INTERNATIONAL? :O
Oooh I'm gonna get this for sure now... um anyone know what the preorder bonus is?
Oooh I'm gonna get this for sure now... um anyone know what the preorder bonus is?
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General Final Fantasy Discussion - Final Fantasy XII remake incoming!
- Thread starter finalark
- Start date
finalark
SNORLAX
Knowing today's industry probably the international DLC.
Saw this on GFAQS:
Yoichi Wada resigns as CEO of Square Enix.
http://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20130326067/
Translation:
"Yoichi Wada, Square Enix has resigned as President and CEO
Toshiaki Konishi: Editorial
March 26, 2013, Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd., announced that he will step down as President and CEO Yoichi Wada, newly, Mr. Yosuke Matsuda of the current appointed representative director. The Reason for change is a "management system for reform." The future of Mr. Wada has not been announced at this time."
http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/news/pdf/20130326_02en.pdf
Yoichi Wada resigns as CEO of Square Enix.
http://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20130326067/
Translation:
"Yoichi Wada, Square Enix has resigned as President and CEO
Toshiaki Konishi: Editorial
March 26, 2013, Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd., announced that he will step down as President and CEO Yoichi Wada, newly, Mr. Yosuke Matsuda of the current appointed representative director. The Reason for change is a "management system for reform." The future of Mr. Wada has not been announced at this time."
http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/news/pdf/20130326_02en.pdf
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
Hm...not sure what to think of that. And could somebody explain what the differences between the normal and International versions of the game are, by the way?
Minato
穏やかじゃない
I know you're half joking, but it's scary how Sonic Adventure actually did that.
Please be excited.
In all seriousness, hopefully this is all for the better since Square's latest financial report was pretty abyssmal. I'm hoping Square's management improves and is able to get quality games out in an orderly manner.
For FFX, there's a whole new Sphere Grid you're able to choose at the start, there are Dark Aeons boss battles, optional boss Penance, and some other small differences. X-2's Last Mission adds extra dress spheres and an extra dungeon.
finalark
SNORLAX
Thank god. Square has been in dire need of new management ever since XII IMO. I don't think XII is a bad game, as a matter of fact I actually rather like it and I appreciated its attempts to try something new with the series, but if you know about that game's dev cycle you'll know that it was plagued with higher ups trying to take control from the creative team causing half the team to quit before the game was even done.
Not to mention the original FFXIV being rushed out in ****ing Alpha to try and beat Cataclysm to the market.
And the fact that Versus XIII has been stuck in development hell for the last several years.
And crap like the endless Kingdom Hearts spin offs.
And the microtransaction game with a screen tapping mini game they released for the iOS.
And their ridiculously overpriced iOS ports.
Actually, does anyone want to remind me of what they've done right this gen?
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
Uh...they re-released TWEWY and hinted at a sequel in the bonus ending. Does that count, or is that more a matter of "not doing something wrong"?
Minato
穏やかじゃない
It still made people mad because the wanted the new game right away. I actually like the TWEWY port though. The battles aren't as fun, but they HD sprites look really nice.
Bravely Default (which they still need to localize). I'm going to include last gen in handhelds since this gen is too new, but the things that pleased me last gen was TWEWY and getting Matsuno to work on the Tactics Ogre PSP port/upgrade. Other than that, Square hasn't impressed me in the HD console era.
I heard Nier was good, and I've yet to try that though.
Rutger
Smash Master
I'm really hoping this change means we will be hearing about a Bravely Default localization soon.
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
I think it was someone in here that made the comment that the "only good Final Fantasy game to come out since FFX happens to be the one that we don't even get over here". Now, granted I liked Crisis Core (even though that might have partly been due to the universe), but it's kind of a sadly amusing thing to think on.
finalark
SNORLAX
I haven't played TWEWY on account of A: not being able to find it and B: Not owning an iOS device. Although I've heard it's a damn good game. Playing KH 3D really made me want to give it a go.
And I do slightly take back what I said about them doing nothing right this gen. They seemed to know what they're doing when it comes to handhelds with DQIX bringing popularity to the franchise in western territories, and titles like TWEWY which I'll take everyone's word on. They even made me give a damn about the FFVII sub-series with Crisis Core.
Sadly they don't seem to know how to get their franchises to work in the HD era. Which is weird to me since it's literally just a graphical bump, not a massive overhaul to how games are played like the PS1/N64/SAT era. I guess video game fans don't really have a willing suspension of disbelief anymore.
Also, when I say "this gen" I mean Wii/PS3/360. I don't consider next gen truly started yet.
