Square Enix

The Smartest & Dumbest Things Square Enix Did in 2012

Square Enix. It’s a name that evokes some powerful memories: what gamer hasn’t formed some sort of emotional connection with games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest over the years? If you play video games, you’ve probably played something developed or published by Square Enix. They’ve got tentacles everywhere. 2012 was an interesting year for…

This Japanese Meme Is an Eyeful

Sponsors make television possible. And in Japan, those sponsors dominate the commercial breaks. During each show, they even get one shout out right before a commercial break, with an announcer saying that the program is brought to you by whatever. Normal enough, right? The ensuing meme is anything but. Welcome to the world of “sponsor…

As previously discussed, Square Enix counted down to Star Galaxy, a browser game.

There’s a teaser site up for a Theatrhythm game. Smart money says it’s a mobile port.

Square Enix Sale Drops Mobile Final Fantasy Prices to Near Reasonable Levels

In celebration of the holidays and the impending release of the 3D Nintendo DS Final Fantasy IV remake on iOS. Square Enix has lined up a slew of iOS game sales, starting with slashed prices on those excellent-but-pricey mobile FF games. It’s hard to resist a mobile Final Fantasy game, but those that managed to…

Square Enix, You Have a Problem. You Are Addicted to Countdown Clocks and Need Help.

This is an intervention. While most of the gaming world has thankfully moved on from stupid countdown clocks designed to drum up silly publicity for forgettable games, Square Enix still clings to them. It’s time for Square Enix to stop. Enough! Now, you are overreacting, Brian Ashcraft, you say. Perhaps. But, countdown clocks are so…

Dress as Adam Jensen from Deus Ex in Hitman

Hitman: Absolution lets players don a variety of disguises. And now, one of those outfits is the Deus Ex suit. Because if you want to blend into a crowd, what better way to do that than with a futuristic body suit! The suit not only offers Hitman‘s Agent 47 better protection, and the “Zenith” gun…

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Makes Players Manage Time

Lighting Returns, the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII title, uses a time mechanic. In the game, the world has only 13 days left before it ends. In a recent interview with 4Gamer, game designer Motomu Toriyama went into slightly more detail about the game’s time mechanic. As mentioned above, the time limit in-game is 13 days.…

The Lightning Returns Logo Took a Very Long Time to Design

Some things can be finished quickly. Some things take time. The Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII logo, it seems, took time. A lot of time. On the game’s official Twitter, someone from the Square Enix publicity department said “it took an exceedingly amount of time to arrive at the design”. Creating it was a long…

Forget the Haters, Japan *Hearts* Call of Duty

The conventional wisdom has always been Japan loves role-playing games and dislikes first-person shooters. First-person shooters, pundits said, were popular only with Western gamers. The pundits and conventional wisdom, it seems, are wrong. In its debut week, Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the PS3 is the second best selling game in Japan, moving…

There’s a New Mobile Final Fantasy Game on the Horizon, and We Hold the Key to Sephiroth

The airships are coming! Following a highly successful launch in Japan, DeNA Co. and Square Enix are preparing to bring Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade to North American Apple and Android devices. Airborne Brigade, the first free-to-play Final Fantasy social game to be released in English, casts players as airship pilots exploring an FF-inspired land, banding…

Square Enix’s Mecha Lady Game Knocked Offline, Hacking Feared

Smartphone game Galaxy Dungeon is Square Enix’s attempt to mix card-based action with role-playing game elements. The mecha heroines caught the attention of some gamers, and there was some fanfare when it was recently released. Things seemed to be going well for Galaxy Dungeon. Then, there was a bug—a bug that now looks like it…

You’ll Never Guess How Long Making the Agni’s Philosophy Demo Took

Jaws were on the floor when Square Enix showed the three minute Agni’s Philosophy demo earlier this year in Los Angeles. They were on the floor this weekend when Square Enix once again showed off the tech. To dazzle like that takes time. A lot of time. While showing off the mind-blowing demo this weekend,…

Square Enix’s Latest Mobile Puzzler is a Delirious Whirlwind of Exploded Pixels

The creators of Motley Blocks painstakingly crafted a series of 80 simple images using colored cubes, creating a collection of nifty 3D pixel art covering a variety of subjects. Then they blew them all up, and you have to put them back together. So much work, this mobile gaming. Each level in Motley Blocks begins…

Getting Up Close and Personal with Square Enix’s New Engine Blew My Mind

This last Friday and Saturday in Tokyo, Square Enix held their 2012 Open Conference. While there was some talk about the relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV, the majority of the two-day event focused on Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. Agni’s Philosophy is the real-time tech demo of Square’s new Luminous Engine that was first presented at…

Here’s What Makes a Final Fantasy, According to Square Enix

This last weekend in Tokyo, Square Enix held an open conference centered around its real-time tech demo, Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. While presenting the technical aspects was paramount in the design of Agni’s Philosophy (as it was meant to showcase the detail and flexibility of Square’s new Luminous Engine), its creators were adamant it feel…

Between Dec. 1 and Feb 28, Japanese rental store Tsutaya is renting copies of Dragon Quest X free of charge.

How Square Enix Screwed Up Black Ops II for Japan

For years now, Square Enix has published the Call of Duty games in Japan. Square Enix honcho Yoichi Wada is apparently a big fan of the series—and Western games. His goal is apparently to make Japanese gamers more open to playing foreign titles. That’s admirable. It would be more admirable if the company didn’t keep…

Sleeping Dogs, Kingdom Hearts Discounted For Square Enix’s Black Friday

Sleeping Dogs for $30! Dead Island for $10! Kingdom Hearts 3D for $20! Like everyone else in the world, Square Enix is holding a Black Friday sale this weekend. From tomorrow through Monday, you’ll be able to buy a bunch of their games online at some decent discounts. Here’s the promo image (looking super pixelated…

When Your Job Involves “Painting Exposed Buttocks To Look Covered By Latex”

The video game industry isn’t all fast cars and trips to Japan. For every studio head basking in the glow of media attention there are 100 developers lower down the food chain whose job can be a little more mundane. Like the guy/guys/gals who had to paint some butts for a trailer. Speaking with GI.biz,…