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[.JayZii]

Should have made that clear long ago, and people should learn to accept this aswell.

If we all join hands and complain loud enough, Kingdom Hearts 3 will morph into Versus XIII.

 

[vainglorious]

If we all join hands and complain loud enough, Kingdom Hearts 3 will morph into Versus XIII.

FF7R will save us.

 

[YankeeDonB]

If we all join hands and complain loud enough, Kingdom Hearts 3 will morph into Versus XIII.

Ha ha, then I'd probably play it.

 

[Gbraga]

Sure, Bayonetta and some DMC.

I'm not saying it feels character action tight. I'm saying the evades felt good to execute in Duscae once you got the timing down. Warp evading into a counter was sweet, and the damage recovery move was endlessly satisfying.

No, I don't think cued button promps feel great, but that's not what I'm talking about. In Duscae the prompts are for specific attacks with specially animated counters, but the regular attacks (which are the majority) can all be evaded and countered or canceled without any QTEs. It's in no way a QTE fest.

Also, ffs, there are no "objective" interpersonal criteria for what an individual finds to feel great or not. People on Gaf are so obsessed with objective criteria and quantitative indices. Those have only a weak relationship with aesthetic experience.

Yeah, agreed. It's in no way as responsive as something like Bayonetta, but "QTE fest" coming from someone asking for objectivity is insane.

 

[Eidan]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

 

[『Inaba Resident』]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

"Stella looked cool when she was standing in the city at night"

 

[BocoDragon]

"Stella looked cool when she was standing in the city at night"

Sounds about right.

 

[Ishida]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

Nothing. People made some hardcore fan fiction inside their heads about what Versus XIII was going to be, and the scope of it.

"Stella looked cool when she was standing in the city at night"

"Such power and independence, with this girl looking at the ground with a melancholic expression on her face."

 

[joebruin]

If that is how you feel, but when you need to say something negative to a public audience, you say it in a positive way.

Or he could have just responded to the first part of the interviewers comment which was the main point. Even the interviewers comment was relatively neutral.

Not sure why some are interpreting this as Tabata throwing shade at turned based combat.

 

[Mcdohl]

Bravely Default felt more like Final Fantasy than FFXIII. LOST ODYSSEY felt more like Final Fantasy than FFXIII.

I'm all for forging your own path, but when you're THAT different and you disregard so much of what makes Final Fantasy work, just call it a brand new IP. Call it "Lightning and her Merry Band of Idiots" or "Toriyama's Waifu Simulator 3000" or something.

... Or maybe I'm just bitter that FFXIII felt it was too good for the traditional FF victory fanfare after regular battles, which even I used for my own wedding.

Truth. FFXIII went a bit overboard, but still, I bet you're indeed bitter about XIII, as I said, the execution was not the best.

Because if you think about it, a very similar argument can be built for XII (and maybe XI too). However, XII has great execution, which people deemed worthy of the FF brand.

Didn't I am Setsuna sell like crap?

Also, how good are the sales of the BD series?

I understand his argument, but probably saying "No one" was too extreme.

He probably should've said that traditional turn-based RPGs are a small niche nowadays (sans Pokemon), specially when compared alongside AAA game sales numbers.

 

[ratsuki]

At one point, mid interview, his expression changes in recognition. “VG247?” he asks as I finish a question. I nod, and he launches into an excited explanation that he’d read my preview of the master build of FF15. “It was long! Awesome,” he says in Japanese. Then “Thank you so much,” in English. He seems entirely cool with the fact that it wasn’t all positive, too.

Yeah, that seems to be a common sentiment with interviewers^^
-

While subject of whether he is a good game director is open to debate, one can't deny that Tabata is a good person. Godspeed, Tabata-san.

 

[Gbraga]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

Well, it was a trilogy for one, so that already makes it "grander", I suppose.

Though, to be honest, I'm not a fan of that idea, thinking about it. Even though there are elements of Versus that are more appealing to me than XV, I still think going for a single game was the better idea, especially if the leaks are accurate about what each game would focus on. Given what we knew and expected out of the game since it was announced, getting

Spoiler

escape from the city and then rescue Stella

as the first game would feel like a filler story, and having to wait at least a couple more years for "the real Versus" would've been such bullshit.

