What games are you currently playing?

[Malacite]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

ROFL yeah I saw that.

I'm not denying (or defending) the blatant cash-crabs they've published. But at their core, I still think the company is solid. honestly, I'm not sure if Kitase is more to blame or Wada for letting so much shit go through. SE's problems in the last few years honestly strike me as more managerial in nature than any lack of talent - they're in bad need of proper direction.

[Icemage]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

But at their core, I still think the company is solid. honestly, I'm not sure if Kitase is more to blame or Wada for letting so much shit go through. SE's problems in the last few years honestly strike me as more managerial in nature than any lack of talent - they're in bad need of proper direction.

They spent 5+ years each developing Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV and both games were... let's say "underwhelming" so everyone can agree, yes?

They turned Dragon Quest X into a money-grubbing subscription MMO on the Wii, probably because they thought they could replicate the magic of FFXI for PS2. They were very wrong.

Nomura may get a bad rap for his fetish with idiotic character designs but one thing I have to give him credit for is that he's one of the few people at Square-Enix who are able to whip their otherwise pathetic crew of directionless hacks into some sort of marching order and complete a game (once in a while). Of course even with him there's FFXIII Versus... >_>


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Like I said, it's a management problem.

Their audio/visual guys are still the best in the business, and I honestly feel like 13's story could have been really good; the concepts were all fine, but at least half the cast was throwaway trash and the script... ugh. I did still enjoy it though, I mean at their cores, 13 and 13-2 are fun to play - at least as far as the combat goes. But they lacked proper direction; It should NOT take 20+ hours before you can really branch off and try new things in the leveling system. That was some epic bullshit.

And again about 14, the art, plot, mechanics... all largely fine, at least in concept. But Tanaka being his stubborn self didn't want to listen any criticism and paid the price for that. It was rather astonishing in retrospect, at how little they learned from the 8+ years of XI.


This is why I have hope for XIV; Yoshi P has proven to be a very capable leader, and equally as important has shown that he really does care. I'm wondering if maybe Wada's just fallen into a complacency rut and it took the horrible launch of XIV and less-than-stellar sales of 13-2 (13 sold extremely well though that was proven to be largely because of brand name recognition) to snap him out of it? (assuming he has snapped out of it).

[Yellow Mage]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

They turned Dragon Quest X into a money-grubbing subscription MMO on the Wii, probably because they thought they could replicate the magic of FFXI for PS2. They were very wrong.

Eh? What ever happened with DQX, anyway? Last time I heard about it, I heard that it was going to be a thing, and then I didn't hear anything more.

Seems they're replicating FFXI's marketing strategy* for that one, that's for sure.

[Kailea]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

What is so bad about Dragon Quest X, it is a DQ online game with a fee..... what is so evil about that?

If you want to spin it that way then.......

"They turned Dragon Quest X into a money-grubbing subscription MMO on the Wii" could easily be.... "They turned Final Fantasy XI into a money-grubbing subscription MMO on the PS2"

[Malacite]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

You get like, an hour into it... and then ur hit with the subscription fee.

So, unless you're planning on subbing or worse yet you buy it without realizing it's an MMO... well, you just bought a $60 demo. That's F'ed up. And your comparison is way off, as FFXI was advertised as an MMO from the very beginning and doesn't try to hide it. This wasn't the case with DQ10.

[Ketaru]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

[Final Fantasy: All the Bravest] <- This is symptomatic of modern era Square-Enix.

I saw the trailer for that. It was the most cynical pile of drivel ever to wear the Final Fantasy title.

[Icemage]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

What is so bad about Dragon Quest X, it is a DQ online game with a fee..... what is so evil about that?

If you want to spin it that way then.......

"They turned Dragon Quest X into a money-grubbing subscription MMO on the Wii" could easily be.... "They turned Final Fantasy XI into a money-grubbing subscription MMO on the PS2"

Final Fantasy XI was marketed as an MMO and made zero pretense at being a single player game like its sibling Final Fantasy games.

Dragon Quest X? It costs as much as a normal retail game, lets you play for a short while, then smacks you upside the head with "Oh, by the way if you'd like to continue the adventure, please pay us a monthly fee."

If you think those two business models are at all on the same level of transparency, I've a bridge to sell you.


Icemage

[cidbahamut]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Their audio/visual guys are still the best in the business,

I feel like that's all that's left of their business and they should just get it over with and make the transition to being a company that specializes in making cutscenes for other better games.

[Icemage]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Their [Square-Enix's] audio/visual guys are still the best in the business

Nope.

Blur Studios are the best in the business.


Icemage

[Armando]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

I feel like that's all that's left of their business and they should just get it over with and make the transition to being a company that specializes in making cutscenes for other better games.

Not before they give KH the console game they've most likely been putting off due to cranking out FFXIII games.

Not that Birth By Sleep or Dream Drop Distance are bad, but I liked having real partners instead of this Pokemon shit.

[Malacite]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Nope.

Blur Studios are the best in the business.


Icemage

Debatable. SE still produces some pretty stunning stuff (both are equally good IMO).

[Ketaru]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Not before they give KH the console game they've most likely been putting off due to cranking out FFXIII games.

8 years later...

At this point, I find it laughable that they intend to continue the series onward well beyond the "Xehanort Saga". I actually wish even the most loyal fans would decide that the commitment just isn't worth it if it meant 12 more years of the series dragging its feet. I say 12, by the way, assuming Kingdom Heart III will finally see a release in the year 2014. Because it sure as hell looks like it isn't happening this year.

[Icemage]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Debatable. SE still produces some pretty stunning stuff (both are equally good IMO).

Square-Enix "occasionally" produces solid FMV, but they don't have the human touch that Blur has. They make good use of things like color and camera direction, but their character animations always feel like mannequins no matter how hard they try. Occasionally acrobatic mannequins, but still mannequins. They also have this depressing tendency to lock into the nouveau baroque look that all recent Final Fantasy games have had.

Blur on the other hand custom crafts every video they craft to the product, changing tone, style, animations, and mood as needed. Their web site is littered with dozens upon dozens of projects in a hundred different styles, from emotional to action.


Icemage

[Armando]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

At this point, I find it laughable that they intend to continue the series onward well beyond the "Xehanort Saga". I actually wish even the most loyal fans would decide that the commitment just isn't worth it if it meant 12 more years of the series dragging its feet.

I quite enjoyed Birth By Sleep, and I wouldn't mind if they released BBS2 like they hinted they would. I felt the characters were interesting enough - even Terra, whose plot you could see coming from miles away. Sora never seems to have any depth other than in Chain of Memories, and Square Enix seems to have decided Kairi isn't important enough to play an active role in things. At least Riku still has a brain.