The Final Fantasy Thread

[Tour of Italy]

Apparently Square did axe any and all remasters relating to Final Fantasy 13.

No trilogy collection or any of that bullshit. It's not like it matters anyways, all you need to play is Lightning Returns.

Because that's the only good game in the trilogy and it ignores the first two games like they never even happened.

That and the bulk of the Final Fantasy audience is on Playstation which now has backwards compatibility again for the PS5.

I would imagine there's also the issue of FF13 being very recent compared to every other FF title (such as 7, Tactics, 8, and so on) and FF13 being much more widely accessible compared to older titles. They also likely have sales data from the latest batch of re-releases (via the Switch or Virtual Console/PC/whatever) and made a risk/reward decision.

The company is probably going to have very serious talks about re-releases vs. remasters vs. remakes pending on how Final Fantasy 7 - Remake does and this might be waiting for that data to come out.

Dark Souls got a remaster and it was released two years after FF13. It really did need one on a technical level, sure, but it was only a 7 year old game when it got its update.

I think part of the issue is that the FF13 trilogy still looks pretty great when upscaled. The PC ports at 60fps hold up incredibly well, thanks in part to the art direction. Although if anything it makes it more baffling that they’re not interested in a minimalist trilogy bundle.

Tactics desperately needs a remaster; the PSP version is 13 years old now and while the new translation and FMV’s were great, it suffered from bad optimizations and slowdown without a third party patch. It’s begging for a tablet and PC version with a graphical update, although Square Enix’s track record with lazy ports has me hesitant. The fucking butchered the Switch DQ trilogy, ignoring many low-effort, low-cost improvements and inclusions.

For half the cost of whatever they’re paying the team that animated Cloud’s new pigtails they could have really made something special with DQ (FF4, FF6, and Crono Trigger too, for that matter) but we got another lazy port. Now they’re scratching their heads at low sales numbers when zero effort was made to polish and market the old stuff, but hopefully they wise up and see the potential.

Listen dawg if you wanted to just square(soft) up you could have just cut out the foreplay and said so.

Really though my heart has always been with Street Fighter. It was a perfect storm of shit and it's still fun to watch for me.

Advent Children can be summarized easily with "Nomura tries too hard to be cool"

Street Fighter (1994) is a work of fucking art.

M. Bison was Raul Julia’s last role before his death, and when asked why he took it after a string of very successful, dramatic roles he basically said “it’s a fun movie that my grandkids will like”.

 

[Tanner Glass]

Dark Souls got a remaster and it was released two years after FF13. It really did need one on a technical level, sure, but it was only a 7 year old game when it got its update.

I think part of the issue is that the FF13 trilogy still looks pretty great when upscaled. The PC ports at 60fps hold up incredibly well, thanks in part to the art direction. Although if anything it makes it more baffling that they’re not interested in a minimalist trilogy bundle.

Tactics desperately needs a remaster; the PSP version is 13 years old now and while the new translation and FMV’s were great, it suffered from bad optimizations and slowdown without a third party patch. It’s begging for a tablet and PC version with a graphical update, although Square Enix’s track record with lazy ports has me hesitant. The fucking butchered the Switch DQ trilogy, ignoring many low-effort, low-cost improvements and inclusions.

For half the cost of whatever they’re paying the team that animated Cloud’s new pigtails they could have really made something special with DQ (FF4, FF6, and Crono Trigger too, for that matter) but we got another lazy port. Now they’re scratching their heads at low sales numbers when zero effort was made to polish and market the old stuff, but hopefully they wise up and see the potential.



Street Fighter (1994) is a work of fucking art.

M. Bison was Raul Julia’s last role before his death, and when asked why he took it after a string of very successful, dramatic roles he basically said “it’s a fun movie that my grandkids will like”.

Dark Souls got a remaster after 7 years, but it certainly wasn't nearly as huge of a remaster as FF7:R. Bandai Namco also doesn't have as big a library as SquareEnix does. That said, those cowards should remake Armored Core.

Tactics needs a remaster badly, the PSP port was really awful. The translation I thought was horrendous and the optimization was incredibly bad to a point where it ruined the game. For those that never played it, the game would turn into a slideshow whenever there was a lighting effect or spell effect - meaning anyone casting spells or using items would trigger it, in a game where people are constantly using spell effects and items.