 

[Toth]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

Amen. I agree with Tabata 100% in this regard: waxing poetically about a game that never really existed outside of some sexy trailers and brief gameplay sports and then lamenting FFXV's takes on those old 'events' is just not fair to the amount of work Tabata has done to save the project.

Bravely Default felt more like Final Fantasy than FFXIII. LOST ODYSSEY felt more like Final Fantasy than FFXIII.

I'm all for forging your own path, but when you're THAT different and you disregard so much of what makes Final Fantasy work, just call it a brand new IP. Call it "Lightning and her Merry Band of Idiots" or "Toriyama's Waifu Simulator 3000" or something.

... Or maybe I'm just bitter that FFXIII felt it was too good for the traditional FF victory fanfare after regular battles, which even I used for my own wedding.

FFXIII had all of the FF allusions expected of it: Moogles (though more in the sequels), classic summons, classic items, classic spells, chocobos, a unique take on the classic FF battle system, jaw-dropping graphics. The missing victory theme and lack of a Prelude were legit disappointments though.

 

[joebruin]

"Stella looked cool when she was standing in the city at night"

You forgot Noctis and Regis in suits being mafia dudes.

 

[Skilletor]

Truth. FFXIII went a bit overboard, but still, I bet you're indeed bitter about XIII, as I said, the execution was not the best.

Because if you think about it, a very similar argument can be built for XII (and maybe XI too). However, XII has great execution, which people deemed worthy of the FF brand.

Lots of people hate FF12.

"it plays itself" etc, etc.

They're wrong, but the hate is there.

 

[Koozek]

I agree, but people saying it HAS TO BE turn based, are totally not respecting a creative trying to evolve it in a fresh path. The purists make it difficult to side with them because they're totally unreasonable in regards to just letting a developer touch, "their precious franchise."

FF has been chopped and skewed so many times in the past, but it has to remain turn based? Like...what? Just doesn't make sense.

The only things that really tie FF together, for me, is the interesting mixing of mythologies.

This. My problem is not ATB itself, but the mentality of some fans thinking that "FF HAS to be this and that". If you consider yourself a fan of the series that line of thinking is in absolutel diametrical opposition to the very essence of FF. The one and only constant in the series, besides the superficial recurring tropes, even according to Sakaguchi himself, is the steady change and reinvention.

Square weren't even that adamant about the pure turn-based combat themselves, which was only present in FFI-FFIII, and they were already considering real-time, action-based combat for FFIV, whose basic ideas ended up becoming Secret of Mana instead, however, but nonetheless they then invented the ATB for FFIV, which was basically a snappier, real-time version of the turn-based combat.

Hiromichi Tanaka:

From FFI and on, we would always look at the previous games for things we felt could have been better. FFI had an orthodox design, while II featured a narrative story plus a brand new growth system that didn’t use experience points. FFIII had jobs you could switch between while you fought, the ability to cast multi-target spells, and other such gameplay tempo improvements, as well as more fully-refined experience and battle systems.

After we finished FFIII, we started FFIV with the idea of a slightly more action-based, dynamic overworld rather than keep combat as a completely separate thing. But, at some point, it wound up not being IV anymore… Instead, it was eventually released as “Seiken Densetsu 2” (Secret of Mana), but during development it was actually referred to as “Chrono Trigger”. (laugh)

At the time, just after FFIII, we were working with Mr. Toriyama on a game with a seamless, side-view system. A CD-ROM attachment for the Super Famicom was scheduled to be released, you see. So we had this enormous game planned out for the CD-ROM attachment, but ultimately we were never able to release it.

So we had the Chrono Trigger project changed to a new game, and this other game we had been working on was condensed down into Seiken Densetsu 2. Because of this, Seiken 2 always felt like a sequel to FFIII to me.​

Personally, I'm absolutely open for FFXV's combat, but I also loved Lightning Returns' fantastic ATB-real-time-hybrid battle-system, which is the best in the series, imo. As long as they think it's fun they should experiment on whatever kind of combat they want - like they always did in these 30 years of FF.

