If you're one of those who enjoyed the Life is Strange narrative experience - and no, you don't need to be a emo, puddle of warmth creature to enjoy it - then you were probably taken by the small trailer that debuted at E3 2018 for The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. Developed by DONTOND, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a prequel for Life is Strange 2, which is under development by the French studio and has an expected release date for Episode 1 set at September 27th.

An original narrative experience set in the Life is Strange universe that contains links to the brand new story & characters of Life is Strange 2, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit will link some choices and actions to your Life is Strange 2 experience. IN this prequel, players assume the role of Chris and his super-hero alter-ego, Captain Spirit, in which they will have to complete a series of missions as Captain Spirit and discover secret unlockable content. Have you ever dreamt of being a superhero? Meet Chris, a creative and imaginative 9 year old boy who escapes reality with fantastical adventures as his alter ego. Specs for the PC release follow.

Square Enix, Eidos-Montréal, and Crystal Dynamics today revealed the full trailer for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the latest entry in the critically acclaimed and award-winning Tomb Raider series. Created by a team of veteran Tomb Raider developers at Eidos-Montréal, in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, the game will be available on September 14, 2018 for the Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 system and Windows PC/Steam .

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Mayan apocalypse, Lara will be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be. The star of the critically acclaimed 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and the award-winning Rise of the Tomb Raider , Camilla Luddington, makes her return as Lara Croft with yet another stunning performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Square Enix today announced that the final installment in the Tomb Raider origins trilogy is being released on September 14th this year. Moving on from their previous "timed exclusive" contract with Microsoft, which saw Rise of the Tomb Raider be first published on the Xbox family of devices, the latest game will be available for all platforms - PC, PS4 and Xbox - on release date.

The new game in the Tomb Raider series has moved hands, though, leaving Crystal Dynamics' studios (who is now working on an Avengers video game with Marvel), and was taken upon by Eidos Montreal - the studio best known for the latest (way better than they're given credit, by the way) Deus Ex games (Human Revolution and Mankind Divided). A full reveal of the game is expected next month, on April 27th - just two months before E3, which will certainly pave the way for even more content on the game. Square Enix is promising users they'll "Experience Lara Croft's defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider". Interesting, no? Look after the break for a preview teaser.

Initial speculations stated that Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition didn't employ Denuvo's anti-tamper technology. For starters, there was no mention of Denuvo anywhere in the EULA when the game went up for pre-order. It also wasn't present in the demo. However, five days prior to the official release, Square Enix updated the game's Steam store page and EULA stating that Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition indeed came with Denuvo.

Although Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition won't be released until tomorrow, consumers who purchased the title can pre-load the game beforehand. Since Steam preloads are always encrypted, warez group normally are forced to look elsewhere. For reasons unknown, Origin made available the unencrypted version of the game files. Chinese video game warez group 3DM was quick to act and got their hands on the unencrypted files. They later replaced the executable with the DRM-free one from the demo. What happened afterwards is history. A few users reported that they were able to advance as far as the ninth chapter without hiccups. According to one particular individual, he finished the game with the pirated copy, but it hasn't been confirmed yet.

Video game developer and publisher Square Enix is holding a Publisher Weekend Sale on the popular Steam platform. Discounts range from 20% to 90%. You can save big on some of their blockbuster titles which include Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Just Cause 3, NieR:Automata, and Rise of the Tomb Raider. It is also noteworthy that both Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy franchises are part of sale as well. We've included a few titles that stand out, but don't forget to swing by the Square Enix Publisher Weekend microsite for other incredible offers.

Widely hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time, the definitive version of CHRONO TRIGGER is now available for the first time on STEAM. This version features:

• Two Extra Dungeons - Includes the mysterious "Dimensional Vortex" dungeon and "Lost Sanctum" dungeon that first appeared in the Nintendo DS and mobile releases
• CHRONO TRIGGER Limited Edition - Those that purchase the STEAM version until April 2, 2018 will receive the following digital bonuses for free: An enchanting and specially edited digital song file containing a medley of five songs: "Far Off Promise," "Wind Scene," "Battle with Magus," "Corridors of Time," and "Chrono Trigger", composer Yasunori Mitsuda's digital liner notes, and a collection of six stunning PC wallpapers in varying sizes.
• Updated Graphics and Sound - While keeping the atmosphere of the original, this version features optimized visuals designed for modern PCs and a re-recorded soundtrack under the supervision of original composer Yasunori Mitsuda.
• Updated Controls - Optimized PC experience that supports both controller and mouse/keyboard configuration
• New Autosave Feature - Automatically saves while still featuring the original title's Save Point function

Single player games may have entered a perceived decline since their heydays, as increasingly long, costly development times have drawn developers towards experiences that are more easily... monetized. This is typically done by cutting experiences into DLC pieces and adding always-on, recurring ways of recouping developer (or publishers') investment. There's no need in beating around the bush - we all know what these experiences look like, in one way, or another. Though it's true that these may not always have the intended effect, as users and the industry as a whole have been recoiling from particularly aggressive renditions of these monetization practices, which in turn, may lead companies to face considerable losses, be these monetary or in the much less liquid good will.

