minameissteve
Banned
Considering Nomura's barely talked about XV at all since Tabata took over, I guess that shouldn't surprise me.
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Final Fantasy XV stream featuring Tabata and Sakaguchi to be held on April 14th
- Thread starter SolidSnakex
- Start date
Considering Nomura's barely talked about XV at all since Tabata took over, I guess that shouldn't surprise me.
None of Toriyama, Yoshida and Tabata had ever directed a mainline, though, so i'd expect XVI to have another new director.
And hope Itou is back, but, eh.
Anybody who's seen that "Lightning is a rose" conference \ video considers him a loon.
Militaratus
Member
Well... That's one awesome way to celebrate my birthday!
The worst case scenario will be if Toriyama is co-directing FFVIIR with Nomura (or just has a significant role in it). He was significantly involved with the original game and Kitase (the head of Toriyama's division at SE) is producing this so there is a decent chance. But I don't think he is, I think he's on something else.
Mistwalker at this point are a couple of bros making games and surfing in Hawaii. I agree that a new Final Fantasy with Sakaguchi would be great though.
potatohead
Member
DirgeExtinction
Member
There's also a Platinum Demo livestream today with the SE America team.
It would be great if Sakaguchi got an advisory role in future FFs. At least get him on the "FF committee" that was formed a couple of years ago and throw Toriyama out.
He most likely won't return to direct any new FF (but a man can dream) and I'm okay with that - the games he develops at Mistwalker are great. In fact, they have been consistently better and more timely than recent FF games and I'm sure his new game will be too.
If FF would get some fresh faces as directors, people that Sakaguchi deems capable of making a great FF, and if he advises them sometimes while spending the rest of his time on his own projects (and surfing), then we can get twice the greatness!
He most likely won't return to direct any new FF (but a man can dream) and I'm okay with that - the games he develops at Mistwalker are great. In fact, they have been consistently better and more timely than recent FF games and I'm sure his new game will be too.
If FF would get some fresh faces as directors, people that Sakaguchi deems capable of making a great FF, and if he advises them sometimes while spending the rest of his time on his own projects (and surfing), then we can get twice the greatness!
He's been supporting Tabata and the current FFXV from before Uncovered, which makes this whole thing feel genuine.
butman
Member
cantwait.gif
Muffdraul
Member
That's what they said? And you believed it? HAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
The Fallen One shall be redeemed and absolved of his shame. Hey I actually liked FF TSW.
JCreasy
Member
stargateheaven
Member
How soon?
I think at most they would just supervise which would be ideal if any collab happened.
What if the reason they're holding back the XII remaster is so they can announce it alongside XVI by Hiroyuki Ito next year?
Like, I don't actually think Ito is working on the next mainline game (neither I think it's Toriyama), but that mognetcentral thread linked in here sure was interesting.
Like, I don't actually think Ito is working on the next mainline game (neither I think it's Toriyama), but that mognetcentral thread linked in here sure was interesting.
Stereogatari
Banned
If they get the Gooch back
And they get the Uematsu back
Then holy fuck.
But they won't.
And they get the Uematsu back
Then holy fuck.
But they won't.
Amon-Lau
Member
Three hours from now I think...
lucablight
Member
I know Sakaguchi gets a lot of love because he was there during the golden era of Square Enix but could it be that he's overrated? He has a penchant for having very slow battle systems and his stories aren't great. FFIX and Lost Odyssey suffered greatly from having such a slow battle system and we all know what happened with Spirits within. Maybe we are looking at him through rose coloured glasses?
DukeLongfellow
Member
Really glad Gooch is on board with this.
We can only dream... Imagine...
PS4/5 logo boots.
SQUARE ENIX logo
Mistwalker logo
Intro scene leading to title reveals following credits- among many:
Character Design: Yoshitaka Amano
Music: Nobuo Uematsu & Masashi Hamauzu
Executive Producer: Yoshinori Kitase
Directed by: Hironobu Sakaguchi
And then as the title reveals itself as FINAL FANTASY XVII, we know we are into another glorious FFIX like adventure.
We can only dream... Imagine...
PS4/5 logo boots.