 

[Maintenance]

I smell Metacritic bet hmmmm~.

91

 

[Mediking]

"Stella looked cool when she was standing in the city at night"

ARE YOU REALLY THROWING SHOTS AT STELLA? Versus? XV can stand on its own feet and I am very hyped for it but let's not pretend that Versus wasn't interesting or wasn't exciting.

 

[Ishida]

Well, it was a trilogy for one, so that already makes it "grander", I suppose.

Though, to be honest, I'm not a fan of that idea, thinking about it. Even though there are elements of Versus that are more appealing to me than XV, I still think going for a single game was the better idea, especially if the leaks are accurate about what each game would focus on. Given what we knew and expected out of the game since it was announced, getting

Spoiler

escape from the city and then rescue Stella

as the first game would feel like a filler story, and having to wait at least a couple more years for "the real Versus" would've been such bullshit.

Did we actually get any real information on how many part the Versus project was going to have? I keep reading this "trilogy" thing, but the last thing I can recall is that the project could have spawned multiple games/media. But now I see people dividing Versus in 3 parts, and apparently the first one was escaping the city and rescuing Stella?

Did I miss something?

 

[YankeeDonB]

Yeah, agreed. It's in no way as responsive as something like Bayonetta, but "QTE fest" coming from someone asking for objectivity is insane.

Indeed - and yeah, lack of responsivity seems the big hang up. It of course can be very responsive (perfect guard when you're not locked in an attack animation, damage recovery). But the system feels like it was made to be an action version of paradigm shifting, going from offense to defense mode and back as the tides of battle dictate.

I actually rather like this flow at times in the Duscae demo (particularly when fighting hordes of enemies at night), but do get the frustration at the middle ground it's trying to inhabit. A good, reliable animation-canceling dodge upgrade (maybe with armiger?) could help address this.

 

[Gbraga]

You forgot Noctis and Regis in suits being mafia dudes.

The mafia theme is something I don't get why people care as much as they do. It's much cooler, totally agree with that, but either way, Versus also started with the invasion and Niflheim taking over Lucis, didn't it? The whole mafia theme would be mostly visual and would probably only last a couple of hours before it was no longer relevant for the rest of the trilogy. The way people talk, it's as if the whole story was about the intricacies of the Yakuza.

 

[Reset]

People that are quoting me and are saying Persona and Dragon Quest. How much did Persona 4 sell again? Last time I checked it didn't even hit a million. It can have all this hype on Gaf, but looking at Platinum Games eh. Also how well do the Dragon Quest games sell in the West? I mean SE is hesitant to even localize those games.

 

[Koozek]

This is why I think somewhere in the back of somebody's mind, they're doing the same treatment with FFXVI. I'd be willing to bet that one will be a fantasy based on fantasy, if not just for the juxtaposition.

There's a chance, yeah. See Verendus' posts about FFXVI since 2013:

Already on the way. The concept of it is also quite unique. It will certainly be something that hasn't been done before in Final Fantasy, if they manage to accomplish it. I'd put it in the back of your mind for now though, as I would personally expect FF15 and KH3 to be out before it.

I knew of three. XV, another one which had a concept demo showcasing summons and traversal involving them and what I initially called FFXVI but now refer to as just another FF, and finally FF7. The middle one is what I assumed to be FFXVI or the next FF project beyond XV. This one comes out of nowhere. These spoilers are very detailed though. I'm hoping this is mobile, because if it's not, that means there is no FFXVI at the moment. There's no way SE can be doing this many big FF projects.

A lot of the FFs are a mash up in my eyes. Even IX which has the tone you're describing has airships and so on.

XVI will be the opposite of XIII though. It's not futuristic so you might get what you want with that.

I see where you got your line of thinking from. But no, I wasn't referring to the Agni tech showcase (that's not what a concept demo looks like), that's just what those posters assumed. And XVI is in development, it's not just concept now. I didn't know that for a fact 9 months ago, I do now.

