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[Error]

This generation is a bit unique in that those wishing for their support elsewhere are not doing so out of brand loyality, so much as disappointment that Square has selected a machine based around 1996 technology as their primary outlet. Talk about taking one step back...

:lol

oh come on! you are so bitter lately, seriously man give it a rest. want SE games? buy a DS it's simple.

 

[Magicpaint]

I suppose you're right. I understand the whole brand loyality thing myself, as I am guilty of it, but I'm at the point where the hardware limitations are a much greater concern.

I'm certainly not begging for PSP support at this point, however. I just want to see titles on 360 and PS3...but not as a multiplatform release (which nearly ALWAYS diminishes the quality). One or the other, I say.

Well they certainly are starting fine on the PS3 with an exclusive numbered FF title for it.

 

[dark10x]

:lol

oh come on! you are so bitter lately, seriously man give it a rest. want SE games? buy a DS it's simple.

Heh, already purchased two of them.

I happen to be rather fond of game music and that is one area where the DS always fails. You either end up with N64 quality synth (bleh) or extremely compressed, low bit-rate recorded audio. The games rarely go all out in the sound department and, as a result, albums later released for these games are typically not any good.

Heck, even in the case of terrible games, you would often end up with killer soundtracks. For example, Unlimited SaGa and Musashiden II are certainly not good games, but they both features INCREDIBLE soundtracks. Had they been DS titles, however...

...and, yes, I'm feeling very bitter as of late (only partially related to games, unfortunately).

 

[jarrod]

I just want to see titles on 360 and PS3...but not as a multiplatform release (which nearly ALWAYS diminishes the quality). One or the other, I say.

To be fair, you can't say that's really the case for Square Enix though, or even JP developers in general. The only notable multiplatform games we've seen from JP devs (FFXI, SC2, Racing Evo, etc) tend to be generally higher quality than the western equivalents... which I'd argue has more to do with eastern versus western development ideologies and attention to detail. The only real "low quality" multiplatform efforts I can think of are the SEGA Renderware games (Monkey Ball DX, Sonic Heroes, etc).

 

[dark10x]

To be fair, you can't say that's really the case for Square Enix though, or even JP developers in general. The only notable multiplatform games we've seen from JP devs (FFXI, SC2, Racing Evo, etc) tend to be generally higher quality than the western equivalents... which I'd argue has more to do with eastern versus western development ideologies and attention to detail. The only real "low quality" multiplatform efforts I can think of are the SEGA Renderware games (Monkey Ball DX, Sonic Heroes, etc).

What you say is true, I must admit. The Japanese take great care with their multiplatform releases...

Western developers, on the other hand... >_<

 

[Error]

well I do agree with you on sound quality but since I dont mind sound quality as much as composition, it doesnt really bother me that much. could have been nice sure but music is not what makes a game good. even with that tho, I think FF3 ost is excellent sound quality was nice I thought, PoR ost is also good.

I just find it hard to read post like that because it's been well over what? 2 years since the DS started dominating I think people should just move on instead of complaining over the same thing over and over again. it's like someone complaining about load times when the PS1 started dominating.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

Wow at the new FFT news.

Balthier a la Cloud I guess eh... Seeing a cutscene just for his introduction is very reassuring of just how prominent such cutscenes will be in the game.

 

[Joe Molotov]

So this is the "suprising annoucement" from this thread:
Square Enix plans annoucement for 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy I & II ports from the GBA on the PSP. Sold seperately. Amazing. :lol :lol

 

[ethelred]

That's not quite what I was talking about...

With the exception of DQIX, those games excite me about as much as Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, SaGa Frontier, Dew Prism, and the like. Oddly enough, I really dislike the DQ series, but the drastic changes being made to the 9th game actually interest me this time around. The rest are certainly not on the same level as Square's best, non-Final Fantasy PSX work (Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Vagrant Story, etc.).

I don't really see that being the case, (IAWW looks like it could easily be on par with some of their PSX best in terms of innovative gameplay and story/visual presentation; Revenant Wings looks super high quality all around; Heroes of Mana looks like an extremely promising blending of SRPG and RTS gameplay, which is very new and hasn't really been tried before, plus it looks quality in terms of story and directly ties into the much-praised SD3) but okay.

I think all of those games look promising and those that I listed that have been playable have been heavily and widely praised as such. I'm not going to make direct comparisons between them and some of the specific PSX games; I was just noting that some of the creativity and innovation that infused Square's work on the PSX, in terms of both narrative, style, and gameplay, is resurfacing in a lot of their DS games.

They're also still basically working on their first batch of "from-the-ground-up" DS games, considering that stuff like Children of Mana and Rocket Slime are basically upgraded GBA projects. At least grant that these projects look very high quality and concede that they're going to continue maturing in their development in the system as they continue making new games for it. Xenogears and Vagrant Story didn't appear overnight as soon as the PlayStation was launched.