But I will argue to the death that XIII and X have a fair amount in common and saying that one is awesome and the other is horrible is like saying that Iron Man is a super hero but Batman isn't.
And I do slightly take back what I said about them doing nothing right this gen. They seemed to know what they're doing when it comes to handhelds with DQIX bringing popularity to the franchise in western territories, and titles like TWEWY which I'll take everyone's word on. They even made me give a damn about the FFVII sub-series with Crisis Core.
Sadly they don't seem to know how to get their franchises to work in the HD era. Which is weird to me since it's literally just a graphical bump, not a massive overhaul to how games are played like the PS1/N64/SAT era. I guess video game fans don't really have a willing suspension of disbelief anymore.
Also, when I say "this gen" I mean Wii/PS3/360. I don't consider next gen truly started yet.
I really disagree with this. I'll agree that XI aged like **** and is more of a guilty pleasure for me than anything else. But I thought XII was pretty good despite the horrible licence system and clearly rushed narrative.
But I will argue to the death that XIII and X have a fair amount in common and saying that one is awesome and the other is horrible is like saying that Iron Man is a super hero but Batman isn't.
Smooth Criminal
Da Cheef
Batman isn't just a superhero, Finalark!
He's the goddamn Batman.
Smooth Criminal
He's the goddamn Batman.
Smooth Criminal
Minato
穏やかじゃない
For FFX, I found its linearity to be an issue when I first played it. I do think it has redeeming qualities over XIII though. Ignoring XIII's gameplay and story flaws, It missed that spark for me that other games had. There was no cool enemy/rival like Gabranth/Sephiroth/Kefka etc, and it also missed having a definitive scene/moment that was either funny, cool, or sad (imo).
I'm going to replay XIII again though, just to get a better feel of the game before starting XIII-2. I feel bad since I only remember most of the bad cutscenes in XIII like, "Moms are tough" and "Worst birthday ever".
I'm going to replay XIII again though, just to get a better feel of the game before starting XIII-2. I feel bad since I only remember most of the bad cutscenes in XIII like, "Moms are tough" and "Worst birthday ever".
finalark
SNORLAX
You seriously just made my day.
I do agree with some of your points, mostly that the game had no real defining scenes or even a memorable villain. Everyone remembers the Opera from VI, the lake scene from X, and for me in particular I don't think I'll ever forget exploring the ruins of towns I visited in II after the dreadnought was activated.
I think the reason why we don't see as much of a reoccurring villain in XIII was because the game wanted to focus on the interaction between the main characters.
Minato
穏やかじゃない
Yeah, true. In retrospect, I don't find XIII a terrible game in general, but just felt like it was another JRPG to me rather than an exceptional one (or one by numbered FF standards).
Also, I'm still hoping for a XII HD. I want to go through parts like these again (FFXII Spoilers) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCwwZ5ecKk
Also, I'm still hoping for a XII HD. I want to go through parts like these again (FFXII Spoilers) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCwwZ5ecKk
finalark
SNORLAX
If we get an FFXII HD I pray to odin they fix the muffled audio.
Minato
穏やかじゃない
Same. I'm going to assume that it's because of compressing the audio file to fit onto the DVD. If the master recording was like that, that would be disappointing.
Or I guess they could be lazy and not fix it.
Or I guess they could be lazy and not fix it.
finalark
SNORLAX
I kind of feel like they could have done more with FFX HD *coughrerecordedvoiceactingcough* hopefully they'll make some improvements to XII HD.
That's another thing I hope Square does under new management, actually releases things that shouldn't take that long.
Minato
穏やかじゃない
I definitely didn't like when X sped up Tidus's lines just to fit the mouth movements. That was the biggiest offender to me. The pauses were annoying too. I'm so glad KH (other than CoM) had lip synching.
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
To be fair to FFX though, that was relatively early in the whole "voice acting in full motion video in games" bit of things, especially RPGs, I believe.
Rutger
Smash Master
I would support a XII HD, probably will pass on X HD.
International License boards/zodiac jobs look fun.
International License boards/zodiac jobs look fun.
finalark
SNORLAX
Something interested I read was that Xenogears was apparently presented to the higher ups at Square as Final Fantasy VII. They decided that the game's story was too complex and too dark to really fit in with the Final Fantasy series, but they liked the concept and retooled it into a different game.
Ironic that the actual FFVII would end up being (in)famous for it's extremely elaborate plot and is (debatably) one of the darkest games in the main series.
Ironic that the actual FFVII would end up being (in)famous for it's extremely elaborate plot and is (debatably) one of the darkest games in the main series.
PsychoIncarnate
The Eternal Will of the Swarm
Isn't VI darker?
and overall better in every way
finalark
SNORLAX
"debatably" being the keyword.