 

[Mediking]

People that are quoting me and are saying Persona and Dragon Quest. How much did Persona 4 sell again? Last time I checked it didn't even hit a million. It can have all this hype on Gaf, but looking at Platinum Games eh. Also how well do the Dragon Quest games sell in the West? I mean SE is hesitant to even localize those games.

Is sales... even a good indicator for quality even more?????

 

[nOoblet16]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

Nothing, it's just romanticisation.

Versus XIII and XV may have went different directions with Nomura out and Tabata in, but people act as if they are two completely different games. They are not, especially since XV use so much of prior material, background and ideas....and because Versus XIII doesn't exist.

A lot of games keep changing during their development, sometimes due to management, sometimes due to a change in vision etc and the end result is quite different from the initial idea...doesn't really mean they made a separate game...it's just the direction the development took over the course.


Keep in mind that when FFXV was revealed it was being shown as Versus XIII and it even said so at the end before they rebranded it FFXV officially.

 

[Inuhanyou]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

If your asking a fan of Versus 13 legitimately...

I liked Stella's original concept over what i've seen of Luna in Kingsglaive. I liked the tone much more than what i've seen of 15 so far, due to it being a spinoff and having more leeway(IE human soldiers turning into robots, no blood ect).

I liked that the clothes and the designs of the characters looked cohesive in the world setting. Designer casual for all the characters including suits and junk, whereas now only the main gang wear that kind of thing generally, which leads to a disconnect between how bright the world is and how the main guys are designed.

I liked the 2011 combat, because it was nice and fast, similar to the kind of action based RPG's more having to do with action than RPG(like KH2 for example), and you could control 3 characters at once, each with their own unique toolset apparently.

It just felt like something that came together far better in that form.

As you say, we'll never get Versus 13, so even answering the question is a bit moot, but that's my opinion on it.

As long as 15 is good however, i don't really care at this point. I just don't like when people mock others who liked the original Versus concepts. That's their right. If they take it too far and attack the people trying to make the current game, then its a problem..

Also...

Nothing. People made some hardcore fan fiction inside their heads about what Versus XIII was going to be, and the scope of it.

"

"Stella looked cool when she was standing in the city at night"

Nothing, it's just romanticisation.

You didn't answer the question, you just put words in other people's mouths. You can't say that the games are the exact same and criticize people for pointing out differences, and then say they are different and should not be compared. Pick one or the other. Tabata himself acknowledges that he is making different game and can not follow Nomura's plans as if they were making the same title. Leave it at that.

 

[joebruin]

Did we actually get any real information on how many part the Versus project was going to have? I keep reading this "trilogy" thing, but the last thing I can recall is that the project could have spawned multiple games/media. But now I see people dividing Versus in 3 parts, and apparently the first one was escaping the city and rescuing Stella?

Did I miss something?

I thought the grand vision was fabulous nova crystallis in general. Multiple versus games? In hindsight that makes me 😂

 

[Servbot24]

It's 2016 and we still have posts like this.

Yeah? As the years go on there will be more of them.

 

[Maintenance]

Is sales... even a good indicator for quality even more?????

Call Of Duty GOTY.

 

[Mediking]

If your asking a fan of Versus 13 legitimately...

I liked Stella's original concept over what i've seen of Luna in Kingsglaive. I liked the tone much more than what i've seen of 15 so far, due to it being a spinoff and having more leeway(IE human soldiers turning into robots, no blood ect).

I liked that the clothes and the designs of the characters looked cohesive in the world setting. Designer casual for all the characters including suits and junk, whereas now only the main gang wear that kind of thing generally, which leads to a disconnect between how bright the world is and how the main guys are designed.

I liked the 2011 combat, because it was nice and fast, similar to the kind of action based RPG's more having to do with action than RPG(like KH2 for example), and you could control 3 characters at once, each with their own unique toolset apparently.

It just felt like something that came together far better in that form.

As you say, we'll never get Versus 13, so even answering the question is a bit moot, but that's my opinion on it.

As long as 15 is good however, i don't really care at this point. I just don't like when people mock others who liked the original Versus concepts. That's their right. If they take it too far and attack the people trying to make the current game, then its a problem.

