Hopes for Remake & Rebirth (story/content)

[ChipNoir]

Wonder when they're gonna start announcing stuff. Maybe after Episode Ardyn is out?

I'm refusing to get my hopes up till the end of the fiscal year, which is April IIRC.

 

[Gary Caelum]

You thinking they'll announce it just after the financial year ends or something?

Is there a business economic rationale for that?

 

[Roger]

You thinking they'll announce it just after the financial year ends or something?

Is there a business economic rationale for that?

I don't think so?

They might make a announcement soon because there's pressure to get Part 1 out before the end of the next financial year but not much evidence of that thus far.

 

[ChipNoir]

You thinking they'll announce it just after the financial year ends or something?

Is there a business economic rationale for that?

They announced they wanted to release one major game per year for a three year period. KH3 was the focus for last year. So it makes sense that based on that plan, they'd want all marketing for that year to focus on KH3. Once they've moved onto the new year, the marketing shift would naturally shift to focus on the new project. Why by latest interviews, is entirely focused on VII-R. I presume "Year" means fiscal year in particular.

I have no idea how fast that'll kick into gear though one the new FY starts.

 

[Kain424]

Yeah, it's pretty much just the Switch port news out right now and I wouldn't expect anything. I assume someone over there is probably itching to get some news out, but it's tough to say what the execs over there will allow right now.

Another curious bit of reasoning is Nomura's standing in the company at the moment. My understanding is Kingdom Heart III has sold well, but it's not been critically well-received at high numbers. Do we think he's still going to keep that director job for the whole project?

 

[Castiel Strife]

Didn't Nomura say "seven" whenever someone asked him what is one word he would use to describe this year, or something? Now that KH3 is out, I fully expect VIIR to get some showtime at long last. I'd expect we will see it at Square's E3 presentation.

Personally, I think they're further along in development than most think. I mean, heck, it shouldn't take them that long to get just the first part ready. Unless they are trying to finish the whole game, which honestly I've thought was possible for quite a while now. What would be great about that is even if the first part somehow bombed, we wouldn't be left without them finishing it since the whole game would already be complete.

It's a scenario I could see, but who knows? I'm just glad I have somewhere to talk about the remake without people being so freaking negative. The community has been toxic ever since they talked about breaking the game into pieces and with how long it's taking. I get it, I am impatient too because I don't want to die before this freaking thing releases, but it doesn't mean I'm not hyped.

Someone on another forums once told me (in reply to me saying that the Remake announcement was one of the happiness moments of my life) that - "I don't get how you could be excited for that. If I have a favorite thing I wouldn't ever want it to be touched." Seriously?! I've been waiting for this since the PS2 released lol. And even if it sucks (which it won't, not for me at least) it isn't like we won't still have the original.

It makes me sad when people say they aren't buying the game simply because of the changes in the game being separated. Here's my thing about the game being in parts - it isn't ideal, but all my life I've had friends who have been fans of games that get releases left and right. For instance, there's a friend who is a huge fan of Halo. Every time a new Halo comes out and we walk into GameStop, there's Master Chief figures everywhere and themed controllers and the like.

I've never had that with FF7. I was only 6 years old when the game released. So yeah, I am hyped. The fact that it's releasing in parts mean I get to experience that hype at least a couple of times. I have something to look forward to until the game is complete. So again, while it isn't ideal and the possibility of them deciding to discontinue it if the first doesn't sell well scares the living you know what out of me, I still think there are positives to it being released in parts.

 

[Gary Caelum]

They announced they wanted to release one major game per year for a three year period. KH3 was the focus for last year. So it makes sense that based on that plan, they'd want all marketing for that year to focus on KH3. Once they've moved onto the new year, the marketing shift would naturally shift to focus on the new project. Why by latest interviews, is entirely focused on VII-R. I presume "Year" means fiscal year in particular.

What were they referring to with the 'one major game per year' though? Just the main Square Enix Japan devs? Cos surely Tomb Raider and Dragon Quest XI count as major games for 2018 as well?

