Eidos Montreal announced today that The Missing Link, a DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, will arrive for $15 on all three platforms on October 18.

Several team members came through San Francisco last month to show off The Missing Link, and while they admitted it’s slotted during a certain moment towards the end of Human Revolution that makes convenient narrative sense, they were adament this was not content cut from the main game. To that end, the team said it would have been easier to simply augment the slew of content cut from Human Revolution, but the hope was to use the downloadable content as a way to show off how far the game’s technology had come from inception to completion and actually implement lessons learned from the game’s development. The art assets are brand-new in The Missing Link, the lighting looks improved, and that orange/ gold color scheme appears to have be ditched for a redder look.

And while you’re stripped of powers for an unknown reason in The Missing Link, it actually sounds neat. The Missing Link will allow players to progress through most, if not all, of Human Revolution’s skill tree over the add-on’s heavily condensed time period. If you played through Human Revolution one way, The Missing Link will provide you with the opportunity to try something else.

Square Enix, Inc finally announced the finalized release date for Final Fantasy XIII-2 in North America today.The game will launch on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles on January 31st, 2012 in North America.

FINAL FANTASY XIII–2 is the sequel to  FINAL FANTASY XIII, which was released in North America in March 2010 and has shipped 6.2 million units worldwide. The sequel has evolved beyond its predecessor, with an extraordinary level design encouraging exploration, a new battle system allowing players to command monsters and a variety of options that support multiple playthroughs.

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 PROLOGUE

She defied her destiny. She set out to vanquish the false gods enslaving mankind.
After the war, the world was no longer the same. Humans reigned victorious and their gods were no more. Their utopia fell from the sky and became one with Pulse, the underworld crawling with beasts and fiends. It marked the beginning of a new era.
However, she was nowhere to be seen. Everyone believed she was gone—with the exception of one, her sister, Serah.
Three years later—
A meteorite disrupts the serenity of a peaceful village. Time is distorted; bloodthirsty monsters are released within the confines of the secluded town.
Amidst the chaos, Serah is saved by a stranger who goes by the name of Noel. A hunter from the future, he bears an important message.
“She is waiting for you,” he says. “Come with me if you want to see her again.”
She is Lightning—protector of the goddess who rules the realm of death and chaos, the one–and–only sister of Serah.
“I need to see her. I need to see my sister.” Her heart brimming with hope, a determined Serah sets off on an adventure to reunite with her sister, her family, her world.

Curious as to how Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been doing since it launched back in late August?

According to Square Enix, Deus Ex: Human Revolution has shipped 2 million copies in North America, Europe and PAL territories. The game has managed to hover around 89% on Metacritic (at time of September 8th). Deus Ex is the first title developed by Eidos Montreal and is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The game will be set to launch in Japan this October. If you wanted know what we thought about the game, check out our review.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of those delightful little surprises in this year’s gaming calendar. It’s a typical knife-edge wildcard title that could change everything or fall under its own pretence. If you look at its pedigree, you can see a definitively strong title in the original Deus Ex but also the bitter disappoint of Deus Ex: Invisible War so many would be forgiven for feeling a touch apprehensive about Human Revolution.

Fortunately, we’re pleased to report this rich concoction of a game came out of the oven as a deliciously moist feast. Human Revolution is equal parts Metal Gear Solid, Rainbow Six Vegas, Splinter Cell, Resident Evil and Bioshock all rolled into one extensive experience that feels like its own individual slice of gaming history.

Before we get too carried away with chucking in the superlatives, let’s take a step back and remind ourselves what HR is. This title can be best described as a combat FPS RPG (acronyms will be running around heavily in this review, thanks to my review skills not being heavily augmented at this present juncture). However, the way you play the game is up to you.