The DS also lacks the non-RPG games which Square did so very well. Unfortunately, many of those responsible for a lot of these games have moved on.

I suppose, though I thought most of their non-RPG stuff was pretty dismal.

I think the way the page is warping is making the sprites look bigger than they are. They're cleaner, and more detailed to be sure, but if you pull it back and look at it, the characters on the overworld/town are still just one "tile" high. Battle sprites seem to be redrawn, and nicely, but the enemies still look the same. The text is gorgeous. You make a good point about loading.

What it all comes down to is that it's FF Dawn of Souls separated, with nicely redrawn character sprites and cleaner text. That means it's the broken easy-ass FF1 and the slightly-more-tolerable-than-the-original FF2. I'd love to see this kind of touch applied to FFIV-VI, and maybe these will sell enough to warrant it, but somehow I doubt it. The GBA-makes haven't exactly been rising in sales as they've gone on.

I think it looks more like FF Origins (the much better version between that and Dawn of Souls) separated and slightly enhanced, but either way, your point stands.

The hell they weren't. Everyone is always clammoring for their support.

This generation is a bit unique in that those wishing for their support elsewhere are not doing so out of brand loyality, so much as disappointment that Square has selected a machine based around 1996 technology as their primary outlet. Talk about taking one step back...

Except their games haven't taken a step back, dark. They're making some really high quality stuff here. And most of the people complaining aren't doing because of the technology involved.

 

[Dali]

So this is the "suprising annoucement" from this thread:
Square Enix plans annoucement for 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy I & II ports from the GBA on the PSP. Sold seperately. Amazing. :lol :lol

I've asked that already, and the answer was 'partially'. I hope some good news is released before October.

 

[Fady K]

Umm, Musashi Samurai Legend was one of the worst PS2 games I ever played. Horrible in every respect.. god the surf rock soundtrack is coming back to me -- get it out of my head!

Woah, how many PS2 games did u play exactly ? It was ok in my opinion.

I really wouldn't be surprised to see mixes of the Anthology/Chronicles and Advance versions of IV, V, and VI on the PSP eventually, too... though I think folks are dreaming when they ask for an FFIII DS port.



PSX era Square seems to be reviving itself... on the DS. Your loss. For my money, projects like Chocobo's Tale, It's a Wonderful World, Heroes of Mana, Revenant Wings, and DQIX are showing the same kind of creativity that Square used to have but that died away a little.

To be honest, Square-Enix doesnt need to revive itself - cause it never died. It disappoints here and there sure, but it never died. The last 2 years Square-Enix gave us some awesome shit - and no, im not only talking about the DS. Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy IV and V advance, Valkyrie Profile Lenneth + 2 (even if they didnt make em), Dragon Quest Heroes, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, Romancing SaGa (not for me, but for a lot of RPG fans apparently), Fullmetal Alchemist 2 (yes, it was a good game, especially for one based on an anime), even the Advent Children film was awesome - even though countless people hate it. Square didnt die. They are supporting the DS now cause obviously it makes a lot of sense financially. When the PS2 first came out, and they were supporting ONLY Sony back then (Square at least), the only games in the pipeline were World Fantasista (crap), Bouncer (crap), Driving Emotion Type S (crap) and Final Fantasy X (excellent). Now they have FFXIII and FFVersusXIII for the PS3 which look awesome to many people (even if it freakin has summons on motorbikes, ethelred ) And God knows what else they'll announce later.

Heck, at this point, where the PSP is "dead" (riiiiiiiight) to many people, its pretty cool that theyve got a really really good looking game (Crisis Core) coming out, and for a port, im all for FFTactics, my favorite strategy game, with extra cutscenes, story scenes, jobs, and characters. Hell yeah. Screw the FF1+2 announcement - thats something that would kill Square-Enix, but I dont think theyll always be doing shit like this.

You know when Square-Enix was dead, back in 2001, where they brought only FFX to the table for anything thats worthy (and Dragon Quest VII for the 10 of you).

I agree with Amirox in that theyre making/publishing a lot of crap these days, but i think theyre making a lot of good stuff too.

So their PSX-era never really died, it definitely got smaller, but - i just cant think Heroes of Mana, FFXII: Revenant Wings, Chocobo Tales, and such can compare to the awesome PSX era. Dragon Quest IX and Its A Wonderful World is another story, but thats really it.

FFIII honestly looked better than alllll those DS upcoming games, save for Dragon Quest IX which looks like it will kick major ass.

If in the end, these games played as good and had a good storyline like what Square-Enix brought out in the PSX era, then Id agree with you, Ethelred, that the DS has excellent Square-Enix games, but not on all that revival stuff, cause like I said, it never died to me.

Whats the one you're hyped up for the most though, on the DS? Aside DQIX? Im really looking forward to its a wonderful world.

:lol

oh come on! you are so bitter lately, seriously man give it a rest. want SE games? buy a DS it's simple.

