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"All I care about is, 'Is the game fun? Are players gonna pick it up and have a good time?' That, first and foremost, is my job," ex-Valve developer (Portal, Left 4 Dead) and current Airtight Games creative lead Kim Swift declared to me in a pre-NY Comic Con interview last week. She was referring to her current project, Quantum Conundrum, and its similarity to her past work on Portal. I was wondering if she worried that her first big game might color perceptions about her latest, similarly-sized game -- is it just more of the same?

"Making first-person puzzle games is what I like to do," Swift said. "And there aren't a whole lot of games ... there's Portal, and that's about it. So, to me, this is the kind of game that I want to play myself." She told me that the idea for QC had come about before arriving at Airtight, and when the opportunity came to head up a team as creative lead, she jumped at the chance. But she also didn't want to be a totalitarian monster.

"Once I had gotten my team together, I didn't just wanna say, 'Hey, we're making this game, dammit! It's gonna be the way I say it's gonna be!'" Swift explained. Rather, the team members created individual "one-sheets" which would then be voted on by the whole group. As it turns out, Quantum Conundrum won out. "It just happens that this one came out on top just because it was really easy to implement right away and test," she added.

The game's room-based puzzles and play on dimensional mechanics make it "modular" -- as in, individual components can be easily swapped out for others and quickly tested. This kind of development structure allows for quick iteration, a value prized among game developers. It also makes things like DLC all the more possible, which already makes sense for a game like Quantum Conundrum. Whether gamers will be demanding more after the game ships "early" next year remains to be seen, but what I saw had a lot of promise.

Though much of Final Fantasy Type-0 is still shrouded in abstract mystery, one thing is known for sure: It is more than 12 minutes long. How do we know? Well, that's the length of the trailer above, which, while substantial, doesn't appear to be all-encompassing.

#finalfantasy Meet Yuko Oshima. She's 23. She's famous. And she's testing Final Fantasy XIII-2. More »

Final Fantasy XIII 2 may not arrive in the US until early next year, but that doesn't mean you can't immerse yourself in its timey-wimey mythos ahead of time. Debuted at the ongoing New York Comic Con, the above trailer and below screenshots offer a fairly in-depth, potentially spoilersy look at Square Enix's latest romp through Cocoon.

We're not sure if something can still be considered a "trailer" when it lasts longer than most Adult Swim cartoons, but an extraordinarily long cinematic experience should feel like a warm, tender hug to anyone interested in a Final Fantasy sequel-sequel.

As grim as Adam Jensen's predicament is in The Missing Link, which sees him captured aboard a militaristic ship and stripped of his defining augmentations, it's easy to envision more inhospitable scenarios. An informed nemesis would solder shut every air vent, train his minions to peek around corners, and make sure that pocket secretaries stayed in their damn pockets. But where would our protagonists be if not for life-saving conveniences and bouts of enemy ineptitude?

That's why it shouldn't surprise you to learn that Adam quickly makes his escape and becomes involved in a new mini conspiracy, adequately shaped for what feels like a condensed run through Deus Ex: Human Revolution. As before, you'll start out weak and inclined to move stealthily, and eventually shape yourself biologically to accommodate new tactics. What Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link provides in its narrative isolation is a creeping tension and a sense of uncertainty.

If you aren't busy creeping through the shadows for other reasons, the Deus Ex: Human Revolution DLC, "The Missing Link," will be ready to augment reality on October 18 in North America. Eidos Montreal also confirmed the DLC will launch on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC for $14.99 (1200 MSP).

For more info on the 5-8 hour mini-campaign, check out our preview. Or if you're the patient type, we'll have a review up very shortly.

Square Enix has laid out the plans for Final Fantasy 14 "Version 2.0," with the implementation of subscription fees and an announced launch window for the PS3 version in late 2012 being the most surprising bits.

Final Fantasy 14 Producer/Director Naoki Yoshida said the game's unintended year-long free trial will end between "late November and early December." After that, the publisher is going to rock the MMO space old-school with a subscription-based billing system. Further details about pricing will be sent by email to current registered players at a future date.

Also planning to finally stumble in next holiday is the PS3 version, which is scheduled for release "between October and December of 2012." At the time of the PS3 launch, the publisher plans to begin a "second free trial period."

