Final Fantasy XIII - 2

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Edge Meltdown

I bet SE is probably regretting the day they let go of Sakaguchi now.
I think it would be a smart move if they give the franchise back to him and let Mistwalker do their thing. After all, final fantasy was created by him.

Not only him, but Yasumi Matsuno. Nobody crafts a more engaging story and characters than he did while at Square Enix and I absolutely love the translations his games like FFXII and now Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics got for their PSP remakes. I can't even imagine what a Sakaguchi produced game with Yazmat right would look like, but I'd still love to see it some day.

I think the problem with giving the franchise back to him would be two-fold here. One is that Square's ego is pretty damn large and to admit that they needed a specific individual to help right the ship that is their flagship franchise would be admitting too much in the way of failure so they'd never do this, the other is that just in general acknowledging the achievements of the individual in Japan ahead of the rest of a group is pretty much taboo and considered a major social foul. Sure you get standout people like Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase, but in those cases it's more like picking a person to be the spokesperson for a brand, kind of like Miyamoto is the face of Nintendo. Every so often these guys go out, do their thing, keep the fans entertained, but all the while they're acting as a representative for a brand, not as individuals seeking credit or fame for themselves.

[Darkbeat]

Originally Posted by Freeter

Xenoblade was made by Monolith Soft, not Mistwalker. But I do agree with it being the best JRPG this generation.

You're right, I was thinking of The Last Story (also one of the best this gen). I'd say Xenoblade is probably tied with Lost Odyssey for the best JRPG on a home console...

...that is if we are limiting ourselves to consoles. Handhelds are the JRPG heaven these days.

[Darkbeat]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Not only him, but Yasumi Matsuno. Nobody crafts a more engaging story and characters than he did while at Square Enix and I absolutely love the translations his games like FFXII and now Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics got for their PSP remakes. I can't even imagine what a Sakaguchi produced game with Yazmat right would look like, but I'd still love to see it some day.

Couldn't agree more, he did Vagrant Story too didn't he? Genius.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Darkbeat

Couldn't agree more, he did Vagrant Story too didn't he? Genius.

Yeah the guy takes a lot from Western concepts of chivalry, honor and morality and blends them into his stories and characters with a mix of political intrigue and usually some form of conspiracy for what often tends to be a very refreshing and cross-cultural type of experience. I find it hard to argue that his games are distinctly Japanese in flavor the same way I could argue that Final Fantasy XIII is. Here's his list of games

Conquest of the Crystal Palace: Planner
Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen: Director, Game design & Scenario
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together: Director, Game design & Scenario
Final Fantasy Tactics: Director & Scenario
Ogre Battle 64: Concept, Special Thanks
Vagrant Story: Producer, Director, Battle design, Scenario
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: Producer, Original concept
Final Fantasy XII: Story & Concept
MadWorld: Story
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP version): Game design & Scenario
Guild 01: Crimson Shroud; Writer & Director

Right now I think Square really needs to focus on not driving any more of their top talent out of the company because they've made a bad habit of it over the past decade or so and I think only now are we really starting to see the fallout from guys like Sakaguchi, Yazmat, Uematsu, Mitsuda, Itou (I think), Kato....the list of guys that helped forget the company that are no longer there for no particular reason just goes on. They need to retain their top talent.

[Edge Meltdown]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Not only him, but Yasumi Matsuno. Nobody crafts a more engaging story and characters than he did while at Square Enix and I absolutely love the translations his games like FFXII and now Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics got for their PSP remakes. I can't even imagine what a Sakaguchi produced game with Yazmat right would look like, but I'd still love to see it some day.

I think the problem with giving the franchise back to him would be two-fold here. One is that Square's ego is pretty damn large and to admit that they needed a specific individual to help right the ship that is their flagship franchise would be admitting too much in the way of failure so they'd never do this, the other is that just in general acknowledging the achievements of the individual in Japan ahead of the rest of a group is pretty much taboo and considered a major social foul. Sure you get standout people like Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase, but in those cases it's more like picking a person to be the spokesperson for a brand, kind of like Miyamoto is the face of Nintendo. Every so often these guys go out, do their thing, keep the fans entertained, but all the while they're acting as a representative for a brand, not as individuals seeking credit or fame for themselves.