- and a PS3 and a PS2 and a PSP Maybe an X360 if things change later, too.

 

[splattergnome]

My first reaction was wondering if SE was supporting the PSP to counter the dominance of the DS - since they themselves have said that they don't want to see a monopoly again and want to balance the scales (they were talking about consoles, but the same principle goes for handhelds, too). But then I saw that they are just ports... well, they will help satisfy some fan's cry for Final Fantasy content on the PSPs they bought for Crisis Core and Advent Children UMDs....

I remember reading that many third parties made PSP games in order to be allowed to develop on the PS3 - is there any truth to the statement? If yes, then maybe SE is just fulfilling its annual x PSP games to fulfill its contractual obligations... and ports are cheap.

 

[Matix]

Deal with it. Support from Square-Enix between consoles/handheld has never been even in any generation. They always bring the bulk of their support to the system with the highest userbase.

Were you guys complaining when they barely touched the GC or Xbox? I didn't think so.

[Bitching]
I'm not expecting Square-Enix to fall in love with the PSP (who can right..), and begin neglecting their precious *Print $$ Machine* (aka DS). Although SE stated that their goal was to support multiple platforms this gen, but in reality it seems that their just using that as an shitty excuse to make quick cash-ins (which seems to just cheat out the consumer, and further deplete their reputation).

For them to release PS1, and even ****ing GBA ports on a platform thats capable of so much more.. just seems like some sleazy bitch slap in the face to all gamers (mainly because they could do much more). To top it off they have the nerve to charge full-price, even when its other viable distribution option available (like the PSN/Store) is disgraceful. I understand that making a profit, is basically the core desire of the gaming industry overall. But, shouldn't the quality of the software still matter to some degree (especially when its the consumer/gamers who keep the industry alive).

At least in past generations they seemed honest in their biased platform decision (with pissing on the Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, GC, X-Box, etc..) but now they seem to be putting on a false grin, while shitting in the mouths of everything Non-DS branded (so far at least).
[/Bitching]

 

[Deku]

I don't think SE is interested in PSP as a revenue stream. They do it because its contractually obligated or they just want to be generous. The fact that both games are being released separately is even more retarded given there is a tradition of releasing both games together dating back to the original FC re-release.

Like I said, the silver lining in all of this is that III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX will be released eventually with VII being re-released as a PS3 project, not dissimilar to how they jumped platforms with the Nintendo FF.

But PSP is pretty much a non factor in Japan so I'm not sure why people act so shocked about this announcement.

 

[Mockingbird]

I we were wrong all along and a UMD disc can't hold more than a GBA cart afterall.

 

[jarrod]

Xenogears and Vagrant Story didn't appear overnight as soon as the PlayStation was launched.

This is true too... comparing PS1 games released 4-5 years after launch to current DS games (roughly 2 years old now) is a bit unfair.

Really, I think concerns about "taking a step back" comes more down to which internal teams are better suited to which platforms. FFXII almost destroyed PDD4, but now Revenat Wings looks fantastic. Dragon Quest has always been about a lower tech aesthetic so Armor Project refocusing platforms feels entirely appropriate. On the flipside, we're still seeing the teams at PDD1 focus on high end, blockbuster budget console games... which is more what they've made a name doing. And PDD3 is still doing their new multiplatform MMORPG to follow FFXI... I don't really see much need for concern here, seems more that the divisions are just moving to where their talents are best suited rather than trying to break the bank on high end console affairs. And really, I think their games are all the better for it compared to what went on on PS2 for most divisions too.

 

[Fady K]

[Bitching]
I'm not expecting Square-Enix to fall in love with the PSP (who can right..), and begin neglecting their precious *Print $$ Machine* (aka DS). Although SE stated that their goal was to support multiple platforms this gen, but in reality it seems that their just using that as an shitty excuse to make quick cash-ins (which seems to just cheat out the consumer, and further deplete their reputation).

For them to release PS1, and even ****ing GBA ports on a platform thats capable of so much more.. just seems like some sleazy bitch slap in the face to all gamers (mainly because they could do much more). To top it off they have the nerve to charge full-price, even when its other viable distribution option available (like the PSN/Store) is disgraceful. I understand that making a profit, is basically the core desire of the gaming industry overall. But, shouldn't the quality of the software still matter to some degree (especially when its the consumer/gamers who keep the industry alive).

At least in past generations they seemed honest in their biased platform decision (with pissing on the Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, GC, X-Box, etc..) but now they seem to be putting on a false grin, while shitting in the mouths of everything Non-DS branded (so far at least).
[/Bitching]

You're not bitching actually, as a lot of the stuff you say makes a lot of sense man. I hope that with FFXIII and VsXIII this non-DS branded goodness will start again.

This is true too... comparing PS1 games released 4-5 years after launch to current DS games (roughly 2 years old now) is a bit unfair.