SQUARE ENIX logo
Mistwalker logo
Intro scene leading to title reveals following credits- among many:
Character Design: Yoshitaka Amano
Music: Nobuo Uematsu & Masashi Hamauzu
Executive Producer: Yoshinori Kitase
Directed by: Hironobu Sakaguchi
And then as the title reveals itself as FINAL FANTASY XVII, we know we are into another glorious FFIX like adventure.
I should go to sleep.
potatohead
Member
Lost Oddysey was the best FF game since FF XII imo....
Slow don't even = bad. FF Tactics is considered one of the best FF games, if not the best FF game, by many.
Also Sakaguchi was never a battle or gameplay designer as far as I know. He was simply at the helm and got shit done and did it well.
How that could make him overrated I don't really know.
I love it.
Hamauzu's FF XIII tracks are incredible. Blinded By Light is some of the best FF music ever made.
More than anything, Sakaguchi had an eye for great talent. Tetsuya Takahashi, Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Hiroyuki Ito, etc. I could go on and on, but he was able to get these guys to do great things on their own.
He's not a "battle system" guy.
potatohead
Member
Yep, there is a role for leaders, and to get people into situations and assign them to tasks where they can excel is part of the leadership job.
At least from my perspective it is a missing piece from Square-Enix since Sakaguchi left. A stable, guiding hand is needed at the top to help a studio reach its potential.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
Man Tabata looks older than Sakaguchi. He wasn't kidding when he said working on XV is shortening his life.
Sakaguchi!!!!
The Gooch has been getting his youth back by chilling in Hawaii and riding the waves. Look at that, he's sporting a nice tan.
The Gooch has been getting his youth back by chilling in Hawaii and riding the waves. Look at that, he's sporting a nice tan.
They really are trying to pull every marketing trick. Sure Sakaguchi is known as the father of the series and the message basically is look we are back on track after last gens disappointments. Sakaguchi isn´t part of the FF creators for 15 years and it´s kind of bad to see him beeing used as a marketing tool.
lucablight
Member
I always found Lost Odyssey to be a shallow game lacking depth with fantastic production values. The dream sequences were easily the best part of the game and I'm pretty sure Sakaguchi didn't write those. The main story was average.
I'd take this.
Guys, I have something to confess... I like Sakaguchi, but I think Sakaguchi's creative influence on FF is overrated. During the most popular titles' development - starting with FFVI - he already took on more of an overseeing Producer role and handed over the day-to-day directing to Kitase & Co. Kitase, who originally wanted to be a film director before applying at Square, was the one who shaped the series the most with the cinematic approach and focus on (melo)drama it's been known for for the last 20 years. Personally I never cared much about pre-FFVI FF.
Btw, just stumbled upon this super interesting interview from 1997:
http://shmuplations.com/ff7/
Sakaguchi:
I’ve been working with Kitase for a long time, since FF5. He did most of the event scenes in FF6: the opera house, Celes’ suicide scene, the scene where Setzer climbs the stairs and reminisces, and more. I’m not exactly turning things over to the next generation just yet, but for FF7 almost all the story was done by Kitase. His original ambition was to be a film director, so he’s well-disposed towards this work–I’ve left all the in-game event scripting in his hands.
As for my part, since FF3 I’ve led the battle team, and that was my role this time too. Well, actually, the battle team is composed of solid veterans, so I stepped back a bit and played more of a producer role.
I don't think Sakaguchi is as essential to FF as Kojima is to MGS, for example. His games after he left SE were nice and I liked them, but they ultimately felt very by the numbers and I'm not sure they would've set the gaming world on fire even if they weren't X360- or Wii-exclusive.
Still, it would be interesting to see if he'd be up to do a new mainline FF again nowadays. From interviews in the last years he seemed tired of AAA development and comfortable making smaller games, like his quite successful mobile game Terra Battle (really enjoyed it for a few weeks, which is very rare with F2P games!), though.
EDIT1: LOL, just saw I'm not the only one with this thought here.
EDIT2: To be fair, Sakaguchi obviously was a good producer who got shit done in time and knew how to foster talent. Very similar to Tabata and probably the reason why Sakaguchi likes him and might "see himself" in Tabata.
