E3 2009: Square and Konami

So yeah, turns out I forgot to make a post yesterday. I had mentioned before that I was watching Advent Children Complete, so the slip up shouldn’t be too surprising. I plan to do a mini review on that next post.

I’m also pleased to announce that I’ve been approved by Z Connect to review Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on WiiWare, starting with the first two available episodes, and with individual reviews to follow the episodes hereafter. This is the first traditional FF game I’m officially reviewing, so I’m quite excited about it.

Anyway, on to Square and Konami’s conferences from the previous day.

Square Enix: As is usually the case with Square, some miscommunication and baseless rumors (Kingdom Hearts Wii, mainly) had proven false. Square’s E3 conference wasn’t even a conference at all, but rather a Q&A session for their recently revealed title, Final Fantasy XIV. A rather vague Q&A session at that.

What we did learn was that it would be a brand new world and setting, but featuring the same races from FFXI. It’s also supposed to offer content for all types of players, from solo to party groups. Pricing details aren’t determined, or if there will even be a monthly fee, but considering that FFXI will continue to be supported even when XIV is out, it seems unlikely that they would continue charging monthly for a much older game while keeping their brand new one free.

It’s also been slated for a simultaneous worldwide release come 2010, which means we might actually be getting two Final Fantasies under one year. Quite a major experience, if it ends up true.

Konami: In between the DDR whoring, Konami only had one new announcement in their conference.

But man, was it a doozy.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: An open world 3D Castlevnia, by Hideo Kojima. That’s almost a runner-up to Metroid: Other M’s shocking announcement. This gen seems to have a fad where popular developing teams take a crack at popular franchises. I was already onboard with Kojima being in charge, but the trailer just cemented my interest. The visuals look great, the voicework is stellar (Patrick Stewart! Other guys I never heard of!), and the idea of being a Belmont that freely visits areas and castles brings back memories of Castlevania II. I’m not just hoping for a new experience, I’m also hoping for a return to form.

There was also new info on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, but I want to dedicate a seperate post regarding that game.

Look for two reviews incoming as well.