Squeenix Press Conference '06

[schild]

1. Dragon Quest IX is a DS Game.
2. The 360 gets some shitty DQ thing.
3. Arcades get some shitty DQ thing.
4. The Wii gets some shitty DQ thing.
5. The PS3 gets every flavor of Final Fantasy XIII, exclusively.
6. The PSP gets nothing - or rather - nothing new was announced.

This means 3 things:
1. Nintendo courted Squeenix again - maybe because they knew Phantom Hourglass would get delayed. Let's call this move a "froth generator."
2. Squeenix is hemmorhaging money making FFXIII/Versus/Agito/Whatever for the PS3, MUST MAKE CHEAP DS GAME FAST.
3. Last - and possibly most importantly - they now view Sakaguchi as an enemy not to be fucked with. I certainly wouldn't fuck with someone who can triple the install base of a console in one week (50,000 360s or so were in Japanese homes 2 weeks ago, when Blue Dragon came out, it sold more than 150,000 copies). Rushing FFXIII out in 2007 obviously means they're aiming for Mistwalker. Sure, Square could have done the same thing (triple install base), but Mistwalker is New. Mistwalker is Fresh. And Mistwalker has Takehiko Inoue and Nobuo Uematsu by the balls. Not to mention they nabbed Akira Toriyama for Blue Dragon. Microsoft has deep pockets. They are buying Japan with Mistwalker. Squeenix needs to watch what they do - and not make any more movies.

As boring and stale as the DQ playstyle is - this should be a fun year.

[Fabricated]

After Xenosaga and watching Brownie Brown pop out mediocre game after mediocre game I don't really have a lot of faith in any Square peeloffs to produce anything with lasting interest.

[Riggswolfe]

Assuming DQ = Dragon Quest, if this is a next gen version of DQVIII or whichever it was on the gamecube I am so buying it for the 360. That game was probably the most fun I had on a console RPG in 2006. And I played a ton of console RPGs this year.

[Yegolev]

Point 5 is interesting.  I thought the plan was to spread the FF installments across multiple platforms, like with FFXII having that PSP-only thing... or so I heard.

There was a big gap between FFVII and FFXII, so maybe FFXVII will be super-awesome.

[Velorath]

2. Squeenix is hemmorhaging money making FFXIII/Versus/Agito/Whatever for the PS3, MUST MAKE CHEAP DS GAME FAST.

For the record, Final Fantasy Agito XIII is a mobile phone game.

[Margalis]

IIRC two different teams work on FF games at the same time. FFXII was delayed for so long it wouldn't surprise me if XIII was pretty far along. It may be they are rushing it out the door but it may also be tat it is simply on schedule vs XII which was way behind. Or it may turn into another XII where it ships a year+ late...

[Simond]

What will be interesting to see is which format (or formats) FFXIV is released on.

[Yegolev]

I predict one or two things:

1) A gaming system that does not exist today.  Maybe something from Panasonic or Hamilton Beach.
2) A three-screened handheld unit with a touch-screen, mic, tilt/accel sensors, and backward compatibility with Lynx games from Nintendo.

[Fabricated]

FFT is being re-released and slightly enhanced for the PSP. Also, there's a new FFT title in the works called "FFT: Ivalice Alliance" or something like that. Hopefully it'll also be for the PSP.

[schild]

The other FFT is Ivalice Alliance A2. Meaning Advance 2. Meaning Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2.

[Fabricated]

The other FFT is Ivalice Alliance A2. Meaning Advance 2. Meaning Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2.

Aw, but FFTA sucked!

[schild]

Yes, it did.

[Strazos]

For the love of god, I hope they learned something from FFTA. That game could have been great. Instead, I had to Force myself to finish the damn thing.

I'm not sure what I liked less, the fact that the abilities you wanted to learn were tied to weapons, or the fucking stupid law system.

"No blades for you this battle."

WTFBBQARRRRH

[schild]

I liked the laws.

Can't say I had to force myself to finish it either. My main character just walked around entire levels 1 hitting everything by the end. Including the final boss.

[Strazos]

Well, I didn't like the laws because I felt they were too intrusive. It just seemed to add a very cheap degree of difficulty to some battles.

Also, my party practically slept through the final quarter of the game. It was boring.

[Velorath]

I thought FFTA was decent.  It didn't come close to comparing to FFT, but I love Tactics games and there are only so many options out there.  I enjoyed the Front Mission games for the same reason, even though their stories bored me to tears.

[ahoythematey]

Meh, the portables are brimming with tactics games.  Not like they are in short supply.

I'll buy the port of FFT regardless, but I'd really like a true sequel to it over FFTa.

[schild]

Ahoy. The PSP doesn't have a single good tactics game. And now it's getting the two best ones ever made - Disgaea and FFT: Appreciate. It doesn't really get better than that.

[Strazos]

Do you guys differentiate between tactical/SRPGs and TBS games? Or are they the same deal?

[Trippy]

Ahoy. The PSP doesn't have a single good tactics game. And now it's getting the two best ones ever made - Disgaea and FFT: Appreciate. It doesn't really get better than that.

When is it getting Disgaea for NA?

Edit: whoa typo

[Yegolev]

Do you guys differentiate between tactical/SRPGs and TBS games? Or are they the same deal?

Without getting into the turnbased thing again... I don't know what the hell is the difference in tactical and strategic when it comes to games.  Unit size?  Number of units?  So, not really.  I move pieces around on a board and they fight.