IMO VII is dark and tragic the way a young teenager thinks something is dark and tragic. Some people would disagree with me, but IMO IX, X, hell, even II is a darker game than VII.
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
Pretty much as finalark said, VII is darker in a "sad, emo teen way", when FFVI is darker overall and probably only doesn't seem as dark because of the sprites and art, and if it was done with more modern quality graphics would be seen as more dark than people view it as.
Minato
穏やかじゃない
The dark things I remember are obviously Hojo, everything about Nibelheim (past and present), and various scenes like everyone in one of the slums being crushed. Other stuff like being confined into a wheelchair and being a vegetable is kinda depressing too. But that doesn't matter is VII has a lot of silly and funny stuff I like. Minigames like CPR, riding a dolphin, and cross-dressing balanced things out.
If I had to choose which was the darkest, it'd be VI with VII and its oppression right behind. Having a factory by killing espers to make them magicite was pretty dark, same with the events leading to the World of Ruin. There's also that scene with Celes at the cliff (you feel even worse if you killed Cid off), but eventually finding hope after finding Locke's bandana.
If I had to choose which was the darkest, it'd be VI with VII and its oppression right behind. Having a factory by killing espers to make them magicite was pretty dark, same with the events leading to the World of Ruin. There's also that scene with Celes at the cliff (you feel even worse if you killed Cid off), but eventually finding hope after finding Locke's bandana.
finalark
SNORLAX
I personally think that IX is pretty dark. People assume that because it has cartoony graphics this means the events depicted are much less grim than in the more "realistic" VII and VIII.
When you play IX you're all like "OH MAN! This charming thief and his goofy friends are on the run from that big ol' meanie the Queen! And the princess wants to join them! Oh no, evil wizards are trying to stop them but they'll be fine in the end!"
And then you get to Burmacia and suddenly genocide, genocide everywhere. And the rest of the game pretty much continuously gets darker and darker from there.
When you play IX you're all like "OH MAN! This charming thief and his goofy friends are on the run from that big ol' meanie the Queen! And the princess wants to join them! Oh no, evil wizards are trying to stop them but they'll be fine in the end!"
And then you get to Burmacia and suddenly genocide, genocide everywhere. And the rest of the game pretty much continuously gets darker and darker from there.
I think X is pretty dark, there's a lot of themes about suicide and sacrifice. II kills off just about every character, if I remember correctly. XIII has some dark stuff too: a lot of betrayal going on, the Purge (which is effectively a genocide), the whole scenario with Cid, the fate of the l'Cie if they fail to complete their focus, the overall feeling of the characters' helplessness in that game.
VI is arguably the darkest (for me, anyway). Magicite factory, esper genocide, World of Ruin's village of children whose parents have all died, Kefka poisoning an entire town, almost every single character's backstory, etc.
VI is arguably the darkest (for me, anyway). Magicite factory, esper genocide, World of Ruin's village of children whose parents have all died, Kefka poisoning an entire town, almost every single character's backstory, etc.
finalark
SNORLAX
The fact that the bad guy wins for the first half of the game too.
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
Yeah, the fact the bad guy kind of...destroys the world and kills half the people in it is certainly there. I totally forgot about the FFX stuff and the whole suicide and sacrifice theme. Man...it gives me chills looking back on it considering some stuff from a year and a bit ago.
finalark
SNORLAX
Just updated the OP to include what little film adaptations there's been of the series. If I got anything wrong feel free to inform me and I'll change it.
Maybe I should just delete the news archive, since I haven't updated it in a long while anyway.
EDIT: I was digging though olds posts to see how much news passed without me updating the OP. I found this little news post:
Maybe I should just delete the news archive, since I haven't updated it in a long while anyway.
EDIT: I was digging though olds posts to see how much news passed without me updating the OP. I found this little news post:
Interesting how former presidents of Square seem to think the company has no idea what it's doing. Apparently the most recent president to step down did so for similar reasons. Or so I've heard.
TheKalmarKing
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2013
- Messages
- 162
Complete failure? No! they brought us DQIX, TWEWY, various Kingdom Hearts... But as we say in France, they sh*t in the glue with FFXIV. How to make a numbered FF an horrible game I'll never know.
Oh, and I really enjoyed XIII-2 and I didn't play the first. I thought the familiars system was pretty cool (Fighting alongside a behemoth is cool, don't deny it) and the story is good. It has a rather depressing atmosphere too (Academia 400 was a shock for me), and the ending... God the ending.
