Slashdot Mirror
Square Enix Event Revelations
Square Enix has their yearly media event in Japan this past weekend, and news on upcoming titles is plentiful. Final Fantasy XII has finally been given a release date...in Japan. The Japanese launch is set for March 16, 2006. Aside from knowing the Japanese release date, details on the theme song for the highly anticipated title were also available. Aside from the heavyweight, information on Square Enix's Mobile games had some time in the sun, FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus had some new info revealed, and Fantasy Earth (Square's next MMO) was shown off but was unplayable. FFXI, their current MMOG, got the business end of a Q&A about upcoming plans, while movie fans will be happy to hear that FFVII: Advent Children is set to premiere in Japanese theaters in September. Finally, the rumour from the event that has everyone excited is the possibility that the Final Fantasy VII tech demo is more than a demo. The beautiful movie, shown originally at E3 this year, was shown again at the event and has prompted commentators to wonder if this is the first glimpse of the much rumoured remake of the classic console RPG.
I think more people would want to know will we see a "Hot Coffee" mod :)
A psychopath can't tell the difference between right and wrong. A sociopath knows the difference - he just doesn't care.
Dude, it's been delayed so many times they're gonna have to release it for the PS3. *remembers when the release date was Spring 2005*
When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.
Good. I don't think it's the greatest Final Fantasy out there, but it definitely didn't age well. Compare its graphics to the other 2 PSX Final Fantasies, and you'll see what I mean. FF VII is easily to worst looking in the entire series (assuming you replace the NES graphics from I and II with the graphics from Origins and/or Dawn of Souls), and a graphical update would make me much more prone to play it again.
e2 | LJ
Why would you be able to reverse a major plot point just because it's being remade?
When they ported IV to the PSX should you have been able to skip Cecil's transition from Dark Knight to Paladin? No. It's an integral part of the story.
e2 | LJ
Their best game hands down was Final Fantasy III (US) / VI (Jap). I would love to see a remake of that.
VI has beautiful graphics. If SquareEnix really wants to make more money off of it, they could let Nintendo offer it up for download on the Revolution. They've already got the SNES code. More money with zero work for them. From a business standpoint, what reason do they have to remake VI?
e2 | LJ
Anyone notice how the hero looks suspiciously like Michael Jackson with white hair?
You know, if you're holding a shindig to announce a bunch new, new stuff and the thing "that has everyone excited" is a (possible) remake of a previous game, you just might be doing something wrong.
I mean, I really like Squeenix and all, but I only bought FFX now that it's in the $20 bin, and then only on the strong recommendation of a friend. I really like the way FFXII looks (or has looked so far, since I can't see TFA from here), but I had exactly the same impression of FFIX, which I never did finish. I can only play the same damn game so many times, guys.
Canthros
I saw a release poster in Suncoast yesterday that listed Advent Children as coming out in September (I live in the US). With misinformation like that floating around, it makes it hard to believe anything about these release schedules.
You must have missed all of this then:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22revive+aeris I don't see how her staying dead is a major plot point. Her sacrificing her life to yield Holy, yes. but staying dead, no.
What did I miss? The methods outlining how to "revive" her involve a GameShark. If they wanted Aeris to be revivable, she would be. Besides, sacrificing one's life doesn't have anywhere near as much emotional pull when that character is fine and kicking ass again in 20 minutes. When death is permanent, it means something.
e2 | LJ
It was a hugely successfuly game that put Squaresoft on the map in America. It has a huge following and fanbase even today. It has sceeens that are just begging for a current graphics makeover (Pheonix cave, even thought it was done beautifully for it's time).
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
I agree that remakes and sequels have been dominating the sector way too much as of late, but a remake of FF7 is just something that might truly be worth it. I've never heard so much talk and rumors of a remake, I think this is something alot of people really want. Perhaps Square was just waiting for better hardware.
I also hope to god they "finish" the game this time (see the first post). It's been fairly well documented that she was supposed to come back.
I'll stop being cynical when the world allows
She did more than just yield the materia. She was also responsible for gathering the life-force together to you know... save the freaking planet. The death was a nessecary tragedy.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
You missed all the expressions for the desire for it to happen. Part of the game was that when people die , they live in another form. In the ending Aeris's hand was reaching for Cloud's from within the life-stream. In Final Fantasy Tactics, Cloud pops up searching for Aeris.
The gaming industry is becoming more like the Hollywood slashdot regularly craps over (remakes and remakes of remakes), but slashdot LIKES it for games.
Okay.
Really though, a FFVII remake will suck. It will have voices that "hardcore" FF fans will dislike, plot tweaks that everyone will whine about, and different visuals all around that people will complain arent true to the original game.
You play FFVII on the PS1, and I'll play FFVI on the SNES.
Remakes are stupid square-enix, give us a new, good FF. Or heaven forbid, give a real shit about a non-FF franchise!!
Stop using III, it's been released as VI on the PS1 in the US, with fmv's addded, but otherwise the graphics are the same. I would like to see a fuller remake made too.
I still fail to understand why fan desires should change the narrative. What you're proposing is similar to asking J.K.Rowling to rewrite the Harry Potter series with yourself as a love interest "because you'd like to see it happen."
The story is what it is. SquareEnix isn't beyond delaying a game because it isn't done yet. Maybe in some prior iteration Aeris came back, but in the final product she dies and stays that way, and the story is better for it.
e2 | LJ
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
Well if I was J.K. Rowling's only fan, then you'd be right, and there would be good reason for J.K. Rowling to do so. Why do narratives come into being in the first place. It is because of deep, true feelings. Such feelings, is there ever a time they should be ignored?
