@Strikke I wasn't even talking about FF16. You brought in Stranger of Paradise in the discussion as an example of a spin-off that people were complaining about.
Yes some spin off titles are just plain bad games. But that's besides the point..
People do generally not complain about them not living up to the Final Fantasy brand.
They complain about these games being boring, cheap, poor quality or other things.
If it's a spin-off then the expectation is different so you do not directly compare them with mainline in the same way.
But if a game is bad, then it's bad... That has nothing to do with them fitting in with the brand.
Many Final Fantasy spin-off games are great or at least decent, but there are a few stinkers as well.
There's a lot of good Final Fantasy spin-off titles that are very different from the mainline.
And that's the way to go in my opinion.
A spin-off or a branch out from the main-line does not have to mean low quality/low budget.
Take the Persona games for example, They are all a branched line from the Megami Tensei games but it ended up being probably the most popular branch.
There's other similar examples but my point is that it would make the most sense to branch the Final Fantasy franchise into two branches, one classic branch and one spin-off action based branch. And if they wanna dump the most resources into the action branch well at least the long term fans could rest assured that they'll at least get something eventually (even if it's not the highest budget project)
The problem is that the management at Square Enix seems to believe that mainline is all about the budget put into the game. And also they are not following the same standards as anyone else. (Calling Reboots, remakes, and remakes remasters for example. Completely clueless)
Because the way they choose to name things they have people confused and disappointed.
And it could have been so easily avoided.
Had they called it Final Fantasy VII - Reboot (instead of Remake), Final Fantasy Online 1 and 2(instead of 11 and 14) as well ass Final Fantasy Versus 1 and 2 (instead of 15 and 16).
Then no one would have complained...
But now of course people would complain because some of these games are their favourite in the franchise and for them it would be a crime to change the name not to be part of the mainline. Similar to convincing the people in North America that it's Final Fantasy VI and not Final Fantasy III.
Had Square Enix named their games properly from the start and categorised their games in a logical fashion that follows any standard then one would complain or feel disappointed..
@Strikke I have no idea what you are talking about..
People were complaining because that game actually sucked, especially at launch. Which it really did..
It sucked as a game. I heard that things have gotten better after a bunch of patches.
But still Most people think of it as a pretty "meh" game.
And that's not because it's different, it's because it just not good. I don't remember people complaining about it being "Edgy", I remember people finding it repetitive and boring with corny characters and scripts and a story that didn't impress.
The only other spin-off games that I hear people really complain about was like some Crystal Chronicles for Wii and Mystic Quest for SNES as well as some mobile titles and most of these actually did suck.
But I don't remember anyone ever complaining about a spin-off game not being an RPG or a spin-off not having the same level of quality as the main-line.
Because again, most people do expect these spin-off titles to be different.
Most people do not actually compare Dissidia, Chocobo Racing or Tactics to the mainline.
@NEStalgia Yeah I feel the same way, however a darker tone could work out if it's done right. Like a more Tim Burton or Majoras Mask kind of dark rather than a Dark Souls or Diablo dark.
It would still need to retain the charm. Otherwise it would be a disaster I think.
But with the recent news about the DQXII development I am also quite worried about what will become of the game.
@wildcat_kickz You know, I'd be perfectly happy if they cut down on the vision and cost of making the biggest spectacle with the best graphics, to make a lower budget traditional Final Fantasy that doubles down on Story, feeling and character.
But maybe that's just me..
Sure I could take a HD-2D game, but I think they could still make something great that is a few steps above that in terms of presentation without breaking the bank and still be appealing to younger players.
I think marketing is more important to bring in new players than the in game graphics.
But the gameplay is what retains them and makes them buy the next game.
Obviously XVI didn't do all that well in this regard, otherwise I think more people would have bought Rebirth.
However the old classics still have me buying Final Fantasy games in hope that they will hit gold again one day.
@wildcat_kickz Well, I sure hope so. But I am not too sure..
It seems to me like they have been on a constant quest to pull away from the Final Fantasy formula since Final Fantasy X with each game being vastly different and not being able to find a solid new direction. And rather than trying to go back to the tried and true they just pull further away.
I hope there's people at Square Enix who want to try making a more traditional entry in the franchise at some point. But they direction the franchise has been taking since 10 sure makes it difficult to stay hopeful.
I can agree that XVI have some RPG elements, but the problem is that those RPG elements barely makes a difference in game. It matters more that you have good dodging reflexes than utilising a good strategy.
And I didn't really find the equipment and skills to be all that impactful. It feels more like an afterthought than a vital part of the game to me.
Sure when you compare the best equipment to the worst there's a difference.
But I miss the rewarding feeling of obtaining new weapons and gear in a Final Fantasy game, and the satisfaction of being my stats increasing when levelling up. And immediately being able to see how much stronger my party is in the next battle.
But if I look at it from a a Japanese point of view I only get more confused since they are the same company that has Dragon Quest which is even more of a merch seller there.. But they have always been super careful to be faithful to that franchise for some reason. And I would say that Dragon Quest XI was probably their most successful one so far..
It's odd that they would take such a different approach with Final Fantasy.
@NEStalgia Well they did mention in an interview that the next patch should add "some" improvements to the performance mode but unfortunately not fix it completely. I will likewise give the performance mode another shot after the patch
@wildcat_kickz For me personally I think that this franchise deserves innovation without sacrificing identity.
I do not think that you need to sacrifice identity and tradition in order to innovate and attract new players.
Many players make their choice to try a new game based on simple things such as graphics and trailers.
And if they hate RPG's then there's other games for them.
I don't think Nintendo would make a mainline Mario game that abandons it's platforming in favour of being a first person fireball shooter in order to bring in a new audience.
If they made such a game, it would be some sort of spin-off and that would be fine, since we still could expect the next mainline game to be a platformer.
@NEStalgia I pretty much agree with everything you just said (Which is unusual for me, I tend to find myself in disagreement with people regarding this topic)
It's so funny to me this whole situation, It seems like something that could have been so easily avoided.
But you're right their management clearly does not understand what they are doing anymore.
It's a shame because they used to be setting the trend with Final Fantasy, not blindly following it. And being successful in doing so.
At the same time it seems like they are giving more love to their other jRPG titles, like Dragon Quest and the upcoming Mana title. Why does Final Fantasy (arguably their flagship game) have to be the guinea pig these days?
And then they create IP like Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler what are doing a better job at carrying on the legacy of the Final Fantasy than the new Final Fantasy games does.
A welcome improvement, The last phase did me in on my first try since I didn't pay attention and was caught off guard (definitely my fault) and I did pick "Retry from This Battle"...
The frustration was definitely real..
However I decided to go again rather than rage-quitting, I payed more attention and beat the game on my second try. But man that was a lengthy battle that I now dread for my second play through that I am doing now.
"DLC obviously can’t pretend the main game never happened, and it can’t be something completely different – regardless of whether that “something different” might be good fun in its own right. On the other hand, it’s not a good idea for the experience of the main game to be incomplete unless you play the DLC.