 

[ChipNoir]

What were they referring to with the 'one major game per year' though? Just the main Square Enix Japan devs? Cos surely Tomb Raider and Dragon Quest XI count as major games for 2018 as well?

My impression is they mean high profile games. So...

 

[Gary Caelum]

Why wouldn't Tomb Raider count as being at least potentially high profile? I mean the 2013 reboot sold like 10 million in total. More than any Kingdom Hearts has.

 

[ChipNoir]

Square seems to kinda look down on their international studios projects. They weren't impressed with the first Tomb Raider sales.

 

[Gary Caelum]

Yeah that's what they said to start with because they had really unrealistic standards for it. But that game on went on to sell really well with the PS4/Xbone port, so ended up selling significantly more than any other Tomb Raider game overall.
Whereas Rise of the Tomb Raider sold significantly less, but they said they weren't disappointed with it. So zero sense was made.

 

[Cthulhu]

It's just stupid goals; it was the most successful Tomb Raider game ever and the 6th best selling game of the year, the best one they had that whole year - looking at a chart, their next one that year was Hitman Absolution (#33) and Sleeping Dogs (#73), they really don't have much to complain about.

 

[jazzflower92]

I just hope they don't go too grimdark with the remake and remember how quirky it was.

 

[Gary Caelum]

I just hope they don't go too grimdark with the remake and remember how quirky it was.

Some stuff, like the crossdressing scene, would be impossible to do with a serious tone in a game like this.

I mean, heck, it shouldn't take them that long to get just the first part ready. Unless they are trying to finish the whole game, which honestly I've thought was possible for quite a while now.

They did it make it clear that each part will be a full game though. The entire thing will pretty much be one of the biggest games ever made by the time it's done. It's understandable they're taking a while.
Do we know how much they'd done before the original announcement trailer at E3 2015?

 

[ForceStealer]

Part of me still holds out a glimmer of hope that they'll just come out at one point and say, "Yeah we nixed the episode stuff, forget it, it's just one game." But I know that's an unrealistic hope

 

[jazzflower92]

Some stuff, like the crossdressing scene, would be impossible to do with a serious tone in a game like this.



They did it make it clear that each part will be a full game though. The entire thing will pretty much be one of the biggest games ever made by the time it's done. It's understandable they're taking a while.
Do we know how much they'd done before the original announcement trailer at E3 2015?

They can't do that, or people will form an angry mob.

 

[Castiel Strife]

Part of me still holds out a glimmer of hope that they'll just come out at one point and say, "Yeah we nixed the episode stuff, forget it, it's just one game." But I know that's an unrealistic hope

I don't think they will change their stance on having it broken up into parts, but I do think there is a good chance it will only be broken up into two parts. Everyone thinks it will be three parts since the game was three discs and Final Fantasy XIII is three games, but I think two parts would make more sense.

I also think it's possible that they'll have the entire game ready whenever they release the first part, so that the parts following can release quickly.

 

[ChipNoir]

I want the multiple parts though. Every bit of detail is important to me. Plus it'd feel like vindication for putting up with the 5 years of FFXIII and two years of XV. I want a Season of VIII damnit.

 

[Gary Caelum]

Part of me still holds out a glimmer of hope that they'll just come out at one point and say, "Yeah we nixed the episode stuff, forget it, it's just one game." But I know that's an unrealistic hope

That was my initial reaction but I think after reflecting on it more, it would probably be a mistake. It needs to be several games.

If you just think how much bigger this game will be when made with modern production values, it quickly grows way beyond the scope of a single game. Every little thing, from dialogue between characters being fully voice acted and animated (both body and face), to exploration of the towns, to traversing the overworld, all of this takes longer in a fully 3D modern game (test this by seeing how long in the original game it takes to run from 1 side of Kalm to the other, then imagine how small it would have to be in a modern to-scale version in order to preserve this time)

Not to mention the fact that most people will want them to add more detail. More locations and more side-plots for the characters, so we feel like we're getting something new. It becomes easy to see how they could expand this into 3 full games.

