Games The Final Fantasy Thread!

[Jammin]

Only Square could come up with an idea this bad

If it is indeed $60 a piece for the game, that's either greed or incompetence.

Those are really the only two explanations I can think of leading to this. Either they convinced themselves that fans wouldn't notice if they found a way to overcharge for the game (Which is totally a SquareEnix thing to do). Or they went with something completely impractical in this remake and this was the only way they could make it work financially (Which is totally a Nomura thing to do).

 

[kkck]

It's not greed or incompetence. It's greed and incompetence. It'd actually be less scary if the whole thing was just plain evil rather than those (as would the world as a whole thinking about it)... I guess they could be thinking that the people who played the game 20 years ago now happen to have disposable income. Seriously, you could get half a console for what you'd pay for this game in the worst case scenario.

 

[Jammin]

Yeah, your probably right.

Doesn't help that I just looked up how long the original Final Fantasy VII was and turns out it's a good bit shorter than I remember. Apparently it's a 60 hour game and a lot of that is extras. The core storyline weighs in at just under 40. I had thought it was in the 70-80 hour neighborhood.

Apparently Final Fantasy XIII was longer. Not sure I can wrap my head around that.

 

[Jammin]

I'm with you, I much prefer methodical command based stuff like Persona and Bravely Default to action based stuff but I guess a lot of fans don't feel that way.

Action based RPGs always have the disadvantage of only controlling a character where command based RPGs allow you to control a whole party at one time. Which creates a deeper form of strategy that you really just can't get otherwise. As a result they are always easier and more simplified; often to the point of button mashing.

I shudder to think what the action RPG change is going to do to the Materia system. Summons and limit breaks should work fine but the whole blue side of the system is going to get wrecked.

 

[kkck]

All the fans wanted was improved graphics and some extra content. FF7 was a phenomenon 18 years ago, and I doubt the remake will leave a similar impression on newcomers with the approach that SE is taking. Also, why are they ditching the turn-based combat? At this rate, the remake, FFXV and KH3 will all have similar game play mechanics.

IIRC FVII was impressive also because of the graphics part. Nowadays graphics simply aren't as impressive anymore. I really don't mind them leaving turn based system behind however I do think that if they change it they do necessarily have to keep the fundamentals intact. As in, combining materia for different effects and whatnot. The old system implemented into more modern concepts could be quite fun. On the other hand they could ruin it. what I would look forward to is ultimately how the materia combination would work. I remember playing the game years ago and looking up combinations online... People came up with some pretty cool stuff.

 

[shahdan]

Eh, I am completely okay with this. It means I get to play the game early. If they are adding more content, then all for the better. Still day one purchase. The over-reactions to this news are so childish. Quite a few games have been episodic, especially this Gen. This is hardly something to whine about, when we will 1) get the game early, 2) FF VII won't have the developmental hell cycles of Versus XIII etc.

People need to stop being so short-sighted. Also, you can always not buy the game. This Remake is for fans like me and the newcomers who want a fresh retake on an old classic. I, and countless others, are completely happy with this.

Bring it on, Nomura.

It means Square has spent years inventing new and exciting ways to f#% this up.

I mean, I guess I could see how they could make the Midgar portion it's own thing but after that point dividing it makes very little sense. Except for the fact that they can charge more money for it.

Oh please, your over-reaction is completely unwarranted. Quite a few games, even on PS2, have been episodic. Hack being one of them. Latest being Life is Strange, RE Revelations, Fatal Frame V etc. Not to mention the DLC contents.

If you are okay with this, then what's wrong with FFVII?

---------- Post added at 02:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:59 AM ----------

All the fans wanted was improved graphics and some extra content. FF7 was a phenomenon 18 years ago, and I doubt the remake will leave a similar impression on newcomers with the approach that SE is taking. Also, why are they ditching the turn-based combat? At this rate, the remake, FFXV and KH3 will all have similar game play mechanics.

That is not what all fans wanted. The combat of FF VII was always quite poor. That working 18 years later is insane thinking.

