PS2 Final Fantasy 7 Spinoff 266
Bagels writes "Square Enix is finally answering the prayers of thousands of FF7 fans with a side-story PS2 game called "Dirge of Cereberus: Final Fantasy VII." Not much is known yet - the game focuses on the character Vincent, it's set one year after the upcoming movie, Advent Children, and it's early in development as of now - but this is sure to be a hot topic amongst fans and critics of the series alike."
A true sequel...? (Score:2, Insightful)
On a second thought, after playing FFX2, maybe it would be best NOT to have a sequel...
Re:A true sequel...? (Score:2)
Well i'm a fan and critic of the series, and my response is pretty much "eh."
I'd be interested in a sequel or remake for 4, 5 or 6, and i'd be horrified by a sequel for 8, and annoyed by a sequel for 11 (which never deserved a mainline number in the first place, should have been FF: Online, like Tactics and all the other side games.)
7 though? Doesn't really matter if it's a crappy cell phone game, a bunch of Vincent fan s
Re:A true sequel...? (Score:4, Funny)
Yes. It would be hard to make a sequel as good as FFX2, so why bother trying?
Rob
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Should be good... (Score:3, Interesting)
So from the opposite side of the spectrum, if it follows the format of X, I'm out.
*shrug*
If it's more like IX, or VI, or perhaps even VII or VIII, count me in, I'll even consider buying a PS2.
Re:Should be good... (Score:3, Insightful)
FFX: grid-style stats let you micromanage your character's path to your heart's content, or sit back on your lazy ass and take the default path.
Tales of Symphonia: depending on the title you choose, and how your EX skills are leaning (T vs S), you can end up with many different combinations of stats and skills. Or, you can be
Re:Should be good... (Score:3, Interesting)
When I first started playing, I was ticked-off that there were so many cut-scenes breaking the pace of my game play. I'm 3/4 through FFX now and I find myself getting ticked-off that the game play is interrupting my animated movie...
I would have liked FFX's gameplay more tied-in with the story such as NeverWinter Nights or Splinter Cell, to cut down on the extreme use of cut-scenes - or less emphasis
Re:Should be good... (Score:3, Insightful)
What's going on with Square? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:3, Funny)
FFX-2 was chock full of new ideas! The trouble is that they all sucked.
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:2)
I personally think it's a bit of corporate schizophrenia after the failure of Square Pictures and the merger with Enix. XI was released as a MMORPG, so that introduces a natural "gap" in the game style of the series. (XII is rumored to combine elements of Vagrant Story with FF Tatics, further divorcing the series from its heritage.)
I think Square might be doing the revisits with VII and X to provide both a
SquareEnix, the Radical Company? (Score:3, Interesting)
As for the experimenting with new designs, Square/Enix doesn't really have a record of 'experimenting' and more like 'maverick designer ideas'. Parasite Eve was some-what turn-based but the whole guns, move while fighting, 1 character, sorta thing was totally different from the FF games. Same with Vagrant Story. Targeting different parts of the body? Weapons/Armor that change weaknesses/strengths
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:5, Insightful)
As for the sequels to VII: People have wanted one for a while. Then, added to that, was the response to the appearance of Cloud and Aeris in Kingdom Hearts. At that point, I think SE realized that they had to explore FFVII a bit more or risk alienating a ton of fans.
As for risk-taking: FFXI was a huge risk that has really paid off for them (the European service was just rolled out) and FFXII is supposedly going to feature quite a few changes that will continue to evolve the series.
I think SE are doing what any self-respecting company should do: find the popular product, continue to give the fans what they want, and continue evolving the product. If, at any point, SE releases an FF that just royally sucks (and I'm not talking mediocre, like some think of FFVIII and FFIX as being) then I'll be worried that they aren't pushing the envelope any longer...
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think FF has been going downhill since FF7. I'm used to the wacky changes in battle systems and completely disconnected stories and settings and I think that's great, I love seeing a company that isn't afraid to experiment. But one thing that has always tied the FF stories together is a rich and engrossing, and especially an epic story.
Anyway, I've found solace in Tales of Symphonia for GameCube. It's what the last bunch of FF games should've been, perhaps even better. It's an absolutely fantastic game, and I highly recommend it to any FF fan.
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:2)
A lot of people are also stupid. Maybe you should try playing a game that actually sucks, like SaGa Frontier.
Rob
Re:What's going on with Square? (Score:4, Insightful)
"Let's make this game as boring as possible, and make the combat so annoying that it serves as little more than an interruption to your wandering around environments that look completely disconnected from one another."
That's what I imagined, anyway.