*nods head in agreement* My respect for you has grown immensely. Thank you for explaining it better than I could.

 

[Mcdohl]

There's a chance, yeah. See Verendus' posts about FFXVI since 2013:

Maybe those quotes were referring to World of Final Fantasy

 

[JBwB]

Well, it was a trilogy for one, so that already makes it "grander", I suppose.

How did I miss that piece of info these past 10 years -.-

 

[Koozek]

Maybe those quotes were referring to World of Final Fantasy

Nope, I already asked Verendus that after WoFF was revealed and he said it wasn't what he was referring to.

 

[Ouroboros]

Didn't I am Setsuna sell like crap?

Also, how good are the sales of the BD series?

I understand his argument, but probably saying "No one" was too extreme.

He probably should've said that traditional turn-based RPGs are a small niche nowadays (sans Pokemon), specially when compared alongside AAA game sales numbers.

I think Setsuna didn't sell well for multiple of reasons, one not being a turn based rpg. To me its sales were underwhelming because of SE's lack of marketing, average scores and the game being developed by an unknown company. But thats just my opinion...I have yet to buy it and I'm a big fan of turn based games, what does that say for the game?

I'm also not saying every jrpg needs to be turn based either. Let's see how Persona 5 does before we cast verdict on whether or not that subsection of the genre can sell as a AAA title. (Is Persona 5 even considered a AAA title?)

 

[joebruin]

I think Setsuna didn't sell well for a majority of reason, one not being a turn based rpg. To me its sales were underwhelming because of SE's lack of marketing, average scores and the game being developed by an unknown company. But thats just my opinion...I have yet to buy it and I'm a big fan of turn based games, what does that say for the game?

I'm also not saying every jrpg needs to be turn based either. Let's see how Persona 5 does before we cast verdict on whether or not that subsection of the genre can sell as a AAA title. (Is Persona 5 even considered a AAA title?)

Chrono trigger marketing bit them.

 

[DrBretto]

Take the bet, then.

 

[The Last One]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

It's basically watching this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh_3PVnI7no

And imagining how a game would be based on that.

 

[Maintenance]

Take the bet, then.

I would gladly. This thing isn't getting above 90+ metacritic, ever. It will get some 100s (10s) from fan sites, but mainstream media? Nope.

 

[Mcdohl]

I think Setsuna didn't sell well for multiple of reasons, one not being a turn based rpg. To me its sales were underwhelming because of SE's lack of marketing, average scores and the game being developed by an unknown company. But thats just my opinion...I have yet to buy it and I'm a big fan of turn based games, what does that say for the game?

I'm also not saying every jrpg needs to be turn based either. Let's see how Persona 5 does before we cast verdict on whether or not that subsection of the genre can sell as a AAA title. (Is Persona 5 even considered a AAA title?)

Persona 5 will sell great, but I seriously don't think AAA numbers great.

If eat crow, I'll happily do so, I wish the best for that series.

 

[Koozek]

How did I miss that piece of info these past 10 years -.-

We don't know officially if it was supposed to be a trilogy, people are referring to a recent leak about Versus (obviously to be taken with a grain of salt):

Spoiler

Was planned to be 3 games:

Game 1: Noctis and the gang, invasion/save capture Stella

Game 2: Gain power of old kings, take back the Kingdom

Game 3: King Noctis vs Gods.

Fall apart because they didn't have a concrete idea on how the games would be. Would the scale fully opened, kind of open, linear like 13. Should the games be 20 to 25 hours? Basically they have didn't know who to get from point A, to B, to C, only rough concepts.

Stella stuff from 2008 stuff was cut out very early on. Was mainly concepts Nomura was making and was cuts cuss it didn't fit in the new draft of the story/couldn't make it work. Not a lot of Stella, had very little.

Said while he felt bad for Nomura, though he may have taken more than he could chew. People need to stop having a romantize version of Versus (I think even the leaker called out Kagari over this or something else).

There was a 2010 demo behind closed doors, but it was poorly received, buggy and messy.