It was a hugely successfuly game that put Squaresoft on the map in America.
No, that was FF7. FF6 was only popular among hardcore gamers here.
Rob
And he finds her.
Anyway, she needs to be dead in order for Meteo to be stopped. That was the whole reason she died. She was there to help form Holy, and organize the Life Force into blocking Meteo.
It doesn't work any other way.
Netjak.com independent reviews of domestic & import video ga
Why would you be able to reverse a major plot point just because it's being remade?
Because frankly, it was a pretty stupid plot point. In most other stories the opposite would be true, and dead characters should stay dead, but if I have to grind through 20 hours of Final Fantasy gameplay to see 2 hours of story, they should at least keep the two consistent with each other! I can't be the only one who wanted to yell at the characters:
"Phoenix Down! Use a Phoenix Down! I've got 99 of them! This isn't even the first time Aeris has needed to be resurrected today!!!"
Have Phoenix downs ever actually reversed death? Even if that's what in the description, they really seem to work more like salts. Running out of HP in a Final Fantasy means that character is knocked out. He's not dead, but you need to revive him. After all, if you don't revive a downed character, they're still alive (albeit with only 1 HP, except for FF:T, where they disappear if you don't revive them in time and stay gone).
Yes, it's hard to be internally consistent when a big portion of your game is battling, but that cutscene seems to have solidified the difference between dead and knocked out.
e2 | LJ
Playing FF6 was what turned a gamer into a hardcore gamer, IMHO.
That game was so good and had so much to do, I just never could put it down.
I was referring to the sequence in which Locke actually finds the Pheonix materia. Not, the cave itself.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
Not as popular as FF, but it is a major RPG franchise in its own right.
It does make a lot of sense that they could be remaking VII. I mean they are making a sequel film, a PSP game and a mobile phone game.
It seems odd to me that they would do all of this for a game that hasn't been available in shops (outside of bargain bins) for over 5 years now. I suspect a remake of VII could be the centerpiece to all this work...
[i] Why would you be able to reverse a major plot point just because it's being remade?[/i] Because FFVII is not just a work of art, it is a commercial product, and because Square stands to reap massive profits from fairly little effort for reversing that one design decision. The same reason they broke the "We don't make sequels to FF games" rule with FF:X-2 and now with the Advent Children thing. Regardless of how much artistic integrity is imputed to them, eventually the dollar (or yen, as appropriate) will win out.
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
I'm sure the game will move plenty of units as a simple graphical update. If you change the story it's not FF VII any more. If you want a different story, why not get excited about FF XII?
e2 | LJ
I couldn't agree more. Especially if they did cel-shaded graphics following Amano's original illustrations, and hired back Ted Woolsey to do the English script.
</fanboy-dream>
-Stephen
"Phoenix Down! Use a Phoenix Down! I've got 99 of them! This isn't even the first time Aeris has needed to be resurrected today!!!"
In FFV they tried a phoenix down on the guy that died. It didn't work, but at least I didn't have to yell at my TV.
"What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
"Square Enix has their yearly media event"
Final this, Fantasy that... Where's the Enix?
"Even if that's what in the description, they really seem to work more like salts."
These "salts" can bring you back after being sliced, stabbed, shot, crushed, exploded, set on fire, chewed up and spit out, and having some sort of planet-destroying beam (if certain animations in the final fight are to believed) smack into you. Are these people then only "mostly dead?"
They were careful enough in FF6 to spell it "fenix down" to pretend that it couldn't be used to revive a certain NPC who was injured pre-game, but really, the poster is right: the phoenix downs had been used on Aeris numerous times for far more grievous injuries than simply being run through. At least Phantasy Star II tried to explain why you couldn't/shouldn't revive Nei (and you were allowed to try!).
"After all, if you don't revive a downed character, they're still alive"
That is far from a constant in the Final Fantasy games. Most of the games had you dragging around bodies until you revived them. Heck, in the first game the party couldn't even revive those with 0 HP without going back to a town.
you mean like this? http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/finalfantasyiii/
Hmmm... could it be that Square has fallen prey to the Western idea that 13 is an unlucky number? They stopped right at 12 and then started back up with 7 again. Anyways, I think it would be fun to see 7 remade with better graphics, there are all sorts of other things they should try out first. One, an FF in the same vein as FF4 and FF6, i.e. one that is good. They need to make more non-FF games as well. Hell, many of their best titles were way better than FF games. To name a few, Chrono Trigger (perfect), Xenogears (without the novel at the end) and Vagrant Story (with a better battle engine). If they could make more non-FF titles with the same caliber as those, that'd be awesome. The biggest reason I can see for remaking FF7 is the fact that it is their best selling game and they are trying to recapture that money. Oh well, I still hope that it will be good.
Not only do both FF4 and FF5 feature a character dying, both games have it occur in roughly the same way, a desperation attack on the main villain that appears to suceed, at least partially.
I never spellcheck and I freely admit it. Save your karma for more worthwhile "lol erorrs" replies
With all that media attention Square-Enix is getting, they seem to be cautious in revealing anything Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, there was only a rerun of the E3 demonstration at the event. What do you think of that Crisis Core game? A catalyst for PSP Sales? (after that price skimming)...
I found a nice collection of (japanese) articles in a Square-Enix Party 2005 FF7: Advent Children Report, it says that there is also a FF7:AC Soundtrack that will be released in end of September. About FF7:AC, it is true, they released so many trailers that at least a third of the movie can be reconstituted...is that some sort of aggressive marketing to then sell limited editions at a bloated price? I don't see any other movie makers doing a trailer of their film every two months.
Daemon