara Croft is perhaps the best one yet.

One of the most common reasons companies delay the launch of their games is for quality purposes. It’s no surprise then, that Darrell Gallagher, Head of Crystal Dynamics, told fans on the Crystal Dynamics forums that their reasoning behind the delay is to ensure they “fully deliver the very highest quality game.”

“When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about,” wrote Gallagher. “The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really proud to be a part of.

“We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve. We believe this is the right choice and I guarantee it will be worth the wait. ”

Gallagher also gave us a sneak peek at what we might see at E3 with the inclusion of the above image titled “The Reach.” Last year’s demo showed Lara navigating some underground caverns, so perhaps this year’s playthrough will take her out into the wilderness.

Soure: Crystal Dynamics

One of the first things we noticed when playing the Sleeping Dogs demo at PAX East was its great melee system, heavily inspired by Hong Kong films that often put protagonists, like the game’s own Wei Shen, against a mob of enemies unlikely to win.

The game’s new combat trailer shows off the undercover cop’s martial arts moves and also highlights different attacks and combos you can upgrade as you progress through the game. Also, because the in-game world of Hong Kong is huge and has plenty of things to interact with, you’ll also be able to use your environment to your advantage when in combat. Ever feel like throwing someone into a rotating fan? Well, now you can.

Sleeping Dogs is scheduled for release on August 14.

In Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Sora won’t be joined by his old pals Donald and Goofy, but will have to rely instead on the help of various Dream Eaters in battle. Each Dream Eater has unique powers and abilities and you can recruit over 50 unique colorful creatures during your adventure.

Square Enix wants to give players a few new friends when starting their game and will be providing special augmented reality cards to unlock two special Dream Eaters for those who pre-order Dream Drop Distance. One AR card will randomly unlock one of the three rare Dream Eaters: Ursa Circus, Sudo Neku or Meowjesty. The second AR card unlocks R&R Seal Dream Eater, and the last AR card unlocks a 360° viewing stand.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will be available on July 31.

Hitman: Absolution is making its way to consoles and PC on November 20, but before you get your hands on Agent 47′s latest chapter, Square Enix wants to challenge your sniping skills first.

Available only for those who pre-order the game at GameStop, Hitman: Sniper Challenge is a downloadable taste of the game that also doubles as a contest. The game will put players behind a balcony and will task them with taking out Richard Strong, Jr., CEO of Stallion Armaments, and his staff of bodyguards. Your goal is to score as high as you can, discovering kill multipliers and added bonuses for hiding dead bodies. Online leaderboards will track everyone’s progress, and the top score by November 20 will win a trip for two to Copenhagen, Denmark where they will meet with the Hitman development team and have their likeness incorporated into the “next Hitman game.” Pre-oders for the game and the Sniper Challenge begin May 15.

Did Square Enix indirectly just confirm that another Hitman game is in the works? One thing’s for sure however, this pre-order incentive sure beats getting a code for an in-game weapon.

Have you met Agent 47? If you’ve been a fan of his games, you might heard of the guy. He’s regarded by many as the world’s deadliest assassin, and this new trailer of Hitman: Absolution will showcase how skillful he truly is.

The trailer was created entirely from original gameplay moments, and hopes to show off  the richness, depth and possibilities surrounding the living and breathing world of the game. Each choice you make can truly change your gaming experience, so whether you play as a stealth ninja or a ruthless killer, you’ll be sure to learn why Agent 47 looks so angry.

Click here to watch Agent 47 in action.

Square Enix today announced it has  opened sign-ups for a special fan event to promote its upcoming title Quantum Conundrum.

The publisher is teaming up with iam8bit Productions to create the ultimate fan experience. Without going into much detail, Square Enix invites fans to volunteer for a “special, multi-dimensional production” in the Los Angeles area this May. That’s “all they can say.”

Participants must be at least 18 years of age, available during the days of Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 in the Los Angeles area. You can sign up for the event by visiting this website. Only 50 fans will be chosen.

iam8bit is known for creating elaborate game-themed experiences and exhibits, so whatever it is might perhaps tie in with the game’s unique physics puzzles. Maybe fans will get to enter an anti-gravity chamber and compete to solve logic puzzles as fast as they can? Who knows!

Quantum Conundrum will release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this summer.

Square Enix today announced that its highly anticipated Wii MMORPG Dragon Quest X will be released in Japan on August 2. The game will release in two versions: a standard version costing  ¥6,980 (US$87.25) and one that comes with a USB memory card for ¥8,980 (US$112.25.) Both versions of the game will come with a token that will allow online play free for 20 days.

Being an online MMORPG, the game will require an online subscription to play. Prices start at ¥1,000 (US$12.50) for 30 days, ¥1,950 (US$24.80) for 60 days, and up to ¥2,900 (US$36.25) for 90 days of online use. This gives players access to create up to three characters. Square Enix is also planning to host “Kid’s Time” periods, mostly geared towards children, when users can go online and play for free. More details on this will be revealed later on.

Dragon Quest X will come on two discs and will require a USB memory card of at least 16GB to play. The game will support the regular Wii controller, Classic controller, Classic controller PRO, and a USB keyboard for messaging.

Back when Dragon Quest X was announced last year at the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo also stated that it is releasing a separate Wii U version of the game that will allow cross-platform interaction with the Wii version. There is no word yet on whether the Wii version will also makes its way to the US or if we will simply have to wait for it to be released on Wii U.

Source: 4Gamer.net
Via: Kotaku

The World Ends With You came out in the US back in 2008. Its catchy soundtrack and unique dual-screen battle system made it stand out from most DS games released at the time. Since then, fans have been wanting a sequel, and it sounds like the game’s co-creator Tetsuya Nomura was listening.

Rhyme, one of the characters from TWEWY, makes a cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, another one of Nomura’s games. In an interview in the latest issue of Nintendo Dream, he states that the team decided to give Rhyme lines and a voice actor ”with the future of The World Ends With You series in mind.”

What’s more, Nomura also finished the interview by further hinting at a sequel and saying, ”Regarding The World Ends With You, I can’t say anything right now… (laughs). But there probably is something.”

Considering the original game did a great job implementing gameplay on both DS screens, its sequel could do an even better job with the 3DS’s added features. The game could let players trade battle pins, have Street Pass battles, and so much more. We’ll just have to wait and sit tight for more updates!

Via: Andriasang

If you read our preview for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and love the game as much as we did, you’re probably already planning to get the game the day it comes out. Why not pre-order it and get a neat stylus for your 3DS too?

Customers who pre-order Theatrhythm will receive a gripped stylus and a sheet of 17 stickers to customize it with their favorite Final Fantasy characters. The game comes out July 3.

Playing Sleeping Dogs was one of my highlights of PAX East 2012, and it looks like people will soon be able to experience it for themselves as today Square Enix announced the game’s release date of August 14 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Also revealed were some pre-order incentives from Best Buy, GameStop, and Amazon:

Best Buy: ‘Georges St. Pierre (GSP)’ Pack:

·         GSP’s signature “flying punch”
·         Exclusive GSP outfit including T-shirts, headband and shorts
·         GSP’s outfit unlocks the “flying punch” and increases grappling and throwing damage

GameStop: ‘Police Protection’ Pack:

·         Exclusive “High Speed” Mission
·         Exclusive HK Police SWAT Outfit
·         Exclusive assault rifle
·         Exclusive SWAT Police Vehicle

Amazon: ‘Martial Arts’ Pack:

·         Shaolin Showdown Mission
·         Shaolin Warrior outfit (with increased striking damage)
·         Bonus Triad XP points
·         Wing Chun decoration for safehouse (with temporary combat buff)

Exclusive content for the digitally downloadable PC version of Sleeping Dogs will be announced at a later date.