Vincent was a cool character (Score:3, Funny)
Proof of why God isn't proven [geocities.com]
Re:Vincent was a cool character (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Vincent was a cool character (Score:2)
final fantasy ports (Score:5, Interesting)
My last two gaming system purchases were driven by "whatever platform the next Final Fantasy" would be delivered. And the game platform companies know this, which is why they hotly compete for Square's business.
I wish more of the older FFs were ported to newer platforms. (Heck, a generic SNES-on-PS2 emulator would be very cool.) I've never played FF7 but hear a lot about it. This could open a lot of past-their-prime games to a wider audience, much like the Atari classics movement.
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:2, Informative)
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:5, Informative)
Not all (Score:2)
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:5, Informative)
most of them *have been*
Final Fantasy Origins = FF1 on the PSX
Final Fantasy Chronicles (FF4 (2 in the US) and Chrono Trigger)
Final Fantasy Anthology (FF5 and FF6 (3 in the US)
I own all three, gladly.
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:2)
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:2)
Final Fantasy Chronicles (FF4 (2 in the US) and Chrono Trigger)
Final Fantasy Anthology (FF5 and FF6 (3 in the US)
I own all three, gladly.
Are you really fine with the loading times on the PSX? Do you remember what they were like on real carts?
Granted, the worst offender is the non-FF title (Chrono Trigger), and the loading times may be shorter on the PS2 (does anybody know?)
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:2)
It's still not quite as snappy as the SNES version, but the fast loading does help a bit. I'd already played through completely and gotten all the endings and extras by the time I bought a PS2, though, so I haven't tested it much.
FF4, on the other hand, has no loading speed problems whatsoever, even on a PS1. The music and sound effects are a bit off from the original, but
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:2)
Final Fantasy Origins (FF, FFII)
Final Fantasy Anthology, European Edition (FFIV, FFV)
Final Fantasy VI (+ FFX PS2 demo)
Origins and Anthology have illustrations on the covers, Final Fantasy VI has the normal 'just the logo' design used for other Final Fantasy releases. Despite the acclaim its got, Chrono Trigger has never been released in a PAL format (neither has Chrono Cross). Non of these games have been PAL optimised either, but what do expect
Re:final fantasy ports (Score:2)
Times Have Changed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Times Have Changed (Score:2)
Re:Times Have Changed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Times Have Changed (Score:2)
I know FF8 and FFX were botched by whoever they had design it (which explains why the games weren't "Final Fantasy" type games), but the last I read, the original designer was back.
There's more medieval/tech in FF12, just like 4, 6, 7, and 9!
Re:Times Have Changed (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3133577&di d=1
The designer for FF XII is the same one as for FF Tactics Advance. In fact, the two games are both set in Ivalice, the world of FFTA.
Re:Times Have Changed (Score:2)
He is still a producer involved with most of recent Square games (not from the Enix side) which includes FF-X2.
BTW, his full name is Hironobu Sakaguchi.
Sakaguchi knew what Final Fantasy needed to be (Score:2)
The fact is, Sakaguchi actually was the corporate fall guy for the economic failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He resigned and like another poster said, started his own company Mistwalker with some other ex-Square employees.
So...After making the groundbreaking FF7 and the universally underrated and innovative FF8, he was only marginally involved in the crowd-pleasing trainwreck that was FF9, and
Re:Times Have Changed (Score:2)
Rob
Release date (Score:5, Interesting)
While Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is slated for release on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, Square Enix lists the game's genre as "undetermined," which suggests that the game is still in the early stages of development.
If it is early in development, NO WAY it will see a release in 2005. FFXII is has been delayed until 2005 in Japan and even later here, so I doubt they will overlap the releases, and I have a tough time believing they will have the resources to devote to the game to get it out by then. They royally screwed up the sequel to FFX, so let's hope they get this one right...
Re:Release date (Score:2)
Re:Release date (Score:2)
Hrm interesting (Score:5, Interesting)
They talked about Advent Children coming out as a movie instead of a game, but now they have a game starting development. You think they decided to start the game development up because of the positive response from Advent Children? Or do you think that they are really just being that cool and pleasing us.
eor
Re:Hrm interesting (Score:2)
Re:Hrm interesting (Score:2, Insightful)
As for which is the driver - they get positive response to the film, so they queue up another game for development, or whether they planned it that way all along? Doesn't matter much
Was planned for awhile (Score:2)
I wasn't entirely surprised then to see this article, but I'm definately happy he was right... wonder where he got his info though.
It is possible though that if interest in the movie had tanked, they may have ditched the idea of a sequel game.
This is good news (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure that most of use would prefer an RPG follow-up to it, but at least they're learning to capitalize on established characters (not just franchises). A game based around this very unique character could work out well. Sort of an updated Altered Beast type of thing? (for those that don't know, Vincent was a character who had the ability to change into various monsters during a battle). Of course, it could suck....kind of like Altered Beast
Squeenix games get a lot of flack from people, but it's mostly due to the raging fanboys that the games attract. If you can get past the fact that you're feeding the Squeenix monster, you'll often find a rewarding experience that can entertain those beyond the 14 year olds.
