Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Riku Rose » Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:04 pm

AnimeGamer183 wrote: Are you saying you think the 10 million number is realistic for FF15? Cause my entire argument is that its not, not the fact that they are making any kind of goal at all which is what it seems like you think I mean. 3-5 million, maybe even 6 or 7 life time might be feesable, but 10 just seems a bit too high for me.


3-5 Million? So you don't think it will sell more then the amount of people currently signed up to XIV? That would make it the worst selling main entry in the series since it became big outside of Japan when you exclude the sequels.

VII - 10M (Plus 100,000 on PSN and 1M on PC)
VIII - 8M (Plus 500,000 on PC)
IX - 5.5M
X - 8M (Plus 2M on PS3/PS4)
XII - 5M
XIII - 6.5M (Plus 550,000 on PC)

Heck I'd say the reason IX didn't sell as well was because it came out after the PS2 and XII came out about a week before the PS3.


Now judging that FFXV could do similar numbers or better (assuming FFXV gets released on other platforms later down the line, which its almost certain to be on PC at some point in the future) we still have a 1-3 million potential gap assuming it even reaches the sales of XIII or surpasses them. I question where the rest of these copies come from, unless the game ends up being absolutely great and adored like no other FF since maybe XII or X?


I would assume marketing. The majority of people who buy games don't read reviews and just pick up a game in a shop if they think the ad on TV looks cool. Most people picked up VII as it had a marketing budget of $100 million behind it so it was in everyone's faces. Square market games a lot more now compared to when XIII came out and this looks like it will be their biggest market push since VII.

Also more people own PS4's and Xbox One's then they did 360/PS3's so there is a bigger market. There is obviously some excitement for the game as it's 6 months from release and 1 million people have watched the first episode of the anime in 4 days and the trailer from 4 days ago has 1 million views already.


Now I want to talk about the potential marketing and demographics of Final Fantasy XV. There are aspects that I think could make this game sell better in the west, Square has chosen to take a more Western development cycle with huge open world to traverse in the vein of western series like The Witcher and Elder Scrolls series, i'll even throw in a comparison to Xenoblade Chronicles X because FF15 takes a few things from that game as well. What I am unsure about is whether or not this Western Development approach could counter act the japanese inspired aspects of this game, I mean it is still Final Fantasy and its definitely still a JRPG, its kind of like japanese story characters and world thrown onto the blue prints of a Western developed game no? And this entire aspect is what makes me not sure how the game will actually perform, too western for the japanese game loving fans, and perhaps to japanese for the western game loving fans? It almost seems like there is a slight conflict of interest, and there is a whole other argument with square about developing for a "world market", what they tried to do with games like Last Remnant a while back etc.


Most people will see a 30 second ad on TV of a bunch of guys hanging out in a car while Stand By Me plays as they fight giant monsters and the name Final Fantasy. The general public won't give a fuck about anything you said.

I dont hate Square, but I do think they are forgetting they need to regain fan trust and establish new fans with FFXV which it seems like they can at least have some success in one of those categories


Many people hated VIII and then came back for IX, many hated X and came back for XII. Gamers are a fickle bunch and most who disliked XIII and bitch about XV will most likely buy it still. Just look for the photos of the Steam groups saying they will boycott Left 4 Dead 2 and CoD which shows all the members playing those games. Yet the majority of people who buy games aren't sitting back and waiting for Square to prove something to them. They're people who will walk into Gamestop or Walmart and see the game on the shelf and remember the cool ad they see on TV.

but stating 10 million publicly was probably not a wise choice and a bit to grandiose a number if you consider all these factors.


Why not? Thanks to everyone reporting on this quote their game was on the front page of every gaming news site, free advertising.

If they don't hit the number who gives a fuck? As they said it's just a team goal and they most likely will have a separate one that they want to reach internally as a business which the marketing department will decide on and budget accordingly.

The only people who will give a fuck if it doesn't reach 10 million is someone like yourself who will most likely just make sarcastic comments about it like your first post on the subject.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby shredingskin » Sun Apr 03, 2016 10:51 pm

Only 500k on pc ??

That's really low isn't it ?

I understand that's probably one of the worst FF ever, and it came like 2/3 years after being released on consoles, but seems pretty low. I hope FF XV will come out for pc, but those numbers are pretty shitty.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Kenny » Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:54 pm

Played the demo for FFXV just now.

It's alright. I haven't been keeping up with this series since like XIII but I liked how it plays like Kingdom Hearts. The battle system was a bit confusing (and the tiny text on my tiny tv didn't help) but I like the way it seems to be going.

Not sure I enjoy that greyscale color they have going on. I prefer FF when it's bright and colorful. Even FFVII had its spots of sun despite it being mostly overcast. It's hard to get excited for the game based on this demo alone even if it's meant to be a tech demo.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby shredingskin » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:26 am

Nah, that neo classical/baroque urban setting is fucking amazing.