These are all fairly common sense, but they’re the kinds of things I tried to keep in mind. And, of course, I think it’s really important to take note of player feedback. That’s one of the advantages you have when the DLC is created after the release of the main game.
This is less about what elevates the game per se, and is more about my own preferences, but I do sometimes wonder if changing a simple levelling or growth system in the base game to something more complex makes the experience more enjoyable."
Makes you wonder why they don't think this mindset applies to a new game in the franchise...
For me it sort of depends on if it manages to be as quiet as the current PS5. I never wanna have something like the helicopter that the PS4 Pro was ever again.
@J2theEzzo Rebirth definitely has a smoother frame-rate in performance mode. However I am not sure about stuff going on on-screen. It could be a bit more particle effects and magic spells flying around as I feel like the party members use their abilities a bit more frequently than in XVI.
Quite a few issues with Rebirth was ironed out with the last patch so I really enjoy the performance mode now.
However Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is more of an RPG than XVI and there's more depth to combat than you get in XVI.
For me that's a good thing, but if you're not into that sort of thing then Rebirth might not be for you.
However you should really play Final Fantasy VII - Remake before you play Rebirth, it's a trilogy and I don't think you'll appreciate the story as much if you start in the middle.
@NEStalgia You know, I think Final Fantasy VII fans would have been perfectly happy with the game being remade as a regular remake (just rebuilt from the ground up to look an feel better) like Link's Awakening, the Pokemon remakes, the 3d remakes of the 2D Final Fantasy games or the Mario RPG remake to just name a few. I wouldn't even have complained if they went with a similar look to Ever Crisis if they kept the gameplay mostly the same as the original.
This would have been a much smaller undertaking for them to take on and they could have still released it as one complete game.
But instead they went and rebooted the game in this huge grandiose way that has many fans left unsure about what they even think about it.
On one hand I love seeing the characters in their full glory, the presentation is absolutely gorgeous! The voice actors did a great job and the graphics are great. There's a lot of nostalgia there and the way the world is represented is just wonderful.
But on the other hand, the gameplay does not have the same feel as I would have liked them to replicate from the original, the sense of progression and getting stronger has been greatly reduced and the story has been altered in very confusing ways. (especially for people not familiar with the original)
On top of that, the wait between each entry is so long that I with my heart condition have had thought's like "I sure hope that I'm alive long enough to play the third part".
@NEStalgia Rebirth's performance mode is WAY smoother than XVI. The only issue was that at launch the performance mode looked pretty blurry. This has since been fixed, now you can choose between two modes, one soft and one sharp.
You get a lower resolution in performance mode, but after the patch it's totally worth it and it's a quite enjoyable experience for me. Perhaps not rock solid 60, but miles better than the stuttery mess of a "performance" mode that XVI has.
I actually prefer playing FFXVI at 30 fps, because it's at least more stable. I am very sensitive to large frame-rate fluctuations so the performance mode in XVI is nearly unplayable for me.
30fps is something I can get used to.
It's like if you have a bright screen and a dim screen. I prefer the bright screen, but if the bright screen brightness randomly flickers as if something is wrong with it, then I rather get used to the dim screen that keeps the same brightness all the time.
@Blaze215 Agreed and it barely gave me any challenge after I mastered the art of dodging and mashing. There's very little strategy involved in this game compared to earlier titles and no super bosses to get frustrated about.
However I did enjoy the game for what it is, even if it didn't tickle my itch to play a Final Fantasy game.
I did enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth a lot more even though I would enjoy it even more if it was less of an action RPG. Some of that was surely thanks to my nostalgia for the FF7 characters and universe. But to be honest, it is the better game out of the two in nearly every way.
@Strikke I get his point, and I partially agree.. Although I think my solution in my previous post would satisfy the players more.
When we get Final Fantasy 17 we are going to compare it to all the previous Final Fantasy games that we love.
And if it's not what we expect from the franchise then it will be a let down.
But if Square Enix wants to experiment with radically new ideas and genres without disappointing anyone they could totally do so by creating a branch of the franchise for this purpose.
This worked well in the past with both Final Fantasy Legend (which became the SaGa franchise), Final Fantasy Adventure (which became the Mana franchise), Final Fantasy Tactics, Crystal Chronicles and Dissidia to just name a few.
No one was complaining about them creating these side branches and spin-off titles existing beside the mainline franchise. Because we knew that they were going to be different and we knew that we could rely on the mainline franchise for the more classic experience (while still being the pinnacle of classic jRPG in terms of gameplay and quality)
I think we can have both Action games and RPG games, but I think they should be separated in order to not mess with the expectations of the players and to assure longtime fans that there will be something for them as well.
And if the new kids enjoy the new Final Fantasy action game, perhaps they will be curious to try out the RPG games as well.
@3Above I also do not necessarily expect a stable 60 fps, however, I won't rule out the possibility with a pretty strong trade off on the visual side.
I think they rather aim for the PS5 Pro to hit 60 while still looking decent and 4k 60 on the PS6 (with an optional graphics mode that increases visual fidelity with VRR), or something like that.
Because at that point in time, the PS5 will be their lowest tier and Square Enix will most likely have PS6 devkits already.
I really doubt that they wouldn't take the chance of rereleasing all three games on the PS6 (all upgraded to run and look better of course)
I think they should split the franchise into 2 branches.
One that cater towards new modern action gameplay to appeal to mainstream gamers.
And one that aims to please long time fans who crave the classic RPG experience.
I like Final Fantasy XVI as a game and I wan't to see more stuff like that.
But at the same time I don't think it's doing a very good job at representing what Final Fantasy stands for.
Hironobu Sakaguchi was dreaming about making an RPG game and was denied time after time because the management at Square thought that RPG's couldn't be a commercial success and they just wanted to focus on action games.
But eventually after the seeing the success of Dragon Quest in Japan, they finally gave him the greenlight to make an RPG.
And that was Final Fantasy.
So to me, it seems disrespectful to turn the franchise into the very thing it tried to not be. An action game.
I believe the franchise should always have a foot in the RPG genre. And I think it would have been better if they had split the franchise into for example the mainline (classic RPG style) and the "Versus"line(action/action-RPG style).
That way they could have avoided all the disappointed players.
If SquareEnix ever make a Final Fantasy VII Remake - Complete Edition with all three games combined into one (Perhaps for the PS6) then I think it would sell very well.
There was a time when Final Fantasy was known to be absurdly large games. I mean just look at the PS1 era games 3-4 disc for one game when most other studios released games on one disc or tops 2.
Sure there was a lot of FMV sequences to fill up some of that space, but even so.. the games really was large..
I think they really could merge the three games into one and it wouldn't take too much of an effort I think. Unless the third game is going to completely change the battle system or something
60fps should always be the targeted default mode in my opinion. However if they have time to spare then they can feel free to make an eye candy 30fps mode or try to make a 120fps VRR mode.
