SQUARE ENIX UNVEILS BIGGEST EVER GAMESCOM LINE-UP
Hands-on and Presentations Await Consumers for FINAL FANTASY XV, DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED, RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER: 20 YEAR CELEBRATION, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS and the award-winning FINAL FANTASY XIV
HAMBURG, GERMANY (JULY 25, 2016) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in Europe and PAL territories, has unveiled its biggest line-up ever for Gamescom 2016. Square Enix presents a number of premieres at Europe‘s biggest trade and consumer show for interactive entertainment on over more than 1,100 square meters of booth space featuring more than 220 hands-on stations for gamers eager to try out upcoming releases.
From August 18th to August 21st, visitors of Gamescom in Cologne, Germany can go hands-on with a wide variety of top titles from the Square Enix portfolio. This includes the worldwide-first consumer hands-on of a new part of the action blockbuster roleplaying-game FINAL FANTASY® XV. In addition, gamers can look forward to hands-on with the dystopian action-roleplay DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED™, and the mobile game DEUS EX GO™ from the DEUS EX UNIVERSE®. Fans can also look forward to the stealth-action game HITMAN® and as a European premiere the PlayStation ® 4 version ofRISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER®: 20 YEAR CELEBRATION, right in time to celebrate the award-winning and legendary series featuring Lara Croft®. MMO-fans can compete in exciting battles of the award-winning MMO FINAL FANTASY® XIV while gamers can look forwards to hands-on with DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS™, WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY™,FINAL FANTASY XII™, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE. Last, but certainly not least, SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE™ will be showcasing some great upcoming talent, with THE TURING TEST™, BLACK THE FALL™, TOKYO DARK™, OH MY GODHEADS™ and GOETIA™.
Square Enix is welcoming visitors to rest and recharge their devices in front of a gigantic LED in the middle of the booth.
As in the previous year, the Square Enix presence stretches over two locations in hall 9. The main booth (hall 9, B31/B41) includes both the hands-on areas for FINAL FANTASY XV and FINAL FANTASY XIV where players compete in daily Battle Challenges against the gigantic primals Sephirot and Thordan. DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS, WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY and KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue are also located at the main booth as well as HITMAN, DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED and RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER: 20 YEAR CELEBRATION for visitors above the age of 18. Consumers waiting in line for one of the presentations or hands-on stations can pass the time by checking out the upcoming mobile release DEUS EX GO at one of the many hands-on stations.
MMO fans are called to arms at the FINAL FANTASY XIV: BATTLE ARENA (hall 9, C51), where gamers face-off against all the powerful primals featured in the game in order to win attractive prizes, fans can also enjoy show matches on stage, a signing session, and a cosplay competition. Commentating on the FINAL FANTASY XIV action live are Mori, Wolverous, EisohneWaffel, and Sissor.
“At this year’s E3 we presented our biggest line-up ever. At Gamescom 2016 we will set another mark with the biggest show in our history,” says Phil Rogers, CEO Square Enix Americas and Europe. “We are very happy to offer hands-on of these highly-anticipated titles to gamers from all over the world.”
Fans are also invited to visit the booth of Square Enix Products in hall 5.2, booth E12to check out all the upcoming products and purchase some special items. FINAL FANTASY XV – Ignis Play Arts KAI and Silver Pendant Ring of Lucii will be sold for the first time among other new and amazing merchandise. Visitors will also get the chance to try the highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY TCG in its German version and secure an exclusiveFINAL FANTASY VII Remake Cloud Promo card!
Trade and press representatives will meet Square Enix in the Business Centre in hall 4.2, booth A40. If you would like to make appointments please get in contact with your local PR Manager.
More information regarding the new announcements and reveals at Gamescom 2016 will be released in the coming weeks.