Fucking amazing, I still watch the first trailer they showed once a month, so fucking good.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Monkei » Mon Apr 04, 2016 1:08 am

Square Enix are kinda known for having retarded sales expectations these days, think of Tomb Raider and how they were disappointed with that. That was dumb.

For FFXV it's an okay goal though I guess, it's a pretty big thing.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby AnimeGamer183 » Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:23 pm

phpBB [video]


Interview with Tabata-san

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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Raithos » Mon Apr 04, 2016 8:39 pm

I really liked the demo. Combat was fun with some Easter eggs hidden if you look. The second version of the boss was neat, didn't find that my first time through. Here's a video of someone using all four weapons. The dodge timing threw me off so pretty cool to see that he didn't take a hit.
phpBB [video]

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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby AnimeGamer183 » Mon Apr 04, 2016 10:08 pm

If I was the one questioning Tabata-san, I think most of my questions would have revolved around the 10 year development of the game, what changes were made in the transition from Versus XIII to FFXV for example, how much story and world stuff was changed, did they basically take what they had with the PS3 version and convert it to PS4 quality visuals, did they over haul the PS3 areas and geography as well? or just in general how much is still there from Versus XIII that was simply upgraded and how much was actually changed or removed? There is so much mystery behind this game and its been so long, and I think thats part of the reason so many people are on the fence about it.

Anyway, I re watched some old videos of Versus XIII to get a grasp on the history of this game and take a look at its evolution, i'll post a few videos I thought were significant.

phpBB [video]


My favorite Versus XIII trailer, THIS is the game I really wanted for such a long time, and some years ago on PS3. I'll put the rest in spoiler for bandwith sake.

phpBB [video]


The very first Versus XIII trailer.

phpBB [video]


A little character interaction between Noctis and the main female character. And if Square has any kind of decency they will include that beautiful piece of music in this trailer in FFXV, I really like that piece and hope it makes the cut.

phpBB [video]


The first Final Fantasy XV Trailer announcing that Versus XIII will indeed be XV. There is footage from Versus XIII in here and its a bit more of a mash up of Versus XIII content than what we have seen in the most recent trailers and demos. I wonder how much Versus XIII content/footage has since been cut for being too old and low quality?


Honestly, I think it was a waste of time not releasing the PS3 version of this game as Versus XIII, had it come out in a timely manner before the current gen consoles, we could already be expecting the next main FF installment because the PS3 version looked great for what it was, but its at least worth pointing out.

There is alot of things that are similar about the PS3 and PS4 versions of this game. Starting with the theme of "This is a Fantasy based on Reality" which has been there since the first Trailer. Many of the characters are the same, I think most of them are just re-worked versions of the Versus XIII iterations, the biggest being the main female character (im honestly not sure if the blonde in the Versus XIII trailers are the same character as in the FFXV ones or if she was changed).

Lets talk about these battles in the Versus XIII footage, man would I have loved to get my hands on this in the prime of the PS3, it looks like an even better version of FFXII's battle system with some Crisis Core mechanics and Kingdom Hearts mixed in. I like the fact you could crawl into various mechs and vehicles and take em for a spin and fire their weapons. Also a recurring theme is Noctis teleport ability and the array of weapons he can choose from, thats all been there from the first trailer as well.

Some things that concern me are many of the concepts in FFXV are a decade old, and originally conceived for hardware from 10 years ago, but perhaps part of the reason they chose to put it on next gen was because some ideas were too grandiose for the PS3? Or maybe the upgrades they wanted to make a more open world setting and more freedom to traverse could flesh everything out even more? Can these decade old ideas equal a successful game in 2016? Just some things to think about.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Kenny » Tue Apr 05, 2016 12:11 am

Raithos wrote: I really liked the demo. Combat was fun with some Easter eggs hidden if you look. The second version of the boss was neat, didn't find that my first time through. Here's a video of someone using all four weapons. The dodge timing threw me off so pretty cool to see that he didn't take a hit.


