With close to five weeks to go until E3, we’ll be counting down each week with our theories and hopes for what will be presented from various companies at the convention. This week we will be looking at the Japanese RPG powerhouse, Square Enix who will be hosting their own conference at E3 this year.
What Might Appear
Kingdom Hearts III
With Final Fantasy XV being postponed to Gamescom, Square Enix may need a landmark title to show at this year’s E3. Kingdom Hearts III may be that landmark title and might be ready to be shown. At the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX launch events, Square Enix teased that there will be more Kingdom Hearts news coming in 2015, and what is arguably the main gaming event of the year for E3. The game has had appearances at two consecutive E3 events so far, and we don’t think it will break that trend this year. Plus, Kingdom Hearts has a larger audience in North America than other regions.
In this game, Sora’s on a quest to find the Key to Return Hearts while Riku and King Mickey try to find past keyblade wielders. Perhaps at E3, we will see a new story trailer as Bill Farmer, while denied by Square Enix, may have let slip that he has finished voice work for Goofy in Kingdom Hearts III.
It has been over three years since the last Kingdom Hearts release, Dream Drop Distance so it’s about time we see some more gameplay. All we know right now is that the game will show at D23 Expo Japan in November.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Adam Jensen is back in the newly revealed Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Gameplay screens (IGN) have previously leaked on the internet before the cinematic trailer was revealed to the public so it is likely we’ll see this at E3. They most likely have a playable build if the leaked screens are to be believed… Mankind Divided is a direct sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution the story takes place 2 years after the initial game’s events and the deaths of millions after the Aug Incident in Panchaea. Now, both the augmented and the non-augmented are at odds with each other, and Adam Jensen.
The game will also be running the new Dawn Engine that Eidos Montreal created for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC systems. In result, the game will be releasing only on these platforms. No release date has been given yet so perhaps we’ll get more information at E3 regarding the game’s development.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
~ written by Eleni DiCarlo ~
Rise of the Tomb Raider’s already set to be released during the 2015 Christmas season. Yet we haven’t heard all that much about the game other than the title and a few new features. It’s already been made public that wild animals that are determined by time and climates will need to be fought off by Lara Croft. The rewards from these battles are supposed to be weapon upgrades but only a small portion is known of the actual story for this installment.
An E3 trailer revealing the new storyline and game mechanics would do wonders for Rise of the Tomb Raider’s advertising. Looking at the current trailer, terrifying beasts will be taking a significant role in the game. And it’s easy to tell that Miss Croft’s fighting some demons within herself. Still it’s frustrating not to have the story revealed in a trailer. Naturally, Lara will be searching though incredible and beautiful ruins of some degree but we haven’t seen them. For a game that is being released this year, it’s rather odd not to have at least one trailer depicting the setting and storyline.
Square Enix is publishing Rise of the Tomb Raider so the lack of a story-focused trailer may be their call or it could be the developers, Crystal Dynamics, choice. Either way, the presentation of Rise of the Tomb Raider is paramount at E3 to tempt future pre-order buyers.
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD ReMIX
There’s a lot of build up for the Kingdom Hearts series this year. Kingdom Hearts III is currently in development with Tetsuya Nomura back as the director, and there will be a smart phone application for the series as well. However, during Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX’s credits, Dream Drop Distance images were shown in a HD-like format as well as a Kingdom Hearts III screenshot from the E3 2013 trailer. This is similar to when Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX had screens of Kingdom Hearts II, Birth By Sleep, and Re: Coded within its credits. In result, it was teasing Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX.
Here’s a theory: As Kingdom Hearts has been getting annual releases since Birth By Sleep, 2015 could have Dream Drop Distance HD ReMIX, but as this seems nominal in comparison to the other HD collections, it could include an “Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae” style Kingdom Hearts III demo. This could explain why Kingdom Hearts III was included in the credits as well as Dream Drop Distance in Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX.