 

[Jammin]

Oh please, your over-reaction is completely unwarranted. Quite a few games, even on PS2, have been episodic. Hack being one of them. Latest being Life is Strange, RE Revelations, Fatal Frame V etc. Not to mention the DLC contents.

If you are okay with this, then what's wrong with FFVII?

First let me say. I'm not telling anyone else how to feel about this. If you think Square's approach to the game is something you like than by all means enjoy it and don't let anything I say bother you.

Now as to your question. Final Fantasy VII is not episodic. So making the remake that means altering the story considerably and charging more to suit that medium. All the games you listed were original titles all meant to be episodic from the start, or in .Hacks case was a trilogy of individual games. Final Fantasy VII is indisputably structured as a single experience; altering that will require significant rewriting and reworking. There aren't the peaks and valley's necessary for that to work. It's literally chasing Sepheroth around for 70% of the game.

Square says this is a necessity due to the Final Fantasy VII's size. Which is ridiculous since the games size was only average by the standards of it's time and small compared to the large RPG's of today. So that's probably a lie and I don't like being lied to.

Then we get down to price. How much are you willing to pay for a fraction of Final Fantasy VII. Normal episodic games are priced at $15-$20. There is no chance in hell Square can charge that for this. They charged $60 for an upresed PSP game and demo. With thier track record, in the best case scenario we're getting...

If your cool with that. Fine. I'm not. I find it downright disgusting that a company that produced some of my favorite games of all time has turned into this.

That is not what all fans wanted. The combat of FF VII was always quite poor. That working 18 years later is insane thinking.

Your right it's not what all fans wanted. Your proof enough of that. But calling the idea that the combat would work today "insane" is absurd.

Look at Persona and Bravely Default. Look at the Final Fantasy X Remaster(same combat system). Look at the original FF7 which still sells to this day and remains the highest selling Square game of all time.

 

[Machi-tan]

I'm inclined to agree with Shahdan. If they scale the content up, then it could feel like the FF13 series in that manner (If they chose to charge per game). Or it might end up like the other game models he pointed out where we would only get a fragment of the game at a time over the course of a year or so.

Honestly It being episodic says nothing about it's build. If they really flesh out the environment and make it being multipart worth it, then maybe in the end it will be worth it? If a single part can roll around like 60+ hours of entertainment then I'd certainly think it'd be worth it. I mean the original game was basically a multiparter, if they section in newer content and splice more data for things like voice and cut scenes (we all know Square loves their cut scenes, second only to Metal gear series) and all the sprinkles in the world, i could understand how it'd get large.

And is the game an accurate recreation? I suppose what i'm asking is if it stays within the boundaries of just FFVII. Because if they try to add all the cellphone game content, and maybe a bit of Crisis core and Advent children then that would be interesting.

 

[Jammin]

If they scale the content up to that degree then how much is there really going to be left in the of the original? This is supposed to be a Remake of Final Fantasy VII after all. If what they produce barely resembles the original....what's the point?

If they were dead set on making a game this different from Final Fantasy VII I don't see why it should be Final Fantasy VII at all. Why not just make an entirely new game where these approaches make sense?

 

[Machi-tan]

Your argument does have it's merits, but i can also understand the whole: "Remake? You mean remaster" Type of convergence.

I don't mind as much about the combat system, maybe because i was into Kingdom hearts so much when i was younger, so anything that resembles it seems fun. So i might be bias. But just like people are dissatisfied with them pumping air into the game, there would be just as many people disappointed if all they got was FFVII HD .

I'm not on either end of the fence, i love the original for what it was, for what it is. If i really want to play it, i'd just go play it. I guess i look at remake as more of a revisit to the same universe and story, with what they considered updated mechanics... rather than a literal rehashing of the same stuff.

 

[shahdan]

I'm inclined to agree with Shahdan. If they scale the content up, then it could feel like the FF13 series in that manner (If they chose to charge per game). Or it might end up like the other game models he pointed out where we would only get a fragment of the game at a time over the course of a year or so.