Btw, just stumbled upon this super interesting interview from 1997:
http://shmuplations.com/ff7/
Sakaguchi:
I’ve been working with Kitase for a long time, since FF5. He did most of the event scenes in FF6: the opera house, Celes’ suicide scene, the scene where Setzer climbs the stairs and reminisces, and more. I’m not exactly turning things over to the next generation just yet, but for FF7 almost all the story was done by Kitase. His original ambition was to be a film director, so he’s well-disposed towards this work–I’ve left all the in-game event scripting in his hands.
As for my part, since FF3 I’ve led the battle team, and that was my role this time too. Well, actually, the battle team is composed of solid veterans, so I stepped back a bit and played more of a producer role.
I don't think Sakaguchi is as essential to FF as Kojima is to MGS, for example. His games after he left SE were nice and I liked them, but they ultimately felt very by the numbers and I'm not sure they would've set the gaming world on fire even if they weren't X360- or Wii-exclusive.
Still, it would be interesting to see if he'd be up to do a new mainline FF again nowadays. From interviews in the last years he seemed tired of AAA development and comfortable making smaller games, like his quite successful mobile game Terra Battle (really enjoyed it for a few weeks, which is very rare with F2P games!), though.
EDIT1: LOL, just saw I'm not the only one with this thought here.
EDIT2: To be fair, Sakaguchi obviously was a good producer who got shit done in time and knew how to foster talent. Very similar to Tabata and probably the reason why Sakaguchi likes him and might "see himself" in Tabata.
I guess that's one way to look at it. Gooch is looking to make a quick buck from Square. Hope they're paying well at least.
This is cool and all but I won't watch it. I just don't want to see any more information on the game, characters, locations, etc. I feel like it may dampen the experience from when I actually play it. I was tempted to read everything in the GI cover story but I don't want anything ruined. Hopefully it's all good stuff though!
Mistwalker is working with Silicon Studios on a console game, a studio that works alot with SQEX, while we don´t know who´ll be the publisher yet, it could very well be SQEX, if that´s the case it could also be one of the reason for this sweet talk about SQEX and Tabata more than anything else. So far none of Tabatas works have been great to be honest.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
Sakaguchi was always more of a producer than a director. Even FF1 wouldn't have been the same without Koichi Ishii and Akitoshi Kawazu, who were the actual hardcore D&D fans in the team.
Nah. Dude is responsible for the amazing risks Squaresoft used to take and considering the great relationships he still has with so many of the people behind the golden era games, it's obvious he facilitated a great environment and loyalty that isn't present at Square-Enix.
Not at all. That would be Yoichi Wada."He's a business man. Not a creator."
Uematsu himself has outright said the series should not have continued after Sakaguchi was pretty much forced out.
Shadow_FFVI
Member
Nomura was promoted to the FF VII Remake.
He's probably thinking, 'hey why not, get some exposure for my new stuff, get to be associated with Final Fantasy, especially if this new one hits big'
and
'$quare Enix Paycheck yeah baby!'
That's not how promotions work.
That's probably the most positive way to think about all of this.
Nevertheless, I would be very interested to hear Nomura's perspective on the current form of XV.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
That didn't take long, I gonna mention people would read the title and think Steam
Regardless of his current standing, how he feels about what FFXV was changed into is a separate matter.
Maybe he will have some statement in the Ultimania for XV.
Sakaguchi's creative influence is definitely not overrated. Since FF6 (I think?) Sakaguchi's role in FF has been mostly advisory, with the exception of him coming back to write FF9. While the story in FF6-FF8 was mostly written by other people he did have some input on it - I think it was similar to his input on Chrono Trigger. Kato was the story writer for that one, but the story he proposed was discussed thoroughly and changed by a much larger team including Horii, Kitase and Sakaguchi:
Kato: "After that, for the first year I spent hours every week in meetings at Mr Horī’s studio. I had to summarise any suggestions I’d been given or ideas I’d had about quest scenarios. I’d then take the parts that we’d worked on in the meetings back to my own company and think about how to continue those stories."