Just Cause 3
Cars, wingsuits, explosions, a grapple hook, and the huge open world of Medici is what Just Cause is what players can expect from the next entry in the series. Square Enix has recently revealed a gameplay trailer for Just Cause 3, and in the YouTube comment section, they expressed that within the trailer there are “no cut scenes, no scripts, no staging. Just gameplay and great camera angles.” If this is a trend that Square Enix wants to follow, it might be likely to get a live gameplay demo during their press conference.
There is currently no release date for Just Cause 3, but we will most likely see that announced at E3 this year. The game is being developed for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
What We Hope To See
Dragon Quest XI
Mainline’s Dragon Quest games have not reached Western consoles since Dragon Quest VIII, and Dragon Quest IX on DS disappointed as it lacked the character depth that the previous game gave us. Dragon Quest X became an MMORPG which was released for Wii, Wii U, and PC in Japan only. It’s been a while since we’ve played a fantastic Dragon Quest game and Dragon Quest XI could bring back what made the series so great.
Not much has been given about Dragon Quest XI, but we do know that it will be arriving to consoles, and it is being developed alongside Dragon Quest Heroes, which was recently announced to have a Western release. The confirmation of the game’s development was a year ago so perhaps we’ll see a new trailer from Square Enix this year. As E3 is a North American event, Dragon Quest XI is unlikely to appear as the series is more popular in Japan.
Final Fantasy XII HD Remaster
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is set to release on PS4 this month, but another PS2 Final Fantasy title has not received the HD treatment yet: Final Fantasy XII. Due to how young I was, I did not understand the dialogue between the characters in XII with its old English language and didn’t appreciate the eccentricities of the battle system. However, at that time, I could acknowledge the spectacle of the game’s environments and character designs. The city of Rabanastre is beautiful, and the surroundings areas of the Gaza Plains made for a great place to explore. Plus, I really liked being able to hunt down creatures for experience and money. The music of Final Fantasy XII composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto was phenomenal as well, and it would be great to hear the music orchestrated.
I hope at E3 this year, we’ll see Final Fantasy XII HD Remaster get announced so I can give this game another shot with a HD touch up.
Square Enix Crossover Fighting Game
Square Enix is the developer of so many titles, classic and new, which could bring a varied cast of characters for a fighting game. And yes, there is Dissidia: Final Fantasy, but why not bring the whole company’s history behind it? There is Crono from Chrono Trigger, Neku from The World Ends With You, Hero from Dragon Quest VIII, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, Ashley from Vagrant Story, and so many more to choose from. They could even bring in the Western characters such as Lara Croft, Agent 47 or Adam Jensen into the mix. Think about all the locations that they could include in a fighting game. The waterfall of Hollow Bastion/Radiant Gardens from Kingdom Hearts, the Tower of Alexandria from Dragon Quest VIII, and the city of Ul’Dah from Final Fantasy XIV could be great stages. If created, it could use the Dissidia fighting system and like each character in Dissidia, each person included might bring the initial mechanics of their original games.
Square Enix recently celebrated their history in Theatryhmn Final Fantasy: Curtain Call as they included soundtracks from Bravely Default, Romancing Saga, and Nier, plus more franchises as DLC. Seeing all these characters being celebrated in a title such as this would be a great love letter to the fans, and it would be cool to see them all in one story.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Volume 2
~ written by Eleni DiCarlo ~
Nier 2
Nier is a stand out game of the past generation. While not showing state of the art graphics one month after the release of Final Fantasy XIII, the game was intriguing through its strange concoction of gothic art, different gameplay styles (such as shoot-em-ups and even a text adventure), and a unique thought provoking story. While Nier was not perfect in its gameplay as it had a lot of repetitive mission types (collecting and gathering), the battle system was simple but fun to play with various spells that you unlock as you progress. The game also had creative bosses and constantly changed up the level design. Nier also had multiple endings by playing the game more than once, and the developers were so daring that the game deleted your save after the fourth playthrough because it was at its final ending.
Nier had so much potential, but it lacked polish. However, if a sequel is made, Square Enix could use the Luminous Engine to really spruce up the game’s visuals. It would be cool if the game received a remastering too for the PS4 so more people can play it.
What games do you want to see from Square Enix this E3? Share your ideas with us down in the comments below!