Ghost_Protocol
Member
Enters thread excited
Leaves thread disappointed
Leaves thread disappointed
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Yasumi Matsuno joins Level 5, smaller scale games for all ages [Updated again]
- Thread starter SolidSnakex
- Start date
For what's it's worth I love FFXII. I'm replaying it right now (well the International for the first time) and it's still as entertaining as I remembered. The story is lacking but I really like the license board and the fact that you have a full set of equipment in this one (weapon, shield, armor and accessory). So many differents weapons, armors, magicks and summons to collect and hunts to do. The game has flaws (bazaar system, random chests) but I still enjoy the game more than the recent FF and Level 5 games.
I think the reason why some folks on GAF dislike Level 5 games is because they're apparently all about the razzle dazzle. They've got really beautiful art and lovely music and unique premises and top tier talent associated with them (talking specifically about Layton, Ni no Kuni, Inazuma, and probably Jeanne d'Arc for existing games, Mystery Room, Fantasy Life, Time Travelers for upcoming games).
Where they seem to falter is mechanics and pacing. I'm speaking for other people here cuz I never had the slightest interest in their console RPGs, (Dark Cloud, White Knight and Rogue Galaxy). But apparently they're very slow and not sophisticated, so of course people who play RPGs primarily for combat or battle systems are gonna hate the games. (I got no excuses for the generic art and premises in those games though, seriously, it feels like console Level 5 is an entirely different company from handheld Level 5).
But for people like me who love the razzle dazzle and talent like Ghibli, Yoshitaka Amano, Yuzo Koshiro, Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu and the unsung folks behind Layton, Level 5 feels like a godsend. I only played the first few hours of Ni no Kuni before giving up due to language issues but it's basically everything I want in an RPG this side of Megaten.
Edit: Oh and I also wanna give a shout out to Level 5 menus and sound design. Ni no Kuni and Layton have the best menus, icons, and cursor select sounds in the business!
Where they seem to falter is mechanics and pacing. I'm speaking for other people here cuz I never had the slightest interest in their console RPGs, (Dark Cloud, White Knight and Rogue Galaxy). But apparently they're very slow and not sophisticated, so of course people who play RPGs primarily for combat or battle systems are gonna hate the games. (I got no excuses for the generic art and premises in those games though, seriously, it feels like console Level 5 is an entirely different company from handheld Level 5).
But for people like me who love the razzle dazzle and talent like Ghibli, Yoshitaka Amano, Yuzo Koshiro, Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu and the unsung folks behind Layton, Level 5 feels like a godsend. I only played the first few hours of Ni no Kuni before giving up due to language issues but it's basically everything I want in an RPG this side of Megaten.
Edit: Oh and I also wanna give a shout out to Level 5 menus and sound design. Ni no Kuni and Layton have the best menus, icons, and cursor select sounds in the business!
Bel Marduk
Banned
Riposte said:
But their speed stat hasn't increased...
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Mass exodus by ex-Quest guys from SE confirmed. All Wada's dipshit self's got them doing is sticking fingers in the leaky dykes that are projects like FFXIV and crap anyways.
Lord Matsuno's expressed interest in making new games, but only if they're small. Quite honestly, small games now means "Vita" and "3DS" which ain't
cell phones.
Dali said:
Lord Matsuno's expressed interest in making new games, but only if they're small. Quite honestly, small games now means "Vita" and "3DS" which ain't
better to fucking GOD not be
I'd love to hear some examples of FF games with better GAMEPLAY than FF12. I can't think of any. I should mention that FF12 is not even among my top 3 favorite FF games, but that doesn't stop me from seeing the superiority of the gameplay to prior incarnations. That being said, FF12's gameplay design would not be a good fit with some of the prior FF games, so I'm not knocking the game design of those at all.
As for the plot, I never said it was excellent or mind blowing, but good. It did end very abruptly, which was disappointing. Even still, it is still way ahead of anything I've seen from level 5. And when you add in the gameplay for the total package, FF12 becomes light years ahead of anything I've played from Level 5.
As for the plot, I never said it was excellent or mind blowing, but good. It did end very abruptly, which was disappointing. Even still, it is still way ahead of anything I've seen from level 5. And when you add in the gameplay for the total package, FF12 becomes light years ahead of anything I've played from Level 5.
Anasui Kishibe
Banned
the fuck.....Level 5 haters?