THE FULL GAMESCOM 2016 LINE UP
PC and Console
DEUS EX: Mankind Divided
Platform: PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC
Developer: Eidos-Montréal (a Square Enix studio)
Available: August 23, 2016
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided™, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex: Human Revolution® , builds on the franchises trademark choice and consequence, action – RPG based gameplay, to create both a memorable and highly immersive experience. Players will once again take on the role of Adam Jensen, now an experienced covert agent, and will gain access to his new arsenal of customizable state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations. With time working against him, Adam must choose the right approach, along with who to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy. The game also includes Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach , a new and innovative game mode. This new take on the game offers, for the very first time, an arcade approach on the gameplay of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided , providing players with a unique puzzle shooter experience.
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS
Platform: PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® Vita
Developer: Square Enix
Available: October 14, 2016
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS provides players the ability to build a variety of unique tools from materials you gather, and rebuild towns and cities to restore life to the shattered world of Alefgard. Players will battle with famous monsters from the DRAGON QUEST® series and interact with gorgeously designed 3D characters. The immersive DRAGON QUEST story and world to explore, combined with the freedom of sandbox gameplay, provides a new and exciting, family-friendly experience, with an intuitive control system, will have you building the towers and castles of your dreams in no time.
FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE
Platform: PlayStation® 4
Developer: Square Enix
Available: 2017
FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE™ improves upon the 2006 classic FINAL FANTASY XII, now more beautiful and easier to play than ever. The HD remaster introduces several modern advancements, including reconstructed battle design and a revamped job system. With newly implemented trophies and share functions, as well as stark visual and sound improvements, players both returning and new to the game will experience a grand adventure that spans the world of Ivalice in an entirely new and improved way.
FINAL FANTASY XIV
Platform: PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® 3, Windows PC, Mac
Developer: Square Enix
Available: Now
With over six million registered accounts globally, Heavensward expands the critically acclaimed MMO FINAL FANTASY XIV, featuring an increased level cap and storyline surrounding the Holy See of Ishgard and the thousand-year Dragonsong War. Heavensward continues to update content for players, with the recent release of Patch 3.3, Revenge of the Horde, concluding the story of the Dragonsong War, and featuring new dungeons, a new alliance raid and more.
FINAL FANTASY XV
Platform: PlayStation® 4, Xbox One
Developer: Square Enix
Available: September 30, 2016
FINAL FANTASY XV is a groundbreaking fantasy based on reality that is destined to become a future masterpiece – with revolutionary gameplay, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge technology. Escaping the flames of war, Noctis, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, embarks on an epic journey with his best friends – through a world of larger-than-life beasts, amazing wonders to behold, and dungeons filled with danger, in the hopes of finding the strength to take back his homeland and end the battle.
HITMAN
Platform: PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, Windows PC
Developer: Io-Interactive (a Square Enix studio)
Available: Now, New episodes releasing throughout 2016
The creative stealth-action game HITMAN sees players perform contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world, from the highly fashionable Paris and sunny coast of Italy to the dust and hustle of the markets in Marrakesh in this creative stealth action game. Gameplay focuses on taking out targets in huge and intricate sandbox levels with complete freedom of approach. Where to go, when to strike and who to kill – it is all up to you. For the first time, HITMAN leads with a digital release inviting players into a world of assassination.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Platform: PlayStation® 4
Developer: Square Enix and Disney
Available: December 2016
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a compilation that brings the popular KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance to the PlayStation®4 system platform remastered in high definition. The newly improved title features brand new content withKINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A fragmentary passage –, a playable episode that is played from the perspective of Aqua taking place after the storyline of KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep and links to the upcoming KINGDOM HEARTS III. The title also includes KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi] Back Cover, a new HD movie that tells the mysterious story of the Foretellers and connects to the earliest parts of the series’ history.
RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER: 20 Year Celebration
Platform: PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, Windows PC
Developer: Crystal Dynamics (a Square Enix Studio)
Available: October 11, 2016
Crystal Dynamics® and Square Enix continue to celebrate 20 years of Lara Croft, the gaming world’s iconic heroine, with Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration. This new version will include the award-winning Rise of the Tomb Raider game; a completely new story chapter entitled “Blood Ties”, new co-op Endurance gameplay, PlayStation VR support for “Blood Ties”, all of the previously released DLC, more outfits, weapons, and Expedition Cards. With the exception of VR support, all of the new content in Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration will also be available for Xbox One and PC players. Current Season Pass owners on Xbox One and PC will automatically receive the content for free, and moving forward the existing Season Pass will be updated to include the new content. There is no Season Pass on PlayStation 4, as all of the content is included in the initial release.
WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY®
Platform: PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® Vita
Developer: Square Enix
Available: October 28, 2016
In WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY, players will lead a pair of twins, Reynn and Lann, on their journey through the world of Grymoire on a search to rediscover their lost memories. Throughout their journey, players will collect, raise and battle with the adorably familiar beings throughout the world including cactuar, chocobo and behemoth to customise and stack their army of monsters to create strategic tower combinations and take on even the most challenging of opponents.
Square Enix Collective
THE TURING TEST
Platform: Windows PC
Developer: Bulkhead Interactive
Available: August 2016
You play the role of Ava Turing, an engineer for the International Space Agency (ISA) who attempts to uncover the truth behind the research base on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, in this gorgeous first-person puzzle game built with Unreal™ Engine 4. Solve puzzles using your Energy Manipulation Tool (EMT) to transfer power out of one object and into another; power up and take control of artificially intelligent machines, manipulate giant structures and solve complex tasks – all woven into a multi-layered story based on the human struggle for control. The Turing Test will be published for PC by Square Enix Collective in August 2016.
BLACK THE FALL
Platform: Windows PC
Developer: Sand Sailor Studio
Available: 2016 TBC
Black The Fall is an immensely atmospheric side-scrolling action adventure for PC and digital consoles set in a dark and oppressive land, inspired by the Sand Sailor team’s upbringing in Communist Romania. Discover a forgotten industrial world where strict rules and harsh punishments tore the fabric of humanity itself. What will you do to survive? Solve puzzles to progress, all the while attempting to avoid suspicion and alerting the intent… and unfriendly… gaze of the State. Black The Fall will be published on both PC and Console by Square Enix Collective later in Q3 2016., with console versions available in early 2017.
TOKYO DARK
Platform: Windows PC/Mac
Developer: Cherrymochi
Available: TBC 2016
Tokyo Dark is a side scrolling point-and-click mystery adventure game for Windows and Mac. As Detective Itō you’ll explore Tokyo – following leads, collecting clues, and making difficult decisions with far-reaching consequences. Tokyo Dark features a huge number of dialogue choices and interactions that affect character attributes and change the outcome of the story. Unlike a visual novel, you’ll control Detective Itō directly as you explore Tokyo, trying to balance your professional duty, personal life, and sanity. Will the past come back to haunt you, or will you stand by your decisions?
OH MY GODHEADS
Platform: Windows PC
Developer: Titutitech
Available: Q1 2017
Oh My Godheads is the world’s first capture-the-head action game for 1-4 players. Capture-the-head is like capture-the-flag, but the flag is an ancient head that’s alive, angry, and after you! Fight with friends to capture these furious, living heads and bring them back to your team’s plinth…if you can. Born from a love of old school multiplayer games like Micro Machines, Worms, and Street Fighter, Titutitech wanted to recreate the fun, fast-paced multiplayer experience of those games while adding full 3D environments for more tactics, more depth, and more replayability. Oh, did we mention it’s got exploding pies?
GOETIA
Platform: Windows PC/Mac
Developer: Sushee
Available: Out Now
A haunting point-and-click adventure, Goetia puts you in the ghostly shoes of Abigail Blackwood, recently risen from the grave, who knows nothing about the last 40 years of her family’s history. Help Abigail find out what went on in the manor, and the nearby ruins of Oakmarsh village – what happened in the place you grew up, and what led to its downfall? Tough puzzles and a deep story awaits, as you piece together the mysticism and fanatical experiments that took place, to reveal the disturbing truth of your family’s past…
Handheld and Mobile
DEUS EX GO
Platform: Phones & Tablets
Developer: Square Enix Montréal (a Square Enix studio)
Available: Summer 2016
Deus Ex GO is a turn-based infiltration puzzle game set in a stylized interpretation of the Deus Ex Universe®. As double agent Adam Jensen, you’ll use hacking, combat, and augmentations to solve the most challenging puzzles of the entire GO series. Work alongside your allies in TF29 and the Juggernaut Collective as you infiltrate locations to unravel the conspiracy behind a terrorist plot.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 115 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST which has sold over 68 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER which has sold over 45 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/eu/en/ .