[Velorath]

Ahoy. The PSP doesn't have a single good tactics game. And now it's getting the two best ones ever made - Disgaea and FFT: Appreciate. It doesn't really get better than that.

So it doesn't get any better than getting ports of games that are 4-9 years old?  I love FFT and all, but damn Square is really milking the re-releases lately.  As long as they're re-releasing games from back in the days when they still made good shit, couldn't they at least put out more stuff like FFIII that didn't make it to the States before, like Bahamut Lagoon or the early Front Mission games (which I guess would be unlikely given that they didn't even feel it was worth bringing the recent Front Mission 5 here).

[schild]

Never said they weren't milking it.

But - no - it hasn't gotten better than them... yet. Soul Cradle is looking good. As is a few... other things.

But tactics games are a genre that I felt were great but lacking on portables. This is an important step forward. I definately want AND NEED Culdcept portable and SNK vs. Capcom card battle. The first doesn't exist, the latter comes out in like March. I demand both NOW.

Yugioh for the PSP isn't doing it for me. The card game itself is just too watered down. But I'm trudging through it.

[Yegolev]

Bushido Blade needs a redo.

Aw, shit, I bet that will run like a mofo in the PS3.

[Strazos]

Do you guys differentiate between tactical/SRPGs and TBS games? Or are they the same deal?

Without getting into the turnbased thing again... I don't know what the hell is the difference in tactical and strategic when it comes to games.  Unit size?  Number of units?  So, not really.  I move pieces around on a board and they fight.

Yeah, I can pretty much agree with you. I've just seen the two terms bandied about, but I was never quite sure if they were interchangeable or not. I guess they are.

And yes, those kinds of games HAVE to have hard-locked turns. I can't imagine playing something like Advance Wars in real time.

[Margalis]

I've always hated the distinction as well because it is mostly a difference of scale where tactics are just zoomed-in strategy. But say in Romance of the Three Kingdoms the fighting parts are tactics and figuring out what cities to to conquer and such is the strategy. Tactics are usually closer to the ground and involved with invidual troops decisions.

[Kitsune]

Fuck Square.

There, I said it.  Square made some fantastic games back in the day, but lately they've just been shoveling rehash after sequel after spinoff out the door as fast as they can code shitty games.  It amazes me that people are still following Square around like they'd battle for the opportunity to eat their shit when Square hasn't managed to make a game better than 'pretty good' for the past five or so years.

Square peaked during the PS1 years, everything since has been post-shark-jumping, with no sign that they'll manage to dig themselves out of that hole.

[Velorath]

Fuck Square.

There, I said it.  Square made some fantastic games back in the day, but lately they've just been shoveling rehash after sequel after spinoff out the door as fast as they can code shitty games.  It amazes me that people are still following Square around like they'd battle for the opportunity to eat their shit when Square hasn't managed to make a game better than 'pretty good' for the past five or so years.

Square peaked during the PS1 years, everything since has been post-shark-jumping, with no sign that they'll manage to dig themselves out of that hole.

I don't know that I'd go so far as to say "Fuck Square" just because they're pretty good these days rather than really good, but then a large part of my problem with them is that nothing they do gets much of a reaction out of me these days.  Their stuff is too bland for me to hate them, and like I said, I'd be fine with rehashes if they were rehashing more games that didn't make it outside of Japan the first time around.  I also kinda wish that they wouldn't throw new stuff into old games (like the new classes they put in FFV).  It's like going back and throwing some new paragraphs into a classic novel without even getting the original author to write it.  It feels out of place more than it feels like some exciting new addition to the game.

[NiX]

Bushido Blade needs a redo.

Aw, shit, I bet that will run like a mofo in the PS3.

Seriously! Nothing beats breaking your buddies leg and taunting him as your run around while all he can do is hobble.

[Strazos]

You also gotta love how each fighter actually fights Differently with each of the weapons. Big swing with that large katana with one of the smaller characters? You goin' down, nub. Also loved the battles when me and whoever I was playing would just sit and try to feint eachother into screwing up, or charge eachother at the start and possible KO eachother.

[Fabricated]

Fuck Square.

There, I said it.  Square made some fantastic games back in the day, but lately they've just been shoveling rehash after sequel after spinoff out the door as fast as they can code shitty games.  It amazes me that people are still following Square around like they'd battle for the opportunity to eat their shit when Square hasn't managed to make a game better than 'pretty good' for the past five or so years.

Square peaked during the PS1 years, everything since has been post-shark-jumping, with no sign that they'll manage to dig themselves out of that hole.

FF12 is better than FF7. Thanks for playing.

[Miasma]

Any company that has been around as long as Square has will have its ups and downs over the years, right now I think Square is on the rebound.  Final Fantasy XII and Dragon Quest VIII have been two of the best Square games I have ever played and judging by the trailers and press coming out for their next titles it's only going to get better.

[Velorath]

FF12 is better than FF7. Thanks for playing.

FF12 is the worst in the series since the Playstation era started (well, maybe I liked IX less), with piss-poor characterization, gameplay ripped from MMO's, probably the smallest ratio of story to gameplay in the entire series (other than 1-3) making it easier to forget many of the minor details between story sequences, and an ending that mostly sets up the DS spin-off title.

[schild]

What?

[Miasma]

FF12 is the worst in the series since the Playstation era started

Sounds like someone hasn't played X-2.