Honestly It being episodic says nothing about it's build. If they really flesh out the environment and make it being multipart worth it, then maybe in the end it will be worth it? If a single part can roll around like 60+ hours of entertainment then I'd certainly think it'd be worth it. I mean the original game was basically a multiparter, if they section in newer content and splice more data for things like voice and cut scenes (we all know Square loves their cut scenes, second only to Metal gear series) and all the sprinkles in the world, i could understand how it'd get large.

And is the game an accurate recreation? I suppose what i'm asking is if it stays within the boundaries of just FFVII. Because if they try to add all the cellphone game content, and maybe a bit of Crisis core and Advent children then that would be interesting.

Finally, someone who is seeing the bigger picture here. I am going to simply reword some really logical posts on another site: Not only that, Final Fantasy VII had several set-pieces: You had a reactor, cyberpunk downtown area, a church, a theme park, a slum, a multi-level corporate building, a canyon village, and way more, all of which were enterable and explorable.

You cannot even compare it to games like Witcher 3, Elder Scrolls V, or GTA V, all of which have at most 5 different sets of environments, with lots of reused assets. GTA has a fair amount of unique buildings, but you can't enter most of them. All three games have more cohesive worlds than

Doing FF7 in full 3D with state of the art graphics is a mammoth undertaking with no precedent.
Just from the very nature of being multiple entries means that the team can spend more time
and resources to each game. Instead of rushing to finish a massive game in a single entry, they can take their time to meet realistic deadlines and flesh out what they can in each area.

It won't be a single budget strained in one single instance, which may cause the company to be weary of the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket, but rather over the course of multiple games, which gives the company time to generate more money and fund them all healthily. It's a much safer move by SE, and I think the entries will be better for it.


Then we have the budget issues: Final Fantasy VII has three/four disks. It had a development budget of $67 million in 2015 when adjusting for inflation, extremely large for a video game in 1997.

Adapting that behemoth to modern sensibilities, especially when you're a relatively small in-house developer like Square Enix (compared to massive titans like Activision Blizzard) who has to heavily rely on outsourcing to get your video game completed, must be incredibly cumbersome for the teams they have in-house. Logistically it's probably a nightmare, so managing development in smaller chunks might be the only way that the team can avoid from getting completely overwhelmed, especially with other in-house titles like "Kingdom Hearts 3" concurrently in development.

If Final Fantasy VII were a three-part series, that's three retail releases that successfully capitalize on the iconic "Final Fantasy VII" brand. It would maintain the IP's longevity in the market, and it would maximize revenue potential.

It also mitigates risk. Multi-part releases allow Square Enix to adjust future titles in response to feedback from the first one, while a major release upfront would not only take much longer development-wise, but if it failed then its sales potential would be severely truncated.


See? It all makes perfect sense. The game is massive, the budget is massive and this is the ONLY way this project ever could have been green-lighted. SE doesn't have endless resources. They cannot screw up this project as they are basically chugging a large amount of money down a very ambiguous hole at this point. Putting it out in parts was the only way for them to generate revenue to make the full game.

I gotta say, I don't envy Square. As no matter what they do, people are going to whine about it, without taking the company's own hardships into consideration and being practical about it. Gamers really are a bunch of petulant children.

---------- Post added at 04:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:15 AM ----------

First let me say. I'm not telling anyone else how to feel about this. If you think Square's approach to the game is something you like then by all means enjoy it and don't let anything I say bother you.

Now as to your question. Final Fantasy VII is not episodic. So making the remake that means altering the story considerably and charging more to suit that medium. All the games you listed were original titles all meant to be episodic from the start, or in .Hacks case was a trilogy of individual games. Final Fantasy VII is indisputably structured as a single experience; altering that will require significant rewriting and reworking. There aren't the peaks and valley's necessary for that to work. It's literally chasing Sepheroth around for 70% of the game.

Square says this is a necessity due to the Final Fantasy VII's size. Which is ridiculous since the games size was only average by the standards of it's time and small compared to the large RPG's of today. So that's probably a lie and I don't like being lied to.

Then we get down to price. How much are you willing to pay for a fraction of Final Fantasy VII. Normal episodic games are priced at $15-$20. There is no chance in hell Square can charge that for this. They charged $60 for an upresed PSP game and demo. With thier track record, in the best case scenario we're getting...