Oh, and I really enjoyed XIII-2 and I didn't play the first. I thought the familiars system was pretty cool (Fighting alongside a behemoth is cool, don't deny it) and the story is good. It has a rather depressing atmosphere too (Academia 400 was a shock for me), and the ending... God the ending.
Minato
穏やかじゃない
From what I've heard, Suzuki doesn't really like Wada, so I'm not surprised he was vocal about it (since Japanese employees tend to try and not say things like this upfront). But yeah, Suzuki stepped down for the same reason Wada did (or so they say).
I need to get back and play DQIX again. I know it got quite a bit more people into the franchise, but it's the one DQ that didn't catch me right away. I didn't get far which could be the reason, but I loved playing all the DQ games before it.
finalark
SNORLAX
I wouldn't say there a complete failure, but I'll be honest the DQ games just aren't for me. I really can't speak for TWEWY but I'm kinda ****ing sick of Kingdom Hearts.
Also, FFXI was terrible too and that was their other MMO. But everyone seems to forget about XI.
I haven't played XIII-2, but I thought XIII was okay.
Minato
穏やかじゃない
It's interesting how games can feel really different in terms of quality in their sequels. In most games now, there's a lot of different sources of input that gets in a game rather than from the original writer. I remember Matsuno saying that he had complete control over his older games because that's how it was in the industry at that time, but in FFXII, ideas like the giant airship were not his.
I kind of bring this up because of Jun Akiyama. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jun_Akiyama_(video_game_designer)
Looking at what he's done, makes me wish he was involved in all the Kingdom Hearts games. The story would probably still be a mess, but I feel like things could be executed better.
finalark
SNORLAX
XII in general had a pretty troubled production, with the game going three no less than three different protagonists and Penelo not even being in the original design document if my memory serves. It's interesting how things have changed, though.
I pretty much gave up hope on Kingdom Hearts' story after it tried to be something more than "kid goes on adventures in disneyland." I'm just sick of all of the gimmicky spin-offs. I mean, take a look at this little list:
Chain of Memories had the card battle system.
Days had it's mission-based multiplayer, with the single player structured similarly
Birth By Sleep had the command deck and board
Dream Drop Distance had the pets, command deck AND the drop system.
I can't speak for Recoded since I haven't played it, but I'm at the point where even if Square released a proper third game I wouldn't care. IMO that **** should have gotten done years ago.
TheKalmarKing
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2013
- Messages
- 162
I wouldn't call **** a game series that involve Mickey wacking villains with a giant key.
Kuraudo
4Aerith
When I look at VII I don't really see emo to be honest. Kinda bugs me hearing that word thrown around. But I digress. Perhaps if the older games had more visual power to them like VII got it'd be easier to see why VI or even II can be so dark.
Though I'd say that VII definitely is a top contender for most gruesome in the Final Fantasy series. Between the carnage that goes down in the Shinra building, Zack's death redone in Crisis Core (even the original), a massive Midgar Zolom impaled through a tree, watching a main character get impaled from behind, I'd say the list goes on.
Doesn't exactly equate to dark, but I'd say that VI had a lot of dark moments that really spelt out how bad things were. To me, as I think about it, things didn't look exactly so "dark" to me until Advent Children Complete hit. Disease, a hero who failed to help himself let alone anyone else before finding his resolve, people dying to said disease and the outright corruption of the Planet from the inside out thanks to Geostigma (thankfully stopped thanks to Cloud).
finalark
SNORLAX
I haven't seen complete, but I think that VII got it's "dark and emo" reputation from KH and Advent Children. When you think about it, KH's version of Cloud is much gloomier than Cloud ever was in the actually game. I personally got the impression that he was more anti-social and kind of a jackass instead of emo. It doesn't help that most people who don't actually want to play VII but still want to pretend they're fans watch Advent Children and that film did its best to ignore the goofiest part of the game. You'll never see any modern FFVII related material reference the fact that Cloud cross-dressed once, that's for sure.
Assuming that you're referring to Cloud, this is part of the reason why I don't care for Advent Children as a continuation of VII's story. I feel like the film reversed his character development and made him into a angst-ridden emo kid. He saved the world, got over Aerith's death and built himself a personality but the end of the game. IMO the whole geostigma thing was a poorly explained excuse for Cloud suddenly becoming so depressed.
I'm sure we've had this discussion a million times, but I need to get around to watching Complete. IMO the original version of the film felt very rushed and contrived and was more about fan service over actually continuing the story.
I wouldn't mind this if people didn't treat Advent Children like it somehow explains VII perfectly.
LivewiresXe
Smash Hero
I can't really hate Advent Children because Reno and Rusd are awesome in it and make me laugh for some stupid reason.