Heroes of Ruin is a multiplayer action RPG being developed by n-Space that hopes to bring a few new features to the 3DS it hasn’t seen before. During PAX East, I got to play a demo alongside the team’s senior designer Charles Valentine Stuard, who not only guided me through the game’s basics, but also saved my life a few times mid-battle.

Upon first glance, Heroes of Ruin reminded me a lot of another Square Enix published title Dungeon Siege III, both by its fantasy setting and its quest-driven gameplay. Playing from an isometric perspective, up to four players can embark on a quest to find the cure for the king of Nexus, who has been poisoned by a terrible curse. The game offers many side-quests aside from the main story-driven ones, with one quest allowed active at a time. Because dungeons randomly generate, you’ll also never feel like you’re playing the same exact game.

The best way to experience Heroes of Ruins is to play it with other people. Once I joined Stuard’s host game, I got to choose my hero and customize his appearance, clothing, and even give him a name. The final game will have four characters to choose from including the heavy-hitting Savage and the Alchitect, the game’s mage. The demo I played, however, only had the gun-wielding Gunslinger and heavily armored Vindicator to choose from.

I chose the Gunslinger and Stuard played as the armored Vindicator. My character did basic attacks with the B button, and pressing or holding the A button let him perform his chargeable scatter-shot attack. The remaining face buttons come into play when characters level up and learn new special moves. While you can charge some moves, most are quick to come out. Not only that, but I also noticed that the energy meter that depletes when you perform special moves refills rather quickly. The game is action-oriented, Stuard said, so he wanted players to be able to attack right away rather than worry about what they were allowed to do.

Making our way through the labyrinthine forest level meant running into swarms of undead enemies and the occasional puzzle too. The puzzle we encountered required us to light up four runes by hitting them, but each attack also shut off a different one. Stuard stood back while I solved it, and explained that when playing with a party of four, some puzzles can be solved a lot more easily and quickly than if it’s just one or two people playing. Teamwork is definitely important, even during battles. Spiders can trap you with their web, and while you can tap buttons to escape, it’s a lot more effective if your teammate comes to free you.

Monsters you defeat give you experience points and drop loot that you can pick up, equip, or sell at the touch of a button, and standing over an item lets you see its attributes. It’s literally first come first serve when it comes to getting items, so if you don’t want an item, just don’t get it. You can also drop them or trade them with your teammates for loot or gold. Stuard also explained the Traders Network that sends any item you sell to anyone’s store you make contact with via Street Pass. With over 80,000 items in the game, this looks very promising.

The last part of the demo had us facing a mini-boss that mostly required us to mash buttons to whittle down her health. When someone dies, that person gets sent to the last checkpoint. If all party members get wiped out, they will need to restart that quest from the beginning. Stuard mentioned that heroes have certain synergies with one another, so the most efficient party has one of every hero. We still managed to defeat the boss with ease, even though I did die a few times.

Stuard and I played a local game, but Heroes of Ruin will also provide lots of online features not seen in a 3DS game before. Online matches are conveniently drop-in drop-out, so even if your friends leave your game unexpectedly, the enemy’s levels will be adjusted right away so you can continue playing by yourself. You can also chat with your friends using the 3DS’s microphone or by plugging in almost any headset, adding greatly to game’s already social aspect.

With over 15 hours of gameplay, customizable characters, an extensive inventory, and randomly generated dungeons, RPG fans and 3DS owners are in for a treat when Heroes of Ruin comes out on June 23.

Sleeping Dogs is shaping up to be an amazing title. Not only is the game’s back-story deep and engaging, but its hand-to-hand combat system is fluid and fun. (For more insight into the game, check out my preview.)

It looks like Sleeping Dogs is about to get even better now that Square Enix and United Front Games have announced their partnership with highly acclaimed mixed martial arts champion Georges St-Pierre who is sharing his expertise on elements of the game including its combat system.

“Working with Square Enix has been an incredible opportunity,” said St-Pierre. “I’m really impressed to see how the hand-to-hand combat in the game is shaping up – it’s been a great experience being involved.”

Sleeping Dogs lets players take on the role of Wei Shen, an undercover cop sent to Hong Kong to infiltrate the Triad organization. The open-world game is expected to release this Fall on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

This weekend at PAX East I had the opportunity to sit down with Sleeping Dogs and United Front Games producer Dan Sochan and play a demo of the open-world game that takes players on a trip to Hong Kong. You play as Detective Wei Shen, an undercover officer sent back to his homeland to infiltrate the Triad organization. If all this sounds a tad familiar, that’s because it is.

Much of the story’s plot was influenced by the Hong Kong crime-thriller Infernal Affairs. Much of the game’s mechanics are based on those previously seen in other games. But, you see, all these influences aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Sleeping Dogs brings everything other games have done right in an attempt to do it better.

One of the first things I noticed about the game was its open-world environment. Sochan told me he and his team visited Hong Kong to really capture the realism of the city. Streets are lined with storefronts that glimmer at night and tight alleyways are situated right beside high-rise towers. His team’s goal wasn’t to recreate a geographically correct city, but instead incorporate its essence into what works for the game and its various missions.

As I made my way through the streets and had to chase after one of Wei’s targets, I noticed the controls were very contact-sensitive and allowed me to dodge people I was running into simply by tilting the analog stick. Jumping on ledges was also a matter of pressing the A button in front of them. Pressing it quickly during a run, allowed me to climb it instantly, but stopping and then pressing the button made for a slower climb.

Combat in the game focuses on melee attacks such as punches and jabs but also incorporates grapple moves that let Wei use the environment to his advantage. You can grab enemies and push them into certain items like dumpster, or you can press the same grab button when the enemy is near a rotating fan, for example, to finish them off. Wei can also counter-attack if you press the Y button right when an exclamation mark appears over an enemy’s head. This fluid combat system reminded me a lot of the more recent Batman games that let you go from one attack to the next in quick succession. As you progress through the game, you gain experience points to upgrade your combat moves or purchase new ones.

Sochan also told me that the game’s combat drew heavy inspiration from films where the protagonist is outnumbered by a group of enemies. In these scenes and in Sleeping Dogs, enemies take turns coming at you, so you have a greater chance of survival. You’re not Batman, and so must rely on more ground-based attacks like fancy martial arts combos. Much of the light humor of these films is also evident in the game’s occasionally humorous cut-scenes.

The next part of the demo took me to the second-to-last mission in the game that involved a scene where Wei was being tortured by his kidnappers. Sochan mentioned that his team did research and interviewed Triad members who detailed their experiences within the organization to portray the Triads in the game as accurately as possible.

After escaping from their hideout, I was introduced to the game’s shooting mechanics, a combat system that wasn’t planned to be included from the beginning. Guns can’t be stowed away, and instead, are treated like special power-ups that augment Wei’s melee skills. Personally, I preferred playing through the hand-to-hand portion of the demo a lot more just because the combat system was more my style. Even so, these gun-heavy parts still included a lot of running, ducking and covering behind destructible barriers that added to the action in the game. I especially liked the slow-mo effect that takes place when you get out of cover to quickly shoot your gun. Very John Woo.

The final part of the demo allowed me to drive around the city and engage in some street racing. The race portions of the game are not forced, but instead tie in with the story’s main plot and missions. Races take place on Hong Kong’s wider streets and give you a decent control of your vehicle even around tight corners. Depending how you drive, whether you run over civilians or not, your score will differ and you’ll accumulate either Triad points or Police points. These are unrelated to the way others perceive your character or the story’s plot, but they encourage players to replay missions in various ways. There is, however, the reputation-based Face System that is affected by the missions you accomplish and gives you certain bonuses when shopping or exploring the city.