Following the PS3 launch, the development team plans to rework in-game maps, switch over to a new client and new servers, and provide PC players new software that will be distributed online "free of charge." For those looking to get deep into the changes, Square Enix has provided a full explanation and several PDFs of future plans on its site.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Hitman and (spit) Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has been experimenting with a brand new, proprietary graphics engine, which it calls Luminous. Given Develop notes this is DirectX 11 tech, it seems more than likely it’s coming to future PC games – so let’s take a look at the thing below. The idea is it’s that much closer to photo-realism, at least in terms of environments – while I’d rather spend my games in a crazy, impossible, fantastical environment than a faithfully-recreated multistorey carpark, there’s no denying that this tech looks mighty impressive.(more…)

#finalfantasy The original Final Fantasy XIV was a total bust. FFXIV Version 2.0 promises to be better. Much better. More »

#finalfantasy Online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV's launch was an enormous disappointment. Not only did Square Enix president Yoichi Wada apologize for the game, boot the original team from the project, he also said FFXIV damaged the Final Fantasy brand. That may change, because today, Square Enix is relaunching the game as with a Version 2.0. More »

#finalfantasy Do you like Final Fantasy games? Do you like Square-Enix's brand of role-playing game drama? Then spend seven minutes watching this new Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer. Over on YouTube, the commenters tried to derail things by demanding Kingdom Hearts 3. You wouldn't do that here, would you? More »

#squareenix Square Enix, makers of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, is working on a next generation game engine. It's called the Luminous Engine. More »

#cosplay Good cosplay isn't only about good costumes. It's about good backgrounds. Kansai-based cosplay collective Akasha-Chronik nails both. More »

#batman We're on the cusp of enjoying the next great Batman game, but if you're a big, big fan of the last one, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Square Enix has some might fine action figures you might be interested in. More »

In Hitman: Absolution, while Agent 47 is getting his Dewey Decimal on, a fleet of cops charge into Chicago's main library to take him out. But 47 isn't having it, as you might imagine. Find out how he gives the pigs the slip in this thorough gameplay walkthrough from Machinima.

Well, okay, you don't technically need to be a masochist, but a hardcore mode in Hitman Absolution, included specifically for veterans of the series, just may be a real blood-boiler. Producer Hakan Abrak told Eurogamer that the difficulty setting rewards methodical stealth play with Achievements and/or Trophies.

"We will get into more details at a later point, but obviously it's linked to the playing style," he said. "It's more pacify your enemies, be undetected, maybe solve the challenges in a smarter way. That will probably give you a stealth assassin achievement." It might also give you an ulcer, depending on how many times you're forced to restart each mission.

Abrak also hopes to silence critics who say Absolution ditches its stealth roots for the more action-packed gameplay we saw in the gameplay demo -- don't expect that, Abrak says. "Rest assured, the hardcore fans that like to have replayablity value in the game or want to have this stealth assassin -- you know, I'm the ultimate stealth assassin -- that playing style, those achievements, are very much in the game."

For more info on Hitman Absolution, be sure to check out our preview from back in June.

Well, okay, you don't technically need to be a masochist, but a hardcore mode in Hitman Absolution, included specifically for veterans of the series, just may be a real blood-boiler. Producer Hakan Abrak told Eurogamer that the difficulty setting rewards methodical stealth play with Achievements and/or Trophies.

"We will get into more details at a later point, but obviously it's linked to the playing style," he said. "It's more pacify your enemies, be undetected, maybe solve the challenges in a smarter way. That will probably give you a stealth assassin achievement." It might also give you an ulcer, depending on how many times you're forced to restart each mission.

Abrak also hopes to silence critics who say Absolution ditches its stealth roots for the more action-packed gameplay we saw in the gameplay demo -- don't expect that, Abrak says. "Rest assured, the hardcore fans that like to have replayablity value in the game or want to have this stealth assassin -- you know, I'm the ultimate stealth assassin -- that playing style, those achievements, are very much in the game."

For more info on Hitman Absolution, be sure to check out our preview from back in June.