Couldn't say it any better.

[Darkbeat]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Yeah the guy takes a lot from Western concepts of chivalry, honor and morality and blends them into his stories and characters with a mix of political intrigue and usually some form of conspiracy for what often tends to be a very refreshing and cross-cultural type of experience. I find it hard to argue that his games are distinctly Japanese in flavor the same way I could argue that Final Fantasy XIII is. Here's his list of games

Conquest of the Crystal Palace: Planner
Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen: Director, Game design & Scenario
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together: Director, Game design & Scenario
Final Fantasy Tactics: Director & Scenario
Ogre Battle 64: Concept, Special Thanks
Vagrant Story: Producer, Director, Battle design, Scenario
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: Producer, Original concept
Final Fantasy XII: Story & Concept
MadWorld: Story
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP version): Game design & Scenario
Guild 01: Crimson Shroud; Writer & Director

Right now I think Square really needs to focus on not driving any more of their top talent out of the company because they've made a bad habit of it over the past decade or so and I think only now are we really starting to see the fallout from guys like Sakaguchi, Yazmat, Uematsu, Mitsuda, Itou (I think), Kato....the list of guys that helped forget the company that are no longer there for no particular reason just goes on. They need to retain their top talent.

Wow, that's some list and all of it quality. Tactics Ogre is one of the best SRPGs of all time and I totally forgot about it.

You're right about what SE should look to do, but it seems to me that talent is in relatively short supply (outside of composers, as previously stated) over there at the moment.

I think most people are pinning their hopes on an SE revival with Nomura. Versus looks to be MIA but they are still knocking out Kingdom Hearts regularly enough and it's retained it's mainstream popularity, so who knows.

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by Darkbeat

I think most people have given up on Versus by now. I'd expect at this point they will drop the XIII from the name and possibly retool it into a next gen game (possibly not even titled Final Fantasy) and let the IP rest for a time to build hype.

Maybe sales will be stronger in the West. I know SE have done quite a bit of advertising here in Europe at least (with events etc) and the special bundles (Crystal/Limited editions) are all pre-order sellouts across the board.

Versus is still highly anticipated among Japanese gamers and Type-0 got a lot good sales and reception. Even FFXIII-2 is doing much better critically by those have played it, so I think all is not lost for the brand. Ultimately Versus and FFXIV 2.0 will probably decide the series fate in long term.

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Not only him, but Yasumi Matsuno. Nobody crafts a more engaging story and characters than he did while at Square Enix and I absolutely love the translations his games like FFXII and now Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics got for their PSP remakes. I can't even imagine what a Sakaguchi produced game with Yazmat right would look like, but I'd still love to see it some day.

I think the problem with giving the franchise back to him would be two-fold here. One is that Square's ego is pretty damn large and to admit that they needed a specific individual to help right the ship that is their flagship franchise would be admitting too much in the way of failure so they'd never do this, the other is that just in general acknowledging the achievements of the individual in Japan ahead of the rest of a group is pretty much taboo and considered a major social foul. Sure you get standout people like Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase, but in those cases it's more like picking a person to be the spokesperson for a brand, kind of like Miyamoto is the face of Nintendo. Every so often these guys go out, do their thing, keep the fans entertained, but all the while they're acting as a representative for a brand, not as individuals seeking credit or fame for themselves.

Sakaguchi and Mistwalker in general aren't on very good terms both financially and critically. Most of games since the companies founding have bombed very badly especially The Last Story which was panned by Japanese gamers. He basically now wasting his days surfing in Hawaii. =/

Matsuno doesn't want to work on large-scale projects, so we mostly ever see much ambition from him.

Originally Posted by Darkbeat

Wow, that's some list and all of it quality. Tactics Ogre is one of the best SRPGs of all time and I totally forgot about it.

You're right about what SE should look to do, but it seems to me that talent is in relatively short supply (outside of composers, as previously stated) over there at the moment.

I think most people are pinning their hopes on an SE revival with Nomura. Versus looks to be MIA but they are still knocking out Kingdom Hearts regularly enough and it's retained it's mainstream popularity, so who knows.