Really, I think concerns about "taking a step back" comes more down to which internal teams are better suited to which platforms. FFXII almost destroyed PDD4, but now Revenat Wings looks fantastic. Dragon Quest has always been about a lower tech aesthetic so Armor Project refocusing platforms feels entirely appropriate. On the flipside, we're still seeing the teams at PDD1 focus on high end, blockbuster budget console games... which is more what they've made a name doing. And PDD3 is still doing their new multiplatform MMORPG to follow FFXI... I don't really see much need for concern here, seems more that the divisions are just moving to where their talents are best suited rather than trying to break the bank on high end console affairs. And really, I think their games are all the better for it compared to what went on on PS2 for most divisions too.

I agree with you, Jarrod, about it being unfair to compare DSs first two years to PSX's first 5 regarding Square/Enix. But dont forget that Square didnt start developing for the PSX for a good two years until they released FFVII at the end of 1996. And that game, which you can say is one of the first Square games on the PSX crushes almost any game Square-Enix made since. Ask anyone whos played it back then, or before the PS2 hit. That was impressive. And Xenogears came a little more than a year after too, which was also one of their most impressive games to date. These games are complete classics, for their time, many would call them perfect, including me. So its fair to compare these specific games, and i see a difference honestly. But heck, I hope Square-Enix lives up to their older classics on all the systems so everyone can be happy.

Its a little too early to tell now, with their first (and possibly only original) PSP game to hit stores, and the PS3 has barely been out yet (they didnt make a good PS3 game until a year and a half after its release) and the 360 might still gain some momentum after Eternal Sonata and Lost Odyssey. Blue Dragon gave it a small, yet helpful push, so we never know.

Peace, im off to sleep, GAF always keeps me dammit :lol

 

[cartman414]

I think the way the page is warping is making the sprites look bigger than they are. They're cleaner, and more detailed to be sure, but if you pull it back and look at it, the characters on the overworld/town are still just one "tile" high. Battle sprites seem to be redrawn, and nicely, but the enemies still look the same. The text is gorgeous. You make a good point about loading.

What it all comes down to is that it's FF Dawn of Souls separated, with nicely redrawn character sprites and cleaner text. That means it's the broken easy-ass FF1 and the slightly-more-tolerable-than-the-original FF2. I'd love to see this kind of touch applied to FFIV-VI, and maybe these will sell enough to warrant it, but somehow I doubt it.

I'd rather see FF4-6 get the full-on remake treatment. FF7, and possibly 8 and 9, shouldn't be alone in the lovin'.

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

I like Balthier as much as the next person but altering the story of Final Fantasy tactics to include him in it is just lame.

Including him as a sort of chewbacca to Ramza is just retarded. It's disrespectful to the original entirely, especially since he's blatantly there just to generate sales. Balthier doesn't even belong in that time period of Ivalice anyway.

I'd be fine with Balthier being a secret character like Cloud; heck I'd be fine if they made it very easy to get Balthier relatively early on and made it somewhat obvious as to how you get him. If you did have him he would be included in your cutscenes... but to just stick him in there is like... some parallel I can't think of at the moment.

If they had announced a bunch of optional characters from prior and upcoming FF games, I'd be really excited, but this is just cheap and lazy.

I'm guessing all they are doing is changing Mustadio's name to Balthier.

He's pretty much the same person... kinda

Found this on Wikipedia.

So its not like they are really adding him in there to fit the story. They are just updating his look.

 

[jarrod]

agree with you, Jarrod, about it being unfair to compare DSs first two years to PSX's first 5 regarding Square/Enix. But dont forget that Square didnt start developing for the PSX for a good two years until they released FFVII at the end of 1996. And that game, which you can say is one of the first Square games on the PSX crushes almost any game Square-Enix made since. Ask anyone whos played it back then, or before the PS2 hit. That was impressive. And Xenogears came a little more than a year after too, which was also one of their most impressive games to date. These games are complete classics, for their time, many would call them perfect, including me. So its fair to compare these specific games, and i see a difference honestly. But heck, I hope Square-Enix lives up to their older classics on all the systems so everyone can be happy.

Square's 1st self-made DS game was Mario Basketball, released less than 6 months ago. Any comparison to Xenogears or (especially) Vagrant Story still doesn't hold up based on timelines.

Also, development of FFVII started in early 1995 fwiw. Not exactly a "good two years" after launch there either...

 

[jj984jj]

Actually regarding to S-E's comments about support all platforms equally, I believe it only refers to the next generation consoles only. It's pretty obvious that the PS3 is the console they are supporting most next-gen (with the next main FF), but they can put up an argument that they've 2 games publicly in development or released on each of the consoles.

I see people constantly applying these recent comments to handhelds and really don't think that is where it applies, back in 2004 S-E made it clear that they will support both handhelds but they were not sure what direction Sony was heading with the PSP. Even back before the handhelds launched they only announced FFVII:AC UMD (which isn't a game) and CC:FFVII for PSP while announcing several games for the DS (EGM, FFIII, FF:CC, DQM, SMMDQ2), they made it pretty clear what they were doing from the very start and the only thing these ports really prove is that they aren't really trying to create a competition for them-selves in the handheld market (where they are doing very well on the DS) while at the same time not dropping support for the PSP entirely.