30fps feels way worse on large 4k TV's than it used to look back in the old CRT days. You can get used to 30fps, the same way as you can get used to a bad smell...
Judging from the comments I've read so far it seems like some people love the game and some people hate it.
Personally I give that a thumbs up because I would absolutely hate seeing the entire industry appealing to the mainstream and all become Spiderman and The last of Us.
I pray that when the next Elder Scrolls game is released it will be more on the RPG side. I loved Oblivion and Morrowind! Not games for everyone perhaps, but great games if you like RPG's. Skyrim was good but too simplified (to appeal to mainstream action game players) in my opinion.
@dellyrascal I honestly don't need every new game to innovate and be something completely new and revolutionary, I can see myself playing an Elder Scrolls title that borrows and refines aspects of old games as long as the new story is good and there's a lot of good content in the game.
I am honestly really tired of everyone trying too freaking hard to make something different when all I wan't is to just play a new game in a franchise I enjoy. What is this, the age of senseless experimentation? I wish to see more game studios playing it safe and focusing on a proven formula and making their fans happy.
Heck I want the next elder scrolls game to take 1 or 2 steps back and get more heavily into the roleplaying aspect of pre Skyrim era again.
Spell crafting and much advanced gear system.. (If I wanna wear a green sock on one foot and a red on the other then let me! Also let me enchant my socks with levitation spells! And as my socks durability decreases I want to gradually see holes appear until my toes stick out!!)
@Ultrasmiles It looks great, better character models for example.
I especially love the new hairs, it looks a lot more natural and realistic to me.
Some things looks better, some things look worse, and that's mainly due to it being a more open-world like rather than being linear like Remake. some of the downgrades you'll see will have to do with lighting, reflections and LOD.
There are also some places that have some very low-res textures. I'd be willing to assume that this was more of an oversight or bugg rather than sacrifice for performance.
Remake had similar issues where the textures and LOD would load properly as well, some which was fixed and then later improved in Integrade. This could be a similar thing.
There's also some lighting issues, affecting characters and making their faces look weird (however most of these issues should be fixed with this patch, I have not been able to verify this)
Some places in Rebirth certainly look more breathtaking than what we see in Remake, even though technically there might be lower shadow resolution and lower quality textures in the distance. It has to do with the artistic touch and the scale.
like sure perhaps that pile of rubble in remake has some fancier shadows, but now we're comparing that with a vast open landscape, I can deal with that sacrifice.
In most cutscenes I feel like Rebirth is doing a better job than Remake with pretty much everything. However, some of these scenes are FMV's so there's that.
@djlard good raytracing is far superior to any other lighting though. I mean some games have really good baked GI, Mario Kart comes to mind, but it's not interactive.
I rather see a decent bump in Raytracing performance and quality over an option to turn it off.
@Flaming_Kaiser still, they did a limited physical collection of these games in a couple of different flavours. But it was a limited offer, now these games are very expensive as it's no longer being sold by Square Enix.
But I get it, you want a bargain collection. Sorry, only digital is your friend in that case.
You have the pixel remasters which are remastered/remade versions of FF1-6 (which they do sell as a collection or the individual titles if you prefer that)
Then you have a port of Final Fantasy 7.
Then you have remastered versions of 8, 9, 10, 10-2 and 12.
That's pretty much all the classic titles on PS4 and PS5
@drunk_guy Agreed, this isn't a very good way to get an accurate result.
For example ranking Final Fantasy VII Rebirth over Final Fantasy IX is just not correct.
But I get it, the new games are made to appeal to a mainstream audience, they have better graphics, better sound quality, action based combat and are fully voiced.
I can understand that they appeal more to the mainstream.
I also think that it can be difficult to get into a game that is +20 years old, so perhaps this is why.
But I think that most people who grew up with the franchise will agree that the ends of the SNES era to the PS2 era were the peak of the franchise. And then we can all argue whether the best was 7, 9, 6 or perhaps 10. but most who were around back then would probably agree that this was the "golden age" of final fantasy.
I think Rebirth and XVI are both great games and I do enjoy them a lot. (Rebirth a bit more than XVI) It sure feels like Square Enix is on the way back up, but still not quite there. Rebirth is probably the best Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy 12 (if you exclude the MMoRPGs).
@Ashkorsair Nah, I think it's really underrated. It's one of those games that people love to hate. I think there is three main things that people usually bring up:
1) the junction system being broken in that you can abuse it to get very OP or get unlimited GIL 2) The junction system being overly complicated 3) Drawing Magic is tedious
I don't think the system is too complicated, I think it's quite fun system once you understand it. And you don't need to abuse the flaws in the system if you don't want to. And yes the Drawing system can be tedious. But it's a jRPG.. Grinding is to be expected.
I think there's a pretty darn good game underneath those flaws. I like the combat, the junction system (Despite the flaws), the characters, the story, the music (oh man it's great), the card game.
this is my personal top 5
1) Final Fantasy IX (yes this is the best one, only downside is the loading before each battle)
2) Final Fantasy X
3) Final Fantasy VII
4) Final Fantasy VI
5) Final Fantasy VIII
My bottom 5 (lower is worse)
1) Final Fantasy XIII (this is the worst one, too linear and too little customisation, the world feels empty and bland, the characters a meh, but the graphics was quite spectacular at the time)
2) Final Fantasy II
3) Final Fantasy XV
4) Final Fantasy
5) Final Fantasy XIII - Lightning Returns
Note that even though this is my least favourite mainline Final Fantasy games, I do not hate them, in fact I have beaten all of them and even have platinum trophy in Final Fantasy XV.
@Player_1_Ready lol, what? Did you even play the game yourself or did you just read some early opinions?
This game is far better than Remake in almost every way. (Except a few graphical situations due to the world being more open rather than a corridor... but who cares?? It's still one of the prettiest games on the PS5)
I have not finished the game yet but I am close (chapter 13)
Perhaps they could have had less mini games in the game. however having a lot of mini games was actually a thing with the original Final Fantasy VII, so they are being somewhat faithful to the original material in a way.
And yeah I get that this game has a brighter tone than Remake, But I feel like that's a good thing. It was the same in the original FFVII. I remember when I first left Midgar in the original.. It was an uplifting feeling to see that the world was more than just Midgar and slums and that there was some beauty in it as well.
When it comes to actual gameplay mechanics I feel like Rebirth is just an improved/upgraded version of the system in Remake.
I wish it wasn't an action based combat system (since I am a sort of purist when it comes to Final Fantasy.) But at least it's a very good system that borrows from Final Fantasy VII.
This is a very very good game, but because it's a Final Fantasy game, we tend to judge it harder than we should, because we're all expecting the highest quality, because it's Final Fantasy..
For me, this could be the best Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy X, (not including Final Fantasy XIV since it's an MMoRPG)
@FatalBubbles Well I am running the TV in game mode with all post processing turned off, so yeah there no sharpening being applied by the TV.