Talent isn't problem at SE, they have a lot it actually. There is plenty good veterans like Hiroyuki Ito, and Yoshinari Kitase. There's raising stars like Hajime Tabata, Hiroshi Takai and Naoki Yoshida has also been showing real promise.

The main issue it's outdated development structure/methodologies that once worked in SNES-PS2 era but not now due more complex technology and raising costs. This generation has many set-backs for them console wise, but recent developments like the Luminous Engine and seem to have company getting back on their feet.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

Matsuno doesn't want to work on large-scale projects, so we mostly ever see much ambition from him.

Probably has a lot to do with the fallout from his time working on FFXII. Apparently the demands they were making from him and the pressure to deliver and just all the politics and changes going on in the company at the time as they were continuing to restructure from the merger with Enix just about killed the poor guy and he ended up quitting for health related reasons. It wouldn't surprise me if he never wanted to work on a big project again after that whole fiasco.

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

The main issue it's outdated development structure/methodologies that once worked in SNES-PS2 era but not now due more complex technology and raising costs. This generation has many set-backs for them console wise, but recent developments like the Luminous Engine and seem to have company getting back on their feet.

Honestly I've actually enjoyed the games they've been making for the hand-helds far more than their console work of late. Honestly I don't really feel like they need to make everything as flashy, cutting-edge and overproduced as possible in order to make a good game, they just need to focus on the basics like good solid gameplay systems, a decent story with likeable cast (as much as people crap on FFXIII's story I still think they achieved this the first time around) and good productions values. Not overwhelming production values that force them to put ridiculous man hours in, but just good ones that meet the expectations of the current generation. I don't think FF needs to be bleeding edge to be a respected JRPG franchise, just up to date. My hope as I believe I mentioned early in the thread is that now that Crystal Tools is done they can focus on applying it to the current generation and work on getting their gameplay up to date and where it needs to be again as well.

In the interim I wouldn't mind seeing them give us an entry in one of their other franchises that isn't Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest or mainstream FF again cause they've kind of milked those dry of late. Why not a more traditional Front Mission for example? Final Fantasy Tactics was taking off again for a while there. Tactics Ogre revival with a new entry as a follow up to the successful PSP remake? There's so much they could try doing, but right now it looks like they just want to carry through with that decree they made a while back about gamers playing Final Fantasy XIII for a decade. Honestly as long as Square is just making FFXIII and Kingdom Hearts games I'm probably not going to be all that interested cause they are now among my least favorite franchises they own.

[Darkbeat]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

Versus is still highly anticipated among Japanese gamers and Type-0 got a lot good sales and reception. Even FFXIII-2 is doing much better critically by those have played it, so I think all is not lost for the brand. Ultimately Versus and FFXIV 2.0 will probably decide the fate series in long term.

XIII-2 seems to be getting a good response from those playing it, but the sales are vastly lower than SE forecast, indeed, vastly lower than anyone could have forecast. For a Final Fantasy to be outsold by a Tales of game is outright unheard of.
Type-0 had the advantage of being on the PSP, which is still very much alive in Japan. Indeed, Japanese gaming is by and large shifting to portable and MMOs, if recent trends are anything to go by.

You're right about Versus and XIV 2.0 though, particularly the latter. If they could even reach XI levels of activity, that would make be enough for a massive reversal in fortunes.

Sakaguchi and Mistwalker in general aren't on very good terms both financially and critically. Most of games since the companies founding have bombed very badly especially The Last Story which was panned by Japanese gamers. He basically now wasting his days surfing in Hawaii. =/

Most of his games haven't bombed

TLS went by sadly ignored, despite good reviews, due to timing and platform. Wii software isn't exactly a big seller in Japan, but 120k units sold in it's first week is decent enough. Consider some console JRPGs this gen have struggled to hit 120k worldwide and you'll understand why.

Blue Dragon sold really well, especially in Japan, surpassing expectations. It spawned 2 DS sequels and what like...10 cours worth of anime? XD

Lost Odyssey is a million seller, making it among the best selling JRPGs this generation.

The main issue it's outdated development structure/methodologies that once worked in SNES-PS2 era but now due more complex technology and raising costs. This generation has many set-backs for them console wise, but recent developments like the Luminous Engine and seem to have company getting back on their feet.

