Final Fantasy XV (was Versus XIII)

[The Twilight Mexican]

Very interesting read.

I swear the problem comes down to what these developers think of gamers. If they would just stop being graphics whores and consistently make games that look the quality of the best the PS2 could put out, they would have a happy fanbase and happy bank accounts.

They utterly wasted the opportunities provided with the PS3. Instead of getting FFXIII -- and then Versus XIII -- out on a reasonable time table with graphics perhaps slightly superior to that of FFXII, an explorable world at least as expanse, and an ever more refined version of KHII's gameplay, they squandered three days at a time on a single rock that nobody may ever notice.

One would think they would have learned from those mistakes that got them into this mess, but they're demonstrating they haven't learned a damn thing. Having hardware that makes the best they used to be able to achieve far easier doesn't mean they should never "stoop that low" again -- it means you recognize when you've achieved what's good enough, crank out stuff at that quality for a while, and maybe close out the console generation with some passion project that "redefines what gamers imagine to be possible."

That's what they need to do instead of trying to prove that they're top dog in tapping the hardware's potential coming out of the starting gate -- in the meanwhile falling way the hell behind everybody else, who get to gloat "Yeah, we recognized where 'good enough' was and worked on making something with that people could actually, you know, spend their money on and play."

SE is probably going to perish, and they fucking deserve it. I might actually be happy to see it put out of its misery when the time comes.

 

[Unlucky]

I just had a horrible thought -- what if this is all just a big herring and we have to wait another 7 years for more info?

 

[Claymore]

Very interesting read.

I swear the problem comes down to what these developers think of gamers. If they would just stop being graphics whores and consistently make games that look the quality of the best the PS2 could put out, they would have a happy fanbase and happy bank accounts.

They utterly wasted the opportunities provided with the PS3. Instead of getting FFXIII -- and then Versus XIII -- out on a reasonable time table with graphics perhaps slightly superior to that of FFXII, an explorable world at least as expanse, and an ever more refined version of KHII's gameplay, they squandered three days at a time on a single rock that nobody may ever notice.

One would think they would have learned from those mistakes that got them into this mess, but they're demonstrating they haven't learned a damn thing. Having hardware that makes the best they used to be able to achieve far easier doesn't mean they should never "stoop that low" again -- it means you recognize when you've achieved what's good enough, crank out stuff at that quality for a while, and maybe close out the console generation with some passion project that "redefines what gamers imagine to be possible."

That's what they need to do instead of trying to prove that they're top dog in tapping the hardware's potential coming out of the starting gate -- in the meanwhile falling way the hell behind everybody else, who get to gloat "Yeah, we recognized where 'good enough' was and worked on making something with that people could actually, you know, spend their money on and play."

SE is probably going to perish, and they fucking deserve it. I might actually be happy to see it put out of its misery when the time comes.

*Claps*

Exactly my sentiments.

 

[Ghost X]

I play indie games with shit graphics all the time, because they're fun .

 

[Unlucky]

Idk I get the feeling that they think stressing every now and then how hard they're polishing this game to their standard of perfection is somehow guarantee that this is going to be so great and that fans should please be excited. It's like they're missing the point that a lot of folks are disgruntled due to their false promises and unwise early announcements/ announcements of delays/ announcements of excuses

Whatever, I'm just gonna race against SE, if I manage to find a job and save enough for a PS4 before this is released then they are fucked

 

[trash panda]

I have been waiting for this game since I was 18 years old. My biggest fear is that by the time it is released, I will be at a stage in my life where I've lost interest in playing video games. I rarely pick up the controller for any game anymore. The last 'new' games that I played were FFXIII, Star Ocean, and the Last Story. Of the three, I've only managed to finish one of them (by mistake) because none of them really maintained my interest for more than a few weekends in a row. If and when I do feel the urge to play a game, it's usually a PS1 title and only for a few hours. Last time I played a game was sometime in 2013...

I feel like I'll be on my deathbead before FFXV is released...

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Nah, SE will be on its deathbed before either of those things happen.

In all likelihood, the company won't die altogether for a long time. It will downsize and probably end up focusing exclusively on microtransaction-leaden mobile titles and an MMO or two until another company absorbs it. Maybe someone who will want to actually do something with SE's classic IPs (I don't mean just Final Fantasy).

 

[Sprites]

*Sigh*

Remember the good old days when there were horribly pixelated characters but an excellent story in there....

I couldn't give a rats arse over the graphics, I really fucking couldn't, I want an FF with an excellent story and something that plays well, something that makes me feel SE has gone back to the way they used to do it. I don't want a game where I can go Ooohhhhh SHINY!!!!, I want a game where I can be like, OMG this story and gameplay is fucking brilliant, I don't want SE to spend 50 fucking years on a game to see how hard they can push the limits of a console, I'd prefer them to just crank out a well made FF game without pushing the limits like they used to and the fans will appreciate that more than anything else.

It's been nearly 8 years since this title was announced, has it broke the world record for longest game in development yet?

 

[Carlie]

Duke Nukem Forever is still the undisputed king of development hell.

 

[Unlucky]

You don't understand, guys. Noctis' hair takes precedence.

 

[Tetsujin]

Almost eight years. Goddamn.

Also, kinda funny to think that FFXIII and FFXV were basically announced at the same time.

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

I know graphics aren't the be all and end all, they definitely aren't for me. I can't help but understand if SE is uptight and anxious about all that kind of stuff for their next big release though. I've seen so many complaints about LR's graphics already I'ma all like but it plays well, also some things are quite pretty (like the purple butterflies in the cemetery at night time, etc) and people are like noooo want mah shiny Moar shiny!

 

[Novus]

I giggle every time I read the title of this thread.