Do you want to talk people round to your way of thinking or do you want to blow them sky fucking high? Perhaps sneaking up behind someone (like the stalker you are) and breaking their neck is more your cup of tea? No problem. The game’s mechanics allow you to adapt your play-style on the fly, mainly thanks to the FPS viewpoint giving way to a third-person perspective when behind cover. We know it’s a relatively cheap gimmick and it’s cool to head on cover-based shooters nowadays, but there’s no denying the fact that creeping into cover before picking off some unsuspecting poor sod is undoubtedly pleasurable.

The environments that house these theatres of modern espionage action are definitely well thought out and can prove suitably challenging. In essence, there are essentially some major hub locales (we will not reveal exactly how many as we still believe in not spoiling games, unlike some) that host your usual array of shops and other places of interest. Then, there are some self-contained arenas of sneaky (or possibly not so) destruction that you’ll be bouncing around in.

It’s an interesting mix, with the hub worlds demonstrating a large scope in terms of the buildings they possess (houses, apartments, shops, clubs and others all feature) and the hidden nooks and crannies you can get yourself into. The self-contained areas wouldn’t look out of place in a MGS title and whilst they deliver a suitable challenge with multiple pathways to reach your goal, you can’t help feeling you’ve seen this all before. It’s an odd sensation as there’s nothing essentially wrong with the areas in question (quite the opposite in some places), but on occasion it can feel like you’re essentially plodding along for the sake of it.

The main problem with the game’s areas is one that is also one of its main strengths: every room, corridor and building has its own place in that gameworld. While this can be great, you will tire of seeing the same old computers, photocopiers and toilets by the end of the game. Essentially everyone in the future has exactly the same suppliers for everything by the looks of things, even across countries (that’s the only spoiler you’re getting). The attention to detail has to be commended though. Hacking office computers and reading typical office banter between staffers can be a nice distraction before you suck it up and decide to blow up more naughty people.

Thankfully, the hidden areas and multiple pathways really add to these sections. Eidos Montreal wasn’t lying when they said that the multiple pathways would actually be different (as opposed to just choosing left or right in most games). We became so entrenched with the gameworld and wanting to experience the game that we backtracked a lot to find any hidden loot, which is all too common here thankfully.

Now, you can’t talk about a Deus Ex game without bringing up augmentations (essentially enhancements for your main character). HR’s augs are surprisingly well-balanced; with only a few giving you a completely unstoppable advantage over the game’s AI folk (even if the AI is typical dumb stealth-game fare) if you so choose to max them. They mostly present ways for you to handle situations differently, from eye and cranial augs to help stealth or hacking (which takes the form of a pleasant-enough mini-game) through to more combat focused augs like taking less damage. These dovetail quite nicely with the whole “adapt your play-style” mantra and can make some of the duller locations fun to traverse.

Another pleasantly surprising aspect of the game is the gunplay. The guns feel suitably punchy, and the fact that most of them are easily upgradeable adds to the game’s copious customisation options. They also make you feel like a complete bad-ass, which can come in handy when things get a bit wobbly.

All of this gaming goodness is complemented by a decent presentation. HR’s locales look stunning, but the character models can leave a little to be desired when compared to the beautiful hub worlds or pre-rendered backdrops you can lay your eyes on when you’re on top of a suitable massive building. These low-quality models definitely show their age during conversations with NPCs unfortunately.

Square Enix seem to be more than happy to add to the problem by adding in some frankly bizarre CGI cutscenes that ark back to their Final Fantasy RPGs. We know they had the game’s best intentions at heart (to make it look all cinematic and dramatic), but if they stopped and worked on the models a little more you couldn’t help but wonder if they would need the odd cutscenes in the first place.

Whilst we’re on the negatives, we would also like to point out that the boss battles are a pointless addition to a game that’s supposed to be about tactical action and reek of MGS’ equally pointless boss encounters. In a world where ammo can be sparse if you’re not looting every corpse or hacking away at every door you see they can be frustrating.