I don't see the problem with using the TV's sharpening features on old SD stuff, but on a brand new consoles like the PS5 I expect the console and media to be capable of sending a crisp image to the TV (that doesn't need additional post processing).
@gonzilla I dunno, on my 65" LG C1 OLED TV it's pretty darn noticeable (from about 3m away). Perhaps if you have a smaller TV you won't notice the blur as much.
In my case I do prefer the graphics mode over performance mode for now, however if they actually fix the blur using a proper upscaling technique like FSR then I bet that I will switch over to performance mode because I do really enjoy the smoothness it brings.
Doesn't look very Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts to me. I mean sure, it looks like jRPG style.
But I think there's a bit more cell shading and outlines and stuff than what is typical for a Final Fantasy or Kingdom heart game. Looks good though..
But the music definitely sounds like something Yoko Shimomura (The Kingdom Heart/Final Fantasy XV composer) could have written. Dramatic orchestral music with emphasis on piano and choir is what she does best.
Edit: I didn't read the entire article lol, I guess I was right about it sounding like Shimomura
The ideas behind the junction system are fine and not as complicated as people say. the problems lies in how easy it is to abuse the system to make very OP characters very quickly and make unlimited GIL, clone items and so on.
These are issues that actually would be somewhat easy to fix I think.
The other issues I have with FFVIII is the Draw system and level scaling.
The Draw system is just too tedious, I think they could make it less tedious by having enemies also drop magic as you win the battle as well as increasing the number of magic you draw from enemies. that way you spend less time just mindlessly drawing magic. I also think that they should rework how to increase stats, which leads me into the level scaling.
As you level up in FFVIII you characters stats remain unchanged except for the HP that increases a little bit, however the enemies get stronger as you level up, and it's not just their HP that goes up. This led to many players making the game too difficult for themselves because they were just too high level without the junction magic to increase their stats, the properly upgraded weapons or the powerful GF summons.
On the other hand, people who realised that this is the way the game works had a breeze through the game by staying as low level as possible and making the most of the junction system, GF system and weapon upgrades.
A sort of fix for this balancing issue would be to actually increase character's stats as they level up (Like in many other Final Fantasy games), and decrease the stat boost you can achieve from the junction system, so again, balancing. and as the stat boost you get from junction decreases the players might actually end up using spells more which would be a happy side effect. (as in some cases the stat boost of the junction system might not be worth it for some players, you could say that you open up for more play styles that are all "working")
Also, one issue with the junction system came down to how it was presented, lots of short abbreviations to keep track of and lots of stats that you have to memorise.
I think that they could probably rework the UI around the junction system to be easier to understand with better names for different things and a more visually self explanatory GUI.
As for the story, battles and characters I think FFVIII did a good job, perhaps they could add in more story moments and cutscenes, perhaps they could get rid of the GF boost or rework it so that you don't have you pop a vein to max out the damage output. (perhaps by just holing and letting go of the button at the right time instead of spamming it as fast as you can, or making it more like the Cloud dance mini game from the Final Fantasy VII Remake).
But other than that I don't have a lot of complaints about Final Fantasy VIII
@Reptilio hahaha I don't know if you are being serious or not but when did we last have a Final Fantasy main character who was not white? Also most of them were also male...
Hmm, it is interesting that they would go with proprietary solutions for upscaling as well as adding hardware raytracing.
I would not be too surprised if the PS5 pro will have the capability to automatically apply upscaling as well as the new raytracing solution in any unpatched (PS5 pro patched) PS5 game that uses raytracing at lower resolutions.
This would allow many games to look and run better right out of the gate without the developer needing to release patches.
However with the extra power it would make sense to eventually release patches as that could unlock even better visuals and performance.
It would be similar to how the PS5 was able to run PS4 games better than the PS4 Pro right out of the game. However with next-gen patches, it got even better.
@Rhaoulos To be honest, an open world game does not have to be boring, I think the elder scrolls and Breath of the wild are good examples of that.
However I think that making an open world mana game seems like the wrong way to go. Mainly because building an open world with enough things to do in it that doesn't get boring is a huge and expensive undertaking that Square Enix have never been great at, their best attempt is probably Final Fantasy XV and many people see that game as a failure.
I think building worlds a bit more like Final Fantasy XVI and Dragon Quest XI is probably the better alternative for Square Enix.
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Re: Final Fantasy 16 Successfully Expanded the Series to New, Younger Players, Says Square Enix
@Strikke I wasn't even talking about FF16. You brought in Stranger of Paradise in the discussion as an example of a spin-off that people were complaining about.
Yes some spin off titles are just plain bad games. But that's besides the point..
People do generally not complain about them not living up to the Final Fantasy brand.
They complain about these games being boring, cheap, poor quality or other things.
If it's a spin-off then the expectation is different so you do not directly compare them with mainline in the same way.
But if a game is bad, then it's bad... That has nothing to do with them fitting in with the brand.
Many Final Fantasy spin-off games are great or at least decent, but there are a few stinkers as well.
There's a lot of good Final Fantasy spin-off titles that are very different from the mainline.
And that's the way to go in my opinion.
A spin-off or a branch out from the main-line does not have to mean low quality/low budget.
Take the Persona games for example, They are all a branched line from the Megami Tensei games but it ended up being probably the most popular branch.
There's other similar examples but my point is that it would make the most sense to branch the Final Fantasy franchise into two branches, one classic branch and one spin-off action based branch. And if they wanna dump the most resources into the action branch well at least the long term fans could rest assured that they'll at least get something eventually (even if it's not the highest budget project)
The problem is that the management at Square Enix seems to believe that mainline is all about the budget put into the game. And also they are not following the same standards as anyone else. (Calling Reboots, remakes, and remakes remasters for example. Completely clueless)
Because the way they choose to name things they have people confused and disappointed.
And it could have been so easily avoided.
Had they called it Final Fantasy VII - Reboot (instead of Remake), Final Fantasy Online 1 and 2(instead of 11 and 14) as well ass Final Fantasy Versus 1 and 2 (instead of 15 and 16).
Then no one would have complained...
But now of course people would complain because some of these games are their favourite in the franchise and for them it would be a crime to change the name not to be part of the mainline. Similar to convincing the people in North America that it's Final Fantasy VI and not Final Fantasy III.
Had Square Enix named their games properly from the start and categorised their games in a logical fashion that follows any standard then one would complain or feel disappointed..
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Successfully Expanded the Series to New, Younger Players, Says Square Enix
@Strikke I have no idea what you are talking about..
People were complaining because that game actually sucked, especially at launch. Which it really did..
It sucked as a game. I heard that things have gotten better after a bunch of patches.
But still Most people think of it as a pretty "meh" game.
And that's not because it's different, it's because it just not good. I don't remember people complaining about it being "Edgy", I remember people finding it repetitive and boring with corny characters and scripts and a story that didn't impress.