Hey now! (Score:2)
Granted, we demand a lot more from our games these days, and I'm glad we do. Still! Classic!
Wise fwom your gwave!
Re:This is good news (Score:2)
Re:This is good news (Score:2)
At least with Yuffie you had a good chance of finding her if you just ran around levelling in forests for a while...
Re:This is good news (Score:2)
Ex Turk Vincent is vampire shapechanger vincent.
But... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:But... (Score:2)
Let the Beating Begin! (Score:3, Funny)
LET THE BEATING OF THE DEAD HORSE BEGIN!!!
Playability (real word?) and Stroy line (Score:2)
I just hope this isn't like when a has-been rock star starts remaking classic songs that they have no business singing. I feel that if you are going to remake a song it should be better then the original (yes a
Re:Playability (real word?) and Stroy line (Score:2)
The story and character development were not that great. Cloud's backstory was too weird and convoluted, we hardly learn anything about Aeris before she dies, ect. The best moment in the story was when Red XIII learns the truth about his father.
The gameplay was good, but nothing terribly inventive. The coolest thing about it
Isn't it Ironic (Don'tcha think) (Score:2, Funny)
Good games, though.
Re:Isn't it Ironic (Don'tcha think) (Score:4, Informative)
I haven't really played a final fantasy game since FFIII on my SNES like 10 years ago. That said, maybe someone out there knows the story better than I do.
Re:Isn't it Ironic (Don'tcha think) (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Isn't it Ironic (Don'tcha think) (Score:2)
Re:Isn't it Ironic (Don'tcha think) (Score:2)
goddamnit (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:goddamnit (Score:2)
Re:goddamnit (Score:2)
Rob
Re:goddamnit (Score:4, Funny)
OK. You're a purist. And God hates fanboy purists, so I'd keep one eye on passing storm clouds.
I've enjoyed FF from #1 all the way through FFX-2. They're just enjoyable diversions, folks. There's nothing to be "purist" about. FFX-2 was fluffy and fun. Cracking a smile during an RPG will not bring about the Apocalypse.
bastardization of my favorite stories when there's a continuation made after the story has ended. it's as if there was a braveheart 2 being made.
No, it's not even on the same continent as the city that contains the ballpark. This comment is particularly ironic considering how Braveheart 1 was a bastardization of actual history.
Square can do what they want with their properties. I can play them or not. If they produce a sequel I don't like, well, that's life. There's no point in whining like a sissy over it.
Re:goddamnit (Score:2)
In the end, I think I was just upset at the case of squandered potential. Were it called anything but an FF title, I think my disappointment might have been milder.
Give me 3/6! (Score:2)
Tell you what, I'd buy a PS2 just for the game if they came out with a redesigned/expanded version of Final Fantasy 3/6. 2/4 wouldn't suck either. Both of them with full cinematics and real sound would just rock.
But 7? Why on earth choose 7?
Re:Give me 3/6! (Score:2, Insightful)
Please don't make a sequel (Score:2)
The other problem I have is a lot of people have apparently played FF7, but of those, how many have actually finished it?
Re:Please don't make a sequel (Score:2)
It's a shame that so much emphasis is being put on having the most cutting-edge graphics and features, apparently at the expense of developing a good story.
Scaned Pictures (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Scaned Pictures (Score:2)
Re:Scaned Pictures (Score:2)
Maybe it's just me ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Definately the best one. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Definately the best one. (Score:3, Interesting)
I've played them all since #1. I can honestly say that my favorite is X by far. Best fighting engine+somewhat fun level up system+great story.
Re:Definately the best one. (Score:2)
Haven't people given up on this lame-brained theory yet?
Rob
Question (Score:2)
So, the fact that they are going to be focusing on Vincent in the game...does anyone think that maybe this means Cloud dies in the movie???
Re:Question (Score:3, Informative)
His character joins you looking for revenge mostly. So it seems that when the initial fighting and saving the world pa
Re:Question (Score:2)
And, I think the chick's name was Lucretia? Been so long since I played that game...
Finally... (Score:2)
All that time and money that could've been spent on a direct sequel to a better (and more popular) game like FF4 or FF7.
I'm willing to forget all about FFX-2 if they make this sequel to 7 (and make it good! [Please no pop-star crap])
The intro of the new game... (Score:3, Funny)
(Note: somewhat obscure joke, based on the sequel to the seventh part of one popular western CRPG series...)
Scene: North Corel, eighteen months after the end of FF7...
Barrett: "Yo, homes."
Cloud: "So there are some news about these Cerberus things?"