 

[ForceStealer]

There's a plenty of opportunity for awesome in more than one game. But there's also lots of opportunity for screw-ups. Are we starting at level 1 again in game 2? What if something about game 1 sucks or has to change? Will 2 be a completely different style of game? And, of course, what if it takes this long for each part? lol.

 

[Gary Caelum]

Changing the style between games would be a terrible idea and I don't see why they would. I assume your save game will carry between games, or give you a generic new version like Mass Effect.

And they surely won't take like 5 years each. A lot of the stuff from the first game will subtract from the dev time for the others. Character models obviously remain the same. Game mechanics remain the same. A lot of 3D assets will be reused.

My guess would be 3 years between each of them.

 

[Castiel Strife]

There's a plenty of opportunity for awesome in more than one game. But there's also lots of opportunity for screw-ups. Are we starting at level 1 again in game 2? What if something about game 1 sucks or has to change? Will 2 be a completely different style of game? And, of course, what if it takes this long for each part? lol.

I would assume (more like hope) that there's a system in place where you can carry over your save to the new game. They'll obviously want to make each part playable (in case some loonies don't want to play each part) so perhaps there could be a max level in each part, and then level 99 on the last game? I'm worried how they'll handle that, too. I want it to feel as much like the original as possible...

Changing the style between games would be a terrible idea and I don't see why they would. I assume your save game will carry between games, or give you a generic new version like Mass Effect.

And they surely won't take like 5 years each. A lot of the stuff from the first game will subtract from the dev time for the others. Character models obviously remain the same. Game mechanics remain the same. A lot of 3D assets will be reused.

My guess would be 3 years between each of them.

Oh geez, 3 years even sounds like a ridiculous amount of time to wait! You trying to have me dead before the game finishes?! ? Seriously, though, that's a fear of mine. I know people think it's a stupid fear, but I don't care. If I die, I die, (read that with the voice of Ivan Drago from Rocky) but for the love of all things holy please let me play this remake to completion before it happens!

Anyways, I could see three years being accurate though. If they really aren't even done with the first part yet (which as I've said many times I believe they may be and are waiting to release until the whole game is complete), then three years makes sense given how long we have already waited. I'd hope for nothing more than a year in between parts, though, but I understand that may be unrealistic.

 

[ChipNoir]

My running theory is that there's only one "Game", the basic install.

I say this because I recall a long time ago I got the "Remake" of American Mcgee's Alice on PS3. Welp, stupid me didn't read the fineprint, because it actually isn't it's own game, but a version that runs on the same engine as it's sequel. You're supposed to buy it AFTER you buy Alice: Madness Returns, and run it from the same software.

So that's how I think VII-R is going to work: You pay for the initial digital download or CD (CD's these days seem to just be data dumps and you have to install content from online anyways), and every part after just shoves more data onto your hardrive to continue where you left off.

So it'll probably be impossible for anyone to play the remake's second part (and onward) without already having purchased and completed part 1.

 

[Gary Caelum]

I'm betting it'll be more like the Mass Effect trilogy. Separate games but the saves carry across, or you can start a generic version if you don't have a save.
I think they'll try and make each part into more of a self-contained story, so they kinda work as games by themselves, but there'll just be the overarched narrative between them.
I mean after all, Empire Strikes Back ends half way through a story and it's still everyone's favourite Star Wars movie.

 

[Kain424]

I wouldn't be surprised if the sequels blocked access unless you had the original, but there are tons of ways to incorporate a previous game's data over to a new game. But all that may be moot if they have a variant leveling system. If the enemies of the game are only as powerful as you are, it doesn't matter on that front. More difficult would be transferring items and materia... but even that isn't really an issue if you have to play the first game to begin the second.

Part of me still holds out a glimmer of hope that they'll just come out at one point and say, "Yeah we nixed the episode stuff, forget it, it's just one game." But I know that's an unrealistic hope

Not too unrealistic. They made those comments years ago. Who knows anymore?