The only other spin-off games that I hear people really complain about was like some Crystal Chronicles for Wii and Mystic Quest for SNES as well as some mobile titles and most of these actually did suck.
But I don't remember anyone ever complaining about a spin-off game not being an RPG or a spin-off not having the same level of quality as the main-line.
Because again, most people do expect these spin-off titles to be different.
Most people do not actually compare Dissidia, Chocobo Racing or Tactics to the mainline.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
@NEStalgia Yeah I feel the same way, however a darker tone could work out if it's done right. Like a more Tim Burton or Majoras Mask kind of dark rather than a Dark Souls or Diablo dark.
It would still need to retain the charm. Otherwise it would be a disaster I think.
But with the recent news about the DQXII development I am also quite worried about what will become of the game.
Re: Interview: Final Fantasy 16's DLC Director on The Rising Tide, 16's Success, and What Makes a Great Expansion
@wildcat_kickz You know, I'd be perfectly happy if they cut down on the vision and cost of making the biggest spectacle with the best graphics, to make a lower budget traditional Final Fantasy that doubles down on Story, feeling and character.
But maybe that's just me..
Sure I could take a HD-2D game, but I think they could still make something great that is a few steps above that in terms of presentation without breaking the bank and still be appealing to younger players.
I think marketing is more important to bring in new players than the in game graphics.
But the gameplay is what retains them and makes them buy the next game.
Obviously XVI didn't do all that well in this regard, otherwise I think more people would have bought Rebirth.
However the old classics still have me buying Final Fantasy games in hope that they will hit gold again one day.
Re: Interview: Final Fantasy 16's DLC Director on The Rising Tide, 16's Success, and What Makes a Great Expansion
@wildcat_kickz Well, I sure hope so. But I am not too sure..
It seems to me like they have been on a constant quest to pull away from the Final Fantasy formula since Final Fantasy X with each game being vastly different and not being able to find a solid new direction. And rather than trying to go back to the tried and true they just pull further away.
I hope there's people at Square Enix who want to try making a more traditional entry in the franchise at some point. But they direction the franchise has been taking since 10 sure makes it difficult to stay hopeful.
I can agree that XVI have some RPG elements, but the problem is that those RPG elements barely makes a difference in game.
It matters more that you have good dodging reflexes than utilising a good strategy.
And I didn't really find the equipment and skills to be all that impactful. It feels more like an afterthought than a vital part of the game to me.
Sure when you compare the best equipment to the worst there's a difference.
But I miss the rewarding feeling of obtaining new weapons and gear in a Final Fantasy game, and the satisfaction of being my stats increasing when levelling up. And immediately being able to see how much stronger my party is in the next battle.
I do not get that at all in Final Fantasy XVI.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
@NEStalgia Well there is always hope I guess.
But if I look at it from a a Japanese point of view I only get more confused since they are the same company that has Dragon Quest which is even more of a merch seller there.. But they have always been super careful to be faithful to that franchise for some reason. And I would say that Dragon Quest XI was probably their most successful one so far..
It's odd that they would take such a different approach with Final Fantasy.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.31 Brings Big Damage Buffs for Clive, Better Side Quests, and Much More
@NEStalgia Well they did mention in an interview that the next patch should add "some" improvements to the performance mode but unfortunately not fix it completely. I will likewise give the performance mode another shot after the patch
Re: Interview: Final Fantasy 16's DLC Director on The Rising Tide, 16's Success, and What Makes a Great Expansion
@wildcat_kickz For me personally I think that this franchise deserves innovation without sacrificing identity.
I do not think that you need to sacrifice identity and tradition in order to innovate and attract new players.
Many players make their choice to try a new game based on simple things such as graphics and trailers.
And if they hate RPG's then there's other games for them.
I don't think Nintendo would make a mainline Mario game that abandons it's platforming in favour of being a first person fireball shooter in order to bring in a new audience.
If they made such a game, it would be some sort of spin-off and that would be fine, since we still could expect the next mainline game to be a platformer.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
@NEStalgia I pretty much agree with everything you just said (Which is unusual for me, I tend to find myself in disagreement with people regarding this topic)
It's so funny to me this whole situation, It seems like something that could have been so easily avoided.
But you're right their management clearly does not understand what they are doing anymore.
It's a shame because they used to be setting the trend with Final Fantasy, not blindly following it. And being successful in doing so.
At the same time it seems like they are giving more love to their other jRPG titles, like Dragon Quest and the upcoming Mana title. Why does Final Fantasy (arguably their flagship game) have to be the guinea pig these days?
And then they create IP like Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler what are doing a better job at carrying on the legacy of the Final Fantasy than the new Final Fantasy games does.
It's just so confusing to me
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Rage-Inducing Retry Wording Has Been Quietly Re-Worked
A welcome improvement, The last phase did me in on my first try since I didn't pay attention and was caught off guard (definitely my fault) and I did pick "Retry from This Battle"...
The frustration was definitely real..
However I decided to go again rather than rage-quitting, I payed more attention and beat the game on my second try.
But man that was a lengthy battle that I now dread for my second play through that I am doing now.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.31 Brings Big Damage Buffs for Clive, Better Side Quests, and Much More
@NEStalgia It takes a moment to get used to, but once you get used to it then it's not a problem.
Unstable 25-60 every time I pan the camera, press a button or poke my nose is something I never get used to though
Re: Interview: Final Fantasy 16's DLC Director on The Rising Tide, 16's Success, and What Makes a Great Expansion
"DLC obviously can’t pretend the main game never happened, and it can’t be something completely different – regardless of whether that “something different” might be good fun in its own right. On the other hand, it’s not a good idea for the experience of the main game to be incomplete unless you play the DLC.
These are all fairly common sense, but they’re the kinds of things I tried to keep in mind. And, of course, I think it’s really important to take note of player feedback. That’s one of the advantages you have when the DLC is created after the release of the main game.
This is less about what elevates the game per se, and is more about my own preferences, but I do sometimes wonder if changing a simple levelling or growth system in the base game to something more complex makes the experience more enjoyable."
Makes you wonder why they don't think this mindset applies to a new game in the franchise...
Re: New PS5 Pro Leak Points to Significant Graphics Push from Sony
For me it sort of depends on if it manages to be as quiet as the current PS5. I never wanna have something like the helicopter that the PS4 Pro was ever again.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.31 Brings Big Damage Buffs for Clive, Better Side Quests, and Much More
@J2theEzzo Rebirth definitely has a smoother frame-rate in performance mode. However I am not sure about stuff going on on-screen. It could be a bit more particle effects and magic spells flying around as I feel like the party members use their abilities a bit more frequently than in XVI.
Quite a few issues with Rebirth was ironed out with the last patch so I really enjoy the performance mode now.
However Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is more of an RPG than XVI and there's more depth to combat than you get in XVI.
For me that's a good thing, but if you're not into that sort of thing then Rebirth might not be for you.