 

[Deku]

I see people constantly applying these recent comments to handhelds and really don't think that is where it applies, back in 2004 S-E made it clear that they will support both handhelds but they were not sure what direction Sony was heading with the PSP. Even back before the handhelds launched they only announced FFVII:AC UMD (which isn't a game) and CC:FFVII for PSP while announcing several games for the DS (EGM, FFIII, FF:CC, DQM, SMMDQ2), they made it pretty clear what they were doing from the very start and the only thing these ports really prove is that they aren't really trying to create a competition for them-selves in the handheld market (where they are doing very well on the DS) while at the same time not dropping support for the PSP entirely.

We don't know what happened. And the PSP may yet get more announcements. Whether S-E's comments applies or not, their executives must be keenly aware of their great strength and position. They have a lot of bargaining power with the hardware makers and they're not going to put themselves in the situation with the SFC and the PS2 where they are beholden to the corporate whims of their hardware 'masters' (no CD for SFC and halfhearted on-line and HDD support for PS2)

I think something went on before or immediately after the DS/PSP launch that caused S-E to support the DS specifically. Money exchanged hands or perhaps S-E figured out early on DS was going to be a success and bet on it. Besides, they covered themselves pretty well with early PSP announcements so no one really thought much of it. If the DS failed, they could easily shift their projects around.

Games like FFXII:RW were probably planned PSP spinoffs that were later moved to the DS. DQIX certainly wasn't DS from day 1. Horii liked the platform, S-E saw DS dominating and put two and two together = profit.

 

[Mana Knight]

To be honest, Square-Enix doesnt need to revive itself - cause it never died. It disappoints here and there sure, but it never died. The last 2 years Square-Enix gave us some awesome shit - and no, im not only talking about the DS. Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy IV and V advance, Valkyrie Profile Lenneth + 2 (even if they didnt make em), Dragon Quest Heroes, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, Romancing SaGa (not for me, but for a lot of RPG fans apparently), Fullmetal Alchemist 2 (yes, it was a good game, especially for one based on an anime), even the Advent Children film was awesome - even though countless people hate it. Square didnt die. They are supporting the DS now cause obviously it makes a lot of sense financially. When the PS2 first came out, and they were supporting ONLY Sony back then (Square at least), the only games in the pipeline were World Fantasista (crap), Bouncer (crap), Driving Emotion Type S (crap) and Final Fantasy X (excellent). Now they have FFXIII and FFVersusXIII for the PS3 which look awesome to many people (even if it freakin has summons on motorbikes, ethelred ) And God knows what else they'll announce later.

Heck, at this point, where the PSP is "dead" (riiiiiiiight) to many people, its pretty cool that theyve got a really really good looking game (Crisis Core) coming out, and for a port, im all for FFTactics, my favorite strategy game, with extra cutscenes, story scenes, jobs, and characters. Hell yeah. Screw the FF1+2 announcement - thats something that would kill Square-Enix, but I dont think theyll always be doing shit like this.

You know when Square-Enix was dead, back in 2001, where they brought only FFX to the table for anything thats worthy (and Dragon Quest VII for the 10 of you).

I agree with Amirox in that theyre making/publishing a lot of crap these days, but i think theyre making a lot of good stuff too.

So their PSX-era never really died, it definitely got smaller, but - i just cant think Heroes of Mana, FFXII: Revenant Wings, Chocobo Tales, and such can compare to the awesome PSX era. Dragon Quest IX and Its A Wonderful World is another story, but thats really it.

FFIII honestly looked better than alllll those DS upcoming games, save for Dragon Quest IX which looks like it will kick major ass.

If in the end, these games played as good and had a good storyline like what Square-Enix brought out in the PSX era, then Id agree with you, Ethelred, that the DS has excellent Square-Enix games, but not on all that revival stuff, cause like I said, it never died to me.

Whats the one you're hyped up for the most though, on the DS? Aside DQIX? Im really looking forward to its a wonderful world.



- and a PS3 and a PS2 and a PSP Maybe an X360 if things change later, too.

Excellent post Fady K. IMO, Square Enix has their ups and downs, but they are still a quality developer. I agree, the only time they were down was in 2001, only releasing FFX themselves (and publishing games like The Bouncer and Driving Emotion). I liked most every Square Enix game I bought for PS2 (Yes, I will say that FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus is the best action shooter of 2006 IMO), and Advent Children is one of the best movies.

I'm glad to see Square Enix gives support to PSP.

My only complaint with Square Enix has to do with the slow process of their 1st development team (it seems to take them forever to bring games out). But, when their games do come out, they are some of the best I ever played, so the wait is worth it.

