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Kotaku Rumor: Final Fantasy Versus XIII dead?
- Thread starter kayos90
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encephalon
Member
I've never understood this; FFXIII had cityscapes, NPCs, and shops in the same area. They just dual purposed as dungeons or events (whatever you want to call Ch. 7). At one point on Gran Pulse,
the party enters an empty town
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
Actually I wondered whether that was a mistranslation. Was Gamasutra actually at that convention in Taiwan? I looked through the related news piece on Famitsu with my bad Japanese and also read a 2 rather detailed reports on a Taiwan gaming news site and they've never mention anything about not doing large-scale internal project again. One of the Taiwan articles on the actual presentation has a part where he talks about how FFXIII-2 development is different because it's the first time they outsourced development for an FF title in order to control budget and efficiency. If Toriyama had mentioned such an important point at the presentation why didn't the Taiwan reporter (or Famitsu's) mention this in their report? Almost all of the Gamasutra article matched up with what was said in the Taiwanese article except for this very pertinent part about not doing large-scale development in the future. Was there any other source for this piece of info (that didn't cite Gamasutra)?
I recall reading in an interview (or maybe I am imagining things) that much of the Versus team was working on XIII. So Versus development never actually began proper until after XIII finished.
I definitely think CG is less necessary these days. You should really only use it in scenes that display something of a scale totally beyond what you're doing in the real time engine, and real time engines are capable of a lot more today. The reason you had so much CG in the PS1 days was because those real time engines couldn't do a whole lot, like complex facial expressions for instance. Another thing to consider is how much disc space CG takes up now that developers try to do it in 1080p.
I personally think it's the latter. Or at the very least, it's almost impossible to know if JRPGs have lost appeal in the west because there haven't really been enough on consoles to test that appeal.
Yeah I don't think CG should even be in games at all anymore. It's an outdated and overly expensive concept that takes you out of the game due to it looking 100 times better than what you're really playing. I get it for commercial purpose even if I personally hate it as it's misleading (due to it looking better) and tells you nothing on the game, if I was a casual I would be upset over those and the live action trailers that are so popular now.
No, that wouldn't be his fault. But that is also a difficult scenario to envisage. If SE initially agreed to a 200-man team once the ball was rolling, and then got cold feet and said screw it, then there's no reason not to communicate that with the fans at that point. Let people know that the scope and scale of the project has been drastically reduced in order to let people know what kind of product to expect.
In this case (from an outsider's perspective with absolutely no inside knowledge), it appears that SE probably expected a project at the scope and budget (and probably even smaller) along the lines of XIII (considering that it would be unusual for a spin-off to command a higher profile than a main entry). But Nomura ran off designing something far grander in scope and scale than SE had ever committed to. So now we have this mess that has been dragging on for an eternity now.
Of course, that doesn't absolve SE for letting this thing drag on year after year after year. At some point (much earlier than now) they should have realized that Nomura's vision was inconsistent with the expected budget and timeline for the game, and either made him fit the game to the required budget/timeline, or just move the project to another director. So SE is equally culpable in allowing this farce to continue for so long.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Oh SE, you have lost your way in this world. Pick up the phone.
Bring him back!
Truthfully I dont think the guy wants to come back.
DanielJr82
Member
I don't think they cancelled the project entirely. It's probably continuing on as FFXV... for next gen? Who knows. No way they aren't going to recycle all those assets.
Given that they also commented on Versus after the staff redirected to Final Fantasy XIII statement, I feel it would actually be an actively bad sign if they don't comment by the end of the week, since they definitely have a history of doing it for sufficiently large rumors.
cosmicblizzard
Banned
I'm thinking the reason it might be a bit more problematic now than the Crystal Bearers situation is there wasn't any need for a name change there. Recent interviews about the game make me think that's something they're planning on doing, and will re-reveal the game with the new name at TGS. Until then, they would rather pretend it doesn't exist to the public. This would force their hand and require them to refer to the game as "Versus XIII".
Of course the Theatrhythm DLC throws a giant wrench into this theory, so who knows.
Of course the Theatrhythm DLC throws a giant wrench into this theory, so who knows.
Well I mean, Brothers In Arms: Furious Four is obviously being renamed, but no one at Gearbox or Ubisoft had a problem saying it was still in development using that title.