In all honesty, the characters themselves are like the bosses in many ways: they are instantly forgettable and voiced by seemingly bored individuals. It’s a shame really as the writing is good (the protagonist has a particularly humorous encounter with a cop where he mentions Che Guevara), but it’s quite telling that we haven’t even mentioned the typical brown-haired spec-ops-style tall muscular lead until this late point in the review. His name is Adam Jensen, for all those that care.

Thankfully, the story is much more gratifying and frames the action well. It’s not a typical mainstream-style plot and isn’t afraid to offer surprises to keep the game feeling fresh. Deus Ex fans will enjoy the fan service and newcomers will be equally happy to find it suitably bad-ass.

Bottom Line: At this part of the review it may seem that we are being a little down on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but it’s only because the game is so close to perfection that its shortcomings stick out more than a fat person in a nightclub. However, we’re confident enough with HR to say that what’s here is unashamedly game of the year material thanks to its stunning gameplay and flourishes of architectural/story genius. The augmentations, different play-styles, fun environments and RPG elements really help to deliver something that is both comfortably familiar yet completely original. It’s an intelligent but lengthy experience that will put a silly grin all over your face.

Square Enix have confirmed that sales from their games were down 28% during the first nine months of the financial year over the previous year. Operating income was down 58% over the same period too. However, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 and Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days both became million sellers.

Square Enix has confirmed that they have renamed Final Fantasy Agito XIII to Final Fantasy Type-O. It will be released this summer on the PSP, before Final Fantasy XIII-2 hits consoles. Apparently Type-O will be a part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series of Final Fantasy titles, whatever that means. The game will be so big that it will ship on two UMDs, becoming the first PSP game to do so.

Square Enix has given Kingdom Hearts 3DS an official name: Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. We are honestly not making it up; they are genuinely releasing a title with that name. We know they’re trying to be clever with the three Ds, but it doesn’t really roll off the tongue.

Square Enix has announced Final Fantasy XIII-2, a sequel to a game no one liked in the first place. It will be released on the PS3 and 360 in 2011. The FFXIII team is once again handling development duties, including director Motomu Toriyama. There will be a new a character starring along FFXIII protagonist Lightning apparently, too. Other than that, we don’t know anything else about it.

Square Enix has announced that Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been delayed. The game will now be pushed into its next fiscal year, which begins in April 2011. The Eidos Montreal game was supposed to be out in early 2011.

“With weak sales performance of console game titles that have been newly released during the current fiscal year as well as harsh market feedback regarding a key title, the Group recognizes the reinforcement of development capability in our Digital Entertainment segment as our most critical managerial issue,” Square Enix said in a note to investors.

“We therefore have decided to spend additional time to further polish our upcoming game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, resulting in a shift in release timing from our prior plan of the current fiscal year to next fiscal year.”

Square Enix has delayed the PS3 release of Final Fantasy XIV.

“Regarding the PlayStation 3, it is not our wish to release a simple conversion of the Windows version in its current state, but rather an update that includes all the improvements we have planned,” president and CEO Yoichi Wada wrote on Final Fantasy XIV’s official website.

“For that reason, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of the PlayStation 3 version beyond the originally announced date of March 2011.”

It doesn’t look like PS3 gamers are missing much though; the PC game has been slammed by gamers. In response, Square Enix has extended the free trial and outlined some improvements they’re aiming to implement to get the game back on track. However, talking to people that has tried the game it may be a case of too little, too late.

Square Enix is so desperate to rectify the situation that they have restructured the FFXIV development team. Producer Hiromichi Tanaka has been dumped and a load of employees have been drafted in from other projects to save the game.

“While more than two months have passed since the official launch of Final Fantasy XIV service, we deeply regret that the game has yet to achieve the level of enjoyability that Final Fantasy fans have come to expect from the franchise, and for this we offer our sincerest of apologies,” Wada said.

“After thorough deliberation on how to meet those expectations, it was decided that the most viable step was to approach improvements under new leadership and with a restructured team.”