While there will be no direct multiplayer, the game will let you track your records like race times, headshots, and other achievements, and compete with others via online leaderboards.

Sleeping Dogs isn’t trying to compete with the big boys. It’s fine with that. Sochan’s goal is to create a very tight experience lasting over 20 hours, making all its individual game elements “genre-defining.”

Watch for Sleeping Dogs when it releases this Fall.

One of my favorite handheld titles of PAX East 2012 was Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Square Enix’s first rhythm game that actually incorporates the traditional RPG elements you’d expect from a Final Fantasy title. This year marks the franchise’s 25th year anniversary, so what better way to celebrate it than to release a game that lets fans revisit their favorite titles, even if it’s just through their music.

The game I played was essentially a finished version, so I had access to all of its modes and settings. Series mode is the closest thing to a “story” the game has to offer and lets you play through every numerical Final Fantasy game from I through XIII. Your party starts out with four characters, ranging from the generic mage or warrior to more important protagonists like Squall or Lightning. Each Final Fantasy game has a set of familiar songs and three different stage styles – field, battle, and event.

While each one is a little different in how they present the notes on the screen, every stage requires you to tap your screen in tune with the music. Field stages are side-scrolling and involve tapping notes, swiping them in different directions, and holding your stylus down to follow a trail. Battle stages directly involve your characters, whose success in battle depends on your accuracy and note-tapping combos. Get enough combos and your party can summon favorites like Shiva and Ifrit to decimate bosses. Finally, event stages play out like stages in Elite Beat Agents, where notes appear on-screen while a crucial cut-scene from the original game plays.

The game’s RPG elements come into play when you finish each stage. Your final score provides experience points for your characters that can level up, get stronger, and even learn new abilities. You’ll also get presents the higher you score that your characters can equip. These items, like gloves, armor, and other Final Fantasy classics, will not only raise their attacks, but they will also give you advantages when tapping notes on the screen. For example, some items make it easier to hit a note perfectly and let you adjust their timing – think Groove Coaster.

Series mode lets you play through a game’s three stages consecutively, but if you want to just pick any song, Challenge mode lets you do so. Successful scores in each song also unlock it at higher difficulties.

The last mode I tried was Chaos Shrine Mode, which was described to me by a Square Enix rep as the game’s most challenging mode. Not only does it include 99 levels of high difficulty music, but you can also play this mode with up to three other friends. Here is where you can also unlock rare items and even more powerful party members. Some songs are only available to play in this mode as well.

I had a blast playing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. The game was easy to pick up and unlike other rhythm games, its robust RPG elements and unlockables make it a game I can’t wait to dive into once it comes out on July 3.

What words come to mind when you hear the word Prada? Could it be fashion, luxury…chocobos? Be sure to add that last one to your list.

Square Enix has teamed up with the Italian clothing brand to turn some of its recent characters into fashion models. Characters from Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 games such as Lightning, Snow, and Sazh will showcase Prada’s 2012 Spring and Summer men’s collection in the next issue of Arena Homme+ fashion magazine.

“I’ve always been interested by the power of videogames and their place in society, and the amount of work that’s gone into this project blows my mind,” editor of Arena Homme+ Max Pearmain said. “We’re incredibly pleased with the result.”

The character models were developed by Square Enix’s world leading Visual Works studio in Japan. They will be featured in a 12-page spread in the magazine out April 12.

If you have yet to register for Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East or are having second thoughts about going to the biggest gaming expo on the east coast, you better make up your mind fast as Friday and Sunday passes for this weekend’s event are quickly disappearing.

“Only a few hundred Friday passes left. Probably sell out in a 2-3 days at this rate,” announced the official Twitter account for PAX, the three-day event that had sold out its three day passes a couple of months ago.

PAX East and its west coast cousin PAX Prime are one of the only occasions fans can play some big-name games before they are released. Here’s a quick list of some of the games, demos, and previews the big developers and publishers will be showcasing this weekend.

Square Enix (Booth 850)

Sleeping Dogs, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Quantum Conundrum, Heroes of Ruin, Wafku, Risen 2: Dark Waters

Microsoft (Booth 524)

Crimson Dragon, Deadlight, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Trials Evolution, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, Fable: Heroes, Kinect Sports: Season  Two, Kinect Star Wars, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor

Nintendo (Booth 412)

Mario Power Tennis Open, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 7, Resident Evil Revelations, Ketzal’s Corridors, Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword, Pushmo, Dillon’s Rolling Western

2K Games (Booths 924, 936, 1036)

Borderlands 2, Spec Ops: The Line, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Civilization V: Gods & Kings

Rockstar (Booth 912)

Max Payne 3

Sega (Booths 448, 548)

Hell Yeah, Sonic 4 Episode 2, Jet Set Radio, Virtua Fighter 5: Showdown, Virtua Tennis Challenge, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, House of the Dead 4, Aliens Colonial Marines

Ubisoft (Booth 824, 836)

Assassin’s Creed III (footage,) Far Cry 3, Mad Riders, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online, I Am Alive, Babel Rising, Monster Burner, MotoHeroz, Prince of Persia Classic HD

Reverb Publishing (Booth 808)

Girl Fight, Wheels of Destruction, Black Knight Sword, Bang Bang Racing, JAM Live Music Arcade, Primal Carnage (booth 1167,) Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat, Shoot Many Robots (booth 612,) Dungeon Defenders, Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad, Country Dance All Stars,

Paradox Interactive (Booth 368)

War of the Roses, The Showdown Effect

Perfect World (Booth 736)

Neverwinter, Blacklight: Retribution, RaiderZ

Don’t forget too that aside from these studios, other, lesser known, developers will be there as well, so be sure to check them out. You never know what indie game will be the next Journey!

Square Enix today released a new batch of screenshots for their upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance that showcase the game’s gorgeous opening CG movie created by the always impressive Visual Works studio.

Kingdom Hearts 3D, the series’ first 3D game, will follow King Mickey and Yen Sid as they prepare for an impending threat by putting Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam. In order to be deemed true Keyblade Masters, Sora and Riku are sent into the Sleeping Worlds, facing enemies and allies that have never been seen before.

Take a look at the screenshots below and prepare for the game when it comes out later this year.

The Final Fantasy series has been around for a long time and has spawn several hit titles since its very first eponymous game back  in 1987. This year marks its 25th anniversary as well as the release of its first ever rhythm game: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy brings “more than 70 musical scores spanning 25 years.” The game is a hybrid RPG with music game elements and will have players tapping their 3DS screens to the beat of classic tunes. The game has already been met with favorable reviews in Japan and will make its way to western shores this summer.

We live in a society obsessed with perfecting the human image. These shoes will make you run faster, this drink gives you more stamina and this surgery will irresistible to the opposite sex. The world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a futuristic look at where that society is headed, and it’s a grim one.  Competing biotech corporations are augmenting people with new limbs and new senses, but a secret war for these technologies is brewing and innocent lives are being put at risk for this war.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the latest chapter in the long running, critic and cult favorite series casts players in the middle of this war and gives them the freedom to decide just how it pans out. Your choices have a tremendous amount of weight and as such, the replay factor is through the roof. Deus Ex is not just a tremendous action game, it’s a gripping and satisfying tale that hits all (well, most) of the right notes to leave you on the edge of your seat.

Human Revolution casts you in the role of Adam Jensen, chief security officer for Sarif Industries, one of the leading Biotechnology companies on the planet. Sarif is on the verge of a major breakthrough, and could unlock the full potential of the human body, but they have their detractors. Not only are their rival companies attempting to steal their information and ideas by any means necessary, they also have a number of “purists” who believe that their work is wrong. On a routine mission, Jensen is attacked and left for dead, leading him to augmented with the company’s own technology.  What results is your quest  to unravel a global conspiracy and find your attackers.