 

[Lex]

New Trailer

 

[Tetsujin]

"new"

 

[Blade]

Regarding earlier remarks prior to this "new" trailer...

If you ask me that's what happens when you put one lead artist at the helm of a game's development.

Sure, it looks pretty with all the details and realism on the outside, but what they're going to worry about is visuals and nothing but.

Mechanics, the story, the internal stuff (the code that makes the game WORK)... I really have to wonder if they put as much effort in to it all as they like to advertise.

And I don't just mean Square Enix, but other developers too. Lots of times people take shortcuts, they complain because "the fanbase (their customers)" raise the bar too high. That's not really the case.

The world is what you make of it. The bar you set is the bar you maintain. In other words, a game's visual standard should be based on what the designers choose, not what the fans choose, so blaming FF fans is really really in bad taste for Nomura.

Granted, when you are an artist and you CHOOSE a specific visual style (like, say Jet Set Radio), you may get naysayers, but you will always get people who approve of that style. There will always be fans of specific design choices, no matter the choice, so long as it's "out there" for people to see.

But beyond that, Final Fantasy (it seems) has forgotten what made it great. Good spanning epics (in the classic Dungeons & Dragons Style), adventures with plenty of customization and options, and the feeling that you are doing something good for the world you live in. Cinema should come last in that regard.

Nowadays I've seen better written fanfics than some of the plot trappings video games now employ.

That's why, from here on in... I don't play FFs to simply enjoy them. I play them to learn everything about them, including the mistakes made, so I can make something BETTER. That goes for other RPGs and games as well.

 

[Carlie]

Well they took out the XIII Versus out so that counts as new right?

 

[Unlucky]

They should've kept it. That was such a nice surprise that blew everyone's minds!

 

[Unlucky]

Sorry if old news:

Noctis Gets His Own Figurine

and this:

Spoiler

...Why is he wearing heels?

sauce

 

[Shademp]

My impressions from the trailer (aside from mostly indifference):

- The fights against the giant monsters look cool
- Not too hot on (what appears to be) fast-reaction events where Noctis navigates around falling debris and must reach the end or he falls to his doom. I have a bad feeling about this.
- The face-compilation image is annoying. Here are fragments of faces of characters I don't know yet, who don't look spectacular or interesting to me, yet the promotion wants to compile all the faces into one big image? That's just an overload of pointless exposure.

 

[Roger]

- The face-compilation image is annoying. Here are fragments of faces of characters I don't know yet, who don't look spectacular or interesting to me, yet the promotion wants to compile all the faces into one big image? That's just an overload of pointless exposure.

They only had so much material from previous trailers that they could slightly rearrange, they had to use the faces.

 

[Fangu]

Oh hooray, we had 6 months of peace from those fucking Versus fans and now it's starting again. Oh well, it was a nice break.

troollolololol

 

[Yuri Lowell]

Regarding earlier remarks prior to this "new" trailer...

If you ask me that's what happens when you put one lead artist at the helm of a game's development.

Sure, it looks pretty with all the details and realism on the outside, but what they're going to worry about is visuals and nothing but.

Mechanics, the story, the internal stuff (the code that makes the game WORK)... I really have to wonder if they put as much effort in to it all as they like to advertise.

And I don't just mean Square Enix, but other developers too. Lots of times people take shortcuts, they complain because "the fanbase (their customers)" raise the bar too high. That's not really the case.

The world is what you make of it. The bar you set is the bar you maintain. In other words, a game's visual standard should be based on what the designers choose, not what the fans choose, so blaming FF fans is really really in bad taste for Nomura.

Granted, when you are an artist and you CHOOSE a specific visual style (like, say Jet Set Radio), you may get naysayers, but you will always get people who approve of that style. There will always be fans of specific design choices, no matter the choice, so long as it's "out there" for people to see.

But beyond that, Final Fantasy (it seems) has forgotten what made it great. Good spanning epics (in the classic Dungeons & Dragons Style), adventures with plenty of customization and options, and the feeling that you are doing something good for the world you live in. Cinema should come last in that regard.

Nowadays I've seen better written fanfics than some of the plot trappings video games now employ.

That's why, from here on in... I don't play FFs to simply enjoy them. I play them to learn everything about them, including the mistakes made, so I can make something BETTER. That goes for other RPGs and games as well.

I design too. I like to think thousands of hours playing DMC3 and God Hand have left me well equipped to what elements of an action game can carry RPG features.

Versus XIII still looks fun, try to not dis it on principle of it not being perfect, but you're right in that visuals are a stronger emphasis than a lot of things in this.

In defence of the game's more grounded combat: The more over the top and Platinum esque the game gets the more the reliance on player timing will increase. In other words 'spacing' as fighting game heads call it or the art of poking and baiting hits well in a fight will be less important. And because of his insane mobility options I don't expect well designed platform segments so the world will likely feel hollow and skin deep to traverse.

Look at Bayonetta for example. iframes (invincibility) on jump start up, iframes on her dodge, off screen audio cues so you can tell when an enemy is going to hit. It worked well for the game but it's a 3d title that's trying to veer away from the fact it's 3d and reduce it to timing, DMC3 had similar issues to a way lesser and more justifiable extent. (his iframes are more punishable and he has to account for enemy position more)

Versus looks like it makes you care for how the enemy swings, where you are when it hits, it's basic combat yes but as Dark Souls shows that can sometimes be the most spatially aware and smartly designed.

RPG elements though? Well, we don't know yet.

 

[Alex Strife]

Versus XIII still looks fun [...]

I don't know this game you're speaking of. This is Final Fantasy XV.

 

[Yuri Lowell]

I'll never get used to calling it that.