E3 2019: Square Enix E3 Breakdown & Report Card

June 14, 2019 Dr. Bob

Square Enix came out the gate pretty hot at this year’s E3, but tripped over itself along the way. They had such great potential to bring it all back in the end, but we’ll see how everything stacked up for them. With Square Enix being a Japanese publisher and having many IPs unknown to the common US gamer, I will have to add some subsections to the report card for stuff…..well I just don’t fucking understand.

The Highlights:

Sqaure Enix started off scorching hot with a Buster Sword opening and nostalgic PS1 menu screens leading into another trailer of Final Fantasy 7 Remake footage. Square is taking the already enormous scale of the original FF7 classic and expanding it even more so into two full blu ray discs of content being released in several chapters. They showed off the new Tactical Mode combat which is a blend of real time button mashing action and slowed down, almost turn based decision making. I think Square Enix is doing everything they can to please long lasting fans of the original Final Fantasy 7 while also creating a beautifully rendered, new experience for the unfamiliar audience.
Octopath Traveler being ported outwards from the Switch to Steam and other platforms is also very promising. The game can only get better on more powerful systems and I am sure it will look amazing in 4K with uncapped frames.
Being a huge fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, I was incredibly excited to see Square making their game music catalog available on most music platforms. The orchestral work and scores that go into their games are always worth checking out, so I absolutely see myself using this in the future.
Sqaure Enix announced the Kingdom Hearts 3 Remind DLC and I am all for more KH3 content. I am just hoping that maybe they’ll add some of the Final Fantasy characters that oddly seem to be missing from the core game.
People Can Fly’s Outriders might honestly be one of the biggest sleeper reveals of E3 this year. The team from BulletStorm and Gear of War Judgment got together to make a dark modern shooter with 3 player PVE co-op combat. I’m intrigued to see more from this game in the future.
To round out the highlights comes the announcement of the Final Fantasy 8 HD Remaster. FF8 is somewhat of a black sheep in the franchise, but I personally think it’s one of the best they’ve made. FF* HD Remaster is set to release this year, and I have my fingers crossed it will get the same love and Remake that Final Fantasy 7 is getting. Hey, maybe they’ll even do a full blown Final Fantasy 9 HD Remake too.

The Mehlights:

I hate to do this to everyone, but the Square Enix Avengers game could be so much more. Don”t get me wrong, there are some great qualities they showed off, mainly being the incredible voice acting, unique storyline, and ability to play as Earth”s Mightiest heroes. The biggest issue I and apparently the entire internet has with what they showed off is the character design. These Avengers look more like stunt doubles and the number of hilarious memes that followed is immeasurable. This is the first thing that popped into my head.

Life is Strange part 2 looks interesting enough and from what I have heard is a wonderful experience of a game so I’m sure fans will be pleased.
The Last Remnant is an old under the radar, PS3 era RPG that probably didn’t get the attention it deserved so long ago. The HD Remaster for the Switch could go either way so only time will tell with this one.
DragonQuest Builders 2 and DragonQuest XI 2 could also be big, but not being any bit involved in the franchise, it is tough to be excited about. Fans will most likely chew me apart for it, but I never really saw the appeal.
Final Fantasy 14 ShadowBringers will also most likely please fans of the reinvigorated MMORPG with 2 new races and jobs to play as. They showed off some interesting character and enemy designs, but the trailer was way too long IMO.
Techland’s Dying Light 2 could also be another big release, but as we’ve seen with so many new games coming out, giant open world zombie survival games had their time in the limelight.

The Lowlights:

Thankfully, Square Enix had a moderate to high showing this year so the lowlights are thin.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is coming to mobile, PS4 and Switch, but the graphics looked relatively outdated. This is a niche sub genre of the Final Fantasy franchise, but as with all of their IPs, I am sure the fans will eat it up.
Original Fire Games’ Circuit Superstars is a top down racing game that they hope will bring gamers back to the oldschool arcade form of racing. The visuals look cute and endearing, I just don’t see who the audience will be for it.

I Have No Clue What These Are:

Sqaure Enix is releasing 2 older RPGs that never released in the West, Romancing Saga 3 and Saga Scarlet Grace. This is about as niche as it gets.
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius War of the Visions…………. I think it’s a strategy game. I don’t fucking know.

Sqaure Enix had one rollercoaster of a showing at E3 2019. They started off real strong with Final Fantasy 7 gameplay and cinematics, stumbled a bunch with uneven pacing, and ended with The Avengers leaving gamers divided yet optimistic. There is a lot of promise in their lineup and also a lot of niche games we will just need to wait and see how they play out. I have to say, Sqaure Enix pulled out an Above Average showing. Make sure to check out our other reports cards from E3.

Final Grade: B