Human Revolution is so gripping because it deals with issues that though they may be a ways off, are very possible in today’s society, but just how deep you dive into the mythos of the game is completely up to you – and that’s where the game truly begins to shine.   A lot of games can claim to give you choices, but very few give you the freedom that Deus Ex offers. Each mission gives you a few basic choices, for instance if you want a weapon to take out enemies from a distance or close-up, but you never feel like the game is guiding you in a certain direction. You’re merely dropped into a mission and asked to complete it in whichever way you prefer. Go through and take out

Deus Ex allows players to take on missions anyway they want.

I often found myself going the other route; sneaking around missions and avoiding enemy contact whenever possible. This is where Deus Ex is at its most gripping, enemy AI is astoundingly good, responding to everything from noise to suspicious activity and yes, even unconscious bodies if you don’t hide them well enough. You’ll genuinely have to plan a strategy and think about how you’re going to do things before leaping right in, as getting caught often leads to having to think on the fly, and adopt a new strategy.  The way you play not only has an effect on the game’s missions, but the way the game itself plays out, as certain actions will open up new interactions and side missions that further delve deep into the world of Deus Ex.

There is something to say though for how satisfying and remarkably realistic the game’s gunplay is. Throughout the game (especially if you choose to shoot first and ask questions later), you’ll gain access to a lot of different weapons, and each feels like its weighted right and fun to shoot. It’s incredibly rewarding to take out a room of baddies with a high powered weapon, and the game’s well done cover system adds to it by leaps and bounds.

As you play through Deus Ex, you’ll earn Praxis points, the game’s currency system that you’ll use to level up and earn new abilities. These too have a profound effect on just how you’ll experience the game. I found myself investing them in the blades on my arms, as I found it incredibly rewarding to sneak up on an enemy and take them out this way, but you’re able to distribute them to literally any aspect of your character in an effort to max out your play style of choice. A tip though – no matter how you choose to play, give a significant amount of your points to hacking, as it makes the entire game easier, and opens up a lot of new choices.

For all that it does right; Deus Ex has an unfortunate habit of stopping its own momentum. While the majority of the game is choice driven, there’s a few moments where the game feels remarkably linear, and you can’t help but feel like the game is pushing you in certain directions. A good example of these moments are the game’s boss fights. In a normal game, they’d be sufficient, but when a game is as well done as Deus Ex, they seem out of place and counterproductive to what the game truly wants to do.

Though it’s marred by dated facial animations, the majority of Deus Ex: Human Revolution looks like an art-school dystopia. Heavy on blacks and grays, the game plays the troubled future motif well, and not as predictable as some other games that explore the same theme.  There were multiple times I just found myself staring out a window at the wonderfully rendered cityscape. Human Revolution is one of most unique and cool looking games of this generation.

The Blast Factor: Barring a few missteps, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a gripping and unique thrill ride that everyone should play. It’s faith in its mechanics, and play style allows the player an ultimate sense of freedom and the result is a game that you’re not going to want to just experience, but play through again and again. It may not be perfect, but Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a great action romp.

Square Enix, the publisher behind games like Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series has confirmed that they have been the victims of a hack — one that resulted in over 25,000 e-mail addresses and 350 resumes being compromised.

“Square Enix can confirm a group of hackers gained access to parts of our Eidosmontreal.com website as well as two of our product sites,” said a Square Enix representative. Reportedly the hack was focused on sites for fan favorite series Dues Ex.

“We immediately took the sites offline to assess how this had happened and what had been accessed, then took further measures to increase the security of these and all of our websites, before allowing the sites to go live again. We take the security of our websites extremely seriously and employ strict measures, which we test regularly, to guard against this sort of incident.”

The infamous Hacker group known as Anonymous has been linked to the attack.

Publisher Deep Silver announced today that Square Enix would be distributing its upcoming zombie shooter Dead Island.

“Square Enix’s impressive distribution and marketing capabilities, combined with their  proven success with launching top-notch AAA titles, makes them the absolute best partner for Dead Island,” said Deep Silver Chief Operating Officer Geoff Mulligan. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with their dedicated and talented team and look forward to collaborating with them in order to bring Dead Island to gamers.”

Dead Island is expected to release later this year for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

“Dead Island is a truly extraordinary title and we couldn’t be more excited about leveraging our unified Square Enix resources in bringing it to audiences in the Americas.” said Mike Fischer, president and chief executive officer, Square Enix, Inc.

Blast Magazine and Square Enix are teaming up to bring you one cool giveaway. One winner will walk away with this cool 3rd Birthday poster, signed by Yvonne Strahovski (otherwise known as the really hot girl from Chuck), who voices the game’s main character. We’ve also got five copies of The Tomb Raider HD Trilogy for PS3 to give away!

So just how do you win? Easy, answer these four trivia questions, and send them over to me at sinicki.j@blastmagazine.com. On Monday, we’ll take everyone who got all of them right, and randomly pick the winners. You can send me as many entries as you want, but that’s not going to increase your odds of winning.

Trivia Questions:

1) In what year was the first Tomb Raider released?

2) Before it was announced for the PSP, what platform was The 3rd Birthday originally announced for?

3) Name the four voice actresses who have portrayed Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft.

4) Who wrote the original Parasite Eve novel?

Good luck!

If there was ever any doubt that the next generation of consoles are coming, let it be forgotten. Square Enix, the studio behind franchises like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts have opened up a new studio to focus solely on the next generation of consoles from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

Planned to be opened in 2012 with around 100 employees in either Montreal, Quebec or Toronto, the studio will be dedicate to researching technology and getting the studio ready for the next generation.

While no one has been hired for the studio yet, the director of the Eidos Montreal Studio, who is currently working on the new Dues Ex game  commented on the announcement. “The new consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will require more attention and more staff. We want to prepare ourselves.”

While certain folks in the development community seem to think we’ll see new consoles within the next two years, PlayStation exec Kaz Hirai claims that the rumored PS4 isn’t even in development yet.

At the end of every year, we in the video game journalism world have a habit of making lists. We write about the bestgames, the best console, and yes – we also write about the worst games of the year. Mark my words, in December of this year we’ll be talking about Mindjack, the new futuristic third person shooter for worst game of the year.

It didn’t start that way though; in fact Mindjack started as an impressive idea. Built on the framework of modern day third person shooters, Mindjackallows players to leave the bodies of their character, and take control of an enemy. It’s not the most unique idea (last generation we saw it in Battlefield 2), but we don’t see it much in this genre so it still feels a bit fresh.

In the year 2031, government as we know it has all but dissolved, and in its place stands resource controlling corporations. Throughout most of the game you take control of Special Agent Jim (no, seriously. The dude’s name is just Jim) as he and his partner Rebecca as you try to infiltrate the compound of the NERKAS corporation for some reason. The whole thing plays out like a really bad Sy-Fy channel weekend movie. Plot points are introduced, but never wrapped up, characters come in, but are never seen again, and worst of all, the game never takes the time to fully explain just what’s going on. It’s like we’re just supposed to accept that the technology to jump into someone else’s mind is now possible.

Much like Vanquish before it, the gameplay of Mindjack could best be described as an eastern take on the Gears of War formula. Hell, if you’re playing on the Xbox 360, the controllers are mapped to the exact same buttons; you shoot with the right trigger, aim with the left and roadie run by holding down A. The only difference, while in Epic’s flagship shooter they worked – here, they’re unquestionably broken. The biggest problem is that even the most civilian actions like moving to cover, reloading and shooting, come off as cumbersome and incredibly slow. Even the “Mindjacking” itself comes off as slow. Combine that with the fact that your enemies seem to be on a permanent caffeine binge and jump around incredibly fast and you begin to get an idea of just how frustrating of an experienceMindjack can be.