If your cool with that. Fine. I'm not. I find it downright disgusting that a company that produced some of my favorite games of all time has turned into this.

Your right it's not what all fans wanted. Your proof enough of that. But calling the idea that the combat would work today "insane" is absurd.

Look at Persona and Bravely Default. Look at the Final Fantasy X Remaster(same combat system). Look at the original FF7 which still sells to this day and remains the highest selling Square game of all time.

Your first part has already been covered, and no, I am just asking you to chill the fuck out, man.

FF VII is massive. It has a different approach and different set-pieces to work with. FF X is not even in the same league. It is a fairly linear game. As for Turned Based, then Real Time Action sequences are a lot smoother to work around. FF VII was replicated by a lot of RPGs in that time. To call its GP dated would be an understatement. You are not looking at the bigger picture here.

 

[Machi-tan]

Wow, from a logistical stand point that game does look like a nightmare to create~

Square is in the hole. FFVII, Kingdom hearts 3? Talk about most hype titles to need to be developed.

And I'm not sure if my other post made a motion towards it but there is a lot of extra FFVII content that didn't make it into the original game because of hardware limits and production. Sections of the story that had to be glossed over to keep the game from growing into a beast that they couldn't maneuver at the time.

These came out as Manga, extra games, cell phone games, etc etc, but If they were to be pushing that content back into it and really taking their time on each 'chapter' of the story then i guess that could suggest the sudden increase of story size.

Just putting that thought out there.

 

[Jammin]

RPG's are big projects and they are hard to make. That's true for everybody and Final Fantasy VII is no exception. Nor should it be exceptional. It certainly shouldn't be bigger or more difficult than Witcher 3 or Dragon Age Inquisition.

The assets in Final Fantasy may look more distinct but there shouldn't need to be more of them. There were 70-80 locations in Final Fantasy VII. Only 3 of them were towns of any significant size (Midgar, Junion, and The Golden Saucer.) Compare that to the Witcher 3's size and number of assets needed for each unique area should be tiny. Dragon Age Inquisition had tons of unique assets for each of it's huge areas; of which there were like 8; so again I don't see how Final Fantasy VII can have any claim to being more ambitious.

And if it somehow added so much on to it that it did become bigger than all that, then that's bad game design. The first part of any project like this should be figuring out what want to do and workable in terms of costs and the limits of the hardware. If this approach was going to be so hard. They should have taken a different one.

Remakes of classics are hard. But they have been done and done well. Just look at Fraxis' new X-Com.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

And FYI Square is, in fact, outsourcing this. How much is unclear. But considering they are working on Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV probably most of it.

"CyberConnect2 is one of Square Enix’s external partners on the project. Kitase says in this day and age, it has become a common production technique to collaborate with a number of companies. He compliments CyberConnect2 for their action game experience and know-how, as well as video production. However, Square Enix is keeping close with CyberConnect2, as their production tastes differ from that of Square Enix. Nomura was annoyed by the direction of the the new trailer (laughs), so Square Enix brought it closer to the company’s style."

Taken from http://gematsu.com/2015/12/final-fa...nnect2-collaboration-more#mGJzAi0sxBUZj2JD.99

 

[shahdan]

^ Because everything in Witcher 3 is not overly unique and explorable. You are still quite off on this front as I am talking about setpieces, not the open (but hardly explorable) nature of the world. FF VII, by set-pieces alone, is massive as hell. You cannot even compare the two. How many areas do you actually explore in Witcher 3 and GTA? They are not that many compared to what is actually shown to you. Every single gamer agrees with this, man. FF VII was always a far more ambitious project, which is why they never wanted to go down that road and called it a financial suicide. If releasing this in episodes is the way to go, then I don't see anything wrong with this. Not even remotely.

Which is, again, the opinion of a vocal minority. I sure as hell don't want to play a dated, broken and poor 18 year old GP. You and a few others do, but many don't, which is why FFVII needs a rehaul. Heck, it had problems with its GP in 1997. To deny this is just plain wrong. There was never anything special about FFVII's GP bar the serviceable Materia system.