SirIgbyCeaser
Banned
They might not comment if it's TGS bound. And for stock holders, the truth has to come out someday, so killing it silently will only bring more damage in the long run.
What do they gain by not commenting and letting rumors run rampant on all the major gaming websites that it's canceled all the way until October? Some of them are even running video editorials now discussing the cancellation, like the world's biggest gaming site IGN.
Serious question.
encephalon
Member
It would be a bigger surprise ... ? More drama, more press.
Isn't the Theathrhythm Somnus DLC only marked as "from FINAL FANTASY SERIES" anyway, as opposed to "from FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII"? At least looking at some Youtube videos it seems that way.
cosmicblizzard
Banned
I guess. I imagine the way something like this would be approached varies from company to company. Of course it's not likely to be a situation many find themselves in.
Oh jeez....
Yeah, I think it would be a bad idea if they didn't comment.
Maybe they're hoping that some support group will appear on Facebook and then they'll seem cooler than Capcom.
Characters
setting
open world
Combat seems like kh [even though they showed basic stuff] which i like
felt like a fully fledged FF unlike 13
It was a PS3 exclusive. A lot of the fans hoped it would bring the franchise back to being awesome again.
IT looked like a darler KH gameplaywise. Nice characters. cool setting etc
shinra-bansho
Member
I'm not sure I understand how exactly they'd "quietly cancel" such a high profile project by arguably their most prominent developer now.
They'd just leave it on their release schedule indefinitely? People would stop asking about it?
It's not The Last Remnant...
Sequel time.
They'd just leave it on their release schedule indefinitely? People would stop asking about it?
It's not The Last Remnant...
Oh SE, you have lost your way in this world. Pick up the phone.
Bring him back!
Sequel time.
JohnnySasaki86
Member
It was PS3 exclusive, although I believe it may have gone multiplatform over a year ago but far into development and that was one of the main reasons for it long and troubled development cycle.
The main reason I was so excited for the game was cause it was being developed by the KH team and it had a real time combat system similar to KH, but was going to be more mature and dark like a FF game with all these other FF like elements. They said there would be an explore able map for example, that got a lot people excited. Seemed like a mix of the best from FF and KH. Best of both worlds. The game had a lot of promise.
RSLAEV
Member
I was looking forward to the fantasy-urban setting they were designing, and yeah none of the annoying brats from ff13 were gonna be in it so that's definitely a plus.
Go_Ly_Dow
Member
Kinding doubting they would rename until XIV and XIII-3 are out the door. They will most definitely be the focus at TGS. Then if we assume they release within Q1 2013 we might not hear anything until E3...
(They also need to market FFXHD and Type-0 Western release at some point)
(They also need to market FFXHD and Type-0 Western release at some point)
I honestly wouldn't feel anything if they did rename Versus to XIV.
Holy crap, that says VHS. I feel old.
Just to be clear, this is all just wild 'what if' speculation. But my point wasn't that SE have changed their mind about the project, as much as they've just taken longer than they should. It seems more a case of having that asset army being otherwise engaged. Originally Versus was meant to be out before Agito, presumably the huge wreaking crew staff were meant to go from XIII to Versus, to Agito, to XIV. However they went from XIII to XIV to Type-0, putting Versus on the back burner. That could be because of release window issues (which people generally suggest), or engine problems, or game design issues. Whatever the cause, Versus didn't go into full scale production until way way later than was originally intended. SE are actually quite open to postmortem style discussions, so I do think we'll eventually find out why that 'army' turned up so late.
The best of FF13 does not mean much though
Personally i dont think any FF game this generation has any chance to be anything like FF7-8-9, simply because the graphics cant possible have the detail of 2D backgrounds and art in todays 3D
Maybe next gen we get a better chance
The closest to older FF games i have seen, is the 2.5D Bravely Default on 3DS, that uses some stunning 2D art mapped in polygons
Another thins is the setting, for some reason i cant get to like the new style of FF, i dont like the art almost at all, hated the new summons style etc and found the whole thing very generic looking overall
Pop-O-Matic
Banned
Sequel time.
The sad fact is that this would probably be better received and make more money than FFXIII-3 would.
If they renamed Versus to 14, then they would be totally denying the existence of the MMORPG they've been working on for years. If anything, you'd probably feel the desire to laugh raucously.