One of, if not the most memorable aspects of Gears of War and its sequel is just how memorable and satisfying the action is, yet another feature this game is missing. Take for instance the seemingly simple act of snapping to cover and firing at an enemy. Somehow, even if you line up the reticule exactly on your target, more often than not you’re going to end up shooting slightly off where you wanted. It’s incredibly frustrating and defies the basic principles of shooters. What’s more, there’s pretty much no logic to any of Mindjack‘s action (seriously, if you just ignore a boss for long enough, it seemingly defeats itself).

There’s a decently enjoyable multiplayer suite that essentially turns the entire single player campaign into one large death match, but it too suffers from the same problems as the main game. To be honest, with games like Bulletstorm, Dead Space 2 and Killzone 3 on the horizon, there’s pretty much no reason to play Mindjack. Flawed in nearly every way, Mindjack is the definition of a frustrating gaming experience.

Hey remember that movie Highlander? You know the one where Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery cut off a bunch of dudes heads to the sounds of Queen? Did you know there was a game coming out based on it? Well forget it, it’s not coming out anymore.

After being in development for over five years, Square Enix gave the official cancellation notice today. No official reason was given for the game’s cancellation.

The scope of the video game industry has been evolving dramatically over the last few years. We now have sweepingepics, with storylines that will (well..mostly) resonate with gamers everywhere.  One thing hasn’t changed though – gamers love big friggin’ robots with machine guns.

Enter Square Enix’s Front Mission Evolved, the latest installment in the long running, cult mech series. To boil the game down to its most simple form, you control and pimp out a giant killer robot and blast others doing the same to bits. Everything sounds great right? Not when you take into account that the bulk of the game feels much like its robot protagonists – empty, cold and soulless.

In the year 2171, the world is a different place. War has broken out between rival factions working out of airborne military bases (whatever, just go with it). As you may have guessed, these factions carry out the majority of their battles in giant robot mech suits. The mech suits (this isn’t Transformers, there’s actual people in there) are truly the coolest part of the game, and you’ll get an opportunity to pimp out your mech with a ton of different armor, mobility and weaponry options.

It’s this customization that adds a ton of depth and strategy to the mix. For instance, if you add a lot of guns and armor to your mech, you’re going to be moving slow and probably won’t last long. Sadly, Square Enix doesn’t seem to understand how big of a draw the game’s customization suite could be as too often in missions you’re forced  to load out with what the game wants you to use, and not what you have equipped your mech with. Why give us these customization options if you’re going to task me with doing something completely different.

Previous iterations of the Front Mission series have been turn based strategy fair, but Evolved takes the series in a different direction with an action heavy third person perspective. Most levels operate the same way, suit up, blast the level clear of bad guys, defeat a boss, repeat. Then there are the levels that take you out of the mech suit and have you running through the level defeating easy baddies and collecting money to use on your mech. On the surface, these levels should be a nice change of pace, but they come off as sub-par third person action sequences that you’re just going to want to get over with.

Presentation is an issue throughout Front Mission. The mechs themselves are detailed nicely, but the world around them is in total contrast. The levels are uninteresting and uninspired blurs of color and faint detail and the voice acting is some of the worst you’ve heard in quite some time. The biggest issue though is just how the game feeds you information. Throughout the game, blue boxes will appear on your screen with updated mission and story information – and these aren’t small boxes, they’re large and obtuse and do their best to block out the majority of the action. What results is a frustrating experience that sees you having to start an entire section over simply because your vision was obscured by the game itself.

As large as the entire game is, the whole thing feels like practice for the surprisingly fun multiplayer suite. The modes here are pretty standard, you’ve got your deathmatch, team deathmatch and domination modes, but it’s well the game handles some of the issues of the single player game that makes it so special. Gone are the limitations and worthless requests on just what you can use on your mech, in fact – giving your mech the coolest upgrades is the biggest and most rewarding experience in the game. The mode isn’t without its flaws though, chief among them is the fact that some games have some pretty incredibly high demands. Take the dominion mode for instance, you have to play to 1000 points. That’s a pretty high level, and I often found myself just waiting for the match to end.

The Blast Factor: Unless you’re the type of gamer that salivates at the thought of giant mechs; you’re not going to find much to like about the latest Front Mission. Evolved is much like its robot protagonists – a lot of cool ascetics but no real spark of imagination.

The legendary Tomb Raider franchise extends this summer with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, an Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Windows mini-title.

Crystal Dynamics, the team developing the action puzzler, released a trailer for it today, introducing Tomb Raider fans to a fresh take on the storied series.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light comes XBLA, PSN, and PC sometime this summer for $15.

Travel around the Internet long enough, and you will come to two opposing conclusions: Final Fantasy games are amongst the leaders in innovation and the growth of the Japanese RPG genre, or, conversely, Final Fantasy games are everything that is wrong with the stagnating Japanese RPG genre. We’ll tackle the former in a bit, but as for the latter, this thought generally comes from some of the linked items that are seen throughout much of the series, such as chocobos, the use of a Cid character, and the fact that Final Fantasy games have seen many a remake over the past decade as Square Enix introduces their classics to new fans (or repackages them for old ones looking for a fix). Of course, that thought can also come from those who dislike JRPGs in general, and, seeing Final Fantasy’s standing in that community, lash out at the most easily recognizable name.

That’s a bit unfair though, as Square has been very good about branching out with their flagship franchise. To kick off their popular Playstation 2 era, they released Final Fantasy X, which removed the world map and created a more linear adventure that was fueled by its story, the first voice acting in an FF title, and an excellent battle system that combined turned-based combat with some impressive summons, a new leveling system, and the ability to switch characters in and out of combat on the fly. Final Fantasy XI was an online MMORPG, which was clearly a step in a different direction, and FFXII combined elements of the two to create something completely different: a single-player game that felt like playing an MMO in many ways. While the opinions vary on just how successful XII was insofar as creating an excellent game, there is no doubt that it helped pave the way for XIII, which, in this reviewer’s opinion, is a far superior outing for the long-standing franchise.

The story in FFXIII is part of what will power you through the game–yes, this is a mostly linear adventure, but somewhere along the way people confused linearity for being bad. That’s not the case with this game, as the reason for its linear nature comes through as you play–it’s a story of escape and running for your life for about 15 hours, so it’s no wonder you don’t have the ability to go wherever you please. It’s not like the game doesn’t present you with plenty to do, even if it isn’t giving you much of an option to do it. If you skip out on this game due to its being more linear than you would expect from an FF game, then it’s your loss.

The main character is Lightning, though as far as a “main” goes, XIII has more in common with VI than any of the other games in the series, as each character will take the lead at some point in the adventure as you focus on their story and character development. I don’t want to delve too much into the story and give anything away, but Lightning is a former member of the military who is trying to save her sister, who happens to be the fiance of another character, Snow. Serah, the fiance and sister, is in danger for reasons you will learn, and both characters are separately out to save her. There are other people in the mix for various reasons, and everyone eventually comes together until tragedy befalls them and they have their own problems to escape from, starting you on your adventure. Apologies for being vague, but it’s the kind of adventure that’s best experienced for yourself so you can see how everything develops and turns out, from both a plot and character development standpoint.

