Weekly roundups

Square Enix tease new Final Fantasy for E3

by Flintlock February 25, 2013 0 comments

In this week’s roundup: Square Enix reveal they will have a new Final Fantasy game ready for E3; Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD coming to Europe; the Gold Saucer will make an appearance in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn; plus lots from our forum.

Square-Enix to unveil new ‘Final Fantasy’ game for PS4 at E3 2013 (via Examiner)

At the PlayStation 2013 event on Feb. 20, Japanese video game developer and publisher Square Enix took to the stage in what was ultimately one of the more disappointing presentations of the entire night, even if it ended on a somewhat promising note for fans of the company. Not only did the developer behind such greats as the Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Dragon Quest series fail to show anything upcoming for the newly announced PlayStation 4 console, they basically told fans to wait until June to see what they have up their sleeve: brand director Shinji Hashimoto announced that a new Final Fantasy title is in development for the PS4, and will likely be unveiled at this year’s E3.

Discuss the Playstation 4 on our forum

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX coming to Europe! (via Square Enix)

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX is coming to European and PAL territories this Autumn, exclusive to the PlayStation 3, and localised in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish!

This is the perfect opportunity for the Kingdom Hearts fans among you to bathe in nostalgia and rekindle your love for Kingdom Hearts in a way you never thought possible. For starters these aren’t the games you’ve played before. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX includes Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, previously a Japanese exclusive that introduced new weapons, new enemies, new abilities, new cutscenes, new missions, and a new secret movie – so just a few additions then! Also included is Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts that was also previously unavailable in Europe.

Square Enix have also confirmed that the game is coming to North America (hat-tip: Tetsujin)

Discuss Kingdom Hearts: 1.5 HD on our forum (hat-tip: Forcestealer)

Square-Enix Presses Reset with Final Fantasy XIV (via The Escapist)

I spent some time checking out the new, improved FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, and I’m happy to report the game seems to be headed in a much clearer and stronger direction than the 1.0 version. Naoki Yoshida (named FFXIV’s director and Lead Producer in 2010 shortly after FFXIV 1.0 launched) was visibly proud of what he had to show us.

Yoshida promises many nods to classic Final Fantasy elements, like the Crystal Tower from FFIII as a raid location and the Golden Saucer from FFVII (to be added in a later patch). There are even plans for chocobo breeding in the future (!), and winks to classic summons, spells, and armor from past titles. There’s a lot of nostalgia attached to the 25 years we’ve known Final Fantasy, and Yoshida plans to remind players of the things that made them fall in love with the franchise as they roam Eorzea.

Discuss this on our forum (hat-tip: Shademp)

More from the forum

• Amid rumours that it could be released for the PS4, it’s now been seven years since Versus XIII was announced
• The Highwind, the Gelnika and countless helicopters weren’t enough: why Shinra had to have the Tiny Bronco
• Barret is not racist
• Final Fantasy VII fan fiction discussion

Community news

• The fifth chapter of the Final Fantasy IX community playthrough has been published, and takes in Cleyra, Alexandria and Lindblum.
• Round two of the showdown between the armies of the Final Fantasy series is under way. You can follow the progress and cast your vote here.
• Happy birthday to Treize Khushrenada, who turned 26 last week!