Why Japanese Developers Need New IPs Part 2

Last time we covered what exactly is wrong in the mainstream Japanese gaming industry. The oversaturation of RPGs, longstanding titles that change very little, and of course the terrible attempts at reaching Western consumers certainly don't help much. There's really no reason for these developers (or publishers) to be so afraid of moving their products overseas, in fact there are a lot of great reasons to do so. The market is not only ready for Japan to take the lead again, they're almost begging for it. How do I figure? Allow me to explain. More »

Square Enix Introduce New Game Engine: Luminous

Square Enix have just unveil a new next-generation game engine at this year's CEDEC. It has been given the named Luminous and it's said to build on the work that has previously been done by Eidos. More »

New SaGa Game Is Another Remake

Late last week Square Enix put up a teaser website for a new SaGa game on the Japanese branch of their website. The lack of any hints made many wonder if the game would be a another remake similar to SaGa 2 or a brand-new game in the series. Thanks to a leak of the latest issue of Famitsu, we now know what the game is. More »

GamesCom: Yoshinori Kitase Interview

Yoshinori Kitase is one of Square Enix's most decorated employees. Having originally started work on their SNES Final Fantasy games, Kitase was one of the key figures on Final Fantasy VII.

Since then, he's seen his role shift to that of Producer, a role which he recently fulfilled on Final Fantasy XIII and is currently fulfilling on The 3rd Birthday. More »

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Review

With the original Kane & Lynch achieving considerable success, IO Interactive set to work on creating a suitable follow-up, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. However, instead of simply resting on their laurels, they decided that this time around they would take some risks; most notably in the art department. Gone are top-notch HD graphics and in their place are graphics that have been inspired by low resolution footage that's often seen in candid documentaries. Some risks pay off, but Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days probably isn't one of those risks - if anything, the game feels like a slight step backwards. More »

GamesCom: Mindjack Impressions

If there was one game that surprised me at this year's GamesCom, it has to be Square Enix's upcoming third-person shooter, Mindjack. On the surface it probably looks like any other generic shooter, but once you delve a little deeper, you realise this couldn't be further from the truth. More »

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Review

Before the gameplay even begins, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is already trying to change perceptions; it's the first game in the series' history to drop the Tomb Raider tag. It doesn't stop there either, as it's also the first Tomb Raider title to appear in the downloadable space and it's also an isometric platforming game. There is an element of risk in quite a lot of what the game has done, but risk can often lead to reward and that's certainly the case here. More »

Top Ten RPGs Of This Generation... So Far

This console generation has seen a remarkable shift in what it means to be a role-playing game. Elements that have traditionally been exclusive to RPGs - such as leveling/upgrading characters and equipment, branching, non-linear plots, and collectible items - have begun to be incorporated in numerous other genres, blurring the lines between them. However, the core RPG genre remains intact, featuring a wide variety of the best Western and Eastern game designers have to offer. This is Gaming Union's top ten RPGs of this console generation (roughly 2005 to present), in alphabetical order.

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Square Enix Teasing New SaGa Game

After releasing the Nintendo DS remake of SaGa 2 in Japan, also known as Final Fantasy Legend 2 in the West, many were left wondering if Square Enix was bringing back the series, which lately has essentially faded away. According to a new teaser website, it looks like the company has more games in store. More »

GamesCom: The 3rd Birthday Hands-On

The observant amongst us will notice that The 3rd Birthday, despite being part of the Parasite Eve franchise, doesn't mention Parasite Eve anywhere in the title. That's because Square Enix only want it loosely associated with the games that came in the past - they see The 3rd Birthday as a complete reboot for the franchise, a new chapter if you will. It's certainly not a spin-off though, so don't go thinking about it like that.

What does this mean on face value? That the game is going away from its more traditional RPG roots and more towards that of a third-person shooter. That's not to say there won't be some RPG elements, there will, but in the grand scheme of the game they will be quite minimal. More »

Final Fantasy XIV TGS 2010 Trailer Released

The Tokyo Game Show is only a few weeks away and to help build anticipation, Square Enix have released their Final Fantasy XIV TGS 2010 trailer. More »

Square Enix: We'd Love To Keep Producing Games For PSP

Square Enix haven't had much luck on the PSP with regards to piracy, but they've still been one of the platform's biggest supporters. In Japan, aside from Monster Hunter, Square Enix titles adorn the top of the sales charts and it looks like this is a trend they want to continue.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is around the corner and they also have The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy Agito XIII planned for the system. More »

Final Fantasy XV Development Time 'Hopefully' Shorter

Final Fantasy XIII has been out for a few months now, and Final Fantasy XIV is out next month, so soon all attention will be turning towards the next iteration in the franchise, Final Fantasy XV.

We had a chance to speak to Yoshinori Kitase at GamesCom about how the development cycles are longer with Final Fantasy games than they used to be. More »

Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta Starts Early September

Square Enix seems to be pretty fond of the social networking tool Twitter as that's just what they used to confirm that Final Fantasy XIV will be entering its open beta phase starting early September. Phase 3 of the closed beta is about to come conclusion some time tomorrow.

"The FINAL FANTASY XIV Beta Test Phase 3 will end on August 25, then move to the Open Beta Test in early September. Get ready!"

The full game will retail on September 30. For those that preorder the collector's edition, they'll be able to access the game 8 days earlier on September 22. More »

Memory Issues Reason For Final Fantasy XIV PS3 Delay

The PlayStation 3 version of Square Enix's upcoming MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, was reportedly pushed back to March 2011 due to technical difficulties. Speaking with VG247, producer Hiromichi Tanaka explained that it mostly due to the lack of memory on Sony's platform.

"The main reason was memory," said Tanaka.

 More »

Square Enix Announces GUN LOCO Singing Contest

Square Enix recently announced a new Xbox 360 exclusive. Dubbed GUN LOCO, the game is a third person shooter with an outrageous cast of characters, prisoners on a far out prison planet fighting for their survival in a comical cartoon visual style. More »

Square Enix Coy On Final Fantasy XIII Japanese Xbox 360 Rumours

Unlike the rest of the world, Final Fantasy XIII was released exclusively on the PlayStation 3 in Japan. However, rumours have started to crop up that this is only a finite deal.

Last month, a Japanese site More »

UK Charts: Kane & Lynch 2 Storms The Charts

Kane & Lynch 2 was released last week and it's gone straight to the top of the UK Charts. This marks the third title that's gone straight to the top for Square Enix this year. More »

Square Enix Gives Bonuses To Final Fantasy XI And XIV Subscribers

Three bonuses to be precise, all of which come with a load of prerequisites. Still, it's nice to see Square throwing a bone to those who happen to participate in both of their online games. Players who decide to link the accounts, get the following neat perks. More »

Why Japanese Developers Need New IP's (Part One)

Many Japanese developers are struggling to keep up with the big numbers drawn in by western games. This isn't as much speculation, as it is fact. Outside of Nintendo, Square Enix, and Platinum Games (and a few select others), it's difficult to really pin down a developer that's been a hit overseas which Japan can directly claim. But the reasons behind these failures are not hard to identify. In fact, it can all be summed up in one pretty simple question: Where are the new IP's? More »