The main issue though is that for FFT, FF6, and FF5 - is that none of them are really super-suited to the Action RPG setup that they're looking for in FF7:R or FFXV. Hopefully they can figure out how to modernize them without changing them super drastically - perhaps with some new modes/maps/etc.

 

[Tour of Italy]

Dark Souls got a remaster after 7 years, but it certainly wasn't nearly as huge of a remaster as FF7:R. Bandai Namco also doesn't have as big a library as SquareEnix does. That said, those cowards should remake Armored Core.

Tactics needs a remaster badly, the PSP port was really awful. The translation I thought was horrendous and the optimization was incredibly bad to a point where it ruined the game. For those that never played it, the game would turn into a slideshow whenever there was a lighting effect or spell effect - meaning anyone casting spells or using items would trigger it, in a game where people are constantly using spell effects and items.

The main issue though is that for FFT, FF6, and FF5 - is that none of them are really super-suited to the Action RPG setup that they're looking for in FF7:R or FFXV. Hopefully they can figure out how to modernize them without changing them super drastically - perhaps with some new modes/maps/etc.

DS:R was a smaller scale project, sure, but it was roughly on par with the effort it would take to rerelease a modern optimized FF13 trilogy. Maybe a little tougher even. The main difference is that while 13 was relatively popular at release, it’s largely faded in the public consciousness as opposed to Dark Souls which is still expanding in terms of influence.

As for War of the Lions, I respectfully disagree about the translation overall, although I did like the idea of how the original stepped away from the branding and used things like “Wizard” instead of “Black Mage”. It gave the setting a different feel.

If you’re interested in still playing it though, there’s a very easy to use patch that fixes the animations. It’s a tiny file you just put in your Memory Stick directory that works with emulators, digital versions on the original hardware and even the UMD. I’ve tested it personally with each.

WotL Slowdown Removal Fix PPF (Last Updated: October 23) - Page 3

WotL Slowdown Removal Fix PPF (Last Updated: October 23) - Page 3

ffhacktics.com

(EDIT: This link patches the ISO. I could be misremembering, but I do believe there’s a version that exists that will work as described. Will look for it this evening.)

It would definitely be fun to get action RPG versions of older FF titles; they’ve got art direction that you just don’t see with modern games. When’s the last time you saw a triple-A game with a main character in a pink dress? Hell, even FF15 was all dudes in all black. FF6 if done right would be a real treat visually, but as popular as it was, it doesn’t have the same longevity as 7 nor is it as relatable and relevant culturally. The FF7 remake almost feels like it could be a side story in FF15. I’m certain the bean counters at Square would have a hard time buying into the pitch for a game with a weird fucking steampunk aesthetic and kabuki clown as a villain.

I instead hold out hope for a more modest goal of traditional 2D updates to the existing ports except this time they actually give even half a shit. Hand drawn art, or a more refined mixed media approach like Octopath Traveller; something with more flair but still true to the spirit of the originals. Something in the vein of WoTL, the PSP versions of FF1/FF2. They could definitely get that done on a budget, but instead they shoveled the IP to bargain basement mobile developers.

 

[Forbidden Math]

I instead hold out hope for a more modest goal of traditional 2D updates to the existing ports except this time they actually give even half a shit.

They didn't give a shit last time, what makes you think they'd give a shit this time?

My tip: Just play the original. And don't give me that "outdated" crap, just because it's 2020 doesn't mean Final Fantasy VI is any less of a game. In fact I'd argue FF6 has more depth than most modern games. I mean I guess if you're a graphics whore it's a big deal but if you're a graphics whore then there is no helping you and you're forever destined to play shit games and terrible remasters because they had something shiny in them.

 

[Tanner Glass]

DS:R was a smaller scale project, sure, but it was roughly on par with the effort it would take to rerelease a modern optimized FF13 trilogy. Maybe a little tougher even. The main difference is that while 13 was relatively popular at release, it’s largely faded in the public consciousness as opposed to Dark Souls which is still expanding in terms of influence.

