If I were to use one phrase to describe Square Enix’s E3 2018 Press Conference, it would probably be: “This was unnecessary”. To be fair, unlike the other presentations this year, Square Enix opted to put out a short 30 minute video that gave us some insights into one game, and then had us take a look at some other games. This presentation could have been much better, but apparently a lot of the highly anticipated projects that Square Enix is working on are so far out that they weren’t even mentioned at all (I’m looking at you Final Fantasy VII Remake and Marvel’s The Avengers). In any case, there were some nice moments in this otherwise very underwhelming showcase. Hit the jump to read on!
HIGH – Deep dive into Shadow of the Tomb Raider
This was a really smart way to start this presentation. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is Square Enix’s biggest and most imminent release so it makes sense that they spent a lot of time showcasing what is new about this game compared to the other two in the series. Perhaps the most prominent aspect of what we saw with Shadow is that this is a much darker game. The other two were fairly grim, but this one literally has you take guys down like you’re the daughter of Rambo and the Predator. Also, from what I can tell, you’re actually kind of the bad guy in this one. At least, you are the catalyst for the major conflict in the game, and that’s pretty refreshing in a way. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is out on September 14th, and as the tagline says: “Become the Tomb Raider”.
LOW – Déjà vu
The biggest problem with this showcase was that we literally saw half of the announced titles during Microsoft’s conference the previous day. Sure, we got more info on Tomb Raider (see above), The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirt, and Just Cause 4, but that doesn’t change the fact that these were already known quantities. It was just such a weird move considering Square Enix has a bunch of other highly anticipated projects that we just didn’t see at all this year. Now of course, Square Enix is a niche publisher, but they have an incredibly loyal and passionate fan base that I think was severely let down this year. I would know, because I’m one of those people. I was really holding out hope for at least a little nod for The Avengers game that Square Enix is working on, or even a brief flash of the words “Final Fantasy VII”, even though I knew it was incredibly unlikely. Especially since they threw out all of the work the previous developer, Cyber Connect, had done. Oh well, maybe next year?
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Babylon’s Fall and The Quiet Man were the only two “out of left field” games Square Enix had to show. But unfortunately we didn’t really get a lot of information as to what the games are actually going to be like. They definitely looked interesting though. Babylon’s Fall looked like a medieval game that I assume is an action game. It’s developed by Platinum Games, and that’s their M.O. so that’s what I think it could be. The Quiet Man on the other hand looks like a third-person beat ’em up where you play as a deaf guy who enjoys beating up random thugs in alleyways. Maybe it’s secretly a sequel to The Bouncer? I can dream, right?
What did you think of Square Enix’s E3 2018 press conference? Were you as disappointed as I was? Let us know in the comments below!