That video made the game look sexy.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby OL » Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:37 pm

Finally getting around to playing the Episode Duscae demo (the one that came with Type-0), and I honestly like it a whole helluva lot more than the more recent demo, which just left me kind of unimpressed. It's funny, most people were talking about how disappointed they were with it back when the demo first came out, but I'm quite enjoying it myself. Granted, it has been patched now, and there's a lot of stuff that they're now changing in the gameplay, but this demo is still pretty fun. Nice little teaser so far. And yeah, having an all-male group of goofball buddies really does make a difference, compared to the now-cliche groups of ragtag acquaintances the series usually sports. Gonna feel good going on that roadtrip whenever September rolls around.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby AnimeGamer183 » Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:56 pm

I think its safe to say im kind of warming up to the game. I am starting to think the whole road trip thing is only one part of the game, and I would wager there are probably alot more scenarios and characters and depth that they just havent shown us yet. It's very different from previous titles but the scope and hugeness of some of these areas and bosses (like the titan) reminds me of god of war 3 and in a good way, also some of the more cinematic parts remind me of uncharted, and then there was the whole MGS style stealth military base infiltration thing and putting all that stuff in one game is enough to make my head spin. I am still going to be cautiously optimistic, but I have been spending a bit of time lately looking at media for FFXV and trying to form a better opinion on it. September should be interesting.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Raithos » Tue Apr 05, 2016 4:51 pm

Yeah the old demo is WAY better than it was back when Type 0 launched. Played it again after finishing the Platinum demo and it only added to my excitement. There was a lot to do in it before but it ran like poop and had some technical issues. That all seems to be fixed for the most part. I still think demos for RPG's are pointless though. Anyway you slice up a JRPG for demo purposes, you can't get across what you are trying to do and only confuse people.

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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Riku Rose » Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:47 pm

Image

Here are all the infos from the latest Game Informer article about Final Fantasy XV, part of their month-long coverage of the game
.
They got to play many hours of the game's first chapter.

(Credits to Kagari and Obliterator for the infos)

Gameplay details:

-You can make branching decisions. Similar to older FFs dialogue choices;

-The game have magic synthesis to create new spells;

-There will be a growth system where you can spend ability points on weapon skills, Noctis, the party, bonuses etc. ;

-GI says there's a instrumental version of this in the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO8kTRv4l3o;

-Four quest types: for fun (minigames:fishing/chocobo race/JusMon5 etc.), main story, monster hunts and regional quests. Currently over 200 quests and they're working on more;

-Tabata: "We have no intention to create sequels out of this";

-Weapon types includes: swords, daggers, lances, firearms, shields, royal arms, spells, and something called "machines" which weren't revealed yet;

-The trunk of the Regalia acts as party storage;

-Each party member has their own "special talent" that improves with use. One example given is Prompto will ask the crew to take pit stops with the car where everyone gets out, goes to a spot and he takes photographs. You can then share these photo's on social media. The more you do it the better his pictures will be. These are in the game for both character development and will have real consequences for the game. Prompto is photography, Noctis is fishing, Ignis is cooking, and Gladiolus is survival instincts;

-When you call a summon they won't always do the same thing. They are entities that exist in the world itself. So depending on the situation they will do different things. Examples given Titan sometimes will run up and melee hit an enemy, sometimes he will throw boulders at the enemy and its possible he will even give up and leave the battle. They will also act differently in a dungeon than they will in the overworld. Its a huge focus for the staff for Summons to feel exciting and a major event when they show up, not just some random monster that swoops in. They want a sense of awe with them;

-One of the screenshots has Ignis with a spear;

-GI has this to say, "FFXV isn't Witcher 3 or Dragon Age Inquisition in terms of your to-do list. That isn't necessarily bad because your quest log isn't bloated by insignificant or uninteresting tasks.....inspires a feeling similar to pre-PS2 Final Fantasies where there were huge overworld maps that made the setting seem authentic and enormous - even if you didn't find a quest every step.";

-You can improve and forge weapons from materials you collect;

-Kingsglaive has existed from 2013

-In regards to FFVII remake. Looking at the FFXIII saga as a model of release (three full-fledged games). Each game will be the size of a FFXIII game is specifically stated. In other words full scale 30+ hour RPG, and they also say plot wise nothing is off the table in terms of changes. They clarify they aren't changing everything but Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima feel since they were involved with the original game that they have the liberty to add / change what they want while still making fans happy. They also state they want FFVII Remake to gave a much shorter development cycle than FFXV.
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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Riku Rose » Fri Apr 15, 2016 5:25 pm

Game Informer had an interview about the VII remake:

Fans have been asking for a FFVII remake for years. What about the gaming landscape makes now the right time?

The landscape was one thing, but it was more that we’d been working on the XIII series for the last 10 years. My team and I were mainly focused on that project. Final Fantasy VII Remake would be an equivalent – or even greater – project in terms of scale, and so it would have been hard to do both at the same time. After XIII ended, of course XV is currently being developed by [Hajime] Tabata-san’s team, so it presented a time when we can fully place our focus on the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

When the remake was first announced, there was some confusion among fans about its multi-part format. Is comparing it to the Final Fantasy XIII saga fair in that regard? Will each entry have that kind of scope?

It will essentially be a full-scale game for each part of the multi-part series. In XIII, each installment told the story from a different angle. It was kind of like approaching an unknown territory, in a sense. Whereas with Final Fantasy VII Remake, we already have a preexisting story, so it wouldn’t really make sense if that isn’t encompassed in the multi-part series, and it wouldn’t make sense to remake it if we don’t encompass that that entire story.

