Old Country Times: TGS 2006: Square-Enix Theatre Report

Square-Enix reveals their newest games
by Andrew Alfonso
September 22, 2006 - Thanks to lady luck and a lovely lady at Square-Enix [eds note… Andrew, stop being such a nampa-master], we just made it in time to check out the first showing of the Square-Enix movie theatre at the Tokyo Game Show. Square-Enix is known for its theatre performances, where a limited number of spectators are treated to trailers of upcoming titles from the company in an enclosed setting. Not all of the games being shown by Square Enix at TGS made it into the theatre, but the presentation did give us a glance at new footage of some of the company's most anticipated games.

Here's a game-by-game look at what was shown in the theatre.

Monotone
A mobile game about a boy named Mono, who goes around defeating monsters and apparently bringing back color to the world in which he lives. Battle is done via turn-based combat. Since it's a mobile game, the graphics were pretty simple, but the gameplay looked fun. Tetsuya Nomura has a hand in Monotone's development (is that the sound of a million fan boys suddenly devoting their entire existence to a single game?).

(Suburashii Kono Seikai) It's a Wonderful World
This is Tetsuya Nomura's recently announced DS game, and it looked amazing. The graphics are done in the same style as Musashi Samurai Legend and Final Fantasy 7: Before Crisis. The outlines on the characters are very dark, giving the game a comic book fool.

Combat is done with both the touch screen and the controller, depending on which character you're using. If you're using the female character, combat is performed by pressing the buttons that are displayed on the screen, while the male attacks when you tap the touch screen.

The game features dozens of characters on the screen at once, and is set in a fictional version of Shibuya, a popular place in Tokyo where young adults hang out. We even spotted a take on Harlem, a nightclub that coincidentally is located next to IGN Japan Correspondent Anoop's house.

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core

The trailer shown on the screen was fitted to resemble the PSP's resolution. It started off with background story, including details on how Zack and Aerith met for the first time. Oddly enough, Aerith wasn't wearing her traditional pink outfit from the previous game. Rather, she was sporting a casual white and blue motif. Zack's superior was also introduced, although his name wasn't given. Of course, Cloud (wearing a SOLDIER helmet) and Sephiroth also made cameos in the trailer.

Combat looked weird, but interesting. It seemed that everything is handled in real-time, as Zack and his enemies were running around attacking each other, but at the top of the screen was a roulette that stopped during key times in battle. Perhaps it allows you to get power-ups? We're not sure. Summon fights were also a big part of the trailer. There was footage of Zack fighting off Bahamut and Ifrit, with the former being all CG and the latter going from CG and transitioning to real-time combat.

Overall Crisis Core looked really good, although maybe just a little less impressive than what Kingdom Hearts II pulled off on the PS2.

Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children Complete

This is the Blu-Ray version of the movie, and as the title suggests, it's going to be somewhat of a director's cut. Not only will the resolution be much higher than the DVD version, but Square Enix will be adding scenes and making changes to existing scenes. One new scene shown during the presentation was Sephiroth impaling Cloud and hoisting him over his head while his Masamune was still embedded inside of him, much like in Final Fantasy 7 for the PSOne.

No word on a solid release date yet but the trailer did indicate a Japanese release sometime in 2007.

Final Fantasy XIII

The core game in the compilation was shown first, followed by Agito and Versus.

The trailer for FFXIII was essentially a remixed version of the E3 trailer, with added scenes to show off more gameplay. The trailer started off in a speeding train much like the E3 trailer, but quickly shifted to other locations, such as a populated city. The trailer also showed how the heroine is able to move with such accuracy and speed; she uses a special device that allows her to literally levitate when she's not moving, and it also lets her move faster than normal. This might make sense in battles; the game still uses menu-driven combat, and it's possible that while making decisions on what to do, the game will go into slow motion a la The Matrix while it waits for your commands. The trailer ended in the same fashion as the E3 original, with our heroine squaring off against a giant monster. Overall it was a cool trailer, but there wasn't a lot of footage that suggested how the game is going to be played.

The mobile game Agito seems to be a card-based game, judging from the trailer that we saw. The trailer started off by scanning a ruined landscape, and then quickly focusing on one solitary island. The scene shifted towards a building that looked like a school, with dozens of students converging on the building. The students suddenly disappeared, leaving one blond-haired boy in the building. By cutting his finger and then dipping it into a small console, the whole building came alive, and then the boy took out his deck of cards to examine them. Unfortunately for him, the building around him collapsed, leaving him unconscious with his cards fluttering away. His cellphone rang as the trailer faded to black.

Finally, the Versus trailer started with a view of a modern looking city during the evening. Shifting to a view inside one of the buildings with a man sitting on a throne, the trailer went on to explain how one isolated city housing the last crystal, protected by its king, stands alone, resisting the 'heretic order' of the outside world. Then, the man on the throne stands and leaves the building, as the battle for the last crystal begins. Outside the building, the man is met by several dozens of armed soldiers who notice his appearance. As he walks down the stairs, the soldiers start firing on him, but it's futile. Apparently, the power of the 'king' is too much for them, as he seems nearly invulnerable to their attacks. Soon, the force surrounding the man materializes into several swords. The 'king' grabs one as the trailer ends. From the looks of things, Versus is going to be very action-based, but it'll be more about ancient technology (swords, crystals) going up against modern tech (guns). This seems to be the recurring theme in all of the FFXIII games.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

The last trailer from Square-Enix's was Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, which is a remixed version of Kingdom Hearts II (a.k.a the US version) as well as a title called Kingdom Hearts: Re:chain of Memories. As the title suggests, this is a remake of the GBA game of a similar name, but it's been completely redone in 3D. Not only that, but the game will include areas that weren't found in Chain of Memories before. Using an engine based on Kingdom Hearts II, the same card-based combat still applies, but it also includes the button-based combat found in Kingdom Hearts II. Interestingly enough, all of the cutscenes shown during the trailer featured only short appearances from the Disney characters.

We'll have more information as it becomes available. Look for a It's a Wonderful World hands-on soon!