As for War of the Lions, I respectfully disagree about the translation overall, although I did like the idea of how the original stepped away from the branding and used things like “Wizard” instead of “Black Mage”. It gave the setting a different feel.

If you’re interested in still playing it though, there’s a very easy to use patch that fixes the animations. It’s a tiny file you just put in your Memory Stick directory that works with emulators, digital versions on the original hardware and even the UMD. I’ve tested it personally with each.

WotL Slowdown Removal Fix PPF (Last Updated: October 23) - Page 3

WotL Slowdown Removal Fix PPF (Last Updated: October 23) - Page 3

ffhacktics.com

It would definitely be fun to get action RPG versions of older FF titles; they’ve got art direction that you just don’t see with modern games. When’s the last time you saw a triple-A game with a main character in a pink dress? Hell, even FF15 was all dudes in all black. FF6 if done right would be a real treat visually, but as popular as it was, it doesn’t have the same longevity as 7 nor is it as relatable and relevant culturally. The FF7 remake almost feels like it could be a side story in FF15. I’m certain the bean counters at Square would have a hard time buying into the pitch for a game with a weird fucking steampunk aesthetic and kabuki clown as a villain.

I instead hold out hope for a more modest goal of traditional 2D updates to the existing ports except this time they actually give even half a shit. Hand drawn art, or a more refined mixed media approach like Octopath Traveller; something with more flair but still true to the spirit of the originals. Something in the vein of WoTL, the PSP versions of FF1/FF2. They could definitely get that done on a budget, but instead they shoveled the IP to bargain basement mobile studios.

I dislike the translation because they dove super deep and did a full "13th century Shakespearean play" re-translation. The original translation was also bad (in terms of grammar) but I would have much preferred that it was cleaned up instead of replaced with nonsense. It really kills the flow of conversation at times when it really doesn't need to. I don't have a strong preference between "Wizard" and "Black Mage", but losing "Hell Knight" to "Netherseer" was nonsense - as was losing "Calculator" to "Arithmetician" and "Dark Knight" to "Fell Knight"

I realize a fan was able to fix it (2 years later, IIRC) but it shouldn't have been there in the first place. It was 100% an issue from the tutorial fight to the final fight and I'm certainly not a QA expert but how the fuck can you say a game is QA'ed when using a potion or casting a spell fucks up the framerate.

Final Fantasy 5 done up like Bravely Default/Octopath Traveler would be 1000% my fucking jam, though.

 

[Tour of Italy]

They didn't give a shit last time, what makes you think they'd give a shit this time?

My tip: Just play the original. And don't give me that "outdated" crap, just because it's 2020 doesn't mean Final Fantasy VI is any less of a game. In fact I'd argue FF6 has more depth than most modern games. I mean I guess if you're a graphics whore it's a big deal but if you're a graphics whore then there is no helping you and you're forever destined to play shit games and terrible remasters because they had something shiny in them.

I ain’t knocking the originals, don’t misunderstand. The pixel art in 6 is phenomenal, and I respect the world and story even if I couldn’t get into the game.

The mobile ports with their fake upscaling looked fucking awful and I’m at a loss why they didn’t pay an actual art director for a year of work to make something worthwhile. Hell, modders had to come in after the fact just to add an option for the original sprites, which is such an embarrassing lack of care and effort on Square’s part that I wonder just how soulless their corporate board is. Not that I had high hopes in the first place.

I’m just saying a limited scope, stylized remaster is a way more likely thing to hope for than a Triple-A action RPG reimagining. Not that those chances are even likely in the first place.

I’m not saying graphics make the game, I’m saying that it would be a treat for people who love and respect the original games to see a different stylized take. A FF6 that took more visual cues from Amano’s watercolor concept art would be a joy to play through.

I realize a fan was able to fix it (2 years later, IIRC) but it shouldn't have been there in the first place. It was 100% an issue from the tutorial fight to the final fight and I'm certainly not a QA expert but how the fuck can you say a game is QA'ed when using a potion or casting a spell fucks up the framerate.

Agreed, I have a hard time believing that they were so desperate to ship the fucker that they couldn’t take the time to fix an animation bug that adds literal fucking hours to your play through. It’s not like a post-game official patch was a stretch either, it came out right around the time where that was starting to be a relatively easy option. There’s so much to love about the remake, but the places where it fails shows that lack of care that would only get worse.