Fimbulvetr
Member
GhaleonQ said:
I know:
Akihiko Yoshida(artist; still at square)
Hitoshi Sakimoto(composer; left square)
Masaharu Iwata(composer; left square)
Hiroshi Minagawa(artist; still at square)
cosmicblizzard
Banned
Ra1den said:
Ummm, you don't base an entire genre around something that isn't fun.
Fimbulvetr
Member
BlueWord said:
Moved off?
I thought he was the Art Director?
R
Retro_
Unconfirmed Member
Brazil said:
There are still good japanese games on consoles
just not alot of japanese RPGs
I think he meant he dislikes the pressures and work involved in having to lead huge teams of 100+ people, and the games he wants to make in the future will be with smaller, more intimate teams and projects, more similar to the original Tactics Ogre days.SatelliteOfLove said:
Lard said:
It did not play the game for you. It saved you from the tedium of selecting Attack>Attack>Attack from a menu over and over again against weak enemies. Overall, player input was just as important as it was in previous FFs.
And with the Gambit system, the battle system got some depth that was sorely lacking in prior FF battle systems. Unless you consider using your best attack over and over and healing when needed to be "depth."
But yeah we are getting off topic...anyway I see this as a win for Level-5, and a loss for Matsuno's fans. Maybe he will eventually go back to making his more typical games, one can only hope.
Fimbulvetr
Member
cosmicblizzard said:
You do realize the ADB system wasn't created by Matsuno, right?
In fact I think it's the only game he's directed but not done the game design for.
And, just to shake your worldview even more, the guy who designed ADB(and was also a co-Director on XII) created the battle systems for VI and IX. BAM! Suck it!
sublimit
Banned
Screw the haters,i still love Level 5 even if WKC was a bit of a disappointment.I think a creator like Matsuno is exactly what they need (along with some good character modelers.)And i think it's too early to say on what kind of projects he'll be involved in the future.
I'm hyped.
I'm hyped.
gatotsu911
Member
No.jiggle said:
No...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
NeededSleep
Member
Make True fantasy online happen!
I love level 5 just i wish north america saw more of its games. i really want to play the Inazuma eleven games
I love level 5 just i wish north america saw more of its games. i really want to play the Inazuma eleven games
charlequin
Banned
thetrin said:
ftfy :/
Aeana said:
We will find duckroll and kev in death much like they were in life: coated head to foot in man-tears and clasped tightly to one another's bosoms in careful execution of Matsuno's instructions
SatelliteOfLove
Member
DaBuddaDa said:
Exactly as both OPs said, and that's a GOOD thing as his genious is so married to his vision and it being brought forth as is.
ULTROS! said:
Like I said, I don't think it would be a good match for all of the prior titles. Would I want a battle system like FF12 in, say, FF7? Absolutely NOT. For this game though, given the way the game progresses and the way one traverses the world, it fit perfectly. I think one needs to place a given gameplay system into the context of that particular game.
Maybe I came across as bashing turn based games, which was not my intent. Most of my top games of all time are turn based JRPGs...and while the gameplay as a whole (exploration etc) is often enjoyable in turn based RPGs, the actual battling of random enemies is hard to call fun. Boss battles are an exception, of course.
Fimbulvetr
Member
HK-47 said:
And that one guy who claimed FF games having voice acting caused all other aspects of the series to dip in quality.
Aeana said:
And directed FF's 6 and 9, and expressed a desire to evolve the core ideas of ADB.
Problem, cosmic?
MetalSlime
Banned
I enjoyed Rogue Galaxy.
How about a sequel.
How about a sequel.
Rahxephon91
Banned
No it's pretty easy to call the gameplay of something like FFX fun. Why the else would I play it if it wasn't?Ra1den said:
NeededSleep
Member
MetalSlime said:
Rogue galaxy was great i loved the robot humor in it too.
I loved ff12's combat engine, i was really hoping ff14 was going to be like 12 just taken into a mmo world. Why couldn't they of used the same combat engine
Augemitbutter
Member
so basically ogre series just died and square enix just lost the last bit of talent they had limited access to?
does matsuno like football? i can see him writing for inazuma eleven.
does matsuno like football? i can see him writing for inazuma eleven.
A Link to the Past
Banned
Is Level-5 the next Square Soft/Enix?
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
flintstryker said:
This seems probable.
It's nice that Matsuno will be able to start working on new titles. Let's just hope Hino doesn't touch anything he works on.