 

[arab]

haha this thread was great for a page.

1st page: "ZOMG EGM WAS RIGHT FF ANNIVERSARY EDITION OMG PSP FTMFW!!"

2nd page: "what this is gba version"

oh well, FFT PSP looks grand

 

[Avalon]

Excellent post Fady K. IMO, Square Enix has their ups and downs, but they are still a quality developer. I agree, the only time they were down was in 2001, only releasing FFX themselves (and publishing games like The Bouncer and Driving Emotion). I liked most every Square Enix game I bought for PS2 (Yes, I will say that FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus is the best action shooter of 2006 IMO), and Advent Children is one of the best movies.

I'm glad to see Square Enix gives support to PSP.

Holy crap.

I guess as long as their are fans like Mana, SE will be all right...

 

[elostyle]

Excellent post Fady K.

Are you guys married or something?

 

[Error]

Are you guys married or something?

I was starting to wonder

 

[LM4sure]

For the FF games, I'll wait for the DS versions...

 

[elostyle]

I was starting to wonder

Probably just ****buddies.

 

[Oldschoolgamer]

Excellent post Fady K. IMO, Square Enix has their ups and downs, but they are still a quality developer. I agree, the only time they were down was in 2001, only releasing FFX themselves (and publishing games like The Bouncer and Driving Emotion). I liked most every Square Enix game I bought for PS2 (Yes, I will say that FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus is the best action shooter of 2006 IMO), and Advent Children is one of the best movies.

I'm glad to see Square Enix gives support to PSP.

Wow...I'm glad you liked them.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

Balthier could easily just appear rather than replacing Mustadio. Similar to Cloud, that is, but with more story integration. Though I'm skeptical of its affect on the story. Cloud's presence in the game was easy to dismiss as just a sort of fanservice bonus; Balthier's may not if he becomes more notable in the story. However, you do raise a good point - replacing Mustadio with Balthier would be an easy and quick way to get him into the story and in a role that suits him. Regardless, it's still great all around. No matter its affect on the story, it'll still be fun to see and in the end it's just a remake (without Matsuno) so it would be easy to accept as non-canon.

 

[jj984jj]

My point before was S-E's recent comments about next-gen systems did not apply to the handhelds and I stand by that, S-E isn't hiding anything. It was evident before either PSP or DS launched which system they were going to support more.

We don't know what happened. And the PSP may yet get more announcements. Whether S-E's comments applies or not, their executives must be keenly aware of their great strength and position. They have a lot of bargaining power with the hardware makers and they're not going to put themselves in the situation with the SFC and the PS2 where they are beholden to the corporate whims of their hardware 'masters' (no CD for SFC and halfhearted on-line and HDD support for PS2)

I think something went on before or immediately after the DS/PSP launch that caused S-E to support the DS specifically. Money exchanged hands or perhaps S-E figured out early on DS was going to be a success and bet on it. Besides, they covered themselves pretty well with early PSP announcements so no one really thought much of it. If the DS failed, they could easily shift their projects around.

Games like FFXII:RW were probably planned PSP spinoffs that were later moved to the DS. DQIX certainly wasn't DS from day 1. Horii liked the platform, S-E saw DS dominating and put two and two together = profit.

Wow, you completely contradict your-self several times in this post, I'm not even going to start this debate since it's giving me a headache before it begins.

 

[Deku]

My point before was S-E's recent comments about next-gen systems did not apply to the handhelds and I stand by that, S-E isn't hiding anything. It was evident before either PSP or DS launched which system they were going to support more.


Wow, you completely contradict your-self several times in this post, I'm not even going to start this debate since it's giving me a headache before it begins.

I don't think it matters whether you think it applies or not to handhelds. My point is as a developer, S-E enjoys their bargaining power and they've had a couple of incidents where their products were aversely affected by hardware manufacturers who took them for granted.

I'm not saying S-E will engineer the PSP's revival as some people are fantasizing about (they are are also the same people who think the PSP will rise again in some undisclosed time in the future so they're living in fantasyland to begin with) the DS has clearly won this, and probably the majority of S-E software will go there. But don't take them for granted nor will they automatically support the DS2 next time around.

The problem with a lot of analysis is that handheld markets and hardware are seen as somewhat separate, its not. It's one big cheesboard. Their 'balance' doesn't have to be balance between competiting consoles, it can also be applied more generally to balance between hardware manufacturers' power in the industry, in which case, portables are in there. So they give Sony a bit of a headache with the PSP, do you think Sony is going to ignore them when they look at their library and realize FFXIII is possibly the biggest game they have for the PS3 in Japan? S-E wins.

 

[MoxManiac]

WTF!! Another FF1 remake??? Seperately?? For PSP? Upgraded my ass it looks like the GBA version with some shitty mode 7 on the overworld!! What the ****.

 

[jj984jj]

I don't think it matters whether you think it applies or not to handhelds. My point is as a developer, S-E enjoys their bargaining power and they've had a couple of incidents where their products were aversely affected by hardware manufacturers who took them for granted.