Final Fantasy 5 done up like Bravely Default/Octopath Traveler would be 1000% my fucking jam, though.

I agree, and this is mostly what I’m talking about. And it could be done for multiple platforms for a tiny percentage of what FF7:R is costing them.

 

[Cod of War]

It was was one thing when Prompto did victory fanfare but seems a bit odd for Barret to it, though.

 

[Marissa Moira]

Baby Chocobo from the 7 Remaster reminds me of Lisa Simpson

 

[MightyBiteySnake]

It was was one thing when Prompto did victory fanfare but seems a bit odd for Barret to it, though.

View attachment 1173517

I think it works. Yuffie or Cait Sith would be the "most appropriate" but they won't appear til disk 2 so yknow.

Barrett has a lighter and softer side to him that often goes understated by fans, and I think this plays to that angle well

 

[Shield Breaker]

13 is trash, tho'.

 

[Burned Man]

I think it works. Yuffie or Cait Sith would be the "most appropriate" but they won't appear til disk 2 so yknow.

Barrett has a lighter and softer side to him that often goes understated by fans, and I think this plays to that angle well

Can't wait to unlock his sailor suit.

 

[Your Weird Fetish]

Tactics needs a remaster badly, the PSP port was really awful. The translation I thought was horrendous

I never thought the holy stones...more evil...well, the Lucavi made them to land in this world...
-Dycedarg's Older Brother

I’m certain the bean counters at Square would have a hard time buying into the pitch for a game with a weird fucking steampunk aesthetic and kabuki clown as a villain.

Meh Kefka's just the Joker. People love the Joker.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

Yep, it's Midgar only. Fuck me. I have no idea how they're going to expand the Midgar section to be a full game, and if ends up only being 15 hours or so it's fair to be pissed. They claimed each part was going to be a full size game.

If it is a full "game" just imagine how fun the leveling will be. 60 Hours for 20 levels, no real Advanced materia..no summons, no advanced Limit Breaks. 60 Hours of Casting Fire, Cure and Braver against fat sacks of HP.

 

[Your Weird Fetish]

If it is a full "game" just imagine how fun the leveling will be. 60 Hours for 20 levels, no real Advanced materia..no summons, no advanced Limit Breaks. 60 Hours of Casting Fire, Cure and Braver against fat sacks of HP.

They just throw the big summons and spells at you in the first game so each one will be a mechanical retread unless the new NPCs play drastically differently.

 

[Marissa Moira]

If it is a full "game" just imagine how fun the leveling will be. 60 Hours for 20 levels, no real Advanced materia..no summons, no advanced Limit Breaks. 60 Hours of Casting Fire, Cure and Braver against fat sacks of HP.

Every recent final fantasy game has had a few types of enemies to exploit in order to gain max level pretty easily.

The 12 remaster made getting to max level even easier with the 100 arena fights.

Grinding really hasn't been an ordeal even as far back as Final Fantasy 6.

 

[Your Weird Fetish]

Every recent final fantasy game has had a few types of enemies to exploit in order to gain max level pretty easily.

The 12 remaster made getting to max level even easier with the 100 arena fights.

Grinding really hasn't been an ordeal even as far back as Final Fantasy 6.

But why would you want to do this? Do you not like challenges or interesting choices in your games?

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

But why would you want to do this? Do you not like challenges or interesting choices in your games?

Because you are shit at the game

 

[Your Weird Fetish]

I get the impression for a considerable portion of Japanese and Korean audiences, grinding IS the game. I will never understand it. Don't they get enough of that in real life? The ones I've talked to that like it say they find it somehow soothing.

 

[Shield Breaker]

I get the impression for a considerable portion of Japanese and Korean audiences, grinding IS the game. I will never understand it. Don't they get enough of that in real life? The ones I've talked to that like it say they find it somehow soothing.

Japan is the land of the rising autism, confirmed?

 

[Smug Chuckler]

I thought the Japanese are filthy casuals like those 56% white devils while the koreans and the chinese would slave over themselves in a sardine can of some internet cafe and spend half of their paychecks on micro-transactions.