Roman numerals strike again?
My tinfoil hat version of the story is that SE has been holding back Versus hoping either Microsoft or Nintendo would break them out of the exclusivity. That has not happened.
With the PS3 being last place and FF getting a bad rep by the week, I don't think SE has any confidence on releasing it as PS3 only game at all.
With the PS3 being last place and FF getting a bad rep by the week, I don't think SE has any confidence on releasing it as PS3 only game at all.
This guy is a joke. All the games he has released after getting kicked out of Square Enix added together can't even ship as much as the pathetic FFXIII-2 did. Now he's off doing silly iOS minigames because he has failed at making RPGs anyone cares about. Why would Square Enix want to call him? Lol.
H_Prestige
Banned
Wow, is this post from 2007?
They never had the FF name attached to them. That is why they failed. I have enjoyed Lost Odyssey more than FF XIII.
Messofanego
Banned
My KH friend would be crushed if this was true... XD
King of the Potato People
Member
Maybe it is... and yet the modern style received a very positive response, that darker style would do good things for FF XV.
Nah, they failed because no one wants to play games from a has been loser. You can enjoy them though, but that doesn't change anything.
Nah, they failed because no one wants to play games from a has been loser. You can enjoy them though, but that doesn't change anything.
Loser? He made stupid mistake and left SE. As far as I can see, that is the only mistake he did. (Oh and ASH)
I am just saying, if FF XIII-2 was Lost Odyssey, it would have sold more and had better critical acclaim.
shinra-bansho
Member
Lost Odyssey and FFXIII-2 received similar review scores as assessed by aggregators...
In terms of reception - The Spirits Within was panned more than FFXIII iirc.
In terms of profit - considering they're presumably just recycling assets for XIII-3 - I doubt it.
In terms of reception - The Spirits Within was panned more than FFXIII iirc.
H_Prestige
Banned
Loser? He made stupid mistake and left SE. As far as I can see, that is the only mistake he did. (Oh and ASH)
I am just saying, if FF XIII-2 was Lost Odyssey, it would have sold more and had better critical acclaim.
Only to an extent. If the FF name were the be all end all, then why didn't FFXIII-2 sell anywhere near as much as FFXIII?
And don't say because it's a sequel. If Square had made FFVII-2 back in the day, it would have sold just as much as VII.
I am just saying, if FF XIII-2 was Lost Odyssey, it would have sold more and had better critical acclaim.
I'm not sure about that, but it would definitely have the same framerate!
I think because FF XIII wasn't well recieved and people who bought it were not intrested in the sequel.
Question: Don't you think that if LO was released on PS3 and had a FF name on it (I don't like Final Fantasy: Gaiden or something) it would have sold more?
Also, don't take it very seriously, I am just playing devils advocat. If someone would call him hero, I would have said he was a loser
Yeah, The framerate was terrible, I agree.I'm not sure about that, but it would definitely have the same framerate!
This is a silly question though, since LO only exists because MS funded it and published it, and it was developed by a studio started up with MS funding. If it were released on the PS3 with a FF name, it would have to be developed by completely different people, and hence be a completely different game than what we got. Could it have sold more or less? Sure, but without knowing what sort of game it would be, we'll never know.
Auto_aim1
MeisaMcCaffrey
Do people really believe that Lost Odyssey scored and sold less because it didn't have the FF name behind it?
Critics have shown that they aren't really influenced by the FF name anymore, especially considering the battering FFXIII got, and Lost Odyssey wasn't a significantly better game than it when you consider the overall production values. It had a likable cast of characters and a better story but everything else was quite average.
If you look at the Metacritic score for LO, FFXIII and FFXIII-2, they are at 78, 82 and 79 respectively. That's spot on!
Critics have shown that they aren't really influenced by the FF name anymore, especially considering the battering FFXIII got, and Lost Odyssey wasn't a significantly better game than it when you consider the overall production values. It had a likable cast of characters and a better story but everything else was quite average.
If you look at the Metacritic score for LO, FFXIII and FFXIII-2, they are at 78, 82 and 79 respectively. That's spot on!
Critic scores don't always make or break sales. Especially so when it is a big name like FF.
Just look at most licensed games. Low quality and low scoring games that sell great.
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