Square Enix is one of the companies that has excelled in the making of first player games, for one. however, for one reason or another, these may not have translated as the successful commercial releases that the company hoped (thinking of you, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided). As a result, the company has reportedly put the Deus Ex franchise on ice, but has recently made some tentative remarks on how they might bring it back. However, Square Enix themselves have put fears into gamers and fans' minds with their renewed interest in games as a service. which, according to Square Enix President & CEO Yosuke Matsuda, may not mean exactly what we've been told it means.

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition will be released on March 6, but hardcore fans can pre-order the game now through Steam, Origin, or the Microsoft Store. The $49.99 price tag remains the same independent of the place of purchase. However, the preorder bonus differs hugely. Consumers who pre-order through Steam will receive the "FFXV Fashion Collection" which contains a collection of four t-shirts with different buffs for Noctis to wear. The buffs include strength enhancement, HP recovery rate acceleration, critical hit rate boost, and maximum HP increase. Microsoft Store preorders, on the other hand, come with a "FFXV Powerup pack" that provides players with a sleek Dodanuki sword which reduces enemy defense with each slash, 10 phoenix downs, and 10 elixirs. Origin seems to draw the short straw this time around. The Origin preorder bonus is the "FFXV Decal Selection" comprised of different decals to modify the cosmetics of the Regalia car.

Square Enix has graciously released a benchmark application to help future Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition players configure the game to get the best performance out of their systems. The zip file weighs around 3.37 GB and is available for download right here at TechPowerUp, or, if you don't like our servers for some unfathomable reason... from the developer's website. The benchmark only runs on 64-bit versions of Windows and requires Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 to be present on the system. Users also need to have a graphics card that supports DirectX 11 and a monitor with a minimum resolution of 1280 x 720. Unfortunately, NVIDIA SLI and AMD Crossfire configurations are not supported at this time. The application lets users choose between the Lite, Standard, and High quality presets and resolutions from 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080 to 3840 x 2160. The entire run takes around 6 minutes and 30 seconds. The score and performance evaluation are provided at the end of the run.

The ultimate version of the fifteenth Final Fantasy (how many fantasies can really be final, eh?) has been outed, and now PC gamers now when they can expect to go around the most perfect iteration of the Final Fantasy XV game world. The latest, greatest, and heavily graphically-revised Final Fantasy will finally hit the PC platform on March 6.

The PC version of Final Fantasy XV, will include all previously released DLCs (Episodes Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis as well as multiplayer), extra bosses, a new dungeon, an in-game vehicle and a first-person mode (this is the one I really have to see). As previously covered, the new PC version has been developed with heavy input from NVIDIA, offers up to 8K resolution in HDR, and includes many NVIDIA GameWorks technologies, such as NVIDIA Flow, NVIDIA HairWorks, NVIDIA Hybrid Frustum Traced Shadows, NVIDIA Turf Effects, NVIDIA Voxel Ambient Occlusion, and more. With all of that NVIDIA technology being built-in, it's somewhat expected that the game will only run the way the developers envisioned on a green team graphics card. Read on after the break for the latest system specs and the Royal Edition release trailer (a special version that's equivalent to the Game of the Year versions of other video-games, with all the released DLC for console players.)

We're giving everyone the chance to celebrate this Holiday Season in style with Agent 47 in Paris as we make the second location of HITMAN free for a limited time only with the Hitman Holiday Pack.

Starting on December 15th and in addition to the free Prologue, anyone on PC, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One and Xbox One X will now be able to download Paris and have access to all of the Paris content completely for free. And while you're in Paris, players can experience IOI's free festive content, 'Holiday Hoarders' as you try and find Santa as he drops gifts around the stylishly re-decorated Palais de Walewska in Paris and try to stop the two thieves who are following his trail stealing all the gifts and leaving the taps running..!

Feral Interactive today announced that action RPG Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is coming to macOS on December 12th, augmented with Metal 2, Apple's latest graphics API. Developed by Eidos Montréal and published by Square Enix on consoles and Windows PC, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the latest instalment in the renowned cyberpunk Deus Ex series. Set in 2029, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided casts players as Adam Jensen, a mechanically-augmented covert agent in a world where discrimination against augmented humans has created a climate of fear. Armed with a new arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations, but forced to operate in a society that distrusts his kind, Jensen must choose which approach to take as he struggles to unravel a global conspiracy.