Eh? They aren't outsourcing it. It's a colab. Not really a big deal as many companies do it.

Also, they aren't making this game for nostalgia. Kitase has made it damn clear in the latest interviews:

Here are the new ones:

Quick stuff from interviews:

-they made multi-release since they would have to cut stuff out if they made it in one game. The detail of the game will be so dense, and you will be able to go to various locations within Midgar that you couldn't go before.
-there will be some stuff that has to be cut, but there will be lots of stuff added. overall volume will be big
-They are working with various companies outside, including CC2
-The battle system is real-time, action feel. The degree of action will be "Dissidia > Kingdom Hearts> FF7 remake" It will be more tactical.
-Although it's action style, it has ATB as well.
-You can control other party members, but you can keep control one if you want
-3 party members at a time like the original

[...]

-Character model is supervised by Visual Work's director.
-They don't want to go with 100% realism for the characters since it might make it hard to recognize certain characters. So they are going as real as possible, while keeping the character's personality.
-Advent Children model data is over 10 years old so they can't really use it (Bunner. I loved AC and its models).
-Everything from the trailer (excluding the stuff that was shown from E3 reveal) was real-time. The end scene where Cloud gets off the train, it transitions directly to the gameplay.
-Cloud looking sick is partly due to the lighting. Nojima likes that Cloud looks very sick.
-Cross-dressing is obviously in the game, but Nomura didn't design it yet (YESSS).
-All the party member's design is renewed like Barret.
-At first they thought of going with AC design of Barret, but decided not to.
-ATB and Limit gauge is there but they are different from the original. ATB turning red is something important.
-Battle tempo will be similar to Dissidia. Battle is done by people who has experience in both Dissidia and Kingdom Hearts..

A rough translation from http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/001/173/1173362/

- About the details of splitting the game into episodes, please tell us more.

Kitase: From the beginning, we have considered it impossible to remake FF7 into one single game. Althought it's impossible to tell you the details about the splitting at the moment, please wait for our further announcement.

Nomura: If we tried to stuff the whole game into one release, some part of the game would have to appear as digests. We'd have to remove some contents from the game, and it would be difficult to add more to the game. Considering that a full remake of the original game must be achived, we have decided to split the game into episodes.

Kitase: Taking the No.8 street shown in the video this time, even just this is already highly dense. If we are to remake the content of the original version at that quality, it would have been impossible to do with a single release.

Splitting the original version into episode with nothing dropped, as well as adding complements, and remaking the game the game in its full volume is what we are thinking.

- How will the battle system look like?

Kitase: Unlike the encounter battles in the original version, we were aiming for a seamless active battle like shown in the video.

Nomura: Regarding the speed of the combat, as well as the sensation of tempo, we have considered something alongside Dissidia FF that you can play without stress. The degree of action would feel like Dissidia FF > KH > FF7 Remake.

We are trying to make a new action combat system that definitely demand no action technique, and let you consider your strategy during the combat.

- What would the elements in the battle system from the original version become?

Nomura: Since the game is based on FF7, elements like ATB gauge and limitbreak will appear but with new useage. Please wait for our further announcements on how they would evolve.

- Are you going to adjust the story in order to maintain connection to other compilations of the game, as well as adapting to the modern age?

Nomura: We are planning some mechanism to dig deeper into each episodes. Players who have played the original version surely would know everything from the beginning to the end of the game, including some very important moments. And we are planning to give even such users surprises.

Kitase: We are not going to remake a game so you only play for nostalgia. We want to make the hearts of the original fans pump. We are adjusting the storyline with this idea in mind.

http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/001/173/1173362/

Unreal Engine 4 has been confirmed: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1152368

 

[Jammin]

^ Because everything in Witcher 3 is not overly unique and explorable. You are still quite off on this front as I am talking about setpieces, not the open (but hardly explorable) nature of the world. FF VII, by set-pieces alone, is massive as hell. You cannot even compare the two. How many areas do you actually explore in Witcher 3 and GTA? They are not that many compared to what is actually shown to you. Every single gamer agrees with this, man. FF VII was always a far more ambitious project, which is why they never wanted to go down that road and called it a financial suicide. If releasing this in episodes is the way to go, then I don't see anything wrong with this. Not even remotely.

