E3 '07: Square Enix lines up for E3

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Jul 9, 2007 6:45 pm PT

Japanese publisher brings Final Fantasy in droves; Front Mission DS officially announced.

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Last May was a reprieve for most publishers and developers, being no longer obligated to put on their Sunday finest and present their wares to the masses. Such was not the case for Japan-based Square Enix, who in lieu of the world's largest gaming trade show, moved its mostly annual Square Enix Party in Makuhari, Japan, to the same week as the old E3. During the event, Square Enix had on show games and merchandise from franchises both old and new, and it also unveiled several new games in its most popular franchises. With its strong showing just a few months ago, the publisher doesn't have many tricks left in its bag, but many fan favorites will still be present at this year's E3.

While it won't be showing anywhere near the amount of titles it did in May, Square Enix has an unhealthy amount of Final Fantasy on display all the same. Representing the Ivalice Alliance, Square Enix will be showing Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings on the Nintendo DS and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. The two games bookend Square Enix's Ivalice line of games, where The War of the Lions is an updated remake of the 1997 FF Tactics original and Revenant Wings is the latest extrapolation in the series.

In other Final Fantasy news, Square Enix will also be showing off the much-anticipated second installment in the Crystal Chronicles series, Ring of Fates. Slated for a spring 2008 release on the Nintendo DS, Ring of Fates will feature a fully featured single-player adventure, as well as Wi-Fi compatible multiplayer action for up to four players.

While the bulk of Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy products are for Nintendo's newest handheld, the publisher has a few lined up for Sony and Microsoft systems as well. Set for a July 27 release, Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition for the PSP will make an appearance at this year's expo. In this latest reimagining of FFII, Square Enix has completely revamped the graphics and included all-new dungeons. Square Enix will also be showing off the latest expansion in its massively multiplayer online game, Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess. This fourth chapter will introduce a bevy of new content to the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 2 versions of the game and is set to go live this winter.

Square Enix has more than just Final Fantasy games lined up for the show. The publisher will be bringing two from its Dragon Quest series, Joker and The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. Already out in Japan, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker lets players capture, train, and breed more than 200 different monsters. Square Enix will be showing the game exclusively for the DS in advance of its November 6 release date. Dragon Quest is also headed to the Wii in The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. Aimed at both longtime Dragon Quest fans and newcomers to the series, Masked Queen has players acting out the role-playing adventure using the Wii's motion-sensing controls.

While GameStop spoiled the fun in June, Square Enix confirmed it would be bringing Front Mission to the DS in North America. Similar to its recent Final Fantasy Anniversary updates, the publisher will rework the turn-based mech strategy game with dual-screen compatibility and multiplayer modes. The long-running Mana series will also have a new installment shown at this year's expo, Heroes of Mana.

Lastly, Square Enix plans to finally officially unveil its US online store. Merchandise on offer will include rarer items from the series, such as Master Arms, Mechanical Arts, and Play Arts, as well as items from popular series, such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts.

201 Comments

  • jerome25

    Posted Aug 28, 2009 9:47 pm PT

    dissidia is the best game now

  • jerome25

    Posted Aug 28, 2009 9:46 pm PT

    I'm already finished playing crisis core

  • lapyx

    Posted Sep 20, 2007 6:36 pm PT

    Looking Forward to Crisis Core.. That's had my eye for a long time now.

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 8:35 pm PT

    What a horrible lineup. No new info on FF XIII, FF XIII Vs., Dragon Quest IX, Kingdom Hearts III, or Star Ocean 4? Square's showing at E3 couldn't be much worse.
    said by Watch_Me_Xplode

    i could nor agree more, i want more info on Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts 3, and FFXIII and FFXIII Vs.

  • ssjdagas

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 6:09 am PT

    I want Crisis Core now! ^^

  • aravindashwin

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 8:48 pm PT

    This lineup isnt what I expected....... No Crisis core!!! >

  • Watch_Me_Xplode

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 1:58 pm PT

    What a horrible lineup. No new info on FF XIII, FF XIII Vs., Dragon Quest IX, Kingdom Hearts III, or Star Ocean 4? Square's showing at E3 couldn't be much worse, honestly, even if they neglected to appear at all.

  • KingKoop

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 4:00 am PT

    Where's Crisis Core?

  • Osashimaru

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 12:23 am PT

    Crisis Core & Dissidia are absent from the list, well it's bound to show sometime it's too good to miss ._.

  • TheMadSpin

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 8:37 pm PT

    In the hopes that our begging will be noted by someone that matters, I'd like to throw my hat in on the, "We want Chrono Trigger," bandwagon. Yes, it'd be fine to have a decent port to the DS, but I think that with Square and Enix together, there's no excuse for not putting together an amazing third installment.

    I have to believe there's more demand for a new Chrono title than there is for stuff like a Crystal Chronicles sequel...right?

  • princeofgames90

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 8:11 pm PT

    i like front mission its a nice sequal

  • Grouchu

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 7:53 pm PT

    And still no news on Crisis Core.

  • JaMeS4418

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 6:38 pm PT

    sounds good to me

  • magical-hamster

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 6:30 pm PT

    Front Mission's probably the best news out of all this (albeit old).

  • X-7

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 5:40 pm PT

    mfgamer, I agree to an extent. The Japanese market is really big. But So are the others. They would be smart to release FF titles on 360. I had to give them up for a 360 which was offering more(and still is) at the time.

  • mfgamer

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 5:32 pm PT

    To those who said that SE would never put a Final Fantasy game on 360 b/c of its poor sales in Japan, Japan means nothing to winning the market. If the 360 dominates in the US and UK, it's OVER. I don't care how poorly MS does in Japan, the percentage of the market they lose is minuscule compared to the rest of the world they are currently pwning.

  • kappareign

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 5:21 pm PT

    sounds like some good stuff

  • ColonelGuile

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 5:11 pm PT

    lightningbugx

    "If only Square could try to revive the Chrono series."

    You can blame FFXI and the producers for that. They were going to make another... Personally, I am sick of all these stupid FF games coming out. They are awesome games, and I'll probably get all the new ones coming for PS3, but damn . . . revive the series that actually made Square stand out.

    How about a Chrono Trigger remake? Who cares about the PS1 remake, that was lame. They are redoing FF2 and such, why can't they redo Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross??

  • davidmcc1989

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 5:01 pm PT

    I'm looking forword to FF Tactics coming to the PSP. I didn't play the original, but I did play Tactics Advance, and I was hooked on that, so chances are this one will get me hooked as well. Question is: are they going to say anything about FF13 at E3, we'll wait and see.

  • Handlerer

    Posted Jul 10, 2007 4:53 pm PT

    Dissidia? DISSIDIAAAAAAAAAA!

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