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue © Disney Developed by SQUARE ENIX.
DEUS EX, DEUS EX GO, DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION, DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED, DEUS EX UNIVERSE, DRAGON QUEST, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS, FINAL FANTASY, FINAL FANTASY XII, FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE, FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XV, HEAVENSWARD, HITMAN, LARA CROFT, RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER, RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER: 20 YEAR CELEBRATION, SPACE INVADERS, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE, TAITO, TOMB RAIDER, and WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. THE TURING TEST and BULKHEAD INTERACTIVE are trademarks of Bulkhead Interactive. BLACK THE FALL is a trademark of Sand Sailor Studio. TOKYO DARK and CHERRYMOCHI are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cherrymochi. OH MY GODHEADS and TITUTECH are trademarks of Titutech GOETIA, SUSHEE, and the SUSHEE logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sushee. UNREAL and its logo are EPIC’S trademarks or registered trademarks in the US and elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The only shortcoming the story has can be found in the film’s villain, Krall, who is nonetheless played very well by Idris Elba. At first glance he is quite interesting in his motivations as he largely appears to be motivated by a severe ideological opposition to the very concept of the Federation itself. This, I felt, gave the film an intellectual depth which I enjoyed immensely as we see the symbolic clash between the Utopian futurism, which Rodenberry’s original Star Trek concept epitomised, and a cynical opposition. Unfortunately this gets undercut by the film when it, in a very clumsy manner, begins to reveal more of the villain’s backstory and attempts to elicit sympathy from the audience. I would have preferred for Krall to be a pure demagogue in opposition to the very ideals of the Federation rather than a tragic villain. I feel that this direction which Krall’s character development takes is one which weakens his character and ultimately undermines the film.
Gameplay
Imagine taking what we loved about 4 Ultimate and soaking it in fireworks. That is exactly what the new Hunting Arts bring the the party here. Players can charge a gauge while out on a hunt before unleashing a special attack with a bit of theatrics. Despite its already campy design, this does nothing but simply offer a little more pop to the battleground – while delivering just a smidge of assistance compared to the bare-bones combat that we have been accustomed to. Sure, the idea of a special attack is a bit to take in from those hardcore hunters out there, but I don’t feel like it took away from any of the depth that we have received from this stoic series for years.
To sweeten the new offerings, Hunting Styles compliment the arts well – as this other new feature provides a bit of a class system for players that changes the way you attack based on your original selection. Styles come in the form of Guild, Striker, Adept, and Aerial, and are exactly what you would think. Guild is the balanced combat system without a lot of flash. Aerial is over the top and honestly makes combat a breeze as the player can hop into the air to get a bit of an edge over a monster. Adept brings powerful attacks to those who can successfully evade, and Striker allows for more Hunting Arts for those that are all about being a glass cannon.
As far as an overall goal, or “hunt” if you will, we now have four different monsters with four different villages each offering their own unique tasks in order to build up to the big-bad. Is there a difference in these four compared to the flagship beasts of the past? No, not really. But having four mega creatures compared to one definitely is a welcome change of pace that only adds more to the hefty amount of hunts overall. Eventually, I would like a bit of a story in these titles, but as I have stated in past reviews, Monster Hunter‘s story comes through its personality, and no Monster Hunter has more personality than Generations as a whole.
Ready for some nostalgia? Generations gets its name by revisiting old locales, and nothing sets that landscape up more than a stunning soundtrack. With a phenomenal new Pokke village theme, as well as a good amount of other remastered tunes, this is definitely a game that players who have roots with the series will want to play with that volume slider maxed out. Other than the music, we also have the sound in general which is well done – giving these beasts voices and adding more quirk with the meows on the battlefield.