Which is, again, the opinion of a vocal minority. I sure as hell don't want to play a dated, broken and poor 18 year old GP. You and a few others do, but many don't, which is why FFVII needs a rehaul. Heck, it had problems with its GP in 1997. To deny this is just plain wrong. There was never anything special about FFVII's GP bar the serviceable Materia system.

Dude, listen to yourself for a minute. Did you even play Witcher 3? That game was nothing but exploration of a world filled with original set pieces and Dragon Age: Inquisition had possibly even more. So yeah, I think that point is incorrect.

If Final Fantasy VII's remake really is bigger and more difficult than those games, which I seriously doubt. Then I don't think the problem is the scale of the task but rather the way they have decided to go about it.

I don't dispute this is a style some people, like you, may like and that's fine. I'm not speaking for you. I'm speaking for me, as a huge fan of the original game who has been wanting to see Final Fantasy VII remastered or remade for well over a decade. It's a game I love dearly. I've bought the game multiple times on multiple platforms. Unfortunately, it's graphics have indisputably aged poorly. So there is nothing I would like more than for Square to not screw this up but nearly everything I've seen about this game tells me they are going to on a scale not see since Final Fantasy XIV's original launch.

Eh? They aren't outsourcing it. It's a colab. Not really a big deal as many companies do it.

They aren't doing it in house. Which is what the bit you posted before said and I was pointing out that is, in fact, untrue. They are contracting work out. Which is what outsourcing is.

Contracting work to a bunch of game studios is a little concerning to me since the only game I know of done in that way was Resident Evil 5, and we know how that turned out. There was already talk of Nomura being annoyed with Cyberconnect2's approach to the trailer, which caused him to rework it to suit the style he wanted(not a great start). That being said, I don't have an issue with them doing that. With Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV there is no way they could make it in house without pushing one of those games out of the way. That's just the reality of the situation.

 

[shahdan]

Dude, listen to yourself for a minute. Did you even play Witcher 3? That game was nothing but exploration of a world filled with original set pieces and Dragon Age: Inquisition had possibly even more. So yeah, I think that point is incorrect.

If Final Fantasy VII's remake really is bigger and more difficult than those games, which I seriously doubt. Then I don't think the problem is the scale of the task but rather the way they have decided to go about it.

I don't dispute this is a style some people, like you, may like and that's fine. I'm not speaking for you. I'm speaking for me, as a huge fan of the original game who has been wanting to see Final Fantasy VII remastered or remade for well over a decade. It's a game I love dearly. I've bought the game multiple times on multiple platforms. Unfortunately, it's graphics have indisputably aged poorly. So there is nothing I would like more than for Square to not screw this up but nearly everything I've seen about this game tells me they are going to on a scale not see since Final Fantasy XIV's original launch.

They aren't doing it in house. Which is what the bit you posted before said and I was pointing out that is, in fact, untrue. They are contracting work out. Which is what outsourcing is.

Contracting work to a bunch of game studios is a little concerning to me since the only game I know of don in that way was Resident Evil 5, and we know how that turned out. There was already talk of Nomura being annoyed with Cyberconnect2's approach to the trailer, which caused him to rework it to suit the style he wanted(not a great start). That being said, I don't have an issue with them doing that. With Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV there is now way they could make it in house without pushing one of those games out of the way. That's just the reality of the situation.

The GP in Witcher 3 is absolutely terrible. I tried it at a friend's house and gave up after a couple of hours. And no, the areas in open world games are same assets and resources pasted together. It's literally a fact; unless it's not a new set piece. But once there, it's rinse and repeat again. I am not sure why you are even arguing here. Go ahead and ask anyone who even remotely knows designing and you will be told the same thing.

In case of FF VII, each area is very different and unique. Redrawing the entirety of that in 3D is a mammoth task and it not fitting on a 50 GB Blu-ray disc is perfectly understandable. All Open-world games on current techs work on the same formula. Honestly, I would like to hear of ONE open world game (even one) where ALL the areas can be explored.