In fact, as far as character development goes, this is the most successful Final Fantasy in a long while. There may be a few characters who rub you the wrong way long enough that you feel there is no hope for them, but everyone has their chance at redemption, and by the game’s conclusion you will like the character that has grown before your eyes over 60 hours. Hope starts out like the cliche whiny teenager, but if you think about it, he has a lot of reasons to complain, and will have his chance to move on. Vanille starts off as a goofy, fun-loving teenager that rubs some people the wrong way, but she also has her moment of transformation, and you learn why she acts the way she does. Lightning is the gruff, militaristic type, but even she has her moments of tenderness, and because of the way she acted all the time before, they mean something to you when they happen. It also helps that the voice acting for each character is superb–Vanille’s voice seems out of place on occasion, but otherwise, your ears won’t mind the loss of the Japanese voice actors.

In spite of some vocal outcry from the traditional fan-base over too much linearity and noticeable mainstreaming of the new installment, FF XIII has managed to sell 1 million copies in North America in just 5 days. This figure, along with amazing sales in Japan where 1 million units moved in just 1 day, have prompted Square-Enix to label the FF XIII  March 9th launch the most successful in franchise history.

The game has reviewed very well, with some even claiming to have fallen madly in love with its visual majesty.  More impressive figures for FF XIII sales will likely be made known in the coming weeks. We will be sure to keep you abreast.

Via: Gamespot

Square characters always have the most amazing strength in their wrists.

]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/final-fantasy-xiii-sells-1-million-in-north-america-in-just-5-days/feed/ 1 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/2010-nba-all-star-celebrity-game-sponsored-by-final-fantasy-xiii/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/2010-nba-all-star-celebrity-game-sponsored-by-final-fantasy-xiii/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:59:18 +0000 Eddie Makuch http://blastmagazine.com/?p=39221

Sports fans, this one’s for you. Square Enix is the sponsor for the 2010 NBA Celebrity All-Star game on ESPN and it’ll be pimping Final Fantasy XIII at this year’s event in Dallas.

Like this.

“The 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Presented by Final Fantasy XIII” is the tagline for the event and an assembly of words you’ll hear commentators stumble over again and again in the days leading up to the event and likely during it.

Square Enix issued a press release today announcing the sponsorship and something to the effect of showing off Final Fantasy XIII at the event makes sense, based on the demographics of who watches NBA and who plays Squenix video games.

The 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game happens this Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Some say Earth was created in seven days…

…How many will it take to save it?

The folks at Square Enix aim to creatively answer that question with their new release 0 Day Attack On Earth.  In this un-railed Raiden-esque title, players must defeat a horde of aliens in 3 different major cities around the globe before everything is left in rubble.  At your disposal: a large variety of customizable aircrafts including jets, planes and helicopters; each complete with their own unique strengths, weaknesses and power-ups.

Each level in 0 Day Attack On Earth is represented by a day in which the squid-like, seemingly half-organic half-machine aliens are attempting to take over one of the cities.  In these levels, players will not only have to take out the massive hostiles, but they will have to halt the destruction within a certain amount of time.  Along with the most dangerous of the enemies, which are complete with fire-fuel ammunition and uber-quick tentacles, are slightly small and slightly less hazardous foes.  While these enemies are considerably less treacherous, the loot they drop (in the form of translucent green cubes and balls) can help you regenerate health or gain powerful upgrades for your ship (including shields, heat-seeking missiles and multiple-stream blasts).  Players will have to decide how much time they will dedicate to upgrading their ship and how much they will spend actually trying to clear the level.

Visually, 0 Day Attack On Earth looks pretty dang good.  Similar to Raiden, which this game seems to draw a lot of inspiration, 0 Day Attack On Earth features both 2-demensional backdrops with 3-demensional character models.  However, unlike Raiden, 0 Day Attack On Earth is unrailed and contains fairly large maps (a detail that I loved).  Background settings are vast, but lackluster in aesthetics.  While indeed the background images are 2D, it seems that there was no major effort to make the buildings and parks pop out or look interesting.  Sure, they had a few buildings enter the 3D realm, but it was mostly a miss for me.  Conversely, the enemies look very good in the game with their accompanying tentacle motion, flame-based weaponry and postmortem explosions.   Furthermore, the gameplay in 0 Day Attack On Earth is pleasantly intense at peak moments of chaos.

Another thing that separates 0 Day Attack On Earth from Raiden is the level of camaraderie players will experience.  Instead of a simple two player co-op, 0 Day Attack On Earth players will be able to enjoy a 4 player co-op experience or even two different 8 person versus modes, which include Capture the Flag and Control Point.  Unfortunately, 0 Day Attack On Earth doesn’t have many players, so actually joining a "quick match" is pretty much impossible.  However, if you and a group of friends purchase the game together, getting one of these multiplayer matches started should be no problem.

Also, the camaraderie theme continues within the gameplay.  Certain enemies will attach to your ship during parts of the campaign that one will not be able to save themselves from.  Instead, players will need to rely on their friends shoot off these attached foes and continue the purging of the aliens.  In fact, the camaraderie is pushed so persistently that, when you save a teammate, two voice bubbles pop up from the ships that fall victim and perform the rescue that say "Welcome!" and "Thanks!"

The controls in 0 Day Attack On Earth are heavily focused on the two joysticks on the Xbox 360 controller.  The left stick is used primarily for steering and forward motion while the left stick, when pointed in an outward position, is used a firing control, replacing both of the triggers on the controller which would be the most intuitive for that function.  Needless to say, for those who are not well versed in these controls will have a bit of learning to do.  Luckily, even the most challenge gamers (myself included) will not take much time to adapt to these odd controls.

Blast Factor: Overall, 0 Day Attack On Earth is a solid game.  For the relatively low bar many XBLA titles have set, 0 Day Attack On Earth is one of the good ones.  This Square Enix title brings a classic style back for a reboot and it is quite exciting.  While the multiplayer is ambitious, I was a little disappointed with the inability to actually join a game and try them out.  Given a good enough following, I can see 0 Day Attack On Earth becoming a very good overall game.  However, until we can actually try out some of the multiplayer, were just going to have to be patient.

0 Day Attack on Earth is available on 0 Day Attack on Earth is available on XBox Live Arcade for 1,200 points ($15). A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

The year is coming to a close, but Square Enix has one potential hit left up its sleeve in the form of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Now, we are suckers for anything Crystal Chronicles related around here, from the original GameCube offering that gave players a chance to link up their Game Boy Advance to their GameCube to the wireless multiplayer of the DS titles to the distinctive WiiWare games that put new twists on old genres, all while utilizing a now familiar universe.

The Crystal Bearers aims to be even more of an experiment for Square Enix than the previous games in the Crystal Chronicles series, as it doesn’t rest on familiar concepts and play styles, but does so within the confines of a full retail game rather than a downloadable release. We had the opportunity to speak to Akitoshi Kazawu, who worked on The Crystal Bearers, about the series itself and what we can expect from the last big game of 2009.

BLAST: The whole Crystal Chronicles series is different from the more traditional Final Fantasy games, though they both use a similar universe. How did the series come about in the last console generation? What prompted making the series a Nintendo exclusive?

Akitoshi Kawazu: Over the years, FINAL FANTASY has transitioned from SNES to PlayStation platforms, and the top quality visuals best represented in the in-game movies have become a staple feature of the series. While this quality has been embraced by core gamers, it seems to have distanced beginners and younger players from the FINAL FANTASY brand.  In the earlier days, Nintendo’s then president, Mr. Yamauchi, had asked us to create a FINAL FANTASY game that could be enjoyed by any player, no matter what age or gender; the resulting project was the first FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES game for GameCube. We have followed up since with several titles for Nintendo platforms, but feel that we haven’t been able to develop a game that fulfills Mr. Yamauchi’s request 100 percent. We’re going to stick with Nintendo platforms until we have achieved this. I think it’s a really "Japanese way" of thought, so hopefully this explanation makes sense.