Source: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=213612405&postcount=3834


But it definitely had multiple games, according to Tabata himself from last year's ATR where they explained the story changes:

Perhaps the biggest changes came with Final Fantasy XV‘s story. Instead of a massive “epic” spanning possible multiple games, Hajime Tabata and team were tasked with cutting the story down to just one entry – which meant changing various elements and the removal of several key scenes already shown to the public. One such scene involved the game’s original opening – a Midgar-esque start off in the modern city of Insomnia in which Noctis and friends would eventually escape from Niflheim’s invasion.​

 

[Ouroboros]

Persona 5 will sell great, but I seriously don't think AAA numbers great.

If eat crow, I'll happily do so, I wish the best for that series.

Same here. I think it will...It is one of those series with die hard fans.

 

[.JayZii]

Get your arsenal of "I told you so" gifs ready.

 

[Bladenic]

I feel so bad for poor Tabata. I hope FFXV is amazing so he can feel good about saving the franchise.

 

[Philippo]

What exactly was it about Versus XIII that was such a grander vision versus what we're getting. Of course keeping in mind that everyone responding has not played XV, and will never play Versus XIII.

I would say that they are still the same game, just interpreted by two different directors.

What made Versus really stand-out though was Nomura's cutscene direction, that highlighted the game's dramatic elements of the story. And nobody denies that Nomura directed trailers are a visual feast.

 

[Maintenance]

Get your arsenal of "I told you so" gifs ready.

Nah, I'll just laugh.

Persona 5 will sell great, but I seriously don't think AAA numbers great.

If eat crow, I'll happily do so, I wish the best for that series.

Same. I love Persona but it won't do AAA numbers, not even close, sadly. It is what it is, can't change that fact.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Yeah, I'm also glad that they moved on from making it pure turn based. It's 2016, no one wants to play a turn based rpgs on their tv now.

I still want to play turn based games. Speak for yourself.

 

[Mcdohl]

Nah, I'll just laugh.

Lol man, you got some serious case of that trendy word: schadenfraude.

 

[The Emperor]

What was FF9 then? People complained how far FF8 had deviated from the "FF roots" so they went back to the old school feel for FF9. They implemented a skill learning system like FF6, and had 4 in a party, cartoony characters, etc. Seems that worked out pretty well for them.

Err no it wasn't. FF8 & 9 were in development simultaneously. FF9 in no way was reactionary to FF8 (which btw had sold and reviewed extremely well)

 

[Kagari]

If your asking a fan of Versus 13 legitimately...

I liked Stella's original concept over what i've seen of Luna in Kingsglaive. I liked the tone much more than what i've seen of 15 so far, due to it being a spinoff and having more leeway(IE human soldiers turning into robots, no blood ect).

I liked that the clothes and the designs of the characters looked cohesive in the world setting. Designer casual for all the characters including suits and junk, whereas now only the main gang wear that kind of thing generally, which leads to a disconnect between how bright the world is and how the main guys are designed.

I liked the 2011 combat, because it was nice and fast, similar to the kind of action based RPG's more having to do with action than RPG(like KH2 for example), and you could control 3 characters at once, each with their own unique toolset apparently.

It just felt like something that came together far better in that form.

As you say, we'll never get Versus 13, so even answering the question is a bit moot, but that's my opinion on it.

As long as 15 is good however, i don't really care at this point. I just don't like when people mock others who liked the original Versus concepts. That's their right. If they take it too far and attack the people trying to make the current game, then its a problem..

Also...







You didn't answer the question, you just put words in other people's mouths. You can't say that the games are the exact same and criticize people for pointing out differences, and then say they are different and should not be compared. Pick one or the other. Tabata himself acknowledges that he is making different game and can not follow Nomura's plans as if they were making the same title. Leave it at that.

Well said. I'd add the original opening sounded a lot more interesting than what we're getting too. Especially after watching Kingsglaive.

 

[Mediking]

I feel so bad for poor Tabata. I hope FFXV is amazing so he can feel good about saving the franchise.

I thought the TRUE lore of Final Fantasy states that FFXIV "saved" aka is a true tribute to the franchise.