The rest I am not sure about, because I don't know what's this whole uproar about the GP is. I am just not seeing it. Look, see how this turns out. I get your point. I really do. But you gotta look at this from the company's viewpoint as well. If you are not completely averse to the idea of ARPGs, then, give it a try. I see no harm in at least trying this out. I am sure more details will pop up on Jump Festa. So, keep a lot out for that.

It still doesn't seem like outsourcing to me. They are collaborating. DmC was done by outsourcing the Devil May Cry IP. DownPour was outsourcing. The Team leading the charge is in SE, and it's just a trailer, so all is good in my book. I haven't liked RE since 4, to be honest.

 

[Jammin]

The GP in Witcher 3 is absolutely terrible. I tried it at a friend's house and gave up after a couple of hours. And no, the areas in open world games are same assets and resources pasted together. It's literally a fact; unless it's not a new set piece. But once there, it's rinse and repeat again. I am not sure why you are even arguing here. Go ahead and ask anyone who even remotely knows designing and you will be told the same thing.

In case of FF VII, each area is very different and unique. Redrawing the entirety of that in 3D is a mammoth task and it not fitting on a 50 GB Blu-ray disc is perfectly understandable. All Open-world games on current techs work on the same formula. Honestly, I would like to hear of ONE open world game (even one) where ALL the areas can be explored.

The fact that you didn't play very much of the Witcher 3 explains to me how you could make that comparison. It sounds to me like you think that game is like Skyrim and it's not at all. Buildings, textures, plantlife, set pieces. Each location and most towns bigger than a hamlet is custom made. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the same way.

It's a huge task, of that there is no doubt, but when it comes to the size thing that doesn't really make sense.

I've done some modding for Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Oblivion, and Skyrim. I have friends who went to school for game design and one who still does it professionally and we talk about it all the time. So while I'm certainly no expert the subject I understand how these systems work and don't think the explanation Square gave makes sense.

The game assets don't take up the most space on game disc. Meshes are tiny and console textures only need to be so big since the output is 1080p at max. What takes up space are high quality audio and FMVs. Most of that is usually the video which in terms of taking up space is huge. It's like putting a Blu Ray on the same disc as a game. That's how you get a game disc over 50 GB.

Yet they claimed it was game assets that made the game unable to fit on a single disc. And I don't think that makes sense.

The rest I am not sure about, because I don't know what's this whole uproar about the GP is. I am just not seeing it. Look, see how this turns out. I get your point. I really do. But you gotta look at this from the company's viewpoint as well. If you are not completely averse to the idea of ARPGs, then, give it a try. I see no harm in at least trying this out. I am sure more details will pop up on Jump Festa. So, keep a lot out for that.

It still doesn't seem like outsourcing to me. They are collaborating. DmC was done by outsourcing the Devil May Cry IP. DownPour was outsourcing. The Team leading the charge is in SE, and it's just a trailer, so all is good in my book. I haven't liked RE since 4, to be honest.

The gameplay is something of a personal preference to some degree.

Final Fantasy VII's original command based combat system can do some things that action combat cannot do and vice versa. The turn based system allowed for full control of an entire party and complex ability options and usage. Action combat by it's nature limits you to a controlling a single character at a time, forcing fights to be both easier and shallower but grants the benefit of speeding everything up and introducing more arcade-like timing mechanics. So it's changing the focus to timing over strategy.

I don't think it's a matter of one style being "better" than the other. I just think that changing Final Fantasy VII's style was both unnecessary and distances it from what made the original game so amazing. Because when you can't control a full party, no matter what they do, combat is going to be more shallow.

 

[riki]

More Final Fantasy VII: Remake update are up.

 

[Jammin]

Just watched a really interesting discussion on Final Fantasy VII's remake and everything we've learned about it recently on the Kinda Funny Gamecast. Lots of different perspectives lots of valid points. Pro and Con.

Spoiler: There are some F bombs in there though.

​

 

[riki]

Looks like FFXV's release date may be revealed because one of SE's survey questions asked participants which JRPG they would buy first - FFXV or Persona 5, which would be out next summer.