How Tong its play evolves from free play to competing online
Tong its Play continues to grow as more players explore digital platforms that make the game easier [...]
Right off the bat, I’m very glad that this year’s conference for Square has been really good. Furthermore, I’ve been hoping to hear some news about “Final Fantasy 7” for years now, and finally, now I got what I wished for.
So that combined with all the strong hitters that Square had lined-up for us at E3 2019. I think it’s safe to say that it’s going to be a good year for Square Enix with no doubt.
So let’s start out with Square Enix’s heaviest hitter, “Final Fantasy 7 Remake“. The game looks phenomenal, with their new system, ATB. With ATB, you build up ATB bars with attacks and over time and when you have enough, you can go into ATB mode, where time freezes, and you can do other actions.
You use ATB for items, Magic, and other skills. And the Magic looks amazing, much better than FF15’s. All the characters look great, especially Tifa who, after not seeing her in the last trailer, I was a little worried about. We were also given the news that the game is so big that it has to be on two Blu-ray discs.
Well, here’s a friendly reminder. A single Blu-ray disc can hold 100 GB of data (with Midgar being a game in its own right). In other words, the remake of FF7 is going to be a very big game indeed.
However, Square Enix has given no comment on whether or not FF7R will still be episodic like they announced long ago.
Tifa looks really good in the remake of FF7. This version of Tifa is actually reminding me of “Advent Children” almost. So let’s hope that we will get a costume DLC (that would be pretty darn sweet).
Next up, we have “Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles“, which is being remade for mobile, Switch, and PS4. It looks really nice, though I’m not too sure how I feel about handheld Final Fantasy games yet. I’ve only played console “Final Fantasy” games.
“Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles” may not be my kind of game, but I still love how charming the character models are.
Going on to something I’m familiar with, “Octopath Traveler“. You see, “Octopath Traveler” is coming to PC, and if you have the opportunity to play it, please do, because it’s really good.
Just a warning though, however, be careful who you choose as your first character, as you can’t remove them from your party until you’ve completely finished their story.
So choose a class that you can use in every situation. I chose the Black Mage character, so I was fine, but I wish I knew beforehand.
Do yourself a favor pick up this game (“Octopath Traveler”) if you haven’t already. I mean, I don’t usually agree with IGN, but it’s a really good JRPG.
Another game is getting a Remaster, that being “The Last Remnant“, though I don’t really know much about the game, unfortunately.
With that said, do you like “Dragon Quest“? Do you like “Minecraft“? Well, in that case, then I’m happy to inform you that “Dragon Quest Builders 2” is coming to the PS4.
It’s literally Minecraft with Dragon Quest characters. Fight monsters, build things, grow vegetables, play with friends. It’s also worth mentioning that there is a playable demo coming to the PS4 on the 27th of June.
As awesome as that might sound though, since I’m not a fan of either franchise. Thus, I’m just going to pass on this one.
When “Dragon Quest Builders 2” showed the first five seconds at E3 2019, I was joking when I said “Dragon Quest Minecraft”, but it actually, that’s exactly what the game is.
Anyways, moving on! Even more “Dragon Quest” is coming with “Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition“.
So, what is the major selling point of this game then? Well, you can choose to either play in retro sixteen-bit, or modern style graphics. Looks really nice in both options.
Am I crazy for not being that crazy over Akira Toriyama’s art style?
Next up we got a new motorsports game called “Circuit Superstars“. Drive cars, race, win. Again, this isn’t really a genre that I’m a huge fan of…And the said game sure didn’t look like anything impressive enough to change my mind either. So I’ll pass on this one as well.
Speaking of things that don’t look impressive in a genre I don’t care about: “Battalion 1944 Eastern Front“, which is a competitive WWII shooter with leaderboards to climb. Standard, basic, eh.
We were then told that Square Enix music is now coming to us (check it out on your favorite music streaming site!). Well, that sure sounds like it’d be fun. So I might need to give it a listen in the near future.
After that a lot of hype followed worldwide as we get our look at “Kingdom Hearts 3” “Re:Mind” DLC . Well, okay.
We didn’t really see much outside of some really generically mysterious Kingdom Hearts dialogue followed by exciting footage showing off playable Aqua and Roxas and access to the Oathkeeper keyblade.
There was also teasing of some of Organization 13’s true identities, something people have been curious about since they were first introduced. I mean, I saw a playable Aqua.
So Square Enix could have DLC of just that and I’d be fine with that. Especially since I’ve wanted that since 2.8, and now I have the chance. So I can’t wait to hear more of what’s to come.
As I mentioned earlier, the DLC announcement could have just been this and I’d have been sold.
