The Last Remnant
Preview
Another promising RPG from Square Enix
by Howie Howard
previewed on X360
Epic visuals
The Last Remnant takes full advantage of the Unreal Game Engine 3 and this results in stunningly beautiful graphics. The action is set on an epic scale and the visuals and sound is top notch with fast paced rock music playing in the background. The music constantly changes as the mood changes in the game. When I heard that the Unreal Engine 3 was being used for The Last Remnant, I was somewhat surprised because taking a pure shooter engine and trying to get it to work in an RPG can sometimes be difficult. Square Enix informs us that using the Unreal engine makes Remnant's fight sequences blend in seamlessly with the constantly changing background scenery. After seeing the trailer and demo scenes they have me convinced and I can honestly say that there is nothing to worry about.
Hordes of heroes to control
The Last Remnant is a role-playing and fighting game but with a unique twist: unlike other popular games in the same genre, Remnant is not based on single character development and control, or even that of a small group. Instead, The Last Remnant is based upon squads of characters that have the same or similar attributes and they are all banded together in what Square Enix calls Unions. There can be up to five characters in each Union and the gamer can control five of these Unions at one time.
The key to Remnant's battle system is that it lets the player have control over multiple groups and with a simple control scheme. This is very important because of the dynamic battles that take place. By dynamic battles I mean that they are constantly changing. One side can be fighting to what might look to be a rout only to have the enemy call in massive reinforcements thus suddenly changing the tide of battle. Yes, the game's artificial intelligence can employ this option very nicely. One of the things that impressed me was the fact that wandering monsters can and do enter the battle randomly. Let's hope they decide to fight for the good guys because this can turn the tide of battle as well.
Final words
Folks, I’m simply excited about this new game and I can’t wait for it to be released come November. I have been a big fan of Final Fantasy for a long time and the thought of playing a game that takes the Final Fantasy idea and stretches it into a game like The Last Remnant makes me giddy when I think about it. Will it contain an online mode? I don’t know and frankly who cares because the option to control up to seventy Union squads in a fantasy world such as this is way more fun then the act of bashing my fellow gamers over the head with an over-sized club. This one will be added to my game collection and you can take that to the bank...
