Square Enix has given its official North American website an overhaul today.
A new interface has been implemented, the corporate and Members community sections have been revamped, and improvements have been made to the site’s forums, Member reward/achievement systems. Additional community features have been implemented as well.
Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing at Square Enix, said:
“We’re really excited to present to our fans and players the newly designed portal to all things SQUARE ENIX. The brand is continuously evolving to include new and exciting gaming experiences, and we designed this website to ensure that all our fans can easily stay in touch with their favorite titles.”
You can find the official site here.
Source: Square Enix PR
Okay, so technically E3 2012 doesn’t start until tomorrow, but it sure feels like the ball starts rolling today. Four press conferences are lined up throughout the afternoon/evening, two of which should be relevant to your interests.
This is the schedule in full:
Monday
Microsoft – 12:30 PM EDT / 9:30 AM PDT
EA – 4:00 PM EDT / 1:00 PM PDT
Ubisoft – 6:00 PM EDT / 3:00 PM PDT
Sony – 9:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM PDT
Tuesday
Nintendo E3 2012 presentation – 12:00 PM EDT / 9:00 AM PDT
Nintendo developer roundtable – 9:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM PDT
Wednesday
Nintendo software showcase – 9:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM PDT
We know that Ubisoft will be featuring Wii U games at its conference, and it’s possible EA could have a few titles in store for the console as well (at least a couple of its games are coming to the Wii in any case).
I’ll be covering all of these events on both Nintendo Everything and Gaming Everything. Obviously you’ll have to head on over to GE for Microsoft/Sony updates. Nintendo updates will be primarily posted on NE.
NE may go a bit quieter than usual during the Microsoft/Sony conferences. Same goes with GE during the Nintendo events.
In any case, I’ll be both updating both sites at a rapid pace over the next few days. Join us for the ride!
We have a few more details on Nintendo’s plans for E3 2012.
As has been the case for the past few years, a developer roundtable will be held on Tuesday at 6:00 PM PDT / 9:00 PM EDT. It won’t be streamed live, but it a video of some sort may be ready to go the following day at 11:30 PM PDT.
Nintendo’s final event will be a “software showcase”. It’ll be happening on Wednesday at 6:00 PM PDT / 9:00 PM EDT. This event will indeed be live-streamed, and you’ll be able to watch it here.
IGN believes that “the possibility of a new game or two being announced at this event are pretty high”. I have no idea if we’ll see actual game announcements, but you never know. Maybe Nintendo will pull another Super Smash Bros. Brawl…
We’ll be reminding you of these events throughout the week. We’ll also post any live-streams to the main site if possible.
Aliens: Colonial Marines is, for the most part, being developed by Gearbox Software. The studio is handling roughly 80% of the work. Other teams such as Demiurge, Nerve and Timegate are also involved.
Interestingly, Gearbox president Randy Pitchford has now been confirmed that Shoot Many Robots developer Demiurge Studios is the main creator of the Wii U version. While this may raise a red flag for some, Gamasutra says that “Pitchford sees it regularly, and while he says confidentiality agreements prohibit him from talking about the pros and cons of developing for the system, he’s extremely bullish on what Demiurge is putting together.”
Pitchford went on to say:
“When I play with the controller, I immediately realize that for the types of games I like to play and make, this is the best controller I’ve ever had from Nintendo. For Aliens: Colonial Marines, it’s really exciting to have that screen there because I can do things that are very unique to this universe. For instance, we have a motion tracker in this universe. Now our motion tracker can literally be in our hands and we can see and hear it –and scan the room in 360 degrees, since it’s a motion device.”
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo released a global Nintendo Direct video revealing new information about the upcoming Wii U game console, including details about the system’s touch-screen controller, the Wii U GamePad. In the video, which can be viewed online at http://www.youtube.com/nintendo, Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata illustrates how Wii U will revolutionize how people connect with games, each other and entertainment through the system’s unique and integrated second-screen controller. The Nintendo Direct video included information about:
New ways to play: With the television and the Wii U GamePad working as two integrated screens, Wii U creates unique possibilities for gaming, allowing “asymmetric” game play where each player can have different goals, challenges and views within the same shared gaming experience.