Players will will tailor Jensen's augmentations to suit their individual play style as they forge their own routes through meticulously designed missions, constantly choosing between a variety of tactical options: hacking, stealth, social skills, and brute force. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided features superbly realised environments with wildly imaginative science-fiction elements. The game's main hub, a vast and breathtakingly detailed re-imagining of Prague, infuses the city's historic architecture with futuristic art, technology and interior design.

Travelers are invited to embark on a galactic adventure just in time for the holidays with STAR OCEAN - THE LAST HOPE - 4K & Full HD Remaster. The prequel to the franchise is now available for the PlayStation4 computer entertainment system and STEAM. Developed in partnership with tri-Ace, the prequel to the original STAR OCEAN game has been remastered in full high-definition, with added 4K support* and PC keyboard/mouse and controller support. The action-packed role-playing game takes players on an epic journey across the universe in an immersive story of survival. Players can enjoy quintessential STAR OCEAN features, including strategic real-time combat.

AMD is preparing to extend its tradition of giving away games with its hardware; to productivity apps. In a bid to boost sales of pre-built desktops and notebooks that feature AMD processors and/or graphics cards, the company is giving away Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions, besides games by Square Enix.

The new "AMD4U" offer by the company, which is limited to certain products sold through participating retailers, gives you up to three games by Square Enix, and/or a 2-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, or a 3-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan. The combinations of what you get is decided by what product you buy. Something like a high-end gaming notebook, which features both a Ryzen processor, and Radeon RX 500-series graphics, should give you both games and CC subscription, while value desktops should feature any one of them. Find details in the source link below.

The latest update for the episodic "Hitman" game (version 1.1.2) breaks support for DirectX 12 on the PC platform. Released earlier this week, the update introduces players to the second episode based in the Medeterranean setting of Sapienza. We found that after the update, the game simply refused to start. We took advantage of the external settings tool to do some trial-and-error work.

The topmost setting, which lets you select between DirectX 12 (our original setting) and DirectX 11, fixed the issue, when we switched to the latter. We even swapped graphics cards between GeForce GTX 970 SLI (our original setup), GTX 970 single-card (NVIDIA driver 364.96), and Radeon R9 290 (AMD driver 16.4.2). Neither setups worked. A stroll through the Internet reveals that multiple other players are facing this issue. Has Square Enix done absolutely no play-testing in DirectX 12?

The turnaround in developer relations for NVIDIA, propelled by its GameWorks software and a refreshed "The Way It's Meant to be Played" (TWIMTBP) program is best exemplified with the upcoming "Rise of the Tomb Raider." A sequel to the 2013 franchise reboot by Square Enix, which brandished the "AMD Game!" logo, and even bundled with certain AMD Radeon graphics cards; the new Tomb Raider not only features the NVIDIA logo, but will also be bundled with select GeForce graphics cards under the new "Discover the Legend Within" bundle.

NVIDIA is giving away "Rise of the Tomb Raider" with GeForce GTX 980 Ti, GTX 980, and GTX 970 graphics cards. This includes cards sold in the retail channel, as well as gaming desktops that come with those cards pre-installed. On the notebook front, select notebooks running the GTX 980, GTX 980M, and GTX 970M will also give you a key to the game. The bundle extends to participating retailers and OEMs only.

Zotac rolled out special edition bundles of its various GeForce GTX 700 series graphics cards in Japan, which include 30-day gameplay coupons to Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, Square Enix' smash-hit RPG. Among the cards with the offer are GeForce GTX 780 and GTX 780 AMP! Edition based on the company's dual-slot Triple Silencer cooling solution (ZTGTX780-3GD5FF14R03 and ZTGTX780-3GD5AMPFF14R04); GeForce GTX 760 TwinCooler (ZTGTX760-2GD5FF14R04); and GTX 660 Dual-Silencer (ZTGTX660-2GD5FF14R02). The cards don't appear to come with price-premiums.

AMD today announced three new game developer partnerships for Mantle, its highly acclaimed, groundbreaking graphics API. Cloud Imperium Games, Eidos-Montréal, a part of the Square Enix Group, and Oxide Games are the latest game developers to join AMD in optimizing the way PC games are developed to extract maximum performance from a modern graphics architecture that spans desktop PCs, notebooks and consumer devices like tablets.

"AMD is proud to play an instrumental role in transforming the world of game development with Mantle," said Ritche Corpus, director of ISV gaming and alliances, AMD. "With the support and close collaboration between AMD and industry-leading game developers like Cloud Imperium, Eidos-Montréal and Oxide, Mantle can maximize optimization for highly anticipated PC titles, bringing an unparalleled gaming experience for players."