I'm not saying S-E will engineer the PSP's revival as some people are fantasizing about (they are are also the same people who think the PSP will rise again in some undisclosed time in the future so they're living in fantasyland to begin with) the DS has clearly won this, and probably the majority of S-E software will go there. But don't take them for granted nor will they automatically support the DS2 next time around.

The problem with a lot of analysis is that handheld markets and hardware are seen as somewhat separate, its not. It's one big cheesboard. Their 'balance' doesn't have to be balance between competiting consoles, it can also be applied more generally to balance between hardware manufacturers' power in the industry, in which case, portables are in there. So they give Sony a bit of a headache with the PSP, do you think Sony is going to ignore them when they look at their library and realize FFXIII is possibly the biggest game they have for the PS3 in Japan? S-E wins.

Ah, I think I understand what you are trying to say now. Not sure what it has to do with my original post though. I was just responding to what Matix and Fady K were saying about S-E being dishonest about what they are supporting now when it was clear in previous generations.

 

[duckroll]

I'm guessing all they are doing is changing Mustadio's name to Balthier.

So its not like they are really adding him in there to fit the story. They are just updating his look.

Nope. He's a pirate chasing after a certain treasure and runs into Ramza. He's most definitely a NEW character and they -are- adding new episodes and elements to the story, this was already previously announced. This is just the first time they're showing off what nature of new characters and episodes will be in the game.

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

Nope. He's a pirate chasing after a certain treasure and runs into Ramza. He's most definitely a NEW character and they -are- adding new episodes and elements to the story, this was already previously announced. This is just the first time they're showing off what nature of new characters and episodes will be in the game.

Cool. I wonder if they will be related


*For those who dont want to search*

Lets hope Matsuno did some writing before he left.

 

[soundwave05]

I wonder what other FF games will be remade (ala FFIII) on the DS. After 1 million sales in Japan alone for FFIII, you'd have to assume more will be coming.

 

[jj984jj]

I wonder what other FF games will be remade (ala FFIII) on the DS. After 1 million sales in Japan alone for FFIII, you'd have to assume more will be coming.

They'll come right after DQIX on Wii. >_>

 

[duckroll]

Lets hope Matsuno did some writing before he left.

Erm, nope. It's very likely that the same writing team that did the rest of FFXII, is also doing FFT PSP's additional scenario. :/

 

[Cheerilee]

more Final Fantasy II Anniversary EditionCGs :

Those were in the PSOne ports, before the GBA ports.

I see how they managed to get widescreen support. :lol

I'd imagine that these are PSone ports, not GBA ports, but they've gone beyond the sprite and town improvements that they made for the GBA.

But if these two games are sold separately, that's still a huge ripoff. They should've just ported the PSone versions of FFI-II and IV-VI to the PSP/PS2/whatever, and released it as an all-in-one deluxe (and expensive) package. If they wanted to go crazy, they could toss in the 2D FFIII remake they were rumored to be making (which was rumored to be tossed in when thinking of porting FFIII DS to the PS2 in case it bombed).

 

[Jonnyram]

Like I said, the silver lining in all of this is that III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX will be released eventually with VII being re-released as a PS3 project, not dissimilar to how they jumped platforms with the Nintendo FF.

You sound a little too sure about that.

 

[Kobun Heat]

You sound a little too sure about that.

srsly

 

[xfactor]

Apparently its not a GBA then since it includes the extra features of the GBA and the PSX versions.

Either call it a GBA port with PSX extra, or a PSX port with GBA extra...

 

[underfooter]

All I know is my three most wanted DS games are FF:CC, FFXII:RW, and DQ9. Thank you SE!

 

[Chris Michael]

I wonder if we'll ever see another PS-branded SE game come to the DS (other being FFXII)? PSP's getting the first two, and it's getting a port of PS's own FFT. I'm sure FFVII would sell gillions on the DS, not to mention a FFXIII game.

 

[ethelred]

To be honest, Square-Enix doesnt need to revive itself - cause it never died. It disappoints here and there sure, but it never died. The last 2 years Square-Enix gave us some awesome shit - and no, im not only talking about the DS. Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy IV and V advance, Valkyrie Profile Lenneth + 2 (even if they didnt make em), Dragon Quest Heroes, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II, Romancing SaGa (not for me, but for a lot of RPG fans apparently), Fullmetal Alchemist 2 (yes, it was a good game, especially for one based on an anime), even the Advent Children film was awesome - even though countless people hate it. Square didnt die. They are supporting the DS now cause obviously it makes a lot of sense financially. When the PS2 first came out, and they were supporting ONLY Sony back then (Square at least), the only games in the pipeline were World Fantasista (crap), Bouncer (crap), Driving Emotion Type S (crap) and Final Fantasy X (excellent). Now they have FFXIII and FFVersusXIII for the PS3 which look awesome to many people (even if it freakin has summons on motorbikes, ethelred ) And God knows what else they'll announce later.