However you should really play Final Fantasy VII - Remake before you play Rebirth, it's a trilogy and I don't think you'll appreciate the story as much if you start in the middle.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
@NEStalgia You know, I think Final Fantasy VII fans would have been perfectly happy with the game being remade as a regular remake (just rebuilt from the ground up to look an feel better) like Link's Awakening, the Pokemon remakes, the 3d remakes of the 2D Final Fantasy games or the Mario RPG remake to just name a few. I wouldn't even have complained if they went with a similar look to Ever Crisis if they kept the gameplay mostly the same as the original.
This would have been a much smaller undertaking for them to take on and they could have still released it as one complete game.
But instead they went and rebooted the game in this huge grandiose way that has many fans left unsure about what they even think about it.
On one hand I love seeing the characters in their full glory, the presentation is absolutely gorgeous! The voice actors did a great job and the graphics are great. There's a lot of nostalgia there and the way the world is represented is just wonderful.
But on the other hand, the gameplay does not have the same feel as I would have liked them to replicate from the original, the sense of progression and getting stronger has been greatly reduced and the story has been altered in very confusing ways. (especially for people not familiar with the original)
On top of that, the wait between each entry is so long that I with my heart condition have had thought's like "I sure hope that I'm alive long enough to play the third part".
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.31 Brings Big Damage Buffs for Clive, Better Side Quests, and Much More
@NEStalgia Rebirth's performance mode is WAY smoother than XVI. The only issue was that at launch the performance mode looked pretty blurry. This has since been fixed, now you can choose between two modes, one soft and one sharp.
You get a lower resolution in performance mode, but after the patch it's totally worth it and it's a quite enjoyable experience for me. Perhaps not rock solid 60, but miles better than the stuttery mess of a "performance" mode that XVI has.
I actually prefer playing FFXVI at 30 fps, because it's at least more stable. I am very sensitive to large frame-rate fluctuations so the performance mode in XVI is nearly unplayable for me.
30fps is something I can get used to.
It's like if you have a bright screen and a dim screen. I prefer the bright screen, but if the bright screen brightness randomly flickers as if something is wrong with it, then I rather get used to the dim screen that keeps the same brightness all the time.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.31 Brings Big Damage Buffs for Clive, Better Side Quests, and Much More
@Blaze215 Agreed and it barely gave me any challenge after I mastered the art of dodging and mashing.
There's very little strategy involved in this game compared to earlier titles and no super bosses to get frustrated about.
However I did enjoy the game for what it is, even if it didn't tickle my itch to play a Final Fantasy game.
I did enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth a lot more even though I would enjoy it even more if it was less of an action RPG.
Some of that was surely thanks to my nostalgia for the FF7 characters and universe. But to be honest, it is the better game out of the two in nearly every way.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Successfully Expanded the Series to New, Younger Players, Says Square Enix
@Strikke I get his point, and I partially agree.. Although I think my solution in my previous post would satisfy the players more.
When we get Final Fantasy 17 we are going to compare it to all the previous Final Fantasy games that we love.
And if it's not what we expect from the franchise then it will be a let down.
But if Square Enix wants to experiment with radically new ideas and genres without disappointing anyone they could totally do so by creating a branch of the franchise for this purpose.
This worked well in the past with both Final Fantasy Legend (which became the SaGa franchise), Final Fantasy Adventure (which became the Mana franchise), Final Fantasy Tactics, Crystal Chronicles and Dissidia to just name a few.
No one was complaining about them creating these side branches and spin-off titles existing beside the mainline franchise. Because we knew that they were going to be different and we knew that we could rely on the mainline franchise for the more classic experience (while still being the pinnacle of classic jRPG in terms of gameplay and quality)
I think we can have both Action games and RPG games, but I think they should be separated in order to not mess with the expectations of the players and to assure longtime fans that there will be something for them as well.
And if the new kids enjoy the new Final Fantasy action game, perhaps they will be curious to try out the RPG games as well.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
@3Above I also do not necessarily expect a stable 60 fps, however, I won't rule out the possibility with a pretty strong trade off on the visual side.
I think they rather aim for the PS5 Pro to hit 60 while still looking decent and 4k 60 on the PS6 (with an optional graphics mode that increases visual fidelity with VRR), or something like that.
Because at that point in time, the PS5 will be their lowest tier and Square Enix will most likely have PS6 devkits already.
I really doubt that they wouldn't take the chance of rereleasing all three games on the PS6 (all upgraded to run and look better of course)
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Successfully Expanded the Series to New, Younger Players, Says Square Enix
I think they should split the franchise into 2 branches.
One that cater towards new modern action gameplay to appeal to mainstream gamers.
And one that aims to please long time fans who crave the classic RPG experience.
I like Final Fantasy XVI as a game and I wan't to see more stuff like that.
But at the same time I don't think it's doing a very good job at representing what Final Fantasy stands for.
Hironobu Sakaguchi was dreaming about making an RPG game and was denied time after time because the management at Square thought that RPG's couldn't be a commercial success and they just wanted to focus on action games.
But eventually after the seeing the success of Dragon Quest in Japan, they finally gave him the greenlight to make an RPG.
And that was Final Fantasy.
So to me, it seems disrespectful to turn the franchise into the very thing it tried to not be. An action game.
I believe the franchise should always have a foot in the RPG genre. And I think it would have been better if they had split the franchise into for example the mainline (classic RPG style) and the "Versus"line(action/action-RPG style).
That way they could have avoided all the disappointed players.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Expected to Release Around 2027, Says Square Enix
@3Above Doesn't that depend on how you use the engine though?
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Has Sold Around 2 Million Copies, PS5 Player Data Suggests
@saffeqwe are you sure about that?
I assumed the reason why some places became inaccessible later in some of these games was to free up storage.
Still even if that's the case, there's no denying that Final Fantasy games were massive in scope compared to most other games.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Has Sold Around 2 Million Copies, PS5 Player Data Suggests
If SquareEnix ever make a Final Fantasy VII Remake - Complete Edition with all three games combined into one (Perhaps for the PS6) then I think it would sell very well.
There was a time when Final Fantasy was known to be absurdly large games. I mean just look at the PS1 era games 3-4 disc for one game when most other studios released games on one disc or tops 2.
Sure there was a lot of FMV sequences to fill up some of that space, but even so.. the games really was large..
I think they really could merge the three games into one and it wouldn't take too much of an effort I think. Unless the third game is going to completely change the battle system or something
Re: Most PS5 Players Say 60fps Is a Must
60fps should always be the targeted default mode in my opinion.
However if they have time to spare then they can feel free to make an eye candy 30fps mode or try to make a 120fps VRR mode.
30fps feels way worse on large 4k TV's than it used to look back in the old CRT days. You can get used to 30fps, the same way as you can get used to a bad smell...
Re: Not Everyone Is in Love with Dragon's Dogma 2 on PS5
Judging from the comments I've read so far it seems like some people love the game and some people hate it.
Personally I give that a thumbs up because I would absolutely hate seeing the entire industry appealing to the mainstream and all become Spiderman and The last of Us.
