@“Tradegood”#p121434 The fact that there’s a FFIX remake on the way (presumably with a scope similar to something like Persona 3 remake) is a sign that they are more amenable to that idea now then ever before.
I heard about the cartoon but not about the remake. It's interesting they seem to be gearing up to capitalize on the love people have for IX meanwhile skipping completely over VIII, yet again!! #neg8the8h8
I tried thinking of counterexamples of Square wielding FF in a way to draw in untapped audiences while Sakaguchi was still around and the closest I could come up with was *Mystic Quest*, not counting all the non-FF GB games relabelled FF when localized in the west.
But also I think it's strange that people are latching onto the new combat system as an omen when FF has been experimenting with its combat system since IV, and most majorly with VIII's junctioning system. Maybe it's because I don't feel that strong an affinity for turn-based combat I don't miss it a ton. The other thing I find strange is I didn't think the character action format was all that popular: DMC is almost never talked about here, and that series and *Bayonetta* don't even sell that well. *God of War* isn't even character action anymore. Whatever made them want to switch gears to this I don't see that it's necessarily about chasing a trend. *Stranger of Paradise*, on the other hand—what's hotter in the single player space than a soulslike? (And that game was genuinely great!!)
@“yeso”#p121439 Those qualities are just not the priority with FFs 13,15,and 16 where everything is over-elaborated and ends up feeling small and suffocating. Maybe 16 gets better, but so far it’s more shoebox sized bar go down combat spaces with no sense of a larger world
That's very true, and I might be taking for granted that this game will open up and feel like a larger world at some point. I did find lack of overworld and continuity between places is kind of troubling. I have no problem with FF keeping you on a linear path, especially having just beaten Galuf's world in FFV where it's done to build up a brisk pace to the fight with Exdeath. But that fight is meaningful _because_ you understand the worlds are vast with many people at risk. I'm glad this game at least has towns (sry ffxiii) but agree that it feels like a very small world.
And what is the deal with games running poorly on the new consoles anyway?
@“connrrr”#p121440 I don‘t think anything offficial has been announced regarding the FFIX remake, just that it was part of some leaks. I remember an old GameFAQs rumor that they lost some of the source code to FF8 or something (lol) so they can’t remake it… which might be why the remaster that came out a few years ago was just them replacing some character models and calling it a day.
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@“connrrr”#p121440 But also I think it’s strange that people are latching onto the new combat system as an omen when FF has been experimenting with its combat system since IV, and most majorly with VIII’s junctioning system.
Agreed... but I don't think it's actually like Bayonetta at all. To me it reminds me more of a Tales game, basically just replace "eikonic abilities" with "arts". Which is fine and it's a good action rpg system. I think it's just that it feels like a step backwards from FF7R which has menus and lets you change to other party members... it feels more like the turn based games even though it's not. I prefer the frenetic method of using menus and switching during battle more than just pausing the game and assigning a function to a button before battle, then spamming button combos. FF7R might be a worse user experience but it's more fun imo.
@“yeso”#p121439 Those qualities are just not the priority with FFs 13,15,and 16 where everything is over-elaborated and ends up feeling small and suffocating
I would add XIV to this list as well. Besides the overwroughtness of the in-game writing there are physical lore books(with Exclusive Lore) to buy too! So the obsession with lore and explanation that XVI has makes sense considering who made it, seems like that team just feels like that kind of thing is super important.
This might not be a fair thought but it’s one I’m having anyway: for me personally I feel like modern Numbered FF games have traded creatives for project managers. Post-1.0 XIV and XVI are led by Naoki Yoshida, a man mostly known for his ability to ship games and be charming on camera. I don’t discount his dedication to the franchise and desire to make good stuff but especially after putting hundreds of hours into XIV…did I ever feel the same freakish creative spark that I’ve felt from past FF games? Besides a few really inspired parts not really! There is a competence and consistency for sure but those two words specifically feel boring and never reached the highs of the admittedly less consistent but more exuberant games before. For XV you have the final version headed by Hajime Tabata whose only skill seems to be shipping games. That game’s issues are well documented and I don’t wanna go over all of them again but i will say it has kind of the opposite problem that the Yoshida games do where it felt so disjointed and inconsistent that I often wondered how the developers came to the conclusions they did.
The reason this thought feels unfair is of course these aren’t the only two people who make these games, I’m sure the teams had/have a lot of creative people on them. It’s just that when the overall directive is coming from managers and not artists…idk it just leads to games that feel off.
I think you’re on the money and it’s part of the whole “a game is good if it satisfies preconceived notions of software product functionality” that extends to the narrow band of aesthetic expectations imposed by the nerd industrial complex, and commercial success is taken to indicate virtue yeah.
The old games, maybe by virtue of being old and/or maybe by virtue of people with better talent and ideas making them (surely in the cases of Amano and Matsuno this is a factor) you got abstraction and space to use your imagination. Lately it’s this compressed specificity that gives you nothing but the hi-fi questionable taste of these developers
@“◉◉maru”#p121397 this is what I wanted to hear, thanks. feeling pretty alientated by 16 and TotK alike, and I‘m not usually one to hate on the newest games and rain on everybodies’ parade to make myself feel smart.
I wonder how much of the action-direction was Yoshi P, and how much of it was Yoshi P's contractural obligation.
Squeenix likes rereleasing the flagship games in different versions: Zodiac Job System, International, etc.
