News by Lindsay M.
It’s day three of four of our press conference coverage, and it’s the busiest yet! Starting things off with a hopeful bang is Square Enix; while all eyes seem to be on the developer/publisher for Final Fantasy VII, I’m actually most curious as to whether we’ll see some Square Enix Collective titles.
To catch up on our E3 coverage so far:
And now you’ll be ready for Square Enix, so let’s begin! Hopefully with Life Is Strange! (I’m still obsessed.)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
I’m always up for more Tomb Raider. Lara Croft’s revamped series is seriously excellent. This is a familiar trailer, showing an airplane crash. Lara Croft is the badass hero girls deserve to look up to.
The first video turns out to be the beginning of the game, where she needs to prevent a Mayan apocalypse. She remains outnumbered and needs to become one with the jungle to survive. This leads to a gameplay video to demonstrate what that means.
We see Lara perched above a gunfight, where she then takes out an enemy with a vine and continues on her way. She needs to be extremely stealthy but of course, she does it perfectly. Enemies are often dropped upon and taken out from behind so they don’t have time to react, a perfect example of patience paying off. The environment is key, with ruins and trees and cliffs providing her the height she often needs.
There are new traversal techniques such as grappling and wall-running, as well as full underwater exploration. And now we’re getting another new video! This one is a quick fire montage or Lara being badass. It’s available September 14.
Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood
In this next video, there is a voiceover about warriors and… sorry, I admittedly know little of Final Fantasy’s MMO. It looks really freaking cool though. Square Enix is announced Patch 4.3, Under The Moonlight.
Also coming to FFXIV is Monster Hunter World; the crossover event begins this summer.
The Awesome Adventure of Captain Spirit
LIFE IS STRANGE? PLEASE?!?!?! No, that’s Captain Spirit right there. I suppose we are revisiting his adventure, announced yesterday. Captain Spirit takes place in the Life Is Strange universe; it is the dev’s way of introducing players to Life Is Strange 2 and the world of LIS in smaller stories. I love these Dondnot guys, they seem very genuine. Here’s the announcement trailer from yesterday, if you missed it:
The Awesome Adventure of Captain Spirit will be released for free on June 26. Take your pick of platform: PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
“The power of light is best unveiled in our darkest hour.” Grief and tragedy have followed our hero since birth. They’ve brushed with death yet are still alive. Of course, this is who must save the world in… I don’t know what this is but the music and animation is adorable and I want to play it.
Wield the light
Seal the dark
Face your fate
It’s Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. I’ve never played a Dragon Quest. I know, I know. That explains my admitted ignorance on the subject. But I may have to start here! It is available on September 4.
Our editor-in-chief Matt S. was lucky enough to preview the title, proclaiming,”it’s going to be the most amazing game in the franchise.” Read that preview here.
Babylon’s Fall
I like this style, like ink on parchment. We’re traveling through the ages, although of what world remains to be seen. Something is awakening. Something with a scary sword.
This game, developed by PlatinumGames, is Babylon’s Fall. And it looks like it could contain some great stories. The title is coming to PC via Steam and PlayStation 4 next year.
Nier: Automota Become As Gods edition
More ink on parchment! This time forming… oh, this is Nier: Automota for the Xbox, which was announced at the Xbox briefing yesterday. Still, Nier’s sequel coming to the Xbox One is great news!
Available on June 26 as Nier: Automota Become As Gods, this version includes all DLC to date.
Octopath Traveler
Holy cow, as if there is more ink on parchment! This one is a game for the Switch about eight brave souls exploring their world however the player wants. Octopath Traveler is coming on July 13. If I’m not mistaken, this is a Square Enix Collective title.
Just Cause 4
No more inky effects! It’s a tornado! Just Cause 4. Lots of shooty, with the return of Rico Rodriguez. He’s in a fictional South American country. Destruction is taken to a new level with extreme weather — hence the tornado. That’s pretty nifty, although still too much shooting for me.
Just Cause 4 will be released December 4.
The Quiet Man
Ink blots and crystals break to form a person. But who? This looks unreal. Absolutely unreal. The tag line: Silence Rings Loudest. The title? The Quiet Man. He stalks, he kills, he drops a paper bag on your face.
More to come this August.
Kingdom Hearts III
Oh hey Kingdom Hearts III, I’m not surprised to see you here! I was never able to get into the series but I know so many who love it that their excitement is rubbing off on me a bit. I’m seeing the same footage as shown yesterday, just condensed a bit to focus on Frozen before going into other franchises. Like Wreck-It Ralph! Okay, that would be super fun, even for me.
Unlike yesterday’s trailer, we see a lot more of the story content. The game is available January 29.
A video game montage
Now’s a good time for a montage, a video game montage, a Square Enix montage! And that means it is the end… which means no Life Is Strange 2. I don’t know if I can live in such a cruel world anymore. I need something more than Captain Spirit, so here’s holding out for Sony. Oh, I suppose that’s where we would also see the Final Fantasy VII remake, which I forgot about during the entire presentation. And maybe the Avengers project…
See you later today for Ubisoft, although clearly my heart is already with Sony!
– Lindsay M.
News Editor