BLAST: While the first few games were all similar, in that they were multiplayer offerings that focused on exploration and item collection, the series has taken a different turn on the Wii. First there was My Life As A King, and then this year’s My Life As A Darklord—each of which is one of our favorite WiiWare titles for different reasons. Where did these ideas come from, and how did they develop into games? Do you see this same sort of genre-bending experimentation in the future of the Crystal Chronicles series, either on WiiWare or as full retail games?

AK: In my mind, WiiWare is a platform of its own, different from packaged software both in terms of technology and business-model. In the beginning, the idea was to make an RTS game for WiiWare utilizing the graphic resources of the GameCube version, to shorten the length of development.  We were successfully able to incorporate the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES world into the resulting game system, and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King turned out to be a great game. FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord was a sequel that was always part of the plan. At first we had planned for the two games to have the same systems, but wanted to change things up a bit, and transitioned to a tower defense oriented system instead. Moving forward, I would like to create more games for WiiWare with systems that would be difficult to realize with a packaged title.

BLAST: The Crystal Bearers takes that evolving genres cue a step further, as it’s a single-player game with a deeper story and a focus on adventure. What prompted the switch to more of an epic quest, rather than a Wii-exclusive multiplayer offering?

AK: Development for this title began around the same time as FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates for DS.  The DS title got the multiplayer focus, as we felt the platform was more suitable for multiplayer action, and for FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS, we put more emphasis on the single player experience that Wii is known for.  With the GameCube version, we faced challenges in revolving a multiplayer action game around a single screen, so that was also one of the reasons why we chose this direction.

BLAST: Tell us a bit about the background of the game’s story, and what kind of adventure we are in store for this December.

AK: Annihilated in the Great War that took place ages ago, the Yuke tribe had completely disappeared, even from people’s memories. However, members of this supposedly extinct tribe appear and attack the passenger airship Alexis. Layle, the main character of this game, is hired as an escort to defend this airship. In this adventure you will play as Layle, discovering why the Yuke tribe is back, and what exactly it is that they want.

BLAST: The protagonist is very different from the create-a-hero setup in the other Crystal Chronicles titles, but he even comes off as more experienced than many heroes in the flagship Final Fantasy series. In a genre dominated by teenagers, children and inexperienced heroes, how did Layle come to be?

AK: FINAL FANTASY stories have always been about growth. The main character’s problems, struggles, joys, sense of accomplishment or sense of loss are all expressed throughout the course of the game. However, if the plot is set up with the same formula every time, we won’t be able to expand the breadth of storytelling. With this game, we wanted players to enjoy an entirely different type of story and main character. This hero is extremely "hero-like" in his actions. Layle is a hero that is constantly one step ahead of his enemies, and offers players an exhilarating experience.

BLAST: Gameplay wise, what’s different in the Crystal Bearers from past Crystal Chronicles titles? What stands out in The Crystal Bearers as your favorite addition to the series?

AK: The element that differs most from past titles is that players can interact with the game’s environment. Objects, people and creatures, among other things, are all part of this "touchable" environment. Everything will come back at you with a variety of reactions when you come into contact with them.

AK: Link with Force powers! That’s actually not too off-base. However, Layle is far more confident than Link, and is not as polite. Layle uses his powers instead of swords or bows and arrows, essentially to show off that he doesn’t need to rely on weapons. Layle’s powers bring about a huge variety of reactions. This is because you can use his powers on anyone, ranging from town’s people to guardsmen. These are things that Link couldn’t do, right?

BLAST: Did you run into any problems developing for a system with the Wii’s control system? Was there anything you wanted to work into the game that did not make it in due to these difficulties?

AK: There are certain aspects that we cut intentionally, but nothing that we were unable to achieve because of technical difficulties. For example, in the early stages of development Layle used to wield a sword, but because we were able to integrate Wii controls so well in the game, we decided not to include that feature. This way, Layle’s powers could be emphasized.

BLAST: Is there a possibility that The Crystal Bearers will develop into its own side series, as it differs so much from the traditional Crystal Chronicles and takes place so far ahead in the universe’s timeline? Is this something you would like to see happen?

AK: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES is known for its multiplayer function and miniature character designs, and even though FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS shares the same world, it is a completely different gaming experience. We would like to continue with expanding the CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series, while also looking into a sequel specific to FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS.

BLAST: Lastly, tell our readers the one thing about The Crystal Bearers that they may not know to convince them to pick it up the day after Christmas.

AK: Step into the shoes of a daring hero, use his ability to control gravity at will, and interact with everything within the game world, from objects and people to creatures. That sums up FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS. Don’t miss out on this experience!

Hold your breath, you’re about to see something strange, unknown, and highly crazy. No, it’s not Halo 4, rather it’s a Final Fantasy game on the Xbox 360.

FF XIII is still four months away, but Square Enix graced us with the European box art for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions today, and my oh my do they look pretty.

Source: Kotaku

Square Enix of Europe today laid speculation to rest today and officially announced Kane & Lynch: Dog Days, a sequel to the original, with an interestingly different visual approach.

After the wild and bizarre viral teaser video that surfaced last week, we kind of almost saw this coming, and now that it’s official, our assumptions are validated and we’re about as ancy as you are to get our hands on it.

The game will release under the Eidos brand and will feature “a new visual experience … inspired by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era.”

Look for Dog Days on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 sometime in 2010.

Source: Joystiq and Kotaku

The video game industry is full of some pretty baffling premises. When the original Kingdom Hearts came out in 2002, the marriage of Final Fantasy and Disney seemed fated to be a confusing and unholy commercial alliance. But I, like many, was pleasantly surprised by the result. Beating the source of my childhood nightmares into submission with a blunted sword proved to be quite cathartic, and doing so side-by-side with Yuffie and Squall only sweetened the deal. The story was nostalgic and sweet, the worlds jaw-droppingly well actualized, and the combat unimaginative but nonetheless enjoyable.

By the time a formal sequel was released four years later, the KH franchise had–like its main voice actor–gone through an uncomfortable voice change.‚  The combat became faster, flashier, and more enjoyable, true–but the story began to distance itself from Ma Disney and Pa Square with the inclusion of strange new characters and baffling retcons.‚  The newest installment of the series, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS, continues this journey into strange territory in a format that fans of the series can’t help but recognize.

What immediately caught my attention with this game are the graphics.‚  Unlike Chain of Memories, Square declined to downgrade to 2-D graphics and attempted to produce a PS2 experience in a DS game.‚  The results are surprisingly good: the 3D worlds look and feel very much the same as they did in KH1 and KH2.‚  Although camera controls can be a bit slippery, the game makes the best of the DS’s button capabilities.‚  Overall, this is one of the best designed DS games I’ve played, and it earns even more points for minimal use of microphone/stylus gimmicks.

Like in Chain of Memories, where your character’s progression was based off their card deck, 358/2 Days has a unique leveling control system.‚  You are given control of a tetris-like grid and given the option to fill it with a limited number of spells, items, and effects that will guide how your character behaves in battle.‚  It’s a little limiting but it’s an interesting approach, and I fully support supplemental games such as these experimenting with established mechanics.