So what if, a couple years from now, they release the "Old Head" version, which has fleshed out RPG mechanics, FFVIIR-like battle menu, and party members?
I love Zelda, I love Final Fantasy, I love A Song of Ice & Fire, I love the FFXII/Vagrant Story staff.... so it's a bummer.
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fire magic doesn’t heal the Bombs. You fight Bombs with fire
The greatest sin.
This is reminding me of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest …
I don‘t see what’s hard to understand about ff7rebirth being a bigger deal than ffxvi. If you simply dethrone mainline final fantasy and think for a second that ff is 3 different triple A games right now it makes perfect sense. If none of these flavors appeal to you you‘re just too hung up on the fact that 1 or 2 of the 3 aren’t for you.
@“Tradegood”#p121434 Final Fantasy has tried to incorporate action and spectacle over the foundation of what the games used to be ever since Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IV and VI are both already like that despite being 2D. I don't think action and spectacle are against what a good Final Fantasy is (in fact I would argue there needs to be at least some kind of tension and drama). I used that expression but what I meant to say is action and spectacle of the same type an Uncharted game has, which is a specific flavor of the cinematic and mainstream kind.
@"◉◉maru"#p121397 This video makes me sad. There was a way to make FFXVI an action-based RPG but this ain't it. I find the first Kingdom Hearts to have compelling systems that balance the real time action with some management and strategy and I would have been okay with that, but if the news are that this new Final Fantasy game has even less RPG in it than Nier Automata, a game by Platinum Games, that's straight up a bummer.
Quick question for people who have been at least progressing about a third(?) into the game. If you have slayed a big black panther as part of the story, you can read what follows. >!In the scene inspired by Se7en in which Kupka is being delivered Benedikta’s head in a box, in your version of the game, did you see the head outright during the cutscene? Or was Benedikta’s outcome only “suggested”?!< I am trying to figure out if the game changes some scenes according to local age rating restrictions.
Early thoughts after about 10-15 hours. Game is fun. Reminds me of NieR + FF15 for combat, fun teleporting and simple combos, with a dash of FF7R in terms of ability switching taking the place of extra party members and stagger bars being present. It's definitely not DMC or Bayonetta, there is a lot more time to think and choose the right ability for the job. And it‘s a lot easier to see what is going on, it’s flashy, but not super sexy style. Also not just endless fights like those games. The skill ceiling is medium for me which is nice, the dodging and counters are difficult enough that when you get one, you feel cool. Choosing the right skill and managing cool-downs feels pretty Final Fantasy to me, what is a cool-down but a turn counter? Boss battles are epic and don‘t punish you if you fail, game sets you up with a few potions upon death and you start from predefined mid points so you aren’t repeating the whole fight constantly. Others have compared to God of War 2018, and I tend to agree a little, but this has a lot more RPG elements and the combat feels less heavy and meaty and more fast and smooth. Abilities are interesting and the unlocking of abilities is really friendly and can be reset in a wholesale, or granular way.
The exploration is a lot like FF7R, constrained, but still pretty big. I like the side quests, they're short and easy with mostly world building conversations. There are some of those classic MMO type quests, like, go get this thing, or talk to these folks. But they've made all those actions really small scale and short, most of the quests have been maybe 5 or 10 minutes and I've walked away with more knowledge of the world and characters. The game seems to pair you up with a team member most of the time and that seems to change from time to time, in my experience so far Clive has a bunch of interactions with this buddy until they part. Maybe they come back later, not sure yet.
I definitely recommend this as a cool and fun game, even though maybe it might look like not-Final Fantasy to some of you.
@“◉◉maru”#p121484 Or was Benedikta’s outcome only “suggested”? I am trying to figure out if the game changes some scenes according to local age rating restrictions.
Did not see the item in question. From Canada, unfortunately (for me, not for you quest for knowledge)
Second, if you've ever wondered what Upgrading and/or Mastering an ability does, especially because it doesn't really seem immediately apparent when you upgrade things (or it's immediately apparent because the function of the ability changes), press Triangle when viewing Abilities previews on the Ability screen.
That will give you a much more detailed breakdown of the move's properties, as well as what happens upon Mastering any ability.
I'm glad that I more or less found this out once I was starting to find this part of the game's ability system stifling, because, after Mastering Eikonic Abilities and wondering what the hell it did, I finally figured out that Mastering Eikonic Abilities ||allows them to be assigned to any Eikon.||
played the 73 hr long Benedikta boss fight. I just don’t see the point in making something this repetitive and unloseable - deaths having basically no consequence since boss health stays the same while yours increases (in effect when potions are automatically restocked). So it just signals that this is all rote. Obviously an old turn-based system has its longeurs, but you get the meta enjoyment of building up a character over the long term. This feels like tedious shit you have to do (imo). The comparisons are to God of War and Nier, but really I think this is a bummer next to Ys
@“yeso”#p121509 is that the same benedikta fight in the demo? cuz I found that one pretty straightforward and not too long - do a bunch of moves (especially after dodging) to stagger her, then unload all 6 of my eikon abilities for max damage, repeat like 2 or 3 times. I'd love to see what higher-level battles in the game are like tho, things that require like, different loadouts or unique strategies or something
@“phylaxis”#p121527 Not sure, I didn't play the demo but it was around that time I started thinking about Ys, and that could be why it felt way to long