With regards to the current HD capacity and volume, the idea is that we wouldn’t be able to encompass it all in just one installment. So, if we’re just looking at each of these parts, one part should be on par with the scale of one Final Fantasy XIII game.

Have you decided how many installments there will be?

Yeah, we do have an idea on the project side in terms of how many installments it may consist of, but unfortunately, we can’t share that at the moment. Of course, as we’re creating and developing the scenario and the stories, these are things that move in real time. So, the plan may change along the way. But, that said, we do have a vision for how many installments it will consist of.

The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII added new wrinkles to the story and lore behind the game. How is the team approaching the integration of those new elements into the remake?

It’s not to say that all or some of the characters from the spin-offs or other Compilation works will appear in the remake, but if there are any areas where we can use the settings or the characters, we do want to try to incorporate it in there, so it gives off that sense of nuance and those other stories existing.

So, there isn’t any pressure to include every character and storyline from the Compilation content?

Yes, there may be instances where the characters appear themselves, or are just referenced in dialogue. But, of course, it would be difficult to follow up on everything that happened in this universe. So, maybe some of the characters who weren’t as famous won’t appear or be mentioned. But in terms of the characters and instances that remain in the memories of our fans, we do want to try our best to integrate that in some fashion in the world.

Some fans seem to want a remake that is mainly visual upgrades, with none of the story or gameplay altered. Was that ever considered for the project?

The starting point was – and our executive producer [Shinji] Hashimoto-san has mentioned this – it would even be okay if we just upped the graphics to the quality of Advent Children. But, in terms of game styles and battle systems, it’s been 20 years since the original, and a lot has changed. Trends have changed, and I believed that we needed to revisit and rethink that aspect for the remake.

What drove the decision to move away from the traditional turn-based system toward action-focused combat?

We haven’t completely transitioned into action, but as our director [Tetsuya] Nomura-san says, Final Fantasy (in terms of action games) is best represented by Dissidia in the current landscape. In terms of the Final Fantasy action battles people have experienced themselves, that is most familiar to them these days. In terms of the image of the battle system, that’s where we’re getting the feel from. It won’t be as action-focused as Dissidia, of course, but the the visuals and how the gameplay feels in essence will be drawn from that Dissidia-esque style.



Not many creators have the chance to revisit a previous project like this. For you personally, is there any aspect of FFVII that you’re looking forward to bringing back to life?

That’s a difficult question. There are certain scenes that are ingrained in the memories of our fans – like Cloud dressing a female, or that impactful Aerith scene. At that time, that was the latest technology and the latest graphics, but now it does look a little bit cheap as far as how it looks graphically and how those scenes are staged. So, everyone’s probably wondering how those scenes will be brought back to life in current, realistic graphics and how they will be expressed. And I myself am interested in that, but it’s also a challenge. For all of those scenes that people remember, I’m wondering how we can meet expectations and express them properly in current-gen graphics.

I’m sure there are areas that our fans want to see how we can change, and areas that they don’t want changed. The opinions of our fans are probably split on a lot of those elements, so determining from a development standpoint where we’ll be more true to the original versus where we change is something we hope to grasp through communicating with our fans. Also, while we want to understand their concerns, we also want to get them excited for the story and seeing how it can be revamped and refreshed.

So, even if you’re familiar with the story, there’s still an opportunity to be surprised?

Definitely. We have archived versions of our games, and a lot of times, people buy them and it starts off with nostalgia – but after that, you’re essentially following the story you already know. That experience starts to diminish as you proceed through the game and the interest level starts to decline. If it’s just nostalgia, it’s just a matter of following the story, and there wouldn’t be any surprises. So, in that sense, we want to balance out the areas we would like change versus the areas we don’t in order to have that nostalgia, but also the surprises.

Do you see the larger iconic plot points as an opportunity to surprise fans, or are there things that you and the team consider untouchable?

I, along with Nomura-san and [Kazushige] Nojima-san – who are involved with the remake – were involved with the original Final Fantasy VII. We were the people who created it, so in that sense, we don’t think anything is untouchable. That isn’t to say we’re changing everything!

Of course, within Square Enix and across the globe, there are people who think it’s on this holy scale. That there isn’t anything we can touch or play around with. But we believe we know the balance between what can be changed versus what needs to be protected.


Also IX came out on PC and I can't wait to replay it on PS4 (which I'm sure it will do).

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Re: Final Fantasy Series News and Updates Thread

Postby Thief » Fri Apr 15, 2016 7:10 pm

My buddy and I have been playing the FF series in order for a couple of years now, we just beat FF8 yesterday on the steam version. Really damn good timing with the steam release of FF9. :lol:
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