Grave Gamer News & Views — square enix

I’ve beaten Square Enix’s ten-years-in-the-making magnum opus. I do eventually want to write a review, and doubtless it’ll be a long-winded opus in and of itself since I have a ton I want to say, but I thought I’d share some quick impressions now that I’ve resurfaced from my sixty hour journey into a world of magical beings and stupid anime haircuts. Mostly to collect my thoughts on my time with...

Hey, Herbians. This article was originally posted over at When Nerds Attack and marks my first gaming editorial for the site. There’s more to come, including an extended preview of Final Fantasy XV. Look for more down the line! That’s right! I took my thumb out of my ass and I’m writing again!

(In the preview Square Enix hosted, I played the beginning portion of Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Blood Ties...

First Peek at Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Combat

For whatever reason, tomb raiding has always come with a certain precariousness, and I don’t mean falling stalactites and booby trapped crypts. I mean burly men with flamethrowers. Like Frappy Happy Hour seems to draw in every short tempered housewife in the nearby cul-de-sac, tombs serve as a beacon for rifle swinging goons.

Luckily, Ms. Croft has honed her skills since her first outing, becoming something akin to a guerrilla fighter. A one woman army in a halter top.

Check out the game’s combat hereabouts. Rise of the Tomb Raider releases November 10th for Xbox One and Xbox 360. PC gets it early next year and PS4 (sigh) won’t be raiding anything until a full year after its competitor’s launch date.

Final Fantasy VIII’s Balamb Garden Circa 2014

1999’s Final Fantasy VIII holds a special place in my gaming heart. It was the first RPG I fell in love with, and one of my first encounters with mature storytelling in games (for nine-year-old me, video game narratives didn’t often fall outside the realm of “She’s in another castle!”).

Despite call backs to yesteryear in HD remakes, especially some in Square’s catalog receiving the remaster-romance, FFVIII has remained the PS1 relic that it is. Game environment artist Scott Honeycutt, however, decided to give nostalgia a little face-lift, remaking the famed Balamb Garden institute of teenaged mercenaries in Unreal 4. Even Squall would crack a smile.

Final Fantasy XV Still Exists, Trailer Reminds Us of the Pain of Not Owning It

Stop reading. Watch this.

You back? Your eyes seem a little glossy. Take a moment if you want.

So… that trailer was fifteen sorts of fantastic. I’m not even completely certain of what I was watching or how it would translate to the controller in my hands once it – finally – releases to long, long waiting masses. But I know whatever that trailer was showing, I want it. And I want it bad.

Got some news to chase this gameplay down with. Tetsuya Nomura, FFXV’s director since the game was announced two-thousand years ago as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, is relinquishing the Head Honcho seat amidst Square Enix’s strategic staff switcheroo.

Now, a Mr. Hajime Tabata is tasked with carrying XV to gold status. Tabata’s directorial credits include that nifty FFVII spin-off Crisis Core and its fellow PSP comrade Final Fantasy Type-0. Bringing this shit full circle, Type-0’s HD re-release for PS4 and Xbox One is set to be packaged with a demo for Final Fantasy XV. Yeah, it’s actually happening. We live in a reality where XV will be playable. Type-0 is on shelves as soon as March 17, 2015.

Oh, and fret not for Nomura-san. Square’s putting him to work right away. He’ll be overseeing projects “that can only be made possible by Nomura himself,” starting with none other than finishing Kingdom Hearts III.

Mountains are being moved around at Square Enix. The impossible being made possible. Fans have waited nearly a day shy of eternity for these two games. But, oddly, the more tangible these games get, the harder the wait becomes.