Category Archives: Square Enix

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, the debut title from producer Ichiro Hazama, was originally designed for release on DS but due to hardware limitations, the game’s production was held back. Speaking in the the latest edition of Iwata Asks, Hazama said the idea for the title came after he finished work on the Final Fantasy movie Advent Children, and with the release of 3DS, a handheld with the storage capacity and power was finally available to bring his ideas to fruition. Thus he went to Indies Zero to finalize his plans for the game, and after getting the all-clear from Tetsuya Nomura, work on the game started that very day. In order to get fans involved, Hazama said Square sent out fan surveys sent, and the 70 songs contained in the game are a direct result of said surveys. The more you know, etcetera. The rhythm-action game, which contains four-player co-op, will land on 3DS February 16. A western release has yet to be confirmed.

Square has released a new video for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, and it runs around the 10-minute mark. The 3DS title has Sora and Rikku as duel playable protagonists, and will feature familiar characters and locations from IPs such as Final Fantasy, Winnie the Pooh, Tron, Pinocchio, Notre Dame, Three Musketeers and more Square/Disney offerings. It launches March 29 in Japan, and is slated for release this year in Europe and the US. The video is posted below.

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After a negative reaction from players, Square Enix is reassessing plans to shutter eight of Final Fantasy XIV’s servers, reducing the number of available worlds to ten.

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Square Enix has made two new trademarks in Europe, according to a recent discovery: Drakerider and Blood of Chaos. Domain registrations were also made under the names of drakerider.com and bloodofchaos.com. We have no idea what Drakerider could be, but Blood of Chaos does sound a lot like a sequel to DS game Blood of Bahamut, as suggested by Siliconera. Go figure.

Siliconera has gotten to the bottom of a Square trademark it uncovered this morning called Rebellion Overdrive, and turns out its a new episode for the Japanese, GREE social game, Knights of the Crystals. The North American version on Facebook ends on February 29. So much for hoping it was one of Square’s Unreal Engine 3 games.

Square Enix has announced it’ll merge eight of its 18 servers in Final Fantasy XIV, bringing its overall total down to ten.

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Square Enix has trademarked something called Rebellion Overdrive in Japan. Siliconera might be on the right track by suggesting it could be one of Square’s Unreal 3 games. Perhaps the online RPG announced last year? We’ll ask.

Square has confirmed that True Crime: Hong Kong has been rebranded as Sleeping Dogs, releasing a very cool live action trailer in celebration. The game’s new identity was rumoured overnight. Watch it below, and get full details on the announcement here.

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Confirming US leaks in the last 24 hours, Square’s unveiled Sleeping Dogs, the final form of United Front Games’ True Crime: Hong Kong. Shots, details and first video inside.

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Square Enix has discounted DLC and games as part of an ongoing sale on Xbox Live Marketplace. Offers include 25 percent off Battlestations: Pacific, Tomb Raider: Underworld and Just Cause 2 on Games on Demand, as well as half-off Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light on XBLA, Anniversary episodes for Tomb Raider: Legend and other bits of DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, including story expansion The Missing Link. Other items on sale include DLC, avatar items and themes.

There’s a full list after the break.

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According to a tweet from US retailer Future Shop, Square Enix’s shown Sleeping Dogs for the first time, confirming it for an August release.

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According to Siliconera, Square Enix’s celebratory rhythm action RPG Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy will have co-operative multiplayer. You can invite up to three friends to the Chaos Temple to take on legendary bosses from the series, including Ultima Weapon, Omega Weapon and Shinryu. You’ll gain experience for your party and snaffle rare items while tapping along to Song of Darkness. The 3DS exclusive pulls together characters, enemies and settings from acorss the Final Fantasy franchise’s catalogue, and hits Japan on February 16. No western release has been confirmed. It will be one of the first to utilise the Nintendo Network with premium DLC offerings.

Army Corps of Hell, Square’s Vita Pikmin thing, will allow you to steal goblins from your friends in ad hoc multiplayer. Bonzer. It also allows up to four of you to get together in a physical vicinity and smash devilish bosses in the head. Take a look below. God knows what’s going on here. It’s out alongside the console’s launch on February 22.

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Square has announced the Opponent: Lightning & Amodar DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2 is available on XBL for 240 MSP, and will be released in Europe as part of the PSN update tomorrow for £1.59/€ 1.99. The Coliseum Battle allows players to “pit their wits” against Lieutenant Amodar, a member of Cocoon’s military division the Guardian Corps; and Lightning, previously a member of the same unit. Players who best the duo in battle will be able to add both characters to their party. The bow weapon for Serah called “Azrael” is also available exclusively for Xbox 360 for 80 MSP. More well-known characters and monsters from past Final Fantasy titles will be making an appearance “soon.” New screens for the DLC are posted below.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 may have topped the UK charts last week, but is it enough to steer Square’s flagship back on course? Thankfully, Alex Donaldson reckons the rudder’s been turned the right way.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the new number one in the UK charts, taking over from FIFA 12 after a six-week spell.

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Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto has confirmed Final Fantasy X for PS3 and Vita will be a HD remaster, not a remake as it had been previously said.

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A nudge at the end of Final Fantasy XIII-2 has raised hopes for a further sequel, but it’s time to dash them. Minor spoilers ahead.

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Square Enix has opened a website portal which devoted entirely to its Piano Collections series of game soundtracks. At present, the site contains piano renditions of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts music,. and soon, NieR. The Piano Opera: Final Fantasy I/II/III soundtrack site has also been updated with track lists, samples, and composer comments from Nobuo Uematsu and Hiroyuki Nakayama. The soundtrack will be released on February 29 for ¥2,800 ($36.74), and sheet music will be available starting in March for ¥1,800 ($23.62). Thanks, Andriasang.

Square Enix has released its financial results for the nine-month period ending December 31, 2011, and the firm reported increases in both revenue and profit thanks to its games division as well as its social and online offerings.

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