While that certainly may have a bearing on it, it's easy to over-think these things too. There is certainly a decline in interest for the brand, perhaps unfairly, that is coming due to a perceived darth of quality found in their video games.

Those who see themselves as Final Fantasy fans generally fall into one of two categories;

1. They need to go back to the way things were and create traditional Final Fantasy games in line with previous installments.

2. They need to innovate and come up with new and interesting mechanics in each game.

I tend to fall somewhere inbetween, vis, they should be looking to innovate while being respectful of Final Fantasy tradition while keeping an eye on popular competition.

From what I've seen and heard of XIII-2 they appear to have done just this. Gone back to their roots of traditional gameplay and story, with innovative battles and sidequests. They also claim to have taken a leaf from Bioware's book so I expect we'll find excellent dialogue also. Hopefully if they persist in this vein, things will improve.

[TJR]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

I can't even imagine what a Sakaguchi produced game with Yazmat right would look like, but I'd still love to see it some day.

They're polar opposites in terms of design and development philosophy. Sakaguchi emphasizes emotional experience and human drama (which he believes to be primary selling points; his design document begins as a rough script, and a team fleshes that out into a game) over mechanics and world design. Matsuno is the other way around (his design document begins as a humungous universe bible).

In terms of development style:

Matsuno = one creator, one vision, one team under a "kind dictatorship"

Sakaguchi = design by committee (i.e. composer has full control over music, character concepts and stories are independently crafted by multiple people, etc.), hired freelancers, mixing and matching of staff, relatively hands-off approach to production

As Matsuno stated, he never really fit in at Square because of these fundamental differences. It's also worth noting that certain members of his team were very critical of Sakaguchi even after the creation of Mistwalker.

Talent isn't problem ay SE, Their have a lot it actually.

They have loads of younger talent. We saw them shine on projects like The World Ends With You.

The problem is that their structure is extremely top-heavy, so there are few chances for people to take charge. Even now, development is dominated by Kitase, Nomura, and Toriyama, who may not necessarily be the best fit for each project.

They need to retain their top talent.

Much like the rest of the industry, they need to rear younger, fresher talent. I used to think that the key was to bank on the veterans, but transitioning to the next generation is more important now.

By and large, the "top talent" of yesterday are no longer at their best anyway. That's what happens when people have been in charge for too long.

Most of his games haven't bombed

It's a matter of expectations.

The DS games were undeniable flops, both critically and commercially.

Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey did okay, but given the astronomical costs of modern development, publishers are looking for multi-million sellers. Both Microsoft and AQ Interactive dropped support for Mistwalker, hence the dearth of contracts as of late.

Amongst Japanese users, a common sentiment is that neither Square Enix nor Mistwalker are providing the games they want (reception of TLS was along the lines of FFXIII and DQIX - very mixed. Both companies get bashed on 2ch). They both face similar difficulties.

[TJR]

Probably has a lot to do with the fallout from his time working on FFXII. Apparently the demands they were making from him and the pressure to deliver and just all the politics and changes going on in the company at the time as they were continuing to restructure from the merger with Enix just about killed the poor guy and he ended up quitting for health related reasons. It wouldn't surprise me if he never wanted to work on a big project again after that whole fiasco.

It's the matter of development philosophy. A small project allows Matsuno to control each aspect of production and to build the game piece by piece.

If it's a large project, you end up with The Last Guardian. You can't micromanage something of that scope, yet expect to deliver the product on time and on budget. Production can extend for years with no end in sight.

[Darkbeat]

Originally Posted by TJR

Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey did okay, but given the astronomical costs of modern development, publishers are looking for multi-million sellers. Both Microsoft and AQ Interactive dropped support for Mistwalker, hence the dearth of contracts as of late.

Amongst Japanese users, a common sentiment is that neither Square Enix nor Mistwalker are providing the games they want (reception of TLS was along the lines of FFXIII and DQIX - very mixed. Both companies get bashed on 2ch). They both face similar difficulties.

That's certainly true, I have no doubt that a game with an astronomical budget like Lost Odyssey didn't even make that back in revenue. Sometimes I feel a little injustice there, when a good JRPG like that struggles to hit 1 million worldwide and the most generic brown shooter in the history of generic brown shooters (CoD and it's yearly installments) rakes in millions on it's first day. That's gaming though.

