[PS3] Final Fantasy Versus XIII

[patsu]

If 360 is easy to develop for, it would be harder to use that line of reasoning.

The 360 FFXIII project issues are more likely because of late port (Out of time). I believe there was also some noise about DVD size limit.

 

[Lucid_Dreamer]

If 360 is easy to develop for, it would be harder to use that line of reasoning.

The 360 FFXIII project issues are more likely because of late port (Out of time). I believe there was also some noise about DVD size limit.

Could it be anything else?

 

[patsu]

Nomura interviewed on FF XIII Versus
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/06/23/nomura_on_ff_versus_xiii/

Most of the discussion focused on three new screenshots.

...

The screens are all taken off real hardware, Nomura said. The game currently runs at the quality shown in the screens, said Nomura, and they'll be improving the visuals even further.

Not only are the screens real time, but they represent the perspective from which you'll play the game. The camera angle is for the most part what's shown in the screens -- from a third person view. They were originally considering switching to an overhead view when you moved into the outside world, but ended up keeping the the world as an open field in order to keep you close to the action.

The rest of the article mentions gasoline, field, in-game Shinjuku city, monsters, etc.

 

[Shoujoboy]

Actually FF13 can do open areas pretty well while not sacrificing the already set quality in the previous confined areas.

I'm sure they could.
I think they just didn't want to disappoint fans and came up with a good explanation for why FFXIII was so linear. =]

 

[nightshade]

I'm sure they could.
I think they just didn't want to disappoint fans and came up with a good explanation for why FFXIII was so linear. =]

I wasn't saying that they can or they could.
They already showed that it can do open areas by including Gran Pulse in FF13.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Seamless AC style combat with beautiful HD graphics I love this generation.

I'm very sceptical. This is from the Kingdom Hearts team after all, and Kingdom Hearts' real time fighting system was nothing if not a gigantic clusterfuck.

 

[Bigduo209]

I'm very sceptical. This is from the Kingdom Hearts team after all, and Kingdom Hearts' real time fighting system was nothing if not a gigantic clusterfuck.

What was so bad about Kingdom Hearts' gameplay? Sure it wasn't complex by any means, but what so bad about it?

 

[Sigfried1977]

It was just overly chaotic, button-mashy and the only skill that was required was basically getting to grips with what had to be the worst camera system ever. Spamming Dumbo once you had him was a sound plan of action as well.
The whole mess certainly didn't remind one of the graceful fighting choreography in Advent Children (that is never going to work like that in real-time unless you rely on a ton of canned QTEs or contextual animations. At that point you can hardly call it real-time anymore anyway)
That's why I don't mind the turned based systems of JRPGs in general. They emphasize strategy and give you both the time and the proper camera angles to appreciate all the over the top nonsense that's going on in glorious detail.

 

[Bigduo209]

It was just overly chaotic, button-mashy and the only skill that was required was basically getting to grips with what had to be the worst camera system ever. Spamming Dumbo once you had him was a sound plan of action as well.
The whole mess certainly didn't remind one of the graceful fighting choreography in Advent Children (that is never going to work like that in real-time unless you rely on a ton of canned QTEs or contextual animations. At that point you can hardly call it real-time anymore anyway)
That's why I don't mind the turned based systems of JRPGs in general. They emphasize strategy and give you both the time and the proper camera angles to appreciate all the over the top nonsense that's going on in glorious detail.

Well how far did you get in KH1? The combat and enemy skill got harder over time. But the strongest enemy in the game was Sephiroth, he was pretty damn hard.

KHII actually the improved camera system and combat, but the enemy difficulty in it was easier (guess they didn't scale them properly based on the new combat tweaks). The only real problem besides that was part of the story was separated in a prequel title called Chain of Memories for the GBA which came out before KHII.

Nomura has said that while they are using the KH template for combat in FFvsXIII, they're branching-off and making the combat more complex and meaningful.

 

[Shoujoboy]

I wasn't saying that they can or they could.
They already showed that it can do open areas by including Gran Pulse in FF13.

oh lol
Well then you definitely have a point ! Gran Pulse looks great and it's open.

I'm very sceptical. This is from the Kingdom Hearts team after all, and Kingdom Hearts' real time fighting system was nothing if not a gigantic clusterfuck.

Even though there was a lot going on during the combat of Kingdom Hearts I enjoyed it.
I just liked how they threw so much at you during the combat.
Bunches of cool little effects and graphics going off while enemies are turning into puffs of black smoke.
I hope it keeps that chaotic feeling they have in the Kingdom Hearts games but at the same time I hope they don't over do it with all of the processing power they now have at hand.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Well how far did you get in KH1?

I finished it. It's not like I didn't enjoy the game. The combat just didn't really click with me.

 

[patsu]

Nomura Hints at Minimal Final Fantasy Versus XIII Tokyo Game Show Presence:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/08/26/nomura_tgs_showing/
(Agito and Versus to be combined into one short notice trailer)

Nomura also mentioned what titles will be getting PVs this year. We'll get to see Re:Coded, The 3rd Birthday, along with Nomura's next unannounced title. Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Agito XIII are being condensed into a single "short notice" under the Fabula Nova Crystallis banner.