Tifa: "All I found among Sephiroth's belongings was a map showing the way to a place called the Isle of Cerberus, and this letter."
Barrett: "Okay. Slap it down there!"
As Tifa opens the letter, it magically animates, casting a gigantic holographic projection of Jenova in air...
Barrett: "Jump back!"
Jenova projection: "Sephiroth! Know that my face is most goth-like! While it's unlikely that this ludicruous gang that you spoke of manages to ruin our plans, you must send a clone of you to the Isle of Cerberus, to learn the secret of Acne Medication! Soon I and my horde of puppets will destroy the planet!"
Cloud: "We must send Vincent to the Isle of Cerberus..."
Vincent: "Hm? Why me?"
The rest of the characters unceremoniously tie Vincent to the back of a gold chocobo, which panics and runs off across the ocean. Then, at one point, it disappears mysteriously with a "Zot!" effect.
Stop Knocking on Square (Score:2, Interesting)
While your waiting... (Score:3, Funny)
In the Mean Time (Score:2)
FInally! (Score:3, Funny)
You cant have a true sequel with FF7 (Score:3, Interesting)
For those that completed the game, when Cloud released Holy to destroy Meteor (after killin sepiroth with that kickass limitbreaker that did more damage than anything else in the game) , it was said elsewhere in the story that when Holy is unleashed, it will erradicate ANY AND ALL threats to the life force of the planet.
After the totally kickass CGI of holy doing its dirty, it goes black for a few seconds and then shows a world overgrown by nature 500 years into the future. If you look at it good enough, you'll see that the area that is overgrown is the old Shinra headquarters and that floating city that crashed to the ground. Mankind did not survive the fate of Holy, thus making a real sequel to this story not possible (or horribly fake).
If anything, i'd like to imagine that this isnt the story after the holy was unleashed and the meteor stopped and earth saved, but instead a whole other story that is going on at the same time with various characters, or even a backstory for Vincent.
Re:You cant have a true sequel with FF7 (Score:2)
I think that humanity survived whatever happened at the end, and it's only Midgar[1] that got messed up. I'm an optimist and don't even think everyone in Midgar died, mostly because Midgar is still there after the credits, it's not a hole in the ground. It's just been abandoned by it's inhabitants who've gone back to not using Mako power etc.
Seeing as there is a sequel, I'd guess something al
Re:You cant have a true sequel with FF7 (Score:2)
I always assumed that Holy eseentially destroyed all civilization (not humans in general). THis could be done by simply having all mako run machines stop functioning, therefore cities losing power and technology becoming useless,
Re:You cant have a true sequel with FF7 (Score:2)
Re:You cant have a true sequel with FF7 (Score:3, Insightful)
Only for some interpretations. This is the reason why making a sequel to FF7 is a bad idea, though; it completely ruins the ambiguity of the ending.
Rob
Re:You cant have a true sequel with FF7 (Score:3, Interesting)
Prayers (Score:2)
I always thought our prayers were that they'd remake FFVII with updated graphics, maybe a couple more sidequests, optional FFX style battle time system in addition to active and wait, etc; but leave the core story untouched...
Re:Prayers (Score:3, Insightful)
Face it, there was never a storyline involving Aeris' resurrection.
Rob
Enix Influence (Score:3, Interesting)
sigh.. (Score:3, Insightful)
I been playing FF games for about 15 years now and TBH I can't stand the latest ones. They just don't feel the same and now they are being whored. When do we see the following.
FF7 : Cloud golf
FF7 : Getting in Tifa's panties
FF7 : Sephiroth's molestung yaoi fangirls
FF7 : Tifa's big adventure
FF7 : Red XIII's spelling games
hint hint. FF7 is hugely over rated and is only loved so much because it was the first FF game alot of people played. The fanbase is so rabid no one even wants to deal with them any more. It's like Dragon ball in the anime community or counter strike for gamers.
I thought with FF:CC and the mana series remakes we'd start to see Enix fixing the problems with square. I guess this went right out the window and we've back to whoring the series.
Guess I'll be sticking to FF6 and below from now on. Thanks for ruining my childhood Square, remind me to thank you for supporting a rabid fanbase plagueing everything gaming wise (AKA go look at ANY FF7 involved Gfaqs poll).
The 'Final' in 'Final Fantasy" (Score:4, Informative)
"The series' name comes from Square's brush with bankruptcy, and is an excellent example of gallows humor. Head designer Hironobu Sakaguchi decided to make the company's last project a fantasy role-playing game, as the name of Final Fantasy implies. The game's success brought the company to profitability, and the Final Fantasy video game franchise was born."
Re:PSP or PS2? (Score:2)
Re:If it's going to have the girls from the FF ser (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Are they conceding FF8-11 as failures? (Score:2, Informative)