Sakaguchi: "Horii and I both work in the same field, so there were no real fights between us, but he has his own ideas about how a game should be made, and we clashed on a number of points. Those confrontations gave us the opportunity to think very deeply about the game, though, so I think it was probably a good thing."
Kitase: "When Sakaguchi officially joined the Chrono Trigger development team, the first thing he got his hands into was the scenarios. There was a scenario involving Marle, where a time paradox occurs and the Marle you end up spending the rest of the game with is actually from a different timeline." / Sakaguchi: "With time travel as our theme, you could have the same character be a totally different person if they belonged to a different timeline. That was the planners’ original idea, but I said it was no good. I said that even if the player changes history, when you return to your original time, it should be the same Marle there that you knew from before."
(Source: http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1196519)
While he didn't write the full story of each game, this kind of input shouldn't be underestimated. For exmaple, ideas such as Aeris's death came from Sakaguchi (see below).Sakaguchi: "Horii and I both work in the same field, so there were no real fights between us, but he has his own ideas about how a game should be made, and we clashed on a number of points. Those confrontations gave us the opportunity to think very deeply about the game, though, so I think it was probably a good thing."
Kitase: "When Sakaguchi officially joined the Chrono Trigger development team, the first thing he got his hands into was the scenarios. There was a scenario involving Marle, where a time paradox occurs and the Marle you end up spending the rest of the game with is actually from a different timeline." / Sakaguchi: "With time travel as our theme, you could have the same character be a totally different person if they belonged to a different timeline. That was the planners’ original idea, but I said it was no good. I said that even if the player changes history, when you return to your original time, it should be the same Marle there that you knew from before."
(Source: http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1196519)
If I remember correctly, he also always came up with the main idea/setting of the games, which the rest of the team then modified and wrote a script for (I think this is still how Mistwalker does things). In your quote he mentions Kitase doing the "event scripting" for FF7, but Sakaguchi actually did write a story for it first:
The original story by Hironobu turned out to be very different than the finished product. It was a detective story that included a hot-blooded character named Detective Joe, who was chasing the people who blew up the city of Midgar. Other things survived from his story however, including the specifics of the Lifestream.
In the middle of development for Final Fantasy VII, Sakaguchi’s mother passed away, and he was driven to create a story that dealt with death in a more realistic way, giving us Aeris’s famous death scene. He wanted to make the death effect the story in a way that previous deaths in the series failed to do. He wished to show a non-sacrificial death, as that kind of Hollywood death didn’t affect the continuing character’s lives in the way her death did.
One contribution of Sakaguchi’s was his wish to show character expression on the field screen, thus creating separate character models in battle and on the field. This was of course disregarded with Final Fantasy VIII.
(Source: http://www.ultimafinalfantasy.com/ultima-final-fantasy/about-square-enix/hironobu-sakaguchi/)
In the games where he did have a lot of input on the stories (for example, FF9 and The Last Story), the stories themselves may not have been great, but I always found them satisfying. He knows not to let things drag on for too long (i.e. pacing). I also always found that he creates a good variety of entertaining and likeable characters. Note that while Kitase's melodrama you speak of is present in FFXIII, the characters and storytelling in that game weren't received very well - I think things would have been different if Sakaguchi had still been there.In the middle of development for Final Fantasy VII, Sakaguchi’s mother passed away, and he was driven to create a story that dealt with death in a more realistic way, giving us Aeris’s famous death scene. He wanted to make the death effect the story in a way that previous deaths in the series failed to do. He wished to show a non-sacrificial death, as that kind of Hollywood death didn’t affect the continuing character’s lives in the way her death did.
One contribution of Sakaguchi’s was his wish to show character expression on the field screen, thus creating separate character models in battle and on the field. This was of course disregarded with Final Fantasy VIII.
(Source: http://www.ultimafinalfantasy.com/ultima-final-fantasy/about-square-enix/hironobu-sakaguchi/)
But yes, his main input in FF6-8 was his eye for talent and that he knew how to get things done (and he still does as shown by the rather short and simultaneous(!) development cycles for Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey and The Last Story). I think Tabata isn't a bad replacement for the "business man" side of Sakaguchi (though I think he should keep the marketing team in check), but whether he is capable of having a similar creative influence remains to be seen.