Speaking of experimentation: you’ll notice I said that the worlds look and feel the same as they did in previous games.‚  This leads me to the most disappointing aspect of the game: repetition.‚  Yep, you’ll be going to Agrahbah again, just like you did in the last three games.‚  The music and sound design are the same you’ve heard in the last three games.‚  The menu and battle systems are identical as well.‚  Now, of course I believe in not-fixing that which is not-broke, but this is getting a little ridiculous.‚  The game has a very narrow scope–you won’t (or shouldn’t) play it if you haven’t played all the previous games and enjoyed them, so odds are high that you’ll be experiencing some serious deja vu.‚  Matters are only made worse by almost two hours of hand-holding tutorials that even this game’s youngest players would have to roll their eyes at.‚  After all the tutorials and expositional cutscenes, it feels like an eternity before you begin playing the game, and it makes the disappointment of traveling the same levels all the more acute.

There are some fun new elements, such as being able to play as any Organization XIII member.‚  I love playing as villains, and Square seems to know it; Sephiroth, Edea, Beatrix, and Seymour in all their overpowered glory have all been brief party members, as if to rub it in your face how strong and awesome they are before snatching them away.‚  I wholeheartedly admit that it’s just as fun in 358/2 Days.‚  It allows you to experiment with different styles of combat and helps you get through the repetitiveness of the environments.‚  I played this game on vacation and had no opportunity to try out the multiplayer option, but based on the game’s party mechanics I bet it’s a successful new addition.

But I confess that Organization XIII as a whole leaves me bemused and confused.‚  Like the characters of KH1 they are given a very finite amount of introduction and development, but those were beloved childhood figures; Ariel and Tarzan didn’t need excessive explaining.‚  Organization XIII and its goals seem aimless and unexplained.‚  As 99.9% of them are allegedly attractive males, I can’t help but feel the franchise is indulging its fantastic character designer (spokesman for the belt and zipper industry Tetsuya Nomura) while simultaneously pandering to its uncharacteristically sizable female audience.‚  This female gamer finds herself less moved by spiky bishonen than by good character evolution; what was so wrong with Maleficent that she needed to be supplanted by some jerk with too many x’s in his name?

Plot twists and turns include body cloning, memory cloning, and cloning in general.‚  The game as it stands is like a PSA against natural procreation.‚  While it makes great character drama to consider the duality of the human condition and the nature of individuality, I’m wary of the series devolving into a confusing mess of a soap opera for created characters and their existential angst.‚  The game wasn’t without some charming details and dialogue, but it just felt like a distraction.

Clearly I feel trepidation about the future of this franchise.‚  KH1 was the smiling five year-old girl: good-natured and charming in her simplicity.‚  Now she’s a surly fourteen year-old and I’m left to worry that the black lipstick is more than just a phase.‚  Perhaps I’m jaded by the distance we’ve traveled from that bizarrely successful premise.‚  The central mysteries of the original game have never been answered, and we seem to have abandoned them in favor of newer, sexier ones.‚  I caught myself reminiscing about the good old days when the point of the game was to travel to Disney worlds, lock them up tighter than a drum, and whistle while you worked.‚  And Final Fantasy characters? ‚ Forget them–they have vanished entirely, leaving only unsatisfying moogle shopkeepers to fill the void.

Blast Factor: That said, this game is exceptionally well executed, and if you’re still invested in the story, you’ll probably enjoy traversing the same worlds to get the same story from a different perspective.‚  But if you’re like me and feeling a little anxious, you can probably skip this title; you’ll likely further confuse your understanding of the story, and speed the process of disenchantment before the next true sequel is released.‚  I think the litmus test is to ask yourself how you feel about the title itself.‚  It’s pronounced “Kingdom Hearts Three-Fifty-Eight Days Over Two.”‚  Does this represent something pleasantly intriguing or obnoxiously hard to understand?

For my money, I think there’s a marketing executive somewhere who needs to reevaluate his or her calling.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is available exclusively on the Nintendo DS, and retails for $34.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

Square Enix updated the Final Fantasy XIV website today with a mass listing and imaging of all the critters you’ll encounter in the game.

Ranging from the odd to the total what the f*ck, this bestiary catalog is great. I know I need more living cactus in my life. What about you?

Final Fantasy XIV Online is due out sometime in 2010 on PS3 and PC.

Along with these new images, the FFXIV website was also updated today with more information on new chores and tasks in the game.

Source: Kotaku

Order of War is one of the first steps for Square Enix to appeal to a broader audience”"it’s published by them, but developed by Wargaming.net, and is quite unlike the kind of title you expect from the RPG behemoth.

Order of War is set during World War II and has the player playing through famous historical battles as either Americans against Germans in France or German forces versus Soviets in Poland. You control almost all the aspects of the battles including airstrikes, ground troops, paratroopers, tanks, artillery and even managing reinforcements.

Each level in the game starts out with some black and white video footage of actual battles that have lead up to the scenario about to be played, which I found gives the game much more depth, as opposed to just dropping you into a battle. The game then zooms in on all the units, tanks and vehicles and begins to display many statistics on the screen at once: everything from number of troops to the firepower of missiles to almost blueprint like schematics of certain vehicles. You are then briefed on your objectives as parts of the map are revealed to you. The objectives range from protecting allied convoys, capturing occupied villages and holding positions.

The onscreen HUD displays the number of platoons you control and each of their conditions, a mini map and your resource points. Resource points increase at a steady rate over time and can be used for a variety of things, including paratroops and airstrikes. Each option may cost you a different amount of support, further adding depth to the game play. Many factors can affect success such as varying geography/topography. Tanks and artillery having longer range when on top of a hill and vice versa when firing from downhill; infantry have better cover when in a wooded area. Infantry can hide in trenches or houses for added cover which can give you a great advantage.

The enemy forces have pretty much the same abilities and resources as you do and it is especially challenging to get through a location when the opposing forces are in the houses all around you. Infantry can also load into trucks to faster get to a map location faster, though loading and reloading the trucks can use up valuable time which you don’t always have. There are other disadvantages to using trucks as it puts an entire platoon in one place which makes an easy target for the enemy, and when a truck full of troops is destroyed the whole platoon dies. There are also trucks for artillery that carry anti-tank cannons that take some time to set up but once set up they can become a key to victory in any battle.

Statistics are displayed after each mission is completed and, based on your performance, you are awarded medals, such as purple hearts, and points to upgrade your units in future missions. The upgrades are broken down into Infantry, Artillery and Tanks, and include increases in accuracy, speed, etc. For example you can upgrade your infantry’s accuracy with firearms to level 1 and, if you have enough points left, increase to level 2 and so on. These changes permanently effect the performance of your units through the whole game.

The graphics looked nice at an aerial view, but can zoom in so close that you get a great feel of how it would seem to forces on the ground, though the troops can seem a bit blocky zoomed in. There is also a cinematic function where the screen goes into a letter box view and weaves through the battlefield at different angles and speeds to give you the feel of watching a war movie. Though this function is well done I never found many times to use it as there was so much going on.

In the first level I found there was so much going on I wondered how I could ever command so many units in real time. But after some practice and finding out just how useful and important the pause function was to the game, I started to really enjoy myself. I soon felt rather engrossed in the whole experience. Though the game has some problems, the minimap did not rotate with the camera so it was hard to navigate at times. I also felt the game assumes you know WWII lingo like what a Howitzer or Nebelwerfer is. The strength of the infantry felt weak and I found them more useful as distractions then actual fighters, as the game seems to rely heavily on tanks. The infantry AI seemed lacking as at times, and became rather annoying when they wanted to crawl on their stomach all of a sudden. The distance you could zoom out also felt rather small.

Blast Factor: Order of War is a solid game despite some balance issues. The game really shines the most in the heat of battle and the way it sets up the scenario for you. From someone who was never really interested in WWII based games, I surprisingly found myself enjoying Order of War.

Order of War is a PC exclusive, available at retail for $39.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for review purposes.