What I would like to know is what Japanese users actually do want. As I stated, that really does seem to be changing. MMOs are popular in Japan and so are portable games, especially Monster Hunter and the like. Are standard JRPGs like Final Fantasy etc simply not doing it for the average audience over there?

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Probably has a lot to do with the fallout from his time working on FFXII. Apparently the demands they were making from him and the pressure to deliver and just all the politics and changes going on in the company at the time as they were continuing to restructure from the merger with Enix just about killed the poor guy and he ended up quitting for health related reasons. It wouldn't surprise me if he never wanted to work on a big project again after that whole fiasco.

Yeah, apparently the only reason he joined Level 5 was because with a small development staff he would have more control. His new games are supposedly to be aimed at younger audience. That said, his Crimson Shroud looks pretty interesting.

http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/17/guil...jo-cinematics/

Getting Vagrant Story vibes from that.

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Honestly I've actually enjoyed the games they've been making for the hand-helds far more than their console work of late. Honestly I don't really feel like they need to make everything as flashy, cutting-edge and overproduced as possible in order to make a good game, they just need to focus on the basics like good solid gameplay systems, a decent story with likeable cast (as much as people crap on FFXIII's story I still think they achieved this the first time around) and good productions values. Not overwhelming production values that force them to put ridiculous man hours in, but just good ones that meet the expectations of the current generation. I don't think FF needs to be bleeding edge to be a respected JRPG franchise, just up to date. My hope as I believe I mentioned early in the thread is that now that Crystal Tools is done they can focus on applying it to the current generation and work on getting their gameplay up to date and where it needs to be again as well.

I'd say hand-held gaming on whole is where the Japanese game development industry has been at it's best, at least for RPGs. That said I did enjoy FFXIII, Resonance of Fate, and ToV well enough.

In the interim I wouldn't mind seeing them give us an entry in one of their other franchises that isn't Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest or mainstream FF again cause they've kind of milked those dry of late. Why not a more traditional Front Mission for example? Final Fantasy Tactics was taking off again for a while there. Tactics Ogre revival with a new entry as a follow up to the successful PSP remake? There's so much they could try doing, but right now it looks like they just want to carry through with that decree they made a while back about gamers playing Final Fantasy XIII for a decade. Honestly as long as Square is just making FFXIII and Kingdom Hearts games I'm probably not going to be all that interested cause they are now among my least favorite franchises they own.

Well they two new mysterious games in the works, one we even have concept art and scans for:

http://gematsu.com/2011/12/more-artw...new-action-rpg
http://gematsu.com/2011/12/first-art...new-action-rpg

Looks like something out of Vampire Hunter D.

Another for consoles and portables:
http://gematsu.com/2011/12/square-en...r-ps3-and-vita

Originally Posted by Darkbeat

XIII-2 seems to be getting a good response from those playing it, but the sales are vastly lower than SE forecast, indeed, vastly lower than anyone could have forecast. For a Final Fantasy to be outsold by a Tales of game is outright unheard of.
Type-0 had the advantage of being on the PSP, which is still very much alive in Japan. Indeed, Japanese gaming is by and large shifting to portable and MMOs, if recent trends are anything to go by.

You're right about Versus and XIV 2.0 though, particularly the latter. If they could even reach XI levels of activity, that would make be enough for a massive reversal in fortunes.

Yoshida definitely seems like he knows what he's doing going by his interviews and the game's progress so far.

Most of his games haven't bombed

TLS went by sadly ignored, despite good reviews, due to timing and platform. Wii software isn't exactly a big seller in Japan, but 120k units sold in it's first week is decent enough. Consider some console JRPGs this gen have struggled to hit 120k worldwide and you'll understand why.

Blue Dragon sold really well, especially in Japan, surpassing expectations. It spawned 2 DS sequels (which also sold well) and what like...10 cours worth of anime? XD

Lost Odyssey is a million seller, making it among the best selling JRPGs this generation.

Your right, should of said outside LO and BD (the original game). As for TLS it scores seemed pretty mixed on psmk2.

http://wiimk2.net/title.php?title=810


While that certainly may have a bearing on it, it's easy to over-think these things too. There is certainly a decline in interest for the brand, perhaps unfairly, that is coming due to a perceived darth of quality found in their video games.

