Steam

During the latest Nintendo Direct Square Enix has announced that Star Ocean: The Second Story will be getting a remake titled Star Ocean: The Second Story R. This will be a 2.5D remake.

Star Ocean: The Second Story was originally released in 1998 on the PlayStation. In 2009 an enhanced remaster titled Star Ocean: Second Evolution was released on the PlayStation Portable. The story begins with Claude, a Federation officer, who finds himself transported to an undeveloped planet. While searching for a way home, an encounter with a girl named Rena draws them into a quest to save her people, just as an ancient prophecy foretold. Players will begin their adventure with either Claude or Rena, and depending on their choice, the perspectives and the allies' players recruit will change. Players will get to know party members through the unique ‘Private Actions System’, which will allow them to grow relationships and unlock a variety of different endings.

The remake will feature new difficulty modes, new battle mechanics, full Japanese and English voice overs, original and re-arranged music and fast-travel.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R will be released on 2 November 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. You can now pre-order the game and the collector's edition. You can watch the trailer below.

Forspoken, the debut title from studio Luminous Productions, is now available on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store.

A message from Takeshi Aramaki, Head of Luminous Productions:

We’re so excited to celebrate the launch of Forspoken, and to have players finally experience Frey’s story. The development team and everyone involved have worked so hard to bring the vision of Forspoken to life and we cannot wait to see fans reaction. We hope that players relate to Frey as they dive into the mysterious land of Athia and go on this magical journey with her.

Forspoken puts players in the shoes of Frey Holland, an ordinary young woman who has been mysteriously transported to Athia, a fantastical land that is devastated by an unknown force known as the Break. Having somehow survived this strange phenomenon and armed with a magical sentient bracelet called ‘Cuff’, Frey now offers Athia a last beacon of hope and must harness her newfound magical abilities to save Athia and find her way home.

The game was announced back in June 2020 as Project Athia. Originally the game was supposed to be released on 24 May 2022, but it was delayed to 11 October 2022 and now to 24 January 2023.

Below you can watch the cinematic trailer.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn, the remasted version of the PlayStation Portable game Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, is now available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is set in The Valerian Isles, jewels of the Obero Sea. Following many years of conflict, there finally rose a man to put an end to this: Dorgalua Oberyth. Known as the "Dynast-King,” he brought peace and prosperity to Valeria for half a century. After his death, a civil war erupts and throws the isles of Valeria into a bloody struggle for power between three warring factions. In Tactics Ogre: Reborn, players follow the story of a young man, Denam Pavel, caught in the center of the bloodshed. Although he seeks a path of freedom and justice, players will soon discover that even the noblest of goals requires impossibly difficult decisions to be made.

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together was released in 1995 on the Super Famicom in Japan only. Later it was ported to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. In 2010 it got a remake on the PlayStation Portable.

New updates and features include:

• Beautifully remastered graphics that enhance yet maintain the original distinctive visual style
• Fully voiced cutscenes in English & Japanese
• Full orchestral re-recording of the game’s soundtrack
• Assorted quality of life updates, such as:
  • Redesigned battle system
  • Adjusted level management system
  • Reworked AI
  • Simplified and improved UI

Below you can watch the launch trailer.

During the latest Nintendo Direct Square Enix has announced the release date of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion that will be 13 December 2022. The remaster features HD graphics, enhanced 3D-models, a fully voice-acted dialogue and a new arrangement for the soundtrack.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an action RPG that was released in 2007 on the PlayStation Portable and is the prequel to Final Fantasy VII. The game is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and follows the original story of SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair on his mission to find missing SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos, unraveling the stories of Cloud, Sephiroth, Aerith, Tifa and more.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam. Square Enix has published an article on their website about the game, the characters and battle system. Below you can watch the release date trailer.