Before you start burning your copies of Final Fantasy XIII, it's worth noting that prior to last year's TGS, Nomura hinted that there wouldn't be any Versus XIII footage, and we ended up getting a first look at some impressive real time test footage. Also, in the above PV description, it's unclear if Nomura is speaking about the open theater theater or the PVs that are being shown in lines. Perhaps those who line up will get a longer look at Versus and Agito.

 

[NathansFortune]

Closed mega theatre for to lose. I don't think I'll make it to TGS this year, the company aren't sending us and I can't afford the ticket to Japan. Sad because it looks like this will be a much better showing than last year (which I think was pretty awful).

 

[patsu]

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/08/26/final-fantasy-versus-xiii-may-not-make-it-out-in-2011/

An interview with Yoshinori Kitase, conducted at Gamescom by Gaming Union, sheds a little more light on the situation.

“We have no release date information to update. Unfortunately we can’t say anything about that,” Kitase replied, when Gaming Union asked as to whether Versus would make it out in 2011. “We can’t commit ourselves to 2011 either,” he concluded.

Keep in mind, Kitase could possibly have meant a localized version of the game wouldn’t make it out by 2011, taking localization time into account.

 

[Black kolobok]

Not sure about the strategy of naming a standalone game after an existing game. If they don't want to call it FF14/15 they could just avoid giving it a number entirely.

Also, game world looks a lot different from either FF13's Cocoon or Pulse -- highrises look like any modern megapolis.

Spoiler

Although I did notice that some of the abandoned and dilapidated buildings on Pulse looked more 'earthish.' Could be a hint that game events take place on Pulse, before War of Transgression.

Also, I can't resist commenting how silly the guy looks with a bodybuilder's body under the suit and a chicken neck sticking out of it

 

[ShinGundam]

Not sure about the strategy of naming a standalone game after an existing game. If they don't want to call it FF14/15 they could just avoid giving it a number entirely.

Also, game world looks a lot different from either FF13's Cocoon or Pulse -- highrises look like any modern megapolis.

Spoiler

Although I did notice that some of the abandoned and dilapidated buildings on Pulse looked more 'earthish.' Could be a hint that game events take place on Pulse, before War of Transgression.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Shakespeare

Seriously, Tetsuya Nomura explained that FF Vs XIII has narrow audience appeal because it is not going to be a fantasy world in the traditional Final Fantasy sense. Also, the Battle System is a menu driven like any other FF game but in real-time without battle transition.

 

[patsu]

It's an action RPG game ?

EDIT: Bah... nope. Read it wrong. It's menu driven.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Shakespeare.

Name's are important for identifying things. If you order a rose by name from a florists, you'd expect a scented rose and not a bunch of stinkweed that's of a breed called 'Rose'. And if I saw "Uncharted 3" on the shelf and bought it to find when I put it in it was a FP scifi shooter, I'd be most miffed because that's not what I was expecting. If a game deviates too widely from the franchise norms, it'll be counter to existing fans' expectations. In those cases you're better off with a new game or franchise. SE have produced other non-series FF games and these have always had a name other than the numbered iterations, such as FF Crystal Chronicles, to show they aren't in the same style. If FFXIII Vs isn't related to FFXIII, SE should rename it 'Final Fantasy Something' and lose the number, and avoid confusion.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Name's are important for identifying things. If you order a rose by name from a florists, you'd expect a scented rose and not a bunch of stinkweed that's of a breed called 'Rose'. And if I saw "Uncharted 3" on the shelf and bought it to find when I put it in it was a FP scifi shooter, I'd be most miffed because that's not what I was expecting. If a game deviates too widely from the franchise norms, it'll be counter to existing fans' expectations. In those cases you're better off with a new game or franchise. SE have produced other non-series FF games and these have always had a name other than the numbered iterations, such as FF Crystal Chronicles, to show they aren't in the same style. If FFXIII Vs isn't related to FFXIII, SE should rename it 'Final Fantasy Something' and lose the number, and avoid confusion.

Yes but if it was Uncharted 3: Adventures in Space, then it wouldn't be a problem. Similar to how COD successfully transitioned to Modern from WW2.

Now if it completely changed the gametype. Like going from a shooter to an RPG that might be a bit too much of a shock. Or a turn based RPG into an action RPG (like Diablo or Sacred).

I suppose it all comes down to how well the marketing and packaging conveys the differences from the previous entries in a franchise. For example, within the Final Fantasy series they were able to successfully integrate Tactical Turn based Strategy, but they also denoted it quite well so people wouldn't be surprised when they played it.

Regards,
SB

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yes but if it was Uncharted 3: Adventures in Space, then it wouldn't be a problem.

If it turned first-person shooter it would!

I suppose it all comes down to how well the marketing and packaging conveys the differences from the previous entries in a franchise. For example, within the Final Fantasy series they were able to successfully integrate Tactical Turn based Strategy, but they also denoted it quite well so people wouldn't be surprised when they played it.

Yes, by losing the numerical series, because these were side products. As FFXIII Vs. has absolutely nothing to do with FFXIII, not in content, style or gameplay, does it make any sense to still call it FFXIII? Just call it FF Versus or something, just as they did FF Tactics instead of FFVII Tactics.