Jesus crap, dude, take a few breaths in there, maybe try some ritalin.

I never said Square, Enix, or Square Enix "died," on the PS2 or otherwise. What I did say was that a good bit of their creativity and talent died in the transitioning from the PSX era to the PS2 era, and I think that's pretty undeniable. The company took a steep decline last gen, from the PSX (which was in both companies were in their absolute prime).

On the PSX, both of these companies had an attitude of experimentation and diversity and innovation in their gameplay, in their visual styles, in creating brand new franchises. It wasn't all just Final Fantasy Tactics -- they were creating Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story, Xeno, Musashi, Valkyrie Profile... and on and on. Even when they weren't creating new franchises but instead working within the confines of established brands, oft times these series were far at their best. I mean, take Front Mission 3 -- still the best in the series. Star Ocean II, best in the series. DQVII ****ing rocks.

They were trying new things with gameplay (PE, VP, FFVIII, VS, Legend of Mana), trying new things in story presentation (Xenogears, PE, VP, VS, etc.), new things with visuals (moving into 3D with the Final Fantasy games, the incredibly cool styles of Legend of Mana and SaGa Frontier II, the high quality 2D gorgeousness of Valkyrie Profile)... not just creativity, but successful creativity.

That took a big hit on the PS2 (and on the GBA). Sorry, but it did. Their publishing projects were lower in quality, most of their franchises were lowered in quality, and they showed more of an outright averseness to experimentation, especially in creating new franchises. They created only a few, and those they did... well, the big one is Kingdom Hearts, which still rides the coattails not only of Final Fantasy, but also of Disney. Others like Code Age Commanders and Drakengard were largely failures.

Again: I'm not saying the company or companies died. I'm saying it was a decline in quality from their best output ever (the PSX) and second best (SNES), and that some of their creativity died -- which is understandable, given Square's financial troubles early on and then the rocky growing pains period after the merger. But it still afflicted their games output, regardless of the "whys."

I'm heartened by their approach so far on the DS because that lost creativity and experimentation DOES seem to be reviving itself. They're creating at least one of what appears to be a genuinely good, genuinely new franchise in Subarashiki Kono Sekai, they're experimenting with new visual styles again, they're trying some genuinely interesting new stuff from a gameplay perspective (HoM, Revenant Wings, DQIX, Chocobo's Tales, IAWW) and I'm encouraged by this trend and really looking forward to seeing where they continue to go with this. Like Ponn said, it's a combination of a few factors... the almost guaranteed financial success with their games, the low development costs, the high user base, the unique build of the hardware, etc.

So their PSX-era never really died, it definitely got smaller, but - i just cant think Heroes of Mana, FFXII: Revenant Wings, Chocobo Tales, and such can compare to the awesome PSX era.

And I think you're wrong. I think these games look extremely good, and I think they've been getting the positive buzz (from the people who've played them) to back that up. And they're demonstrative of the kind of creativity and experimentation I missed from Square Enix of late. No, obviously three games alone aren't going to compare to their entire excellent PSX output, but that's hardly a fair comparison anyway.

 

[Nightstick11]

I never said Square, Enix, or Square Enix "died," on the PS2 or otherwise. What I did say was that a good bit of their creativity and talent died in the transitioning from the PSX era to the PS2 era, and I think that's pretty undeniable. The company took a steep decline last gen, from the PSX (which was in both companies were in their absolute prime).
.

I'm going to agree with the spirit of your post, except chirping in to state my opinion they lost their ingenuity in the transition from SNES to PSX. I strongly disagree that the PSX RPGs were Square's prime, and I definitely do not agree with all of your points about Square's "creativity" being an overly good thing.

FF7 marks the rather long tradition of Final Fantasies being little more than graphical showcases and interactive movies. Thank the heavens that FF12 (and to a certain extent, FF11) stopped this distasteful tradition. I also did not appreciate Square's tinkering drastically with formulas i.e Chrono Cross and FF11. I did appreciate Square's creativity and branching off into new genres in new IPs i.e Vagrant Story, FF Tactics and Einhander.

 

[Bebpo]

FF7 marks the rather long tradition of Final Fantasies being little more than graphical showcases and interactive movies.

@_@

Any of the PS1 or PS2 FF games have far more gameplay depth in them than any of the earlier FFs outside of FFV and maaaaybe FFIII.

Interactive movies my ass.

 

[ethelred]

FF7 marks the rather long tradition of Final Fantasies being little more than graphical showcases and interactive movies.

@_@

Any of the PS1 or PS2 FF games have far more gameplay depth in them than any of the earlier FFs outside of FFV and maaaaybe FFIII.

I don't think I'd go to either of those extremes. Let's just suffice it with the statement that I think the series was incredibly solid on both the SNES and the PSX -- they just took slightly different approaches.