The Game Informer article that we talked about yesterday on our post about the new Tomb Raider reboot has unveiled a few tasty bits of info. The new Lara Croft will only be 21 years old and each time you make a mistake you will see her death. Seems a bit old school to us, but it will be pretty fun to see her crushed by boulders. Also expect no auto-lock aiming this time round. Apparently it will be more like Uncharted and will use a lot of performance motion capture.

Moreover, there is a more open-world feel with this Tomb Raider. There are base camps where you can create new items and combine old ones, as well as new areas where you can develop Lara’s skills with an RPG-esque upgrade system. The base camps also allow you to fast travel around the map. As Lara gets her hands on cool stuff and develops better skills, she will be able to access more of the island she has been unceremoniously dumped on. Crystal Dynamics believes that they can deliver a seamless, load-free world. There will also be food and water management too. Gaming Everything has some pictures of the Game Informer magazine article that unveils the game.

Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that the long-rumoured Tomb Raider reboot is official. “After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, a frightened young woman is left washed ashore on an unknown beach,” says the press release ever so dramatically. “On her own but not alone she has only one goal, to survive.”

“Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider,” said Darrell Gallagher, head of studio at Crystal Dynamics.”This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other.”

Tomb Raider will be released on the PC, PS3 and 360. The image above is from the cover of the latest Game Informer, which has the world exclusive reveal of the game.

Square Enix has slapped a European date on Mindjack, stating that it will be released on 21st January 2011. It’s currently in development at Japanese outfit feelplus for the PS3 and 360. It’s a shooter that lets players hack into soldiers, civilians, robots, weaponry, etc. Multiplayer has the typical modern day experience points gimmick to content with.

Square Enix has announced that Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be getting a downloadable add-on entitled “All the Trappings”. The DLC will be released on Xbox Live tomorrow, and it features a new area to play about in. It’ll be free to download for 30 days. Online co-op will also go live in the game tomorrow, thanks to a free title update. The co-op mode and DLC will be coming to the PS3 and PC soon.

Square Enix has told Final Fantasy XIV Online beta testers that the open beta will end this Sunday. The test will end at 5pm Pacific time, which equates to 1am on Monday in the UK. When the test is over, the beta website will close and people won’t be able to download the client. The game will be officially launched on 22nd September with the special edition. The regular edition will be released on 30th September. The PS3 version will be released March 2011.

Square Enix has confirmed that Japanese Xbox 360 owners will finally be able to play Final Fantasy XIII. The publisher will be releasing a special edition of the game in the territory at the end of this year. This version of the game will be officially called the “Final Fantasy XIII Ultimate Hits International Edition” and should be released on 16th December for 4980 Yen. Apparently, the special edition features an easy mode, a book that shows what happens to some of the game’s characters after the game and an art booklet.

Square Enix has announced Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy for the PSP and confirmed that it’s due to be released next year. Lightning from FFXIII and Kain from FFIV will be playable characters. Expect to hear more about the game at the Tokyo Game Show next week.

Square Enix has released three multiplayer add-ons for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. The most expensive of which is the Doggie Bag Pack, which will set you back 560 Allards on 360 or $5.99 on the PC and PS3. It includes two new maps (as well as a pre-order map), five new weapons and some new achievements/trophies. Next up is the Alliance Weapons Pack. That costs 240 Allards/$2.99 and includes seven of the pre-order weapons (expect handguns, shotguns and assault rifles). Finally, there is the Multiplayer Mask Pack. That costs 160 Allards/$1.99 and includes some new masks (surprisingly).

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIV will be going into open beta early September. The closed beta has been going on for a while, but that will end on the 25th August to make way for the hordes. The full game will be released at the end of September. If you purchase the special edition, you will get early access on 22nd September, with the release for normal folk on 30th September on the PC. The PS3 version has been delayed until March 2011.