Final Fantasy VIII Remaster
Deep down, many gamers secretly hoped Square Enix would eventually remaster Final Fantasy VIII, but they also realized it was a bit of a pipe dream. We were confident the company had devoted most of its manpower to titles like the Final Fantasy VII Remake and wouldn’t be able to remaster FFVIII, at least until later.
However, Square Enix somehow managed to work remastering another beloved classic game into its busy schedule.
Even though Final Fantasy VIII isn’t being remade from the ground up like Final Fantasy VII, it is still receiving a visual overhaul that puts it on par with the likes of Final Fantasy X. Plus, the music is as awesome as ever, and odds are good the Final Fantasy VIII remaster will ship with features such as increased speed mode.
Much like Square Enix’s other remasters, the Final Fantasy VIII remaster will be available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. Better yet, it will release later this year, so gamers don’t have to wait too long.
Tifa Showing Up In The Presentation
The Final Fantasy VII Remake presentation was superb. It demonstrated the new battle system, which combines modern action combat with the classic ATB system, as well as the iconic Guard Scorpion boss (renamed the Scorpion Sentinel) and a sweet remix of the boss theme.
During the presentation, the hosts teased that the audience would soon see Tifa soon. They worded the statement to imply we would have to wait a while, but then audiences were blindsided when she appeared later in the presentation. Given Tifa’s popularity, this was a nice surprise.
Not only does the remake mostly maintain Tifa’s original design (she now sports a black undershirt and trades out red gloves for black ones), but her fighting is as pugilistic as ever. Tifa retains some of her classic moves, including Somersault and Beat Rush, and she’s also added some new moves to her repertoire, including a Shoryuken-like attack.
The remake can’t release soon enough.
The Last Remnant Remastered on the Switch
Late last year, Square Enix released The Last Remnant Remastered on the PlayStation 4. According to our review, the game is competent and, if nothing else, looks better than the original version and features some quality of life improvements. However, nobody expected a Switch version of the game.
Out of nowhere, Square Enix announced that The Last Remnant Remastered is currently available on the Nintendo Switch. Not that it was coming to the Switch at a later date, but that you could download the title as soon as the reveal trailer finished.
The original version of The Last Remnant, while a decent title, was notoriously plagued with slowdown issues since the consoles at the time couldn’t keep up with the game. Only time will tell if the Nintendo Switch is up to the task of rendering The Last Remnant Remastered both docked and undocked.
Avengers Voice Cast Reveal
The long-awaited reveal of Square Enix’s Avengers game was a foregone conclusion at E3, and it made for an absolutely fantastic trailer. However, nobody expected the reveal would also feature the all-star roster of voices who will bring the iconic characters to life.
The viewers in attendance were ecstatic to discover that the Avengers game will star the voices of Travis Willingham, Nolan North, Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, and Jeff Schine. Many of these voices are already familiar to Marvel fans. Travis Willingham previously voiced Thor in multiple shows; Nolan North portrayed Deadpool in past Marvel video games; Troy Baker played double duty as Hawkeye and Loki in numerous shows and games, and Laura Bailey voiced Black Widow in Avengers Assemble.
Jeff Schine is the odd man out since he hasn’t played a Marvel character, but fans know him as Javier Garcia in The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, as well as Danny Burke from Mafia III.
Given the star power behind Square Enix’s Avengers game, I will be surprised if the game isn’t marvelous, pun intended.
Babylon’s Fall Missing In Action
Okay, this is cheating a bit since it isn’t a surprising announcement but a surprising lack of an announcement, but we’re still surprised Square Enix didn’t reveal any more information on Babylon’s Fall.
Announced during E3 2018 as another collaboration between Square Enix and PlatinumGames, Babylon’s Fall is a game shrouded in mystery. The title features a grimdark aesthetic that is slightly reminiscent of Dark souls, but that’s all we know about Babylon’s Fall.
What kind of characters star in Babylon’s Fall? Does the game include the same flashy combat that made PlatinumGames famous? Will Babylon’s Fall still release in 2019? These questions should have been answered in Square Enix’s E3 conference, but news of Babylon’s Fall was nowhere to be found.
The studio’s silence is deafening, especially since the last time a company was silent regarding an upcoming PlatinumGames title, it turned out the game had been cancelled (coughScaleboundcough). The lack of any Babylon’s Fall news is as surprising as it is worrying.
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