I pray that when the next Elder Scrolls game is released it will be more on the RPG side. I loved Oblivion and Morrowind! Not games for everyone perhaps, but great games if you like RPG's.
Skyrim was good but too simplified (to appeal to mainstream action game players) in my opinion.
Re: The Elder Scrolls Celebrates 30th Anniversary, Gives a Small Update on TES 6
@dellyrascal I honestly don't need every new game to innovate and be something completely new and revolutionary, I can see myself playing an Elder Scrolls title that borrows and refines aspects of old games as long as the new story is good and there's a lot of good content in the game.
I am honestly really tired of everyone trying too freaking hard to make something different when all I wan't is to just play a new game in a franchise I enjoy. What is this, the age of senseless experimentation? I wish to see more game studios playing it safe and focusing on a proven formula and making their fans happy.
Heck I want the next elder scrolls game to take 1 or 2 steps back and get more heavily into the roleplaying aspect of pre Skyrim era again.
Spell crafting and much advanced gear system.. (If I wanna wear a green sock on one foot and a red on the other then let me! Also let me enchant my socks with levitation spells! And as my socks durability decreases I want to gradually see holes appear until my toes stick out!!)
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PS5 Graphics Enhanced, Here Are the Patch Notes
@Ultrasmiles It looks great, better character models for example.
I especially love the new hairs, it looks a lot more natural and realistic to me.
Some things looks better, some things look worse, and that's mainly due to it being a more open-world like rather than being linear like Remake. some of the downgrades you'll see will have to do with lighting, reflections and LOD.
There are also some places that have some very low-res textures. I'd be willing to assume that this was more of an oversight or bugg rather than sacrifice for performance.
Remake had similar issues where the textures and LOD would load properly as well, some which was fixed and then later improved in Integrade. This could be a similar thing.
There's also some lighting issues, affecting characters and making their faces look weird (however most of these issues should be fixed with this patch, I have not been able to verify this)
Some places in Rebirth certainly look more breathtaking than what we see in Remake, even though technically there might be lower shadow resolution and lower quality textures in the distance. It has to do with the artistic touch and the scale.
like sure perhaps that pile of rubble in remake has some fancier shadows, but now we're comparing that with a vast open landscape, I can deal with that sacrifice.
In most cutscenes I feel like Rebirth is doing a better job than Remake with pretty much everything. However, some of these scenes are FMV's so there's that.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PS5 Graphics Enhanced, Here Are the Patch Notes
Performance mode sharp is actually a big upgrade over pre-patch performance mode.
I'm a fan for sure of this, pre-patch performance more ran great but looked way too soft...
Now it runs great and looks great!
Re: Sony Reportedly Undertaking Internal Investigation Following Leaked PS5 Pro Specs
@djlard good raytracing is far superior to any other lighting though. I mean some games have really good baked GI, Mario Kart comes to mind, but it's not interactive.
I rather see a decent bump in Raytracing performance and quality over an option to turn it off.
Re: Classic JRPG Package Grandia HD Collection Is Finally Coming to PS4 Later This Month
@Flaming_Kaiser I don't know why you think that Limited Run Games releases are different.
Re: Classic JRPG Package Grandia HD Collection Is Finally Coming to PS4 Later This Month
@Flaming_Kaiser still, they did a limited physical collection of these games in a couple of different flavours.
But it was a limited offer, now these games are very expensive as it's no longer being sold by Square Enix.
But I get it, you want a bargain collection. Sorry, only digital is your friend in that case.
Re: Nobody Wants to Die Looks Too Good to Be True on PS5
nice cinematics, but the game could be crap for all we know...
Re: Classic JRPG Package Grandia HD Collection Is Finally Coming to PS4 Later This Month
@Balosi it does exist, google "Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collector’s Edition PS4", expensive though
Re: Classic JRPG Package Grandia HD Collection Is Finally Coming to PS4 Later This Month
@Flaming_Kaiser what do you mean?
You have the pixel remasters which are remastered/remade versions of FF1-6 (which they do sell as a collection or the individual titles if you prefer that)
Then you have a port of Final Fantasy 7.
Then you have remastered versions of 8, 9, 10, 10-2 and 12.
That's pretty much all the classic titles on PS4 and PS5
Or you wan't them all in a single collection?
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Acclaimed CCG Queen's Blood Could Get Expanded
I think they could actually expand on it and release it as a standalone game, like Hearthstone. Could be great fun playing it against friends
Re: Best Final Fantasy Games
@drunk_guy Agreed, this isn't a very good way to get an accurate result.
For example ranking Final Fantasy VII Rebirth over Final Fantasy IX is just not correct.
But I get it, the new games are made to appeal to a mainstream audience, they have better graphics, better sound quality, action based combat and are fully voiced.
I can understand that they appeal more to the mainstream.
I also think that it can be difficult to get into a game that is +20 years old, so perhaps this is why.
But I think that most people who grew up with the franchise will agree that the ends of the SNES era to the PS2 era were the peak of the franchise. And then we can all argue whether the best was 7, 9, 6 or perhaps 10. but most who were around back then would probably agree that this was the "golden age" of final fantasy.
I think Rebirth and XVI are both great games and I do enjoy them a lot. (Rebirth a bit more than XVI)
It sure feels like Square Enix is on the way back up, but still not quite there. Rebirth is probably the best Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy 12 (if you exclude the MMoRPGs).
Re: Best Final Fantasy Games
@Ashkorsair Nah, I think it's really underrated.
It's one of those games that people love to hate.
I think there is three main things that people usually bring up:
1) the junction system being broken in that you can abuse it to get very OP or get unlimited GIL
2) The junction system being overly complicated
3) Drawing Magic is tedious
I don't think the system is too complicated, I think it's quite fun system once you understand it. And you don't need to abuse the flaws in the system if you don't want to.
And yes the Drawing system can be tedious.
But it's a jRPG.. Grinding is to be expected.
I think there's a pretty darn good game underneath those flaws.
I like the combat, the junction system (Despite the flaws), the characters, the story, the music (oh man it's great), the card game.
Re: Best Final Fantasy Games
this is my personal top 5
1) Final Fantasy IX (yes this is the best one, only downside is the loading before each battle)
2) Final Fantasy X
3) Final Fantasy VII
4) Final Fantasy VI
5) Final Fantasy VIII
My bottom 5 (lower is worse)
1) Final Fantasy XIII (this is the worst one, too linear and too little customisation, the world feels empty and bland, the characters a meh, but the graphics was quite spectacular at the time)
2) Final Fantasy II
3) Final Fantasy XV
4) Final Fantasy
5) Final Fantasy XIII - Lightning Returns
Note that even though this is my least favourite mainline Final Fantasy games, I do not hate them, in fact I have beaten all of them and even have platinum trophy in Final Fantasy XV.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
@Player_1_Ready lol, what? Did you even play the game yourself or did you just read some early opinions?