#speakuponkotaku In today's final and fantastic episode of Speak up on Kotaku, commenter Paradox Me has an absolutely brilliant idea for Square Enix: Trash the failed MMO and recycle its assets for a new single player Final Fantasy game. More »

Sigh. Double sigh. The "large scale new title" Square Enix and Yahoo! Japan are teaming up on is Monster X Dragon. It's a "MMO active time strategy" game. Who knows, maybe it's good! [ANN] More »

We've seen a lot of custom Xbox 360s before, but never one that looked like it was in so much pain. The Official Tomb Raider Blog is currently running a contest to give the Xbox away. Clearly this system, featuring a bruised and battered Lara Croft, could use a good home. And just look at that Xbox controller! Poor little guy must have fractured a handle.

Winning isn't quite as easy as filling out a form, as the blog is asking folks to answer trivia questions, which can only be found via Twitter, Facebook and during the last five minutes of Crystal Habit, the Crystal Dynamics podcast. Once you have the answers, you can enter the contest here.

Do it quickly, because someone needs to get that mistreated console away from those monsters.

#bravelydefault There's a new Square Enix game on the way for the Nintendo 3DS called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. Even going by Square's ridiculous standards, it's a ridiculous name. Lucky, then, it looks so damn good. More »

Well, only Amazon's is literally boss, but other retailers have stuff too. If you pre-order Final Fantasy XIII-2 from Amazon.com, you'll get the "Omega Boss Battle," an exclusive "coliseum battle" that adds Omega to your party after completion.

Best Buy is bundling a hardcover book with pre-orders, containing "Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-," a novella connecting the stories of FFXIII and XIII-2. And GameStop offers ... a new costume for Serah! That last one is maybe a bit less impressive in comparison with the new playable content and the hardcover book. Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released in North America on January 31.

#finalfantasy When Final Fantasy XIII-2 hits North American shores on January 31, GameStop, Best Buy, and Amazon customers that preordered the game will walk away with some pretty spiffy bonus items, but which is the most enticing? This time around it's not GameStop. More »

#dragonquest As far as iconic games in Japan go, they don't get any more iconic than Dragon Quest. It's one of those rare games that still ensnares people who don't game as much as they used to or don't game at all. More »

#chronotrigger Square Enix confirmed on the PlayStation Blog yesterday that Chrono Trigger will be available on PlayStation Network beginning Oct. 4. Pricing was not mentioned. More »

Whether you consider it the greatest game ever made or almost the greatest game ever made, for many Chrono Trigger is "the tops," perhaps even "the bee's knees." On Tuesday, October 4, it can be yours through PSN, the PlayStation Blog reports. There's no word on price right now, but for some, that probably won't be much of an issue.

And if you don't know what Chrono Trigger is, congratulations on being young! Eat some bacon and put on your favorite dubstep number. You're far too busy knowing everything to care about a video game fossil like this.

Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada stated at a recent press conference that the Final Fantasy brand had been "greatly damaged" by the launch of Final Fantasy 14.

"We'll continue with our reform work, which basically amounts to fully redoing the game, and hope to revive the FF14 that should have been released," said Wada, according to Andriasang (translating a report on Sponichi).

The launch of Final Fantasy 14 for PC last year, even by a conservative measure, was an unmitigated disaster. A PS3 version never saw the light of day, as the publisher restructured the staff to fix, er, almost everything. Wada apologized for the game at that time and the title still hasn't implemented its intended subscription fee to this day -- and given the freemium trend in MMOs, likely never will.

#squareenix Square Enix, maker of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, is joining forces with Yahoo! Japan's mobile game division for a new project. More »

#fineart Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a game that's art direction was so memorable, and so well-loved, that I figured it was worth a second round of concept art. More »

Squeenix ultraboss Yoichi Wada has spoken about the ongoing woes of troubled MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, saying “The Final Fantasy brand has been greatly damaged,” when asked about the game. VG247 reports that the Square man, speaking at a press conference in Japan, said that they company planned to “continue with our reform work, which basically amounts to fully redoing the game, and hope to revive the FFXIV that should have been released.”

The XIVth Final Fantasy game, which was launched in September last year, has been so beleaguered that its intended subscription model has never actually come online, with trial accounts being extended indefinitely. The PC version of the game sold 630,000, with the PS3 version, which was intended to appear in March of this year, returning for further development at a heavily reshuffled internal dev team.