Those who see themselves as Final Fantasy fans generally fall into one of two categories;

1. They need to go back to the way things were and create traditional Final Fantasy games in line with previous installments.

2. They need to innovate and come up with new and interesting mechanics in each game.

I tend to fall somewhere inbetween, vis, they should be looking to innovate while being respectful of Final Fantasy tradition while keeping an eye on popular competition.

Yep, FF for most part has always been a progressive series staring form the first game while still keeping some conventions. I think best treat each game for it is rather than compare them due a lot differences within each title.

From what I've seen and heard of XIII-2 they appear to have done just this. Gone back to their roots of traditional gameplay and story, with innovative battles and sidequests. They also claim to have taken a leaf from Bioware's book so I expect we'll find excellent dialogue also. Hopefully if they persist in this vein, things will improve.[/QUOTE]

The Dialogue trees will help another layer interactivity that FFXIII didn't quite have.

[C.A.]

Square Enix is a shadow of its former self, which was already a shadow of its former self as Square.

There is nobody from the original Square company left in Square Enix except Nomura. Nomura is a designer, he knows nothing about 3D modeling, animation and much less programming. He is not the most experienced director as well.

And there are no 'top talents' left in Square Enix, most of the work they do are outsourced, meaning those 'top talents' are from other studios or freelancers.

Half of the FF Versus XIII team left the company, which is why the game is taking so long.

And one of the main reasons Nomura is not answering all the FFVII remake outcry is beause of the lack of funds.

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by C.A.

Square Enix is a shadow of its former self, which was already a shadow of its former self as Square.

There is nobody from the original Square company left in Square Enix except Nomura. Nomura is a designer, he knows nothing about 3D modeling, animation and much less programming. He is not the most experienced director as well.

And there are no 'top talents' left in Square Enix, most of the work they do are outsourced, meaning those 'top talents' are from other studios or freelancers.

While it is true some old staff have left, it's nowhere near all of them. Much of old guard is still around 2 of which I pointed out earlier, Kitase and Itou. There is also Hiromichi Tanaka (FFIII, Chrono Cross, Mana series, Xenogears, FFXI, FFXIV), Akitoshi Kawazu (SaGa, FFII, FFXII) Takashi Tokita (FFIV, PE, Chrono Trigger) Motomu Toriyama (Bahamut Lagoon, FFX, X-2, XIII and XIII-2) for example. Most of Matsuno old quest staff are also around, but scattered into different projects.

As for Nomura, he worked as Animator and Monster designer at Square before Sakaguchi put him up as a Character designer for FFVII. While Nomura rarely works directly on modelling he definitely knows about it, furthermore he's directed several games (KH series mostly) and has been a Creative Producer on TWENTY and Type-0. Experience is not a problem for him at all.

Half of the FF Versus XIII team left the company, which is why the game is taking so long.

No, Versus's production is slow because it's understaffed due to half the team helping with FFXIII, XIII-2 and some other projects. Nomura made a statement awhile back after Type-0's release that Versus is in full production again. The core staff has not changed to my knowledge.

And one of the main reasons Nomura is not answering all the FFVII remake outcry is beause of the lack of funds.

Well, Nomura wouldn't be answering questions on FFVII, because that would be Kitase's job since he directed the game. He's already stated that it would take too long and tie up other resources.

[C.A.]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

While it is true some old staff have left, it's nowhere near all of them. Much of old guard is still around 2 of which I pointed out earlier, Kitase and Itou. There is also Hiromichi Tanaka (FFIII, Chrono Cross, Mana series, Xenogears, FFXI, FFXIV), Akitoshi Kawazu (SaGa, FFII, FFXII) Takashi Tokita (FFIV, PE, Chrono Trigger) Motomu Toriyama (Bahamut Lagoon, FFX, X-2, XIII and XIII-2) for example. Most of Matsuno old quest staff are also around, but scattered into different projects.

As for Nomura, he worked as Animator and Monster designer at Square before Sakaguchi put him up as a Character designer for FFVII. While Nomura rarely works directly on modelling he definitely knows about it, furthermore he's directed several games (KH series mostly) and has been a Creative Producer on TWENTY and Type-0. Experience is not a problem for him at all.