This game is far better than Remake in almost every way. (Except a few graphical situations due to the world being more open rather than a corridor... but who cares?? It's still one of the prettiest games on the PS5)
I have not finished the game yet but I am close (chapter 13)
Perhaps they could have had less mini games in the game.
however having a lot of mini games was actually a thing with the original Final Fantasy VII, so they are being somewhat faithful to the original material in a way.
And yeah I get that this game has a brighter tone than Remake, But I feel like that's a good thing. It was the same in the original FFVII. I remember when I first left Midgar in the original.. It was an uplifting feeling to see that the world was more than just Midgar and slums and that there was some beauty in it as well.
When it comes to actual gameplay mechanics I feel like Rebirth is just an improved/upgraded version of the system in Remake.
I wish it wasn't an action based combat system (since I am a sort of purist when it comes to Final Fantasy.)
But at least it's a very good system that borrows from Final Fantasy VII.
This is a very very good game, but because it's a Final Fantasy game, we tend to judge it harder than we should, because we're all expecting the highest quality, because it's Final Fantasy..
For me, this could be the best Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy X, (not including Final Fantasy XIV since it's an MMoRPG)
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is Getting Another Patch to Improve Performance Mode
@FatalBubbles Well I am running the TV in game mode with all post processing turned off, so yeah there no sharpening being applied by the TV.
I don't see the problem with using the TV's sharpening features on old SD stuff, but on a brand new consoles like the PS5 I expect the console and media to be capable of sending a crisp image to the TV (that doesn't need additional post processing).
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is Getting Another Patch to Improve Performance Mode
@gonzilla I dunno, on my 65" LG C1 OLED TV it's pretty darn noticeable (from about 3m away).
Perhaps if you have a smaller TV you won't notice the blur as much.
In my case I do prefer the graphics mode over performance mode for now, however if they actually fix the blur using a proper upscaling technique like FSR then I bet that I will switch over to performance mode because I do really enjoy the smoothness it brings.
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
I love this game so far, 100% completed the Green Lands and started working on the Junon area
I like it more than the Final Fantasy VII Remake even though the performance mode looks worse and some graphical downgrades have been made.
I would say, just play the game in graphics mode for now, hopefully they'll fix the performance mode blur eventually.
Re: PS5, PS4 Action RPG REYNATIS Looks Hella Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Doesn't look very Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts to me. I mean sure, it looks like jRPG style.
But I think there's a bit more cell shading and outlines and stuff than what is typical for a Final Fantasy or Kingdom heart game. Looks good though..
But the music definitely sounds like something Yoko Shimomura (The Kingdom Heart/Final Fantasy XV composer) could have written. Dramatic orchestral music with emphasis on piano and choir is what she does best.
Edit: I didn't read the entire article lol, I guess I was right about it sounding like Shimomura
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 Demo Update Will Improve Performance Mode Next Week
@KundaliniRising333 I see the issues if I look for them, but in this case it's not bad enough to make me feel like it's really bothering me.
Final Fantasy XVI on the other hand is still unplayable for me in performance mode.
Re: Final Fantasy 8 Director Would Rework Divisive Junction System in Hypothetical Remake
The ideas behind the junction system are fine and not as complicated as people say. the problems lies in how easy it is to abuse the system to make very OP characters very quickly and make unlimited GIL, clone items and so on.
These are issues that actually would be somewhat easy to fix I think.
The other issues I have with FFVIII is the Draw system and level scaling.
The Draw system is just too tedious, I think they could make it less tedious by having enemies also drop magic as you win the battle as well as increasing the number of magic you draw from enemies. that way you spend less time just mindlessly drawing magic. I also think that they should rework how to increase stats, which leads me into the level scaling.
As you level up in FFVIII you characters stats remain unchanged except for the HP that increases a little bit, however the enemies get stronger as you level up, and it's not just their HP that goes up. This led to many players making the game too difficult for themselves because they were just too high level without the junction magic to increase their stats, the properly upgraded weapons or the powerful GF summons.
On the other hand, people who realised that this is the way the game works had a breeze through the game by staying as low level as possible and making the most of the junction system, GF system and weapon upgrades.
A sort of fix for this balancing issue would be to actually increase character's stats as they level up (Like in many other Final Fantasy games), and decrease the stat boost you can achieve from the junction system, so again, balancing. and as the stat boost you get from junction decreases the players might actually end up using spells more which would be a happy side effect. (as in some cases the stat boost of the junction system might not be worth it for some players, you could say that you open up for more play styles that are all "working")
Also, one issue with the junction system came down to how it was presented, lots of short abbreviations to keep track of and lots of stats that you have to memorise.
I think that they could probably rework the UI around the junction system to be easier to understand with better names for different things and a more visually self explanatory GUI.
As for the story, battles and characters I think FFVIII did a good job, perhaps they could add in more story moments and cutscenes, perhaps they could get rid of the GF boost or rework it so that you don't have you pop a vein to max out the damage output. (perhaps by just holing and letting go of the button at the right time instead of spamming it as fast as you can, or making it more like the Cloud dance mini game from the Final Fantasy VII Remake).
But other than that I don't have a lot of complaints about Final Fantasy VIII
Re: A Final Fantasy 6 Remake Would Take 20 Years to Make, Says Square Enix Producer
Well, that's if they did it the same was as Final Fantasy VII.
(and that basically more a reboot than a remake)
I do not think it's important to go to such lengths.
Re: Game of the Year: #5 - Final Fantasy 16
@Reptilio hahaha I don't know if you are being serious or not but when did we last have a Final Fantasy main character who was not white? Also most of them were also male...
Not that I think race matters much
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Targeting September 2024, Will Have Proprietary Upscaling Tech
Hmm, it is interesting that they would go with proprietary solutions for upscaling as well as adding hardware raytracing.
I would not be too surprised if the PS5 pro will have the capability to automatically apply upscaling as well as the new raytracing solution in any unpatched (PS5 pro patched) PS5 game that uses raytracing at lower resolutions.
This would allow many games to look and run better right out of the gate without the developer needing to release patches.
However with the extra power it would make sense to eventually release patches as that could unlock even better visuals and performance.
It would be similar to how the PS5 was able to run PS4 games better than the PS4 Pro right out of the game.
However with next-gen patches, it got even better.
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Targeting September 2024, Will Have Proprietary Upscaling Tech
I might get it if it's still a quiet machine.
Re: Visions of Mana Isn't Open World, But It Does Have 'Vast' Semi-Open Areas
@Rhaoulos To be honest, an open world game does not have to be boring, I think the elder scrolls and Breath of the wild are good examples of that.
However I think that making an open world mana game seems like the wrong way to go. Mainly because building an open world with enough things to do in it that doesn't get boring is a huge and expensive undertaking that Square Enix have never been great at, their best attempt is probably Final Fantasy XV and many people see that game as a failure.
I think building worlds a bit more like Final Fantasy XVI and Dragon Quest XI is probably the better alternative for Square Enix.