AMD today announced exclusive collaboration with Square Enix to optimize "THIEF" for the Graphics Core Next architecture in select AMD Radeon graphics processors, as well as the x86 and graphics architectures featured in AMD A-Series APUs. Developed in conjunction with the AMD Gaming Evolved program, "THIEF" will extensively leverage the advanced capabilities of AMD Radeon graphics processors, including AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology for panoramic gaming, AMD CrossFire multi-GPU technology for supreme performance, and state-of-the-art DirectX 11 rendering for pristine image quality.

"The 'THIEF' franchise has a storied history that we are proud to join in this latest installment," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. "We are even more pleased to work so closely with their development team to realize the vision for these games with the incredible gaming performance of a PC powered by AMD Radeon graphics. And as the exclusive hardware partner for 'THIEF,' we continue to demonstrate that the best experience for gamers and developers lives at AMD with the Gaming Evolved program."

AMD today announced a collaboration with Crystal Dynamics following the launch of "Tomb Raider," one of the most highly anticipated PC games of 2013, and part of the AMD Gaming Evolved program. AMD and Crystal Dynamics worked together extensively on the development of "Tomb Raider," most notably with TressFX Hair, the world's first in-game implementation of a real-time, per-strand hair physics system. This leading-edge technology imparts one of the most iconic video game characters, Lara Croft, with an astonishingly lifelike appearance. With AMD Radeon graphics, gamers can unleash the full potential of this next-generation technology.

"With the launch of 'Tomb Raider' and TressFX Hair, AMD and Crystal Dynamics have radically pushed the boundaries of realism in the PC gaming experience," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, AMD Graphics. "Over the past several months, AMD has proven that the Gaming Evolved program is set to full throttle, and today's launch is a testament to AMD's ingenuity and innovation. Our team is working with the finest game developers in the world to ensure AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics deliver the ultimate PC gaming experience."

In our last teleconference with AMD's graphics team, the company briefly touched upon a new feature it was working with Square Enix to ship with the upcoming Tomb Raider franchise reboot game. It turns out AMD has a name for it, TressFX. The company is said to detail the technology tomorrow (26/02), but signed its teaser off with a catchphrase: "Render, Rinse, Repeat." To us, it sounds like a technology that helps GPUs render elements such as hair and foliage more accurately. Then again, we wonder how it would make Lara Croft look any hotter (who ties her hair into a French Braid). Something to look forward to 26th for.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the arrival of its "Never Settle: Reloaded" game bundle, the sequel to last year's monumental "Never Settle" bundle. "Never Settle: Reloaded" delivers by bundling up to four of this year's most anticipated PC games -- "BioShock Infinite" by 2K Games and Irrational Games, "Crysis 3" by Electronic Arts, "DmC Devil May Cry" by Capcom and "Tomb Raider" by Square Enix -- with select AMD Radeon HD 7900 and HD 7800 Series graphics cards. The bundle highlights the continued commitment by AMD to ensure an incredible gaming experience on the world's top PC titles optimized for AMD Radeon graphics cards

"AMD knows gaming and in 2013 we plan to make a huge mark on the industry. Today we begin that journey by showing the world that the best PC game developers are AMD Gaming Evolved partners," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager of AMD Graphics. "The 'Never Settle: Reloaded' bundle clearly stands apart from anything else in the market. Gaming has always been, and will remain, the core of the AMD Graphics strategy and success. In 2013, we plan to forge greater inroads into the gaming industry and it begins with packaging this year's biggest games with the best graphics hardware from AMD." The "Never Settle: Reloaded" bundle offers the following games when purchased with select AMD Radeon HD 7900 and HD 7800 Series graphics cards:

Following on from the hack into Square Enix's (Deus Ex, Tomb Raider franchises) servers last week, the Japanese company has been sending out an email to its members, updating them on the situation. They explain that no personal information was lifted, but have suspended their member's service while investigations continue. This rather reassuring explanation is in stark contrast to initial reports that up to 1.8 million accounts (1M in Japan, 800K in America) had had personal information lifted, such as names, phone numbers and email addresses. However, it does appear that no personal, login or credit card info was accessed in the end, the company reports (hopefully honestly). Here is that Square Enix email in full:

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in North America (Square Enix), and Valve Corporation (Valve), a developer of leading-edge technologies and software, announced today an agreement to bring Square Enix titles to customers in North America and Europe via Steam, Valve's leading platform for digital content distribution and management.

Beginning April 9, THE LAST REMNANT will be available for purchase via Steam, which makes PC games available online to more than 15 million users worldwide. An action RPG from the makers of the FINAL FANTASY series, THE LAST REMNANT will be the first Square Enix game to utilize Steamworks and be distributed via Steam. Square Enix will continue to add to its roster of games on Steam, providing users with instant access - after purchase, they can download the game immediately and start playing. Pricing will be announced at a later date.