So, what about MMORPG’s then? Well, for all you MMORPG fans out there, we got “Final Fantasy 14 Shadowbringers” coming July 2nd. It’s the third expansion for “Final Fantasy 14” and comes with two new jobs, Gunbreaker and Dancer.
The “Shadowbringers” story trailer was also pretty hype and frankly, if I were to ever play an MMO, it’d probably be this one.
I’m not going to lie, because I find “Final Fantasy 14 Shadowbringers” to look pretty darn slick.
We then got about ten seconds of “Dying Light 2“, with more of what you expect from a sequel to the original “Dying Light“.
That’s right, even more parkour, zombies, crazy people. You know, the usual zombie apocalypse stuff.
In all honesty, though. I got quite surprised to hear that “Dying Light” got a sequel, considering that both the video game and movie market is full of zombie-themed creations at the moment.
Next up we found out that two JRPGs are now coming to the west, those being “Romancing Saga 3″ and Saga Scarlet Grace”, the latter allowing you to make a character with a bunch of different classes and go with tons of different fighting strategies.
Well..I don’t know about you, but I’ll definitely have to check those out, since I’m always open to try out a new JRPG at least once.
What’s that? A snake demon you say? You have my full attention! (yes, snake demons is very much a thing in “Romancing Saga 3”).
And with that said, do you like “Brave Exvius“? Well now we got “Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: War of the Visions“, which shows us many different kingdoms fighting for their homeland over the possible future foreseen by one of the kings.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Because the game looks very cool and all that, but I’m more of a main series “Final Fantasy” kind of guy.
I remember when I went to war because I had a bad dream.
Well, I think you get the idea. So let’s move on with the show shall we? Next, we got a look at a new dark modern shooter called “Outriders“, which has a story you can either go solo on or work together with friends.
And as you can expect with a modern shooter, there are tons of weapons and monsters. Personally, I’m a little tired of the shooter genre, as it seems really saturated at this time (I’m still going to play “Doom Eternal” no matter what Jay! – Robin).
The “Outriders” trailer gave us a glimpse of what the game is all about, and the game is off to a rather good start on that front at least.
As if there couldn’t be enough JRPGs being announced at once, we got our look at “Oninaki” (which is a colorful JRPG with an interesting main theme of reincarnation and those that threaten the cycle).
Well, the combat looks very dynamic and satisfying, and I can’t wait to learn more about it in the future since it is set to release August 22nd of this year.
Why yes, I do love big colorful combat animation, thank you! (“Oninaki” looks very nice indeed)
Prior to the final announcement, we got a look at “Final Fantasy 7 remastered“, which is coming to all consoles this year.
Lastly, we got the big finale! As “Marvel’s Avengers” got a trailer that diverges greatly from expectations. As this is Crystal Dynamic’s interpretation of the characters, they got to create their own storyline for the Avengers.
The Avengers are celebrating the grand opening of their new headquarters on the west coast when suddenly, a freak accident wipes out the city, and the Avengers have no choice but to disband after their failure.
Five years later, a new threat is approaching, and they have to assemble once more to put a stop to it. To add-on to the hype, in addition to the characters already shown, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, and the Hulk, all added characters and DLC will be free.
Truth be told. I’m pretty hyped for this game even though I’ve never seen an Avengers movie before because the game is looking really good at the moment and I can’t wait to see more.
This is cool and all, but no Hawkeye in the main team? I may have not seen the movies, but I’ve seen enough clips and trailers to know he’s the best character.
And that was the very end of Square Enix E3 presentation for this year, and I have to say that Square really hit it out of the park with E3 2019.
Why? Because everyone got a little taste of what they wanted. Avengers has a trailer, “Final Fantasy 7 Remake” looks phenomenal, and there’s so much in the JRPG category that there’s little to not be hyped for.
So, yeah, there is so much build up for this moment and it definitely paid off big time for Square with no doubt.
Entertainment Value: 4/5
Games: 5/5
Surprises: 3/5
Verdict: 4/5
Square knew exactly what people wanted and it kept me entertained throughout most of their E3 2019 event. The games were spectacular, with me wanting to empty my wallet to get to them.
Lastly, there were a few surprises. A few JRPGs that the west never had before are finally coming to us, and “Final Fantasy 7”, despite already being obvious for this year, still had some surprises to share with us. Great job, Square. I knew you had it in you.
Credit:
Robin Ek – Editor and co-writer.
***Disclaimer***
This is a personal opinion of the writer, and it doesn’t necessarily represent the other writers (nor The Gaming Ground´s) opinions.
Justin Easler
Senior editor
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @masterjayshay
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Tags: Dragon Quest Builders 2, E3, E3 2019, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7 remake, Octopath Traveler, Square Enix