No, Versus's production is slow because it's understaffed due to half the team helping with FFXIII, XIII-2 and some other projects. Nomura made a statement awhile back after Type-0's release that Versus is in full production again. The core staff has not changed to my knowledge.

Well, Nomura wouldn't be answering questions on FFVII, because that would be Kitase's job since he directed the game. He's already stated that it would take too long and tie up other resources.

While I may have exaggerated about the staff, there is real trouble in the company and a large chunk of staff has left due to various reason after FFXIII.

http://kotaku.com/5778294/is-making-...sy-a-nightmare

Along with that kotaku article, my source is an animator working in Japan who had inside information with a Square Enix employee. Both official sources and the animator confirms that Square Enix is not an ideal working environment. Just how much or how little of FFXIII's crew actually remained and moved back to FF Versus XIII? The lack of staff is so bad that most of the work is outsourced.

Along with major lack of staff and an earlier report of $150 million loss, Square Enix had a really bad year. Alot of what is officially announced may be cover ups for the bad state of the company.

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by C.A.

While I may have exaggerated about the staff, there is real trouble in the company and a large chunk of staff has left due to various reason after FFXIII.

http://kotaku.com/5778294/is-making-...sy-a-nightmare

Along with that kotaku article, my source is an animator working in Japan who had inside information with a Square Enix employee. Both official sources and the animator confirms that Square Enix is not an ideal working environment. Just how much or how little of FFXIII's crew actually remained and moved back to FF Versus XIII? The lack of staff is so bad that most of the work is outsourced.

Along with major lack of staff and an earlier report of $150 million loss, Square Enix had a really bad year. Alot of what is officially announced may be cover ups for the bad state of the company.

I remember reading that on Kotaku. For what I understand, the article is somewhat rather embellished. Tanaka did confirm the working environment isn't the greatest and sighted some things like a lack of cafeteria, overworked employees due to long development cycles. Apparently similar conditions exist in most game companies in Japan (hence why most people go freelance when they leave), with Nintendo being one of exceptions.

Yep some staff did leave during FFXIII's development, most notably Toshiro Tsuchida (the original Lead Battle Designer) and Nao Ikeda, (Sub-Character Designer), Takashi Ohkuma (Technical background director);
Masashi Hamauzu (Composer). However these people were originally on the project and what transferred over from Versus were mainly programmers and level designers. The Creative leads are still working on the project.

SE loss of money earlier this year had more to do with numerous game cancellations likely due to the FFXIV fallout.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by C.A.

While I may have exaggerated about the staff, there is real trouble in the company and a large chunk of staff has left due to various reason after FFXIII.

http://kotaku.com/5778294/is-making-...sy-a-nightmare

Along with that kotaku article, my source is an animator working in Japan who had inside information with a Square Enix employee. Both official sources and the animator confirms that Square Enix is not an ideal working environment. Just how much or how little of FFXIII's crew actually remained and moved back to FF Versus XIII? The lack of staff is so bad that most of the work is outsourced.

Along with major lack of staff and an earlier report of $150 million loss, Square Enix had a really bad year. Alot of what is officially announced may be cover ups for the bad state of the company.

Uh oh it's a Bashcraft article. I don't think those are viable as sources on the internet.

[Benoit]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Give the player the chance to have more of an impact on the story like they used to.

What impact did the player use to have? The only example I can think of is to wait for Shadow in FFVI.

Originally Posted by Edge Meltdown

I guess it's up to the Tales series to save the JRPG world, I think.

You can't be serious.

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Tales is still pretty enjoyable though even if some of the characters of late can get extremely annoying

The Tales of series was always fun to play, but their story always left a lot to be desired.

Originally Posted by Edge Meltdown

I bet SE is probably regretting the day they let go of Sakaguchi now.

I don't think so, considering he was responsible for making the company lose millions.

[Darkbeat]

Originally Posted by Benoit

I don't think so, considering he was responsible for making the company lose millions.

wut?

Sakaguchi created Final Fantasy. If he made them lose millions at some point (and I'm not sure where that point was...) it's completely negated compared to the hundreds of millions he has made them by simply creating the IP, never mind the fact he created it's most popular installments (1-9).